What am I doing with my life?

College Majors
1

<p>Hey everybody - allow me to introduce myself. I'm currently in my senior year of high school and am knee deep in the applications process. I'm pretty much done with the ordeal, save for the essays. I've been working on them, but in writing about myself I've started to rediscover an issue that has left me very ruminative lately. To begin, a bit more about me:</p>

<p>Academically, I'm pretty much an A student - an honors or an AP course here or there, but I predominantly am content with the regular classes. I've been told that my transcript is pretty much well rounded enough that I could attend school for/study anything I want. Sadly, those with the greatest potential and opportunity are also the ones that seem to get vexed most by what exactly they want to study. :(</p>

<p>I love design. In all forms. When I was little, I would invent my own boardgames to play with my brother. Then came the computers. I've always enjoyed making things - whether it was levels for my favorite videogames or textures/3D models for others' projects. I've even dabbled in Java and the various web design languages. I simply love to make things. Whenever I'm reading a newspaper, I find myself admiring its typography more than the actual content of the articles. If a friend invites me over to play video games, chances are I'll be mulling over in my head about interesting concepts that could be added to the game - or I'm admiring the game's technical aspects. I'm a very restless person - always trying to make or improve something, never really content with the way something is. Never have really had any direction on what to do with myself - but I'm going to quote a friend on this. These things all have one thing in common: "they are all design."</p>

<p>These interests used to influence my occupational choices - for the longest time, I was thinking of going into architecture or computer science. I didn't really care for the tedium of regulations and mathematics involved in either. :P</p>

<p>At this point you probably want to just slam that reply button and tell me to become a graphic designer, or a web designer, or go to a digital design school. Here's the catch. All those cool hobbies of mine? I have never finished anything. I don't have a portfolio, or any completed work to talk about - that's it, I'm all talk. Whenever I try to finish a game project or a website, I just get discouraged or sidetracked by another idea. I'm well aware of this pseudo ADD/inferiority complex of mine. And yet I've never managed to conquer it.</p>

<p>And now here we are friends, at the end of high school. I have no idea what to study - I've never felt confident in my designer abilities. There still remains some shred of hope, that perhaps within the structured environment of a school or a job, I could perform amazingly with the pressures of deadlines. But no. I can't. I don't have anything to show for it - my parents think I'm insane and think that it'd be a waste of my time.</p>

<p>I don't want to go into liberal arts, or do something mathematic/scientific (this is what halted my original desires to become an engineer or architect). Please God no. I'm tired of learning things that don't have anything to do with me - I want to find what I'm good at and get into the working world. I'm tired of just sitting around here, waiting and hoping that the education system will sort my life out.</p>

<p>As far as conventional occupations go, the only thing I really like is history. Ever since I was little, I've loved history - whether from televised documentaries to visiting the museum or looking through my dad's collection of trinkets. I don't know what it is, although I've always been a pretty good student in history - on my transcript, it's definitely the most remarkable area too, as I've had honors US History and AP World History, both with consistent A's.</p>

<p>Maybe anthropology or archaeology? It could be really interesting - to travel around and learn about different cultures and trivial bits of their histories. There's still always that inner doubt about everything I think about, though. All the writing and the possibility that I'll just end up with a mediocre teaching job.</p>

<p>My life is in a slump - nothing has changed in years. I just keep trying different hobbies, hoping, praying that I find something that fits with me. But nothing ever does - what if I'm not special at all? I often wish I lived in the middle ages, or perhaps the 1800s. A world where drifters who strive to become jacks of all trades have a chance. Apparently it's not that easy anymore and I have to pick what I want to do with my existence right from the get-go.</p>

<p>So yeah. Whenever I think about my interests - the things I actually go back and study in my free time, and can't help but daydream about, I wish I were working to become a game developer or a web designer. But I don't know if I have the chance. I've had the chance for 17 years of my life, and I've only I've plenty of experience in all these fields - but the fact I've never brought myself to finish anything only further implies that I'm wrong about what I should be again.</p>

