It looks like I'm gonna have to go to college and be a person soon.

[The Sevenshot Kid]

I haven't really been on here that much lately. I guess it has a lot to do with me spending time thinking about my future.

I start my senior year of high school this year and I don't have any more than a general idea of what I want to do. And the big problem is, I have some options. I scored an 1870 on my SAT, a 28 on my ACT, I've passed my AP exams for US History and English so I'll be receiving college credit, I have a certificate of completion of a Public Safety ROP class, and the first two years of my college will be paid for by the military thanks to both my parents' service.

I don't know what college I want to go to but I know that I want to have a career doing something helpful, something that can maybe better the world in a meaningful way no matter how small. Whether that's a career as a teacher, a lawyer, maybe even as a doctor, etc. I don't know. I have no clue what to do.

So... What I'm asking is, how did you guys deal with all of this? What should I study and what kind of careers can I pursue that will both support me and make a difference?

[mauve]

If you plan on going to college, remember that you don't have to choose a major right away-- in fact a lot of freshmen don't! Many liberal arts universities will let you claim "undecided" as a major when you first start out.

Get some of the basic requirements out of the way your freshman year and start exploring classes that sound interesting to you as electives. You might surprise yourself! Talk to on-campus advisors for help. It's totally fine to not know exactly what you want to do right away... Hell, I graduated 4 years ago and I STILL don't know what I want to do. XD

If you're not enrolled in a university yet, take a look at a college's online course catalog to see what sounds cool to you. (Also, if you haven't already, fill out a FAFSA.)

[Bells]

I had a crappy basic education, the first half of my School years were in a private school, a Catholic school, run by Nuns. The whole nine yards... it was some of the best years i ever had in school and the best part of my basic education.

Then, i had to go to Public school for my Highschool years, and things weren't all so great... just to put it short, at one point i spent 4 months without Math class for lack of teachers.

So, as you can imagine... i wasn't super prepared to beat the best when it came to enter college. Unless i wanted to go to a private college... basically, if you can pay, you can go... but it's quite expensive, at least was for me at the time...

I also wanted to do something that would make a difference, that would matter. I wanted to be a history teacher, but simply put... that wouldn't pay the bills at the time. Then, i turned my eyes to Psychology... but later understood that what i really wanted to do was Psychiatry, and i just didn't have the A game needed for that.

Then, it comes to look around, understand where i was... i couldn't simply put a backpack on my back and go on the world (i tried that... 4 months, living in a house with no electricity, eating sitting on the floor with my dish served over a box i picked up on the street was enough to break me). So i had to adapt...

Where i live, it's basically the country's capital related to Oil and the Oil industry. It was booming. If you weren't working for the industry directly, you were working for it indirectly. No middle ground...

So, i saw myself stuck and had to make a call... Screw myself while young, live my dreams freely once i become truly independent. That means finding work in a industry i never cared much about, and still look for a way to be fulfilled and satisfied with myself.

That's when i learned about what a Safety Technician does. essentialy, when done right, i'm keeping people safe and healthy, saving the company tons of cash and i can work in the Oil industry today, and in Mining or Steel tomorrow... same skill set.

Pay is ok (once you get some experience) the job is not so mechanical, you do need to keep facing new situations and learning new things... and i was free to work anywhere where the pay was good... so i took that route and now i don't want to look back.

I would still LOVE to pay my bills with some art. with the books i'm working on, i would love to do voice acting or just acting. Make success online with videos... something in that vein... but it just wasn't the reality i was living in. But by doing what i could with the options i had, adapting to the place i was... slowly i'm putting money in my pocket and maybe one day i'll get to enjoy my life doing just stuff i like... if that doesn't come through, i have a plan B that is fairly decent and pays the bills...

So, if you are open minded enough to explore and find the thing you want to do... take a look around you. Put money in your pocket, get a house with your name in the contract... create your foundations while you are still young and full of options, even if it kinda sucks and isn't exactly what you would rather do... then, a bit further down the lane, you can do pretty much anything you want and always have something solid to fall back to.

