And I Had a Hard Enough Time Picking My Major in College...

[Patryn]

Florida is about to sign a law forcing 9th Graders to pick a major. I know the article kind of drones on, but it's about halfway down. The most relevant passage:

Come 2007, high school in Florida is going to look more like college. That's when ninth-graders will be required to pick a major.

It's the law. Gov. Jeb Bush made it so when he recently signed the latest part of his education reform bill that is supposed to boost graduation rates and make high schoolers know what they will be when they grow up. Students will take charge of their future, the governor said in a news conference, "realizing the decisions they make today shape their tomorrow."

I mean, geez. I had a hard enough time struggling with my major choice, and I had quite a few friends who didn't choose theirs until they were a sophmore in college. Forcing kids into a specialized field that early will only hurt them in my opinion. You're basically making it really hard for a student to jump from a BA style major to a BS major, as they'll be behind all the other students. I can dimly see how a directed major might help kids, but I know that I wasn't in a position to pick a major in 9th grade, and if I did I would have changed it quite a few times.

I mean, if a student chooses to change their major, how will that be handled? It's one thing to do it in college where nobody really cares if you go 5 years or so (and that's actually the standard length now, can you believe it?), but you'll end up with kids who don't have the classes to finish high school becoming despondant and depressed that they either have to stick with a curriculum that they dislike or they'll have to stay for additional time in high school.

[Nixon]

Re: And I Had a Hard Enough Time Picking My Major in College...

When I was in 9th grade, I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. I also think this is a bad idea.

But then again, it's an idea from that loveable JEB Bush character. He's got nothing to do with that... other guy.

[Shard]

Re: And I Had a Hard Enough Time Picking My Major in College...

I had no idea what I wanted to do in 9th grade. I had no idea what I wanted to do after I started attending college. I've got my degree and I'm still trying to figure it out. At least the pay is much better now.

[Goyle]

Re: And I Had a Hard Enough Time Picking My Major in College...

I had to choose a major in ninth grade, but then again, I've always had a good idea of what I wanted to be.

If nothing else, it might give kids the chance to try a major they're mildly interested in, sort of testing the waters so they don't have to waste time on it in college if they don't like it.

[DarkwingChuck]

Re: And I Had a Hard Enough Time Picking My Major in College...

When I was in ninth grade I wanted to be a heart surgeon. I don't remember why. Maybe if I'd had Trauma Center and a DS back then I'd have stuck with it.

[thetruecoolness]

Re: And I Had a Hard Enough Time Picking My Major in College...

Well by ninth grade I knew what I wanted to do, but I had just decided on it. Before I wanted to be an aeronautical engineer, but after learning to program (on my TI-83 calculator because I didn't have a computer till mid 12th grade) I thought it was the coolest thing ever, and still do. So at some point I will be a video game graphics programmer, but that's after I make some demo worthy stuff and find a company I want to, and have a chance to work for. Of course to know what you want to do at that point, and actually sticking to it like I have is quite rare, since quite a few people in college change majors, or remain undecided for a long time.

So while a lot of people don't know what they want to do then, this might help those that do. I really wish my school actually had programming classes, I think it had one but it wasn't worth taking. So I think this will really be hardest on the schools as they now have to have specialized curiculum, unless they are going to limit the majors which would be stupid. This will only work if every school has every major, or at least most of them, otherwise kids would have to move to get what they want, which would be a real pain. So though good in theory I think this will more than likely be poorly implemented due to limited funds, and a limited selection of majors. Really the schools should just strive for more diverse specialization classes and still allow students to pick and choose from those while still offering the core classes. I don't see a need to limit them so early in what they choose, most kids that aren't going to college will major in a specific major (vocation) anyway. Though our society is becoming increasinly more specialized in the job market it's still good to have a wide range of skills, we're not to sci-fi level specialization of society yet (though most of those people are forced into their specialization, no choosing). So high school should still be left pretty open since many people are still looking for what they want to do, and for those that already know they can just choose the right specialization classes.

So this will more than likely fail, or lead to a lot of kids hating their major.

[Sejon]

Re: And I Had a Hard Enough Time Picking My Major in College...

Even if you're dead-set on a particular major from early on, new trends in your prospective career may make you change your mind eventually. Those are things entirely beyond your control.
I wanted to be an animator throughout elementary school, throughout high school, throughout sixth form, but once I went to college it was made painfully obvious that traditional 2D animation was getting the shaft as if it were an antiquated art form. They told me I had to take considerably more 3D animation courses than 2D if I wanted a degree, so I dropped it and went with Illustration.

[megamoku]

Re: And I Had a Hard Enough Time Picking My Major in College...

Back in the ninth grade my best friend wanted to be a bus driver...nuff said.

[Chad]

Re: And I Had a Hard Enough Time Picking My Major in College...

I wanted to be a homeless writer.

[Riotsword]

Re: And I Had a Hard Enough Time Picking My Major in College...

It's all fuzzy to me(either my memory is bad by default or I have a GF in my head and I don't even know, lol), but pretty sure I wanted to be a pro wrestler.

[Zieg Rauros]

Re: And I Had a Hard Enough Time Picking My Major in College...

I just graduated 9th grade, I have no idea what I'm doing yet. At all.

[Magus]

Re: And I Had a Hard Enough Time Picking My Major in College...

I'm trying to change my major and I still don't know what to do/what I want to do.

Why do you exist?

I don't know.

Maybe I exist to find out why I exist.

Are you happy being alive? I don't know. Are you happy being alive? Of course I'm happy! Do you hate being sad?

I don't like it.

[Zieg Rauros]

Re: And I Had a Hard Enough Time Picking My Major in College...

I'm trying to change my major and I still don't know what to do/what I want to do.

Who do you exist?

I don't know.

Maybe I exist to find out why I exist.

Are you happy being alive? I don't know. Are you happy being alive? Of course I'm happy! Do you hate being sad?

I don't like it.

Just gonna pretend I understood that.

[SkylureX]

Re: And I Had a Hard Enough Time Picking My Major in College...

I went to a Tech school for high school, and I had to choose a major in 9th grade. I'm still in the same major after 3 years of college.

[The Toecutter]

Re: And I Had a Hard Enough Time Picking My Major in College...

If you can steer kids into picking a major early on, and limit their selection due to lack of funds, you can play a small role into limiting their future options.

Chalk another measure put up to implement control and restrictions for their own sake...


On a side note, I love how fark.com has "Florida" as its own news category, in with other categories like "Cool", "Amusing", "Obvious", "Interesting", among others.