What's A Major That Lets You Stay In The Fishing Industry? 2024
basslover12345 reply :
Hi everybody, I recently talked to Don Barone and he advised me NOT to major in journalism in college and to minor it, SO I'm taking his advice. The problem- I don't want to major in. I have a mild learning disibility in math and math based sciences, and am in Algebra 2 currently as a junior. I know one thing for sure- I want to be in the bass fishing industry in some way. My strength is writing. I'm OK in science, but I don't love it nearly as much as I do writing. Any ideas on what I could/should major in? I live in MD, but want to go down south for college (preferably Florida). I have "business sense"- my parents say I do business naturally, and I love starting new businesses. Before I discovered writing, i wanted go into Advertising/Marketing (Like Mike Iaconelli)- BUT that was when I wanted to be a pro angler. I'm the type of person where I like to lead instead of "being lead". I'm working up finishing up my Eagle Scout project- I will be recieving the award by this spring Sometime. Any suggestions what I could major in, without requiring any math? I'm not an artsy or "creative person" either (though I love designing lures). Writing comes easy to me, and I love interviewing people. I'm not big on the "nitty gritty" of the english language, I love to read (nonfiction), and I love to write
SudburyBasser reply :
I won't advise you what to major in -- that's a major life decision and I made a bit of a hash of my mine when I was in university -- but I would strongly advise you to get interested in the "nitty gritty" of English. As a writer, words are your tools and the more command you have of them and the rules that govern them, the more effective of a writer you will be.
JunkYard814 reply :
The choices are endless, depending on what you want to do within the bass fishing world. Journalism can be utilized if you want to write for magazines, a blog or anything of that lines. Marine biology is also something to look into. Business or marketing are things you may want to get into if you want to be a tournament fisher or own your own business.
I will add that my profession is not related to bass fishing in anyway so you may also want to hear others weigh in on the situation. However, in today's world there are an overwhelming amount of options out there. You may also want to speak with your guidance counselor at school. Don't be afraid to utilize all resources at your disposal.
basslover12345 reply :
On 12/30/2012 at 6:01 AM, SudburyBasser said:I won't advise you what to major in -- that's a major life decision and I made a bit of a hash of my mine when I was in university -- but I would strongly advise you to get interested in the "nitty gritty" of English. As a writer, words are your tools and the more command you have of them and the rules that govern them, the more effective of a writer you will be.
I don't like all the classical stuff, I don't reading the British writers, All I really want to do is learn to write! Thats what I meant.......
JunkYard814 reply :
You're not going to be able to major in journalism without taking a variety of literature courses and creative writing courses. I would assume you're going to have to take a few of those even if you minor. No matter what major you chose, there are going to be courses you get to take that you absolutely love and then there are course you have to take that you aren't going to like. You just have to make sure that the path you chose is the one you like the most.
SudburyBasser reply :
On 12/30/2012 at 6:05 AM, basslover12345 said:I don't like all the classical stuff, I don't reading the British writers, All I really want to do is learn to write! Thats what I meant.......
That's a shame since you use dozens of words every day that Shakespeare coined :-)
Some of the best writing tricks I ever learned were from A.J. Liebling, who often wrote about boxing, and M.F.K. Fisher, who was a famous food writer. I never wrote a word on either subject but I learned a damned lot by simply reading them. Don't limit yourself.
flyfisher reply :
i think it is hard to do any type of business, no matter what type of business sense you have, without math skills. They are integral for every aspect of a business.
I would say look into teaching if you are so inclined. You get to teach people what you love and have summers off 
Sam reply :
You want to be a writer so do some research:
Contact the University of Florida's undergraduate admissions department for their admissions data.
Check out what you can on their web site.
Get a name of an individual in the undergraduate admissions department that you can contact via telephone and email. Give them a call and tell them what you are seeking and who can be assigned to you?
Attend one of the college fairs in your area. There are many and I represent LSU at them for Virginia other than for Northern Virginia and DC. At these college fairs you can meet Florida undergraduate admissions people and talk to them one on one.
Ask the UF people what fairs they will be attending in your area and when. You can also visit other schools and obtain data. Bring a plastic bag to put all of the materials you will collect at the fair. The spring fairs will be coming up soon.
Check out what score you need for the SAT or ACT math portion to qualify to enter Gatorland. Does Florida have you complete the written portion of the test?
Does your school offer any advanced courses that Florida will accept? Just because the high school says they are college level courses it is up to the individual university to accept the course. LSU accepts some and does not allow others. And this changes each year.
Clarify what GPA is needed in the 18 core subjects Florida is using for their undergraduate admissions.
