How can I decide what to do with my life?

[jrslbenn]

So, I'm 18, I am going to be going into my third year of college and I am going to have to decide on a major very soon. This is a huge problem for me and many other INTP's have seemed to have this problem as well . Basically, my family is having a hard time understanding my INTP-nes and, reasonably, is having a hard time helping me out; that is what brings me here.

My main issue with choosing a major is sticking with it, and not being able to do all the other majors/occupations that interest me. I really love music, listening to it at least. I think I would like to create it as well, but I am usually lose motivation too fast to even get into it that far. My biggest fear is going through college and realizing that the major I picked is not even what I want to do then having to go back. I think my ideal job would be making music and directing movies as these are the things that kind of just come to me, but we all know how difficult it can be to make it in music or film.

I am looking for a career that won't bore me, and I will enjoy doing as a job. I am also feel inclined to travel and or work internationally.

I haven't had too many opportunities to take whichever classes I feel like because I did my last two years of high school at the same time as community college and all I took was English and History. But I feel like I didn't have sufficient time to explore other areas and that I cant waste more time, as I feel the need to graduate and not spend 6 years on a bachelor's degree.

I've been considering many areas, such as law (intellectual property), business (arts and entertainment/international), pathology, psychology, maybe even english. One of the most engaging classes I have taken at community college has been economics, which came quite easily to me and actually felt semi-useful, but I just can't imagine the tedium of a job as an economist, of course there are other positions but I think you get the jist.

Anyways, it's getting late and this will have to do to start the thread. Anyone else have the same situation as me? What did you end up doing?

All insights are appreciated.

Edit: My friend is into computer science, and I didn't find that a particularly interesting field, coding seems quite mundane to me.

 

[Black Rose]

Do you see yourself as some one who could run a personal business. Taking your skill and putting them to use as a means to push people in the right directions. A company changes its business model often if its in the right sector. Take a little of everything you like and put it into your plans. Get creative but take classes that will lead into a path thats not bond by one subject but an array of foundations to accomplish your dreams.

 

[Cognisant]

Surrender your will and become a minion, preferably mine.

At Cogtech work satisfaction is 100% guaranteed (we put electrodes in your brain) the pay is fantastic (no one has lived long enough to receive their first pay check) and if you’re still not completely satisfied, we can always replace your brain with something more compatible.

 

[DesertSmeagle]

I have the same problem except im a freshman ha. Right now its psychology..i just want a fun job..I think it would be fun to be like a camera man for one of those paranormal shows hah.or for like the discovery channel..I want a job where i dont have to do tons of paperwork..i dnt know.shit...id like that..how could i get a degree for that? ive always had a thing for cameras...but ya i have the same proble,..so many things im interested in i cant choose one...thats why i wana be an actor haha i could be everything.

 

[snafupants]

Surrender your will and become a minion, preferably mine.

At Cogtech work satisfaction is 100% guaranteed (we put electrodes in your brain) the pay is fantastic (no one has lived long enough to receive their first pay check) and if you’re still not completely satisfied, we can always replace your brain with something more compatible.

Check this out. Hopefully this will not, in fifty years, be what prefrontal lobotomies and electroshock therapy are now; the latter to a lesser degree a crime against humanity. Its pretty neat, but the insurance companies will not back it yet unconditionally - they do the six week, initial period coverage - they call the procedure "experimental", which somehow makes it fringe. In severe cases of depression, if people can be helped with limited side-effects, thats beyond experimental pal. Its all a money issue.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=transcranial-magnetic-stimulation-rtms

 

[EyeSeeCold]

Major: Electrical Engineering
Minor: Audio Engineering

That could get you into a ton of music related fields. Studio engineering (Record/Mix/Master), equipment design, touring technician, Producer, DJ/Radio, Sound editing, Soud Director and more.

I was considering AE as a major myself, but instead decided on Electrical Engineering.

I know you can feel overwhelmed by all the potential areas you could go into. Instead of thinking of the fields, try to decide on the job conditions you would be comfortable working under. For example, I'm interested in being a lawyer, but then you have to be extremely focused on details and versatile in dealing with logic and emotional appeal. I'm not very persuasive and I cannot handle too much paperwork.

 

[stercusaccidit]

Surprised and pleased by all this talk of cameras. I was not aware that so many people here were into film stuff. I'm paying my way through college with assorted videography and video editing gigs. All part of a mastermind plan that will hopefully eventually land me in some sort of documentary filmmaking job - my dream job, because how awesome would it be to get to travel to a bunch of random places and learn about a bunch of random people/things for a living. The different subject from project to project bit definitely satisfies my constantly shifting interests.

Of course, I realize this is a highly unrealistic goal. But whatever. Worth a try. Also my major - anthropology - is mostly unrelated unless you take into account ethnographic film, which is a subspecies of documentary film that I think would be kind of cool to get into.

BUT BACK TO YOU: I'd say don't sweat it too much about the major. Most of the time I don't think the major matters that much (although I think all varieties of engineering might be an exception to this rule, but I have no desire to go into engineering so this doesn't really affect me). i.e. I don't think you'll have to go back to college if you want to pursue a job outside of the field of your major. I picked anthropology because the classes cover a wide variety of topics (biological anthro, linguistics, assorted specific cultures, etc.) and this allows me to stay interested. For you, I'd say major in what interests you and worry about the job later. For practical fields like music and film, it helps a lot to pick up experience outside of school, through work, volunteering and personal projects. Honestly, it's not THAT ridiculously difficult to make a career of videography (wedding and event videography, corporate advertising, educational tv, etc.) - it's just ridiculously difficult to make it in feature filmmaking. I don't know that much about music, but I imagine it works similarly.

Of course, being practical, economics/business (particularly business) are generally applicable to all (or a lot of) fields.

 

[Vrecknidj]

Get a degree in anything, but take enough business courses that you can go on and get an MBA. Get your MBA (and put up with being surrounded by a TON of SJs and SPs for a few years), and, in the mean time, find something you really feel like doing with your life. Then, when you're done, you'll have the business acumen to do what it is you want to do and make money doing it.

It's what I would have done, had I had the foresight to do it 25 years ago.

Dave

 

[warryer]

I am a senior in college and I picked mechanical engineering before I left high school. I am just now starting to see how versatile such a degree can be. Really the degree represents what level of abstract knowledge you can handle. From what people tell me, the stuff they learn in school is almost never used in the "real" world.

I would suggest you pick a technical degree and go from there.

Also good job being 18 and a junior- gives yourself a nice head start and some credibility.

 

[MaxP]

I'm in 3rd year commerce. I've known for a while it's not what I want to do but I can't figure out what I actually want to do. I've taken interest in several things, but my worry is that nothing ever seems to be a lasting passion for me besides music and skiing (neither of which have considerable career options).

I'm still in business because it will keep my doors open as there are many area's in business and there's always the option to look for something new and more compelling. I may or may not finish this program, and I may or may not keep going to school for something else after. I haven't gotten that far, and to be honest thinking about it kind of makes me sad cause I worry I'll end up stuck in a career I hate. That's not so much of a problem if I stay single forever, because I can just go fuck off and do something else if it gets too bad. But I'd like to have a family someday and I'll need a career to support them, I just hope it's something I can enjoy. I've put endless hours of thought into this and gotten nowhere. Best of the luck with your quest to find the right career, sorry I'm not much help but at least you know it's normal to be in this situation