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Part 1
Its been a while since my last blog post. For those of you who care I passed my senior project and will do a post-blog were I learned how to cook. I’ll get around to it. Anyway, right now I’m a high school senior and if everything goes according to plan when I graduate I will have 60 credits of college completed. I was accepted into University of Washington, (I live in seattle, about 4 miles away from the U) in order to complete 1-2 more years at a community college. My parents basically told me that unless I knew exactly what I wanted to do I would continue going to a community college. As May 1st has passed and I still have no clue what I want to do I’m at a deadlocke. At the end of the quarter I will have completed up to Calc 1, all of gen chem, eng 101-102 and 245, as well as various electives such as psyche and history.
My initial goal as a sophomore when choosing classes for Running Start was to see what I liked. I took one class of Chemistry and I told my parents that I liked it. My Dad said, “Son why don’t you become a pharmacist?” not knowing any better I told him sure why not. Probably one of the decisions I regret most. Now everyone thinks that I want to become a pharmacist and I’ve been pushed down a road that I didn’t want to go down. I’m starting to hate Chemistry because no matter how hard I try it just doesn’t seem to pan out. Kind of like the people who really love SC2 but are perma-bronze. An example is for the first test I ended up studying about 5 hours a day for the whole week in the tutoring center. I ended up scoring slightly above average (Average btw was a 58%). I have never studied so hard and got such a bad grade. Ever since last quarter my grades in that class have been on the decent and I think it is time for me to give up.
Part 2: What are my strengths?
Over the past year I have started to come to terms with my strengths as a student. If something interests me I can focus on it for hours and hours and hours like 8+ if I can find the motivation or if it slightly interests me. As for subjects, I would like something that has a very slight emphasis on writing on writing but isn’t a focus other than that I want to take a computer class (don’t know what kind) and my math skills are pretty good. On side strengths: I am kind of athletic, I was a wrestling captain on my high school team, and considering doing combat sports they offer some mixed martial arts classes around my area. My grades are good, my GPA for college only is about a 3.6. The only thing really bringing me down is that Chem Grade.
I have incredibly good people skills and I would like to work in a job where I have at least some human contact no hermit jobs. I don’t know whether to consider this a strength but I don’t get stressed out. Whether it’s a project I’m working on or a homework assignment I just know it will get done so I don’t worry. I don’t procrastinate, for the most part. I was looking into a Digipen college and was looking at the Bachelors in game-design program. If all goes to hell and I have to decide I was thinking about being a high school teacher in either math or science. The only problem is that teachers just don’t get paid enough but I think it could still be fun, however its mostly the 30k a year for a bachelors that kind of bugs me.
Part 3: My personal Weaknesses
I think my personal weaknesses is the fact that I don’t really have any drive unless it comes to something that interests me. Probably a generational thing. I think one of my weaknesses is that I am too well rounded (stems from a desire of not caring if I fail). I don’t really know my weaknesses because ive told im smart and that you can’t blame me for trying (don’t take that seriously SNL reference Harry Potter).
Part 4: Your input
For those of you have made it this far, I would like to get input on why you like your job, and based on the incredibly limited information I gave you if you think it would be a good fit for me? What Jobs do you think would be cool? Any other advice, cause I’m really at a loss for what to do. And if Cecil happens to read this blog do you think you could tell me about how you like Digipen so far and what career you are pursuing? Thanks Guys.
TLDR: You can’t really help unless you read the whole thing, but what career do you have, why did you choose it? Thanks.
 
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I don't know about teachers not making enough. Sure, they don't make 100k a year, but it pays the bills well enough. I think the average teaching salary is around 45k a year across all states (some states are worse than others, but that's decent in todays economy, the only thing to worry about is if there is a demand for teachers where you want to live).
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Incredible people skills can take you into real estate and other people friendly jobs. You could work at your local pound? I work for my city the “Council” and the people at the pound get paid reasonably imo. Means you can move up in the science part and be a VET or VET Nurse and deal with people all day. Just a thought though.
You could also become a sport teacher? Teaching is a good job in Australia IMO I have teacher friends and my mum also works at a school and their base rate just starting is something like 40k and after a while they make their way up to 60 and heads of departments make upwards of 80k and then principals make ridiculous amounts of money the one at the public school my mum works at makes $100,000 +.