You should check your area... what careers are booming in your city and state, where is the money? Then, you narrow down your choices and you can see if any of those fulfill your personal needs for satisfaction ...

As for helping people, changing the world... anything you do can have that effect. You never know what's gonna happen next... maybe today you're working in a bakery and just out of the blue you create a new product that turns your into a Baking Sensation and you open your own franchise with an attached Charity that feed orphans... who knows? As long as you are good doing it you are doing good.

[Krylo]

So... What I'm asking is, how did you guys deal with all of this?

Dropped out, got a GED, and never did anything with my life.

[Nikose Tyris]

We don't have any of those fancy things like SAT and ACT in Canada. I picked the college I wanted, paid the fees, got accepted, paid more fees, and started studying.

And I picked a field that I enjoyed studying. Right now it's Business Admin, Financial Planning. I'm literally studying to be one of the "Bad Guys" as they're cast right now. Because it's what I'm good at, and I enjoy my studies. I guess that's the big thing?

I'll focus doing side certifications for getting some more contract law and real estate law under my belt too, and that way I can offer help to anyone who comes to me regarding how to save/invest what money you have, and where to best invest it/spend it, and hell I can help you with that shitty mortgage you have too.

(Sigma Variables can go fuck themselves forever though)

[Magus]

Don't be a teacher.

[Grandmaster_Skweeb]

Don't be a teacher.

Iono, man. A good teacher or two can make a huge difference in someone's life. It is a pretty noble cause, really. Without dragging the direction of the thread in undesired directions too much my big beef is with the bureaucracies, red-tape, and other bullshit stacked up against teachers preventing to do their job of..y'know..teaching. So, just watch this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxsOVK4syxU) instead.

But that's all a topic for a different thread.

Go to college, seventhshot. Just don't waste your time piddling between undecided majors for too long. Have at least a general idea or two of what you're interested in. Shop around for what colleges/universities/technical colleges/whatever give you the warm fuzzies in your happy place. Talk to professors about career choices, ask them questions and listen to their input. Talk, talk, talk with people. Network like your goddamn life depended on it. Make connections, get shit moving forward. Who knows, after graduating a classmate might could maybe very well be end up being the deciding factor on getting hired on at X job. I've seen that very thing happen at least a half-dozen times since I started my network security degree.

[Satan's Onion]

Don't be a teacher.

slightly more nuanced answer: don't be a teacher unless you are absolutely, positively, truly madly deeply crazy in love with teaching, because the system is fucked, and will not stop shitting on you in every conceivable way it can dream up and several ways it technically shouldn't even be physically possible to. Both my grandparents were teachers and they warned me to not be a teacher, like, when I was five, because they saw this shit happening even then.

Incidentally, I don't think there is a set point at which you throw the switch and become A Grown Adult--it's a journey, all of it, and college is one part of that. Just look around for something that appeals to you for now.

Also, like Mauve Mage said: FAFSA. Get to that, if you haven't already. Like, now.

[The Sevenshot Kid]

FAFSA, got it.

[Magus]

I'll take pity on Grandmaster Skweeb instead of reaming him out: I am a teacher.

[McTahr]

If you like the idea of having a decent chance at a job, make sure to tell liberal arts to eat a dick. Medicine, science, research, whatever. Just do it.

A lot of that shit just has no practical application and if you tell an employer you have a bachelor's in philosophy, they'll probably think even less of you than before, because it means there's a good chance you are annoying as fuck all in addition to having no applicable degree.

(Hint, the last non-Ph. D.-professor-teaching philosophy major I saw with a job made minimum wage. My sociologist friend is still working at a bookstore. My film studies graduate friend is working a series of food chain jobs. My science major friends are working paid internships, commercial research, and technical jobs. All of them make a minimum of triple what my liberal arts friends make. [Me included!])

(Disclaimer: This is not to say no jobs exist for the liberal arts folks anywhere. Just saying they're going to be less consistent and more competitive due to the fact liberal arts people have like, zero quantifiable skills.)

