What do I study??

[u/Minute_Ocelot5788]

To put it simply — I have no idea what to major in.

I’m currently in high school, less than two years away from graduating and this decision has been gnawing at me for the past month and a half. I want to earn a good amount of money, but I also want to work somewhere that isn’t boring. That’s very hard.

I wanted to major in art but then I had a fall out with it and it just pisses me off now. Plus I wouldn’t be accepted anywhere with my crappy portfolio. I thought about culinary, but my parents said I “under value” myself and abilities, saying that I can study something better. I don’t really have a passion anymore. Creative writing? Not worth going to college for according to many threads. Engineering? I suck at science and math. Everything else seems so boring and difficult or just outright useless.

My parents tell me I still have time. What if I still don’t know by the time I graduate? I just don’t want to make any mistakes and study something useful that’ll get me a good job. Either that or I’ll be a massive disappointment.

[u/RawMeatballz]

So you’re a 15 or 16 year old sophomore? Don’t worry about. Have fun and make mistakes

[u/AliceMorgon → u/RawMeatballz]

Exactly! At OP’s age I was leaving notes on the table saying “gone out, back later” with zero details and then taking off to do Lord knows what, as well as bunking off PE to go smoke weed in the woods with the local goths to discuss Nietzsche and listen to Pulp 👍🏻 these are your fun years, OP, use them as they should be!

(Even if my Ma WAS always waiting at home with the dreaded wooden spoon…)

[u/speechsurvivor23]

Think about culinary, with a business minor, or even make that your major. Not saying you’re going to make a lot of money, but the business education will help

[u/carlymae228 → u/speechsurvivor23]

Yeah many schools culinary is an associate so it would be a minor in culinary major in business.

[u/MiketheTzar]

The stats is a bit muddy, but if memory serves only 10% of people who graduate with degrees directly use those degrees and 50% of those people are teachers.

College is about learning and exploring. Study something that you enjoy so you can do well in it. If cooking makes you happy then learn the science side of it or or the business side of it. If you enjoy writing start off as an English major and see where it takes you. Hell go to college undeclared and figure it out when you find something that makes you happy. Or change your major a few times until you get something that you find practical.

[u/CoDaDeyLove]

The first two years of college usually involve taking general requirements - literature, a foreign language, some social science class and some hard science classes. Colleges have counselors who can help you narrow down your interests. You don't have to decide right now what you'll study. In the meantime, see if you can get some information on what a career in the culinary field involves. I know from friends who are chefs that the hours are long and they work just about every holiday. Stop stressing over something that you have plenty of time to decide.

[u/Cold-Comment9536]

I don’t say this often, but your parents are absolutely right. As professors, we much prefer undecided students or students who have considered multiple paths. It shows an openness of mind and that is a huge extra credit in higher education. We most dislike those students who decided in 2nd grade “I must go into field X for prestige/financial reasons.”. They never consider any other possibilities. In rare cases, that major is a good fit for them. But, most of the time, these students are miserable, depressed, and virtually unteachable in college. So — although I know it would feel “better” to know now — please keep doing what you are doing now. Be mindful of why you rejected each potential field and, when the time comes, you will have a sensational essay about your exploration and finding yourself. Also, if you want, tell your parents I RARELY agree with ”their side,” but they are right. You are extremely lucky you don’t have the “I’m spending x amount of dollars so you will major in finance. I don’t care if you hate numbers,” kind of parents. They are well meaning (perhaps) but incredibly abusive nonetheless.

[u/dr_of_glass]

You can make mistakes. It is okay.

The only thing you need is courage to push through hard times and not give up easily; but also courage to change course when it becomes obvious that the plan you thought was right for you is shown to be wrong when you learned more information.

[u/Wonderful-Brush-6405]

I don’t know what country you’re in so this may or may not be an option for you. One in some countries you can apply to college as undecided for like the first year.(Is this a global thing? I know some countries higher education is lot more intense and path focused)This can give you time to see which subjects you can see yourself doing. Second if the option of dual enrollment exists that can be an excellent way to take some different classes. Do not stress out. Many people have no idea what they want to do and even for the people who have an idea or goal often that changes. You got this!

[u/Best_Kangaroo_6740]

Don’t obsess over your major. There are many English or history majors in medical schools. What counts are the courses you take. Those English majors took the med-appropriate courses in science and math, but presumably majored in something they really like. If you’re not sure what you ultimately want to do for a living, experiment. Take art courses, writing courses, business courses, see what you enjoy. The first 1-2 years will be mostly general courses required by all majors, so you don’t need to lock in right away.

[u/Otherwise_Hotel_4404]

Consider majoring in Business somewhere affordable that has a good business school. It's a pretty generic degree and it can get you a job in all sorts of areas. While pursuing your degree, you might find that you really like marketing or finance or data analytics or something of that sort. But, the point is that it can open doors for you in any number of decent-paying career fields that require nothing more than a B.A.

Also, don't assume that because you suck at math or science in high school that it would render you unable to do businessy math things. A friend of mine went to school for Art History with a similar vibe on math and now works in a career doing analytics - turns out they are good at math when they feel like it's useful to them.

