Nursing Major vs. Political Science Major

[Autumn Red]

So its getting near that time where I have to decide on a college major. I'm graduating in January so that I can have a few months to work, and I've already been accepted into the college I'm looking at. I've been thinking about Nursing since I was sixteen years old, and I really have a heart for helping people. At the same time, I read a lot of political literature and I feel like I could really contribute/have fun being part of a political organization.

Help? What's one to do? D:

[HEAD ICE]

Nursing.

[bailey_187]

Nursing.

[Pirate Utopian]

Nursing.

[Autumn Red]

Seems like you're all unanimous then :P

[Tablo]

Nursing is the way to go. Not much you can do with political science major anyway.

[Autumn Red]

Nursing is the way to go. Not much you can do with political science major anyway.Is there just not much to do unless you sell your soul to one of the major parties?

[black magick hustla]

nursing please dont do political science

[Sasha]

nursing and an self-studie in political science

[leftace53]

Fuck it. Poli Sci.

[Raúl Duke]

nursing please dont do political science


This,

In my experience, in Florida, US, Poli Sci department isn't full of fun radical stuff at all. Most students are in it because they want to be lawyers, policy makers (of the current government), or politicians (in the current status quo). The material in itself, particularly how it is addressed and debated, is boring too (compared to social sciences).

Most somewhat "radical" students are in Sociology, History, and Anthropology (in my university).

So, between poli sci and nursing, nursing is more useful and you wont be surrounded by pretentious lawyers or politician wannabes.

[Steve_j]

Another vote for nursing here!

A great immediate way to help society, plus you can utilise you skills in nursing within politics.

Best of luck comrade.

[Invincible Summer]

This,

In my experience, in Florida, US, Poli Sci department isn't full of fun radical stuff at all. Most students are in it because they want to be lawyers, policy makers (of the current government), or politicians (in the current status quo). The material in itself, particularly how it is addressed and debated, is boring too (compared to social sciences).

Most somewhat "radical" students are in Sociology, History, and Anthropology (in my university).

So, between poli sci and nursing, nursing is more useful and you wont be surrounded by pretentious lawyers or politician wannabes.

This is the same situation at my school too. Any poli sci students I've talked to at my uni can't seem to even grasp anything outside of the standard "Liberal vs conservative" spectrum. Marxist theory is only ever touched on as a sort of "deviant" line of political theory, whereas in sociology it's almost standard (at my uni).



So if you think you can handle it, I would go for Nursing if I were you, Autumn Red. I heard it's pretty demanding.

[Shokaract]

This,

In my experience, in Florida, US, Poli Sci department isn't full of fun radical stuff at all. Most students are in it because they want to be lawyers, policy makers (of the current government), or politicians (in the current status quo). The material in itself, particularly how it is addressed and debated, is boring too (compared to social sciences).

Most somewhat "radical" students are in Sociology, History, and Anthropology (in my university).

So, between poli sci and nursing, nursing is more useful and you wont be surrounded by pretentious lawyers or politician wannabes.

This. Political Science generally accepts the system as it is.

[Raúl Duke]

This is the same situation at my school too. Any poli sci students I've talked to at my uni can't seem to even grasp anything outside of the standard "Liberal vs conservative" spectrum. Marxist theory is only ever touched on as a sort of "deviant" line of political theory, whereas in sociology it's almost standard (at my uni).


Yeah, in History, Sociology, and Anthropology (in that order) Marx is recognized for doing important contributions to the field and no one ridicules off-handily the idea of Marxian analysis of history or societies. While in Poli Sci and especially in Economics, Marx is derided and seen deviant. Anarchism is also considered an odd deviant political idea in Poli Sci.

This reminds me of the conception of universities. Economics and Poli Sci majors will be getting into jobs that require them to at some level define, defend, etc the status quo while on the other social sciences they're required to analyze problems/situations/etc and seek solutions/interpretations; their work is than in turn used by policymakers (who are poli sci majors or economics majors) who than devise a solution that is palatable to the status quo.

[Blackscare]

You'd be more valuable to a proletarian movement as a proletarian that is politically aware, rather than as a highly educated academic with no real connection to the working class. If you want to be politically active, it's much better to be a nurse. Poli sci majors usually are only active as students, from what I've seen. If they are at all. As others have said, sociology or anthro is the way to go for radicalism.



Also, you have much better job opportunities as a nurse than you would as a poli sci major.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Go for nursing and actually do something with your life. LOL

I'm a History major, just because I enjoy the hell out of studying the material. It's a subject that I really love. But I have no illusions about my future in the field, LOL...as chevitz guevara once said in regards to people interested in teaching: I'd better start learning how to foam a latte.