If you like physical stuff, science and people skills what about a trade? Would you like being a electrician? I don’t know how Americans become electricians but we do it through 4 years of paid (shit) work and study.
Just a few thoughts, I also have no idea what I want to do in life.
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Thanks Dronefarm and ScruffyJanitor: thanks for your replies,
um i do have one question what is a VET.
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I don't think anyone can really tell you what you want to do. You have to discover it for yourself. I can, however, tell you how I found my passion and maybe that will give you a general idea of how to approach this.
For starters, I like putting my head into things and creating stuff. I remember as a kid I created Starcraft maps. They were terrible maps, but I had so much fun learning how to create the triggers and I tried to make really "cool-sounding" maps. I had a fear of bumble bees too, (still do, tbh) so I tried to make a map where you ran around trying to survive a colony of bumble bees.
Then in school, I realized that I really don't like being told I can't do things. In fact, I had a mental problem with the concept of authority. I never understood why the dean at my school told me I couldn't do things.
Those are just my personalities. Computer Science fit me perfectly. For starters, I get to create programs people will use and since I enjoy doing that so much, might as well get paid to do it. And it's funny because once I start a project, I have trouble sleeping from being so excited. I lose track of time and end up sleeping hours past my usual bed time just programming.
Even better, though, is security/hacking. I don't like being told I can't do something. Especially when a stupid school library computer running windows tells me I can't copy files somewhere. So... hacking caters perfectly to my misunderstanding of authority. Of course, I do it just for fun and nothing illegal because I'm not crazy. But you'd be surprised how interested people are in hacking. When you do a simple port scan on a series of computers and explain to people how stuff works "in the back" they get really interested. Especially women. Ironically.
The scary thing about when you find what you want to do is that everything related to that field appeals to you. I had to take a bunch of classes in math and physics, and I realized that I loved them. My personality is one where I have to know how EVERYTHING works! Cars, phones, planes, stocks, music.. And my career craves that appetite for me.
My point is: It's not really from your strength/weaknesses that you should find your passion. It's from your personality. Find what job would work with the type of person you are. Hope this helps! Best of luck! I have a friend who doesn't know what he wants to do with his life either and it's tough watching him struggle. Induces depression in him sometimes.
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I'm going to disagree with Abductedonut and say that you should choose your career from your strengths and weaknesses. The reality is that very few people truly find a career that they truly have a passion for. How many professorship openings do you think there are? How many people make it as musicians, writers, or artists? How many personal businesses actually succeed? I'm going to crush your teenage optimism by telling you that it's a tough world out there. You're in a shit area with a shit economy and there's a high probability that it's going to get worse. The sooner you realize this, the sooner you can critically assess your situation.
And if you don't pursue your passions, what's your next best option? Pursuing what you're good at. You may not like it, and you may hate the work environment, but at least you'll have a chance to make money. Once you secure your financial base, then you can figure out what else you want to do. Unless your parents plan on supporting you financial perpetually, you have to figure out your own finances before you can afford to pursue your passions.
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On May 09 2012 15:14 MysteryMeat1 wrote:
And if Cecil happens to read this blog do you think you could tell me about how you like Digipen so far and what career you are pursuing?
You can always PM me 
I'm liking DigiPen a whole lot! I'm there for programming, and their programming degree is rock solid. I'll be having a career in software engineering, and my degree is in in software engineering specializing in real-time interactive simulation (video game programming).
Don't go to a school and spend a ton of money on something you won't like. Don't get a degree unless you can see the clear path that your degree will lead you on going from graduation to the specific workplace you'd like to be in.
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Background - I'm 35, have 132 college credits, and no degree. That no degree costs me about $350 a month for the next 28 years. If you asked me, when I was your age, what I would be doing when I grew up, I would have laughed in your face. Yes, I'm cynical, but I'm going to try and not be because we come from different generations, and whereas mine was pretty jaded, yours seems to see a brighter future. (This is all very general. Maybe you're even more of a morbid cynic than I am. But I hope not.)
