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Post by Mellow Yellow on Dec 1, 2007 20:49:30 GMT -5
lol.... Yes I have resorted to just randomly asking people. I have NO clue! ;D People always say "well what do you want to do" and I say "well, I want to travel to alot of countries" and immediately they say business. But this is a problem, I don't want to be a corporate suit monkey. I refuse to do any sort of advertising or corporate business degrees. No matter what I major in, they told me I can go teach English in Japan, which I thought was pretty cool (but nothing I'd want to do forever). So I had narrowed it down to either Education (English) or International Studies. The thing with international studies is you either end up working on the corporate side or the government side. I talked to a guy whose sister did International Studies and ended up getting sent to alot of war torn countries with the government With education, it's all fine and well, but I just don't see getting to travel with it much.... at all. I'm currently thinking about "Communications" but I'm not really even sure what it is, and the advising department isn't much help. They only help you if you already know what you want to major in. Otherwise they just hand you this big book full of statistics (doesn't really tell you what you'll be doing 9-5). Oh well, I don't guess I'll ever figure it out, I'll be in college til I'm 30 trying out different stuff lol
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Post by mindgames on Dec 1, 2007 21:14:41 GMT -5
If you want to travel work in the travel industry. Best of all you may not need a degree for that, but you may not make the big bucks either. Rock Star is another proffesion that will get you out and about (hee hee). What are your skills/talent? My best advice is do what you love and do it NOW! Do not let anything or your own insecurity take you away from pursuing your passion ASAP! It' not great being 30 and not knowing what the hell you want to do or knowing but still letting other things get in the way. I think you know what your passion is, you just don't think it is practical or plausible or profitable so your not pursuing it am I right?
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Post by Valis on Dec 1, 2007 21:45:51 GMT -5
Join the revolution ha
I took one year of communication at university level here in the Netherlands, but I don't know if it's the same in the US. It was merely an education to become a PR person, all we learned was how to tell lies for officials who would get stuck in them themselves without help. Almost all of the other students were fratboys out to get the big money, I once shocked them with a presentation about ethics, they thought I was an alien from another planet.
All I can say is listen to your heart and consider that the world is changing faster than ever before. Meaning that the profittable jobs may be getting out of fashion and the ethical ones into, but maybe that's just my own wishfull thinking.
All Love Jan
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Post by DarkHorse on Dec 1, 2007 21:58:51 GMT -5
In career, go with your heart. In relationships, go more with your head.
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Post by JoJo on Dec 2, 2007 0:14:01 GMT -5
Jan: PR and ethics?? Much as I like to think anything's possible, that's a brick wall no one can surmount.. Mellow, sounds like what you really want to do is travel, and yeah I'm stating the obvious. But here's the thing, sometimes we have to find a way to make the cash in a way that's not all that oppressive to our spirit, while at the same time setting aside time for those things we are passionate about. Being an educator = lots of time to pursue other interests. If you feel the options for combining work and travel seem a bit chancy, then you should consider doing the travel thing on your own time/dime.. Consider, you are in charge of where you go, and what you see and do while there. Have to agree with Mindgames about working in the travel industry, if you work for an airline in some capacity, and you can stand the stress, (esp. if you are in a supervisory position) you can fly anywhere for almost zero $$. Heh, I guess what I wrote above indicates I have a practical POV about career, I see it as a way of selling your time for the money so you have the means to do what you wish in your free time. Works for me, and really.. you can make any job fun and interesting if you have the right mind set. No comment on the relationships thing.. I think that just sorta happens.
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Post by mindgames on Dec 2, 2007 1:12:33 GMT -5
I worked in the airline industry in college and the pay was good enough (depends on what you do) the benefits were addicting, so much so I quit college. The stress was bad but the knowledge that you can fly out to any city in thw world in business class for pennies just to have lunch made it worthwhile. Although you'd probably find it difficult to get the time off. I would travel around the usa going to concerts on my days off. But 911 made it all a different ballgame I doubt M Y wants to deal with all that police state nonsense. You could be a trucker? but dude seriously I need to sit down and figure out what the hell I am going to do, writer strike has put me out of work and I don't want to go back to corprate America either.
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Post by iameye on Dec 2, 2007 11:02:03 GMT -5
This is the revolution. Snuck up on ya, huh?
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Post by Mellow Yellow on Dec 6, 2007 7:49:21 GMT -5
I keep changing my mind daily on this. **caution, rant ahead** For example, I just got told by one of the advisers here that her friend majored in History and went to France to teach English, and that you can basically go teach in many foreign countries regardless of your major. Which is good, but then why should I major in International Studies or Education if I don't need them? My brother tells me International Studies is something people do and then end up working at McDonald's, but honestly I think he just doesn't want me to do the whole traveling thing, he doesn't get it and thinks that it's just a phase and that I don't really want to do it. And he's also very wrong. He suggested Education or "Sociology"... First of all, I don't even know what the hell Sociology is, but it doesn't sound like anything remotely close to what I want to do. As for Education, at first it sounds ok, but I think back to my high school and I realize I don't want to do it. My teachers never traveled that much, and they complained about how they didn't make all that much either. Now, teaching on a University level is another story, but I'm not even sure what one has to do for that. In the end my brother just tells me the same damn thing that everyone else says "I can't help you unless you know what you want to do"..... which is really stupid in itself, because if I knew what I wanted to do.... I wouldn't be asking for his help in the first place! Another thought I had was in media or TV/Film production. I did stuff like that in high school and it was pretty cool. But what does one major in for that? Again.. another mystery. Communications sounds cool, but again I find these people saying "You take that and it's going to be waiting tables and flipping burgers for the rest of your days" I'm beginning to think there is some sort of conspiracy afoot to keep the info pertaining to jobs that interest me well-concealed so that I will be forced into a profession that I hate... *end rant*
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Post by iameye on Dec 6, 2007 10:38:33 GMT -5
You can get a job or you can work. Working is better.
