<p>Hi Parents, first of all thank you all for listening (or rather, reading) this, and thank you for all suggestions/comments that you may offer.</p>
<p>We had a motivational speaker come to our school to talk to us about careers and college. And it just hit me that the passion everyone has for their majors/future careers? I dont have it :(
I'm a fairly hardworking student and know how to get good grades (a little weak in geometry, through). But the thing is, I don't feel a "passion" towards any subject. I do well in every subject that I put my mind to, but I dont feel the excitement that people are talking about when they're doing something they love.
I'm going to UCSD for Bioengineering: Premedical this coming fall. But I'm wondering if that is the right major for me. It seems to me the only thing that I'm good at is studying, which is useless because there is no "study" major.
I tried to do some "soul-searching", and took online surveys, questionnaires, etc, but nothing helped. When I read a job description, I can't exactly picture myself looking forward to going to work every morning. I have done an internship with a biotech company working as lab assistant. While I was good at my job, I didnt wake up every day 6 in the morning thinking "YAY WORK". But it wasnt like I hated it either. More like... indifference.
The more I think about it, the more I get worked up and starts to worry if there IS something wrong with me... :(</p>
<p>Any suggestions/comments would be really helpful.
Again, thank you.</p>
<p>Nothing wrong with you. "Undecided" describes a lot of students, and many of those who think they know what they want will change their majors. Be sure to pick some courses for fall that sound interesting. You have plenty of time and will have plenty of opportunities to discover what works - be sure to make use of the on campus advising that exists at every school. Don't worry, enjoy your summer and Good Luck.</p>
<p>It may have seemed like "everyone" had that kind of passion, but I'd bet that many of them do not. There is nothing wrong with you! You sound very normal to me. Wis75's suggestions are good ones. Try out different things until you find something that sparks your interest. That doesn't mean that you'll necessarily leap out of bed each and every morning rarin' to go, but what you want is to eventually find a career that gives your life some meaning and that you feel good about (and a paycheck is nice, too). You have lots of time to find that career.</p>
<p>My academic passion slapped me across the face when I was thirty three years old. Obviously I'm a fan of the advice given above: Try different things and your passion will find you.</p>
<p>Some people never find a passion in terms of careers, and they survive anyway. In some instances, I think this is because they are simply not the passionate sort. In other cases, something else in their lives -- their families, a hobby or sport, a community activity -- is simply more important to them than their work. It's not the end of the world. One of the happiest and most fulfilled people I ever knew was a man who didn't have any great enthusiasm for his work but who was extensively involved in running the Cub Scout and Boy Scout programs in his community and found that extremely challenging and interesting. There's more to life than work.</p>
<p>I agree with Marian. Conversely, the earlier statement:</p>
<p>"eventually find a career that gives your life some meaning" </p>
<p>to me ,though well meant, over-states the importance of work for many people. I like my job, it is good work and meaningful, but it is not where my life gets its meaning--in fact that idea that it wouldn't have meaning without it is alarming to me. Frankly, given a sufficient income without it, i could happily live my life doing things that are much more meaningful to me, but don't pay.</p>
<p>As others say, try different things, keep your mind open, and meanwhile, develop a good life that may or may not be dependent on work for its meaning.</p>
<p>Be of good cheer! Many of us adults still don't know what we want to be when we grow up! And I agree that not every personality type is a conduit for passion about a career. My H is smart, hard-working, and good at what he does but has remarked that co-workers are much more enthusiastic than he about what they're doing. He just can't get that excited about marketing chemical products. Actually, he's a laid-back type who is hard-pressed to get very excited about much of anything. This is good because I get over-excited about everything.</p>
<p>Oneday - People say "life is short", but the reality is that for most people life will be long. Point is... you have the next 70 years to find your passion(s). What's the rush? ;-)</p>
<p>I've had several incarnations in 45 years, and I'm still thinking about what I'll be when I grow up.</p>
<p>Good advice so far. I would especially urge you not to limit yourself to a major at this point. Most high schools have very limited course offerings, so there's way more you've never been exposed to than you even imagine. The field you end up working in might not even exist now. Try out whatever sounds most interesting, including ECs. One thing is likely to lead to another. It sounds corny, but enjoy the journey; don't worry now about a final destination.</p>