(I started as an English major and got asked at least once a week just what the fuck I planned on doing with that. I've yet to find an appropriate, achievable answer, six/seven years later.)

[Magus]

(I started as an English major and got asked at least once a week just what the fuck I planned on doing with that. I've yet to find an appropriate, achievable answer, six/seven years later.)

Obviously you would English like the rest of us English majors. Englishing is the best thing there is.

[McTahr]

Obviously you would English like the rest of us English majors. Englishing is the best thing there is.

Of course! How could I so easily forget Englishing? I am ashamed.

[Magus]

Of course! How could I so easily forget Englishing? I am ashamed.

Like all students you didn't pay enough attention in class.

As for teachers telling people not to be teachers, of course we do. Mine certainly did. It's how we reproduce. None of the students listen to a word we say, so telling them not to be a teacher is our most effective way of getting them into the profession. Why should we be the only ones to suffer?

[mauve]

Of course! How could I so easily forget Englishing? I am ashamed.I got a minor in English. I guess that means I can only practice Lesser Englishing?

[McTahr]

Pretty sure you're only allowed to be an Assistant Englisher if you only have a minor. Which is to say: I hope you like handing out pens and pencils and cleaning keyboards n' shit.

Maybe doing dictation. If you're lucky.

[Overcast]

I joined the military in an attempt to get a base fund to get through college, had all my ambition for the future burned out of me and now only desire a zero responsibility job and a crappy apartment with good internet and climate control. And now I read what everyone else said...good to see I'm not alone in the doing nothing with your life scheme.

But yeah don't join the Military. It isn't as morally destructive as half the individuals around here seem to think it is, but the way it is run bureaucratically and how advancement works will either turn you into an asshole or destroy your capacity to give a shit about achievement.

[Satan's Onion]

Overcast. Dude. I expect you could have expressed that opinion without using the term "asswipes"; that's plain uncalled for. Wouldn't hurt you to reword that so, y'know, it's less dismissively insulting for no good reason.

[CABAL49]

Philosophy gets you the ladies. They give you a free beard and all you have to do is drink and smoke.

FASFA is very important. Saying it again just cause.

I study politics, but myself as well as my professors and peers believe that philosophy is an integral part of politics. My advice for your first year is to get all of that first year dickishniss out of your system. But yeah, trying a variety of stuff in the beginning is not so bad. You have the time for it, don't worry so much about time. I started learning German just because, there wasn't any reason for it. Now I got an all expenses paid year abroad in Germany. (Seriously, fill out the FASFA, it paid for a lot of this). I took Japanese cause a friend of mine did want to take the classes himself. Now I am making arrangements to live in Japan. And you might say, "CABAL, what does this have to do with your major?" Everything. What I plan to be doing is Comparative Political Theory, basically learning from non-Western traditions to do a lot of things with things. To do this, I need to live in the other countries.

So if people act like they know what they are doing, they don't. Everyone is just as confused about their future as you are.

[Overcast]

Sorry there is still a sore spot on me from the last time I saw individuals talking about the military and I never quite got a chance to get it off my chest.

[Sithdarth]

If you like the idea of having a decent chance at a job, make sure to tell liberal arts to eat a dick. Medicine, science, research, whatever. Just do it.


Its not all roses over here in the sciences though. Graduate school is basically slave labor in the sciences. Though that might be fairly true of any graduate studies. But at least in the liberal arts you aren't working with potentially dangerous things like radiation or nanoparticles, which may or may not cause cancer or perhaps just melt your face. You never really know what nanoparticles might due which is why they are awesome and also dangerous.

Oh did I mention I work with Ultra High Vacuum equipment which if it failed would crush so rapidly that bits would go everywhere and it would essentially be a bomb. Then there is the high voltage stuff (routinely in the 3 - 5 kilovolt range) and the cryogenics. I mean its not to bad when you're a post doc making like $50,000 a year or a research scientist making $70,000 to $100,000 or more a year. Especially since you generally let your graduate students that make $20,000 a year to all the really dangerous stuff.

