College Majors and Careers/Interests, Routes and Decisions

[spaceman]

Hi, I simply want to know your motivations for choosing the major you chose and how you are liking it so far. This is open to anyone who is currently enrolled, wishes to enroll soon, or has already completed their studies in a traditional 4 year degree program.

I also would be very interested to know how the ones who followed their passions without going the traditional college route are doing as well and how they got there.

Me: I'm a math major, though, I always wanted to be a cinematographer -- I ended up staying away from it due to convincing myself that I would suck at it, and regret that I wasn't choosing a respectable degree (I know, I know, these are the petty things that my mind came up with). I chose the math major as an interesting, and safe undergrad degree to do well in while leaving my options open for grad school. I love photography, cinematography, and designing (in general) very much and will incorporate them somehow into my grand scheme.


Please tell me your experiences (and also, any advice is welcome -- I'm still trying to figure this thing out)

 

[spaceman]

Mods, can you please move this thread to the education and careers category? If it seems redundant, please delete it. Thanks and apologies.

 

[rawr]

Right now I am an Information Systems major.
I'm not a fan of school, but I haven't taken any major-related courses yet either.
I chose the degree because I was both interested in computers, and it was pragmatic.
Since then, my interest has waned a bit.
We'll see, i guess.

 

[bamf]

I came to school thinking Music Education, then Telecommunications with a specialization in Peace and Justice Studies, before finally settling on Literature as a major, History as a minor, all wrapped up into a degree program in the College of Education to be accredited in Secondary Education.

 

[Faye]

Math is a good choice empirically. I wish I was studying it more.

I am studying philosophy right now, mainly because i hate almost everything else or at least find it boring.

 

[NeverAmI]

I am similar to RWIR although I only have an Associate's Degree in Computer Networking Technologies. I have a very wide range of interests. I got into computers because it was easy. I chose the path of least resistance. Now I am questioning whether I should reach for something else, or reach to go further in this field.

I don't particularly mind IT, although sometimes I question whether I would be happier doing other things.

I am planning to pursue at least a 4 year degree full time soon. What field is still up in the air. IT is the pragmatic choice; there are loftier goals and I am attempting to determine how far it is safe for me to reach.

 

[bamf]

I am similar to RWIR although I only have an Associate's Degree in Computer Networking Technologies. I have a very wide range of interests. I got into computers because it was easy. I chose the path of least resistance. Now I am questioning whether I should reach for something else, or reach to go further in this field.

I don't particularly mind IT, although sometimes I question whether I would be happier doing other things.

I am planning to pursue at least a 4 year degree full time soon. What field is still up in the air. IT is the pragmatic choice; there are loftier goals and I am attempting to determine how far it is safe for me to reach.

*insert cliche 'shoot for the moon, and at least you'll land amongst the stars' tagline*

Seriously though, go for the lofty ones. If they interest you, I feel certain in saying that you'll accomplish them. If not, you can always fall back on your amazing dance skillz.

 

[Kavalan]

Was a Jack of all trades until sophomore year in High school when I became the first and currently only student to get a 100% on the chemistry final. The teacher personally told me I'm taking AP Chemistry as she has never seen someone with so much raw talent. This wasn't exclusive to chemistry but rather I put some effort in as it was interesting to me, more so than algebra II or biology which were distant 2nd and 3rd that year. Got to college and didn't know what I wanted to do with chemistry until sophomore(there seems to be a trend forming) year and found organic chemistry and it clicked. Two years of research and a publication later I'm sitting here primed for the second exam in a grad level organic class(still and undergrad and setting the pace) and starting to apply to graduate schools.

 

[Saru Inc]

I've been thinking about it... Maybe a behavioral analyst. It's what I really would love to do, I love finding the motiviations behind things. And I want the "things" to be human -- Why does someone do something?

