NWR: What did you go or what are you going to school for?

dori851 · March 2012

Is it bad that I'm almost 22 years old & still have NO idea what I want to be when I "grow up?" LOL I went to school for 2.5 years & studied marketing. Then I took a break when I had DS, & now I plan on starting my online classes again after the wedding, but I have no idea what I really WANT to study. Part of me wants to stay in business so I have 18months to finish instead of 4 years.

So, simply out of curiousity, what did you go to school for? Or, if you're still in school, what are you studying? What are you or what do you want to be when you "grow up?"

evenundomiel · March 2012

I went to Wake Forest University and studied history and religion. I did an internship with a judge in my hometown and quickly realized that I did NOT want to go to law school.

what I really loved was selling advertising and publishing books. luckily, my family owns a national company that does just that. I guess it runs in the family!

here's what my dad said about college studies...he's owned several national companies and is a very successful guy. He has a science about who he hires -- he LOVES people who study the humanites as opposed to studying something like busiess or marketing because a bachelor of arts (as opposed to science) teaches people how to think and interact with people.

of course you need certain qualifications for jobs like website design, technology, and other skilll based jobs -- but he says that a great education (in whatever makes that person happy) is the best foundation for a great job.

so, he encouraged me to study whatever the heck I wanted (as long as I was at a good school and was a legitimate subject) and then apply for jobs that I thought were interesting and fun.

gpapale1 · March 2012

If it makes you feel any better, I'm almost 27 and I still struggle with what I want to be when I "grow up"! lol

I have a bachelor's degree in chemistry, and I'm finishing up my PhD (in Pharmacology and Toxicology) sometime this year. I'd love to teach at a university and have a small lab of my own, but I need to do some additional "training" in the form of a postdoctoral fellowship first. This will probably be an additional 2-3 years, so hopefully by the time I'm 30ish I'll be ready to apply for assistant professor. I teach part-time at a small local college now; I'm considered an "adjunct faculty". Hopefully that experience pays off.

court115 · March 2012

I have my BA in Sociology. I did my first two years of undergrad as a pre-med major and HATED every second of it. I switched to sociology because I liked it, it would keep me on track for a 4-year graduation and I had no idea what else I wanted to do with my life. LOL. I ended up working in law firm my senior year of college, went back to school for my paralegal certificate and now I'm working in a litigation firm as a paralegal. I really like it. I thought about law school and started taking the steps to apply but I decided that I wanted kids sooner than later and I didn't want to juggle young kids and law school.

comeongetdown · March 2012

i went to NC State University and got a degree in Civil Engineering in 2007

right now i'm working for a company that designs and constructs power plants. i like what i do, but my ultimate goal is to be a mommy.

i would love to go to culinary school but i'm still paying my student loans on my first degree haha

vineyard12 · March 2012

I graduated high school in '95 and went to school part time at University of NH with the intention of becoming an English teacher, then changed my major to History. After realizing that I didn't know where I was going with this, I decided to take time off. I went back to school in 2004 at a local college to get myself back into the swing of things and transferred to a college in Boston in 2005.

I graduated in 2009 with a BS in Interior Design. I put myself through school working as a kitchen designer at The Home Depot. After changing jobs after graduation, and a stint of unemployment, I am working for a small, family owned kitchen design company near Boston.

Last year I was planning on going to graduate school to get my masters in professional writing, but when I got this job, that changed because the ONLY school in this area with this degree is an hour and a half drive south (my commute to work is an hour, and the school is 30 mins from my house). When we have a baby, FI wants me to stay home because child care is so expensive, plus I am gone nearly 12 hours a day and I can't leave my kid that long at a day care center!

I have increasingly been thinking about a career change. I just am not sure what I want to do either. Selling in the economy pretty much sucks. And I would like to be closer to home as well. It's a tough decision.

amandad18 · March 2012

I got a BFA in Theater Design/ Technology with a minor in Fine Art. I now work mainly as a lighting designer. I love the work, but finding shows I actually want to do and company's I want to work with that will pay me what the job is worth is getting harder and harder. I'm thinking about going back to school after the wedding, but not sure what for.

dland0201 · March 2012

I'm 26 and still don't know what I want to be when I "grow up". Well I take that back the one thing I know I want to be is MOM. After college I tried community college for my general ed but quickly realized I didn't like it. After that I just worked. After I started my current job as a receptionist, I decided I wanted to learn something else and went to cosmetology school part time. I graduated and got my cosmetology license in 2009. My current job didn't want me to leave so they offered me a lot more money to stay. I still wanted to do hair on the side so my FI built me a studio in our backyard. I now work full time (as the office administrator) and do hair part time. Honestly I don't know if I'd want to do only hair full time. I really just want to have kids and have options to make money on the side to contribute to the household.

