Confused College Student!!

[RLC12345678]

Originally Posted by Lissa

I'm not stereotyping Texans, look at the election results county-to-county, we're so red we're crimson.

I know my parents will help me out if I need them to, but I'm using up enough of their money as is, I'm seriously considering the scuba thing, but as a side job at least. I don't want to go through law school and then not have a job when I come out, I know yall will help, but that doesn't change the fact that it's expensive.

Going to law school can do nothing but HELP you in your career goals, even if you decide you don't want to practice law. You will be MORE likely to get a job coming out of law school than you will just coming out of undergrad. Believe me...I've been there done that just a year ago. I graduated undergrad in August 2005 and could not find a job...and I had an EXCELLENT GPA, excellent activities, ect. ect. The only reason I got a nice job in a law firm is because my mother-in-law helped me. It is tough finding a job these days bc they economy is doing well. You will be more likely to find a job after you have some more education under your belt.

Okay, so this advice comes a little late, but here goes. There's a few misconceptions in your original inquiry. Hopefully this will help guide you or someone else in your position a little...or confuse you even MORE! And I apologize, this is a bit LONG!!!!

1. You're ONLY a sophomore. You DO NOT need to decide your career path for the rest of your life anytime soon. I can absolutely guarantee that things can and will change between now and the time you graduate and the first five years out of college.

2. My personal philosphy is that college teaches you the basics of math and writing. But what's really important is that it teaches you "how to learn", critical thinking, communication skills, social skills, diligence and discipline. Those skills may be acquired no matter what major you choose be it a liberal studies or something else. It's not the major that's important, it's what you do with the skills and knowledge that you've acquired that's important.

p.s. You may not need college to acquire those skills, but a college degree does demonstrate to potential employers that at least one institution and a group of individuals other than yourself are convinced you've successfully acquired those skills and will vouch for you to that respect.

3. "A Tale of Three Poli Sci Majors"... Three poli sci majors, myself included, after entering the workforce in our respective entry level positions, we've an IT manager working for a marketing firm, an HR manager working for an insurance company, and a legal analyst working for the state.

Of my 10 closest friends from college and high school, 2 had the same career path from college to now. Of my coworkers now, only 1/2 graduated with a degree remotely resembling their job now, but I've worked in environments a little as 10% of my team had a degree in the field in which we worked. I think most people "discover" their career path AFTER graduation and AFTER a few years in the workforce.

4. It takes a while for a "job" to turn into a "career". It takes a few on the job experiences to understand how classroom knowledge translates into a bonafide work environment. The best time to gain some of those on the job experiences is AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Meaning, look for internships, summer jobs, temp positions, paid or unpaid, get some work experience starting NOW!!! What's the hurry? A few reasons:
(a) it will give you exposure to a real work environment, help you learn about a field, an industry, the people, how things really work;
(b) it will pad your resume. sorry to say, no amount of extracurricular activities will look as good as an extra line in the "Experiences" section of your resume;
(c) it will build your professional references. a glowing review from a past employer, even from an internship, is worth more than glowing reference from three friends and your aunt;
(d) it will help you build a professional network. friends, coworkers, and employers with jobs can pass along your resume, put in a good word for you, and get you on the inside track to getting hired. those who have a good professional network knows the value of being "in the know".

5. Personal advice: anything you love and enjoy as a hobby, keep it as a hobby. You'll continue to get more pleasure out of it as a hobby than a livelihood. To turn a beloved hobby to a viable career, you can't just "love it", you need to be "evangelical about it". Which means, you love it so much, you live and breathe it, you make it your mission to "convert" others into loving it as much as you do, and you try to improve the craft beyond what it is today. Or at least that's how I see it.

THEN research its viability as a career from a financial perspective. You may not want a big fancy house or a brand new sports car, but homeownership, retirement fund, children, may all be in the distant horizon. You need to know if the hobby-career will pay enough, steady enough, and long term enough for you to achieve your long term goals.

FINALLY, last but not least, career sustainability... no matter what job you get, you will feel the need to grow eventually. As an attorney, you can go from simple cases to more complex cases as you grow in your career and gain more experience. It would be the same with any job. It's common for individuals to grow professionally and move on in the same field, but into something more difficult, more complex, better paying, more responsibilities, etc etc. Think about how much room for growth your career choice will allow you. From college graduation, it's a long ways to retirement. You don't want to get bored along the way with no where to go.

6. Along with the above points on career viability, be sure to research what it takes to kick start that career. Missionary? Can you handle living in third world countries with minimal amenities we may take for granted here like hot water? indoor plumbing? medicine cabinet with asprin? Cardiothorasic Surgeon? After 4 years of undergrad, can you handle another 4 years of med school, 3 years of general residency, 5 years of general surgery residency, plus another X years of residency for cardiothorasic surgery as a specialty?

Some careers take more committment, sacrifice, and flexibility on your part than others. Some may interfer with your personal goals with family, friends, future spouse. Best to be prepared.

7. Unless you plan to stay in school perpetually at least on a part time status, you will not be paying studently loans off until you're 86. Student loan programs only give you up to 10 years plus any years you maintain at least partime status at school.


Finish reading all that?? Whew! I'm amazed! Good luck!!!

[Lissa]

Thank you so much for the advice!!

Lucky for me, (I can say this now cause I've told my mom about it and she posts on here) it looks like my boyfriend and I will be getting married in the next couple years and once he gets on full time with the Fire Dept he'll be making enough to support us on his own. But I'm going to have a job, I've never considered being a housewife and I'm never going to consider it as a viable option. I'm going to need a flexible job that I can do anywhere. I have no doubt, and his current coworkers agree(he's working part-time with the local FD), that he can get on with any Dept he applies to and he's looking at applying to a couple different Depts in the Central Texas area after he gets his EMT certs; we've been playing with the idea of him applying to the Honolulu Fire Dept

But yes, I'm going to stick with my current path, I'm going to graduate with a PoliSci degree and get a job(hopefully I'll have a good one worth holding on to, or at least experience in fields I'm looking into by the end of this coming Spring), after working for a couple years I'll see where I'm at then and decide if going to graduate school would be a viable idea. I wouldn't mind having a Master's degree