<p>I feel like all of the careers I can see myself doing somehow relate to each other because they all require some amount of creativity and have little to no focus on math or science. I can see myself working in:</p>
<p>What are some possible majors that would prepare me for these fields? I was thinking Communications, but I often see people bashing it and calling it a pointless major.</p>
<p>for any of these fields, the way you are going to get started in your career is by experience and internships, not your major. You could major in anything from anthropology to zoology and still work in these fields (I expect a wedding planner to post here that she/he had such a major!). There actually are some specialized trade schools for photography but even from those the graduates don’t get jobs without a portfolio (eg. experience).</p>
<p>Many HS kids don’t understand there are 2 types of degrees you can get, since they are awarded at the same schools these days. One I’ll call vocational – you don’t have to ask a nursing, education, or engineering major what they’ll be doing when they finish college. The other is liberal arts – history, english, even communications don’t prepare you for an exact job after college. They are not pointless, though. In many areas they like to see a college degree as a minimum standard of academic achievement since it says something about you, but in addition you need to have job-related experience and internships.</p>
<p>For many of the things you’ve listed its possible to start getting experience as early as this summer; if you don’t have a job given this bad economy, for example, start calling wedding or event planners and offer your services for 20 hrs/week for free. Trust me, it will be worth every penny you don’t earn because by the time school starts in the fall you’ll really know what the job is like and whether you’d be happy doing it for the next 30+ years. You’ll also discover that many areas are small worlds, and if you’re the hard-working assistant this summer who always has a smile you’ll have lots of contacts that may want to hire you in the not-too-distant future. </p>
<p>It’s harder to give step-by-step advice on how to enter fields like many you list since it isn’t the same as something like engineering where the entry method is clearly defined, but if you talk to people about how they got started (an excellent idea, BTW, and fully described in the book “What Color is Your Parachute”) you’ll find they somehow got a toehold and built from there. I know someone making $200K+ in his 40’s in the PR field,and it all started when he needed some extra credit to pass a HS civics class. He volunteered in a political campaign, they liked him and offered a part-time job working in the office after the candidate won, and it went on from there.</p>
<p>This is where informational interviewing is helpful. Talk to people in those fields and find out from them what kinds of coursework/majors are useful in their businesses, and what they wished they had studied and why. Ask them how they got into their field and for advice on how you can get in the door. If an interview goes well, you may walk out with a summer internship. </p>
<p>How do you get informational interviews? You ask everyone you know-your parent’s friends, friend’s parents, teachers, employers, relatives and most importantly, your college alums-anyone who is willing to help you make a connection. Then you call or email the target interviewee and introduce yourself, mentioning how you got their name, and ask for 30 minutes of their time at their convenience, preferably in person. If the conversation goes well, once you’ve met, ask them for the names of people you could talk to in other areas of their industry.</p>
<p>You will be surprised at how nice most people are when a high school or college students wants to know about their industry. Most people are flattered that you asked them. Those that aren’t will generally be nice about turning you down, and usually are just too busy, so don’t take it personally. Remember, someday you will be the one getting these calls so you can pay it forward.</p>
<p>So basically, what you major in only matters if you plan on being a nurse, doctor, engineer, or teacher?</p>
<p>Also, in order to land an internship, what are they looking for? I will most likely be taking the PR route, so what would most firms want to see a potential intern majoring in?</p>