(I started as an English major and got asked at least once a week just what the fuck I planned on doing with that. I've yet to find an appropriate, achievable answer, six/seven years later.)

Oh man I hate that question for almost the same reason. Like I know what I'm going to do but verbalizing it in a way intelligible to your average person is basically impossible. I'd have to teach like an entire course in physics just to give people the jist of what I do and what I will be doing. Usually I just resort to telling them I look at squiggly lines.

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

If you like the idea of having a decent chance at a job, make sure to tell liberal arts to eat a dick. Medicine, science, research, whatever. Just do it.


I keep hearing stuff like this and it makes me really nervous since I want to be a teacher.

[IHateMakingNames]

Do all the job fairs and networking and meet and greets and all the things your college will do to try and find students jobs. Getting the right internship can be way more beneficial than all the college you took.

Though if you do go the path of teacher or lawyer or doctor than those actually may not matter. Those three jobs follow a pretty academic path and you eventually have to work in the field to continue.

[rpgdemon]

And the big problem is, I have some options. I scored an 1870 on my SAT, a 28 on my ACT, I've passed my AP exams for US History and English so I'll be receiving college credit, I have a certificate of completion of a Public Safety ROP class, and the first two years of my college will be paid for by the military thanks to both my parents' service.


What a huge problem. ;)

You'll do fine. Even if you don't know what you want to do, getting a degree is really what a lot of employers care about.

Though, my advice is to figure out something you enjoy doing, and would like to get paid to do. Then major in something that will help you do that.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

If you want to help the world why the fuck would you be a doctor or a lawyer- those are jobs that will make you heaps of money at the expense of the less fortunate- do them if you want to be rich, they are the opposite of helping the world.


Just do something wicked sweet- if you do something just so you can get a career out of it you'll be sad and depressed forever.

[Magus]

I keep hearing stuff like this and it makes me really nervous since I want to be a teacher.

Being a teacher is a lot like getting shot, but instead of killing you the bullet simply causes you agonizing pain for the next 40 years.

Then you'll discover that for some indiscernible reason a sizable portion of your coworkers voted for Tom Corbett, or in your case, Rick Snyder, I think possibly because they wanted to be put entirely out of their misery.

In any case, if Michigan is anything like Pennsylvania, you'll have to make a choice of going ahead and getting your Master's degree, which makes it harder to find a full time position, or getting your bachelor's and putting it off for a few years, which makes it harder to find a full time position. If you are willing to work in the inner city, though, you only have to worry about finding a full time position every other year when you are inevitably laid off.

[synkr0nized]

Going to college fairs or whatever they are called where I was able to talk to representatives of all kinds of universities and colleges -- big, nationally-known ones and small, liberal-arts and private colleges included equally -- really helped me generate an understanding of just how wide the options are but also of what it is I felt I was looking for in education.

I kept all of the materials, pamphlets, and notes I took from interactions with staff and recruiters in a large box. Over my senior year, or at least part of it, I would eventually weed out choices in favour of the ones that kept in touch with me, continued to be open to my desire to dual-major or possibly create my own path, and/or whose facilities and environment seemed to mesh well with what I thought I needed or wanted in a college experience. This let me minimize the number of trips I needed to plan to visit. But then the trips played a big role in helping me further eliminate prospects and choose a favourite. There was at least one place that, on paper, seemed great but was decidedly not in person, and another of better reputation and quality that wouldn't give my desire to dual-major the time of day and kept discouraging it when I talked with folks during the visit. Both got tossed away immediately after.

In the end, I chose to go to the college that by far above the others kept in touch the most, ranging from updates about the campus to sending me a #2 pencil when SAT times came by again (perhaps a dumb thing, but I liked that it felt like they were keeping their eye on me), was one of the most open to working with me to generate a curriculum I wanted and not just stamping me into a path (one of the reasons I was leery of large schools, such as where I am for my PhD now, though I think I could have made it work, looking back), etc.

It certainly wasn't an immediate decision, but in some ways all that seemingly-bullshit stuff folks may say like, "Oh, you'll know which is right" kind of does happen.

