I don't know what to do with my life (HELP)

Hi, it's me again ^_~ basically I have a dilemma, so I thought I'd ask randomers on the internet because logic.

I'm at that age where we're all narrowing down our academic fields and trying to figure out what the heck we want to do with our lives, and I have a bit of a problem on my hands. I've asked a lot of people close to me, but I feel like it would be good to get impartial advice from people who don't really know me, as I really am no closer to getting my crap together and the deadline for study path choices is hurtling towards me.

So I'm not going to go into the whole education system in my country and school because it's pretty complex, but basically over the next two academic years from 2017-2019, I have to choose four subjects to study in depth, culminating in some huge exams which will pretty much decide whether I get accepted to university or not (and I definitely know I want to go to university). My issue is that I'm literally the definition of an all-rounder. There's nothing I'm incredibly amazingly astonishingly good at, but I'm quite solid at everything, learn fast and have always been academic. I'm also interested in every discipline imaginable, when it is presented in the right way and with some context. This has served me fairly well, but the problem is that when it comes to narrowing it down, I'm completely lost.

I know I want to continue with some sort of language studying because I absolutely love it. This will most likely lead me to choose French and German, but I'm also toying with the possibilities of English or Latin. I don't like English linguistically as much as the others (and I also speak it better than I speak the others) but since it's the lingua franca, it might be more useful. It also has more literary content than the others judging by the syllabi, which I like. Latin again has more literary content, is very interdisciplinary since it includes historical elements and is just really easy, fun and insightful. So I'm torn, and nor do I know whether to do one language subject or two because I want to look as versatile as possible.

Then there are the natural sciences, which I've been loving and doing well in lately and have good employment prospects. I also have a real affinity for anything statistics- or pattern-based. If I do any of them I will need to pair it with maths, which is fine by me, but whether to do physics, chemistry or biology is also a dilemma. I don't like some parts of biology, but adore others, and was entertaining the idea of a cognitive linguistics career, which would obviously require it. Physics is my favourite but also the hardest, and chemistry is the one I score best in and perhaps quite versatile too (I could still do something neurosciencey with a chemistry qualification). Anything more theoretical as opposed to practical would be a plus for me, since I'm better at science when it's more abstract and algebraic.

Finally, the humanities. I know for sure that I'm not doing politics. People think I should do economics, and I do like economics, but I kind of do it as a hobby outside of school and just read about it anyway, so probably not. I don't know if I should do any humanities at all - I don't want to overcomplicate things or have too many essays to write, and I haven't been enjoying them this year, but I want to show that I can write as well. Humanities are quite simple, too. If I were to take one it would be between history and philosophy, both of which I kind of study outside of school and would kind of be easy for me (and a relief compared to a science, which would be more work for me personally). I have no idea, tl;dr.

So...heeeelp! Any suggestions would be appreciated, or ideas of the 4 subjects which would suit me best. Thanks so much ⌒.⌒

 

I get this same type of question for kids who want to join the Army, but don't know which job to pick.

You've asked a question none of us can answer for you. We don't know how you react to subjects. We don't know how much you'd like a new subject. Only you can answer that. However, my advice would be to broaden your horizons now. Learn subjects you don't know. You may really enjoy one of them. And if you don't, you know to stay away from them. You're too young to know what you want to do (if you're really a pre teen). I didn't know what I wanted to do until I was 22. Either way, you seem very intelligent and will have no problem excelling at whatever you decide.

Sorry I couldn't have been more helpful.

 

Evaluate which subjects compliment each other in real world situations. Pick English as the language as it will compliment any in the real world. Dwell in the patience of deep study and it will probably direct you within a year.

 

Well, the quickest way to get into public service is by politics, but that seems to be out of the question.

I don't know how old you are, or how old you're about to become, but take what I have learned the hard way, being a millennial myself. Heed this advice no matter what subject you pursue. Don't waste time, don't take a year or two, or three to pursue higher education, even if you eventually achieve elite status. Let me tell you from first hand experience that trying to, and still am, control a falling Boeing 757 that is my life from crashing into the ground, is not at all fun and it is nerve-wracking every waking moment of your life. Don't pass up on any opportunity, because regret is born or avoided, in the spur of the moment. I should've started a band in high school, or participated in that dorky talent show, but I didn't. I shot myself in the foot, and I'm paying for it now. Treat every moment as if it were your last. I know it sounds clichéd, and it would probably be something your guidance counselor would say, but its so very true.

I excelled in science myself, particularly biology and the environmental sciences. Continue studying English--it is the universal language, it would work as a great asset. German is one of the easier languages to learn, the only real, big barrier to speaking it fluently is grammar. I'd say stick to languages and natural sciences, since those seem to be your strengths. And look into humanities is any additional courses are required for credits. Hope this helps.

 

Go with your passion and you will be happy and have success. I know that reads like a Fortune Cookie but it is basically true.