LBug24 · March 2012

I have a BA in Sociology with a concentration in Social Work. Did it in an inner city for about a year after graduation, realized it wasn't my thing (it was way too emotionally tolling and I didn't like the idea of it "getting easier as you become callous to it".. i didn't want to be callous to these things)

So I joined the Teaching Fellows (like Teach for America) ... LOVED it.. and now i'm about 4 months from having my master's in education

FutureMrsSheeler · March 2012

I'm graduating in May with a BS in Marketing, and two minors, International Business and Business Administration.

amanda14lynne · March 2012

I received my Bachelor's in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Investigation and a minor in Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

I thought I wanted to be an investigator for a big crime unit, but I realized that I want to have a family soon and I don't want to work nights, weekends, and holidays. A job opening came about with the local school system. Truancy Officer... perfect for me! I get to use my legal knowledge since I have to take parents/students to court and my investigative knowledge to figure out where the heck these kids are and what they're doing doing!

PLUS I work a teacher's schedule- summers off, 2 weeks at Christmas, snow days, and weekends. I can't complain.

careydes · March 2012

My whole life I wanted to be a teacher, so college was spent getting certified to teach K-4 (with a Bachelors in Child Psych). This all changed when I did my Student Teaching, and had an experience that really opened my eyes to the political side of things. So I scrapped the teaching and was absolutely lost. Not only did I not know what I wanted to do, but I didn't even know what any of the options were, because all I ever wanted was to teach.

While fumblling around, looking for what I wanted to do (and knowing I'd probably have to go back to school for it) I found myself working at a Science Museum. I did off-site programs, which meant going into schools, and building rockets that we'd launch, or making silly putty, and doing all sorts of fun stuff to get the kids excited about science.

I fell in love with that, but it didn't pay enough to survive, so once the ex and I broke up, I had to find a new job.

And now? I do payroll.

I hope someday after the (hypothetical) kids are in school, I can get another job at a museum. That was the best job I've ever had.

mandydc0509 · March 2012

I have a BA and MS in Accountancy and recently received my CPA (Certificate in Public Accountancy). I work at one of the largest international public accounting firms... which is why I'm sot tired/stressed right now. I'm a tax accountant

mancila60 · March 2012

I have my Associate's in Criminal Justice concentration in Law Enforcement.

I originally started out at a 4 year college in CJ with a concentration in law. Planning to attend law school after I finished my degree. But then life happened and I had several big family issues happen during this time along with meeting FI and dealing with more things. Also I realized I was not as into law as I thought I was. While I was good at it, it just proved to be a little boring. I fell in love with policing and realized I didn't want to become a cop but dispatcher for the police and not 911 would be amazing. After the wedding I am applying for the job. My ultimate goal is to be a MOM and if FI and I could afford it I would be a stay at home mom but that is just not going to happen.

Lyra1020 · March 2012

I went to a liberal arts school because I knew I wanted to get a well-rounded education. I got my BA in physics and a minor in English. I had always planned to continue on and get my PhD in astronomy, but it didn't work that way.

After working in PR for a few months, I started a job as an editor for a magazine about astronomy. I did that for a bit and went back to school for astrophysics. I left that after a year, and came back to my old job. In total, I've been an editor for this magazine for five years, spent a year and a half as a technical writer, and spent six months in PR. Right now, I love what I do -- I learn about astronomy and explain it to others, but I don't need to do the math. However, I don't see myself in science journalism 10 years down the line ... but where I'll be, I couldn't tell you (and I'm almost 30). Perhaps science policy or in business?

You don't need to know at the age of 22 what you're going to be when you "grow up." Life changes, and your career can very easily change. I'm so happy that I got a well-rounded education but focused on physics -- it's all about problem solving. And that's something I can use for the rest of my life.

Kelsee52612 · March 2012

I have my BS in Criminal Justice with an emphasis in Security Administration and a minor in Sociology.

toothpastechica · March 2012

I started in Education, then switched to ECE and then scrapped anything to do with teaching because I realized I love playing with kids, and I love helping families....but I HATE trying to make kids sit still and learn things like reading and math and such. Its just boring to me, and I don't think its fair to kids to have a teacher who is bored at work. SOOOO then I took some time off, travelled, took spanish, psych and sociology, and then applied for a Community Social Service Work diploma...now I am 2 months from being finished that (grad in June) and now I want to go back at get my BSW and I want to specialize in child protection and gardianship (hope to support foster parents or work in the field of adoptions). Took me a long time and a lot of learning to FINALLY come to that decision...can't beleive that I have been out of highschool for 9 years already!

leopardgurl831 · March 2012

I have my BS in Civil Engineering and started out designing roads. I then moved up to coordinating thing for road design. During that I got my MBA and I am now managing contracts for consultants that design roads for us!

norweigan · March 2012

I have a BA in political science and graduated law school last May.
I've already passed the Missouri bar, but since I live in Kansas City it is considered a "good idea" to also be licensed in Kansas (even though I kinda want to be a prosecutor, which would mean I only practice in Missouri, if I ever changed my mind and wanted to go to a firm I would be screwed for the next few years until I could get reciprosity).
I've been putting together my Kansas Bar application these last few weeks and it has been a total pain in the you know what

Tully16 · March 2012

I was an English major in college which I absolutely loved. Seriously, can I get paid to sit around and read and discuss books all day?? I planned to be a high school English teacher, but instead did a volunteer teaching program after college where I lived in poverty and taught without pay for two years. I taught (and still teach) 5th and 6th grade language arts classes.

