OT: Would you mind if your child majored in General Studies (BGS) at LSA?

At the end of the day, he’s got to be an adult and make his own choices. Let him make his choice and support that choice whatever it is, but if he asked me for advice, I’d tell him to go back and get the degree. There is a huge emphasis (admittedly an unfair and probably overblown one) on absolutely needing a college degree anywhere these days. Just to get your foot in the door for a 40k a year entry level job. Hell, some places are starting to not even consider you unless you have a masters degree. Unless your kid wants to go into sales (In which case I’d say to hell with school, anyone who can sell can own the world, with or without a degree), I’d say go back to school. But with a caveat.

Get a degree in something that will get him a job. Take it from a former history major: you’re going to do yourself a world of good by majoring in something practical. A fact I didn’t come to realize until it was already too late to switch majors. I’m doing well now, working in relationship management,  but interviewing for jobs my senior year was a living, breathing nightmare. I interviewed for jobs that I had zero interest in, while all my buddies already had offers locked up for months, but I had to interview with them because I just flat out needed a job. I’m sure others have had different experiences as liberal arts majors and that’s completely fine. If it works for you, it works for you. I’m just saying that for me, I regret not majoring in something more useful.

What he could also do is consider trade school. Far, far cheaper than any four year university, get out of school faster, you learn something practical (like computer science, electrical work, plumbing, etc.), and you’re making pretty good money just a few years after graduating. Just a thought, because I believe trade schools are going to make a huge comeback over the next decade or so, as more families get priced out of sending their kids to four year institutions.

I don’t know. At the end of the day, as long as he’s happy, that’s all that matters. If that means he wants to go work at McDonalds and salt fries every day, then let him do that. There have got to be plenty of people out there making six to seven figures a year, come home to their big mansions and are absolutely miserable. If what you do makes you happy, then you are winning at life, regardless of your paycheck.

Get that degree. A wise person once told me when I was an undergrad that completing a degree, regardless of your area of concentration, shows that you can finish what you started. That’s no small thing for a young person. Study what interests you, keep your eyes open for opportunities, do your level best and go forward with the distinction of being a college graduate. 

I didn't read all the replies, but let him work for a while. I was burned out after HS -- high pressure and demand for perfection in academics by the parents -- and was not willing to put in the work or handle the stress of college he first time around. Went to work, and eventually went back to school in my 40s. After being in the working world, I crushed it with real motivation and work ethic. Maybe that will happen for your son. Let him work.

Curious...

My undergrad is in biology.  But I helped take a tech company public.  Half the F100 uses our products and services.  So did I "waste my opportunity" by not being in the field of my degree?

If he still doesn't have a specific interest and you have the financial ability to do so, then get him the BGS. Just having a Michigan degree can open a lot of doors and help you get better jobs and have upward job mobility. The whole "a college degree isn't necessary anymore" is a blue collar and big tech talking point that is basically false unless unless you explicitly want to go into a trade or are a self taught computer science prodigy. Trying to do a lot of desk jobs without a college degree is losing battle

My wife intended to major in neuroscience. She was in the honors college and everything. Took the first semester of Orgo I in the spring at UofM Dearborn, got an A, said it was a breeze. Was totally unprepared for Orgo II in the fall and failed. It derailed her plans for neuroscience.

She switched majors and graduated with a BA in Communications. To this day, she feels very self-conscious about the way things played out because of the stereotype about Comm classes.

After college, she got a job in Detroit working on the social media account for Cadillac. Managed to land a paid internship for a programming bootcamp. Flamed out there and moved to a QA position testing out infotainment systems at GM. When we moved to San Diego, she did a UI/UX bootcamp. Did great there, so good that she was able to do part-time design work for the company that ran the bootcamp. Unfortunately, her first full-time job was for a terrible web design agency. She worked there for a year until being laid off along with half the company. After a two-month search, she got a job with an awesome AI start up and is their lead product designer. They actually reached out to her because of her bootcamp portfolio and hired her because of her diverse tech experiences. A year in it’s shaping up to be a dream job and she is thriving.

TLDR: career paths are winding roads that often continue long after graduating from college—regardless of major.

BGS degree here.  I was in a somewhat similar situation to your son where I got my BGS simply to check off the box to say I had a degree.  Had originally gone in for engineering but had essentially failed out.

Spent a year or two after graduation dicking around trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.  Ended up pursuing one of my passions that had absolutely nothing to do with a degree and with a company that didn't really care if I had a degree.  17 years later and I'm with the same company doing the same job and it's still one of my passions so no complaints.  However I'm also still paying back student loans 17 years later for a degree that isn't really doing me any good.

