I’m a confused high-schooler. There’s all this pressure that I need to decide on a field and it’s confusing, especially since there are so many options and I don’t fully know what I like. How did you find your “path”? Was it in high school, before that, or during college?
Lots of students don’t know in high school and that’s OK! There are plenty of colleges that will allow you to explore different courses/interests. You can take some career inventory tests on line to see if that helps but again, I wouldn’t stress about it.
It is different for different people. Don’t feel pressure to decide your life path while you are still in HS.
You’re 15 and a freshman. Miles to go.
Most hs kids haven’t experienced the range of academic fields they’ll find in college. Colleges with a specific school of study, eg, engineering or business, that you apply to will want to see your direction and prep. The tippy tops will use your possible field of interest as an element in their reviews. But you can somewhat go on what you think, for now. There must be some direction you like and have studied toward.
You will take classes in HS and you will start to think “I like math and science” or "I love history’ or “I really like analysing literature” or “I like solving problems” or “I like learning languages” and that will help steer you toward a major.
Selecting a major takes time and thought. Classes that are surprisingly interesting happen along with classes in areas that seem to be good choice for majors are yuckier than the proverbial beige paint drying. Sometimes you have decided on a particular career path only to find that classes leading to that job are mind numbing. To digress, some students seem to believe that they will start at prestigious jobs without knowing the time and effort that was taken by individuals holding the prized jobs. Volunteering or reading a book can lead you to your major as do family members who are unique. Somehow figuring out what you want to do and why makes a major suddenly obvious. Beyond that. Majors lead to jobs to leading to changes in profession within the same area. Expect change through your career. Your path will become obvious and compelling to you. Oh, this too. The interview verifies you are qualified for the job. The job offer means you were a good match personally and professionally. You and your growth are far more important than the major.
An anecdote. A colleague and I were interviewing prospective admits into a particular program. Why have you chosen to study XX. To help children. Followup. Help children do what? Oh.
Look at some of the titles of posts. Do be vague. Know where you are going and why and realize you will evolve as a professional. Truly it will work out.