First year undergraduate.

[ferunandesu]

When I look through this forum, I see a lot of people who regret their academic and career decisions.

I'm in an academic and career counseling course, but it isn't helping me choose a major.

Of all choices, I've narrowed them down to:
Cognitive Science
Psychology
Anthropology
Physics
Studio Art and,
Computer Science

I'm an INTP, and the careers recommended by my Strong Interest Inventory (type code: AIR, artistic, investigative, and realistic) were:

1. Technical Writer
2. Photographer
3. Librarian
4. University Professor
5. Graphic Designer
6. Psychologist
7. Technical Support Specialist
8. Translator
9. Geologist
10. Medical Illustrator

Of those, translator is out of the question. I struggle with foreign languages.

Since most of you are older and wiser than me, I was wondering if anyone here has any advice. Have any of you worked in any of those fields and, if so, do you have anything good/bad to say about them? The same goes for the majors?

Also, as a side note. I would like to stay in school for as long as possible.

[Lee]

I'd go with Cognitive Science or Anthropology personally, though I am only a tiny bit older than you and haven't qualifications nor work experience in those fields, they just strike me as the most interesting.

I guess the most important question here has to be, what do you enjoy the most?

[Conan]

Economics.

[ferunandesu]

What do I enjoy? Um... Well, good question. I enjoyed reading my Psych material, but I rarely read. The same goes for Anthropology. I love art. I took six years of it in four years of high school. I won awards. People kissed my ass... I miss those days. Nowadays, I rarely have the energy to do anything creative. I also enjoy solving the occasional math problem... but... once again...

I DON'T HAVE THE ENERGY

I really want to be playing Oblivion right now... but... so much work to bring up the start menu and blah blah blah

[Xenophon]

Too be fair, Oblivion is the greatest computer game ever made, and if I didn't have to go to school or deal with other responsibilities, I would do nothing but play that game 24 hours a day.

[ferunandesu]

i meet with a career consultant in 2 hours... :sick:

[zhang_bob]

All career consultants suck.

[Melody]

ivent met 1 o thems b4, but ive heard stories

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v259/tocca/ena/mythologyofcareercounselor.gif

[panda]

:rofl:

Fuck, you're insane/hilarious, Melody.

[Nighthawk]

Computer science has paid the bills pretty well for me over the past 13 years. It's a 50% solution for me. I get to exercise some creativity and do fun things from time to time ... but working in corporate America is a mind-numbing drain.

[CoHo]

Hrm... based on a full US search on HotJobs you come up with....



1. Technical Writer 1,074 Jobs
2. Photographer 427 Jobs
3. Librarian 378 Jobs
4. University Professor 1,187 Jobs * not accurate
5. Graphic Designer 1,337 Jobs
6. Psychologist 507 Jobs
7. Technical Support Specialist 5,274 Jobs
8. Translator 241 Jobs
9. Geologist 241 Jobs
10. Medical Illustrator 144 Jobs

[Edmond Zedo]

Graphic Designer 1,337 Jobs
Really, where? I always thought you could only get OK jobs as a graphic designer.

[ferunandesu]

sigh... the only thing that i've learned so far is this:

if i want to earn a living, then major in Computer Science

if i want to eat ramen noodles for the rest of my life, then major in one of my other interests

[CoHo]

Really, where? I always thought you could only get OK jobs as a graphic designer.

Ehhhh... the ad agencies, consulting firms and Kinkos probably staff about 75% of the graphic designers. The rest probably make brochures on the side for whatever company they work for.

Being a Graphic Designer is all about half-assery; not good enough to go traditional, too lazy to get into web and programming.

[ferunandesu]

My Sigi 3 results are as follows:

Best Options:

Anthropologist, Research Psychologist, Art Therapist

Next Best Options:

Physicist, Economist

And Then:

Writer, Editor, Fine Artist

[Edmond Zedo]

Ehhhh... the ad agencies, consulting firms and Kinkos probably staff about 75% of the graphic designers. The rest probably make brochures on the side for whatever company they work for.

Being a Graphic Designer is all about half-assery; not good enough to go traditional, too lazy to get into web and programming.
You were supposed to get my little joke, but no, you did not.

"1337 J085"...

[Snowflake]

Being a Graphic Designer is all about half-assery; not good enough to go traditional, too lazy to get into web and programming.

Pfft.

Web design and web programming isn't even remotely challenging; come on. It takes half an ass to do web design as it is; if you can't do that, you're not just half assing, you're fucking complete assing.

[jread]

Really, where? I always thought you could only get OK jobs as a graphic designer.

We have an opening for one at the moment: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/jobapp/jobs_detail.cfm?Requisition_ID=12366

[dubbeltop]

Art Therapist choose this if it makes ya happy and also get as far as you can get with computers and math. This is a win-win situation.

So graduate in Art therapy and get the other degree for computers and math in your free time.

Also look at jobs with require maths and computers and art.

Like architect or technical engineer-designer at a construction firm

Also look at what your mam and dad did cuzz those are genetic bonus points.

and surround yourself with people who care for you and have the same interests as you. computer club art club math freaks club.

So...thats my view

and check company web sites for jobs-organisations you like too work for and call them for information or visit them.

