College and Careers
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| Fri, 11-09-2007 - 10:46am |
Hi everyone, been a while since I last posted on this board. Anyway, I wasnt sure which board to post this on, but I wanted to get several opinions. Lately, I have had a struggle deciding what I want to "do with my life". I'll give you a little backstory. I am 24 years old, still in college. I have struggled through college and gone off and on since I graduated high school. My main problem is math, I have taken more math classes than I care to remember. Most I end up dropping, or failing. I am so fustrated w/ school I want to quit. Yes I know you "NEED" a degree to really do anything, but I have absolutly no idea what I want to do. My major was "undeclared" for most of the last few years. I recently declared "english" as my major. I like to write, but really dont know what I want out of a profession. I also pay for school all myself (no financial aid, or loans or whatever, but thats a different story) I work full time about 40- 50 hours a week, live alone. So on top of school issues, I have "real life issues" I sometimes find myself thinking I'd rather work 2 jobs than go to school. Dont get me wrong, I've had some courses which I;ve really enjoyed. Mainly english & history courses, so its not like I'm not "learning" or "getting anything out of school" because I am. I've often heard people say "School just isnt for me" and I'm beginning to feel like that applies to me. Although, in the job aspect, I feel like I dont know where to go. I work reservations at a hotel. While its an "ok" job, (a typical boring office job) I definatly dont see myself there another few years from now. In fact, I'm trying to give myself a timeline (of my next birthday) to either move departments or change jobs entirely. I feel like I come across as unambitious even writing this post, but its not that I dont have goals, because I do, I just dont know what to do or where to go. I feel like the "loser" of my family. Both my sister and my dad will be graduating w/ bachelors degrees next year. My mom is currently working on a masters degree, and me.... I go from semester to semester, job to job, without any real idea of a "career" I want.
Well, I suppose I'm not exactly looking for advice, but opinions, or if you, yourself have been in this type of situation. Thanks!

I can relate to you in certain ways and you definitely don't sound umambitious to me.
Well, when I went to college, I picked my major by looking at that long list of majors on my enrollment form. I checked "journalism" because I also liked to write. I work in corporate communications now, and every job I have held has required a journalism or communications degree.
I don't think the check-box approach to choosing your life's plan is the best model, honestly. It's not until you get out there in the workforce that you really know what each career entails. You do most of your real learning on the job anyway (unless you have a very technical degree like engineering, medicine, science that does require specialized schooling).
It's a catch 22. Yes, I'd say you are better off getting a degree. You get better pay and you are more marketable in general. If there's a way to get a general "liberal arts" degree at your school, maybe that's an option. Many, many people I know don't even work in a field related to their degree - but the degree, any degree, helped them get there.
To figure out what you really want to do, try getting some internships in fields that interest you. Many internships allow you to work 10 hours a week or so (for free or cheap, of course) to get an inside view into the field. Talk to people. Shadow people in fields of interest.
Taking an internship might mean working fewer hours at your paying job, but it might be worth it to set up your future career path.
Also, are there people you can talk to at the hotel where you work? Most larger hotels have marketing departments, event planners, business development people, etc. Interviewing them about their jobs might help you decide if those tracks might be for you - either in the hotel business or not.
Take advantage of the career counseling services at your school. Believe me, people pay a lot of money for classes and services just like that when they get out of school. If it's free to you now (or part of your school fees), USE it. It might help point you in a direction you never considered.
Finally, not all careers require four-year degrees. Massage therapy, cooking
AJ, enjoying life with C.
AJ, enjoying life with C.
>>I totally agree, and a lot of those jobs actually pay really well.
Oh yeah!
AJ, enjoying life with C.
>>Many, many people I know don't even work in a field related to their degree - but the degree, any degree, helped them get there.
This describes me exactly. I got my BA in Spanish....a degree I have never used at work, but just having that degree was enough to get a job that got me some experience...then another better job, and so on. I finally (after 8 years in the work world) got into the type of work I really wanted to do.
>>Very good point. I agree with that as well, but I also have learned that there's a very practical aspect to at least making a comfortable amount of money.
Oh, of course.
It's a tough decision, and once you think you've made the right decision, you are always going to have things happen that make you wonder if your decision was the right one.