How do you figure out what you want to do career-wise

[Petit Prince]

You could still do something else after you graduated. Many graduates get jobs that aren't really related to their degree. Having said that, it might be better to do a more general degree like history if you'e not sure. You could always do a Masters afterwards if you want to specialise in archaeology. I wouldn't worry too much, you've still got plenty of time to decide what you want to do.

[Coldplayfan1294]

Rather than start a new thread, I'm gonna post my question in here because it's career related.

 

 

I start college in September and I want to be an archaeologist, but what if I go through all of college and university studying archaeology then change my mind at the end of it? How can I be sure this is for me? I'm so worried of doing so much for something I might change my mind about :(

 

You're likely going to be exposed to a lot of different things when you get to college. You'll have to get your pre-reqs out of the way which will show you a lot of different things. You'll likely experience different opinions on what you want to do career-wise throughout your degree. So far I've wanted to be a psychologist, a professor, a teacher in general, and I am still a health care admin major haha. I go back and forth but I've never actually changed my major because I still pretty much enjoy my major even though I have A LOT of different interests. At the same-time I WORK in my field already so I know what I am getting into, which is different than a lot of students. So I am fortunate in that sense. The best thing you can do to make sure is see what types of jobs are in the archaeological field through research. It'd be even better if you could contact a person or two in the field and get their take on it. I know that's easier said than done though. It's always tough though so I feel for you because how do you know until you actually are doing it? I would definitely research logical and probable careers in that field and what they entail though.

[funkenstein]

I'm a year off from graduating with a B Arts and I still don't know what I want to do. A B Arts degree won't get me anywhere, but at least it has given me the opportunity to learn new things and figure out what kind of direction I might like to pursue a job in. I'll most probably go back to uni and study something else.

 

Definitely do some kind of work experience in an area that you think you might want to pursue. I thought I wanted to be a teacher, and last semester I changed my degree to teaching. I absolutely hated it and changed back to an Arts degree, and at least now I know what I don't want to be.

[NumbersGirl]

To the OP and to anyone else in this conundrum... I'll just tell you my story. Maybe it will help, maybe it won't.

 

In high school my parents were kind of pressuring me to figure out what kind of degree I wanted to get; at the same token, I know they couldn't pay oodles of money for the best college/uni. Thankfully UofMichigan (Flint campus) offered me two years' worth of a half-tuition scholarship. Even after that was done (which took me over 4 years because I also couldn't figure out what I wanted to do), tuition was still relatively cheap (a fraction of the cost of the main Ann Arbor campus). Got a prestigious UofMichigan degree, at a community college price. In general, employers don't care about those details.

 

In regard to figuring out what to do with my life, originally I thought I wanted to be a forensic pathologist (that kind of thing interested me). Then I wanted to be a physical therapist, and they have an awesome degree at UofM for that, so I declared that my major. Shortly after that, I realized that degree wasn't for me. I changed my major to "undeclared", and kept it that way for 2 years. In other words... I made the decision not to stress about it. And brace yourself, this may sound corny, but... take a "Strong Interest Inventory" test. Be honest with your answers. That's what I did, and the top 5 results helped steer me in the right direction. Actuary was one of the results, and after doing a little research I realized that was a really good fit. I changed my major to actuarial science, locked in a job a few months before graduation, and have been doing it ever since. I love it.

 

And I would advise you to try to specialize in some way if you get a degree. Three people I know who went to school with me all got Bachelors degrees in Business... along with thousands of other people at that school. Their logic of getting a degree that would be good for all sorts of great-paying jobs backfired, because SO many other people were doing the same thing. What did their Business degree get them? One works on the railroad, another drives a delivery truck, and the other is an assistant manager at a grocery store.

 

Long story short, as hard as it may be, don't freak out about it. Don't feel obligated to decide what to do with the rest of your life the day you graduate from high school.

[Petit Prince]

And I would advise you to try to specialize in some way if you get a degree. Three people I know who went to school with me all got Bachelors degrees in Business... along with thousands of other people at that school. Their logic of getting a degree that would be good for all sorts of great-paying jobs backfired, because SO many other people were doing the same thing. What did their Business degree get them? One works on the railroad, another drives a delivery truck, and the other is an assistant manager at a grocery store.

 

Not necessarily. Two of my friends did business studies at uni and they're doing very well. I think it's a useful degree to have if you're planning to apply for management graduate schemes.

[Coeurli]

^ :nod: Actually, in many fields related to business management, it's recommended to have a Business degree and specialize through your internships and work experience.

Specializing is great when you're really sure of what you want to do, as it can be more difficult to bounce back and change field, if you have a change of heart.

It is also bad to stick to a very general degree without actively thinking, throughout your studies, of what you want to do with it.

 

I find that the best, when you go for university education, is to first go for a quite general degree, which gives basic knowledge in one large field, while giving some time to think of all your possibilities and what you really want to do, and then finish studies through a specialized degree.

 

edit: However I speak from a point of view that is based on French culture, our work market and its environment, and I reckon it may not be the same everywhere, or at least in the US.