<p>I'm a pretty average kid, my grades aren't spectacular or anything. But the main thing I'm worried about is that I have no idea what I want to do in college or after college. I'm thinking about architecture, just because a family member suggested it to me and it sounded interesting--on the other hand my parents are pressuring me to go pre-med. The idea isn't revolting, premed sounds pretty interesting as well. My question is: how do you go about choosing a major? Especially when you don't have any special talents.</p>
<p>Or perhaps you just have not yet discovered your special talents!</p>
<p>The best way to start getting an idea of what you want to do in life is to start exploring options. Look into areas that might interest you. Are you still in high school? You could take classes--at the high school, community college, homeschool coop, etc.--in areas that you think you could possibly want to pursue. The big city near us has what they call Saturday Academy, which offers not just quarter-long classes, but some that are just one day and which explore different careers. My son took one on medicine, where they got to visit a hospital, follow a doctor around, and even see an operation. I think it helped him realize that he did NOT want to be a doctor. Perhaps your community has something like that.</p>
<p>You can also read books on different careers, or arrange your own mini-internships to check out different jobs. You think you might be interested in architecture? Perhaps you can find a local architect who would let you tag along for a day and see what the job entails. There are even books with tests you can take that might give you an idea of what you would be good at, or what you would enjoy. </p>
<p>And don't feel you have to know what your major will be when you start college. Many people don't know and/or end up changing majors. The best thing for an undecided person is to take classes in many different areas the first year. Perhaps you will find an area that excites you while fulfilling the basic requirements. If you are uncertain of a major, choose a college that has a wide variety of offerings, rather than a narrowly focused one. </p>
<p>You have plenty of time yet to choose a career field. Don't worry about it too much! (But do explore options.)</p>
<p>GxSunshine, I agree with Susantm - you don't need to pick a major yet. However, it would be smart to get out in your community and expose yourself to different people in different positions.</p>
<p>The only average students I know with no special talents (traditionally schooled or homeschooled) are the ones who use their free time sitting around watching tv or playing games. The rest all have unique interests and passions, which, with a little experience, turn into real talents.</p>
<p>It's your life, and you get to decide what to do with it. You have to get out, try things, and find out what you love, if your choice is to be an active one. Otherwise you risk accidentally drifting into something that might not be fulfilling to you.</p>
<p>What is interesting about architecture? Have you done any research online? Do you like to draw? Visited any famous or unique buildings? Messed around with CAD software? It's all out there for you investigate.</p>
<p>Are you homeschooling? If so, you should have plenty of time to investigate things like this. If not, it might take some extra effort, but the opportunities are there. Even if you wait until later in your college career to decide on a major, any experience you gain now will help with that decision later on.</p>
<p>Yes, I'm still in high school (junior). I'm really interested in the programs you've told me about. But I'm not sure if I will have enough time to try everything out, get a feel for it or if my community even has anything like that--which by the way sounds incredible. Going to college undecided is not such a great thing for me to do-there are financial issues and its just better for me and my family if I know ahead of time what I want to do and taking the required classes for that major.</p>
<p>Why am I so interested in architecture? Well I'm just intrigued by the idea that I could design something tangible..that it could have a real effect on the population, maybe even be a significant achievement of our time. But I'm not really sure if I could design..I haven't taken any classes for it or made a portfolio. I have taken CAD/Basic Tech. but that didn't involve much originality, just a grasp of how to use Rhino and such.</p>
<p>Here is a class that my dd took last year--it was wonderful! </p>
<p>Here is what one Env Desing/Arch school requires:
<a href="http://www.cudenver.edu/Academics/Colleges/ArchitecturePlanning/DegreePrograms/Undergraduate/Architecture+Environmental+Design.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.cudenver.edu/Academics/Colleges/ArchitecturePlanning/DegreePrograms/Undergraduate/Architecture+Environmental+Design.htm</a></p>
<p>GxSunshine, it sounds like you know one important thing - you want to make a difference. That's a lot to go on. I think you have excellent reasons for being interested in architecture. </p>
<p>Of course, it's hard to feel creative in the learning stages of using complex software, but I think it's great that you've already started investigating CAD. Keep at it. Maybe there are other resources available in your area for learning about architecture. </p>
<p>Did you know that many schools offer excellent financial aid, even to students with undeclared majors? Don't restrict yourself too soon because you are afraid of the costs. There are fields of study most people are unlikely ever to encounter before attending university. It's fine to plan ahead, but even if you feel you have to chose a major soon, know that it's not written in stone. Some colleges make it very easy to change majors, because they know it's unreasonable to expect everyone to decide early. Put that on your list of things to investigate about colleges you might apply to.</p>
<p>heartcross, the Hillsdale program certainly looks appealing. Is it expensive? Do they offer financial help?</p>
<p>For overseas travel with 3 college credits--no, it's not expensive. Around $3000. That covers everything but lunches. My dd did the Churchill one the year before and she found that by eating a huge breakfast, stuffing her pockets full of croissants (or whatever the native bread was) and eating a big supper, that she could skip lunch. She paid for both her trips herself with her 4-H sheep flock... They do not offer fin aid. However, if the student ends up at Hillsdale in Honors--in their junior year they get a very subsidized trip somewhere--my oldest dd will be in Turkey for a month this spring--for $700... </p>
<p>Sunshine---look at all sorts of arch schools--I think you will get jazzed when you see all the offerings. </p>
<p>Found this:
<a href="http://www.aia.org/ed_k12programs%5B/url%5D">http://www.aia.org/ed_k12programs</a> Looks like there are all sorts of summer programs for high school students interested in arch.</p>
<p>GxSunshine, it sounds like you know one important thing - you want to make a difference. That's a lot to go on.</p>
