If you are taking calculus in 10th grade you are more accelerated in math tha n90% of American high school students. I would advise high school students not to close any doors - that means taking at the high school level - Bio, Physics and Chemistry with one or two science APs, and math through Calculus. You don’t need any more math and science than that in high school for a STEM degree anywhere in the US. If history and English make you happy that’s what you should do. There are jobs out there. Really.
I’m an architect. I took physics 1, Calculus and computer programming in college. Majored in art/architectural history. I love my work most of the time, and as a solo practitioner it was a job that worked out well with having kids. (Made my own hours.)
Remember the point inst to chose something you love to do. You are choosing something you want to do for a
career. There is a huge difference. For example, just because you like musicals and operas doesn’t mean you should make it your career. I like playing golf, but I work in IT. I enjoy both of them but for totally different reasons. Your career is where you get your sense of accomplishment, not your entertainment.
Your career should be the intersection of three things:
1). Something you are interested in doing (for a career)
2). Something you have skills in. If it takes a college degree, you have the skills necessary to get that degree.
3). Something in demand in the labor market. If you choose something that isnt, the labor market will choose another career for you.
Sounds like this http://denison.edu/academics/narrative-nonfiction-writing
would work for both you and your parents (you can add a science minor of your choice).
Note that science isn’t a cure for everything… majoring in English has actually more career power, if from a respectable university such as UWashington or the above, than a major in biology. Chemistry isn’t the key to a guaranteed career either. In the US, what matters is individual achievement and your ability to market your skills (starting with finding internships as early as possible - it’ll mean starting the hunt during Winter break freshman year, and in october sophomore year and on.)
Also, take an intro to programming/CS and a statistics class in college, no matter what you want to major in, and list them on your resume under “relevant coursework”. Those two are always relevant.
“I also love history and studying how people lived, and I am OBSESSED with musicals and operas and plays and films and all of that, and if I had a singing bone in my body, then I would absolutely go that route.”
No official advice, but I’m super glad Lin-Manuel Miranda’s parents let him do his thing!
Major in two things (double major). One major should be in something you just absolutely love with no worries about where it takes you career wise and major in something else that might be more likely to get you a job. The “practical” major does not have to be in science. It can be in business or communications or journalism or media studies or education. These are just examples. From what I hear, what you major in isn’t as important as the internships you do and the skills you learn such as writing and critical thinking. You can major in Creative Writing and get an internship at a bank.
Thank you so much, everybody! I’ve recently got 3 Honorable Mentions, 1 Silver Key, and 1 Gold Key in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, and I’m applying to a few summer writing programs, so hopefully this’ll prove to my parents that I’m serious about this. I am still going with my courseload, but this feels like a step in the right direction!
Just want to say again that major and career do not have to match. Get a degree in humanities if that is what you love, and promise things can work out fine.
Small note: music majors in a BA program often do not have to play an instrument or sing at all. You study music, theory, history, genres including classical, jazz and rock, music analysis, ethnomusicology, composition if you want it and so on.
But it sounds like you just got a helpful boost with writing. Good writing is in demand!
Linguistics is an interdisciplinary humanities field that the OP might find interesting.
A solid foundation in one or two foreign languages and in math would be a good foundation. A linguistics major (or graduate degree) can lead to rather good job opportunities in various fields (including speech pathology, forensic science, or software development).
@HopeTsai - One sure way for parents to lose a child is to make them try to bend to their will; children are on loan to use, we don’t own them. You may be only 16 but you’ve got a good head on your shoulders and you know what makes you happy and what doesn’t. Talk to your guidance counselor at school and ask him/her for help in planning courses and with talking to your parents.
Please come back and let us know how things are going!
When my D decided she wanted to do computer animation I was at a loss. I was the science person and had a great job and had no idea of job opportunities if she followed that route. Nor did I know how to guide her. That’s pretty scary for a parent. Somehow you always hope your kids just follow your lead and then BAM! They don’t.
What I did know is that she’d been working diligently on art and writing since she was very young. Her idea of fun always involved paper and pencil. So I put my skills to work and did a ton of research. That’s what you should do. Do the research for careers that star your talents. Even just a few options (whether you ultimately pursue them or not) will help calm your parent’s fears.
It’s been awhile, and I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. Since I’m an idealistic and imaginative person, I can twist my personality and character at will and think on the positive side of things, which means that I might very well break down the first week of teaching since I never realized how complicated students can be. I’m homeschooled and surrounded by both public school kids and other homeschooled kids, but the public schoolers I meet are at the local community college and thus try harder than slackers/people who don’t care as much. I’ve seen other teenagers on the street, and frankly, some of them terrify me! I don’t think a small, 5-ft Asian could really command their attention…
I’m also a curious person and I love traveling, I love the city, and I want to support my future children with the ability to take the classes they want, besides other things (like having the time to write after work). Primarily, I want to help people and have an impact on the world; I’ve been looking into nursing and it seems like something I can do. I’ve been getting a lot of different reports from people: my mom wants me to be able to enjoy life with a well-paying, stable career, my sister doesn’t think I work well with people and she says that she just can’t see me in that environment, and my friends say the same thing, in addition to telling me that I don’t like studying or science. I really don’t know what to do now.
