On Choosing a Major

For several years now I, like many others, have had difficult time trusting the government's data on unemployment and the job market. Even when the data says everything is great, it doesn't seem to translate to the situation for the average person.

Between automation, artificial intelligence and LLMs, offshoring and an ever-increasing demand for more profits for shareholders, I don't have much faith that the average United States citizen's economic situation will improve anytime soon.

Lately I've been losing a great deal of sleep over going back to school. What should I major in? What would best complement that major? What would employers want to see? What will increase my odds of a good career?

As we've wrapped up 2025 and head into 2026, I'm now of the opinion that good, stable careers will become increasingly rare, such that that putting my hopes of security into any one specialization, trade or company could easily do more harm than good for me and my family.

Now the questions I'm asking myself have changed to: which areas of study will maximize my ability to successfully run a business? What do I need to learn in order to get organized, stay consistent and build effective systems? That leads me to consider subjects I never gave much consideration to in the past, such as accounting, analytics and information systems. Now I'm making a mental model of skills that I'll need and asking myself:

• Is this a skill that I could realistically learn on my own? Or would I benefit from taking a slower, more structured approach in a formal, educational setting?