University course dilemma

[phoonlixin]

Hi there. I am currently in my final year of Polytechnic (equivalent to college) doing Communications and Media Management, which basically means Mass Communications plus a bit of marketing. I am debating with myself whether I should continue doing mass communications or begin an altogether new experience by taking up something more suited to my personality.
The thing is, as an INFJ I do not feel very comfortable speaking to large crowds or mingling with people I am not familiar with. Usually when I do, it is only because I feel at ease and am interested in the topic people are discussing. Otherwise I would rather stay at home and read a book. I really appreciate one-to-one conversation and am a lot comfortable if someone approaches me first, especially if they want to give me constructive criticism.
Currently, I am interning at one of the Big 4 Audit firms in the Marketing department for my second last school semester. However, I am leaning more towards the arts instead. In the last semester I will most likely be majoring in Broadcast before I finally graduade in Feb 2013.
Also, with the the current cumulative GPA I have - 3.17 - I highly doubt I can enter a local university unless it's a private one. And even if I do enter a private U, I don't see any course which interests me.
Here are some of the routes I am thinking of going after:
- Teaching
- Linguistics
- Media-related (production work/editing)
My parents think I have a flair for teaching and to be honest I like the thrill of passing on what I know to others and get a sense of gratification whenever they learn something from me. On top of that I find myself being immersed in linguistics. On the other hand, production work is something which I find rewarding to do, especially doing behind-the-scenes. Any advice?

 

[Vict]

What do you do for fun? Any hobbies, enjoyable activities, etc.

 

[Apone]

I'm guessing you're American, in which case I can tell you that teaching is/is becoming a truly thankless, frustrating, soul-crushing job… often with very little monetary compensation to boot.

I think it's still possible to be a good teacher, but the government, especially in the US, is doing its best to stop teachers from actually teaching/inspiring and is forcing them to either teach the test or lose their jobs. Teaching the test is not fun. It is the opposite of Dead Poet's Society. It is the opposite of inspiring kids to take control of their own learning. It is the opposite of education in general. Your superiors often won't even care if the kids actually understand what they're 'learning'.

If you try to inspire/do something different, you will often be told to stop it and teach the test so that the kids can pass and the school receives the money they desperately need. There's also the whole thing about not being allowed to give zeroes, or parents blaming you because their kid isn't passing… actually, this sums it up pretty well:

And the arts are dying… really, they are. Unless you're serious about it-- and I mean super serious and connected, I'd say keep it as a hobby, because no one can take your creativity/passions away from you anyways.

If you're doing an internship now, focus on that. Above all other things, focus on that. Building those kinds of contacts is what will matter the most and can take you the furthest… even if you don't realize it, there's often a future in those kinds of places that you won't be able to get once you're finished uni.

I don't want to discourage you from following your dreams, but at the same time life isn't about getting paid to do whatever you want to do and you really do have to conform to what the market demands/needs. If you're at a Big 4, then do your best to build contacts there because once you're 'in' you can meet people and eventually cross over into whatever department you want to. University degrees are becoming increasingly worthless, but contacts are rare and precious things.

You don't have to listen to me and I'm sure that some people will disagree with me, but you really do have to work/network to get your dreams--it's not just a matter of going to school and then paying for a piece of paper that says now you're entitled to your dreams.