<p>You sound like an excellent candidate for a liberal arts education, which I believe for most of us, is the best preparation for a life of real meaning and personal satisfaction. I'd be far more concerned if you were to tell me that at age 17 you have a true passion for a techical field or career in which you couldn't possibly yet have a realistic sense of what your daily life would entail.</p>
<p>Don't worry! I do recommend a more "liberal arts" curricula and as many internships you can find/handle. I thought I was going to be a lawyer...until an internship....now I'm in communications for my career and my BA is in Political Science and I have an MBA and it doesn't really matter....I love what I do. My S is in the same boat as you and he just signed up for his classes for college. He's got Into to Everything classes and he's has no idea what the future will hold and that's OK with me for the next year or two. There are many courses that are under represented in high school that you might find really light your fire, so take alot of intro classes and open your eyes to possibilities and chances are you will find your niche which just might turn out to be med school in the long run! Also, regarding med school, many liberal arts grads head to med school, granted they may have organic chem and some other tougher science classes than say the sociology majors, but the pre-med liberal arts grad probably has English, sociology and a number of other classes not directed related to medicine under their belt. Check out the acceptance rates to med school from some of the better liberal arts colleges before you commit to a straight line shot to med school.</p>
<p>Also, it's important to realize that you live in a society where kids are almost completely isolated from the world of work. Do you really know what bioengineers do all day? Or physicians? Or members of any other profession? Most young people don't. So take advantage of every internship, externship, or job shadowing opportunity that comes your way. And talk as much as you can to people in different professions.</p>
<p>I think it's also important to realize that the education that leads to a particular career and the actual work itself are often very different from one another. For example, going to law school and practicing law are two very different experiences. So don't judge a career by the major that leads to it.</p>
<p>Being "good at studying" is the most useful skill to have in college.</p>
<p>I'm sure you'll do great in any major. Don't worry. There's nothing wrong with you. Very few people are saying "YAY work!" You've figured it out already, so you're well above average.<br>
BTW, most of those kids with "passion" are going to change their majors.</p>
<p>Don't worry about it. I have a BA in Political Science and an MBA. For a living, I have been a computer systems consultant, an IT department manager, a database developer, a product manager, a sales rep, a director of marketing, and (currently) I'm back in product management again. Doesn't that sound like the normal career path for someone with a liberal arts degree and an MBA? I'm a little suspicious of young people who are sure that they have their lives mapped out. Stay open to possibilities.</p>
<p>(I think the only job I was ever really passionate about was my part-time college job. Go figure.)</p>
<p>No WashDad it sounds like the career path of a person with a BA in Political Science and an MBA (see my post earlier)! I like to think we're well rounded, wordly, articulate, experienced and play well with others. I won't bore you with my career path...</p>
<p>I decided what I was going to do with my life at sixteen and I'm still doing it. H, on the other hand, earned two undergraduate degrees, changed careers multiple times, and finally found his passion at thirty. He LOVES his job and plans never to retire. I think our son is more like his father, and he sounds like the OP too...good at everything, passionate about nothing, unless you count video games. Enjoy college. Whether you are premed or not, take a wide variety of courses. The posters above have given some excellent advice.</p>
<p>oneday - your feelings are completely normal. Most of those "focused" kids arund oyu will be onto something completely other than their current interests before all is said and done. </p>
<p>I started in pre-med (chemistry major) and struggled for a year before determining that, although I was intellectually interested in science, I had no interest in making a career out of it. My heart was not in it. I graduated as a finance major and pursued an MBA at a top business school.</p>
<p>Don't buy into the notion that an 18 yearold should "know" what they want to do, or be concerned about your feelings - revel in them. The world is your oyster. Go explore and see where your interests take you.</p>
<p>In addition, there ARE jobs that are basically "study" jobs. For example, lawyers are often researching, pulling together facts, finding relevance among seemingly different cases.</p>
<p>Science/medical researchers are often conducting experiments, reading others' papers, trying to find the links between different fields and different studies.</p>
<p>Historians read others' works to learn what already is known, then research more primary sources, or re-interpret what others have already said.</p>