Can't seem to decide on a career path?

Career Opportunities & Internships
1

Hi everyone, I’m 22 years old and just graduated from college with a B.S. in Natural Resource Conservation. I started out with this degree but became uninterested with the classes after my sophomore year and decided to try Exercise Science, which is what I was originally going to go to college for. That lasted about a semester before I switched to Journalism and then Business and finally back to Natural Resource Conservation. I was required to complete an internship in order to graduate and did one on a wilderness trail crew for a non-profit. I absolutely loved it because I got to pretty much just hike and camp and work with my hands. I finally thought that I figured out what I wanted to do. However, now I’m having second thoughts.

Now that I’ve graduated and am job searching, I can’t seem to find any work. The non-profit I interned for said I could work on a trail crew for them again, which is my plan, but the pay isn’t great and it’s only a summer position. I’ve only worked manual labor jobs my whole life and these seem to be the only ones I can get. I don’t mind them now but I know eventually my body will give out and I need to make more money. Because of this, I’m considering going back to school.

I love working with my hands, learning new skills and information, and troubleshooting problems and solving them. The two fields that I’m really considering are Mechanical Engineering and Emergency Medicine. I like how Mechanical Engineering involves a tangible product and being creative and hands on. I considered this career in high school but didn’t really like math, even though I wasn’t bad at it. I like how Emergency Medicine is something that requires you to think quickly, be creative, and requires a base of knowledge. During my internship, I was trained in First Aid/CPR and loved learning this skill and how to use it. I also thought about going into exercise physiology in high school and took anatomy and physiology classes and have always been interested in the human body and how it works.

Any thoughts or similar situations people have been in? I’m always changing my mind as to what I want to do in life and feel that it’s becoming too late to change. Thanks!

2

You remind me of my son. He has many interests, loves being outdoors and doing things that bring about tangible results. He’s done a bunch of amazingly interesting things but they aren’t adding up to a career. I have finally talked him into seeing a career counselor and he’s agreed. They will give him tests on aptitudes, skills, interests, and personality, then he will meet with an experienced counselor who will discuss the results and go through job possibilities that mesh with his propensities. It is not inexpensive, but much cheaper than paying for another degree he’s when not sure what he really wants to do. Maybe it would be good for you too. Good luck!