[Rusty Shackleford]

nursing.

im going to ask for a bit of college advice as well. im a soc. major and i took a class of welding in high school. should i just take welding classes at my college as well? i figure it might give me some sort of practical skill besides a knowledge of sociological concepts :lol:

[Os Cangaceiros]

I took a welding class in high school as well, for two years. I never went for my certification, though, which I probably should have...a lot of kids did that and graduated high school as certified welders.

That class was really fun, though. The teacher was really easy-going, and we could work at our own pace on various projects, usually stuff that the school would send down to the shop for repairs.

[Blackscare]

Yea vacant, that is an excellent idea. At least to have some way of making good money (and connections amongst workers and the labor movement) while looking for something to do with that degree.

[leftace53]

You guys had welding classes at your high school? Fuck man, mine was AP nerds ville.
Yes, take welding classes.

[Rusty Shackleford]

i was also a part-ap student :lol:

the welding program got shut down after i took that class though. i was certified but i think i need to learn some more before i try to re-certify.

and alright, thanks comrades:thumbup1:

[Os Cangaceiros]

You guys had welding classes at your high school? Fuck man, mine was AP nerds ville.
Yes, take welding classes.

Yeah...vocational technology is huge in Alaska, though (where I'm from). My school also had an auto tec program, where students would work on a car that would be raffled off at the end of the year (the welding class built a twenty-foot aluminum skiff every year). A large part of the working population seems to be skilled work (welding, electrical work, mechanical work on boats and cars, certain jobs related to the fishing industry, etc.)

[MarxSchmarx]

I'm sure as a nursing major you can take poli sci electives. Vice versa, not so much.

[NoOneIsIllegal]

Besides elementary teaching, political science is basically the lowest paying college major. Don't you go to college to alleviate yourself from poverty?!

Nursing: helping people, enjoyable, doing something with your life, good pay
Poli Sci: wasted 4 years in college, not a lot of options, low pay, not very good idea for revolutionaries

[Os Cangaceiros]

Believe it or not, pay isn't a very big factor in my life plans (speaking personally for a moment). I think that may be because I'm not terribly interested in expensive material things...not out of any communist ethic or anything like that, but simply because I'm not interested. I imagine it would probably be different if I had a ton of dependents, though.

[scarletghoul]

Believe it or not, pay isn't a very big factor in my life plans (speaking personally for a moment). I think that may be because I'm not terribly interested in expensive material things...not out of any communist ethic or anything like that, but simply because I'm not interested. I imagine it would probably be different if I had a ton of dependents, though.
yeah i'm the same really, all I want is a place to live, some food etc, friends, and some time to study/make art and so on..
im not too botherd about what career i end up with, im hoping just to get to uni next year so i can get more involved in leftist circles

[La Comédie Noire]

I vote Nursing, but I'd say try it out, a lot of people go into Nursing wanting to "help people" or make a lot of money only to find it's a lot of hard work and the patients can be very ungrateful.

[Rusty Shackleford]

well, apparently the health care industry is supposed to grow after the whole health care bill passed. so you might be guaranteed a job.

also, its good to have socialists in the medical field too.

[Vanguard1917]

Academic study can be very worthwhile, despite its problems. If you're not sure about political science but have an interest in academic study, think about doing something else in a related field. But that you're considering nursing as the main alternative would suggest that you don't have a serious interest in academic study, in which case it could easily be a total waste of 3/4 years doing a degree in politics. There are too many people taking up university courses with pretty invalid reasons: 'social life', 'finding themselves', getting away from parents, doing a social science degree to get a job in marketing or PR, etc.

[Vanguard1917]

Besides elementary teaching, political science is basically the lowest paying college major. Don't you go to college to alleviate yourself from poverty?!

If the only, or even the main, point of studying something has become to improve your CV, that's a sorry state of affairs.

[Il Medico]

Go for nursing and actually do something with your life. LOL This. Go for nursing.



I'm a History major, just because I enjoy the hell out of studying the material. It's a subject that I really love. But I have no illusions about my future in the field, LOL...as chevitz guevara once said in regards to people interested in teaching: I'd better start learning how to foam a latte.
I'm majoring in English and minoring in History. I think all us 'non-useful' majors recognize our position. A friend of mind who is a poet said this to me upon my asking what she was going to major in "I am going for Biology. I absolutely love writing and poetry, but I want to have a future.". I told her she's crazy and should do what interest her most and not worry about silly things like career potential and money. Needless to say, don't listen to my advice. :lol:

[leftace53]

*Raises her hand for the poverty stricken majors*
Philosophy is the impoverishment of my choice.

[Raúl Duke]

Well I study history and anthropology and may end up studying more anthropology via grad school but part of the reason why is because I tell myself, "just study the stuff that really interest you because in the end when you graduate you'll be initially unemployed or working in a shitty job anyway no matter what you do."