ON TOPIC! To be honest, I think your parents are a little off-kilter. I mean, I understand why they would want you to stick with CC first until you figure out what direction you want to go in - it's cheaper, and no one ever really cares about where the "lower level" courses (which are about the same in any major) are done as long as they transfer into your school of choice. At the same time, though, you're not going to really discover what you want to do in the CC setting - unless they have some kind of "discovery" program or class which exposes you to a wide variety of potential directions and disciplines. (If they do, take it. It's worthwhile.)
When you are thinking about what you want to do, making a decision, DON'T look at money. Don't look at specific jobs. Take a broad view. Figure out what your dreams are, and what you would need to get there. There are some incredibly rich, miserable people that can't stand going to work every day. As long as what you want to do gives you a chance to cover the basics (food and shelter) you should be good. And a degree doesn't necessarily mean you will work in that field. (My uncle has a degree in Kindergarten Education - he makes his living as a computer consultant. A friend of mine has a master's degree in genetic engineering - he works as a financial analyst for a large financial services company. I know people with a degree in English Lit - they mostly work at fast food places.) (Sorry, I have to poke English Lit majors. I went to an Engineering-heavy school.)
Regardless of what degree you pursue, you (and your parents) will have to acknowledge at some point that Life Happens. (Or replace with a different four letter word.) I initially planned on becoming a computer programmer, and was a Computer Science major. Then I found out about differential equations, and became a Psychology major. (Let me take a minute here to tell you, grades in College level courses are not always like grades in High School. I got an "A"/4.0 in Calculus II in college with a course average of 49. It was that kind of class.) I suffered from a mental breakdown because of stress (meeting my parents' expectations, partially, as well as other things) and had to leave the school. I then stumbled along (at one point homeless) until a friend managed to help me get a decent job as a Systems Administrator for an aviation software company... up until about 9/11. (Many many aviation contracts were put on hold, or cancelled, soon after.) And then I wound up working for the US government, where I still work today. (It's not as good as the press would have you think, but it pays the bills and has let me do things I actually do enjoy.)
You really should focus on what you would be happy doing, what would make you wake up in the morning and WANT to go to work. Then you should focus on how to make that happen, and keep in mind how you can afford it. Always have a backup plan or three. Really try to understand what it is you want to do - you mention Chemistry and then your parents seemed to suggest you become a pharmacist. Pharmacists (at least, in the US) are really not chemists. At all. Pharmacists require an extensive knowledge of drugs, drug interactions, and the legal hazards of dispensing those drugs. They don't do a whole lot of mixing, creating, etc. - it's not a bad job, but it about as much like Chemistry as working in a bookstore is like being an author. There's an overlap, but it's not what you think. If you think you want to pursue a specific career... Get out, go research it. Is it really what you think it is? Find someone that does it, talk to them. Talk to several people. Try to understand it, before you commit.
(Also, if you want to be involved in the video game industry, do not get a degree in video games. Get something more general, like Computer Science, Software Engineering, etc. Of the three people I know that actually do work in the video game industry, only one has a degree in a programming-related discipline. The one that has most consistently worked in gaming has a degree in Physics. The third has no degree at all, but is in the credits for SC2.)
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On May 09 2012 16:03 MysteryMeat1 wrote:
Thanks Dronefarm and ScruffyJanitor: thanks for your replies,
um i do have one question what is a VET.
Animal Doctor? :p
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if you have good people skills and want a job that involves talking to people a lot...maybe look into being a real estate agent. it doesn't even require a college degree, but you don't get any benefits/pay from your employer, it's all based on sales made.
my father is a realtor and i dropped out of college to be one (still in training, have to take 3 college-level coures + 3 tests to become one, at least here in cali) and depending upon where you live the market is crazy (not sure how it is in washington).
father doesn't have a degree but makes great money (way more than average college level educated person) but like i said - you are NOT on a payroll.
if you DO have a degree you can go straight for a brokers license which is really good though.
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Vet = veterinarian. If you like science, people, and animals it can be a good choice. But you would have to really focus on your academics and do well in challenging classes (like chemistry). Obviously if you have the academic chops, being a doctor can also be good, but the requirements to get into med school are so ridiculous these days. 10 years ago I might have recommended being a lawyer, but they are in sort of a recession within a recession at the moment and it is not a good time to become one.
If you like writing and people, then getting a degree in business could be good, with the plan to work in the private sector. You should take at least one economics class at some time during your education, just because it can be interesting, and is very useful for thinking about how the world works.
