Majors Minors & Maybes

About Majors Minors & Maybes

Major Minors & Maybes is a narrative podcast about real jobs you may not have heard of told through the stories of fictional characters inspired by true career paths. Hosted by Dr. W., a college professor, mom, and part-time career detective, each episode is a fun, thoughtful deep dive into the winding roads that lead people to unexpected work. Think: Audio storytelling meets career exploration Forensic entomologists, microbial ecologists, and other niche-but-fascinating professionals Real-world insights, told with curiosity, warmth, and a touch of whimsy A quick note: Our short stories are fictional, but the jobs are not. Every character you meet is a composite based on interviews, research, and real professional journeys. If you’ve ever asked, “What else is out there?” This show is for you. It's Perfect for: College students figuring it out Career changers with big questions People who love science, creativity, and storytelling Subscribe, explore, and get inspired! Check us out at our: Website (https://thequasibox.com/majorsminorsmaybes/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/majorsminorsmaybes?igsh=cDBlanhvZG5leGRs&utm_source=qr) Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/people/Majors-Minors-Maybes-Podcast/61590246095797/?mibextid=LQQJ4d&rdid=v6Ky0ErCEBROG31S&share_url=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.facebook.com%252Fshare%252F18Ztb9LUwR%252F%253Fmibextid%253DLQQJ4d)

Publisher

Dr. W.

Category

business · science

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

12 Aug 2025

Latest episode

6 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

27 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   6 Oct 2026

   There’s Engineering Behind Your Favorite Foods: The Food Engineer

   How does a food idea become a product you can find on the grocery store shelf, thousands or even millions of times over? In this episode of Majors, Minors & Maybes, Dr. W. investigates the world of food engineering, where engineering, food science, chemistry, physics, and technology come together to create, improve, and manufacture the foods we eat every day. Discover what food engineers do, what the job is like, what to major in, where to intern, and what you can earn. We'll explore college pathways including food science, food engineering, chemical engineering, and mechanical engineering, along with career opportunities in food manufacturing, research, product development, and more. Plus, we'll solve a delicious mystery: Why is making 100,000 perfectly crunchy snacks so much harder than making one? Whether you're a student exploring STEM careers, a parent researching college majors, or simply curious about how food gets made, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at a career hiding in plain sight. 🎧 Listen in and investigate the Food Engineer. Next time, we're heading inside the human brain to investigate the Computational Neuroscientist, where neuroscience meets computer science, mathematics and biology. Show Notes: Food Engineering: How Snacks Scale from Kitchen Idea to 100,000 Units The episode of Majors, Minors, and Maybes follows the often-overlooked career of the food engineer, explaining how engineering principles are used to process, handle, store, package, and scale foods safely, efficiently, and consistently. Dr. W contrasts food engineering with food science, emphasizing that engineers focus on manufacturing systems and scaling lab successes to commercial production. A vignette featuring Rhonda, a snack-food packaging food engineer, illustrates troubleshooting a loss of crunch by identifying excess moisture from a drying-process change and then correcting it without raising costs, harming safety, or altering flavor. The script outlines typical duties, work settings, collaboration roles, relevant majors (food engineering/technology, food science, chemical, mechanical, biological/agricultural engineering), internship search strategies, and notes salary figures from IFT and BLS while cautioning titles vary. It ends with a grocery-store investigation challenge and teases a next episode on computational neuroscience. 00:00 There is Engineering Behind Your Food 01:36 What Food Engineers Do 02:35 Meet Rhonda Troubleshooting 04:14 Food Science vs Engineering 05:51 A Day in the Job 07:30 Majors That Lead Here 09:52 Internships and Experience 11:37 Career Spotlight and Pay 13:48 Scaling a Recipe Up 15:00 Your Grocery Store Challenge 15:34 Wrap Up and Next Episode

2. 

