Is the STEM meme real?

Unless you're naturally talented or genuinely interested in STEM, don't do it. At best, you'll land yourself a good job but be miserable. At worst, you'll be just as unemployable as you could have been with any degree.

And if you don't know what you want to do, take a year or two off to decide. That would give you time to give being an author a go (an English degree really won't help with this, by the way) and you can get a job for money and work experience alongside it.

>>18700853
Do whatever the hell you want, OP. Life's too short to be trapped in a career you hate. I study a STEM meme career (Bio) and you have two options in here.
1. Academia: Become a competitive asshole, fuck with your lab partners' experiments so they won't succeed (I've seen it happen), become your professor's pet until you can get your PhDs and Masters and a bunch of papers that say you're cool and compete all your life for grants and faculty positions.
2. Industry: You can follow the industry path where you get to work for a company, hopefully get a decent paycheck and benefits but all your dreams of being a researcher go to trash. Your academia colleagues will laugh at you for "selling out" and being a slave to "evil" companies.

In a nutshell, going for a STEM degree is only for those who are really REALLY interested and invested in it. It won't net you a lot of money (unless math degree 300k starting) and you'll probably be unhappy for the rest of your working life.
In my opinion, you should choose learning a skill and at the same time work on being an author, fuck the English degree, you don't need that to write.
Best of luck, OP.

Anything that involves a majority of women is meme. I don't say this in a sexist way, either.

>>18700861
>(an English degree really won't help with this, by the way)
>>18700929
>you don't need that to write.
Then do I just need to work on a portfolio? I feel like my parents are forcing me to go to college (they say a publish won't consider my manuscript if I don't have a degree) and I've read from multiple sources that a degree could help.
http://www.learnhowtobecome.org/writer/
http://educhoices.org/articles/How_to_Become_a_Writer_Education_and_Training_Requirements_for_Becoming_a_Professional_Writer.html
https://www.writersbureau.com/writing/qualifications-to-become-a-published-writer.htm (this seems more in line with what you guys have been telling me but it doesn't recommend an English degree directly)
>>18700941
Are you referring to writing or STEM? STEM seems fairly male dominated and writing is a more mixed bag, although women are one of the most lucrative audiences at the moment.

>>18700952
>Then do I just need to work on a portfolio?
A degree can help, but it's not mandatory. In this day and age, self publishing is a thing and if you have an agent, they can hook you up with publishers. Having a portfolio, like many creative fields, is going to help you a lot more than a degree. If your parents are forcing you to go to college AND they're paying for it, then you're better off doing that than something you couldn't give a fuck about. Plus something 'soft' like English has transferable skills, you're far from fucked if you get an English degree unless you don't know how to make the most of it.

>>18700952
Sure, I don't know much about publishing but a portfolio would probably work since it works for other creative fields. You could try self-publishing to try your hand at writing without worrying about having no agent. When you're a famous author remember this poor anon with a shit degree, I could use a couple of millions.

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>>18700959
>>18700963
Thanks anons. I won't forget this! I guess I'll get to work now, and if I ever make the big time I'll write a dedication to anon. Heh. I'm glad I'll be able to start without being loaded down with debt too.

>>18701034
Good luck. If it doesn't work out, you can always go back to college in a few years so it's not like you're really missing out on anything. Do get a job on the side though, it'll help round our your skillset, give you something to fill out your resume, give you money and you might even turn it into a career.

>>18700853
As a software engineer with a CS degree I gotta ask: how exposed have you been to STEM? I feel like if you haven't been thoroughly exposed to various sciences, advanced math, etc. you can't know if you like them.

>>18701138
I've taken some biology courses and read some books on botany and Ecology, not something that are apparently very in demand right now anyway, and it's OK, it's nothing I couldn't be able to do but I would rather follow my natural talent than follow money I guess.

>>18700853
My cousin is a successful published authour.
He has very good sellers and he has quite a cult following.

He is also a full time truck driver.

Maybe thatll answer your question.

The stem field is about the only thing left thats worth going to school for so if you want a strong academic career go with that.

But it involves a lot of writing and studying. I dont know you and cant say for certain, but i imagine it could dampen your writing passion.

The skill trades is a noble pursuit, pretty easy to move forward with, pays well, and after a hard days work, youre going to want a relaxing pass time. I cant think of anything that would better support your goals.

My two cents is become an electrician and continue to write.

>>18700853
If you decide to major in writing get your AA in English, BA in Journalism, and your MA in Creative Writing.

Writing fiction is not a realistic career for most people. A degree in English will not give you great job opportunities in general.

Not all STEM is equal. Engineering, math, comp sci will get you a decent job easily. Biology not so much. Some business degrees (accounting or finance) or economics are also okay.

Assuming you are in the U.S., it's not particularly difficult to double-major as long as you plan your course schedule from the start. I know plenty of people who did a fun major like English or Anthropology along with a marketable major like math or business and were really glad they did when it came time to find a job.

>>18701193
>A degree in English will not give you great job opportunities in general.
That's not necessarily true. The vast majority of jobs out there only require a degree; the subject of the degree only matters in specialized fields like engineering. Statistically, most people work in fields completely unrelated to their major, and people with humanities degrees are employed at roughly the same rates as STEM majors. Just having a degree makes you more employable and meets the requirements of plenty of jobs.

The simple fact is your ability to market yourself and network are more important than your major. If OP really wants to get an English degree, it won't hurt him in any way as long as he's realistic about it and knows he'll end up qualified for the same normie office jobs he'd be applying for anyway.

>>18701180
Don't do journalism unless you're Jewish.

35 now, went back to school about 3 years ago

Did construction for about 15 years though

I'm an engineering student and love it - stem is challenging but if you go into the sciences thinking about the future you can make great money. STEM as a whole covers a lot of sciences; a lot of which aren't profitable.

You can make good money going into computer science, engineering, and that direction

Shit like geology or astronomy or theoretical math will have you unemployed and in debt