You are trying to teach US what is to be creative when even your basic logic is flawed?
You are trying to teach us what CRITICAL THINKING IS?
WE ARE DESIGNING THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY WHILE YOU ARE JUST PREOCCUPIED ABOUT PROFITING. WE ARE THE FUTURE WHO REALLY NEVER GAVE UP OUR DREAMS, AND THAT IS BOLD, THAT REALLY TAKES SOME BALLS TO DO, AND THAT IS SOMETHING YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND.

I am going to skip your premise of many majors screaming "Don't hire me. I'll be a business disaster!" and save it for the end of this. So I'll start with the next big part:
In response to the topic "A triple major exhibits no creativity", I would have to say that your arguements about this are flawed in almost every sentence except maybe the one about choosing a life path is being creative. The whole idea of college is to take your required class loads and maybe some extras if you want it so you can prepare for your major(or more, again, if you feel like it). I don't know how it was back in your day, but now students usually have a schedule full of required classes because there ARE required classes and because getting those required classes out of the way first is better so you can concentrate on the more "creative" and interesting classes when you are able to get to them. Also, choosing which required classes you will take that semester takes quite a bit of creativity. One would have to decide on which class for one major they are to take as well as if they are going to take classes from the other majors with it and which classes would work well to learn together if any. It takes proper planning, dedication, and creative strategies to work the schedule and homework out and finding the method to learn each way the best one can. And the more majors you have would technically mean you are being MORE unique because, contrary to what you mentioned, few-to-none will have that major you are choosing if it is a strange olio of several majors. Also, that bit about allowing someone to take over one's path for a few years is what happens when attending a college. The classes the college offers as well as which classes have prerequisites, etc. controls what path you take each semester. It is all part of being in higher education. It has nothing to do with creativity issues.

In response to the topic "A triple major is not for the intellectually curious.", many people do love learning and do take whatever classes they want which in-fact LEADS to a triple major. Not everyone getting a triple major is a turd trying to slither high up into the anus of the business world in order to threaten your job security (which is why I am assuming you were writing this article in the first place; to keep a few trip-majors out of the jobs graciously given by any business person who would read this hum-drum). Most of them are people who LIKE to learn and enjoy intellectual challenges and fufilling their curiosities (otherwise they wouldn't have bothered with more classes at all, let alone going to a college or university or any higher education past high school). People don't just take on classes because it is rewarding to get an "A" or because it might get you so-and-so percent more of income per year. People weigh the costs and benefits of these things, and wasting several hours of the day in a classroom or reading a huge textbook is not something that a person would do if they were not in some miniscule way intellectually curious. At some point, someone with a triple major had to say to themself "Hey! I would enjoy learning this topic!" And be it through a class or some other method, they would learn about it. I will give you points for pointing out that there are some smarmy jerks who try and look as great as they can without caring about what they are majoring in, but those are easily spotable people and do not constitute the whole of the triple+ majorers (in a way, that makes you article very biased and less credible because it is basing the information on some stereotype many people probably never even considered and has no real statistical or experimental evidence to back it. Which is similar to my counter-article but with the opposite bias).

In response to the topic "A triple major is for the timid", I would agree in that a timid person might have trouble straying away from their subject of interest. That would probably be because most people dont want to learn what is not interesting to them. Some people abquiesce to things like that, but many would prefer to stick with what they like. As for sticking with majors, many people do learn subjects other than their majors, but with respect to people who have triple+ majors, I doubt it is a matter of being timid or closed-minded about subjects; it is likely a matter of not having time for extra classes because they have a TRIPLE MAJOR to complete. They dont want to be in their 50's and still stuck in college because they spent most of their time taking classes separate from their major when they can complete their major and go back for any other learning that their heart desires. Also, if Business requires a wide breadth of knowledge, then why NOT triple major? That is loads more knowledge than a double or uni-major.

And once you're committed to choosing MORE THAN one major, why stay away from business when you just stated how knowledge is important to business and had so much information leading up to that last sentence? Are you really trying to keep people away from income? You are just so silly-nilly. :-) One can easily learn all of the fun stuff you think they need to learn while enjoying a leisurely business career and CEO positions. All they need is excellent time-management skills which can be learned in college especially after having survived years managing study-time to get a triple+ major! Isn't that great? I sure think it is! It is seeming more and more like the perfect way to accent one's life!

As for social skills, I think that is what highschool was built for. College is for learning, please don't soil the sanctity of that. :-) Thank you. But if social skills is a 100%-must during college years, I would suggest study groups for those with triple+ majors; not only does it help you study but it also gets you in contact with the social world and helps you deal with all sorts of people in businesses: time-wasters, leaders, followers, idea-men, the talkers, the silent ones, etc. That is much more management-like than going to a party and is much more helpful during these important educational years.
As for making people "like you", just remember what was learned in public school: "be yourself!" and maybe share your toys occasionally and it should work out if you are still a good person and even better if you are useful.

Now, back to your premise that having many majors screams "Don't hire me. I'll be a business disaster!" I don't know how business people think, but if that is what they are thinking, then I have to say they are not very excellent thinkers and that people with many majors could just make their own business anyways (not that they really need to, but it is an option if what you say is true). If anything, people with many majors screams to me "This person really took the time and effort to finish that degree and learn what they wanted to learn! I am seeing will power, mental dexterity, and motivation! This person could go far!". And at the worst, maybe it would scream "This person probably has trouble choosing one thing out of many". But in no way am I seeing disaster unless that person who has a choosing-problem is working in some choosey job.

