Need Help Deciding on a College Major/Career Path

College Majors
1

<p>I am about to start my second year of college and need to pick a major. One factor to consider is I have bad ADHD, which makes it difficult for me to function in a structured environment, as well as study things that don't inspire me, in a way that also doesn't. Because of this, I never finished high school, although I got my GED at a pretty young age and test well. Although I hardly got a traditional education, I consider myself relatively well-educated, as I yearn for knowledge and have self-taught myself a great deal. The majority of my free time reading is spent reading internet articles, navigating through Wikipedia and learning about pretty much everything, and watching videos about things that pique my interest. The rest of my time is primarily spent analyzing literature and storylines of tv shows. </p>

<p>Although this method is very unconventional, it makes the difference between me hating and loving education. I really just need autonomy in my life, education and career. I am adverse to getting a technical degree, such as computer science or engineering, because I see education as a path to enlightenment, not as a means of learning skills that will help prepare you for the workforce. Yes, I know, computer science has a theoretical side as well, but something just doesn't sit right with taking classes that teach you about programs humans have created, rather than inherent truths of reality and/or humanities. My interest is driven by philosophical inquiry. I enjoy learning about the liberal arts, and the non-technical aspects of the sciences. I would go into the natural sciences, but if I did that, I would have to specialize, which I don't really want to do. I am much more interested in the nature, impact, importance, and application of science and rational thought, rather than in any specific science discipline. For this, I see that the formal sciences, including the information sciences, might be good for me. However, to my understanding, jobs in this field are mostly technical. Lastly, in business I am not interested enough in most majors, however operations research and other subfields based on information science and analytical/quantitative analysis are particularly appealing.</p>

<p>Based on all of this, it appears that an analytical career would serve me well. I am very interested in logic, nature, and order, and the way it pertains to reality. I know you might be thinking philosophy is the perfect major, however, I want my major to not only cater to my interests, but also lead me to a career(s). It might be worth considering double-majoring in, however, that still leaves me with the same problem of needing a major to decide on. Other than math and logic, writing is another one of my highest competencies, so it would be cool major/career included some of that. I would also like entering into a career where I could branch off and do my own thing as an entrepreneur, however, this is not a necessary factor. I should also note that I am VERY introverted, and social interaction absolutely drains me.</p>

<p>Based on my interests, aptitudes, introversion, and desire for an autonomous life, education, and work environment, which career(s) would best serve me?</p>

2

<p>I recommend the Myers-Briggs Personality Test. You can find plenty of literature with career advice for every personality type. Mine is INTP, which I believe accurately describes me. The fields that are recommended for my personality type are ones that I find interesting. </p>

<p>If you haven’t already, try it out. </p>

3

<p>Based on the clusters of your interests you identified, I’d suggest a double major:

  1. History & Philosophy of Science + 2. either a major related to writing and science communication (could include coursework in video production or digital media, too), or a major involving math, operations research, or statistics. Alternatively, a second major could include information sciences (defined broadly).</p>
4

<p>Have you thought of doing an English Major? There’s a lot of analysis in English courses and some future potential careers goals with such a major could include teaching or writing. ^-^</p>

5

<p>@lang92
Ironically, I just came to that idea right before I read your post! At my roots, I consider myself to be a social critic and activist, promoting reason and justice. I spend most of my time using the internet to learn about whatever is inspiring me most at the moment. I am very much an autodidact, as I self-directed my education in a spontaneous fashion and never really got a traditional education. As a result of this, I still have a childlike curiosity about the world; which I believe I will always have.</p>

<p>As far as teaching, I don’t know if I’m cut out for that, because I am extremely introverted (INTJ btw @Xercultes). As far as writing goes, it has long been a passion of mine. I see it as a way of deriving order from chaos, and habitually write down my thoughts so I can better comprehend them. I’m also quite the perfectionist, so I’m very exacting in my writing. The only reason I’ve ignored this avenue is because I don’t know if it would be wise or practical to take out student loans to pay for an English degree. I am more interested in the liberal arts in general, but I don’t want to lean so far to the left that I end up having to be a teacher. </p>

<p>Perhaps I’m being shortsighted, in which case, I would appreciate constructive criticism. If not, I guess it becomes a matter of finding the middle ground (the right chemistry if you will). If there is no liberal arts degree that I can get without worrying about employment, then how about a double major, or an interdisciplinary major, that combines a practical and slightly less practical field? In the liberal arts I am interested in pretty much everything, especially that which gives insight to our roots (History, Classics, ect.).</p>