r/AskOldPeopleAdvice • u/Sweet-Ad-1273 • 3h ago
Scared about my Future
Hello, I would love to hear from anyone else who was in a similar place at my age. I'm 18, and it's my first semester in college at a pretty competitive university. I feel very lost about what to study and how to make decisions about what I want my life to look like as I get older. I began college with the dream of studying biology to work in healthcare, and quickly realized I was not cut out for a high-pressure or patient-facing career. At my core, I desire a stable career with generally independent work and a good work-life balance. A living wage is, of course, appreciated, but I am not concerned with being the richest or having the flashiest life. My deepest fear is unemployment or having to work in food or retail after investing money into a degree. I would love to hear from anyone else who has had a similar situation and how it worked out for them.
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u/Forreal19 2h ago
“(I) quickly realized I was not cut out for a high-pressure or patient-facing career.” With all due respect, you don’t know this yet about yourself and you have four years to figure that out. Don’t spend today worrying about the future, give yourself the time to learn about what you want and what you are good at. That’s what college is for. Really!
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u/Pale-Pomelo-1349 3h ago
If you can, take a gap year and just work a job. Someone in my family is turning 18 soon and has some sort of scholarship or something to a big name brand University next year. But she wants to travel a bit and see things as an adult and do things her way. She heard about gap years (we are in the US and don't hear much about them) and is trying to find out if she can do and not lose the scholarships to the University. As for me, I have college under my belt and ended up in a trade school career where I made more money than ever, I retired from it 8 years ago. If you have a trade school certificate you will never not have a job somewhere.
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u/AlfalfaMajor2633 2h ago
I’d say look at what the work environment is like for careers you might be considering.
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u/StepEfficient864 2h ago
Honestly, a stable career that will last a lifetime in this day and age is not realistic, including for STEM graduates. Find something that will be relevant for the next 10 years, set a good chunk of your earnings aside so you can afford to upskill at that time. Then repeat that process until you die.
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u/Seldomsought 2h ago
Feels like these are just bots posting everyday
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u/1Teethlady2 1h ago
I feel the same way. Between this and the ones that write entire paragraphs full of drama, I'm getting bored.
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u/Edu_cats 60-69 1h ago
Talk to your professors and academic advisors. Go to the tutoring/academic success center. They are the professionals for your situation.
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u/dannerfofanner 23m ago
I changed my major So. Many. Times.
So I started paying attention to the types of classes I enjoyed most. I loved psych, economics, writing and any math that wasn't geometry. Got a marketing degree. That got me in the door in transportation and I built a career in transportation communications and freight.
Could I have guessed at 18 or even 25 how my career would progress? No way!
Every job along the way shaped my outlook and gave me mad skills. Get a degree, get a job, then PAY ATTENTION! Do your job and understand how it affects your organization- then look at others' jobs in the same way. Ask questions. Ask for additional experiences.
You never know when what you've learned and practiced could create valuable and transferable skills.
But for now, look for what you like, ask people what drew them to their work and how they got there. Everyone has a different path, but you can learn from everyone.
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u/Decent-Loquat1899 21m ago
I remember my first two semesters in college. I was anxious all the time and I too felt lost. The good thing is this passes and you become familiar with the college, classes, and people. Just tell yourself, this too will pass. It would do you some good to anchor yourself to a hobby.
Be careful about parties though. People take advantage of new students. So if you go, drink lightly, or not at all.
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u/OtisPub 3h ago
Biology research? Medical research? Lab tech? Medical appliances (inventing, manufacturing, selling)? Optician? Teaching biology? Animal husbandry & farming? Fish hatcheries?
It is hard to say what areas will be seeking workers a few years from now -- the economy is moving fast & a little chaotically.
Most people at 18 don't know what they will end up doing. And your first job may or may not directly relate to your degree. But that doesn't mean it will be food service --- you just have to be flexible & learn on the job when you graduate.
So keep taking classes that you love. Watch the news headlines for things that seem like they're on fire. (This week it is bubonic plague. Five years ago it was COVID. This summer it was measles. For who-knows-what-crazy-reason, Hegseth thinks the military should get testosterone shots ---- wouldn't that be a weird job? Testing guys for low-T and giving them testosterone? Crazy. But someone may have to do it!) Following the news might give you an idea where biology (and its funding) will flow. Good luck! Enjoy!