You've got decent test scores, AP credit (this helped me out; having two majors meant satisfying more course requirements than normal, so AP credit let me knock out some general reqs and avoid some need for summer courses or an additional course in a semester [though not completely, I still did that a few times]), and a very cool financial support opportunity. I say explore what's out there, and you'll be able to figure out what's right for you; there are plenty of institutions. Of course, some may be worth weeding out from the get-go; you'll have to decide if there is a certain level of reputation/quality that you can use to gauge potential colleges.

I want to also note that I ended up getting my B.S. not quite in the majors I originally thought I might as I first started exploring colleges and even into some of my visits. I had been wanting to emphasize my interest in technology and gadgets, so that often led to "computer science". I was also very interested in fostering and maturing my interest in writing, mostly aiming to get into creative writing. It helped that between junior and senior year of high school I was one of about 100 students that took part in the yearly "Summer College" program at the nearby large state university wherein we stayed in dorms and took two actual college courses. I did an intro CS programming course and a fiction and writing course. Both were a lot of fun and educational! So I kept talking to colleges about computer science, writing, and creative work. I ended up majoring in computer science and communications*, meshing my interest in technologies with the social aspects of [some] of their uses and impacts on cultures and groups. Interestingly [to me], this feels like it led me naturally into Information Science and Human-Computer Interaction for my graduate work!

* Some schools have Communications, some have Communication. Regardless of which way our college labelled it, what we had was a more academic, sociology-leaning department that studied the interaction of cultures, groups, individuals, and organizations with respect to the transmission of information, relevant law, data and interaction technologies, and the study of behavior all under the umbrella of communication. While we had a radio station and even a small television studio, ours was not a "lol athletes are comm majors" college. Though it's worth noting a college that does have that kind of a department certainly can be better prep for a career in broadcast media.


Blah blah blah --
tl;dr is that it's definitely a "big life moment", but it's not really so bad. Always keep it in mind as you enter your senior year, and let it be something you keep relevant to the things you think about and come across as you finish high school. But also let yourself be open to updates and changes -- if you feel like you need to know all the details now, relax! That is not the case.

Ultimately, while the thought may possibly bother you right now, you may even come to decide college is not for you -- perhaps there's a vocational program that is superior, or you end up wanting to look into military service, as two examples I can think of right now. I met several people in my senior year that did not want to go to college and had other plans; the conversations I had with them helped me shape a portion of my graduate speech to reflect that there are various paths we may all take after high school, and no single one is right for everyone or the only one with opportunities.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

Turn to a life of crime! I hears there's good money in banks.

Oh wait, is this a serious discussion? Then I got nothin'. I got jipped out of my apprenticeship when the credit crunch happened and it's fucked me over for the last 3 years. 2 Years arsing about in college getting more qualifications hasn't helped. I finally started a job that is basically easy as fuck and mostly just involves driving rather than the actual work, and it pays well enough so whatever.

[The Sevenshot Kid]

Synk, what you wrote was actually really helpful information. What's been freaking me out is how large this all feels but reading how you handled it and the sort of system you used to make decisions makes this seem more... real.

[Jagos]

I keep hearing stuff like this and it makes me really nervous since I want to be a teacher.

Good luck. I mean seriously... You're making just above minimum wage, you're held victim to the whims of the political elite, you're not going to have the tools to truly teach at a respectable level, the class sizes are going to get larger, there's a chance you might have to teach at a fundamentally religious school (if you're in Indiana or Louisiana) and you might not be able to teach the subjects you took earlier.

It's a daunting task and unless you're a math or science teacher, I probably won't recommend it unless you truly understand what you're getting into.

[Fenris]

Take what you're doing your senior year and try as many different things as possible. I kinda lucked out that I knew I wanted to go into music when I was but a wee sophomore, but I only recently discovered my love for teaching (lols) and my apparent desire to be fucked by the system for the rest of my life.

Figure out what thing you can do that will make you the happiest, and pursue a career in that. Additionally, try to find things to help make yourself marketable - a business course or such will help you out tremendously.

