Hello, i’m an 18 year old guy that’s about to graduate high school in two months. I feel like i’m in a crossroads. I come from a small town and my high school is in the middle of nowhere. I have been accepted to UNC Charlotte for Computer Engineering (one of the best engineering schools in my state) and will be attending next fall. It will be a large transition as Charlotte is a big city and has close to a million people living there. I’m blessed enough to have a family that’s going to pay for my tuition and all the other college expenses, so I’ll be debt free when I graduate. My starting pay will be up to $80,000 a year if i’m a Computer Engineer. I could be making 6 figures within the first handful of years if I work hard. The employment rate in the field is 100% and growing fast, so I won’t ever have to worry about finding a job because Computer Engineers are in so much demand.
Essentially I have a golden path laid out for me, but the problem is that I don’t even know if Computer Engineering is my passion. I have a strong passion for wanting to become a Personal Trainer, or a calling I should say, which is completely unrelated to Computer Engineering. I have been lifting weights very hard every day for the past 3 years and I’m proud to say I have one of the best physiques in my gym and small town. I don’t really want to compete for bodybuilding, and I don’t take steroids or anything, but I have a passion and I’ve really found myself and I want to share my knowledge and be a motivation to people that want to lose weight or get stronger and look good. I have an Idea that while in college I could maintain my passion for lifting weights and possibly get certified and be a part-time Personal Trainer and have maybe 2 clients a day while going to school.
The problem is that college is a full time job as it is, and will be especially challenging with engineering, so even If I manage to keep lifting weights and be a part time trainer, I probably won’t have a social life. I want to enjoy the college life and date girls and hang out with friends (not necessarily partying all the time). I just want to enjoy being young while it lasts. I feel like no matter what I do, I will be unhappy. I also love to play guitar and tennis and want to keep up with those two hobbies for the rest of my life. I’m an avid reader and I crave to learn, so I want to continue to read at least an hour a day, I really want to make a YouTube channel and share my passions and everything I’ve learned too. I also really want to show off my good looks and physique and do modeling every now and then if I can, which would make me a more appealing trainer. Yes, I have big dreams and I’m afraid I won’t have nearly enough time to do everything I want.
I’m afraid college will get in the way of my heart’s callings.
Do you think I will be able to continue to grow in my passions and have a social life while in engineering school? I have always been interested in technology and wanted to invent new things and be creative. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are my role models, but so is Arnold Schwarzenegger haha. I have enjoyed my high school computer classes, so I COULD have a passion for Computer Engineering, but I have no idea because I have never written software, and I have never been exposed to the engineering aspect because i’m not even in college yet. I have been told that one day I could cross my knowledge from my major with my passions. For instance, I could use my software development skills to make software for personal trainers and apps or websites. I have also been told that if you don’t follow your heart and use your passions, you lose them. My dream is to be a successful engineering student, lift weights, be a Personal Trainer part time, have plenty of time for hobbies, and an active social life. Is this possible while in college? I am a very hard worker and I will take advantage of all the time between classes to study and I won’t waste time. I’m willing to take summer classes so I have a lighter load. I would wake up early on a Saturday and work on school for 8 hours if it meant I could pursue my passions during the week, but I still keep hearing that engineering school is very challenging… Again, I feel like no matter what I do, I will be unhappy and regret it.
So it boils down to this:
Go to college for free and take the path laid out for me to be successful.
Take a chance and follow my heart’s callings and passions.
Somehow do both.
My all time dream would be to one day combine my experience with Computer Engineering with my passion for being a Personal Trainer, and start a business and be an entrepreneur, but I have to be realistic. If you were 18 and in this situation, what would you do if you were me? I’m open to all opinions.
Thanks for your help.