Thinking about College/Career thread?

[KarthXLR]

Man, this is something I've had buzzing around in my mind ever since I was told about it back in 7th Grade. My career. The thing I'm going to do to fund me for the rest of my life. There has been a few jobs I've thrown back and forth, and some of my passions that strongly point me towards a certain major. I enjoy cooking a lot, but at the same time, it's a demanding job. On the other hand, I'm fueled by my love for movies and film and I would love getting a job in the film industry. Learning about Special Effects, Directing, Acting, anything! Just the thought of getting into the picture business leaves me with a feeling of giddiness that could only be reproduced by some type of sugar high. I've also been thinking about what college I want to go to based on these careers. If I go with a cooking career, then I obviously am going to head over to Scottsdale Community College (now LeCordon Bleu), but for film-related careers, I haven't found anything yet. (If anyone has any advice on a college, I'd appreciate the tip)

What about you people?

[zaneyard]

apply for as many scholarships/grants as you can
any money you get over the amount you need for tuition is a refund check

[Ianki]

whatever you decide you want to do at 17 will change at 20 and again at 25.

[copulatingduck]

whatever you decide you want to do at 17 will change at 20 and again at 25.

this a thousand times. not even just academically; as cliche as it is, it really cannot be said enough: you will, nearly without exception, never be the same person you were 5, 10, 15 years ago


dunno where i was going with that but yea

[Professor Funbucks]

man i cant even decide...i think psychologist cause peoples minds are pretty cool

[Tricks]

Most education has nothing to do with the actual job you think you are training for. Most careers are just learned through on the job training. I spent years in college learning formulas that I have never had to use once in the workplace (I work in my field). Lawyers don't practice law, they spend 90% of their time proofreading and re-writing the same documents (plus filling out forms over and over).

As long as you have a high GPA, and you go to an ok school, you won't limit your options later in life as you find yourself.

Try to do something social in college. I did the Greek system for example. The problem is that interesting stuff like cool music, cool TV shows, or gaming aren't really followed by a ton of people in the workplace. It helps to learn how to relate to different kinds of people.

[Coppanuva]

man i cant even decide...i think psychologist cause peoples minds are pretty cool

I'm up there with that, though my interest in psychology is purely on the research side. I appreciate the medicinal kind, but I would never be able to do that. Right now I'm thinking of double majoring that and Computer Science, maybe go into Human Computer Interactions.

Does anybody here know how useful co-op programs are for getting hired? Like if I go to a school and participate in one is it going to be a good benefit to my resume and finding a job upon graduation?

[Geoff]

can you chill and get paid


im p good at that

[Turtle]

I'm thinking about Surgeon. Although most people flipped out when they realized I could be their surgeon.


I also love the show scrubs.

[[fr31ns]Karrde]

Nursing, obviously.  6 more weeks  and I graduate and get my "Approval to Test" (what lets me take the boards)

[Evil Cheese]

I guess my situation has been a bit different then most. I've pretty much have had a good idea of what I wanted to do since my junior year in high school. Of course the specific focus might have changed a bit over the years, but I still knew that I wanted a career in IT. Not because of the money or that it is a field with a lot of demand in the area I live, but because I enjoyed the problem solving aspect of working with computers.

I picked a university based on the fact that they had a specialized IT degree, not just a comp sci or some kind of engineering degree. This program was designed to teach both the technical side of things (although probably to lesser extent than a comp sci major) as well as business skills. I also made sure to get a part-time job doing IT work while I was in college for the work experience, even though I really didn't like working there. It's now roughly two months before I graduate with a BS in IT and a minor in business, I've had some very successful interviews, and now have a couple of nice job offers lined up.

Call it luck or hard work or whatever you want. I feel I just happened to be in the right place at the right time for all this to somehow come together like it has. I realize it isn't that simple with a lot of other people. My sister didn't declare her major until her sophomore year and she still isn't sure if it's what she wants to do. My roommate last semester was a psych major, but also a volunteer firefighter and training to be an EMT at the same time. I feel for all the theater majors I met as they will have a much more difficult time finding and keeping jobs. Up until about a month ago I was having second thoughts on this being what I really wanted to do with my life.

tl;dr version:

Like Duck said, don't worry about changing your mind. You will likely do it a lot. You may end up with a career that is completely different from what you got a degree in. I will suggest that you stick to things you are passionate about and don't give up easily. Everybody faces challenges and adversity, you should not quit easily at the first sign of trouble.

[Luinbariel]

I'm almost done school and I still don't know what I want.

[Sponson]

I draw things.
Sometimes paint.

Hows that for a career.

[Luinbariel]

I draw things.
Sometimes paint.

Hows that for a career.

Are you actually hired somewhere yet? I thought you were still in school?

[A. Crow]

Yeah, you should see this coming from me. 

Enlist, you don't have to worry about changing majors because you don't really know wtf you want.  You don't have to worry about college debt.  And employers love soldiers, because we actually get shit done.

I'd start with something like this.  Spend 4 years doing that.  Or this, this

Then walk onto a job doing this for a couple years till flush with cash. 

Then go to college, you'll have a leg up on everyone else there and destroy them.  Then marry a model and drive a sports car for the rest of your life. 

[Bonesinger]

Go to college and get a degree in what you enjoy doing. As other people have said chances are you will change your mind on what you want to do professionally. From what I understand most job sites will not care much for what you have your degree in, but the fact that you have one. If you don't know what you like to do I would recommend going to a local Community College for a year or so and just take classes in subjects you are interested in.

If you're looking into the entertainment industry (Karth) you should look for a school that has good connections to the industry.

As for me I'm unsure what I want to do right now, mostly just taking basic classes at Com College but I'm looking into applying for Berklee College Of Music next summer and majoring in Recording Engineering and Production and most likely a minor in Guitar Performance.

[Sponson]

[quote author=Sponson link=topic=4404.msg143846#msg143846 date=1269808864]
I draw things.
Sometimes paint.

Hows that for a career.

Are you actually hired somewhere yet? I thought you were still in school?
[/quote]

I'm hired sometimes as a freelancer to do shit, but its all gonzo amateur stuff compared to the real deal outside of college.
And as an artist, its not like I can't do work until I get out of college like some liberal arts majors.


I just happen to be cheap and lazy.

[Luinbariel]

[quote author=Luinbariel link=topic=4404.msg143849#msg143849 date=1269809700]
[quote author=Sponson link=topic=4404.msg143846#msg143846 date=1269808864]
I draw things.
Sometimes paint.

Hows that for a career.

Are you actually hired somewhere yet? I thought you were still in school?
[/quote]

I'm hired sometimes as a freelancer to do shit, but its all gonzo amateur stuff compared to the real deal outside of college.
And as an artist, its not like I can't do work until I get out of college like some liberal arts majors.


I just happen to be cheap and lazy.
[/quote]


I wasn't implying any of those things. I just didn't know if you were still in school or if you had been employed somewhere full time.

That is all.

[Mission Difficult]

If you're looking to get into the entertainment industry, get networking. More often than not, it's not what you know but who you know (blow). You might end up being a gopher for a couple of years before you see any money. You might be better off in a bigger city (NY/LA) which is cool if you're into that sort of thing. New York is more ad work, docs, and independent film. Graphic effects is a pretty sweet gig if you can swing it. Start learning Smoke, Flame, Combustion, Nuke, Shake and After Effects. You'll make some really good money, especially if you hook up with a place that does ad work.

[Professor Funbucks]

Go to college and get a degree in what you enjoy doing

You know that's pretty much the hardest thing to ask, right?