So in summation, no I would not recommend going back just to get a BGS degree unless he intends to pursue grad school.  He should figure out what he wants to do first and have a career plan before blowing any more money on an expensive degree just to have a degree.

In answer to your question, No, I would not mind at all. The value is in the degree whether it is a BGS, a BA, BS, or other. I have several friends that received a BGS degree from U of M; one is a judge in Flint, another has done very well in the IT services business (and he also earned an MBA). I earned a BA in History from U of M and then an MBA. Some would think my History degree was worthless, but it taught me to:

1) read and digest lots of material; comes in handy for grad school with the immense amount of work 

2) write well and communicate well for business; I have better communication skills than my MBA classmates that earned a BA in Business, or the engineers in my class.

My mom, who doesn't have a college degree, said that when employers receive a resume, those with a college degree go in one pile, and those without one go in another, and for the most part, she is right.

I have one daughter who is definitely smarter than I am. Accepted to Michigan and other great schools, and received a full tuition scholarship elsewhere to a very good school. Her sister academically is not the same caliber, but she has a wicked amount of street smarts and will likely have more career success than her older sister in something like sales. 

I told her just go to college and get a degree, in any subject. I don't care what it is in. No degree, no inheritance.

We place so much stress on kids to decide on a career quickly and to learn a trade in school. For many of us, it takes time.

The other thing I would tell you is don't compare or judge your kids vs other kids like you did above. Everyone develops and blossoms at different times. I struggled after graduating Michigan. Worked on a cruise ship, took an unpaid internship at a PR firm. Sold custom clothing on commission only. Worked for a car rental place. Got my MBA, and then delivered pizzas to support myself until I found a good gig.

25+ years later, I make very good money, live in an expensive house in California, travel the world, and have other measures of success. But I'm really proud of my ability to have an open mind, which I attribute to my liberal arts education. It serves me well in business. My life has turned out great, even after obtaining what many believe to be a worthless degree.

Give your son time to find himself and you will be pleased with the results. But tell him to get a degree, unless he has some special vocational training that earns him big bucks. Even then, I would still tell him to get a degree.

Negatron.

STEM! If I did not like college or just did not want to go into debt with student loans. I would pick up a trade. Welders can make a lot $$$$ The best careers are making one out of your hobby! I remember friends at Michigan who did not know what they were interested in and never picked a major early on.  They just kind of drifted in GS but I think they ended up being successful with a Michigan degree.

YTA.

Oh wait sorry wrong Internet forum. *ahem* Let the kid make their own choices they’re an adult now and, quite frankly, there is more to life than a college degree. You spent a lot of time here discussing what YOU want and vaguely touch about what your child wants but have you ever actually asked them? 
 

IF you child wants to go get a BGS then let them. Don’t force them down a career path that they’ll hate and then have a wasted degree after they leave that path because their miserable.

Good luck, dad. I feel you.

You've mentioned the majors that are easiest to get and the ones that you think are useful for a career. What about what your kid actually wants to do? 

Easy is relative.  I started in SNRE, which is probably one of the "easier" degrees, but it was not easy for me, and I had to get my only W as there was no way I was going to pass Woody Plants.  I switched to Mechanical Engineering and was much happier and grades went up as I had a more math focused degree. 

Back then, to transfer to the engineering school, it was pretty straight forward, 3.0 overall GPA and 3.0 in your math and sciences, with a bunch of prerequisitions.  If he wants to try IOE, then I would go this path.  I have heard that IOE was the easiest of the engineering degrees, but am not sure that meants specifically.  If it means anything, I'd hate to be a manufacturing engineer.  I have designed a lot of products and have taken them to production, and to me, that is the least fun stage, and the most stressful.  Still could be a good degree.

A BGS degree is not the easiest degree unless his only problem is foreign language. Other than that it may actually be a little harder because it actually requires more higher level classes across a broader array of topics. If he was really good at one thing he'd be better off focusing. But it should be up to him, not you.

I agree with the responses that suggest you let your son figure out what he is passionate about and then support him chasing that. For example, I was not motivated and not very mature coming out of high school. I wasted some money, did well some semesters and poorly in others. Ultimately, after 3.5 years and not close to a degree, my parents (rightly) cut off the money. I went to work, met my now wife and ultimately, she got pregnant. At that point I felt I needed to go back and finish my degree. I did so at night and started in pharmaceutical sales before moving on to medical device sales. Every day was a chore, even though I was very good at my job. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. I began coaching high school football and baseball in the evenings and found that working with kids was my passion. For about 25 years I worked a day job I didn't love and spent evening coaching. Finally, last summer, I decided to do what I love as a career. I applied for South Carolina's alternative teaching certification program. I now live in SC and teach business in high school while coaching football and baseball. I love going to work every day. It was a hell of a pay cut, but I'm happy. I encourage you to help your son find the passion I found (in whatever he loves) long before I did at 48 years old. He will be much happier.

