<p>TL;DR - It would probably be best if you read the whole thing :P</p>
<p>Okay, so now I’m a senior and all my life I’ve always either wanted to do something in music because I apparently have a very good voice and I enjoy singing and composing music, as well as playing it on guitar and piano. However I recently came to the realization that unless I want to teach music or try my hand at becoming famous, a music major just seems useless unless it’s paired with some sort of minor or it is itself a minor. I could be wrong, but that’s how it seems. This leads me to the other thing I’ve always wanted to do: video games.</p>
<p>I’ve always wanted to create video games and have come up with different concepts and stories over the years for various video games. I love the graphical, musical, and storytelling aspects of it, and, most of all, I love the programming part because it gives me that godlike feeling of creating a world inside the computer. Because of this hobby, I’ve become quite fluent in C++ over the years and know bits of other languages here and there. Now, due to the fact that the video game industry is very competitive and you have a high chance of being laid off in some instances (as in the programming branches that worked with Guitar Hero when the franchise was dropped), I’ve decided to pursue software programming in general. However I’m scared that this may stifle my creativity in other matters and a whole host of other things. </p>
<p>I said all that to say that I’m not sure what to do. I have an interest in Computer Programming, Video Game Programming (I would gladly work with audio, video, or logical aspects of the game, whatever part it is doesn’t matter to me programmingwise), Languages (I’ve even thought about becoming a linguist or a translator because I love languages so much), Classical History/World History, Psychology, Philosophy, Law, Music, Writing, Filming, and Architecture. Of course my interest levels in each one varies, I still consider this to be a core set of interests and possible majors/minors I would look into. The only thing is I want to be able to get a job which is creative, has a nice yearly salary, will surround me with creative people, will allow for a degree of independence, and won’t restrict my lifestyle too much. Those could be extremely high expectations or average expectations; I have no idea, personally, how job world is, so please steer me right with that if anyone sees this as erroneous thinking.</p>
<p>I’m not coming here for all my answers, merely for a general overview of what to do. I’ve spoken with two counselors on the matter and ultimately it comes down to picking the job with the least amount of tradeoffs: A field I like, work I like, and stands up to some of my work expectations. I am applying to MIT and Tulane (as well as others once I get a more general idea of what I want to do), as they are two prestigious schools I know of (I am quite capable of getting into Tulane and have a fair chance of getting into MIT–or so I think), and my plan is to major in Computer Science and minor in something else. Why did I post a novel about my college thoughts and work interests? Because I hope that some people here have gone through the same struggle of having to choose a field of study as well as a profession. I realize I don’t have to have it picked just yet, as you declare your major at the end of the freshman year for both of said colleges above. </p>
<p>I am here asking simply what the best field would be to study in that provides for one to have flexibility with their lifestyle, some form of free time, good income (and a nice pay raise with seniority), some level of independence, creativity, and being surrounded with interesting people (I suppose one could argue that all people are interesting in some form or fashion, but by this I mean creative, artsy people who think outside the box, not cut and dry, dull people). I mean, is the field I hope to major in a good one which provides good jobs, or could I do something better with my interests? Could I minor in something that would double my value as an employee or should I just fill my minor with a hobby of some sort?</p>
<p>If anyone reads this whole thing and replies, then thanks in advance for whatever help you may provide.</p>