I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poker)
 

I am a 20 year old college student and am in a dilemma about what majors I should get because I am find three majors very fascinating. However, I do NOT want to get 3 Bachelor degrees (at least not yet). So I think that I need to decide on which 2 subjects to major in, and then maybe later on down the road I can get the third one (for fun).

The 3 subjects in question are Economics, Philosophy, and Psychology. However, I have pretty much made up my mind that I will get a degree in Economics because if I go to graduate school in one of these subjects it will most likely be Economics. Also, Economics has more job prospects for people with a Bachelors degree than both Philosophy and Psychology.

So my question is, should I get a degree in Philosophy or Psychology? Basically, I want the degree that will benefit me the most personally, academically, and professionally. So, which degree would compliment Economics more? And which degree would help me receive a good/solid well-rounded education?

So, to restate my main question, I want to know which degree you think I should get (Philosophy or Psychology), AND MORE IMPORTANTLY WHY SHOULD I GET THAT DEGREE? You can answer this question however you want. You can lay out some pros and cons of each, or you can address the questions in the above paragraph. Basically, I am just looking for some more factors to consider, which will help me make the best decision. Furthermore, I do NOT care which one will help my poker game more, I just want to know which one will help ME more.

P.S. I have posted this on multiple forums, so don’t get upset if you’ve read this somewhere else[img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img].

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poker)
 

Psychology and it isn't even close. Unless you want to go into TV Evangelism (+EV if you aren't worried about the afterlife). Psychology will help you understand people and that will be +EV in all of your endeavors.

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poker)
 

Disclaimer: I have 9 credit hours of college and I believe that is plenty so take my advice with a grain of salt.

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poker)
 

Definitely Psychology, if everything else is equal.
Psychology will enhance your understanding of economical models most of which assume that people are rational agents. In psychology you will learn that people are not usually rational, and how their irrationalities can be taken into account to improve economical theories.

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poker)
 

Psychology. Philosophy is fun but I prefer to read / practice whatever on my own time. I would greatly prefer to be instructed about a science like psychology that has years of research and fact behind it.

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poker)
 

It depends what part of eco you are most interested in.

Basically, Macro goes with philosophy (esp political philosphy) and Micro goes with Psychology.

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poker)
 

I vote Psych too -

I was an undergrad Psych major so I am biased - I later went on to get an MBA.

Philosophy is interesting but I can't really think of things that you'll learn that will aid you in the "real world".

At least with Psych you may be able to apply things you've learned with your Econ degree (ex - examining consumer purchase decison-making behavior).

Also, if your analytical (which I assume you are given you're interest in Econ) you might enjoy some of the stats that is tought in many Psych classes.

In sum, I think combining the two degrees (asumming you take the right mix of courses) could give you a really solid foundation to take into grad school.

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poke
 

I usually spend my time reading 2+2 but I figure I would contribute here.

I have two degree's myself, one in Engineering and the other in Economics. So I spent a fair amount of time in school (5 years) do full dual degrees in both and I am pretty sure that Psychology will be a better match with economics.

Economics at heart is the study of two things, scarcity and utility. Scarcity of course means that we have unlimited wants but limited resources to fulfill those wants as society and as individuals. Utility is the study of how we individually solve the scarcity problem by maximizing what we get out of our limited resources.

Psychology which I know little about is the study how why humans do, and react as we do. If you combine the ideas of Utility and Psychology you can have some very interesting discussion and subject matter about why people don't always pick their optimal utility point, and a variety of other economic subjects.

For example there was an article in the NY times earlier this year (you can probably Google it up) about a research who was exploring how monkeys interacted with money, and if they could understand its concepts. Its an interesting paper from an economics point of view as the monkeys do maximize their utility as well as from psychological point of view as it makes mention of one monkey trading sexual favors for money.

I've enjoyed what my economics degree brings to my engineering work in understanding the market underneath my projects and I think Physc is an excellent match for an economics degree.

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poker)
 

I'd suggest psychology. Find out what makes people tick, including yourself. You've got the rest of your life to read philosophy, history, literature, poetry, etc. for pleasure and to further your education. Intro classes in these subjects are nice for future reference.