I have spent my years as a parent encouraging all 4 of my kids to find their passion and chase it. Don't worry about money as it will sort itself out. My son played D2 college football for a few years and decided to transfer to U of M. He graduated with a plan to go to law school, but quickly realized that wasn't what he wanted. Instead, we have supported his move to coaching college football. Breaking in pays little to nothing, but we have helped where we can to ensure he ends up in a career that he loves.

The bottom line, as I said, encourage him to do what he loves. If he doesn't know yet, that's fine. Eventually he will and once that happens, support the hell out of him. Don't shoehorn him into a particular degree (or a degree at all if it isn't necessary).

As someone who just went through something similar I feel for your situation.  My daughter is now a junior at UT-Chattanooga but her first two years were less than noteworthy (she enjoys the social aspects of college more than the academic).   We had to have a long talk on whether or not it was worth continuing.  She was majoring in political science and we had to talk about why and what that would lead to.  Turns out she thought she wanted to go to Law school because I went to law school.  Problem is she has zero interest in law or political science.  She said she would like a job with travel, talked to her advisor and now is majoring in marketing and hospitality and is doing great!  The point is I wish I would have been more involved on the front end instead of just saying get your degree.  I think it is a balance to let them do what they want, but to also have those conversations on the front end and being realistic about their goals.  

I also made her pay $1,500 a semester until she pulled her grades up.  To her credit she did, it took two semesters.  I think her having to invest in her education hit home about cost and value.  Not saying that is the thing to do, but it seemed to motivate in this case.  Just my two cents but don't compare your kid (or yourself) to others.  It's a losing game.  Just do the best you can and hope for their happiness. Good luck, parenting is by far the best and hardest thing I do. 

I'd agree with the many posters before that major/degree matters a lot less than you think. While I do believe there's still real value in finishing a degree, the "practicality" of your undergrad education actually seems to matter less and less these days (except in a few, very specialized fields, perhaps). Most of my friends from college are doing something completely unrelated to their major/degree, and I would consider the vast majority of them successful. If your son actually wants to return to undergrad, encourage him to study whatever he finds interesting. Opportunities will unfold from there (perhaps in directions you and he never considered!).

I’ve 

Why not trade schools? They are always in demand, get paid well, and are more interesting than office jobs.

Alternatively, get your son to be a cop.

I have a STEM Phd from Michigan and haven't been able to find a job in over a year. There's no such thing as the "practical" degree. It's all a lie. Get a degree in whatever you want, or don't.  The good ol' days of walking into a company and getting hired on the spot are long gone. America is transitioning into a low-wage police state.

In the words of Jim Harbaugh...when you compare someone to someone else, no one wins (or something like that).  

Stop comparing your son to his friends.  And getting engaged at a young age is not a flex.  It probably will end in divorce.  

I’m 23 and have a BA in Political Science from UM that I decided not to professionally pursue when I was 20 haha. I worked in insurance for a year and am now getting an MBA in HR, it took me a little longer to find what I wanted to do but I wouldn’t have the opportunity to jump back into the flow without my initial degree. As such, I think any degree has value, it really depends on how motivated you are to use that value to whatever extent you deem sufficient.

No, as I have a BGS. Couldn't deal with the language requirement.  Went to law school.

40 hours of Political Science

40 hours of history

24 hours of philosphy

Multiple hours of beer consumption, mostly $2/12 pack Falstaff.

Biggest problem is you are really on your own.  I never saw an academic advisor after orientation, but that's my fault.

If he can go back and get a UM degree you should encourage it.  10 years from now people will see degree from Michigan and give him a shot, especially out of state.  Unless he is dead set on not finishing school, it is worth it.

As an IOE grad - this post is a bit triggering - the first 2-2.5 years of that program are the same as any other engineer and if you think that is easy at Michigan, I think you are mistaken - best of luck - your kid is an adult, let them figure it out.

Can he play OL?

To add what I was saying before, I disagree with those that say a college degree is not important. Not only does it show you can finish something, I believe those with college degrees live longer as a whole. Less manual labor = a longer lifespan. My mom and sister both don't have college degrees. Sister continues to struggle at age 58, and she's bright. Stocking shelves at a big box retailer. Her life is tough and she can't find good paying jobs without a degree.

