I don't know what to do with my life...

[MatticusMania]

You dont even need a degree to become a 'professional' musician. My fiancee makes her living solely off of music. She works in the mornings at a preschool playing piano and singing songs with kids. She works afternoons teaching piano. She went to college for years studying psychology before dropping out. She makes $30 an hour teaching piano. She works about 20 hours a week and brings home more $ than I do working fulltime in marketing.

 

[EricF]

You dont even need a degree to become a 'professional' musician. My fiancee makes her living solely off of music. She works in the mornings at a preschool playing piano and singing songs with kids. She works afternoons teaching piano. She went to college for years studying psychology before dropping out. She makes $30 an hour teaching piano. She works about 20 hours a week and brings home more $ than I do working fulltime in marketing.

Yeah, but she's a hot chick. That's an advantage not everyone has.

 

[A-Step-Towards]

Advice from an old guy who has been down that road...

What you will find out in a few short years is that a large percentage of those people who seem to know what they want to do will change their mind, or will end up in a career far removed from their college degree. You have a lot of growing and living left to do, there's no reason you NEED to put yourself into a particular box at this point. After high school, continue classes at one of the local community colleges (Pasadena or Glendale are both great choices). You'll find your way soon enough.

Pretty true, i am only 20 but am doing completely opposite of what I thought I would be doing at 17

 

[Thunderscreech]

I'm still trying to figure it out, and I'm running out of options. I'm also 21.

 

[MatticusMania]

Im gonna be 26 in 10 days. Im working fulltime working a boring job while at the same time working to acquire the means to do what I really want with my life.

 

[geeza]

You could do what I did and become a serial killer.

Eating a giant sized box of Froot Loops in one sitting does not make you a serial killer.

 

[macaroni tony]

Eating a giant sized box of Froot Loops in one sitting does not make you a serial killer.

What are you, high??? Of course, it does

 

[Jim Nazium]

First of all, I'm going to "+1" all the posts that said most people will change their mind several times during college, and a few times after college. I know a lot of ex-lawyers...

Second, I've discovered that there are many, many occupations that I didn't know existed when I was 18 (I'm now 45). I know a guy who writes & records music for TV commercials (and makes a very good living BTW). There are people who build custom bicycles, people who fly helicopters, people who translate documents for the UN, people who own airport shuttle vans, etc.

So don't sweat it. Live your life, explore, learn, and be open to possibilities. The universe is a big place.

 

[Soverntear]

I'm entering my junior year of high school this fall, and everyone around me seems to know exactly what college they want to go to, what they want to major in, and what they want as a career.

Me, I have no idea what do to. As far as a career, the things I'm interested in would make for a rough and likely low-paying (if I could even get work) job. (Music, film.) I want to be realistic though, but on the other hand, I don't want to get a job just because I get a big check.

Help?

honestly im 23, it wasnt untill an evening about 3 months ago that it hit me like a tonne of bricks. as for music and film, you could try to get in on the buisness side of those streams. good money and lots of work.

 

[Demon_Hunter]

I'm 40 and still trying to figure that out myself!!

 

[FritoBandito]

I want to be realistic though, but on the other hand, I don't want to get a job just because I get a big check.

Help?

WAKE UP!! (insert face slap here)....Turn on the news on TV and the first thing you hear is how many people are either out of work or are stuck in some low paying job and losing their shirt (not to mention their home). They did not go to college! They wrung their hands and said "I don't know what I want to do with my life, I don't want to get a job just because I get a big check" WHAT?. Take my word for it.....right now living with your parents and having them pay your bills, life after high school might seem pretty bleak and boring, but, like it or not, your going to be on your own sooner than you think, and a big check (or any check for that matter) is going to become a very big deal. Your going to hear this alot, but go to school and get that degree dammit! It really doesn't matter if its in nuclear dynamics or origami, the job market today is flooded with kids looking for a paycheck and the only way your going to stay ahead of the game is having that silly diploma in your hands. Your job will not be your life, it will just pay the bills and provide you with the things that really matter to you.....like a new bass. Try buying one with a paycheck from Starbucks! I'm not saying that you need to decide what you want to do with your life at this stage of the game, very, very few high school kids know what they want out of life and stick to their plan, but pretty soon you will need to get yer boots on and get yer feets moving in some general direction if you want to keep up with the crowd. Please, at least give serious consideration to starting college! You never know where you'll end up! I missed out on college (Uncle Sam was calling), and I have regretted it ever since.