Ask if the school offers free tutoring in the courses that are not your best strengths.
If possible visit with an assistant dean in the school of journalism or English at the school. Find out if you have to qualify to enter their college meaning that your first year is general studies and you have to have a specific GPA to be accepted in your college.
Get a copy of their catalog and note the number of hours in math, science and foreign language required to obtain your degree in the major of your choice.
Speak with undergraduate admissions about your future plans and what path do they suggest you take concerning your major and any minor you wish to take.
Then do the same for two or three other universities like Florida State, Ole Miss, LSU, Georgia, Auburn, North Carolina, Maryland and compare admission requirements.
Always ask what financial aid is available and when, such as your sophomore year or specific college.
You may do well by attending a junior or community college to get your math and science courses out of they way and then transfer to the university of your choice to complete your education. Many people do this. My son is a math wizzard. He finally took a freshman English and a freshman history course his last semester at Campbell University so he could graduate. He now has his MBA in Computer Science from VCU. Go figure?
Also remember that a person is either math or verbal. One or the other. Rarely both. (I tested 50/50 which blew the tester away). If you are verbal then you will not do that well in math and vise versa.
As for your high school counselors, try to avoid them. Go to the universities you are considering and do your own research.
Good luck and get that college degree!!!
Sam reply :
P.S. If you need the name of a Florida or other school undergraduate admissions person let me know and I will ask my contacts at LSU and VACRO in Virginia for their name and phone number.
Unversities are seeking out of state students and if you have the grades and money there is a seat open for you. Especially at LSU!
And remember, the farther south you go the prettier the girls and the better the fishing. Check out the Ole Miss coeds along with the SEC and ACC coeds in the stands at this year's bowl games. Always look at the cheerleaders and flag girls in the band. And the band girls are pretty, too.
And the fishing. Don't forget the fishing. Forget the girls. Think fishing. Forget sports. Think fishing. You are too young to be concerned about girls. Wait until you are 30 years old.
Sam reply :
OK P.J., last post.
You may want to attend a Sea Grant University.
Check out Sea Grant Universities on the Internet and you will see those schools that have special fisheries biology programs that you can major or minor.
LSU is one of the original 13 and now they are all over the place.
Just a suggestion.
Start looking and doing your research now. Plan to visit one or two of the schools during the summer and meet with the assistant deans or professors. They will talk with you. Just go through undergraduate admissions to set it up unless the invididual college offers the interviews on their own.
Happy New Year!
basslover12345 reply :
I Just got a great idea from Keith Sutton, Public relations
Ima Bass Ninja reply :
There are probably 2:1 marketing jobs in the fishing industry than sponsorships. They also make a guaranteed paycheck. If I had to chose I would go with a marketing job for say bass pro shops rather than be a professional angler sponsored by them. Just my $.02
RyneB reply :
I dropped out of junior college, so my advice is probably not the best. But it seems that the the fishing industry is all about MARKETING. All these major tournaments on tv, fishing shows, and basically everytime you walk into a tackle store or visit a tackle website. Its all about marketing. I always thought a fun job would be a engineer for a reel maker. Just ask Big O, he has the greatest job on earth.
Sam reply :
P.J, good advice above.
And Business Administration is a good major and a fun program.
Only math obstacle with be statistics. Statistics sucks. Big time. You may need tutoring.
You shold be able to handle accounting if your prof is half way good in his presentations.
Marketing is a blast. Loved all marketing classes and still use what I learned in the grocery store. Look at the brands at eye level in grocery stores. The manufacturers pay for that space.
Walk down the laundry detergent aisle. Soap for everyone: smell, feel, looks, etc. Check out the colors of the soap boxes and bottles. The colors are designed to catch your eye.
Cigarette manufacturers like for you to feel the softness of their packaging and that is why cigarettes come in soft packs. What a way to die, huh?
Before they totally messed up their marketing Bike was the leading sporting goods manufacturer in the USA. They then demanded that all retailers carry all of their goods and minimum orders had big numbers. Their "Winners Wear Bike" marketing program was a total winner in the 80's, with tees being sold and given away by the thousands.
So what happened? Other competitors started offering the smaller retailers better marketing programs and Bike has faded out to an Internet product. In fact, Russell Athletic has purchased Bike which is an outgrowth of a poor marketing program. Excellent products but poor marketing schemes.
Then there is Tide. Orange and yellow containers. A home run. Leading detergent on the market.
The lady on the tomato sauce cans. Don't remember the company name? Don't have to. Look for the lady.
