alittlebitsmarter

[alittlebitsmarter]

Where should I go to college?

I’m currently a senior in high school trying to decide where to go to college and, by extension, for what major. The nature of this decision means what I choose will affect what career prospects are open to me down the road. Thus, I think it is useful to think about where I’d like to be after graduation in order to reverse engineer a path forward.

The difficulty in making this decision lies in the fact that I am unsure as to what career I’d like to pursue in the future. 

The deadline to commit to a college is May 1. 

The Situation

I am deciding between three different universities. Because I applied for different majors for each of these schools, attending each one would likely lead me down different career paths (barring any changes to my major/intercollegiate transfers). Here are the schools I’ve been admitted to:

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where I was admitted to the Gies College of Business (cost of attendance would be ~$33K each year)

The University of Wisconsin-Madison, where I was admitted to the College of Letters and Science, and would study computer science (cost of attendance would be ~$54K each year)

Wesleyan University, where I could major in whatever I desire due to the liberal arts nature of the school (cost of attendance would be ~83K each year)

While all great opportunities on their own, I am not sure which one I should pursue.

Potential Careers

I’ve spent a good amount of time thinking about what career I’d like to have in the future, and I’ve narrowed my options down to about four paths that could be lucrative, impactful (whether directly or indirectly via earning-to-give), and personally fulfilling.

1. Investment Banking

Investment banking seems to be quite a common field for young, ambitious people like me to enter. The general idea here is that one works for one or two years as an investment banking analyst at a large bank (think Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, etc.) before transitioning into private equity, a management role in a client company, or going back to school to get an MBA.

Am I a good fit for investment banking?

I do not think being an investment banking analyst would be fulfilling in it and of itself. The extremely long hours (ranging from 60-100 work weeks) do not appeal to me, nor does the ultra-competitive nature of the field. The principal question is whether those drawbacks are worth the exit opportunities (and salaries) available to analysts after a year or two. I’m not sure.

I think I could be an above-average investment banking analyst (think ~75% percentile) if I commit to this path. I am intrinsically interested in business, and could see myself in a strategy/development role at a large company down the road.

2. Consulting

This is another popular option for ambitious young people. The general idea here is to work at a Big 3 or Big 4 firm as a management consultant for a few years before transitioning into a management role with a client company or switching industries altogether.

Consulting is often presented as a good option for people who are unsure what they’d like to do after graduation. Many use it as a time to develop key business skills (e.g. financial modelling, creating presentations, and general professionalism) before deciding to commit to a specific industry.  

Am I a good fit for consulting?

Consulting involves frequent travel (usually every week), which is not something that I find appealing. Consultants seem to work long hours (ranging from 50-70 hour work weeks), which is slightly less than investment banking analysts. Again, I understand the importance of working hard early in your career, but I’d prefer to steer clear of unnecessarily long hours.

Consulting firms tend to have “intellectual” atmospheres compared to other areas of business, with many employees hailing from top universities. I think I would enjoy this kind of environment. I think I could become an above-average consultant if I commit to this path. I’m decently analytical, and I believe my strong verbal skills could help propel me forward.

3. Corporate Law

I would only do law if I could get into a T10 or T14 law school. The general sense I get from reading online forums is that if you do not go to one of the most prestigious law schools, you’re not going to be making very much.

The idea here is to work as an attorney at a prestigious firm in a major metro-area (think NY, LA, SV, Chicago) for 7-10 years before becoming a partner or moving in-house.

Am I a good fit for corporate law?

At the moment, I’d guess that my skills (which are mostly verbal/communication related) are best suited for law out of any of the options presented here. I’ve been told many times by friends and family that I’d be a good lawyer.

That being said, I’m unsure if my verbal skills are strong simply because I’ve spent a large amount of time developing those skills through my extracurriculars (e.g. writing for my high school newspaper and writing my book), or because I am naturally more talented with words than my peers.

4. Computer Programming

I became interested in computer programming after reading through the resources on 80,000 Hours’ blog and discovering Peter Hurford’s work.

The general idea here is to become a software developer at a large tech company or a small startup, depending on your preference. After a few years, you can become a Senior Developer or transition into a less technical management role.

Am I a good fit for computer programming?

I am quite uncertain as to whether or not I’d be a good fit for computer programming. I do not regard myself as someone who is “mathematically minded” (which could be important for programming), although I have gotten A’s in all of my high school math classes.

In the past few weeks, I have been working through The Odin Project, as well as exercises on Codecademy, in an effort to determine whether or not computer programming is for me. It’s important to note I have only spent ~15 hours on these activities. The results, therefore, are inconclusive. So far, I’ve been having fun coding. I really get a kick out of creating a program from scratch and working to create solutions to the given problems. But would I still enjoy it as the problems become increasingly technical? I’m sure not. I don’t know if I’m intrinsically mathematically-minded enough to become more than an average programmer.

I should note that the culture that surrounds programming (i.e. the laid-back offices, flexible hours, and relative autonomy for employees) is by-far the most appealing work culture to me out of any of the options presented.

Next Steps

In the next two weeks, I will do more journaling and thinking on these topics. I will also reach out to people in each of these fields in order to get their advice on my specific situation.

I think currently my safest option (keeping costs in mind) is to attend the University of Illinois, being as it will keep 3 of my 4 options available. If I decide to go all-in on programming, I could try to switch majors (though CS at Illinois is very competitive) or transfer schools.

I will report back here with any updates.