Confessions of college freshman gamer

College Majors
1

I come from an Asian family, and my parents told me to rigorously study in something that will get me a job in a big company like Samsung or Microsoft. What are the odds of that anyways?

I’d rather study for something that will make me happy rather than only pay the bills. Basically, I value happiness and connections more than I value being rich and stressed out from harsh working conditions.

I’m hugely inspired by Youtubers like Arin Hanson, or Egoraptor, an animator and voice actor, who’s playing retro video games for entertainment, and Bart Kwan and Joe Jo from JustKiddingFilms, who discuss cultural news and differences all over the world.

I imagine myself happy when I get to do things my own way and wake up at my own time.

I imagine myself stressed out when I’m being bossed around and do things that I don’t even like.

By not having a job at the age of 18, I feel left out, compared to others. Because all I do is go home from college and stay in my room and play video games and do my own stuff; to a point that I think it’s no longer necessary to do these things.

Not too long ago, my family doctor, who’s a friend of my father, asked me what I’m majoring in since I just started college this year. And I said Electrical Engineering. This was a blind choice of mine because my brother is going for a Masters in EE and I thought I’d leech from his knowledge, but mostly his past homeworks. The doctor frowned, then recommended me in Physician Assistant. This field to me is very interesting, but because of its same level of rigor as EE, I’d rather draw back.

So to you guys, what are REALLY my options of majors here? I’m really lost.

2

No one likes having a boss, but you might have to get over that. I’d suggest you spend some time with the Book of Majors (published by College Board) and a pack of post-it’s to mark ones that look very or somewhat interesting.

3

Well, first of all, big companies like Samsung and Microsoft hire a wide variety of careers. Most people mean something like computer science or engineering when they say that, but big companies also have finance managers, accountants, HR personnel, lawyers, program managers, marketing specialists, and all kinds of other roles. I majored in psychology and I work at a major tech firm myself, doing something related to my major there.

So what are your options of majors? Anything. You just have to make it your own.

If your family is paying for college, they may insist that you pick a major that they perceive will get you a job in a big company (not something that actually will, which is pretty much any major). That may be computer science or engineering or something like that. But majors like that CAN make you happy - many students select those majors because they truly love thinking about the problems inherent in those fields. But if you don’t love it, perhaps you can impress upon your parents that the students who are successful enough in those fields are students who DO love it. Some parents (and students) think that CS or engineering is a magic ticket to the high life; but big companies can hire anyone they want, and they tend to pick students who do really well and love their major enough to do extracurricular things like code a new app or attend hackathons.

Besides that, people in those majors do do humanitarian or more outwardly-facing things sometimes. Some large companies have huge pro bono wings (Microsoft, in particular, has huge giving/charity aspects and partners with lots of educational institutions to give away software and hardware). And nonprofits and other social service organizations often need people in more “lucrative” majors to do work for them, too.

So you never know: you may like one of those majors and do something non-traditional with it. But there are other majors you might like, too. It’s early days; you don’t have to have your whole life planned out.

Also, I’ve noticed that students here tend to organize into two poles: they either think money and happiness are polar opposites, or they think money and happiness are one and the same. The real truth lies somewhere in the middle: being well-off won’t make you happy in and of itself, but being able to pay your bills and live comfortably IS a huge factor in adult comfort. Your parents know that, and that’s part of the reason they are encouraging you.

I will say, though, that there are few jobs where you get to do things your own way and wake up at your own time. Those are unrealistic expectations. Even entrepreneurs eventually end up keeping some kind of schedule - first of all, since running a business successfully takes many hours on the front end, and second of all, since it often means meeting with investors and clients and other people who keep the business running. However, I will say that you’re only 18. When I was 18 I wanted to sleep in and wake up whenever, too; now that I’m older, I’ve come to embrace the routine. Maybe you will too, or maybe you’ll just have to adapt. But don’t let regular working hours rule out perfectly good careers.

4

It’s coincidental how you mentioned really loving a major so much to a point that it pushes you to code a new app and etc…

I happened to have developed a concept of a recording app to specifically focus on professor lectures. I wrote all the details and features the app is going to have in a notebook. But, I just don’t have the determination or required resources and knowledge to eventually roll up my sleeves and make it. The app to me will turn out a big success and I have high hopes for it. All I’m really doing right now is perfecting the app’s concepts and accessibility, until I think my sophomore year where I get to take some CS classes I registered for. Then I could use acquired knowledge and resources to make my app.

It’s going to be great. I was worried for nothing all along.

Thank you so much, @juillet .

@intparent I’ve paid too much for textbooks already, I don’t want another one. I couldn’t find a PDF of past versions of the book anyways. But thanks.

5

There’s this place that most colleges have right on campus where you can get this Book of Majors for FREE. It’s called a LIBRARY. Check it out…

6

Are you good at math? Or, do you think you can pass orgo?

7

Or the Career:Placement office likely has it.

8

Ah sorry. I will definitely check my college’s resources for the book tomorrow. And I love math. I think I’m pretty good at it.