Should I go back to community college? Stay here? Take a break from school?

Transfer Students
1

Currently a transfer student at CSU Sacramento and after my first year here I’ve decided I want a switch in my educational path. I transferred over to the Econ program with a 3.0 GPA from my former community college. During CC I really did not take everything seriously enough and was there because I am a former foster youth and it was either go to school in order to remain in the system and get better support or go get a job so I chose school. Throughout the first few years out of the foster care system I have had to work through a lot of emotional issues. Some of them are still lingering, but now that I am older and more matured they do not affect me as nearly as much.
I’ve been looking into RPTA (Recreational, Parks, and Tourism Administration) since I’m a very outdoorsy/recreational type and I’m shadowing a friend’s dad at a hospital in my hometown to see if there is anything in the medical field I would enjoy. I think I would like a career that involves helping and/or engaging others.
This is a pretty drastic switch and would involve going to school for a lot longer and much of my previous coursework does not apply to programs in either of these paths, but I would much rather make the switch now then continue doing something I don’t like. Also, I like the idea of switching schools too. I’m really not the biggest fan of Sacramento State. I really would like the idea of going to a school that’s more prestigious, but I know my current GPA will hold me back from that.

So my questions are:

Any suggestions for other majors or fields I can look into?

Should I take a break from school in order to figure things out more?

If I were to go back to community college, would there be a possibility of transferring back out to a better college? I know Cal Poly SLO has an RPTA program, a definite long-shot granted how competitive the school is, but I think i’d enjoy that a lot. CSUS also does have an RPTA program but to save money I would want to go back to community college for pre-reqs and if I could go to the better school I would. I also would think about CSULB and SDSU.

I also do have prior leadership experience here at Sac State and I used to be a dance instructor if that would count for anything. Not sure if I would include that on their admission processes. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

2

If you have skills that will get you a job right now and that will give you enough money to live on and cover your bills, taking a year off from college while you figure out what direction you want to go in for your future career(s) could make good sense. One difficulty that you need to keep in mind is financial aid. You are only allowed a certain number of semesters of financial aid, and you can only borrow up to a certain total amount of money. Get the details from your financial aid office.

If you are close to finishing your econ degree, you might want to do just that. You may even be able to get an entry level job in recreation without having to complete an RPTA degree first, and can pick up any classes in that area that you absolutely needed part-time.

3

I’d stay put, earn your econ degree. It is a pretty broad field of study and you’ll find it applicable almost regardless of your career path. If you like, minor on something like RPTA. Use campus career fairs and the like to talk to potential employers.

If you were laser focused on something else, I might suggest differently. It seems like there are many paths to your happiness. I’d stick with the one you are on.

Good luck.