Need Some Schooling Advice

Off Topic
21

[quote]countingbeans wrote:
This seems like a common issue. People jump into college with this great expectation of living the Animal House life for 4 years, and then having the “american dream” (I know you aren’t american, but best phrase I can think of right now) handed to them with their degree. It is like people think college is going to somehow define them for themselves.

You need to figure out what you want to do with your life, how you want to define yourself, and what it takes for you to be able to look yourself in the mirror everyday.

I knew 3 things going into college

  1. I was never going to sell out, but was willing to buy in
  2. I didn’t want to be broke/poor/living paycheck to paycheck like so many around me
  3. I wanted to help people

I didn’t know what I wanted to do for a career, but I at least had goals and a direction. You don’t have either it seems.

Take some time to figure out broad general directions and goals. Once you have that, and feel good about them, try and bring them into a career path or subject matter that can be useful in getting to those goals. Once you have that, do the whole SMART thing.

I found out I was good at accounting and enjoyed it. Turns out you can work for a small firm, make good money, not be “the man” and help out small business owners who take the risk to live their dreams. I’m a fucking dork, but I feel good deep down everyday I drive home from the office.[/quote]

Yeah I didn’t go into University thinking about the van wilder expereince I just kinda went into it, was like “hey, I liked history in highschool, so I should do that”…then with the help of my dad kinda decided on switching to business with a minor in history and have been jumping between those ever since (throwing in a politcal science joint major), untill I tried the sciences and enjoyed it.

1.) I want a job that I enjoy most of the time and isn’t boring to me. I like to feel important like everybody eles. however, a job that doesn’t consume my life would be nice, I enjoy a lot of hobbies.
2.)no one wants to be broke, I want to spend money on traveling :wink:
3.)I want to help people and interact with people on a daily basis.

I’m just not overly excited on starting a new degree from scratch, without an end goal… if I did health sciences or biochem, even though I enjoy the classes. I’m having a hard time making a decision, everyone seems so risky for me…its a problem in my family for the men atleast we always over think things. I’m really considering taking a year off, something I have never done!! its not like my credits are going anywhere, but the idea is daunting… we always look at the whole picture like every other possiblity of what I could be doing, or career that might be for me, or places I could be. I have the complete opposite problem of people in past generations I have to much freedom and choice in the matter, I want to make the right one.

this stress is really killing my training :wink:

22

[quote]countingbeans wrote:

I found out I was good at accounting and enjoyed it. Turns out you can work for a small firm, make good money, not be “the man” and help out small business owners who take the risk to live their dreams. I’m a fucking dork, but I feel good deep down everyday I drive home from the office.[/quote]

Where are you located? I’ve had the dick of every accountant in my area up my ass at one point. To me seems more like they live to fuck me over just as much as anyone else does. Nice to see they aren’t all like that.

23

[quote]i_am_ketosis wrote:

[quote]countingbeans wrote:

I found out I was good at accounting and enjoyed it. Turns out you can work for a small firm, make good money, not be “the man” and help out small business owners who take the risk to live their dreams. I’m a fucking dork, but I feel good deep down everyday I drive home from the office.[/quote]

Where are you located? I’ve had the dick of every accountant in my area up my ass at one point. To me seems more like they live to fuck me over just as much as anyone else does. Nice to see they aren’t all like that.[/quote]

haha, I’m in MA.

We are a service firm that focuses on the value added over just filing returns. Our goal is to be your trusted advisor, not just a numbers cruncher.

But we are small, that kind of culture dies as the firm grows.

24

If you can just try doing some work related to what you want to do with your degree. I recently got a part time job blacksmithing and I think I’ll be doing it forever, kind of funny how that works out.

25

[quote]countingbeans wrote:

[quote]i_am_ketosis wrote:

[quote]countingbeans wrote:

I found out I was good at accounting and enjoyed it. Turns out you can work for a small firm, make good money, not be “the man” and help out small business owners who take the risk to live their dreams. I’m a fucking dork, but I feel good deep down everyday I drive home from the office.[/quote]

Where are you located? I’ve had the dick of every accountant in my area up my ass at one point. To me seems more like they live to fuck me over just as much as anyone else does. Nice to see they aren’t all like that.[/quote]

haha, I’m in MA.

We are a service firm that focuses on the value added over just filing returns. Our goal is to be your trusted advisor, not just a numbers cruncher.

But we are small, that kind of culture dies as the firm grows. [/quote]

Bummer.

Yes, years ago my father had a small mom and pop firm do our accounting. They did a great job, and if I recall correctly there were maybe 5 people that worked there. Since then they have been bought out by the giant wal-mart version of accounting firms that charge a small fortune and are completely incompetent in addition to bending you over. And now, that’s about all there is here.

If you ever move to WI, you have a client.

