Careers?

[Dawn S]

Hello all...sorry for my major absence lately. It's been hectic, to say the least. My head's been spinning for a week. :hammer:

Well, the time has come to try to figure out what exactly I want to be when I grow up. As I face the issue of declaring a major, I find that I am stuck. I met with a career counselor at school & now I'm even more stuck. LOL Any opinions are welcome, especially if anyone is in any of these fields.

Psychology: Striving to be a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. Well, it's a position that would allow me to be of service to people in a very real way. It would also be good $. BUT, it involves A LOT of schooling & time to get there & you often have to build up quite slowly to get to the point of having your own practice.

Radio Broadcast Communications: I've been told many times that I have the voice & personality to be on the radio & I do think it would be fun, BUT it lacks that "deeply meaningful" aspect to it that I crave desperately.

Journalism: As bad as this sounds... I have been a "journalist" already, with many articles published. I even created & solely propelled my own publication for over a year. I frankly don't wish to spend 4 years in school to do what I feel I already can do. It is also an EXCEPTIONALLY competitive field.

And...at the suggestion of the career counselor...High School English Teacher: Honestly, I spent 5 years in Future Educators of America & it was a career I considered very seriously. It is a position that allows for accomplishment & meaning, it is something I deeply enjoy & it would be a great schedule for me. The other plus side is that after 2 years, I can substitute teach & earn decent $ while I complete my degree.

OK, so...for any students or professionals in these fields, OR anyone who just has an opinion...I appreciate all help. I'm so darn indecisive!! UGH! THANKS!!!!!!!

 

[MerHearted]

Whoa! I really can't tell you what's right for you, but declaring a major is extremely important Dawn. Put a lot of thought into what you choose. Don't be like me and just choose something and regret it later. I'm still suffering the consequences of my decision.

 

[DisneyCP2000]

Originally posted by MerHearted
Whoa! I really can't tell you what's right for you, but declaring a major is extremely important Dawn. Put a lot of thought into what you choose. Don't be like me and just choose something and regret it later. I'm still suffering the consequences of my decision.

I totally agree with you. DON'T rush you decision on what major you want. Go undelcared for a bit and take a couple of humanity courses here and there. I'm sure you find your calling in life while attending school. I too jumped the gun and declared WAY TOO SOON. I decided that my degree wasn't for me way too late, and now I'm lost as to where to go and what to do. So think about if for a while and sooner or later it'll 'hit' ya. If you want, you can always try those career tests. Spend a bit of time with a test and see what it says? You never know, you may get something from it?!?!

Best of Luck to You! :king:

 

[Lhriangel]

*hugs* I wish you well on this decision hon. I know how difficult it can be for people to "decide what they want to be when they grow up". *huggles* good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[MKCustodial]

Well, Dawn, I don't know how does it work in the US, but down here you can 't always change your major if you don't like it. Sure, it's a hassle, and take lots of gut, but it happens more often than one might think. When I graduated in High School, I took the Entrance Exams for Biology, cause I wanted to be a Paleontologist. After the first 2 months of classes, I realized I would never go forward there. So I quit, took the Entrance Exams again, this time for English, and here I am, a major 4 years later!

Julia is an Elementary School teacher, but her dream is to be a psychologist. She already works as a teacher, but she's in college right now, to get her diploma. She found out there's a spin-off in her course that has something to with psychology, so she'ss take her Graduate course on that.

So what I guess I'm trying to say is, follow your heart. Try to picture yourself in those careers in about 10 to 15 years and try to sense if you'd be happy. But remeber, you gotta be brave to choose, but even braver to realize you're not happy and need to change your major. And you can always find a little loophole here or there... :lol:

 

[CmdrTostada]

Ive been told many times that the one one thing you do need to do is get a minor in Business. So if what your major is bottoms out for you, you can fall back on the business degree.

 

[disney_nutter]

Ok i cant really say anything on this matter as im only a 1st year med student at queens in belfast. But i have always been told you always find what to do by yourself, noone can tell you what u have to be or what u want to besides you.

 

[Dawn S]

All very excellent advice & I thank you all for that. I don't HAVE to have my major declared now, but I do want to be gearing my elective classes toward something, so I want to try to settle on something soon. Everyone who knows me seems to really like the English teacher suggestion. I think that now, it all boils down to this....do I want a deeply meaningful career or something that is merely personally gratifying? I'm really leaning toward either teacher or radio broadcast. Decisions, decisions.

Thanks for the tips, though!

 

[MKCustodial]

Originally posted by Dawn S
All very excellent advice & I thank you all for that. I don't HAVE to have my major declared now, but I do want to be gearing my elective classes toward something, so I want to try to settle on something soon. Everyone who knows me seems to really like the English teacher suggestion. I think that now, it all boils down to this....do I want a deeply meaningful career or something that is merely personally gratifying? I'm really leaning toward either teacher or radio broadcast. Decisions, decisions.

Thanks for the tips, though!

I went for "personally gratifying". That's why I find myself working hard, including weekends, for 2 weeks, and then absolutely nothing for the next one.

