Go back to your college days
 

What would you have done differently?
So, I'm a freshman in college right now and have not a clue as to what to get into. I fear I'll get into something, hate it and have wasted a couple years of college because right now I have nothing college related that I love for certain.
I have considered Finance because on my free time I like looking into the stock market, but I'm in it for the wrong reason: money
I want a job I love and look forward to.
If I'm passionate about something it's definetly cars. I have to try not to talk about cars when I'm with friends/family so I don't bore them.
I have considered being a mechanic but have been told countless times I'll get bored of it. There is no place to advance because you are stuck repairing what's already there. My uncle was a mechanic and he said it can get boring. Then again he didn't work on special cars. When I work on cars I find it can be frustrating but maybe that's because I don't have the right tools and knowledge.
So, then I have thought about Journalism. What if I wrote for an auto magazine? Then I'd be doing something I love. But what are the chances I'd get a job as a writer for an auto magazine? There are endless possibilities with writing. If I ever do get sick of cars (doubtful) I can always write about something else. Politics have interested me, though it can be depressing.
Entrepreneurship has also crossed my mind because once again there are no limits. I'm unsure if I'd like dealing with lousy customers though, which is a draw back but who knows. I'd like to be my own boss because whenever I work now I hate when someone else is getting rich off my time.... blah whatever. Shoot some ideas at me, give me a different perspective.

What's wrong with wasting a couple years in college?

Since you didn't mention engineering I'll assume you've ruled that out. Except for the professional degrees, you can do pretty much whatever you want with whatever degree you get. You'll just make less money as you gain the experience you need for your choosen occupation. I would think some sort of business degree will help with whatever you do. Did I mention engineering?

Man, oh man, this is EASY!

Stay in school and get a business degree. During your summers, start working in a local Porsche shop. Get a feel for how things work. Develop a business plan that involves emphasis on customer service and efficiency.

When you graduate, start your own garage. If you have a mind for business and a proper attitude, you will be a success.

All the really successful independent Porsche shops I know of were started by people who sound a lot like you!

Find something you love and get into it. First thing I would do is to take a year off and get a job and work in the field. Doing this gives you a bit of time to think about what you want to do, as well as makes you realize how hard it is working with your body over your mind.

I switched careers at age 28 and took a massive pay cut but was doing something that I love. Its fun to go to work now and after doing it for a long time am making 3x the money and working about half the time.

Find a job like that and its no longer a job...

Joe A

Wow, man. Tough question. All I can do is tell you what I did. I studied Ancient History because I liked it. Never intended to get a job as a "historian" - whatever that means. Just liked it. No regrets. One of the best decisions I ever made.

I also studied computers as a minor - mainly for money. In picking a career, I basically chose the thing I did best that produced the highest income. Period. I took the attitude that all jobs suck - so you might as well make as much money as you can and retire as young as possible. I also learned that getting "rich" has very little to do with your job. Seems anti-intuitive but it is true. Check out a poorly written but insightful book called "Rich Dad Poor Dad". Reads like it was written by a trunk monkey - but the stuff inside is still very much valid. "Wealth" has more to do with investing than working. Or as one fellow says: "A job is just a short term solution to a long term problem." I work just to eat and invest. And I expect to be retired in the next five years (I'm 39). I would have retired sooner except for a very bad illness in my late 20's that wiped me out financially.

I hope the others chime in. I bet you'll get a lot of good advice on this BBS.

EDIT: I just realized I said the exact opposite of Joeaksa. Just goes to show that there are many paths to Nirvana, eh?

do what you really want to. Don't pick your major based on what you *think* will get you a good job. Any good college education will give you the skills you need to do well. These days it isn't about what you learn, but that you learn *how* to learn.

I entered college as a music major. I left with a degree in chemistry (because I knew I could get a decent job). I then went to grad school, then became a professor. 4 years ago I decided to change careers. I now run a new media research center. Making a bunch more money. The classes I took in college did little to provide the content for what I do. But the process of doing the classes (and especially the process of learning to solve problems in grad school) gave me the ability to be a life-long learner, and also exposed me to a bunch of different subjects/topics that I would have never otherwise seen (religious studies, philosophy, formal logic, psychology, etc).

Never underestimate the worth of a good liberal arts education. IF you work your butt off...

Here, here!! A friend who is far more eloquent than I once told me that the only skill a person learns in college is "thinking". At the time I thought he was just being simplistic - but in retrospect I believe he was spot on.

AP, I like your style. You're thinking, and that's the only thing you need to succeed. Well, good looks and luck is also helpful. ;)

Keep an open mind, and don't overanalyze. When I started college, I had planned the next 6-8 years. I wanted to get a Master's Degree and work in an office. I had the chance to co-op (alternate work and school semesters). That was real eye opener. I found I hated office work (too boring, too uptight), and now I'm a freaking landlord that swings hammers and wields paintbrushes.

Pick a semi-useful degree like engineering, business, etc. (something with roots in reality). Then, learn how to think. I use virtually nothing learned in college, but the curriculum taught me how to think.

Build a good foundation and build on it.
good luck, jurgen

Uh, Janus beat me to the punch with the last post. Learn how to think. That was the ONLY think worth a lick I took out of 5 years of college and co-oping.

