by Liriodendron_fagotti » Fri Aug 30, 2013 3:41 pm
MrPotatoHead, I'm doing the exact same thing (with different subjects).
I'm double majoring in biology and music. I always expected for music to just be a hobby (I didn't even plan on continuing in college till I got a letter from the bassoon professor at a university I was applying to asking if I wanted to come visit and have a lesson with him). I'm loving both subjects, and am quite good at both.
Funnily enough, I've made way, way more money with music so far than with biology. Bassoonists are generally in high demand everywhere, and I make about $500 per gig subbing at various regional symphony orchestras. I'm continuing on in graduate school for biology, and I'll probably continue to gig around with bassoon for the rest of my life to make some money on the side (and I really enjoy it).
As for getting jobs in areas unrelated to your major, my mom got her undergraduate degree in business administration (because her dad wanted her to), her Masters in biology, and now she works as a researcher in highway traffic safety. My dad, on the other hand, got his undergraduate in biology, his Masters in biology, and his Ph.D in Botany/Ecology, was a professor for about 12 years and now is the director for conservation at the main botanical garden in the state and adjunct faculty at the university (where my mom is also adjunct faculty). So things can turn out either way, clearly.
I'd recommend double majoring in things you love to everyone in college, but it's certainly demanding. Scheduling is a nightmare, between night labs in chemistry and university orchestra concerts, seminars and quintet performances, etc. Though I know that this is a lot more feasible in American universities than European (and I'm assuming Canadian and Australian universities too).
Edit: responding to the original question, the mindset that's developed in the past couple of decades that everyone has to get a college education is really dumb, for several reasons. One, not all jobs need it; two, not everyone is cut out for the demands and as a result; three, the quality of the education you're getting has gone down in a lot of places. The high cost is one reason I'm double majoring - I want to get as much out of my money as possible.
MrPotatoHead, I'm doing the exact same thing (with different subjects).
I'm double majoring in biology and music. I always expected for music to just be a hobby (I didn't even plan on continuing in college till I got a letter from the bassoon professor at a university I was applying to asking if I wanted to come visit and have a lesson with him). I'm loving both subjects, and am quite good at both.
Funnily enough, I've made way, way more money with music so far than with biology. Bassoonists are generally in high demand everywhere, and I make about $500 per gig subbing at various regional symphony orchestras. I'm continuing on in graduate school for biology, and I'll probably continue to gig around with bassoon for the rest of my life to make some money on the side (and I really enjoy it).
As for getting jobs in areas unrelated to your major, my mom got her undergraduate degree in business administration (because her dad wanted her to), her Masters in biology, and now she works as a researcher in highway traffic safety. My dad, on the other hand, got his undergraduate in biology, his Masters in biology, and his Ph.D in Botany/Ecology, was a professor for about 12 years and now is the director for conservation at the main botanical garden in the state and adjunct faculty at the university (where my mom is also adjunct faculty). So things can turn out either way, clearly.
I'd recommend double majoring in things you love to everyone in college, but it's certainly demanding. Scheduling is a nightmare, between night labs in chemistry and university orchestra concerts, seminars and quintet performances, etc. Though I know that this is a lot more feasible in American universities than European (and I'm assuming Canadian and Australian universities too).
Edit: responding to the original question, the mindset that's developed in the past couple of decades that [b]everyone[/b] has to get a college education is really dumb, for several reasons. One, not all jobs need it; two, not everyone is cut out for the demands and as a result; three, the quality of the education you're getting has gone down in a lot of places. The high cost is one reason I'm double majoring - I want to get as much out of my money as possible.