And what about our bass pros hawking their products? All of them do. Even the retired ones still under contract. So in this issue of Bassmasters Magazine Aaron Martens tells everyone that to be an outstanding drop shot fisherman you can use what he uses, the Megabass Hedgehog rod. $800 for this rod. But he is hawking it for Megabass and gets royalties and probably the rods free. How many are you going to order?
Ike will be telling you he used his new "Zoom backwards moving worm" in the Classic. Not that he caught anything on it, but he used it. Listen carefully to every word the pros say about their baits. This is marketing for us so we can go out and buy about a 1,000 new worms. Ike was hawking Havoc last year. VanDam hawks his crankbaits. Zell Rowland likes Reble. Woo Daves loves Bas Pro Shops. But what products to they really use and like? They won't say unless you get them one-on-one at Bassmasters University, a tournament, a seminar or the Classic.
Marketing is one of the best courses you can major. Check out the colleges of your choice catalogs for the listing of all of their marketing classes. You may not be able to take them all but you will love the ones you do. Also see if they have a sample four year listing of what classes to take in each semester.
Great advice, guys. This is what makes the Forum so valuable.
Happy New Year and Geaux Tigers - Beat Clepson!
basseditor reply :
I have a BA in English and Masters in Communications, but I spend my work hours writing and evaluating business contracts, looking at spreadsheets of numbers, and managing budgets for a magazine. If you like to write, consider marketing or communications degrees. PR is an option too.
"Nitty, Gritty" is what editors want in a manuscript. If your grammar is awkward, editors will most likely reject your manuscript because they don't have time to rewrite it. The writers of classic books are still famous for their use of the English language. Read those books.
Start a blog and write everyday. (Who knows? You might even earn some money from it.)
ClackerBuzz reply :
Go with Marketing. it doesn't matter what job you end up with in life, you always need to know how to 'market yourself' (on job interviews, for a raise, for a promotion, to change jobs, to change industry). you're safe if you know how to do that...if the market crashes, if ur hurt on the job, if ur company goes bankrupt etc. You can always market yourself into a new position, in that industry or the next.
Keep in mind: less than 25% of people work in the field of their bachelors degree. most people have college loans and are willing to take any job they can get out of college. even if you work in that field initially you most likely won't in 10 yrs. Moral of the story is don't stress yourself out about a few college courses. And don't let teachers/counselors stress you about getting 'accepted' into college. Its YOUR MONEY and there are tons of colleges that want it.
jhoffman reply :
I hate to burst your bubble but unless you can prove you are exceptional with math you will be taking math of some form while in college.
I work in a technology based university and have done everything from financial aid to building servers.
Pick something you love, maybe fisheries science. Either way, no getn around math bud.
basslover12345 reply :
On 12/30/2012 at 11:58 PM, basseditor said:I have a BA in English and Masters in Communications, but I spend my work hours writing and evaluating business contracts, looking at spreadsheets of numbers, and managing budgets for a magazine. If you like to write, consider marketing or communications degrees. PR is an option too.
"Nitty, Gritty" is what editors want in a manuscript. If your grammar is awkward, editors will most likely reject your manuscript because they don't have time to rewrite it. The writers of classic books are still famous for their use of the English language. Read those books.
Start a blog and write everyday. (Who knows? You might even earn some money from it.)
What I mean is I find all Shakespeare's plays, Chaucers stories, and all the short stores boring- the grammar doesn't bother me- I'm great with grammar. I Just like writing, analyzing Poems and plays is really no fun for me
Hanover_Yakker reply :
Almost every accredited college near the water will have some form of fisheries science curriculum, even though it may not be a major. Some locations offer the cirriculum as a minor. Either way, they both provide the basic classes necessary to get yourself at least past the initial HR screening. Another option is volunteering with your local DEQ (Dept. of Environmental Quality), DNR (Dept. of Natural Resources) or GIF (Game & Inland Fisheries) programs. Most of them allow volunteers during their fish or water studies performed on an annual basis. Another option is volunteering with your local waterway conservation group. The catch to this approach is that some groups focus more on negative education/marketing/lobbying and propaganda versus actually improving the waterway, so be careful with this one.
The fastest way to "prove" your loyalty to a given firm is to work for free. I know that is somewhat contrarian to the normal method of job hunting but think about it. You approach a prospective firm interested in employment, but you throw them a curve ball by offering your services at no cost. Now there is a method to the madness here, so pay close attention. First, you should head into this type of role with the understanding that you will most likely be working two jobs to supplement your income during this period. If you decide to go down this road, you need to ensure that there is an end goal of paid employment when the internship is done. That means you need to negotiate your start date of employment ahead of time when the employer agrees to hire you. As a finance major when I was in college, the best scenario I have seen in practice was a 90-day internship with the agreement that the individual would be hired at the end of the internship at an agreed upon rate before ever accepting the internship. Get it in writing.