As for you, "Brazen Careerist", I do not know why you hate people with more than one major (or seem to after reading your article). My guess is it stems from some sort of resentment or inferiority complex, but definately not out of any hard facts mentioned in the article. I would agree that single majors are very nice and dandy, but some people just can't settle for that. So let it be what it will be. Also, please don't generalize people in to nasty little groups like you did in this article. It isn't nice, and from other comments, I can see that it wasn't well taken or appreciated.

Thank you and have a lovely day! It has been fun commenting~ (also, please excuse any spelling or grammatical errors. I wrote this out of spontaneous compulsion)

I also have a slight problem with all some of your claims and advice:

"This strategy is wrought with irony because, in effect, someone who has a triple major screams, “Don’t hire me. I’ll be a management disaster!""

And whiny, uninformed blog posts about people triple majoring screams "I majored in something flaky, but now manage a startup (or seven) and got a book deal so I'm going to use that leverage to put down anyone who lives differently than I do." Am I being too judgmental? Amazing how generalized, fact-less ranting comes around like a revolving door, isn't it?

"My advice to all you triple majors is to dump the excessive course load and get a life."

My advice is you is to get a Kleenex and wipe that unfounded crap you're spewing to still-developing college students off of your keyboard. Done? Okay.

"A triple major exhibits no creativity"

What is your basis for this? Who is more creative: someone who writes a computer program using what they learning in their single degree, or one who uses what they learned in their computer degree, combined with what they learned as a math major and a graphic design major to create advanced 3D graphics? Sounds to me like making a connection between three linked but still distinct areas of study requires a certain kind of ingenuity and skill. 'round these parts, we like to call that 'creativity.'

"Finally, take some blow-off courses"

Why are you in college? If you reach the point in your education where you just 'need' to relax, reevaluate your education in the first place. Why are you in school? To get a degree? Okay, fair enough, BUT WAIT A MINUTE! (look below)

"People who need their courses to add up to another major are people who are conditioned to learn only for an external reward."

So *why* are you taking "blowoff" courses to finish your major instead of just dropping out? You're obviously bored, frustrated or distracted, so if the 'reward' of a degree doesn't mean anything, then quit. Or does this only apply if you're pursing additional majors? If that's the case, your advice sounds arbitrary and self serving to me.

"Figure out how to like something about that person, because that’s an important part of management– figuring out how to like even the most unlikable people. And stop by your professor’s office hours. Don’t have something to say? Make something up. Because that’s what life will be like with your boss. Face time will be everything and you’ll have to be savvy and strategic about how to get yourself in front of him and make him enjoy talking to you."

Blah blah blah, REAL WORLD SCARY, blah blah blah, OMG, LIEK U HAVE TO LEARN ABOUT PPL 2!!!1111 Thanks for insulting our intelligence. But you had a six-figure book deal. You're the most knowledgeable person alive, and everyone else is a cretin.

"The smartest are not promoted. The most likable are promoted."

I'm sure that's why Google has a life-lovin', free spirited, I-can't-study-because-I'm-eating-ice-cream-and-flirting-with-girls business major, not an engineer, as its CEO. Oh, wait. Any company that wants to be worth anything will put its brightest and most flexible at the top. When it comes to deciding if you should, say, buy out a company or not, cutting a cold, hard deal is not going to be aided by anyone 'learning to relate to other people.' Now, if you're talking about a 'blech' business that's mostly mediocre and bureaucratic, then I agree with you 100%. How many people would even work at a place like that is another question.

In short, your advice is terrible: not just because I disagree with you, but because it is based on unfounded conclusion and rampant, self-righteous ('I'm smarting than all those drones triple majoring' is an opinion prevalent in this piece, whether you intended it to be or not) opinionated speculation. You could be scaring away brilliant, motivated people because you haven't bothered to consider all possible scenarios instead of the one where Bobby Joe enters school studying three Mickey Mouse areas of study. Don't feel bad though, it's not entirely your fault. You have a 'blog', which means only the vigilant will realized the symptoms of 'itchy-mouse-finger-syndrome' and actually *think* before posting an opinion. Although, maybe your Twitter is worse:

I'm wearing a Calvin Klein skirt I got in high school. I love that it fits, and I love my memories of teenage boys searching for the zipper.

Thanks. We care.

Obviously you are just anti-education. Seeing higher education as "just a piece of paper" is dangerous and a comment mostly found in the mouths of eighteen year old boys who want to work at McDonald's so they can save up to buy, like, a super bad ass motorcycle!

Look at Cal Newport's blog for advice on standing out without becoming a grind at college. He gives some similar advice to Penelope, which might make some of yout double-triple majors out there think!

"A triple major exhibits no creativity"
This is incorrect. The amount of creativity needed to piece together two-plus majors or degree programs, while finishing school on time is much greater than following the catalog word-for-word. The author's reasoning is so backwards, it's unreal.

"A triple major is not for the intellectually curious."
Also incorrect. If I want to take on a larger area of study, I'd rather get an extra degree for my work than just a bunch of extra classes listed on a transcript. If you're going to do it, take home the hardware, too. I'm not doing it for the degree, but if the option is there when I'm said and done, yes, I'm going to take it.

"A triple major is for the timid."
Has this author ever been to college? She obviously has no idea how double and triple degree plans work.

This article is based entirely on the author's point of view, which is highly ignorant to the subject matter she's writing about.

To top things off, I wouldn't exactly call this a "fad." I'm the first one at my school who's ever attempted this. I realize this article is 6 years old, but it shows up very high on google when the search term is "triple major," so if someone would like some real, sound advice on this topic, I'd be happy to lend some experience and info.

Austin
w0344990@selu.edu
Southeastern Louisiana University

Triple Degree Program:
BA Psychology
BA Liberal Arts
BGS Natural Science