Not all jobs that don't require a college degree are physical, but many good paying ones are. (electrician, plumber, carpenter). Even police and fire out where we live require a college degree or advanced training education. And even then, tell me that firefighters live long lives...

Germany is an exception. They have excellent vocational training, and many of their jobs that are vocational are for advanced technical jobs that pay well and are not physically overbearing.

There is nothing wrong with getting a BGS and struggling for a few years with jobs that aren't the best paying. Builds character and as long as you can pay the rent, why not in your early twenties?

If you can afford to pay for your kid's education, that's awesome. If you can't, and they still want to go to school, you should step in, give them advice on where to go to college inexpensively, and keep them from going too far into debt. That's one of the best gifts you can provide. Graduation with little to no debt.

The question you have to ask is what he wants to do with the rest of his life.  If he's tangentially working with software, for example, he could have just as much luck going to a coding academy or similar "trade school".  If the goal is just "get a degree" then anything would work, but that's a lot of money for a piece of paper he may not try using elsewhere.

I don't think college is for everyone, and that's totally fine.  And this isn't one of those dismissive "the world needs ditch diggers" reductive take; being successful in a highly-academic environment is a skill like anything else, and sometimes a person's personality and focus don't mesh with that rigid system.  You and your son need to figure out what would be the best situation for him today, in 5 years, 10 years, etc. and work toward that, not necessarily chase some milestone for its own sake. 

absolutely, completely in favor of the BGS.

i'm an architect, and knew i wanted to be an architect when i was 11 years old.  that program, though - if i'd gotten those two U-M architecture degrees and THEN found out i hated the profession?  i'd have been totally screwed.

a BGS gets you a broad-based, world-class education and allows you to go in about any direction you can imagine.

i'd also add, although you're past this point - way, WAY more people need to be willing to do community college for those first, non-major-specific classes.  i wish i'd done that, i'd have generated tens of thousands of dollars less in debt.

Your son is in a position where he may not ever get a bachelor's degree, or not for a long time anyway. So if you have the money and he is at all motivated to just get it done, support him and do it even if it means he gets a BGS. I guess I'm trying to say the most important distinction here is not BA vs BGS, it's no degree vs BGS, from a great school no less. 

I've hired lots of people in a career that is winding down now, he needs that degree more than any specific major right now. It will open some doors. 

Both of my sons surprised me by majoring in economics, despite my assuring them that economists are generally full of shit (this coming from someone who minored in economics and took several econ courses in grad school at UM). My older son works on Wall Street but believe me when I say his major had little to do with it. My second son will be commissioned in the Army this May and will become a field artillery officer. So much for the econ major. 

IM(always)HO this gets into a philosophical question of what is a college degree about.  Is it's purpose the development of the mind into a independent thinking organism that can then go out and do whatever the individual wants to do, or is it a training program to become a (fill in the blank).  In the not too distant past, the former was the goal hence the inclusion of many liberal arts classes in the first couple years of all programs.   In recent years, as technological complexity has risen, the latter is becoming more pressing and you see things like engineering school curricula reducing non-technical content.  I am a little long in the tooth engineer, but I tend to lean toward the former as a more beneficial approach.  In yours sons case, yes there is a significant benefit to finishing the grind and get the degree.  It allows better advancement to start the alphabet soup after his name, and once that is going he can look around for what he wants to do long term, and perhaps pursue a masters that would guide him in that direction

My son and college did not mix.  He had a freshman year that was so up and down, it made little sense.  He'd get As and Fs.  If the course wasn't interesting to him because it was a degree requirement, he'd just blow it off.  We pulled the plug on college when he finished the year.

He got lucky and got a job in IP telephony providing technical support, started with crap pay because he didn't have a 4 year degree, and now that's he's in his 30s, degrees don't matter as much.  Experience does.  He moved to a new company about 4 years ago and got a big raise to market rates.  He got poached by another company that had people from his first job working there because they wanted his skill set.  He got another big raise and he's finally where he should be on pay.  He's getting calls from headhunters all the time.

So, there are lots of technical certifications that can be used to get into an industry at the ground floor.  That's what my son did.  It will take years to climb the ladder, but eventually you can get to the top.

My son just got his associate's degree at a local college in 2019 and planned to start a bachelor's degree program but some job changes and COVID came along and he decided he really wanted to do in-person learning.  He recognizes that works best for him.  We are hoping in the fall things will be back to normal enough that he can get in 2 more years to finish his degree in computer science or whatever fits best with the skill set he needs.  He recognizes that stepping a bit further up the ladder may require a degree, so he's fixing that.