Want Opinions On College and More Opinions

[Mephisto]

I'm going to be graduating next year, but I want to have a solid plan for my future education so I can be as successful as possible.

I am planning to major in some sort of business.  Specifically I want to get a degree in something like Business Management or Administration or International Business.

To do this, I plan to go to my local community college and fix up my high school grades, complete general ED, retake SAT I & II, ACT, etc. & to earn A's & B's to make myself competetive.

After getting an AA at a community college I plan to transfer to a university as a transfer student.  I am from California, so I am deciding between 3 different types of universities:  Cal State University (CSU) which is the easiest university to enter, and is career & hands-on experience oriented; University of California (UC) which is the harder public university to enter which is more research, philisophical, and theory oriented; Private college (Stanford for example) which would cost the most and be the most difficult to enter.

What do you guys think of this plan?  What type of university do you think would be best to transfer to?  What field of business would be best to get a BA in (or masters/Ph.D) for what I want to do (Eventually become a CEO of an international business).

I'm honestly quite skeptical about my success with majoring in business (risks involved, changing business & economics climate, etc.) & also my plan to become educated and successful.

[Rule]

Well, the SAT is not a very hard test and definitely can be studied for.   Personally I wouldn't go into "business" at university.  I think such programs have no 'business'
in a place of academics.   If you want to get something meaningful out of the
university experience, I would enroll in something interesting, like computer science, math, physics, economics, ....
If you are set on the idea of going into business later, either minor in
commerce (or economics which I think would be more interesting), or just get
an MBA after you finish your undergrad.

I am of the impression that if you have even a moderate natural talent for
promoting yourself, playing politics, etc, you will get very little out of any business course, where you may actually learn something that will change the way you think in certain other programs; you will learn about things you wouldn't otherwise explore.

[Mephisto]

I was thinking of getting a degree in economics at a UC.

But I am interested in getting a degree in something that will give me the ability to market myself competetively for a job and work my way up to eventually becomming a manager, executive, CEO, etc.

My plan was to basically major in business & get a minor in the field I want to go into business.  Is that a good idea, or?

[Rule]

I was thinking of getting a degree in economics at a UC.

But I am interested in getting a degree in something that will give me the ability to market myself competetively for a job and work my way up to eventually becomming a manager, executive, CEO, etc.

My plan was to basically major in business & get a minor in the field I want to go into business.  Is that a good idea, or?

I couldn't say.  It's not what I'd do, but you're not me .   I haven't specifically
had "climbing the corporate ladder" in mind while I've been at university, I've just tried to do whatever I find most interesting -- other considerations aside. 

I think a business degree would help someone break into the sort of environment
you want to be a part of.  However, I don't know if it would necessarily give
you a competitive advantage when trying to get a really important position.
I mean, sure, if you get a business degree, get hired by some company, and really impress them while you're there at a low level, you will undoubtedly start climbing... a little.    However, in my opinion the business degree isn't so impressive itself: what you can do and have done will be your selling point.  How does a commerce degree set you apart from the hundreds of others wanting to also be at the top?  If I were a CEO, I would want very smart people doing skilled work for me, and if you have a degree in something like "honours mathematics" or have published independent research in a journal, that will definitely set you apart.   I think the process of getting to that point will also sharpen your mind. 
Although I am mostly hypothesizing based on how I would act as a CEO, I know
that there is some truth to this.  I had a friend who did a co-op at RSA security,
and he said that the 'superiors' in the office surprisingly didn't necessarily
have computer science degrees; they're just looking for someone with a brain.  Most skilled professional work is so highly specialized it doesn't matter what you did in university, you're going to have to learn new things anyways, so employers are looking for someone who has shown themselves to be capable.

Having said that, I wouldn't necessarily take this advice too seriously.  I think
taking a business degree would be the safest approach to your goal, although
it may not be as likely to bring you to the top as taking a more risky degree would.

[waar]

If you're going the business route, then go into a specific aspect of business. I see you chose economics, good call. You seem to have a plan which looks pretty solid.