 

Do what you love or at least really like. Don,t go uno medicine unless you love it. What I mean is do not come a doctor unless you love it. If you like sciences that is wide open. You can teach, do research, development of product, work for a government, possibly the military doing weapons development. Your can do scientific espionage for a company or a government. If you like physics maybe work for an organization such as NASA or the European space agency.

 

Try some online personality type testing things. I know they're a bit hokey but I've done the MBTI several times and it keeps coming up with the same profile.

Tecoyah is right though - get into something and let it seep inside you. Study what interests you, not what you think will be required in x years time. Your interests are really you, your vision of the future vocational requirements of your society will probably be wrong (just like the experts).

 

You love languages. Go English and French. You can teach and be underpaid.

You have an affinity for statistics. Go Informatics. You will know everything, and be paid well.

Easy - wasn't it.

 

You asked the QUESTION, and IMMEDIATELY answered your OWN question. HOW RUDE.

YEs, you are correct. HELP. IS THE ANSWER. Do something in this world, that will make you feel like you are HELPING MANKIND, in some fashion.

LIKE, NOT being in insurance. NOT, being in banking. NOT, being in anything that TAKES from folks.

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOO something. Me, I invented, I designed, I built. I created. I provided the plenty which we enjoy.

 

Do you really think it a good idea to ask people on an internet message board what you should do with your life???

 

My advice is always the same--decide where you expect you will be living most of your life and choose an occupation that will be needed in that place.

 

Ignore any advice that begins with "do what you love." Unless you are extraordinarily talented and/or truly passionate about something, the chances of you ever having a job you like are slim to none. Off the top of my head, I would say that less than 1% of the population would do what they do for free. The truth is, nobody wants to get up every morning and go to work all day, and anyone who tells you otherwise is either lying or incredibly lucky.

My advice is to pick something that pays well, is easy, low stress, and gives you plenty of free time. In other words, whatever it is that you really enjoy doing will probably be a hobby and not something you are paid to do. It's not impossible to get paid to enjoy something, but it is highly unlikely. Modern society, both in the workforce and academia, tends to make even the most interesting subjects boring and unsatisfying. Focus on making as much money per hour as you can, without doing something you hate, and then do what you actually want in your own way and on your own time.

 

Thanks everyone

Random disjointed responses:

- I'm asking people on the internet because I kinda feel like people can be less partial if they don't really know me. Like, my friends IRL aren't too helpful in this instance since they're all like "oh, you won that English poetry competition when you were 12, you should totally do English" (exaggeration, but they say similar things) and as the internet version of myself is who I want to be, because people tend to project the "best" version of themselves online, I thought this might be useful and baggage-free. Maybe my reasoning's a little strange; I've been in a rather confused mood in general lately.

- The issue with doing what I love is that I love everything. Quite literally. You couldn't make me dislike a field if you tried. I mean, even stuff like politics from which I've been thoroughly alienated are still sort of interesting to me, especially abstractly. So I think my main concern now is employability, which makes me think of doing STEM in some way, but I could never give up languages. And then the issue is...physics, chemistry or biology? I haven't the space for more than one (narrowing is sooo difficult).

- To clear up where I am in life a bit: I'm 15 and will be starting university (or college or whatever post-school graduation thing I end up doing) in September 2019. The choices I'm talking about are for my last two school years and are of necessity pretty narrow.

 

The key is 'truly passionate'....I would also add focus. I was told I could never make a go at my own business. That was over 30 years ago which is how long I have run and owned my own business. You can't just 'want' it you have to pursue it.

If one takes the time to actually find out their true passion and pursue that it does not preclude them from taking the kind of job you suggest because even if such a job is NOT your 'passion' it will be a stepping stone.

 

Depending upon age ... Go with the flow.Try being a Hostess.
Maybe a part time nurse.Try different career.Maybe the entertainment
industry to get needed moola.The main thing is to Do Something.
If you have no talent in singing,dancing,acting,reading then try teaching.
Very few successful people sat around and wondered about their career.
They kept busy as they pondered.It's like fishing.Good fisherman aren't born.
They have to keep practicing and trying different techniques.
Keep your spirits up by knowing you're giving it your all.
That is the main thing.

 

ok this is what you should do.

1. Make a list of jobs or careers that appeal to you
2. Find the people who are at the top of those fields
3. Look at their resume, where did they come from and how did they get there...also check if and what they have in common, like engineering or science background etc.

 

Thanks again, you've given some really good advice.

[MENTION=6006]Diuretic[/MENTION], that's an interesting suggestion - I've never really put much stock in those sorts of tests (I always get ENTP on the Myers-Briggs, which sounds accurate, but I distrust everything that comes from the cesspool of Jungian pseudopsychology). I think intro/extraversion is the only trustworthy metric on that particular test, particularly since it's included in the IMO much more reliable 'Big Five' typology scheme, and I do know I want a job involving lots of interpersonal contact, speaking etc.. My issue is choosing a field.