 

[invisible]

when i finished highschool i enrolled in a six year psychology degree but i didn't like it. i then worked a lot of hospitality jobs and started a hospitality management apprenticeship but i didn't like it either. then i went back to school to do a lit major which i am just finishing now. i'm not eligible for a fourth year of study because my transcript is a mess - i failed a lot of the psychology stuff i did. (mostly we just do three year undergrad degrees in australia, with an optional fourth year.) i chose literature because it has always interested me and at the time i was having trouble finding meaning in the things that were available for me to apply myself to. i have always dreamed of being a writer and i'm happy i did my degree as it provided me with an introductory understanding of the contexts into which i would be writing if i were to pursue this career. i also love literature more than ever and feel like i have a decent foundation for a lifetime of personal study. i will be a writer but as it's not guaranteed to pay the bills and might not ultimately be enough to satisfy me i'm planning to do an extra year of study in journalism and work in news industries as freedom of information interests me also.

 

[MeetMyBrightShadow]

I did undergrad studies in business administration (finance/international trades).I realized that I wasn't really up for working in either field. I didn't want to be an international broker or a banker. I thought I could do coporate finance but I mostly had market finance classes. Turned out that I need a title (either accounting: CA, CMA, CGA or financial: CFA).

So I went for the more INFJ friendly accounting title I could which is CMA (Certified Management Accountant). They market it as the creative accountant title, it's more N friendly than the other two (most people I met trying to have this title were N or SP). I have to do quite a few class like other accountant, regular book keeping, financial statement building, fiscality stuff but then I get to a lot of management accounting which is more related to operational information (inventory, budgeting, forecast, resources planning, etc.) than and system implementation class (Entreprise Resources Planning software like SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft, etc.).

So yeah it's not a really easy thing to do for an INFJ having to focus on details and do some impersonal thinking but the reward is worth it. I dont really see myself as an accountant but once I get this title I will be some sort of super manager since accounting title are really valued in todays economy. One of my accounting teacher is INFJ and a person I know is doing the same as me and seams INFJ too. I'm a bit more on the Ti side of the INFJ than the Fe so I like to understand how things work. I also think NF are great leaders so that's another plus since leadership is required in that job. So I dont think I've made a bad choice since CMA is all about knowing how the company work as a whole and improve/optimize it by working with people.

CMA ads are just too awesome since they focus on goal, creativity and possibilities instead of focusing on numbers. They make me dream
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO6VpNxmqfc"]YouTube - Geeta Tucker, CMA (Certified Management Accountant), Agriteam Canada Consulting Ltd.[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqVCgq2OCN0"]YouTube - Rachel Cuthbert, CMA (Certified Management Accountant), Business Intelligence Analyst, Aritzia LP[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RA2kRbWXF0"]YouTube - Elaine Lee, CMA (Certified Management Accountant) - Financial Analyst, LCBO[/ame]

 

[ontheroadtohope]

I'm currently in my sophomore year of college and am majoring in psychology with a minor in poverty studies. About two weeks into my general psych class freshman year I realized that I had never learned material that was so fascinating and I had never taken a class where I absolutely 100% enjoyed doing the required readings. That was my cue to pick it as a major and even after a brutal research methods and stats class this past semester I don't regret it. Learning why people do what they do and how they arrive at those decisions is the most interesting thing I can think of doing. But I have learned that I'm not cut out for a career in research--all the details stressed me out. I'm hoping to work in a more applied field, directly with people.

On an unrelated note to my interest in psychology, I'm extremely interested in diseases and how they affect communities. I think I'll probably end up earning a Master's of Public Health and working in the developing world. There are so many pressing global health issues that I feel like I'd personally be able to help more people through work in global public health than any other field. If my school had an undergraduate major that was even faintly related to community or public heath I would major in it in a heartbeat, but for now psychology is the most interesting way to get to where I want to be.

 

[randomsomeone]

My only input is to make the best choice on a degree you can and then fasten your seatbelt....life/careers can evolve in the most peculiar ways. I had one career (20 years) closely aligned with my degree, but my second career (past 15 years) came out of nowhere....and yet everything I learned (in my degree and since) has applied in the most unexpected ways. No one could have planned this. Your skills/knowledge is all you can really take with you in life that provide any real stability, so develop these within yourself. It will all get used somehow.