Another great option to hone your writing skills is to become a blogger. One of the biggest challenges as a blogger is creating content that is not only useful and informative, but also delivering that content in a manner that is not offensive or one-sided. As an avid kayak angler, I have had the pleasure of sharing my experiences over the course of the last 3-4 years through my blog. These experiences have included fishing reports, kayak modifications, rigging techniques and product reviews. When you share your personal perspective through the web, you have to be both objective and fair regardless of your personal feelings about a given topic or product.
Once you have established a "portfolio", you have a greater chance of gaining full time employment in the field.
Good luck!!
flyfisher reply :
The other thing people haven't mentioned is there are times when you make a career out of something you love and it changes because it has become work. I used to be rock climbing guide and it was really fun for a while but it made me lose interest in climbing for fun, that's when i got into fly fishing and became a guide for that too. Don't get me wrong, i did enjoy it but when i was out doing something for fun and ran into former clients it kind of took away a little bit of what i was trying to do for my own relaxation and release. it is also tough to live not knowing how much or when you will get your next paycheck. So another piece of advice would be is to be extremely vigilant in learning how to handle your finances and budgeting your cash. I sold cars for about a year and i committed to living off a certain salary no matter what i was making and it turned out to be the right decision. It was tough on some of those great months not to spend some extra when i made 10k but it sure came in handy on those months i made 2k.
Now i work a decent job that gives me ample time off and a pretty flexible schedule so i can do what i love to do and not worry about how it is going to pay the bills. Now i wouldn't mind using the skills i have now from being in a "grown up" job in a sports related industry but i also realize that generally it is a decision that money is not your primary reason for working in the outdoor field.
Silas reply :
Keeper, I've been in the educational field for over 45 years, as and Advanced Placement Institute Teacher to a College teacher. I've seen lots of youngsters in your exact position. Lots of wants and desires....not too much on buckling down on what needs to be done. Quite normal and not necessarily a bad thing.
I'm glad to see that "Sam" offered some specifics on what needs to be done. But quite frankly, I don't think you will end up doing them. You have one more year in high shool and LOTS of things change in that time. You will change your mind at least 3 times. Again, quite normal.
What finally will occur is that you will go to college and take a "general courses" track, and you will figure out what you REALLY want to do after your first or second year of college. I say this because many of my students have gone this route.....it is a safe course. In any case, you are going to have to WORK at it......something that will be a sort of a shock at college.....high school is nothing like it!
Coming down "south" is probably a good idea (Sam, I graduated from LSU!) But you will find a whole "culture change." And, as businesses know, a "culture fit" is very important.
Don't stress too much at this point as a junior.......next year will bring a whole new WORLD!!
Let us know what you decide! And, as others say, READ as much as you can......it will prepare you to WRITE!!
tnbassfisher reply :
You may have thought this through a ton and know that it will be perfect for you. But think about being in the fishing industry for a second:
Will working in the industry make you less likely to enjoy fishing like you currently do?
-I'm currently a college sophomore, and I also enjoy playing golf, but not nearly as much as I did when I was in my first couple years of high school. I started working at a golf course while in high school, and grew to nearly hate the sport for about a year and a half time period. Why? Because, by working at a golf course I was forced to be around it instead of choosing when I wanted to. This completely burned me out on it to the point where I no longer wanted to play competitively and lost a lot of my game. This is just an example that I have to give you. Will being around fishing everyday make you not want to fish as much?
How hard is it to get into the industry?
-I have quite a few friends who are Sports Management majors, which is great, IF they can find a job in the field after graduation. However, there are only so many jobs in the field compared to the amount of people that desire these jobs. I'm not sure, but I would bet that the fishing industry isn't much different. There are probably many people who have the same hopes of getting into the industry that you do.