[Forged]

major in something you find fun and then get an mba in grad school.

[Mephisto]

major in something you find fun and then get an mba in grad school.

So get a BA in a subject I like (4 years) & an MA in Business Administration (6 years)?  I don't really want to spend all the money needed to do that + 10 years in college.

[Forged]

I haven't looked into it much but I am fairly sure it would only be an extra 3 years of college tops to get an mba.

[Rule]

I haven't looked into it much but I am fairly sure it would only be an extra 3 years of college tops to get an mba.

Yes, at most 3 years.  Probably closer to 1 year if you're motivated.  No idea where you get the idea of a 6 years masters from, for any program in any discipline.

[Eric]

Hopes, dreams and plans all change.  Your best bet is to follow your interests and see where they lead you otherwise you'll end up making lots of money doing a job you despise which will eventually cause you to jump out your 27th floor office window.

[Mephisto]

I haven't looked into it much but I am fairly sure it would only be an extra 3 years of college tops to get an mba.

Yes, at most 3 years.  Probably closer to 1 year if you're motivated.  No idea where you get the idea of a 6 years masters from, for any program in any discipline.

Well I assumed a Masters takes ~6 years to complete (4 years for a BA + an additional 2 years for a Masters).  I'm not very well informed on cutting down on time to get degrees though...Then again, I don't want to compress everything down into a small amount of time to complete a lot, since in my opinion, a big part of college is partying and just having a great time (a second high school, but funner & more serious academically (but more fun since it's your interests)), and I wouldn't want to have to be a bookworm day and night just to get passing grades...

[Rule]

Well, you're right that it usually takes about 6 years to get a masters
and a bachelors...   You said you didn't want 10 years of college so I assumed
you meant 4 years bachelors + 6 years masters.

2 years isn't much if it's going to make a big difference in your life.  But yes, try and relax a bit.  Don't worry about strategizing too much at this point, just do what you're interested in and your life will probably turn out for the best.

[MyndFyre]

I'm not sure you'll want my opinion since I'm a

fat & ugly piece of shit

even if I'm a

fat & ugly piece of shit

who will be getting two BA's next month, with honors, but I advise against going to community college first and just heading straight for the university.  Often, universities offer scholarship programs if you go there right away out of high school and won't defer them until after you've completed CC, so unless that's already been offered to you, be wary.  Also, your CC credits have limited transferrability to universities; often, the university will require that you have at least X amount of hours on campus, which may cause you to be at the university for more than the two years you'd planned.  The AA/AS is really most worthwhile if you have a job lined up that will put you at full time once you have your Associate's, and you can attend the university for night classes or something.  Working full time and taking a full college schedule sucks.

Several of my friends have also been screwed by the advisors at the local CCs as well (meaning they were told to take worthless classes).

Also, look into other university programs that might be beneficial.  For example, the Political Science Department at Arizona State University (my alma mater) just instituted a five year BA/MA program to get a terminal Master's in five years intead of the traditional six (ASU usually doesn't offer a terminal Master's in poli sci either).  Sadly, I couldn't do it because I was already registered for the dual-BA program with psychology.

Last, the most important thing to look at when choosing a school is its program.  Look at the overall quality of the department you want to study in, look at the research of the professors there, and see what they're doing that interests you.  You can always pay off your student loans later.

Oh -- I almost forgot -- try and figure out the environment that will fit you best too.  I never thought about it, but I love ASU - but I didn't realize it for a couple years once I got there.  ASU has about 55,000 students on its main campus (where I go).  In contrast, a friend of mine goes to the University of Redlands in California -- where there are about 1,500 students IIRC.  He prefers that.  I like the urban hustle and bustle.  So that's a matter of preference.

Remember, take this with a grain of salt.  It's just the opinion of a

fat & ugly piece of shit

. 

[Mephisto]

You provoked that immature response from me when you made an immature response about me, are we settled now?  & yes, I value your opinion, thank you.

[jigsaw]

Mynd: You got to ASU?