[MENTION=70726]rickysdisciple[/MENTION], I'm not sure job-hating is so fundamental. I'd say a lot of it is to do with social relations in the workplace and an education system which seems deliberately to try to stamp people's passions out of them. The whole matter is something worth looking into, though. I do want to enjoy my job as much as I can, obviously, but am aware that the relations and the bureaucracy involved in workplace structures will impede said enjoyment sometimes.

 

It is my firm belief that every person has a talent. Figure out what that talent is, and pursue excellence in it.

But, my advice to young people is to follow their dreams, BUT keep your eyes on the prize. Your basic, primary, minimal life goal should be to be able to retire with enough life and wealth to be able to enjoy your retirement, and not be a burden on anyone.

You must start when you are YOUNG to be able to achieve this goal! $50 saved when you're 16 becomes $4,700 on retirement day, at an 8% return. Whereas $50 saved when you're 65 is worth $50. The paradox is, young people don't want to think about retirement, and by the time they do, it's too late to build enough wealth.

Consider this: If you start when you are 16, and you can save just $50/wk, you will retire a millionaire. Mow one lawn every Saturday, and retire a millionaire. When you retire, that million generates you $80,000 per year in interest income, forever, without touching the original million. And, you get to leave that wealth to the person or cause of your choice when you die.

My advice is, no matter what you do, devote a portion of one day each week to earn $50 to put in a retirement account for your future. Make it your hobby, do it EVERY week. Mow a lawn, detail a car, work a little overtime, stand on the off-ramp with a cardboard sign, whatever. The dollar you put in when you're 16 is worth 470 times the dollar you put in when you're 65.

Good luck!

 

Well, I'm the same way...... We call it "jack of all trades master of nothing" lol...

I'm 36 and I still don't know what I really want to do.... IMO, I just enjoy building stuff so, oh and my college degree wasn't in engineering either so my institutionalized education is absolutely moot in what I do.

All I can say is do what makes you happy....

 

I think that is the problem....... Some people are good at so much that they just cant choose because they're not limited..

Oh and as far as the preteencommunist - well communists would make her choice easy. At least she has a choice in this evil free world.

 

That's the point I'm making. There are jobs in which you could potentially enjoy the process of creation, or whatever else it is you are doing, but there is so much bull(*)(*)(*)(*) involved in all of it that it takes away much of what makes the subject interesting in the first place. Think you are going to study a foreign language and structure your own studies? No, you are going to do exactly as you are told, probably using an inferior method, and you are going to study in a way that doesn't make any sense to you--this will be true in nearly everything you study. Find math interesting? Too bad, you are going to be grinding the entire time and have to spend years working on boring problems before they ever teach you anything interesting. In academia, everything is divided into so many components that the context is completely lost. Interdisciplinary approaches to problems, which is the only truly valid approach, is discouraged.

The world of work is very similar. Anything you enjoy will be structured in such a way that much of the excitement will be destroyed. It's best to look forward to life outside of work and structure your pursuits accordingly.

 

Fortune cookie says you are destined to become an English teacher.

 

So the OPer's top two choices are the two that are 1.) the easiest and 2.) have the least future employment value. Such is the view of millions of college kids. Am I correct you want to pay for this with government backed loans that you want the government to forgive and pay off for you because that is easiest too?

 

Preteen, it is obvious to me that you are exceptionally intelligent. And when I think of the depth and breadth of your intelligence and try to think of where I've seen such intelligence put to good, rewarding use, and then add to that your declaration of your affinity for theoretical pursuits, I think of things like cosmologists, theoretical physicists, oceanography (oops, biology there), or medical research in immunology or neuroscience. You might take time to browse some university course offerings in theoretical sciences. Here are two:

http://pages.uoregon.edu/its/seminars/

http://pcts.princeton.edu/pcts/

You would be unhappy in mundane pursuits like nursing or teaching unless you were teaching at Princeton or Yale, etc. You have the ability and interest to aim much higher.


Best wishes!

 

If you have to ask you will never be happy or satisfied. Here's my life -- my first job right out of high school was in the Navy and I liked it. But once discharged three years later I didn't follow that trade because I lost interest. The next two jobs I didn't like, both as a salesman, selling different items. Then I became a trades craftsman after four years of apprentice. Later I moved into supervision in that trade, the people under me were a pain but the position paid OK and was different each day. Then I became an executive in that trade, which I enjoyed. I like the tasks, challenges, and decision making that changed each day. I also liked the interaction with other executives, and the pay was great. When I was 20 and someone told me that I would be happy as an executive I would have laughed at them. So don't worry about what you want to start as because the world is changing and you will also change. I would say that few people end up in the job or profession they start in. Stay loose and if you don't like a job move on quickly to another job. Don't be afraid to take a lesser paying job if it interests you.
How to get ahead on any job -- work with your boss and not against him. Learn as much as you can about the job and the company. Be friendly with all your co-workers. Be a better worker than anyone else on the job. Let your bosses know you want to advance (many people do not do this). The above advice will advance you to the top, put money in your bank account, and be rewarding. I'm proof that it works.