Good luck to you, and I hope you find yourself part of a great university and a great program.

[Red Fighter 1073]

Take what you're doing your senior year and try as many different things as possible.

Definitely agree with this. Try to take a bunch of different elective classes in your last year of high school and see which subject interests you. I didn't realize my interest in programming/Computer Science until like 2 months before I graduated. Before then, I was deciding between Psychology or Business throughout all of my high school years. So don't worry about not being set on a major just yet.

Also, don't worry about going into College undecided. You can enter as Undeclared, and you have like 2 years before you have to decide. In that time, I would recommend you take a First Year Seminar class for Undeclared students if your college offers that, which could help you focus your interests into a specific major. All colleges also require you to take General Education requirements to kind of pad your degree and with those classes, you can get the chance to explore and see what interests you.

[Magus]

Yeah, I can say if you're going to a traditional liberal arts university (I know you guys all hated on those earlier, but the are the most common type of college for most people) they just assign you your classes the first semester, anyway, and it's all gen eds. It's after that you decide "hey, I want to be a business major or math major or psychologist or physiologist or somethingologist" and go from there.

I do dislike the liberal arts set-up since you are forced to take a bunch of gen eds that by and large will not have anything to do with your major. On the other hand, they do make you a little more well-rounded and give you a chance to figure out what you want. But it's seriously dumb if you're in your senior year and you still haven't taken that one freshman psychology course or something and you basically spend 3 hours every week getting talked down to. It's also funny that even if you pass a more difficult class (say a 300 level class) that basically covers whatever information was in a 100 level class and then some, you would still have to go back and take the 100 level class. Seriously, the fact that those credits are required in the fashion they are...really dumb way of doing things. BUT it makes the universities more money since otherwise people would basically be able to do most of the core classes in 2 years and be more than equipped to enter the work force.

[DarkDrgon]

As a College.... something (stupid transfers not taking my classes), try to find a school you love with a program you like. nothing hurts more than being halfway to a degree, transferring to a nicer school, and realizing you had to do it all again

[Kyanbu The Legend]

Like Dark said, try going to a college/university that has the feild you want to get in. However you must stay on top of things, and study often. But be sure to balance yourself out with breaks as well. Since having a mental break down is something no one wants. And above all else, always believe in yourself, work hard, and never be afraid to ask for help. College is a important step in your life! You only get but some many chances before its beyond repair.

I believe in you, Seven. Your going to do great, I just know it. :)

[Ecks]

and whatever you do don't go to the college that offers you the most money in scholarships unless you are absolutely sure you can keep your grades up and continue to meet the scholarship requirements. I fucked around my freshman year (a pattern that has plagued me since junior high) and couldn't line up the funds to continue school. I had to drop out and join the full-time work force.

So other than finally having my own apartment, having held down a job for almost two years, and being back in a stable relationship for several months, I'm firmly lumped in the "has done nothing with his life" category.

I guess what I'm trying to say is go somewhere you can succeed, and don't let the lure of money be your deciding factor on which school you go to.

[CABAL49]

What are you guys even talking about. College is about blackjack and hookers.

[Ecks]

You wanna count cards, go to Atlantic City.

[Kyanbu The Legend]

College is serious business.

[Melfice]

What are you guys even talking about. College is about blackjack and hookers.

I picked the two colleges where hookers weren't a standard option, and buying in cost as much as four years of classes.

I quit after just half a year. Fuck education if it doesn't come with hookers.

[batgirl]

A lot of colleges will not allow you to declare a major right away because they want you to get a semblance of college life and take a myriad of different classes. I was not allowed to declare a major until the end of my sophomore year and so I took lots of different types of classes even though I had a pretty good idea what I wanted to do.

