<p>Good Day College Confidential,</p>
<p>Thank you all for reading my post. I am given to verbosity, so allow me to apologize in advance for the length of my post. </p>
<p>Before I explain my quandary, allow me to give a brief overview of my status.</p>
<p>I recently graduated from a huge public university located in a very urban city on the East Coast of the United States. I received a B.A. cum laude from my university (which is to say I performed at an average level - not great, but also not terrible). I just turned 23 years old late last year and I am male.</p>
<p>My undergraduate major is very unique and specialized and, when juxtaposed with the popular undergraduate majors such as English or Political Science, has high earning potential. Aside from my alma mater, there are only a handful of universities and colleges that offer it.</p>
<p>At the institution I attended students in my major were required to complete an internship at some point after their second year of college. This is an outstanding requirement. I suppose thanks are in order to whoever designed my curriculum for mandating it. I say this because it taught me more than any traditional coursework ever did about my 'chosen' career; which is that I hate my field. I can't stand it. The thought of long term employment in this field horrifies me.</p>
<p>What's worse is that it seems that I'm very good at it. I've shared my concerns with my family and they are, to say the least, puzzled that I'm not content with the life I was creating/created for myself. Moreover, they can't grasp how I could be a proficient practitioner while also hating my job. To be sure, they want me to be satisfied with my life and are supportive of me, it's just that they don't understand why I would turn away from the 'good' life I created for myself before it really started.</p>
<p>I mentioned before that my degree is very specialized. This is a significant portion of my problem, indeed. Because of its obscurity, I am very qualified to be employed in one occupation and not at all qualified to be employed in another. Taken further, it means that outside of my concentration I am not qualified to be admitted to any graduate programs.</p>
<p>Part of my problem stems, I think, from my undergraduate experience. As I mentioned before, I attended a very large public university in a city on the East Coast. In fact, the university is located just a few miles from my parents' home. Being a citizen of the state, I qualified for in-state tuition and because of that my parents agreed to pay for my entire undergraduate education. I also lived with my parents for the duration of my studies.</p>
<p>Financially, this was a great arrangement for me. I left college debt free, which according to the Times is something of a rare feat. However, I didn't have the traditional college experience that my friends, relatives, and even my own parents had. As a 'commuter' student, I didn't experience many of the non-academic intangible aspects of college life. I made a few acquaintances but I wouldn't call any of them my friends. That isn't to say that I didn't have positive experiences at my university; I had a number of them. It's just that my collegiate journey seems unfulfilled.</p>
<p>That being said, I did not lead my college life the way one who intends to pursue a graduate degree should. Had I known that I would not like my career, I would have put more effort into my assignments. Of course, had I that knowledge I would have changed my major.</p>
<p>Regardless, I have varied interests. As a high school student, prior to applying to my university (the only university I applied to), I had entertained many ideas of what I should major in. Obviously, I chose the wrong major but at this point I can't change that. As cliche as it may sound, being several years older than I was when I was in high school and having work experience I now have a better understanding of myself and what I am truly interested in. The problem is in how I should pursue my other interests. I know that I will not be happy if I continue down my current path so it is clear to me that I need to take another route in my life.</p>
<p>I am asking for advice on how I should proceed. Keeping in mind that it is now January (meaning that it is late in the admissions game - several colleges have already stopped accepting applications for August enrollment) and that my undergraduate performance was very average and that I haven't taken any graduate school admissions test, what course of action seems most appropriate?</p>
<p>Would it be advisable to obtain a second baccalaureate degree or would it be more prudent to try for a graduate degree? Which institutions (preferably smaller colleges in a semi-rural area - I'd like a respite from the city) would be likely to admit someone such as myself? Would courses that I already completed be counted toward a second bachelor degree? Many graduate programs across all fields (by many, I mean almost all of the curricula that I've reviewed) have prerequisite courses that should have been completed as a undergrad. Obviously, I haven't completed these courses. Like many colleges my alma mater allows its alumni to enroll in courses at any time after they graduate. Would it be worth the trouble to enroll at my previous university to satisfy these prerequisite requirements?</p>
<p>Thanks again for reading my post. I hope that you'll offer me any advice you can and I will appreciate any and all replies.</p>