 

[MatticusMania]

Tell that to my good friend, the Manager at Kmart who got her degree. It does you know good if the jobs arent available. Im not telling the OP not to get a degree, but you can do just fine, even better in some cases, without one.

 

[macaroni tony]

^ I was gonna say something to that effect, but figured someone else would say it, anyway

 

[emor]

"I don't know what to do with my life..."

Yeah, there's a lot of that going around.


My only advice: start putting away some money now. The next 30 years is going to go by quicker than you think.

 

[FritoBandito]

Tell that to my good friend, the Manager at Kmart who got her degree. It does you know good if the jobs arent available. Im not telling the OP not to get a degree, but you can do just fine, even better in some cases, without one.

Rubbish! In the job market (at least in Calif.) there are 100 or more applicants for one job, and guess who's going to get it.....the person with the most to offer. Ask your friend at Kmart who she would hire, a kid with a bass guitar or someone who at least showed the ambition to get an AA. I don't know anyone who does better without a degree than with one. Without her degree, would your Kmart friend be a manager or standing at a cash register bagging your deodorant?

 

[MatticusMania]

Rubbish! In the job market (at least in Calif.) there are 100 or more applicants for one job, and guess who's going to get it.....the person with the most to offer.

Yup, experience will get you a lot further than a degree.

Ask your friend at Kmart who she would hire, a kid with a bass guitar or someone who at least showed the ambition to get an AA.

I wouldnt know, and since neither one of them have a degree Id say they probably have an equal chance. It is, afterall, a job at KMart.

I don't know anyone who does better without a degree than with one.

I do, my fiancee, she's a teacher, as I stated up above:

My fiancee makes her living solely off of music. She works in the mornings at a preschool playing piano and singing songs with kids. She works afternoons teaching piano. She went to college for years studying psychology before dropping out. She makes $30 an hour teaching piano. She works about 20 hours a week and brings home more $ than I do working fulltime in marketing.

Without her degree, would your Kmart friend be a manager or standing at a cash register bagging your deodorant?

She'd probably be right where she is now. She worked the register when she was hired and worked her way up.

 

[macaroni tony]

and the moral of today's story is....

Does a person with a degree stand a better chance than someone of the same experience level without a degree? No duuurrrr!! (1995 ) but the job market is so lacking these days that having a degree doesn't mean poo compared to what it used to.
So you don't necessarily need a degree to make a decent life for yourself, these days. In fact, some would say that the time and money invested in a four-year degree these days isn't worth the reward.

 

[MJ5150]

When it's like this I feel the music shootin' through me
There's nothin' else that I would rather do

I wanna rock!

-Mike

 

[jp58]

I'm entering my junior year of high school this fall, and everyone around me seems to know exactly what college they want to go to, what they want to major in, and what they want as a career.

Me, I have no idea what do to. As far as a career, the things I'm interested in would make for a rough and likely low-paying (if I could even get work) job. (Music, film.) I want to be realistic though, but on the other hand, I don't want to get a job just because I get a big check.

Help?

The average college kid changes their major something like 2.8 times, and 80% of people change it at least once. My advice would be to go to a community college and take a semester or 2 of classes including everything you're interested in. Its really easy to find out what you want to do when you go through 4 hours a week of classes in it. (word of advice, don't let bad teacher's/professors get you down). You could also take some classes in a bunch of different fields during high school as well like in my area we had marketing, psychology, health science, business, art, music, computer science, etc.

If you are sure you want to do something like music production, or journalism, see if you can shadow someone that does that for a few days on a school break.

I'm on my second major now, and I'm hard contemplating a change back to my original one. Sometimes it can be tough finding your true calling.

 

[Deluge Of Sound]

Everyone that has it figured out now, will change their mind before they are done collage.

lowsound

Yeah, I can never figure out what I want to put in mine either: