I’m currently a freshman at a community college and I’m having trouble deciding on the amount of classes I should take for this semester. I’ve already went to the school and made my schedule, I’m taking 6 classes as of now but after reading some posts about other students taking the same amount of classes, I’m fearful of what’s to happen. Here’s some background info about myself: I have the typical parents who want me to attend college to earn a degree. Whenever the topic of school arises in a conversation, my mom will always encourage me to get into the health/medical field because of the outlook of the field and how well it pays. She knows that I’m not interested in this field and that I don’t want to pursue any career within it. I’ve told her how miserable I felt as a student in the medical program at my vocational school and I really don’t want to continue on this path of misery. She knows that I’m interested in singing and entertainment, but just like many other parents, she fears the possibility of me not becoming successful. She’s not against my passions and desires, she just wants to be sure I’ll be stable in the future. During this summer, I’ve taken a lot of time off to discover myself, I left my paid internship to find out what I want for my future and I’ve decided the entertainment/music industry is where my heart lays. I planned on taking singing lessons and purchasing some equipment for recording videos, but I remembered that I need money for school, so I didn’t do any of those things as planned. I have money saved up in my bank account, enough to pay for the things I want but not enough to pay for school as well. Yeah, I can take out student loans and/or borrow money from my parents but I absolutely want nothing of student loans and I want to try to pay off most of my things myself. Lately, I’ve been debating whether or not I should attend college. My gut tells me to not go to school and to just get a part time job and invest all of my money and time into my passion. But, my brain is convincing me to attempt to juggle both school and my passion. After reading a few posts, I know that taking 6 classes will be stressful for me and may prevent me from building myself into the person I want to be. It can be possible but I’m not going to go through hell again. So I want suggestions of how many classes I should take and I’m willing to take opinions on what should I do, what path I should take. I also would like to mention that I’m a liberal arts and science student and I have some sort of interest in criminology and forensics, but ultimately, I’m interested in singing/entertainment. I don’t want to live life doing the 9-5, I want to be my own boss and do what I love. I don’t want to feel like I’m working and be miserable.
Ok, speaking as a mom:
Having a degree can’t possibly hurt you, but not having one can severely limit your options down the road.
How about a compromise…start off with that 2 year degree at your community college? You can find a major relegated to your career path. Is there one that lends itself to being a talent manager? Best case scenario, you’ll know enough about the business that you aren’t victimized by a scam artist…you’ll be able to intelligently hire a manager. Worst case, you’ll have a backup plan.
I think 5 three credit classes is a bit more typical, but 18 credits are absolutely not unheard of. I think it’s a question of which classes you’re taking.
In the meantime, a typical college kid has lots of free time. You can start those lessons while attending classes