<p>It sure is. One thing that may help this person is to sit and dream a little. Imagine if you had no limitations at all. You could just do whatever you wanted to do-- end all wars, solve world hunger, I mean anything. But you can only choose one thing. What would that one thing be? And how much do you want it? Do you want something so much that youd give anything to make it happen, if only you saw a way?</p>
<p>Of course we do have limitations, but these sorts of questions might indicate to the thinker why he was put here and what he must do with his life.</p>
<p>Just a thought.</p>
<p>Drosselmeier: if I could do whatever I wanted without any consequences...I would probably draw, I loved drawing and I even took classes to improve my technique. But of course, my parents weren't too thrilled with the idea and had no problem laying out all the difficulties and struggles an architect would have to go through, about how little an architect makes compared to a doctor. </p>
<p>I know a lot of people take jobs they don't enjoy but that they're good at..should I listen to my parents or go out on my own? I know the textbook answer, but what would you do?</p>
<p>Well, one thing about medical school is that you don't have to major in pre-med to get in. When my son still thought he might go into medicine, he discovered that music majors were as likely to get into medical school as biology majors, strange as that may seem. So he planned to major in music, still taking necessary science courses, and then go on to medicine. Since then he has realized that music is, indeed, his passion, and so, he will NOT be applying to med school.</p>
<p>However, this leaves things wide open for you. You can major in whatever you like, still taking science and math if you still are considering med school, but not feel like you HAVE to declare pre-med.</p>
<p>Imagine yourself thirty years from now. As you look back, what do you want to see? Will you be happy if you do what your parents want you to do, or will you always regret that you didn't at least try for your dream and see where it might take you? What if you go for pre-med, but don't make it into med school? Will you feel you wasted your years of college? </p>
<p>Looking at it from an adult perspective, the things I regret most from my younger years are the chances I did NOT take, the times I played it safe.</p>
<p>It depends on your goals and what is important to you, as well. Naturally, parents hate to see their kids struggle. A nice, high-paying job sounds good to them, because they don't want you to do without. But more important is what matters to YOU. In his younger years, my son would say he wanted to be a doctor because he wanted to have money, and he thought the job would be interesting. As he realized how much music meant to him, he also realized that money was no longer important to him. He no longer cares if he has a new car or nice clothes, as long as he can play his trumpet and be involved in music. A person can be quite happy without a lot of money. It all depends on what is important to you, and only you can answer that.</p>
<p> what would you do?</p>
<p>Not sure. I guess Id first try to understand my folks. Yours sound like decent people who only want you to be happy. Perhaps to them, happiness is found in making a lot of money and being financially secure. And to tell you the truth, you parents are right - somewhat. Dickens has this cool little line in a Christmas Carol that is easy to overlook and that I think tells the bitter truth about how the world sees money. When Scrooge as a young man is upbraided for seeking wealth, he says there is nothing the world is so hard on as poverty, and yet there is nothing it professes to condemn so much as the pursuit of wealth. So I am not one to rag on your folks for wanting you to pursue wealth, because I know firsthand that the world doesnt really care much for the poor.</p>
<p>On the other hand, there are such things as spiritual and emotional poverty, and either of these can strike the wealthy. I have experienced quite a bit of them too. In my case, they hit because I failed to pursue what I was naturally built to pursue. I failed because rather than having the personal strength to weather the insults of those around me, I allowed my fears to force me into fields in which I had no real interest. In the end, I just could not work with passion. Ive been pretty good at everything I have ever done, and Ive made decent money at all of them. But I fell into such despair that eventually I became worthless. I now see, that I must always chase some kind of dream-- that the actual chase is what it is really all about.</p>
<p>Now those are the two extremes as I see them. On one hand, you got your poverty and a world that condemns it. On the other hand, you got your despair because you are trapped in money-making fields in which you have no real ability or interest. Maybe you can try to find a way to get in between the two. I think going into architecture is probably exactly the right thing. Sure, maybe it doesnt generally offer as much money as medicine. But you can do very well at it and be pretty happy. Also, if in being happy in it you are able to work with some serious passion, you may get real famous and filthy rich. Hey, it is possible. So perhaps work to help your folks see all this.</p>
<p>You seem to have a decent relationship with your folks. Sure, you probably think they can be a pain sometimes, and no doubt they can be. But lets face it. If you ever find yourself in a jam, who do you think is gonna come running to the rescue? Your folks, right? You really dont want to mess this up by being too careless and uncaring about their views. You have people who are really really interested in you being successful and happy. It just doesnt get any better than this. I didnt have folks growing up, and I gotta tell ya-- you really need folks. Keep this in mind even when your folks make you want to slap them upside their stubborn know-it-all heads. Dont take them for granted because even in your case, they soon wont be here.</p>
<p>If you have a little money, maybe take your folks out to dinner, or make them a nice dinner at home. Talk to them about your dreams and be realistic about your financial potential. Be very mature about it as you show them how your passion may end up getting you really far down the road to prosperity and prestige. You gotta help them share your vision. What do you think about all this?</p>
<p>" what do you think about this? "</p>
<p>well I followed your advice and had a talk with my parents over dinner..I guess they saw how much it was stressing me out and backed off a little. They've agreed to be supportive (while still sneaking in hints about med school) and I have thought about how much they mean to me even though I want to smack them upside the head (haha). Your advice has done alot to help the situation.</p>
<p>Susantm--I never knew that before..that you could major in whatever and then go on to med school. I'm going to research that some more and if its really that simple then you just might have solved my "major" issue. Thank you</p>