 

[Dizknee_Phreek]

Dawn, best of luck to you on your desicion-making process! my advice is to take electives that interest you...nothing really geared toward anything, just stuff that you're interested in such as the career thoughts you've listed. and just see which one you're most comfortable with.
that may not be the best advice seeing as i'm not even in college yet (this fall i'll be a freshmen) but it's the best i can do. my sister is a senior at the university i'll be attending. she's a double (COULD be considered triple) major in art education and graphic design. she started out as an art education/Spanish major, but soon dropped the Spanish. now she's decided that she doesn't want to teach, but all she needed was one more credit plus student teaching to get her bachelor's.
me? i've gone through all kinds of career plans throughout the years...horticulture, culinary arts, archeaologist...right now i'm thinking maybe museum curator...so i'm thinking of looking at a fine arts major with a possible history minor. so to me, it looks like all my career plans have led me to the 'personally gratifying' choices. but within a year, who knows where i'll look next...my thoughts between horticulture and now have been within a 4 year span...seems like every year i think of something else. BUT with a fine art major, that could lead to a number of careers, and that's what i like about it...it doesn't lock me in to one thing or another. so maybe you should take that into consideration...a major that won't lock you in to something that you'll regret later.
anyway, that's the best i can give you. like all the others have said, we can't tell you what you should do...life would be a heck of a lot easier if someone could give us all the answers, but unfortunately it doesn't work that way...just follow your heart and it'll turn out right in the long run! good luck! :wave:

 

[AliciaLuvzDizne]

Originally posted by Dawn S
Hello all...sorry for my major absence lately. It's been hectic, to say the least. My head's been spinning for a week. :hammer:

Well, the time has come to try to figure out what exactly I want to be when I grow up. As I face the issue of declaring a major, I find that I am stuck. I met with a career counselor at school & now I'm even more stuck. LOL Any opinions are welcome, especially if anyone is in any of these fields.

Psychology: Striving to be a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. Well, it's a position that would allow me to be of service to people in a very real way. It would also be good $. BUT, it involves A LOT of schooling & time to get there & you often have to build up quite slowly to get to the point of having your own practice.

Radio Broadcast Communications: I've been told many times that I have the voice & personality to be on the radio & I do think it would be fun, BUT it lacks that "deeply meaningful" aspect to it that I crave desperately.

Journalism: As bad as this sounds... I have been a "journalist" already, with many articles published. I even created & solely propelled my own publication for over a year. I frankly don't wish to spend 4 years in school to do what I feel I already can do. It is also an EXCEPTIONALLY competitive field.

And...at the suggestion of the career counselor...High School English Teacher: Honestly, I spent 5 years in Future Educators of America & it was a career I considered very seriously. It is a position that allows for accomplishment & meaning, it is something I deeply enjoy & it would be a great schedule for me. The other plus side is that after 2 years, I can substitute teach & earn decent $ while I complete my degree.

OK, so...for any students or professionals in these fields, OR anyone who just has an opinion...I appreciate all help. I'm so darn indecisive!! UGH! THANKS!!!!!!!

ok heres my 2cents (i also have no idea what i want to be when i grow up but i have declared a major of Communications/ Human Relations.)

If you major in psychology, you dont necesarrily have to listen to peoples problems. Business often use psych majors in their marketing departments. you know how to get inside peoples heads and get them to buy your product.

Radio Broadcast Communications... you would be suprised just how fufilling this can be. depending on what your show is about (assuming you do something other than play music), you gain the love and respect of those who listen to you , and you would look forward to waking them up or driving home with them every day.

Journalism... well instead of going to school for it, why not use it to PAY for school. sell some articles to Readers Digest or some other magazines, since you already know how to write (and i assume you do it well), try using it to make you some cash while you strive for another carreer.

and as for being a teacher, that has got to be such a rewarding job. and hey summers off to go to orlando woohoo!
and if its what you love, it cant get any better than that! but it is quite a lot of work and can be frustraiting at times. all 4 of my roommates are education majors and not to mention exspensive LOL (you have to pay tuition when you student teach even though you dont take classes)

anyways, i hope i helped any
i am still contemplating what i want to actually "BE" but now that i have my field it should narrow it down some (the problem being that my field is soooo open and broad that i might have too many choices LOL )

goodluck!

 

[sillyspook13]

Although I can't give much advice on the careers you've mentioned (I'm only 17!), I can give you one piece of advice. Follow your heart and do what you love to do. There's nothing worse than being pressured to choose a career simply because it pays well or it's what you've been told to do and being stuck doing something that you're miserable with for the rest of your life.

I've had a similar problem now that I'm a senior in high school. With my high grades and SAT scores, society seems to expect me to go to college because "it's the only way I'll ever be able to make money." I talked to my parents about this, knowing that they would understand my desire to pursue a more creative career. We decided that I would be better off attending a local school to study photography. My mom is willing to support me and let me keep living at home while I'm getting started. She'll even provide opportunities to travel the world with my photography!

 

[DMC-12]

Originally posted by AliciaLuvzDizne
Radio Broadcast Communications... you would be surprised just how fulfilling this can be. Depending on what your show is about (assuming you do something other than play music), you gain the love and respect of those who listen to you, and you would look forward to waking them up or driving home with them every day.

