I don’t know if this is what I want to do anymore

I love making people happy- so I chose a degree in college that would allow me to get a job to help people… but it’s not going as I planned.

The way I put it before was I just wanted to help people- so what degree will fit that? Chemical Dependency so I can be a social worker. My degree I’m going for is a career degree so I can jump straight into the work force out of college… sounds great right? Well not when your heart just isn’t in it.

A lot that I’m learning about is drugs and how they effect the human body and how to help people basically- but I just really don’t feel like this is what I need to be doing right now.

The sign ups for the next semester classes are on the 29th of this month and my mom keeps bugging me about it which is understandable… but I just don’t feel into it.

I want to try something else but all that I’ve talked about is just wanting to help people- but I think there’s a big spectrum to that statement and I’m not where I need to be.

For Caseacs there’s only 5000 people in that job- but by next year in the US we are going to need 12000. So why would I drop this degree if this occupancy is so needed?

I am just looking for some insight right now. I really don’t know what to do. I want to look into art school but I just feel like I should stick with this degree. But I’m just miserable with it, it’s not where my passion lyes.

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Hi Lyss,

There are many occupations that will be needed in a near future; but I don’t think you should steer your career from what is missing on the market right now. I think you should be able to do something that you are interested in and motivates you. It’s much better to do something good that might be less needed than something half-hearted even though it might be needed, at least from your perspective. And that perspective is what should matter to you.
However, it can be good to know what you are getting in to, so while this point alone should not be a decider, it can help making a better descision if you have several options which you feel you want to try.
I am not from the states; so I am sorry if some of these might not apply so well to your situation, but there are some other things which you could consider:

  • Sometimes interests can be found in something you didn’t know. (It can be worth to try a while; or maybe you have some older friends or similar whom you can ask what they are doing?)
  • It’s never too late to change; but maybe more importantly: it’s never too soon (I’ve tried a year in architecture and a year in teaching, but both turned out not motivating me enough, so I changed course again, and it’s OK)
  • How easy/hard is it; motivation often comes from being not too hard, but challenging enough; I believe interest is also formed in a similar way (I often find challenging periods in my work as something fun; I am learning and growing, and that is a wonderful feeling which keeps my loving what I do)
  • If you go by the subjects to learn; what interests you - music, math, language, etc? Can you find an area where you can combine your favorite subjects?

Some other questions (some serious, some silly) which might give some insights could be:

  • What do you consider be a good work environment?
  • If you could meet and talk to one person; who would that be, and what is his occupation?
  • What are some occupations the older generation in your vicinity do? Does something of interest come to mind? Do they seem to be happy about their work, or do they seem to think it’s nothing in particular?
  • What is the coolest job you can think of? What is it that’s cool about it; is there a theme?
  • What is a job that you could be comfortable with for a longer period of time; imagine 15 years or so, do you think?
  • When thinking of art, as an example; if that is a favorite subject of yours, what is it that you want to do with it? It’s a vast subject; maybe draw a mind map with all its branches; music, digital art, animation, sketching, 3d-modelling, architecture, etc, and see if something else comes up

I am sure there are a lot of ways to go on about this, and probably others will weigh in. These are just some things I know I thought of when I tried to find my place in all this. Hope this helps to look at it in a more constructive manner, to see opportunity instead of limitations.

Sorry, a typo in my earlier post, so here follows a correction:

It’s much better to do something that you find motivating and that you can be good at, than something that you don’t feel so much for, even though that thing might be more needed.

Hey @Lyss!

The first question I would ask you is are you wanting to help people physically, mentally or spiritually (if applicable)? I, too, have a passion in helping people, so by breaking it down into 3 sub-categories, it helped me try to identify what, exactly, I want to specialize in. In the meantime, it wouldn’t hurt to switch to an undeclared major while you figure out what you want to do, since every major needs the fulfillment of math, science, language, etc. On average, college students change their major at least three times over the course of their college career, so don’t feel bad if you need to change things up!

-Eric

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Hi Lyss,
Since I agree with everything the above users said, I would only like to add that if you just need one more year to graduate just do that and then change. If you need more than one year and don’t feel like it’s the thing you want to do, just change already. There’s a lot of people changing their minds and most of them change their career a lot of times before finding their way.

Let us know how that goes

pioggia :sunflower:

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hey Lyss,

may i ask what your passionate about? i know you said that you want to help people , do you know how . theres many jobs like a pshyciatrist, a special needs teacher, a doctor, a phsycologist, etc. i know the class your taking may not be the one but do you have another choice in mind to do ? i’m kinda in the same boat lyss, i thought i wanted to teach , i thought i wanted to be a day care worker. but i kinda found out i wanted to be a special needs teacher with wanting to know american sign language i know i’m only a senior in high school but i know you will figure this out soon and if you want to change your classes again go ahead . just know we well be happy with whatever you choose

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Hey Lyss,

I feel for you here. It’s hard when you think you know what you want to do, and then it turns out not to be the case once you get started working on it. Changing majors, or programs is something a lot of people end up doing. I changed undergraduate majors three times, and changed my focus from one sub-program to another, for example. Honestly, I know far fewer people who didn’t find what they wanted to do changing at some point.

I don’t think learning is ever a waste, because even if the specifics end up not applying, you are learning meta-information that will be useful. Learning how to learn in college, learning to be self-motivated and how to plan your time, those are valuable things that it takes time to pick up.

If you are feeling pressured about the schedule for next session, maybe there are general requirements classes to fulfill that you could focus on taking while you give yourself some time to think about it? They aren’t usually the most exciting classes but that would give you breathing space and you’d be earning credits you will need what ever you decide to do.

In any case, thank you for sharing this. You are definitely not alone. Love you.

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@Lyss Here is our video response. Hold Fast

-Danjo

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Hey Lyss,

I think your topic is something that not enough of us discuss. The future is scary, especially when we dont know what the “right” choice is.

I WILL say, that there is surely something out there that you are passionate about that you can ALSO use as a conduit to help people. Like art.

Here is what our community had to say

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Thank you all so much. It means so much. Love you all. I appreciate all your responses more than you could ever know. Thank you.

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Thank you so much. This means a lot.

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Thank you so much. I truly appreciate you guys.

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Thanks so much Orphan. Love you so so much.

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Thanks Josy, love you so so SO SO MUCH! Love you lots. Thank you.

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Thanks so much Ashley; I will have to look into those questions and find the answers. Thanks again friend

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Thanks so much. Will take your words into consideration. Hold fast.

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Thanks Eric, you’re pretty rad. And awesome. Hold fast.

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Thanks so much. Will take your words into consideration. I truly appreciate it. Hold fast.

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