   22 Sept 2026

   A STEM Career Connecting Weather, Water & Data: The Hydrometeorological Analyst

   What if your love of weather could lead to a career that has almost nothing to do with simply checking the forecast? In this episode of Majors, Minors & Maybes, Dr. W. investigates the fascinating world of the hydrometeorological analyst. A career where weather data, water systems, environmental science, and predictive modeling collide. From rainfall and soil moisture to rivers, watersheds, and flood forecasting, these professionals help turn mountains of environmental data into information that can help us understand what happens when it rains. Here's your career clue: You don't have to become a meteorologist to build a career around weather. We'll explore what hydrometeorological analysts do, what it's like to work with weather and water data, which college majors can open the door, where students can gain experience, and how much closely related professionals can earn. Plus, Dr. W. has one very important question: If one inch of rain can produce 27,154 gallons of water on a single acre, where does it all go? Get ready because the forecast has a career clue hiding inside it. Listen in, get curious, and uncover a career you probably didn't know existed. Don't forget to check out our website at www.thequasibox.com/majorsminorsmaybes (https://www.thequasibox.com/majorsminorsmaybes) Show Notes: The Water Memory Keeper: Hydrometeorological Analyst Dr. W’s Majors, Minors, and Maybes explores the hydrometeorological analyst, a career at the intersection of meteorology and hydrology that asks how weather affects water on the ground. Through the fictional vignette of Rio, a National Weather Service analyst monitoring a tropical system, the episode shows how these professionals use radar, satellite data, river gauges, soil saturation, and hydrologic models to forecast river response, issue flood alerts, track drought, and advise partners like dam operators and emergency managers. Dr. W explains key tasks (quantitative precipitation estimates/forecasts, streamflow monitoring, modeling, and communicating uncertainty), work settings (forecast offices and possible fieldwork), and suggested majors and skills spanning hydrology, atmospheric science, geology, environmental science, and data science. Salary context is given via BLS medians for hydrologists and atmospheric scientists, plus a stream-gauge and rainfall volume fact, before teasing a future episode on food engineering. 00:00 Weather Meets Water 00:27 What Is Hydrometeorology 02:06 Meet Rio On Duty 02:49 Forecasting The Flood 05:10 Office Hours Mindset 05:58 Meteorology Vs Hydrology 07:09 Core Job Duties 09:47 Work Environment 10:38 Majors And Skills 13:04 Internships And Experience 15:29 Salary And Schedule 17:25 Curious Facts And Wrap 19:18 Next Episode Teaser

3. 

   8 Sept 2026

   When UX Design Meets Emergency Response: The Disaster Response UX Designer

   What if your UX design skills could help people make better decisions during a disaster? In this episode of Majors, Minors & Maybes, we uncover the unexpected career of the Disaster Response UX Designer. A career at the intersection of UX design, human-centered design, technology, psychology, accessibility, and emergency management. When a hurricane approaches, an evacuation order is issued, or first responders are working in chaotic conditions, having the right information isn't enough. People need to be able to find it, understand it, and act on it quickly. That's where UX design can make a critical difference. We'll follow a day in the life of a disaster response UX designer and explore what happens behind the scenes when designers create digital tools for emergency managers, first responders, and communities. From user research and usability testing to accessibility, information architecture, prototyping, and designing for people under stress, this career goes far beyond making an app or website look good. In this episode, Dr. W explores: What does a Disaster Response UX Designer actually do? How does human behavior change during an emergency and why does that matter for UX design? How can UX design improve emergency alerts, evacuation tools, dashboards, and disaster-response technology? What should you major in if you're interested in UX, emergency management, psychology, or human-centered design? Where can students find internships and experiences that combine technology, design, and disaster response? What can you expect to earn in a UX design career? Whether you're a high school student exploring STEM careers, a college student choosing a major, a parent helping a student navigate career options, or simply someone fascinated by unusual careers, this episode is your reminder that your major doesn't have to define your career. Your major is just the beginning of the story. Don't forget to check out our new website www.thequasibox.com/majorsminorsmaybes (https://www.thequasibox.com/majorsminorsmaybes) Show Notes: Disaster Response UX Designer: Designing Calm, Clarity, and Accessibility Under Pressure The episode introduces the career of a disaster response UX designer, explaining how user experience design becomes critical in emergencies when people are stressed, time is limited, and conditions like weak Wi‑Fi or power outages can affect access. Through a vignette following Julia, a UX designer redesigning an emergency operations dashboard, it highlights testing with emergency managers, accessibility reviews to avoid color-only communication, and observing live response exercises to understand trust, cognitive load, and decision-making under pressure. The script outlines core tasks such as user research, journey mapping, prototyping, usability and accessibility testing, information architecture, and iterative redesign, emphasizing that good UX often means removing unused features. It discusses pathways into the field via majors like UX/HCI, psychology, emergency management, or computer/information science, plus internships in agencies and NGOs, and provides salary and job growth context using web and digital interface designer data. 00:00 What Is Disaster UX 02:36 Design Under Pressure 03:20 Meet Julia A Day 04:32 Testing With Managers 04:56 Accessibility In Crisis 05:37 Field Exercise Observations 07:51 Skills And Pathways 08:32 Office Hours Questions 10:25 Daily Tasks Breakdown 12:11 Majors And Career Stack 13:57 Internships And Research 15:23 Salary And Work Life 16:53 Curious Career Fact 17:17 Cognitive Load Lessons 18:06 Wrap Up And Next Episode

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

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Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.