Vet about to transfer, but unsure about major

Transfer Students
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<p>Long read! Summed up at the bottom!</p>

<p>Hey everyone, this is my first post here but I feel like this might be my best place for some helpful advice.</p>

<p>So I'm 28 about to finish my A.S. in General Science at Alamo Community Colleges in San Antonio and I'm getting really excited about transferring! I currently have a 3.7-ish (just received a B in my first programming class, but we'll get to that in a second). I'm really happy about where my GPA is at, but I'm feeling a little lost. A little back story about me, I was in the military doing Satellite Communications and working with Linux so this inspired me pursue a degree in Mech. Engineering. I didn't really like it, but I felt a degree in ME would compliment my experience nicely. As time went on, I started feeling as if i was pursuing this degree simply because:</p>

<p>A) I feel any engineering degree is prestigious and I wanted to be one of the few.
B) I look at engineers as extremely smart and i guess wanted to be considered smart (Lame right?)</p>

<p>So I felt my reasoning was a little off and decided to change my major to Computer Science. An awesome technology degree that would also compliment my experience. But then Programming Fundamentals I hit... I enjoyed it, I guess. But it was a bit disheartening being schooled by everyone in the class to and include the guy that showed up late to class and left early. Yeah, it was a sad day for the home team. I feel if i go this route I'll never be able to compete with the Zuckerbergs of the world and would be reduced to writing programs that print "Hello World" to java newbs for the rest of my career. So naturally I'm rethinking my choice again. </p>

<p>One of the things I've ALWAYS wanted to do was be a high school teacher, but I hear a lot of bad things about the pay and I feel like the main reason for pursuing a degree is to give me financial security. I would also LOVE to finish a some sort of science degree along with pre-med and do the whole med school thing, but I'm not getting a lot of support from my family, friends, girlfriend, or my dog (my dog is house trained but in the middle of me telling my girlfriend how long med school would take he went "number 1" on our carpet :0\ ). I'm also worried about the time it would take to finish med school. I'm 28 now and wouldn't be done till I'm 34 at the least or making any real money till I'm nearly 40. </p>

<p>So summed up here are my questions (or for those who wanted to avoid reading the small novel I posted about myself to millions of strangers on College Confidential lol):</p>

<p>1) Changed major from engineering to comp. science, but I'm not very good at Programming. If I'm doing poorly with it now, is it a good idea to cut bait and walk away?</p>

<p>2) I understand it's never to late to try for med school (currently 28, will be 34-ish when i finish) But if I were your kid, would you tell me to pursue this route? </p>

<p>3) And I guess a quick chance me:
Major: Comp Science
GPA: 3.7
Credits: 48
EC's: none really. I was in the military, did a lot of community service, booster club, and won some awards but i don't think that counts since it was over about 2 years ago.
SAT ACT: None</p>

<p>Schools:
UT Austin
Georgia Tech
UNC Chapel Hill
UC Berkeley
U. of Washington</p>

<p>Thanks guys! Sorry about the long read! Guess I just needed to vent a little bit of that out haha.</p>

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<p>Even if you think you’re not very good at something, it’s important to evaluate if you feel passionately about it to get good at it. There’s that old wise tale about Einstein failing Algebra like 3 times before he really got it (I’ve heard from more credible sources that that tale is actaully false, but you can imagine . . . ). I have a co-worker who said he was terrible at his first level/basic accounting courses - no he’s a tax auditor for the Federal Gov’t. Even for myself, an intended Economics major, I know I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed. A lot of the higher level mathematics behind economics intimidates me, but overall I enjoy reading and really learning more about the subject and how it plays a role in the world. To me, that’s enough to pursue it as an undergrad major eventhough I don’t anticipate to be the next Nobel winner or get a PhD (though, job prospects seem fairly decent for econ majors). Money will come to those who are proactive about searching and taking opportunities to secure a financial future. My advice about this pursuit: even if you’re not the best, if you enjoy it enough to feel that you can do it for a career and make the effort to get as good as you want at it, then stick with it. Otherwise, analyze alternatives. Which leads to . . .</p>

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<p>Kinda the same as above: if you are passionate about science and the medical field (more so than CS), then really look into whether you’re up for this. There is a Med School subforum (and science majors subforum) where you can ask more questions, or maybe look into touring a local med school campus and ask questiosn there. From my very bleak understanding of the medical industry, things are changing - i.e. pay is not as well as most have anticipated recently and there are a bunch of other factors that leave some doctors unsatisfied in their work (dealing with insurance companies as a solo practice, etc). I think there was a Time article on it all a while back. Anyhoo, if you feel like looking into that more maybe you can look up some solo/independent practices and talk with doctors. See how many have moved around from solo to coprporate or the other way around (bios can usually be found on the practice website). Again, you may be able to find some info on the subforums here on CC regarding this.</p>

<p>This can be said about a career as a HS teacher as well. In all honesty, no, teachers (and professors for that matter) do not do what they do for the money. I agree the pay can be pretty lousy, but at least most school districts in the US offer great health and retirement benefits along with a bunch of “vacation” time, though of course teachers are not “off” from school every day that students are. Luckily, it’s failrly easier for most to tell if they can teach as a career rather than telling if they can be a doctor. So . . . have you noticed you have an inclining for explaining concepts to others in a way for them to understand? Specifically, are you comfortable and patient with teens/young adults? If any science field comes naturally to you (Chem, Bio, Physics, etc) and you find joy in explaining things to others so they ‘get’ it too, then maybe you can pursue a tutoring gig in the near future. Keep in mind that there’s also a lot of administrative and bureaucratic stuff that goes into the profession of teaching, but at the core you are still translating concepts and inspiring the youth. You can also keep open the possibility of teaching at the collegiate level, though this would be further down the road as most positions require an advanced degree or many many years of experience.</p>

<p>Best of luck.</p>

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<p>Math/Comp Sci/Physics secondary school teaching positions are going begging all over the country. If you get a teaching certificate in that area, you will get a job. You will probably even have a choice of jobs, because there are many more openings than there are qualified teachers. Whether you like that gig or not is a whole other thing. Lots of HS teachers move into community college or adult ed work, so that would be an option too.</p>

<p>I know a second-year med student who is 35, so yes, people do do that at that age. If you are serious about pre-med, it is OK to pursue that goal.</p>

<p>You are old enough to know that you can make a success of whatever it is that you decide to do. Your grades are solid. You will do fine once you pick a direction. If you truly feel at sea about your future career, go spend some time with the career counselors at your community college, and take some of their tests. Perhaps you will begin to feel a bit more confident about one direction or another.</p>

<p>Remember that your job doesn’t have to provide all of the intellectual and emotional fulfillment in your life. It really is OK to choose one that you like well enough, and earn that paycheck so that you have the money to go do the things that truly interest you in your spare time.</p>

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<p>Wow, thank you for the responses! I have been sitting here studying for my programming final tomorrow really thinking about what you two said. I’m trying to figure out if computer science is something I can become passionate about or passionate enough to give me success. I just don’t want to live with regrets (Should I have become a doctor, engineer, teacher, etc.). I also know I can become passionate about teaching! I’ll share something weird with you guys, but I’ve always wanted to be a stand up comedian and to be in front of people all day (like the center of attention) would be amazing! Weird right?</p>

<p>As far as med school goes, I do think it is something I can be good at and be passionate about, however I don’t know if I like the whole starting my first real job when I am nearly 40. There’s definitely a lot of pressure to do right for myself, I can’t imagine how 18 year olds make this decision every year… Are there any careers that you guys wish you would have pursued?</p>

<p>Again, thank you guys for your feedback!</p>