Career choices

[edc_aquarium]

I'm currently 16 and a junior in high school and I've been thinking a-lot about career choices for me, i love marine biology and i like engineering. I want to go to college but I don't know what i would want to study in. Can anyone help me or guide me into a career that i would be able to make $$$

 

[JumboShrimp]

As a practicing attorney for more than 30 years, let me pass on this advice: “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk, and friends don’t let friends go to law school!!”

 

[justjes45]

I think you are so young now, in time your path will present itself to you.
Just keep your eyes and options open!

 

[hdsoftail1065]

It's awesome that your thinking about this at your age. But you have to wright your own life story. Money aside, what do you want to do that will make "you" happy because you will be doing it for quite awhile. You need to figure out where you want to be in 5 years, 10 years, 20 years...you get the picture. No matter what you choose to do, you always strive do it better than everyone else, the money will follow.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

like others said, it will reveal itself in time. my only advice for you to ignore and then realize 20 years later how important it is..

it is WHO you know. network, network, network!! Keep up with everyone even if it is a hey! hope your doing well.

you never know when that one persom that you thought was a whatever suddenly offers you a job years later.

networking and persistance will equal success in just about any field.

 

[Waters]

My daughters are going through this right now, in their first year of college. Anything you pick now will most likely change anyways....they have changed majors at least 3 time already. Just remember, while important, money isn't everything. Make sure you pick something you like to do.

 

[67chevellemalibu2]

Zoology

 

[jabberwock]

You end up making money because you are any combination of the following, or all of them: smart, diligent, dedicated, lucky, a leader, nice to people.

Do what you want to do and do the best you can at it. Success has more measures than $$.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

As a practicing attorney for more than 30 years, let me pass on this advice: “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk, and friends don’t let friends go to law school!!”

Can you put that on plead paper, with blue paper last for federal cases.

 

[KrisReef]

Engineering will offer you a lot of options, get a minor in the marine biology if you must. Get a job on a NOAA research vessel, or do research on an atoll, but stay in school until your education opens the job door you want. And like the lawyer tried to say but kinda botch imo; "Don't drink and go to school, just go to school." Hth.

 

[jabberwock]

Engineering will offer you a lot of options, get a minor in the marine biology if you must. Get a job on a NOAA research vessel, or do research on an atoll, but stay in school until your education opens the job door you want. And like the lawyer tried to say but kinda botch imo; "Don't drink and go to school, just go to school." Hth.

Don't mix engineering and science...
Do one or the other.

 

[wesman42]

Well, first of all because of the current state of the higher education system (university, college), if you're going to pull out loans, you better be dang sure that what you pick is marketable. You need to be able to get a return on your investment...because that's what a degree is now. If you major in something that you really enjoy and have a passion for, make sure it's a career field where there are jobs. If you major in art, great, you've pursued your dreams....but it's not going to pay off the 60k in federal or private loans you've accrued.

So being realistic, you could become a graphic design major...and there are a ton of jobs. It would also allow you to pursue your true passion, "art" as just an example here. There are a lot of degrees to choose from, and choosing one that's marketable but also allows you to follow your passion is the right direction.

This would accomodate for any loans you need to attend school, and it accommodates what you're passionate about because life isn't all sugar plumbs and culinary degrees.

A good example: My cousin majored in Nursing. Her passion was English Literature. She makes 80k a year at a children's hospital and has authored 4-5 books. The rest of my family is in medicine. They're all doctors. Needless to say, they may not always be related and it may be more of a tradeoff for choosing something you enjoy, but can also support your true passion.

 

[Dancingmad]

If it were me, and I was into engineering I would stay as close to robotics, in any application, as possible. Try to AI proof myself long term.

I'll put it out there because there is a need for science minded individuals and engineers alike but no one considers - Logistics.

I'm in logistics and don't regret it. The paperwork can be soul crushing but its never the same day in the office (at least in my niche). You get some totally sweet brags too (e.g. Unless you live off the grid I can guarantee you have a product in your house I played a part importing).

DM's General Life Pro Tips and/or Platitudes:

1. Network like crazy, meet tons of people, never burn a bridge (there's an old saying: "You always meet someone twice in your life." Its true - take heed because no one knows who will hold the cards that second time).
2. Push yourself, but don't have a nervous breakdown.
3. Significant others shouldn't be sole factors in long term goal setting
"Remember that time I confused a life lesson with a sole mate?"

if you're going to pull out loans, you better be dang sure that what you pick is marketable.

