Unrelated?

[TubaMorg]

Originally Posted by t3hroxor

Anyone going to college for something completely unrelated to robotics?

I'm majoring in molecular biology.

I got my bachelor's degree in molecular biology and am almost done with my doctoral thesis in computational biology. I've pursued a number of paths in my life. Some I got paid for, some just because:

Line chef
Naval nuclear propulsion plant mechanic
carpentry/furniture maker
auto mechanic
plumbing
electronics
computer science
molecular biology
and, of course, robotics
I can also sew, weld, and landscape

People sometimes ask me how in the world do all of these relate? I think it just boils down to me wanting to know how things work.

Point is (and this is important to you HS students fretting about what you are going to do with your life), picking a major doesn't lock you into a particular path in life. We have a number of physicists working in our biology lab. The most important thing you should pick up from school is learning how to learn. Everything else in life is gravy!

Many new comers to FIRST become frustrated when they discover that there is no single resource that tells them how to build the dang robot. They have to learn how to learn.

We often have HS interns come work in our lab over the summer. Not all of them plan on pursuing biology in college, but they just want to see what it's like to work in a lab.

Follow your interests and don't worry about whether your major seems to conflict with other interests. If you think about it, you will see that there is a common thread amongst all your interests.

[Beth Sweet]

As others have said, it's hard to find a career where FIRST does not contribute.

My original major in college was Broadcast Journalism with a minor in Spanish. The journalism came from my extensive press release/article writing that I did from robotics, and found myself enjoying that.

After I realized that I wasn't finding as much fulfillment as I wanted from journalism, I switched my major to accounting, a major which, at my school, actually has a higher GPA requirement than any form of engineering. When I started working with 1504, I found myself more in the business dealings of the team, and that I enjoyed that.

Find something you enjoy doing and try that out. Honestly, a FIRST Robotics team is essentially its own business. It runs on a budget, a production schedule, you must promote to be successful, you're trying to expand constantly, you're trying to do the most using the least possible... it's a business.

[jacob07]

I was going for Electrical Engineer, but i changed to Early Childhood Education with a minor in Social Studies last term

[ComradeNikolai]

I still have about a year left to decide, but the major which I will most likely have (something would have to go terribly wrong to change it) is computer science. However, my planned minor(s) is either German or Philosophy, and both are pretty unrelated to robotics. However, FIRST has influenced my work ethic (and my number of friends: x > 0), which will help with any major / minor.

[IdyllsOfLife]

I'll probably minor in East Asian Languages...

[David Noll]

Diplomacy and possibly Global entrepreneurism. Definitely minors in languages, arabic and mandarin most likely...

[Karin1649]

I'm planning on majoring in Primary Education..but I'm only a Junior so it may change within the next year.

[Dancin103]

I'm going to Saint Joe's University in Philly for Accounting. And then I plan on going to law school for Business Law. On our team I worked in the PR/Marketing area and was the president this year. So, being apart of FIRST has helped me decide what I want to do.

Hey is anyone else going to Saint Joe's? Let me know if you are!

[jayjaywalker3]

I plan on dual majoring in Biochem/Biophysics and Chemistry. Both are similar to your (Original poster) major but very unrelated to Robotics. It is related to FIRST though being part of the S in the acronym.

[moojoe]

Originally Posted by Dancin103

I'm going to Saint Joe's University in Philly for Accounting. And then I plan on going to law school for Business Law. On our team I worked in the PR/Marketing area and was the president this year. So, being apart of FIRST has helped me decide what I want to do.

Hey is anyone else going to Saint Joe's? Let me know if you are!

Not going to SJ, but live almost on the campus, like im only a few hundred feet from some of the dorms.

[Dancin103]

Originally Posted by moojoe

Not going to SJ, but live almost on the campus, like im only a few hundred feet from some of the dorms.

Oh thats fun! I have to find some people that are going to SJU that were/are in robotics! lol