Radio (broadcasting in general) is a great field... I have been doing it on and off for almost 8-9 years now. Granted... you might/will be working for next to nothing in a very small Podunk market at the start of this career path... but once you get your name out there and work your way up... then you start making decent money.

And, there are a lot more positions than just on air. I can honestly say.. I have made more money as a Editor / writer / producer in a news setting .. than I ever have in an on air position.

But keep in mind there is a TON of consolidation going on out there due to the F.C.C.'s deregulation of the industry. Meaning, the "big two" (Clear Channel & Infinity) own a majority of the radio stations in this country. Also, there are 2 major satellite radio players out there now.. XM and Sirius...but I don’t think they will put me out of a job in the immediate future.

This industry also has a reputation as being a revolving door... i.e.: high turnover. That is why it’s also better to find a position that is not so much based "on air".

I was laid off from my job between Thanksgiving and X-mas... *sigh* but with any luck.....come March.... I hope to be starting up a new project with one of the "big two", and being back in the saddle.

Good luck on whatever you Choose Dawn... I am not trying to discourage you from this choice at all... just letting ya know what’s going on out there. I love my career... its in my blood.
:wave:

 

[dreamer]

Picture yourself 50 years from now with all your accomplishments and regrets.

What would you want to have accomplished in your life?

What would you regret, the most, not having accomplished?


Use your head, but also look into your heart. If you ignore your heart you may get rich but you probably won't be happy. What is it telling you?

The hardest part is ignoring what the world around you is saying you're SUPPOSED to be in order to figure out what you're meant to be.

 

[Dizknee_Phreek]

Originally posted by sillyspook13
Although I can't give much advice on the careers you've mentioned (I'm only 17!), I can give you one piece of advice. Follow your heart and do what you love to do. There's nothing worse than being pressured to choose a career simply because it pays well or it's what you've been told to do and being stuck doing something that you're miserable with for the rest of your life.

I've had a similar problem now that I'm a senior in high school. With my high grades and SAT scores, society seems to expect me to go to college because "it's the only way I'll ever be able to make money." I talked to my parents about this, knowing that they would understand my desire to pursue a more creative career. We decided that I would be better off attending a local school to study photography. My mom is willing to support me and let me keep living at home while I'm getting started. She'll even provide opportunities to travel the world with my photography!

is your local school an art school? if not, you may also want to look into an art school (unless you already have) i have a cousin that goes to Nossi in TN, and he loves it there!

 

[Dawn S]

Originally posted by Dizknee_Phreek
is your local school an art school? if not, you may also want to look into an art school (unless you already have) i have a cousin that goes to Nossi in TN, and he loves it there!

There IS an art school locally, but I'm staying away from it. I can barely draw a stick figure. Somehow, amid a family of artistic people, I got overlooked. I can draw really pretty flowers though! LOL

Seriously though, my most prominent talent & ability lies in my vocabulary & communication skills. That is definitely the best thing I have to utilize in my future career. I am thinking that I like the idea of remaining undecided for a short while & dabbling a bit. Thanks again, guys!!

 

[garyhoov]

Pick whichever one you least want to do, because I don't know anyone actually doing what they majored in.:lol:

You can check with your counselor (or a student handbook), but I expect the first year classes are identical for the the three majors you listed. Unless space in any of them is restricted, that should give you a year to talk to students, professors, professionals to make a more informed decision.

Good Luck!

 

[dopey]

Here's my take:

Psychology: Don't you have to prove that you're nuts before you can counsel others? I really don't know; that's what I've been told.

Radio: DMC is the resident expert there, so I defer.

Journalism: As a former journalist myself, I can tell you that what you said was absolutely right on. You've been there, done that, so a journalism major would be a huge waste. Better to major in something useful, which would be anything besides journalism. If you decide after graduation that you really, really want to be a journalist, you can use your expertise in another field to carve yourself a niche at a newspaper. People who bring something to the table besides a J-school degree tend to make more money in this field.

H.S. English Teacher: Everyone I know who teaches English absolutely loves it, despite the low pay.

You should send a PM to Mightyduck. She might not see this thread, but she would probably be the best person here to talk to about this.

Good luck!

 

[Dizknee_Phreek]

Originally posted by Dawn S
There IS an art school locally, but I'm staying away from it. I can barely draw a stick figure. Somehow, amid a family of artistic people, I got overlooked. I can draw really pretty flowers though! LOL

Seriously though, my most prominent talent & ability lies in my vocabulary & communication skills. That is definitely the best thing I have to utilize in my future career. I am thinking that I like the idea of remaining undecided for a short while & dabbling a bit. Thanks again, guys!!

lol! well, i thought if you were REALLY interested in photography, you could focus on it in an art school and by-pass quite a bit of the basics you'd have to go through at a regular college/univ.

but if you think your talent lies in vocab/comm. skills, then you should probably stick with that. and i think staying undecided and dabbling a bit is a good bet for a while! i know several people have done that and it's worked out for them! and if you want to dabble a bit in photography to see how that works, i'm sure you could...seems most colleges offer basic art classes!