^^That.

I got out of college in 2009 towards the end of the last recession. Thank goodness for having a marketable degree or my experience would have been much, much worse. I think the month I graduated NASA (I live in Houston) laid off 1000+ people and remember sarcastically thinking: Great, I'm competing in the job market with literal rocket scientists.

Its worth mentioning my network is what got me setup in my career path. Networking + people skills will boost whatever you get on that piece of paper.

 

[User1]

Take an aptitude test.
Make a list of what you like to do.
Make a lit of what you don't like to do.
Then make yet another list of what you like and what it requires to enter that field (college or no college, what level of degree).

I'm going to leave it at that because I'm hoping you and your family, both immediate and expanded, are involved enough to help guide, ask, and answer questions. Having three children of which are older than you each one is different and unique. Each was ready to talk about college at different times. Not all wanted to go to college. Those that did one took longer, the other shorter. One struggled with some classed the other slept through them and got A's. One opted not to go to college much to my dismay but looking back on it it didn't matter. There is actually a shortage now of trade skilled workers and that is something that you can't really outsource.

Money isn't everything, happiness is. You are not entitled to anything and you must work for everything. There is trade jobs, there is college, and there is also the military. More I'm sure. But no matter what start with a simple list of what you like and dislike. Let that open some doors to more questions because, well, maybe what you like is great at 50,000 feet but once you start to dive down you uncover things that you may or may not be willing to do.

Best of luck.

 

[juniorrocketdad]

Fwiw I’m a sophomore in a robotics engineering major and even in college most people don’t really know what they want to do. And even if you have an idea of what you like school and industry can be very different so for me my summer internships is what really made me sure I made the right choice with my major and has made me a much better student as a result.

 

[Gatling]

As a second year at the University of Toronto in the physics specialist program, I suggest you do something you love. My experience states that
1) if you're going to spend $40,000 for a piece of paper in 4 years, do something you love!
2) Many people chose career paths that are extremely different than what they studied. Many of my upper year friends in physics and engineering moved on to work at Banks or Law firms. You don't need to get a job in the education you were taught in. That being said, it does help a lot to work in a similar field as your education.

For a 16 year old, you should look into what courses the college/university require for admission. In my case, I could have applied to Engineering, Math, Physics, Comp sci, or even business/commerce with my courses I had in highschool. Don't worry to much as you need to save your worrying for second and third year like me! Oh life is so stressful right now aha

Good luck with your studies! :)

 

[Sailingeric]

Well, first of all because of the current state of the higher education system (university, college), if you're going to pull out loans, you better be dang sure that what you pick is marketable. You need to be able to get a return on your investment...because that's what a degree is now. If you major in something that you really enjoy and have a passion for, make sure it's a career field where there are jobs. If you major in art, great, you've pursued your dreams....but it's not going to pay off the 60k in federal or private loans you've accrued.

I have a friend who majored in Canadian History and wondered why he the best he could do was customer service rep. He went back to school at 40 to get a degree in something to do with city planning and now does building/plan inspecting and makes fairly decent right out of school

 

[JBKReef]

My wife was given some career advice her senior year of high school that changed her career path significantly for the better. She wanted to do marine biology as well, and had an internship lined up at a major city zoo. While working through her internship the animal care professionals, marine biologist, advised for her to go into pre-vet med and if she wanted to pursue a career in marine biology to seek that degree afterwards but have the pre-vet med to guide her.

She went on to get a degree in Marine biology but found her calling as a veterinarian with other desires. The marine biologists require funding and you spend more of your time seeking funding than actually working in the water.

 

[AaronFReef]

As a person with a degree in Marine Bio and Computer Science and Space Systems Engineering I would say forget Marine Bio unless you don’t care about money. There’s too many willing to work for nothing until you’re a tenured professor. Engineering will provide you the money to enjoy reefkeeping. But make sure it’s engineering that you love to do. Most importantly take your time through school. Do three years at a community college before you transfer. Take a year off and work before you go back for a masters. Just give yourself time to learn who you are and how you want to have lived your life before you commit to a degree. You can go back to school until your late 20s and then it gets exponentially harder.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

I'm currently 16 and a junior in high school and I've been thinking a-lot about career choices for me, i love marine biology and i like engineering. I want to go to college but I don't know what i would want to study in. Can anyone help me or guide me into a career that i would be able to make $$$

Remember this , you don't work, you don't eat. And it's not what you know, but , who you know.
Don't burn your bridges. You'll figure it out.