I've gotten a M.S. in elementary education, but I'm seriously thinking of going back to school to be a reading specialist. I'd love to work with kids in a smaller group setting and I find the mechanics of teaching early literacy fascinating.

arisia · March 2012

I got a BS in Biology. I started out as a high school teacher, but I hated that, so quit. Now I work for a publisher making online high school science learning materials.

Melissa51212 · March 2012

I got my b.a. In speech communications and Got a job as an admissions counselor at a local college and worked my way up to assistant director . I am about 6 months away from having my M.A. In professional and business communication. I love my job but see myself in other part of higher Ed then admissions in a few years or patient relations at a hostipal. Both degrees will help in either goal.

AurorasEnvy · March 2012

I got my bachelor of science degree in biological sciences, and then went to dental school and got my DDS (doctor of dental surgery) degree. Now I'm a dentist.

When I was in high school, I didn't really have any idea about what I wanted to do. I knew I liked science, art, and history. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with science, I thought about art school, and I knew I didn't want to major in history because I didn't want to be a teacher. Then I realized if I went to art school, I'd probably always have a hard time finding work. Somehow it worked out and I decided I wanted to be a dentist, which is great because it combines my love of science with my love of art perfectly.

My rec. might be to look into possible careers & career outlooks with whatever degree you are considering. The job market is tough right now, and there are a lot of unemployed college grads or college grads doing something totally different than their chosen field. I might suggest a job shadow of careers you are considering - like PP said, often times people don't realize until they've gone through all their training and started working that their job choice isn't anything like what they thought it was going to be. We have kids come in here from time to time who are considering being a dentist just to follow us around for the day to see what it is really like.

I'd also keep an open mind - a lot of people don't equate dentistry with art, but I'll tell you what - making something functional is relatively easy, but making it look good is whole different ballgame =] You might be surprised at how some jobs really are!

nlc7182 · March 2012

I have got my BS in communication disorders and my masters in speech language pathology. I love being a speech therapist. I work with Kentucky's early intervention program and get to work with toddlers in their homes! It's a lot of fun!

sunshine3714 · March 2012

I will be graduating in May with a BS in Hospitality Management. The concentration is Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management. I am looking into jobs as event planning, catering, convention services. With my experience though I will probably be a restaurant manager, to hopefully either own or move up to being in corperate with a company.

heightdeprived · March 2012

My dad always said he was 57 and still didn't know what he wanted to do when he grew up.

I went to University, started in Pre-Pharmacy and failed horribly. I liked sociology but didn't know what'd i'd do with a Bachelor's in that so I went into Human Justice. I graduated with a Bachelors in Human Justice and a minor in Sociology. I ideally wanted to work with young offenders. Did 2 practicums working in youth facilities. One open custody, one closed custody and loved every minute of it. Unfortunately those jobs around here people seem to keep till they die, and they're in the gov't so they're impossible to get into. My other "dream job" is as a youth probation officer, or "Youth Community Worker" however, again, limited spots, impossible to get into. I'm currently working in a law firm as a legal assistant, which I actually do love. Not my dream job, but i still enjoy it.

spalko · March 2012

I attended Northern Michigan Univeristy and graduated with a BS in zoology then I went to school to become a licensed veterinary technician which is what I currently work at now. I absolutely love my job even though it took me awhile to get here!!

Soon2bStaff · March 2012

I graduated with a BS in Sociology, Psychology, and Communication in 2010 then MS in Education with a concentration in Human Service Counseling. I work in higher education as a career counselor... love it and want to stay in higher education the rest of my career. =o)

Since it's my job, I have to say... it's okay not to know what you want to do with your life. Take each opportunity as a stepping stone or fork in the road =o)

skpurnell · March 2012

I have my bachelor's in Chemistry and a minor in business management, and am currently in my third year of pharmacy school and will graduate with a PharmD (Doctor of Pharmacy) in May of 2013. I have NO idea what area I want to practice in after I finish, so it's a good thing I have a year to figure it out! I think you just have to keep an open mind, it seems like many people go to school for one thing, and then end up with a career in something totally different. You never know what types of opportunities might arise!

DianaL616 · March 2012

I have a BA in Sociology from the University of South Florida. When I graduated I didn't know what to be, which was stressful because I was "grown up" with no clue. I got a job at law firm after I graduated and thought about being a paralegal but the law world is not for me. Now I work at a family practice as a medical biller and I am almost done with my medical billing and coding certificate (can't wait for July!). I really enjoy my job and am looking forward to learning more and more. I do not feel that my BA is a waste because I love sociology and would not trade my years in undergrad for anything!