College only prepares you for the real learning.

Never again in your life will there be so many good looking available and willing women around you....take advantage of it....(unless of course you stay in academia).

I leaarned nothing in college....I did find out how to present ideas in an acceptable ordered manner that passes for thinking...

Yea, it doesn't matter what major you have, it just matters that you have one. I was in the same boat, went to college, got the business degree, worked for a few years and wasn't really doing what i wanted. Discovered what i wanted to do about a junior in college or so, and that was chiropractic. Too late i thought, so i finished my business degree and did that for a few years. Finally decided to go to chiropractic school after picking up some science courses i needed, and will be graduating on friday with my D.C. From being in the business world, i was doing inventory management and forecasting for a large outdoor catalog company, and people with the same positions had english degrees, foreign language degrees, history degrees, etc....so it didn't matter what they had the major in. College is for growing up, don't freak out because you dont know exactly what you want to do yet, you have plenty of time. Just keep busting your ass.

Like anything to really succeed, the desire has to be in your blood. I'm a technician and the real problem is the auto business not the profession. If you are thinking about becoming a technician do a stint over the summer at a repair shop, it will very sobering.

Greed always comes first. The main issue with the auto repair business is the owner/manager always want the best educated/experienced people on line but never wants to pay for it. Most all auto repair shops pay based on commision only, no gaurantee. Owners/managers talk-up about the absence of 'qualified' technicians and when they find one they balk at the market pay rate.

I stay because motorcycles and performance cars are in my blood and I'm good at what I do.

Apzak, You started off on the right foot by asking questions. Finishing college with any major will tell employers one important thing....you've finished what you've started. The better the grades, the more commited you were. If you major is in line with what you end up going into all the better. Adjustments can be made as you go on.

I would recommend networking with business people and start understanding their various industries. If you find something that interests you try to do a summer or part-time internship. Many of them pay well, look great on a resume and will help you carve a path to a career.

I second tabs' comment re the women....

If you are interested in padding your GPA a bit, you may want to consider English or History as one of your degrees. If you want Math, Engineering etc as your main focus, then use English or History as a minor. Still offers plenty of chances for easily obtainable good grades.

I'd also strongly suggest going abroad for a semester. A foreign language (taken seriously) should help in that endeavour, but you may have to have a full load of classes each semester, or even take a Summer course or two to "free up" your load when you go abroad. To qualify for study abroad programs, certain GPA level is a requirement as well....

have fun!

Follow your heart. It will get you a good job. I tell this to everyone who seems like they might listen. do what you love, and keep doing it, and the do it some more, and one day you'll wake up and notice that you're very successful at doing what you love, and that you like your life.

Engineering might be fun at times, but my recommendation is for a more general education. I have a BS in Psych and Philosophy, and an MBA, and I manage labor relations. I enjoy my work so much that I catch myself giggling. Seriously. It's that much fun.

If I were you, I'd concentrate more on what you do AWAY from school. Get yourself a motorcycle and small tent, and travel the Western Hemisphere. Run with the bulls in Pamplona. Teach SCUBA in Aruba. Skydive. Volunteer with the Peace Corps. Or get yourself a suit and tie and apprentice with a corporation somewhere. Whichever sounds better to you. I think Aruba sounds better than the corporate thing, but whatever.......

career in what you love is a double edge sword. i found that what you love, and what puts food on the table doesnt have to be the same thing. take your love of cars. you love wrenching on them, right? now imagine having to do that for others for the next 40 years. i bet you never touch your own car again. just because you just did it all day. love cooking? i know chefs that go home and microwave things to eat. most pro chefs have nice clean kitchens at home. dirtyassmicrowave though.

me, i started off with an art degree. worked as a pro photographer for awhile. had dreams of doing "my thing". the straw that broke my back was me, on a scaffolding system shooting pictures of a streetsweeper as it drove by. this was for a brochure that the company was putting out. i wasnt shooting rock stars or playmates. no coffee table books for me. now i am a civil engineer. i went back to school, figured out calculus and i make a steady living. i will shoot pictures that i want now. i dont give a crap if no one sees them. superman and i share one thing. we dig our jobs. lousy streetsweeper...sheesh.

if you want to pick up chicks, learn how to play an instrument quickly. piano or guitar works. as far as college, all the core classes are the same, unless you are an art major. just get started and the rest will fall into place. and finish school.

what about frats? you joining?

For that, formal training in the dramatic arts is perfect. I went to college with an average looking guy who NEVER struck out. He would tell us before the evening began what "role" he would play for the night. His specialties? The brooding misunderstood artist was funny to watch. The most effective was the shy, sensitive, wounded man still mourning the loss of his first true love, or his pet cat or whatever. Never failed. The man was a genius.

s/auto repair/any/g

Don't major in a discipline, major in a professor. Seriously. Spend Freshman and maybe some of sophomore year trying out as many as you can until you find someone who has the teaching style and approachability you're looking for, then follow them to graduation.

Well since my college days were only a few years ago I would say don't listen to family and go with your heart. The other thing to consider is going away to school and get involved in different clubs/activities early (networking). I worked through college until the last year when I started getting involved and I meet a few good friends but I think that if I would have started earlier my life would be a little different. I have learned one thing and that is that it is never too late to change your life.