26

[quote]USMCpoolee wrote:
If you can just try doing some work related to what you want to do with your degree. I recently got a part time job blacksmithing and I think I’ll be doing it forever, kind of funny how that works out.[/quote]

Ok, so my plan currently is keep going for my business degree and look at careers as I’m at it… though business really is soul sucking, however I’m going to get the courses I need for physiotherapy as I study. Only other option is finishing the history/pols degree which is slightly more interesting, however like everybody agrees has less job prospects… I was super close to just saying fuck it and getting my sciences so I could get into pharmacy, but I volunteered at one in town and even though its not the worst job out there by any means. My interest in dishing out drugs all day is limited.

27

[quote]Chubov wrote:

[quote]USMCpoolee wrote:
If you can just try doing some work related to what you want to do with your degree. I recently got a part time job blacksmithing and I think I’ll be doing it forever, kind of funny how that works out.[/quote]

Ok, so my plan currently is keep going for my business degree and look at careers as I’m at it… though business really is soul sucking, however I’m going to get the courses I need for physiotherapy as I study. Only other option is finishing the history/pols degree which is slightly more interesting, however like everybody agrees has less job prospects… I was super close to just saying fuck it and getting my sciences so I could get into pharmacy, but I volunteered at one in town and even though its not the worst job out there by any means. My interest in dishing out drugs all day is limited.[/quote]

Where are you going to school? I’m doing physics at sfu. Big eye opener for me was looking through job listings seeing what skills employers wanted. Ive switched to applied physics since, doing some programming and electrical engineering.

28

[quote]Chubov wrote:
though business really is soul sucking, [/quote]

No, sorry. That is the college experience you are feeling.

29

Up north dude, at UNBC in Prince George, BC… Probably going to go to UBC for physiotherapy, I love Vancouver after living there one summer, fucking expensive though. Yeah engineering is a pretty safe bet, haven’t done to much physics in a longtime…actually going to job shadow an engineer my father knows here in town, so will see maybe I’ll go that route… I’ve been just job shadowing and volunteer hard right now.

30

[quote]nsimmons wrote:

[quote]Chubov wrote:

[quote]USMCpoolee wrote:
If you can just try doing some work related to what you want to do with your degree. I recently got a part time job blacksmithing and I think I’ll be doing it forever, kind of funny how that works out.[/quote]

Ok, so my plan currently is keep going for my business degree and look at careers as I’m at it… though business really is soul sucking, however I’m going to get the courses I need for physiotherapy as I study. Only other option is finishing the history/pols degree which is slightly more interesting, however like everybody agrees has less job prospects… I was super close to just saying fuck it and getting my sciences so I could get into pharmacy, but I volunteered at one in town and even though its not the worst job out there by any means. My interest in dishing out drugs all day is limited.[/quote]

Where are you going to school? I’m doing physics at sfu. Big eye opener for me was looking through job listings seeing what skills employers wanted. Ive switched to applied physics since, doing some programming and electrical engineering.
[/quote]

I would say electrical engineering is essentially applied physics(electromagnetics), yeah? I had a few applied physics majors in some of my upper level classes.

31

[quote]Chubov wrote:

Ok, so my plan currently is keep going for my business degree and look at careers as I’m at it… though business really is soul sucking, however I’m going to get the courses I need for physiotherapy as I study. Only other option is finishing the history/pols degree which is slightly more interesting, however like everybody agrees has less job prospects… I was super close to just saying fuck it and getting my sciences so I could get into pharmacy, but I volunteered at one in town and even though its not the worst job out there by any means. My interest in dishing out drugs all day is limited.[/quote]

Business can be soul sucking. A good friend of mine works at corporate Macy’s right now and he said most of the stuff he does shouldn’t require a degree/he can’t apply himself with the way they run the business. A foot-in-the-door job. History or poly sci is definitely a waste of money in my opinion unless you plan to go to law school or something.

A B.S. in business gives you a ton of options though. It’s such a broad field. If you have already are on track with a business degree, you might as well finish it out. You don’t wanna figure out what you want to do while paying college tuition. Better to figure out what you want to do working at a shitty job, making money.

32

[quote]
I would say electrical engineering is essentially applied physics(electromagnetics), yeah? I had a few applied physics majors in some of my upper level classes. [/quote]

The extra classes I’m taking are circuits, microcircuits and control systems, some programming. Not to the extent of the engineering path, but enough to cobble some stuff together. In physics its pure theory, good luck trying to calculate the flux across some complex circuit.

33

OP, get your business degree. Whatever the economy, businesses need to be run. It may seem “soul sucking” but you can get a job in a field you enjoy. There are plenty of companies in probably every subject you’re interested in. Get in and work smart and you can be successful. I respect people who get a degree in what they love and want to pursue, but if that’s history, be prepared to be poor.

One of my friends has 2 masters, one in fine art and one in art history. She is an amazing artist. She answers phones at a student loan assistance company and teaches at a community college. She’s happy but struggles with money, always has, always will (hubby is a drummer ;(
They say money can’t buy happiness. They are wrong. If you have some money and don’t have to worry much, you’re gonna be a lot happier.

34

Thanks Everyone!! just going to stick with the business and keep up with the job shadowing/volunteering etc…