I Have No Idea What I Want To Major In

<p>Hello fellow CC-ers! I'm currently a high school sophomore who needs a bit of advice. As stated in the title, I have absolutely no idea what I want to major in, or what I want to do post-college. I'm hoping some of you can help me out.</p>

<p>Let me tell you a bit about myself. I excel in school, and although I occasionally succumb to laziness, I am an all-around good student. I consider myself to be at least above-average when it comes to intelligence, but I'm not a genius or prodigy or anything :P My weakest subject is Math. I've gotten straight B's in it for the past 4 years, and this is truly because I have a hard time understanding some of the concepts. I find parts of Science very interesting, but other very boring. I'm not a huge fan of studying physical geography, but I am very interested in history, human geography, and international relations. My strongest subject, however, is English. I love reading and excel at writing. I have a fairly large vocabulary, and can write quality essays and papers with ease.</p>

<p>Now a bit of a background on majors and careers I've considered in the past. When I was little, I wanted to be an "author" Obviously this isn't a very practical career path to pursue, and I'm old enough now to know that I can still be an author on the side of whatever career I decide on. During my freshman year of high school, I was dead-set on going to college for Journalism. About halfway through the year, I decided that this wouldn't be lucrative enough, and started looking into Marketing and Advertising. Once again, I decided that this path wasn't lucrative as well, and became set on getting my MBA and being a Business major. Again, I changed my mind and started looking into Economics (I thought this would be more of a money maker). I changed my mind (surprise, surprise), and started looking into Engineering, more specifically Electrical Engineering and Computer Science so that I could study AI systems and robotics. This was my most recent change of heart.</p>

<p>See a pattern? I'll tell you right now; money is a HUGE deciding factor for me when it comes to what I want to major in and pursue as a career. I'm not looking to be wildly rich, but I'd like to make a substantial amount of money so that I can have the lifestyle I want. My family has constantly struggled with money, and I don't want to be like that when I get older.</p>

<p>I don't really consider myself to have any "true callings" or "passions." My parents insist that I should pursue something related to writing, but I don't feel as though I can really do anything with my skills that is lucrative. My friends are constantly telling me that I should be some sort of nurse or doctor (I really love to help people). I personally feel as though I NEED to be some sort of engineer in order to be successful, but I'm not sure that I actually want to pursue engineering. </p>

<p>Ontop of all the majors and careers that I've already mentioned, I've also considered being a neuroscientist (I'm interested in the brain), a band director (I'm in marching band in school and I love kids), and a teacher/college professor (like I just said, I love kids and enjoy teaching people new things). I'm just not sure what I should do. I want to make money, but I also want to be intellectually capable of pursuing a major, and I also want to make sure I actually LIKE whatever I major it. </p>

<p>Sorry for the length of this post. If you have ANY advice for me, please post it! Thanks!</p>

<p>You are a sophomore in high school… lots of people don’t know what they want to be at that age. You sounds like a person with many talents, so being all over the board is no surprise. Although… if you are not good at math, engineering is going to be a very tough major for you. And the dilemma you have (making money vs. doing something you love) is age old. Many, many people struggle with this. A few ideas:</p>

<ul>
<li>Get the book of college majors published by the College Board and read through it for majors that you might be interested in.</li>
<li>Make a list of the ones you are interested in (maybe flag VERY intrested vs. somewhat interested). The book lists the types of jobs you may get with each major, so you can research some of those online. Maybe keep a spreadsheet of majors, jobs, salaries.</li>
<li>Consider trying out summer programs in a couple of areas that interest you next summer and the summer after if you can. Or looking for a part time or summer job in one of the areas.</li>
<li>Try to pick a college that offers a good number of the majors you like.</li>
<li>When you get to college, try to take a couple of classes each in the top three majors on your list at that time. Spend time in the college career office to learn about what you can do with them.<br></li>
<li>Then make your choice (usually required later in sophomore year).</li>
</ul>

<p>Bumpbumpbump</p>