Also, slice of advice: If you find a field you're passionate about and you pursue it and don't get what you want right away, don't stop pursuing it. My major (Literary Theory and Comparative Literature) had nothing to do with my field of choice. I wanted to major in something I'd love love love in terms of what I was studying, but I knew that I wanted to be a doctor. So, I worked on my major and the pre-med track at the same time. I found out in my senior year of college that med school would be difficult for me, as the test scores showed (the MCAT, the worst test I've ever taken in my life) but I still tried to pursue it because I was passionate about it. Not one acceptance came my way and my hopes were dashed until I realized that I could be in the medical field without being Dr. Batgirl. I had been an EMT for my college volunteer company and thought to myself that hell, I'm good at this, I love this, it's the medical field, why the hell not? I went to paramedic school, worked my ass off and found my niche and now, while I don't make the oodles of money that doctors make, I'm happy, I'm good at my job, and I legitimately help people on a daily basis. That in itself is more fulfilling than a nice car or a mansion.

Synk really gave some great advice and I agree with it 100%. I agree with what most people said here in terms of college advice in fact. Job fairs, networking, taking a plethora of classes etc. Just remember that if you come out of college with a degree and you think you're stuck, there are other doors. If you have to go through one or two different ones to get to the one you truly want, remember that you're young and you have time. You don't need to be a CEO of a fortune 500 company by the time you're 22. If it takes a little longer to get to the career of choice you want and you need to work at a job you only like because of the pay to do it, suck it up as a character building experience and do the job, you never know what kind of opportunities will come to you.

As for the teacher thing: Most of my family are teachers. My dad, my aunt, and my sister are all teachers and I did some teaching myself. I don't see why people are discouraging poor K-Resh. Teaching is a fine job, and yea, it's not easy and it's not by any means the most well paying or low stress job, but if he wants to do it, why discourage him. You don't know him, you don't know his conviction; instead of discouraging him why not give him some helpful advice about how to achieve his dream and not dash it?

Also, my sister is in her 2nd year of teaching elementary school, has a full time head teacher job in a small school that pays well, gives her a lot of freedom to make her own lessons and her class size is only 12 kids at a time (it's 24 really but they split them up). My sister is a damn good teacher and is passionate about her job, so K-Resh, it's not all horribleness.

[Fenris]

I keep hearing stuff like this and it makes me really nervous since I want to be a teacher.

Get in a classroom. Once you do that, you'll know whether or not you truly want to do it. My university offers several programs ("field experience") that allow a teacher education student to get in front of a real classroom with real kids and teach a lesson to them.

If it's not an enjoyable experience, find something else to do, but if it is, fuck the haters, follow your dream.

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

As for the teacher thing: Most of my family are teachers. My dad, my aunt, and my sister are all teachers and I did some teaching myself. I don't see why people are discouraging poor K-Resh. Teaching is a fine job, and yea, it's not easy and it's not by any means the most well paying or low stress job, but if he wants to do it, why discourage him. You don't know him, you don't know his conviction; instead of discouraging him why not give him some helpful advice about how to achieve his dream and not dash it?

Also, my sister is in her 2nd year of teaching elementary school, has a full time head teacher job in a small school that pays well, gives her a lot of freedom to make her own lessons and her class size is only 12 kids at a time (it's 24 really but they split them up). My sister is a damn good teacher and is passionate about her job, so K-Resh, it's not all horribleness.

The rear of my car got caught by the rear of a semi-truck on the way home today so I was feeling kinda shitty.
Reading this really cheered me up, so... thanks a lot, Batgirl. I really appreciate it.

[Magus]

You just have to go into with zero illusions about what your success in teaching is going to be, is all. You may get lucky and get into a nice school district; you may have to substitute teach for a few years or even do something like get into being a TSS (you assist a student with learning disabilities or emotional problems all day--I think I may go into that myself because it pays better than substitution or has better job security than this year-to-year stuff they pull now where they refuse to renew your contract). Like it's not quite joining the Peace Corps or something like that where you really have to give your entire self to it, but sometimes that looks like a more appealing prospect because at least you're wanted in there.

BTW the City Year/Americorps thing may be the only way to really get into teaching nowadays, actually. It's difficult to find a full time position outside of those areas unless you already have the experience (or maybe somehow already had a doctorate--a Master's degree is more of liability these days than an asset, I'll tell you that much, because it means they are legally required to pay you more money). So in many ways it's like one step below the Peace Corps as far as the personal sacrifice entailed.