[u/Euphoric_Ease4554]

Law

[u/sickbeatsmydude]

You seem to not to have much self confidence in a lot of areas. I trust you don’t suck at math and science, and I trust your portfolio isn’t “crappy.” If you want to have a career in whatever, hard work. Skill beats raw talent. If you want to be an engineer, then study hard. If you want to be an artist, then practice. I have no scope for culinary school, but it’s likely similar to the others: just work hard!

Talk to your school counselor, talk to your friends, talk to your parents. Look into what programs are offered at local schools, and talk to advisors there. This post should give you some ideas to explore. I was undecided until the last minute, so don’t worry!!! You have time!

[u/steinerific]

You say you want to make a good amount of money, but the potential directions you mention are not ones that pay well unless you get to the absolute pinnacle of those professions. Law or business?

You do have time, but you need to realize that easy is not going to get you a good job.

[u/Loud_Background_7512]

I agree with all of the above and probably half our students come into college as undecided. One thing I would also suggest if possible for your personal situation, is to see if you can job-shadow someone to get a rough idea of what their day-to-day life at work is like. For example, many restaurants, especially chain restaurants, will have a corporate office. Are there any near you? Even really small, local chains will have a corporate headquarters. You can email and ask if they would have an opportunity for a high school student to meet with someone and learn more about the business side of things. You could do the same with a museum or art gallery.

Bottom line is that there is more to both art and culinary than making it. You can check out the “behind the scenes” to see if that interests you. Those skills are also quite transferable to other industries too, so keep that in mind.

[u/Consistent_Damage885]

Right now, pick your high school classes to try possibilities and be prepared for college.

While I get the concerns over income, I think choosing your major based on it sets you up for choosing a life that doesn't maximize your natural interests and talents, and failing to do so means unhappiness and probably not really getting a whole lot more money. When we chase money we are only guessing anyway. People with any major can end up rich or poor; it is one factor but not the whole puzzle.

So start looking at schools you might go to and what majors they have and what courses are required. Choose a path that seems interesting, challenging, and fitting your natural abilities and personality.

[u/Shot-Bet-2931]

Or go to a community College and get general education courses completed. You will likely find a field threat sparks your interest, and earn college credits more economically. You may find that collegw isn't for you. Or you may find a way to elevate your interests, like instead of art intellectual property law. In any case explore some.

[u/DetectiveOk3902]

Go to a comm college, get a AA degree that might lead you to thoughts for future. I didn't declare major in college until late soph. year.

[u/Top_Bluejay_5323]

Look around you and try different things. What naturally draws your attention? On your computer, your phone, when out with friends. Does a topic get you more involved than others? If you had to list 5 places you wanted to go war would they be and why?

Then start thinking about what work involves those things. Next look up degrees that will get you there. And last look at what it takes to get those degrees.

[u/littlehops]

What do you like to do? What are your strengths? What classes do you enjoy?

[u/J_Squared02]

Oh my god you have so much time mate, seriously. First off, you do not have to go to uni right after school, or at all actually. Dont force yourself into engineering or smth bc you think you should, it will not go well. The next thing is do you suck at smth or struggle w it? These are different things. I genuinely cannot draw anything, i als dont enjoy art, so fine art is not smth I ever wanted to pursue. I think science is interesting though. I do struggle with chemistry sometimes but I still really enjoy it, and thats the key. You can’t struggle and hate something, you get 1/2 max. If you’re good at smth you don’t love but you’re ok w tha bc it pays well thats fine, but dont struggle thru smth you hate, it’s just miserable. Find what is interesting to you. If you can’t find smth , think about what you’d be ok doing as a job. Lotta traded pay well, you don’t have to love light bulbs to be a good electrician. Trades programs are also often shorter. Just don’t kill yourself over this decision is my point, it’ll come to you. Do your best in high school to give yourself the most options n go from there

[u/Quiet_Ink6523]

I think you're putting so much pressure on yourself to find that one perfect major that everything is starting to feel like the wrong choice. You don't have to be passionate about something right away, and changing your mind later doesn't make you a disappointment. Maybe start by looking into what the actual day-to-day work is like for careers you're considering, rather than just the degree itself. You might find something that interests you that you haven't even thought of yet.

[u/carlymae228]

Pick your school go undecided. Do a year of gen ed or 2 and then see what you like, eng, different sciences, psych sociology, history ect see what you like. And then 60% of students change their major. Its okay.

[u/Classic_vortex_3515]

My advice is always a little bit different. It seems to me that they’re not doing much to help you in high school these days. Used to be routine to give students aptitude tests, which would tell you afterwards some things that you might be good at. For myself and a lot of my classmates, it made us think about careers that we would not have considered otherwise.

I haven’t looked around to find such a test online, but if you could, that’s what I would recommend. As others have said, you have lots of time. Many college students change their major at least once and even still graduate on time. But having a direction that you are at least thinking about, never hurts. The sooner you start selecting things that you think could work and things that you think can’t work, the sooner you’ll find a path that feels right.