PairTheBoard

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poke
 

Major in Philosophy. Many great economists throughout history have also been philosophers, e.g. Adam Smith, Henry George, Karl Marx... the list goes on. Philosophy will teach you to write clearly and concisely, and to pick apart all sorts of pseudo-argument. Lastly, there is inter-disciplinary work between economics and philosophy called rational choice theory, which you might find very interesting.

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poker)
 

Psychology can be a useful u-grad degree. You will learn how to write well, and will learn a fair bit about people. Advanced degrees in psychology have a poor ROI as compared to other advanced degrees.

Feel free to PM me if you want to chat further.

-Dr. Milo

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poker)
 

If you want to be a trader or broker (someone who has to work with people) or a poker player get the psychology degree and just take the fun philosophy classes to cover electives. If you want to work for people or write take the philosophy major and take some psychology on the side.
If you are going to have to interact with people and use those interactions to determine which action to persue, go wtih psychology.
Most of the curriculum in a philosophy major is logics and history of philosophy. Both of these are pretty boring. Just take the ones that are interesting.

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poke
 

[ QUOTE ]
Philosophy is interesting but I can't really think of things that you'll learn that will aid you in the "real world".

[/ QUOTE ]

Ummmm, howabout writing and critical thinking? A lot of science majors I meet can hardly construct a written proposal or parse their way through legalistic prose.

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poker)
 

Consider what you want to do later and maybe that will help. If you ever intend to go to law school, philosophy might be better. Doesn't sound like it though, and I'd recommend psychology in general anyway. Keep some things in mind though:

Psychology majors get work in their field generally for a few specific qualities, and those don't include the ability to write five to ten page opinion papers. The most valuable thing you're likely to come out of a psych. program with is the ability to use SPSS to run statistics, and in fact research-based garduate programs in psychology find mathematical skill to be extremely valuable. This kind of goes with your interest in economics, and there are all kinds of new things being done with actuarial risk assessment, so I can definitely see a connection there. I don't really see a connection between economics and philosophy, but ultimately only you can decide whether there is one or not based on your more specific interests within both fields.

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poker)
 

Can't believe no one has said "Fold pre-flop."

Do whatever major interests you the most. Everything
else will follow.

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poke
 

I think it's interesting that you choose to ask this question in the psychology forum. It's fairly clear that that there will be a bias toward psychology!

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poke
 

I'm not even going to bother reading the rest of the responses, so if this has been said already, forgive me:

Go for the one that, following graduation, will be the easiest to get a well-paying job in. Something that will allow you to immediately support yourself comfortably, therefore allowing you to continue education in another field. As you said, that's Economics.

If you plan on dual-majoring, which is the impression I get... well, that's tough. Normally, I would say whatever one shares the most classes with the other. However, Economics really isn't going to have anything in common with Philosophy or Psych. I would say go with Psych. Not because I think it's necessarily better, but because if you go for Philosophy, you will have to spend a lot of time around pretentious emo kids who love to hear their own voices but can't say anything of value.

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poke
 

[ QUOTE ]
Not because I think it's necessarily better, but because if you go for Philosophy, you will have to spend a lot of time around pretentious emo kids who love to hear their own voices but can't say anything of value.

[/ QUOTE ]

With all due respect, FU. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poke
 

[ QUOTE ]
if you go for Philosophy, you will have to spend a lot of time around pretentious emo kids who love to hear their own voices but can't say anything of value.

[/ QUOTE ]

nh

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poker)
 

[ QUOTE ]
I am a 20 year old college student and am in a dilemma about what majors I should get because I am find three majors very fascinating. However, I do NOT want to get 3 Bachelor degrees (at least not yet). So I think that I need to decide on which 2 subjects to major in, and then maybe later on down the road I can get the third one (for fun).

The 3 subjects in question are Economics, Philosophy, and Psychology. However, I have pretty much made up my mind that I will get a degree in Economics because if I go to graduate school in one of these subjects it will most likely be Economics. Also, Economics has more job prospects for people with a Bachelors degree than both Philosophy and Psychology.