<p>I'm at my wit's end here. Go the safe road and study history? Try and eke out a freelancing job in design? I'm very indecisive - and if you've reached the end of this wall of text, many thanks for your patience. I've probably depressed a lot of people with this writeup - I've depressed myself, even. But I'm trying to get input from as many places as possible.</p>

2

<p>Chemistry is for you.</p>

<p>1.) You don’t like math. The only calculus in chemistry is in physical chemistry, everything else is the extremely difficult and abstract concepts of adding and subtracting. Occasionally you might have to multiply or divide something. Extreme math no?</p>

<p>2.) You like design. Chemistry can design at the most fundamental level - individual molecules. That’s what organic synthesis is about.</p>

<p>3.) You don’t want to be a specialist in anything, but want to be good at everything. Chemistry can do that too. Like working with million dollar machines? Analytical or physical chemistry. Discovery of new materials, maybe the next “silicon”? Physical/Inorganic/Materials. Like designing new things and working with extremely toxic, corrosive and flammable substances that most people will never get the opportunity to handle in their lives? Organic chemistry. Doing hands on stuff, literally hands on? Everything in chemistry is hands on. Like theory? Computational chemistry.</p>

<p>4.) You want something new? How about making the next cancer drug for new? What about discovering a new type of material, is that new enough? What about expanding the theory of the fundamental properties of matter? Still not new enough?</p>

<p>5.) You want a job? Chemistry is one of the easiest degrees to find a job for. Pharmaceutical companies, environmental consulting, chemical plants, hospitals, oil/gas companies and even investment banks all hire chemists. At worst, you can be a “pharmaceutical sales rep” or “technical support”. Chemistry is directly applied to everything and it will be helpful even if for some reason you’re unemployed and have to work at McDonalds; at least you’ll know that not only the things you’re selling are toxic, but in the exact ways that they’re toxic and the carcinogens formed as a byproduct of McDonalds cooking methods.</p>

<p>Just pick chemistry as a major. History isn’t a safe choice, it is the choice that leads to McDonalds employment, but then you don’t even know why that s* is toxic and nasty.</p>

3

<p>LastThree, what’s your deal with pushing “Chemistry cures all” in every post you make on this forum? Are you just trying to reaffirm your own decision to study chemistry?</p>

4

<p>I actually HATED Chemistry as a junior. I tired of the memorization-intensive Biology class I had in 10th grade, but Chemistry was predominantly about memorizing all the elements and their various quirks and exceptions whilst doing a million pointless stoichiometric problems. Then again, my teacher was a moron out of a university that wasn’t even accredited. :P</p>

5

<p>Don’t listen to him. I’m a Chem major myself but it’s getting ridiculous. He even recommended Chemistry on a Investment banking thread.</p>

6

<p>Yeah, I don’t want anyone else living their life in regret because they didn’t study something useful. Those psychology and history majors will definitely regret their decisions later, and nothing will save them.</p>

7

<p>I only read the first few paragraphs before my eyes started crossing…</p>

<p>But in all seriousness, what about architecture? Or for something a little more solid, urban planning?</p>

8

<p>Why don’t you go to a good overall college, for the first couple of years be undecided, and then look around or talk to friends (or counselor or whatever)…that may guide you. And in the meantime, you can take some classes or be a listener or just give yourself a little time to sort things out. Maybe you’ll discover some major in which your passions collide. :slight_smile:
Time and experience will be your best friends while trying to figure out what you want. And never mind being 17 and not knowing, society tends to be very pushy about you having to know everything about yourself and future at such young age. Maybe you’ll get a part time job during your first years and discover a whole different thing you like. I was you a couple months back…and I’m 21. Know yourself, give yourself time to know yourself… at least then you can make a better choice and hopefully it’ll be the right one.</p>