Need Help Regarding Major Selection -- Long Post Alert

Yeeyeeyee
Thu, 29 Oct 2015 03:00:36 +0000

• Prefer to avoid math as much as possible: I realize I can’t get away from it entirely, but I’d want to limit my exposure.

• That said, I would gladly go into engineering, if there wasn’t so much math involved. I like MacGyvering things.

• Not that interested in hard science or technology. I can operate computers reasonably well and can troubleshoot when something goes wrong, but I’m not too interested in how they work or coding.

• All of the specific “major” aptitude tests I took pointed me towards social science or an applied offshoot, which I could see working. I’m concerned about the employability, depending when I go to grad school, and if I could manage to keep my interest long enough. I’d be looking at psychology, political science, public health (or similar) or anthropology/linguistics. Once again, I’m not entirely sure those would hold my interest, though.

• Consulting: I’ve got a knack for pointing our problems or the potential for problems. Sometimes, I might even find a solution. (But again, how to get there?)

• Foreign Service: Not my best idea. I had a bad experience with foreign language classes, but I still like the idea of being the American abroad.

• Military: Not my best idea, either. I’d enjoy the strategy of it all, though I’m no fan of large, intrusive authorities.

• Politics: The old stand-by. Those who aren’t fit to work are fit to lead. I’ve got morals, all the same, so this could be a little difficult. I did see an advertisement in a piece of college mail I got for an internship in Romania or some eastern European country where you could work for their government to help them build it up. I’d be all right with building a government from scratch, but our current government is a bit too shady for my taste.

• Lawyer: I know I’d make a great lawyer and I’m a bit scared of that.

• Finance: Did consider this as a major at one point. Not sure where I’d take it, though, since there aren’t a lot of choices outside of banking and I wouldn’t want to teach it.

• Business: Hearing my brother’s tales of business school has made this seem like an increasingly bad option.

• Salary: A worthwhile consideration, but I’m not dead set on having to make six figures (though it would be nice.)

• Independence: As you might have noted above, I appreciate having creative license. Long story short, I don’t want to have do everything by the book.

Before I turn you all lose, let me say this: I realize I have time to decide, but it’s never too early to start thinking about the future. I’m always the guy who has a plan and now that I don’t, I’m getting a little worried. The more I read about different careers, the less appealing they seem. And here I am, already worrying about possibly having to go to grad school when I haven’t even graduated high school yet. Ah, the curse of preparation.

Thank you all in advance for your help. At the end of the day, I know that I’ve still got some and taking some classes might help me swing my choice in one way or another. All the same, let me know if there’s anything more information you need or if you have some other questions. If you’re especially daring or if you want to work one-on-one with me, I’d be willing to swap emails.