So my question is, should I get a degree in Philosophy or Psychology? Basically, I want the degree that will benefit me the most personally, academically, and professionally. So, which degree would compliment Economics more? And which degree would help me receive a good/solid well-rounded education?

So, to restate my main question, I want to know which degree you think I should get (Philosophy or Psychology), AND MORE IMPORTANTLY WHY SHOULD I GET THAT DEGREE? You can answer this question however you want. You can lay out some pros and cons of each, or you can address the questions in the above paragraph. Basically, I am just looking for some more factors to consider, which will help me make the best decision. Furthermore, I do NOT care which one will help my poker game more, I just want to know which one will help ME more.

P.S. I have posted this on multiple forums, so don’t get upset if you’ve read this somewhere else[img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img].

[/ QUOTE ]

As someone who double majored in psych and philosphy I guess I have to chime in here. I have gone on for a doctorate in psych but I'll try not to let that sway my advice here.

Both are great. Philosophy can really teach you how to think critically, write well, understand logic and arguments, etc. While there may not be a lot of jobs "directly" applicable to philosophy, almost any job where you have to think and understand is related.

Undergrad degrees in psych are nice but you aren't going to "understand how people work" the way some might think. Undergrad psych courses are generally a cursory glance at the many different areas of psych. But they do provide some fundamental knowledge about human behavior. I really think either would go well with economics but I don't know much about economics so take that for what it is worth.

How about this -- double minor, do both. Is that possible? I think you are good any way you go here so be happy to be in a win-win situation.

Best of luck!

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poker)
 

Is "pick another degree entirely" an option? I don't mean to be rude, but these degress are not going to make you very marketable in the work force. (I'm referring mainly to the Bachelor level.)

If you are planning to do graduate work, you're probably better off doing whatever interests you. You will change your mind at least once anyway before you reach your 3rd year.

My wife graduated with a bachelor in psychology (5 years ago?). Started out making like $22,000/yr. She's topped out now at about $29,000/yr. She's now having to go back and get her masters in business in order to move up to a $35k a year position. I got my degree in Civil Engineering, and I started out of college well over 35k: and civil is not initially as high paying as other engineering disciplines.

However....I started college as a music composition major. My advice: do whatever for 2 years, then change your mind and get your degree in something useful, or improve your poker game. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poker)
 

[ QUOTE ]
Is "pick another degree entirely" an option? I don't mean to be rude, but these degress are not going to make you very marketable in the work force. (I'm referring mainly to the Bachelor level.)

If you are planning to do graduate work, you're probably better off doing whatever interests you. You will change your mind at least once anyway before you reach your 3rd year.

My wife graduated with a bachelor in psychology (5 years ago?). Started out making like $22,000/yr. She's topped out now at about $29,000/yr. She's now having to go back and get her masters in business in order to move up to a $35k a year position. I got my degree in Civil Engineering, and I started out of college well over 35k: and civil is not initially as high paying as other engineering disciplines.

However....I started college as a music composition major. My advice: do whatever for 2 years, then change your mind and get your degree in something useful, or improve your poker game. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah no doubt a B.A. in psych is nearly useless in the job market as far as pay goes, but I don't think the OP meant this to be his "main" degree, he's going with economics. I don't think an engineering degree is going to be a great addition to the economics degree. The pay does eventually increase in psych though, ~$100 bucks an hour I'm not complaining.

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poke
 

[ QUOTE ]
I got my degree in Civil Engineering....I started college as a music composition major.

[/ QUOTE ]

So how many weird looks did you get for switching from music to Engineering? I was going for Music Ed for two years (did my Associate's in Music), then switched to MechE (current student), so I've gotten my fair share as well.

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poker)
 

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah no doubt a B.A. in psych is nearly useless in the job market as far as pay goes, but I don't think the OP meant this to be his "main" degree, he's going with economics. I don't think an engineering degree is going to be a great addition to the economics degree. The pay does eventually increase in psych though, ~$100 bucks an hour I'm not complaining.

[/ QUOTE ]
I agree that it may go well with the economics degree, but I would think that a business or accounting type degree may compliment it better. (Although, these degrees are very close to one another at the bachelor level. It wouldn't surprise me if the difference between an economics and business degree is like 3 courses.)