I was thinking already about going back to school and getting more certifications so I could move into a tangential field such as school psychology or even social work, but unfortunately I have no money. Until they start giving teachers post-baccalaureate assistance, the simultaneous requirement to get post-baccalaureate credits combined with zero assistance for it (at a state or federal level; if you can somehow get a full time position in a school where they will help pay for your college, you might be able to get assistance that way) will cause most teachers to pursue a simple Teaching and Learning Master's degree at a state university so they can keep their licenses, because if you're going to pay 25,000 dollars out of pocket for your Master's you're going to do the absolute minimum necessary financially.

[synkr0nized]

This just popped into my head.

It's something I, personally, would never weigh higher than the educational, social, and personal characteristics of a college or university overall, but it may be something to consider.

If you have any interests in Greek life (i.e. frats/sororities), or if, say, one of your parents or both were involved in that in their days in college, you may be able to look up chapters on campuses and see how that all works out. Given that I didn't go to a huge campus for undergrad, I can't say if this avenue can help with admissions or the like, but despite all of the stereotypes, movies, and so on about these groups there are totally potential benefits waiting you.


Again, those who were active in them would be able to speak better to whether or not this is relevant at your stage in the game, but I felt like if it was at all on your radar I'd mention it, as I did not even think about it until after I was on campus.

[Fenris]

This just popped into my head.

It's something I, personally, would never weigh higher than the educational, social, and personal characteristics of a college or university overall, but it may be something to consider.

If you have any interests in Greek life (i.e. frats/sororities), or if, say, one of your parents or both were involved in that in their days in college, you may be able to look up chapters on campuses and see how that all works out. Given that I didn't go to a huge campus for undergrad, I can't say if this avenue can help with admissions or the like, but despite all of the stereotypes, movies, and so on about these groups there are totally potential benefits waiting you.


Again, those who were active in them would be able to speak better to whether or not this is relevant at your stage in the game, but I felt like if it was at all on your radar I'd mention it, as I did not even think about it until after I was on campus.

Don't join a frat. Join a fraternity.

I'm a proud member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and rather than getting TOTALLY DRUNK every weekend and hazing and all of that worthless crap, we spend our time trying to make both the musical community and our local community a better place as well as advance music in America.

Find an organization that actually stands for something you stand for, and join it. If your purpose is just to get TOTALLY FUCKED UP WOOOO then there are avenues for that, too, but you probably shouldn't be a teacher.

[Magus]

Also of note there are usually national fraternities you can join if your GPA is like above 3.5 or whatever, plus there are usually ones for each of the majors, etc.

Also yeah don't party in college. It costs too much money for it to get in the way of your grades and is basically disrespectful to the thousands upon thousands of people who could never go even if they wanted to. I'm not saying you can't go to a party or whatever, there's a difference between that and partying. I think you can tell the difference, you'll know it when you see it (i.e. is it a weeknight and these people are getting wasted out of their minds? They are partying.)

[synkr0nized]

Also yeah don't party in college.

http://home.comcast.net/~synkr0nized/emotes/a020.jpg


I'm not saying you can't go to a party or whatever, there's a difference between that and partying.

http://home.comcast.net/~synkr0nized/emotes/a025.jpg

[Azisien]

I feel like it's time to note that I've been in college for close to a decade and I'm by no means a person yet, so no pressure.

[Magus]

I feel like it's time to note that I've been in college for close to a decade and I'm by no means a person yet, so no pressure.

Hah! What is a person?

[Ecks]

A miserable pile of secrets?

[rpgdemon]

I keep seeing this thread abbreviated to "Looks like I'm gonna have to...", and keep thinking of Dangeresque.

[Magus]

A miserable pile of secrets?

I said enough talk! Have at you!

I keep seeing this thread abbreviated to "Looks like I'm gonna have to...", and keep thinking of Dangeresque.

Haha, yeah, I had that too. I kept reading it in Strongbad's voice. "Looks like we're gonna have to juuuuuuump!"