I have no idea what to major in and have no idea what career to choose need advice

College Majors
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Hi, I’m 18 and I just graduated this past June from highschool and will be enrolling into my local community college this coming fall. My main problem right now is sorting out what I want to major in because I feel as if I have to many interests and a weakness when it comes to certain academia.

I’ve been drawing and dealing with visual arts since I was very small. I kept doing art all the way until art highschool but recently stopped doing art because I had to study immensely to pass a math test requirement for me to graduate but plan on continuing drawing. The subjects that I excel in is Foreign Languages, English/literature, and Art . I still have a sort of idea that I want to become a vet but I don’t think this is a wise choice as I am absolutely horrible at math. I failed my math regents so many times and I sort of like science but that comes together with math in order to be a vet so I don’t think I am taking that route. Also just to put out there I’ve also been learning the violin for about 2 years with private lessons mostly as a hobby but I am progressing pretty fast and my violin teachers says that I can get a bachelors in music— I m not sure how t but its a thought.

I really enjoying learning foreign languages. I already speak English and Spanish and got 95-100s in my Italian class and I’ve been teaching my self mandarin Chinese for about 10 months or so. However I feel like I would end up going to art school because it just really feels like my strongest current. I’m not a computer desk job type person unless it might end up being graphic design of some sort but I think Art is where my lead is. My art teacher suggests that I should study art because im very talented but I don’t know if that is a wise choice. Im from nyc and art schools here are pretty well known but can be very expensive. I’ve visited parsons and school of visual arts. and I also don’t want to take out huge loans when I might not even find a job right after graduating but who knows.

I don’t really see myself going towards the stem related job like my other sibling where there is a much higher chance of employment. My mother is supportive of going to art school but I try to explain that it can be a risky route, I do believe in following your passion but I also don’t want to wind up becoming an Art teacher. I’m looking into graphic design with maybe game design or logo design and maybe I can minor in an Asian language. I do most of my art by hand and by painting abstract art. I’m not sure sure how you can make a living as a painter that must be tough, and im just trying to be realistic.
So my plans are to go to community college and get the basics out of the way with a liberal arts AA or if I’m very sure stay for just a year and transfer.

sorry for long passage I need career counseling as I’m very undecided

-thanks

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Become an art specialist and travel the world evaluating art for wealthy clients.

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It’s okay that you don’t know what you want to do with the rest of your life. I don’t know what I want to do with the rest of my life, and I’m 29. I’m not sure anyone really does. Your major decision, and your first job, won’t determine what you do with the rest of your life. It just determines what you do with a small chunk of it.

We all have many interests, but that doesn’t mean that you need to turn most or all of those interests into a career. Some of your interests will just be hobbies or things you like, but not part of your actual work. Like, if you love playing the violin but don’t want to be a professional violinist, maybe you don’t want to major in music - maybe you just want to take private lessons and play in a community orchestra.

You don’t have to go to art school to be an artist. In fact, if you are going to CC in New York, you could transfer - for example - to SUNY Purchase, which is well-known for having excellent art programs. You could go to a CUNY college and study art, too. You certainly don’t have to go to a very expensive art school.

What you need to do is in your first year at the CC, take some classes in the fields in which you are interested in majoring. Start exploring careers by reading career guides or profiles of people who do certain careers (you can find these all over the web). As you take more classes and learn more about potential careers, you will have an easier time making a decision - because it’ll be guided by what classes you enjoy the most and what skills you want to learn in preparation for career fields that look interesting to you.

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Thanks Juillet for a response i was looking for.
Im going to continue with going to the CC I selected for this fall. I just really hope I can cope with college-algebra and hopefully nothing beyond that, as I am attending a college prep summer program and i am finding myself struggling with something that can be as simple as scientific notation and dividng. Which ecplains why im an art person.

Also my math instructor was saying how even if you study art in college you to take calculus?? I dont think so. maybe in graphic design? Isnt your basic first year gen algebra enough?

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Most colleges require you to satisfy a math requirement, although at most colleges that class doesn’t have to be calculus. It would depend on the kind of art that you take. If you wanted to study animation or some other fusion of art and computer science, then it would be prudent to take calculus (and you might be required to). But if you just want to study regular visual art or graphic design, you probably won’t have to take calculus.