[dunee]

My Sigi 3 results are as follows:
Best Options:
Anthropologist, Research Psychologist, Art Therapist

If you don't like the idea of continuously interacting with random people, but still like anthropology, look into archaeology.

I'm one year from an undergrad degree in anthro. I'm not sure I want to get into all that crap with academic anthropology and tenure, etc. So, at this moment, I think I'd rather work as a field archaeologist and take a year or so off before archaeology grad school. Its would still have some bureaucratic sh*t and paperwork, but at least it will hopefully be less hair-pulling than academia or working for a corporation in human resources.

That said, anthro is a great subject. I have a great xNTP prof right now who was able to get his classes scheduled once a week instead of 2X; it is possible to survive academia if you can find a department willing to allow flexibility (or you don't mind being untenured.)

[Snowflake]

Fuck all of it. This is a mans world. In a mans world, you gotta be an engineer!

[sasapurdue]

I will tell you this -- I have a friend who was a psychology major in college and was very much an introvert. She has been out of college for 3 years now and has had extreme difficulty finding jobs. She has bounced from bad recruiting job to bad recruiting job. This is a tough degree to get a job with unless you are a person who has some "networking" skills and can get a job that way. This is also ok if you are sure you want to go to grad school.

I definitely recommend that you consider both what you like AND what is practical. As an INTP I know the train of thought that goes, 'why should I think practically about my major, I am not educating myself as a means to some end, I am educating myself because I care about being educated.' But you want to be able to feed yourself and not have to like, bartend forever.

[mancroft]

Hey, ferunandesu, when you was a nipper... aged 7 or so, what did you want to be when you grew up?

[SensEye]

sigh... the only thing that i've learned so far is this:

if i want to earn a living, then major in Computer Science

if i want to eat ramen noodles for the rest of my life, then major in one of my other interestsHeh. It seems there are two types of graduates here:

1) Those that took Computer Science in university then got an IT job.
2) Those that took some other major in university then got an IT job.

[Snowflake]

Comp Sci sucks, be an engineer.

[ferunandesu]

Hey, ferunandesu, when you was a nipper... aged 7 or so, what did you want to be when you grew up?

early years (5 - 12):

baseball player, space pirate, dictator of argentina, monster rancher, someone who draws real purty, alien, anything involving outer space, rich person, person who makes animal documentaries, super soldier, police officer, bankrobber, terrorist

middle years (12 - 18):

video game journalist, video game designer, astronomer, psychologist, writer

[Snowflake]

Now:

Engineer

[mr. treat]

what kind of engineer?

[Edmond Zedo]

We have an opening for one at the moment: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/jobapp/jobs_detail.cfm?Requisition_ID=12366
*sigh*

[Snowflake]

what kind of engineer?

Well, if you're one of those INTPs who subscribes to the idea that you have to learn about everything, civil engineering is the most broad of the discplines. You learn a bit of everything.

[mancroft]

When it comes to earning a living (which is something you are going to have to do), the trick is to focus on what you are good at and become proficient at it.

[KuJo]

*sigh*

Zero your just too much of a trixies hobbitses for these kids.

[mr. treat]

Well, if you're one of those INTPs who subscribes to the idea that you have to learn about everything, civil engineering is the most broad of the discplines. You learn a bit of everything.

i've been toying with the idea of switching from chemistry to chemical engineering, but i don't think i could handle other civil engineers.

[ferunandesu]

i was an INxP as a child... the T preference came shortly after puberty...

however, Fi is still one of my most used functions... usually 3rd or 4th by cognitiveprocesses.com's assessment... it has a major effect on my personality, and is known to creep up on me from time to time...

this is one reason that i have a great need for academic balance... on one hand, i'm extremely creative and imaginative and deeply enjoy the arts and humanities... when I was younger, creative activities were all that I really cared for, and my teachers noted this... when the classroom focus switched to simply digesting knowledge, i would become unruly and disruptive...

on the other hand, as i progressed through school, i developed a stronger and stronger urge to understand math and science... i couldn't tolerate not knowing "how" and "why"... without those, i could never really formulate an effective "what if"...

however, math and the big 3 (biology, chemistry, physics) in and of themselves tends to bore me... i need more than equations, microscopes, and beakers to make me happy

[INThoughtPolice]

consultant.

[jread]

consultant.

Wouldn't you have to talk to people all the time, though?

One of the IT managers at work the other day was talking about programmers and said, "The main thing with programmers is that they literally never have interaction with the public. If a business is properly setup, the programmers should hardly have to talk to anyone except their supervisors about once or twice a week."

I was thinking, "That's AWESOME!"

[ferunandesu]

Wouldn't you have to talk to people all the time, though?

One of the IT managers at work the other day was talking about programmers and said, "The main thing with programmers is that they literally never have interaction with the public. If a business is properly setup, the programmers should hardly have to talk to anyone except their supervisors about once or twice a week."

I was thinking, "That's AWESOME!"

Programming is mundane.

[jread]

Programming is mundane.

So I hear. I'm just going to go with Systems Analysis as mentioned in my other thread. I know I'll have to talk to managers and do "business stuff", but the variety would keep me interested.