You're definitely right about the top end of the psych field. I just find it frustrating that you can't reach that level without a graduate degree. I am VERY happy that my wife is getting her masters now. With her having a BA in psych and a masters in business and me testing for my PE license soon, we should be walking around in gold pants in no time! [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poke
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I got my degree in Civil Engineering....I started college as a music composition major.

[/ QUOTE ]

So how many weird looks did you get for switching from music to Engineering? I was going for Music Ed for two years (did my Associate's in Music), then switched to MechE (current student), so I've gotten my fair share as well.

[/ QUOTE ]
Lol...Yeah, and when I went to apply for graduation, the advisor tried telling me I couldn't graduate because I needed like 6 fine arts credit hours!!! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] I then directed him to the last page of my transcript (where they put useless classes out of your major). I said: "Take your pick!".

Music was more fun, though. More chicks.

More hot chicks!!!

Engineering sux! [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poker)
 

As a psych major myself and a very near future graduate student in social and personality psychology, I am clearly biased towards psychology. So I will not banter on about why you should choose it. Most of what others have said seems to be true.

I do want to point out that Daniel Kahneman was the 2002 Nobel Prize winner in Economics and he was a professor of psychology at Princeton University. I also know a 30 something year old guy who has a Ph.D. in social psychology and is now a business professor at PennU making over $500,000 a year. So business and psych, yeah they go together and they pay awfully damn good (esp. if you are more business).

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poke
 

Economics looks very good to the graduate schools, and will teach you a lot about Game Theory and the ability to take advantage of all situations. It really stresses EV and how to get further in your life, and I can say with conviction that without my education background in Economics, I would not have a job I like and I'd also be a shitty poker player.

Economics teaches you what you need to do to get to point A from point B. It's invaluable.

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poke
 

Psychology if you see yourself doing something in Economics with statistics or analysis. (most likely)

Philosophy if you see yourself doing something in Economics with writing or discussion.

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poker)
 

dont' do philosophy... it's really only good if you intend to go to Grad school for law or somehting...

psych all the way

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poker)
 

I'd argue that Philosophy very well is *the* most useful subject to study for the 'real world.'

I unfortunately don't have time to elaborate....

Yugoslav
Note: This does not mean that there aren't plenty of seemingly 'worthless' Philosophy graduates running around in weed induced stupors, quoting banal sh*t without any meaning.

Re: I Need Help With A Very Important Decision!!! (NOT Related to Poke
 

[ QUOTE ]
Psychology will help you understand people and that will be +EV in all of your endeavors.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is a common misconception. And if I see anyone else type "and it isn't even close" I might just scream. It is very close.

Before I go on. I no nothing of the US system (which I assume you're in) harking from the UK as I do, but I know a fair bit on these subjects. I have a BSc in Psychology which included a year's worth of Philosophy courses (I went on to do an MSc is something not a million miles away from Economics too).

You should do which ever one you enjoy more. Both will teach you transferable skills (problem solving, structured thinking, writing & presentation skills etc.). Both are really a collection of very disparate subjects. I don't think one has an advantage over the other in terms of fitting with your Economics degree. If you have the option to try both, do it, then decide.

My 2 cents on each subject (dusting off my memory):

Philosophy. All science can trace it's origins to philosophy. All religion and politics have philosopical content and critiques. In other words, philosophy touches everything. If you do it well it'll make it might make you a more logical being; but you're not going to have any practical exciting stuff to do (lots of textbooks, discussion and writing). Majority of philosophy students are male.

Psychology. A science - don't let anyone tell you otherwise - and one of the newest. Being a relatively new science it is not as well understood by joe public (and this includes future employers). This leads to ignorant Qs like "can you tell what I'm thinking then?" and the like. Being a new science there are more developments; theories tend to have a shorter shelf life in new sciences, which leaves plenty of scope to discover genuinely new stuff. But unless you intend to become a lecturer/researcher this probably doesn't matter so much. Work wise psychology nutures many of the same skills as philosophy but adds hands on stuff like designing and carrying out experiments... on people.

And the most important thing. Majority of people taking psychology are female (7 to 1 ratio when I did it [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] ).

RH