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

Question

I'm graduating from highschool this year, and going to university.
I was thinking of taking a physics degree but I'm afraid that i'll turn out like one of those people who doesn't even use their degree.
I could be a physiotherapist, or a doctor or a teacher, I don't know what I want to do. Nothing seems to fit.
How do I know what I want to be? I don't have a dream job, and I'm scared I'll never find my perfect fit.

How do I decide?
How did YOU decide what you wanted to do in university?

It seems like everyone else has it all figured out except me.

Answer 1

lol.

Here's how my life has been since I was about 5. Musician - Lawyer - Business - Lawyer - Biomedical Engineer - CSI - Business - International Business - Dancer - Business - Doctor - Neurosurgeon.

Now I'm stuck on Neurosurgeon and I know nothing else will suit me. You need to think of a lot of things, not just what you like to do. I finally realized that I did not want a 9-5 cubicle job where I am bored and never learning so that took off business and lawyer. I decided I wanted good pay and job security, that took off musician, dancer, and CSI. Then I was left with biomedical engineering and doctor. I removed biomedical engineering because even though it's interesting I felt it may lack the excitement I desired and I felt being in the neurological field could lead to a lifetime of learning and discovering. I don't ever want to be bored or not learning!

I also took a look at what I was good at. My top classes were science and english. I wasn't going to be a writer or english professer because even though I was good at it I hated it, so sticking with something in science would be a smart move for me.

Perhaps try to do what I did. Make a big list of what you'd think you'd like to do, research your career choices a bit, and then slowly remove things as you find out what may be a bad option. Also make a list of things you want out of your career, and income is an issue especially in science fields so watch out.

(I waited to go to school for a few years just to be sure. Don't rush into university if you aren't ready!)

Oh, I'll add that my choice of neurosurgeon wasn't easy. It is the part of the medical field that interested me most, it's an amazing part of the human body. It's challenging and that is something I want. The serious interest in it came from many many years of people joking around and telling me I should be a "brain surgeon" because I've always been smart. Surpisingly the last career you may expect to have may be the best career for you.

Answer 2

Statistics show that most people will change CAREERS 5 or more times in a lifetime! Don't feel pressured to make a "life" decision before you even step into college!

College is a time for exploration! (But that doesn't mean you shouldn't begin to check out future careers.)

Your first year of college will be primarily "general" education courses. Math, Composition, Humanities, etc. Look at the other courses offered... see if anything sounds interesting. Psychology? Photography? Physics?? Take a class. Also during this time, go and make friends with the Career/Placement Center. Take some assessments, start to generate some career ideas based on what you like. Then do the RESEARCH! Are there jobs for physic majors -- sure! Are there lots? Who hires them? What are there job titles? What do they do all day??

Try to do some informational interviewing (talking to someone doing a job you think you'd like), volunteer (OK so you don't get paid, but you'll learn lots), or do an internship.

Does doing all this guarantee you will find the perfect job? No, that why we have hobbies!

You will be fine! Take it one step at a time!

Answer 3

It's alright that you are sure; you are not alone. In fact, most people end up chaning their major at least one in college. Just go into college with an open mind, don't declare a major, and try and take a little of everything. Take classes that sound interesting to you, or work on the core requirements (english, history, government, that sort of stuff EVERYBODY has to take). Eventually you find a subject that seems to really interest you, and just keep taking classes in that area. You'll figure out what you want to do in life by just trying different things out; eventually you'll find something that not only interests you, but you can see yourself having a career in that field. Don't put so much pressure on yourself to figure out what you should study or do as your career. Freshman year is all about growing up and discovering who you are as an adult. Don't worry, you'll eventually figure something out.

Answer 4

I just graduated from High School last year and am attending University, yet I still don't know what I want to do with my own life. I have this "problem" where I like to learn all kinds of things (although I don't like to be tested on them), but I can't seem to find anything that appeals to me enough that I feel like I want to deal with that one subject for the rest of my life. So right now I'm trying to get done with my general classes and any classes that might contribute to anything I'm MOST LIKELY to go into.

Answer 5

Feel free to visit a career councelor. They will inundate you with choices and together you can sift through them to find the niche that you'd like to do.