All of that being said, if it is truly what you want to do, then by all means, work hard and go for it. Just like previously mentioned, marketing might be your best bet if you don't want to get into the science/biology side of things (I don't blame you one bit). However, you will at some point in your college career have to take the math, science, and english courses that you say that you dislike. Nearly all schools will require at least one (probably two) of each of these to fulfill many of your general education requirements during your freshman and sophomore years.
etommy28 reply :
PR or communication are very good options, but dont over look taking Marketing and Advertising classes. Just make sure what you do you enjoy other wise it will not be good. I started as a Marine Science major, I hated Chem and some of the other science classes and it was awful! so i changed to Communication with a concentration in PR and I loved it as well as a minor in marketing.
froggerbass reply :
It's great to see you thinking ahead for what you want to do with your future, that already gives you an advantage over millions of people your age. Much of what you're going to be doing with the rest of your life is going to be based on finding a competitive advantage or distinctive competency in whatever you choose to pursue. Even better news is that being consistently passionate about your pursuits and not letting adversity dampen those passions will always eventually put you in positions of opportunity and reward if you do not give up. In business, as well as marketing and advertising, there is something called a SWOT analysis. It's basically, just sitting down and writing out your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that are particular to you and your endeavors. You have already begun this process by understanding what internal areas you are strong in and what areas you are not. You also need to, when examining opportunities and threats, look at the job markets. For example, any liberal arts areas are going to be very difficult to succeed in right now. Continue to develop and update your SWOT analysis and you will have a clearer picture of what directions you need to go. God Bless and enjoy the journey!
Redlinerobert reply :
Philosophy. 
J Francho reply :
Personally, do what you can do well. Work your butt off, and get the degree. Show your employers you can learn, and work your butt off for them. My background is in fisheries management, guess what I do? I'm an IT consultant, basically a Business Systems Architect. Go figure, been doing it for 13 years now, and actually love my job.
Glenn reply :
Marketing. The fishing industry is all about marketing. And marketing is all about spinning a story. In other words, writing. There's a ton of people in the industry that are getting sponsored and/or doing very well, yet few are very good anglers. It's because they have great marketing skills and terrific business sense.
But math is going to play a major role in what you do, no matter what. Being able to analyze charts and graphs to make data driven decisions is critical in today's business environment, and it applies to everything. Just read "Moneyball" and you'll see what I mean.
While you may not want to be an analyst, you'll still need those skills to manage budgets and programs in order to achieve business goals. Anyone with analytical skills will get the nod over those that don't.
Major in marketing and minor in business or business analytics and you'll go far, no matter what field you choose.
BassThumb reply :
You should contact your high school advisors and look into PSEO programs at your local community college. Rather than attend high school, you can take free classes at the community college that will count towards an Assoc. of Arts degree. Take a couple of their writing classes to see how much you like it, Analytical Writing, for example. You just want to make sure the classes you take are transferable. Use the u.Select website to find out what courses are transferable.
Not to mention, doing an AA program at a community college or a liberal education program (i.e. generals) at a local State University will buy you some time to figure out what you want to major in. I don't personally recommend entering college without selecting what your major is going to be, but it works for some.
https://www.transfer.org/uselect/
retiredbosn reply :
Seeing that you enjoy writing so much, its not surprising you don't like math. But like others have already posted math is essential in life. I've tutored several ppl in math, what I've found true among that small pool of ppl is that they are looking for why. Their mindset is somewhat abstract, math does not require a why. I don't know if I'm explaining this very well, but once I could get them past wanting to know why pi is 3.1415.... and just to accept that math works, we made progress. I hope u can find a way to work with your learning disability and be able to have a working knowledge of math. No matter what you major in you well have to take a couple classes in math. If u go with Business Admin or Marketing you will have a little more. The only thing I can say about statistics is that I learned that you can manipulate the data to whatever conclusion u wanted lol.
Trackick9707 reply :
Just a quick word of advise from a guy that is still paying off my wife's school loans. College's are business's... They don't really care about anything other than your money. Most of them are gonna tell you what you want to hear. Your guidance counselors know this but they don't want to kill the golden goose. This goes double for any kind of "art" major. The practical applications for an art major are few and far between. I'm not trying to discourage you, I'm just trying to teach you a lesson I learned the hard way. My best advise, especially if you don't like math, is to pick a tech school and find a program that really interests you. You'll save time and money. As for the writing, art is in the eye of the beholder. Read and write as much as possible and work on honing your craft. If you do good work, start freelancing, or blogging, or any other way of getting your work out there for free. If it's good, it will eventually make you money. You don't need a college professor to lecture you about how you'll never reach there level because they are perfect and you are just a lowly student. Believe in your talent and the rest will fall in place. The tech degree will make you more money faster, meaning more time on the water, and more free time to write instead of waiting tables on OT to pay off a degree with no practical application.
basslover12345 reply :
I have a mild learning disability in math and math based sciences
JayKumar reply :
Majors are overrated imo, but don't take that as advice. I majored in psych...was borderline worthless for me (apologies to any psychologists out there).
related General Bass Fishing Forum topic
previous topic
most viewed General Bass Fishing Forum topic
© 2024 - fishing.qciss.net. All Rights Reserved.