@HopeTsai I was a Humanities major. So was my wife. I would hate to steer my kid into an area which he or she does not want to go. That’s the last thing I want. I could care less if my kid wanted to be a chef or a singer, although I would tell my kid honestly that I have not seen so far any talent in him for cooking or singing. Life is bad enough without not trying to do something you want to do – that’s my life philosophy. Your parents should be happy to have a kid who is really interested in some area.
Please stop worrying about what you want to be when you grow up. You are 16. You do not have to make any kind of decision about your future career right now. Just be a kid and enjoy life. Work hard in school. That’s it. That’s all you need to do right now. And please ignore your sister. Siblings, at least teen siblings, are probably not the best source of information, even if they love you.
And if you, at 16, are already worrying about the education of your future children, let them be kids and enjoy the frivolity of youth without planning out their future as a teenager.
@websensation Good point, I’m going to focus on my studies this year for now! Thank you so much! The problem is, I’m interested in everything and very “pliable” (my mind can be wavered whenever somebody talks to me) until I know for certain my stance on things/what I want. (I’m a bit like Mr. Bingley…) Anyways, I thought I knew, but years of pushing it down have made me unsure. I’m not so willing/agreeable to go with whatever others say, but I’m not so stubborn that I don’t even see their point, which leads me to the middle, where I am miserable and don’t know where to go anymore.
@Lindagaf There’s a bit more pressure, since my sister is my twin and thus we are constantly compared to each other. For example, if she takes a class like calculus, then I’ll feel like I have to do that as well (otherwise I would be the dumb one of the set or something like that). And yeah…that’s why I said I would take calculus this year… It’s a bad mixture of pride and insecurity, and I always feel like I’m inferior to her, and all the talk about her wanting to be an anesthesiologist just sort of seals the coffin. I’ve been working on it, but it’s going to take a bit more time. But thank you, I’ll keep that in mind!
@jym626 It’s not that I want to plan out their futures, it’s that I want them to be able to do the things they want to do. For example, I take dance and I love it, but we don’t have enough money to take more classes. All of my extended family lives in Taiwan (the other side of the globe), so last summer was the first time I’d seen them in five years, and i probably won’t be able to see them again until I graduate from high school. There are so many summer programs, whether local or out-of-state, and we’ve been applying for financial aid like crazy to so many organizations! My sister got into the summer pre-college program at Harvard (and she’s been downplaying it a lot but I’m still so excited for her) but we don’t even know if she can go due to the cost. Just little things like that. ^^ Should my kids want to do anything, I would want to be able to let them go do it. (Of course, I’m not faulting my parents, they’re wonderful and awesome people!)
I am not sure why you are taking calculus in 10th grade. That says a lot about your family culture, since you are homeschooled. I imagine you are under quite a few pressures. It is not appropriate to be worrying so much about your career at this age. In fact, you should not even have to think about college major as yet, and you have until the end of sophomore year to declare that (unless you want to do nursing or engineering and so on).
Science is a poor choice for undergrad unless you are prepared to go all the way to a doctorate.
I honestly suggest that you get yourself to a counselor because you may not have enough contact with adults in a position to advise you and so the family culture, which seems to have its problems (maybe your parents don’t know that much about the educational system or job market?) feels dominant. And also because you are under so much pressure to be someone you are not!
High school is a time for exploration and personal growth. The obsession with stable career is premature, and it also gets in the way of actual opportunities for the future.
Tell your parents you have a better chance of getting into Harvard with prizes and programs in writing than with calculus or science. Maybe that will sway them.
Your task right now is to learn who YOU are, and your family is getting in the way of that. Their intentions are good and I am sure they are loving parents, but their attitudes can potentially harm.
Please get yourself a counselor or therapist. There is a way to become less “pliant” and stand up for yourself but in your situation it is very tough to do without support from someone outside the family.
OP, you are getting way ahead of yourself. We understand your reasoning. But what we are suggesting is that you look into working on developing yourself, finding your voice and using it to your benefit. Don’t lose the forest for the trees. The time now is for you to live your life-- not plan for the activities of the next generation. Find a way to get involved in theater since that seems to be a passion of yours. Have fun.
One of my sisters used to be like this. It took her quite a while to realize she was letting other people decide her life for her. You have to learn to trust yourself to choose what’s best for you. Try classes and activities, and decide for yourself whether or not you like them without consulting anyone else.
It’s unfortunate that people compare twins. My nephews felt nonfamily members did that a lot. Their parents made sure they were in separate classes in high school and encouraged them to pursue whatever activities interested them so they could develop independently. One’s high school interests led to his career choice. The other found his by exploring a variety of gen eds in college. You’re only in 10th grade, so you’re years away from having to pick a major. I wouldn’t worry about it right now, and when the time does come to choose I wouldn’t poll your siblings and friends to see what they think you’ll be good at; choose what you want to do.
@jym626 Yes, you’re right! I’m a bit of an imaginative planner, so my mind tends to get away from me and fantasize about the somewhat distant future instead of the current time. I’m planning on participating in “Annie” this summer if I don’t get accepted to programs that take me out of the state for more than two weeks, haha.
@austinmshauri Right, I keep forgetting that most colleges don’t even have you declare a major until your second year! That’s about four years from now! I rely on people’s opinions too much, I think. Sometimes I forget that we’re completely different people and that we can be good at different things (but then strangers will see that we’re twins and ask us who’s the smarter one, and I go right back to stubbornly trying to do everything my sister does).