Also, I would recommend against real estate, very boom-bust profession. A few leaders in the area make a lot of money, but since there are few barriers to entry, when real estate gets hot lots of people try and join, leading to increased competition and lower wages for everyone.
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On May 09 2012 19:19 felisconcolori wrote:Pharmacists (at least, in the US) are really not chemists. At all. Pharmacists require an extensive knowledge of drugs, drug interactions, and the legal hazards of dispensing those drugs. They don't do a whole lot of mixing, creating, etc. - it's not a bad job, but it about as much like Chemistry as working in a bookstore is like being an author.
I'd just to like to confirm this, and say that it's even more extreme than that. My wife's best friend is a pharmacist at Walgreens, and has been making 120k a year since she got out of college. She does essentially nothing of value at work -- the vast majority of the time her only responsibility is to count pills, look at the label on a prescription and make sure it matches what's on her computer screen, and make sure the computer doesn't flag someone as having conflicting medications. Sure, to get her degree, she had to go through a very difficult program consisting of tons of biochem and tons of memorizing all relevant details of drug after drug after drug, but in practice, all of that expert knowledge in drug interactions, etc, isn't necessary, since she just needs to query a database and read what's on her screen. As with most things people memorize in college to pass a class, she forgot all that, but it doesn't matter. All of that knowledge is required to GET a job as a pharmacist. None of it is required to DO your new job as a pharmacist. Basically if you like to organize things and make sure that different lists exactly match up, or if you don't care what you do at work but love money, you'd enjoy being a pharmacist.
Being a pharmacy TECH, however, (those are the 17-20 year olds working at the front of the window dealing with the public for $12/hr) involves a shit-ton of work. They do basically all the things you would expect a pharmacist to do: calling people's insurance companies, explaining to customers why it's important that they take medication X with water and can't drink for the next 3 weeks, recommending OTC medications, etc.
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I'm with the people that recommend a "general" degree, which can open a large number of career paths. Something very specific may help you land that specific job, but what if you change your mind? Seeing that you're a very well-rounded person, you've got to use that strength and leave a lot of options open. Not all of the options may be high-paying, but hell, in ANY field, you can work your way up the ladder and into the upper bracket with the good performance, some luck, and lots of personal connections (which, with your people-skills, you should have no problem with).
Well, that second part, is what I was told of. I'm still young and I've only began working full-time since last year.
Here's a brief timeline of my career dreams:
- kid -> grade 10: concert pianist (took lessons like every Asian kid)
- grade 10 -> grade 12: some sort of engineer (make parents proud + maths are fun)
- grade 12 -> univ year 2: nanotechnology engineer (nanobots to conquer the world)
- univ year 2: anything but nanotechnology engineer (holy shit that quantum mech course)
- summer before univ year 3: transportation engineer (summer research -> hey this is pretty cool)
- since then: transportation / urban design engineer (shaping out my dreams and visions)
- currently (not a dream any more, real career): transportation engineer
The point is, within the short time in university, my dream changed. Good thing that I went into a more "general" engineering program where you weren't forced to pick a major until 3rd year (at the cost of taking a fuckton of diversified courses in 1st/2nd year). I met a professor in the summer research, and he showed me the wonderful field of transportation engineering. I already played SimCity 2000 and SimCity 4 and loved it both, so I said why not. Now... I sit in a cubicle running network simulations all day, but I'm also exposed to a lot of infrastructure projects, and I play a major role (as a network designer/analyst) in various infrastructure projects, big and small. I have strong faith that my choices were correct, that I am headed in the right direction, and that I will become a master urban design engineer with global influence some day.
Sometimes choices come as a random event, something unplanned. You just have to have an open mind, but also the determination to stick with it when you know it's right. For me, that happened after 2nd year of university.
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Thanks guys.
I feel kind of stupid for asking what a VET was but w/e. I get what optical is saying the only problem is that I haven't really found my dream that i want to work hard at. I hope u achieve your dream of becoming a master urban designer.
To be honest I just probably need to experience more classes to get a feel for what i like. Probably Economics and computer science or something in the fall.
thats only if i fail to qualify for CODE A but w/e
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People skills = accountant! Be like me haha (i think we are the same age, 18 no?) and we will be competitors in the future!
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EPT