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Post by mindgames on Dec 7, 2007 11:17:32 GMT -5
It is funny you mentioned Radio TV & film because that was what I wanted to suggest to you but I wasn't sure I could convince you that you would like it! I meet many people who stumble into the industry and LOVE IT! You get to travel, you will work LONG variable hours so having a Family and a girlfriend will be tough you'll need lots of minutes on your cell phone. You would major in Film wouldn't you? Your college surely has a program for this? Before you go changing your major why don't you see if you can get involved in a production as an extra or a production assistant on your free time to see if you like the environment (sp?). I don't know where you live but it should be fairly easy to find a production in your city (granted most are shut down due to xmas & strike but there are a few things still shooting maybe independant stuff but you need to see what a real Hollywood production is like wether it be a commercial tv show music video local news just a real proffesional shoot, I mean). I keep changing my mind daily on this. **caution, rant ahead** For example, I just got told by one of the advisers here that her friend majored in History and went to France to teach English, and that you can basically go teach in many foreign countries regardless of your major. Which is good, but then why should I major in International Studies or Education if I don't need them? My brother tells me International Studies is something people do and then end up working at McDonald's, but honestly I think he just doesn't want me to do the whole traveling thing, he doesn't get it and thinks that it's just a phase and that I don't really want to do it. And he's also very wrong. He suggested Education or "Sociology"... First of all, I don't even know what the hell Sociology is, but it doesn't sound like anything remotely close to what I want to do. As for Education, at first it sounds ok, but I think back to my high school and I realize I don't want to do it. My teachers never traveled that much, and they complained about how they didn't make all that much either. Now, teaching on a University level is another story, but I'm not even sure what one has to do for that. In the end my brother just tells me the same damn thing that everyone else says "I can't help you unless you know what you want to do"..... which is really stupid in itself, because if I knew what I wanted to do.... I wouldn't be asking for his help in the first place! Another thought I had was in media or TV/Film production. I did stuff like that in high school and it was pretty cool. But what does one major in for that? Again.. another mystery. Communications sounds cool, but again I find these people saying "You take that and it's going to be waiting tables and flipping burgers for the rest of your days" I'm beginning to think there is some sort of conspiracy afoot to keep the info pertaining to jobs that interest me well-concealed so that I will be forced into a profession that I hate... *end rant*
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Post by Mellow Yellow on Dec 7, 2007 12:35:36 GMT -5
Well, I've taken the university's list of majors and I've been hacking away at it ever since. Now only 7 remain. I guess I'll copypasta it here.
Anthropology Pros: Study of world cultures which interests me. Cons: Not sure what else you can do with it besides teach it at a University level. Also, being a social science, it is considered a “soft” major, which are never as good as engineering and science majors (but I suck at math and science so those are out of the question anyways).
Communication studies Pros: I liked Video Productions class in high school, I wouldn’t mind working with computers, but I can’t do Computer Science because those are too technical and require tons of math. Cons: From what I’ve read, if your job isn’t in the digital field of communications, you basically become a professional motivational speaker or counselor to the low morale corporation. Not something I’d want to do, plus a lot of employers look at it like “well, anyone can communicate.”
International studies Pros: On the surface it sounds like this degree can get you jobs at foreign US embassies or possibly foreign universities teaching. Many people are doing it. It seems like it would be most in line with getting to experience foreign cultures, etc. Many people I’ve talked to say it’s a fun major to do. Cons: There are jobs in the field, but will I like them? Are they hard to get? How will I know if I really want to do them? Getting to travel is one thing, but the job itself might be crap and make me hate it. Many countries will let you come and teach regardless of major, so it would be better to major in something that would enable me to do multiple types of jobs.
Marine science Haven’t researched yet. Need more info. Just picked it because it sounded interesting.
Psychology Pros: Supposedly this major is good because it makes you well rounded for all kinds of jobs. Cons: Lots of times it leads to working for an Evil Corporation ™. I don’t want to work in an office cubicle for the rest of my life, and I don’t want to be a corporate suit. How does this have anything to do with traveling? Does it pay well enough to allow me to pursue traveling in the off time? Is there off time?
Secondary/high-school education — in various fields Pros: I know teaching is something I could do. Lots of off time. Cons: I do not know whether or not I would actually enjoy doing it or not. Once you get a teaching degree… that seems like all you can do…forever. Worst case scenario would be getting roped into teaching 9th graders at some crap school and never get to travel or do things that I want to do.
Telecommunication & film Haven’t researched yet. Need more info.
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