Need Some Suggestions For... Life?

[Sonoran Silkies]

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an avian/exotic veterinarian with a minor in zoology, but then I decided I didn't want to be tied down to a specific job. I want to be able to travel the world and see all of the exotic wildlife this planet has to offer. I can't do that stuck in an office all day.

Then, I decided I'd be a zoologist with a secondary major in computer forensics and a minor in Chinese. Well, after reading more about zoologists, I learned that it's not the thing for me. For one, a lot of them end up working in zoos which is not what I want. I'd hate to see those animals suffer. Because, really, you know they do. What lion wants to be stuck in a cage and gawked at by strange people all day? Yelled at by little kids? Not to mention, the pay isn't up to par with my standards. As for the computer forensics thing, I just didn't have the patience to go through all of those programming classes. So tedious and mind-numbing. I don't need to know 50 different ways to create a program to calculate grade point averages.

THEN, I settled on wildlife biology with a double minor in photojournalism and Chinese. Well, until I learned just how unstable the earnings are for a wildlife biologist and how most of them never really have much money. The photojournalism thing I looked up more on and decided it wasn't for me, as much as I love taking pictures. Maybe for National Geographic or something, but the odds of that would be pretty low, right?

Your previous post said nothing to indicate a job; I am glad that you have one; I would hope that you are either paying rent to your folks or helping out a lot around the house.

All the jobs you mention are rather glamourous and not very common, but you find fault with all of them; many of the reasons are unrelated to the job itself: "I want to be free to travel the world"; "the salary doesn't meet my standards," etc. No job is going to be 100% likable; no salary is going to start and remain high and stable always. No matter where you work there will be people and situations you have to deal with that are not exciting or what anyone would aspire to, but they are a part of life in the real world. Sometimes you have to make your own opportunities. Are you a good photographer? Have you taken journalism classes? How are you at languages, especially ones that are not based upon European languages? How are you at biology and sciences in general?

You work at a newspaper--consider looking into other opportunities may be available there, even if it is more of an intern position to see if writing and photography appeals, and whether you have the necessary talent?

When was the last time you went to a modern zoo, especially behind the scenes to see what is actually involved in being a zookeeper, and how the animals actually live. Your description does not fit what I have seen in any number of zoos over the last 20 years.

Learning to program is not that different from learning to read and write. Dick & Jane are not that exciting, but they lead to books that are. If you don't want a desk job, that is fine, and it is good personal insight to know that it doesn't fit.

I don't know how many hours you have, but there are a good many general elective hours required for most majors. At least a part of the purpose of these is to expose the students to different fields of study. (Yes, they also produce a person with a well-rounded education.) Choose electives in the fields which interest you and see if 1) the interest persists and 2) if you're good at it.​

 

[farmerlor]

My daughter is journalism/english/history major in college. She's worked on various newspapers and magazines as an intern since she was in high school. She's the editor of her college paper and works as an intern at a magazine. HER dream job was to work in photo journalism for Nat'l Geo or Smithsonian and I can tell you that I don't think those people are taking interns or they're only accepting professionals because she's applied every year and with her cred she should be at the top of the lists.
Anyway, don't want to be a bummer here. My suggestion is to go back to college and continue plugging along at classes that interest you. Start applying for those internships and they may help narrow your focus as well as learning more about the possibilities you have ahead of you with your range of interests. I hear Marine biology is going places.....ever do any SCUBA?

 

[Chickenmaven]

If you were childless & 19, I might suggest an interest inventory. But you are not a kid, so I have to ask: What do you need/expect to earn? How many kids do you have? What ages?
This may sound harsh, but what are your realistic, bottom line needs? I teach at a community college & am "spoiled" by dealing with people with very practical ideas about life. They study sonography in order to get health insurance & to meet their kids' bus at 3 pm. You need real, grown-up goals!
I am a mom, too. I know that I will not be free to travel the globe doing research until my kids are on their own. I know that I would have to live like a pauper to swing that.

So, maybe not...

 

[georgialee]

Most things to do with animals don't pay well unfortunately. I think you have the most potential for a wide range of jobs with wildlife biology. money doesn't always equal happiness, ya know? You may end up doing something you love and not care about the money as much. OR do something that pays the bills + some and work with animals in your spare time.

 

[GaNewChick]

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I commend you for showing in my eyes the maturity to look at the positives/negatives, asking questions, realizing that you don't want to waste money and time on school until you have made a decision you can live with, and knowing that you need to get it in gear ~ otherwise life does get in the way and you never go back to school. Nothing wrong in setting goals to have a good job that pays good.

I wish my 25 yr old step-daughter showed 1/4 of the desire that you show to make something of yourself.

 

[WildernessLofts]

I don't live with my parents.

I don't have any children. I know I'm not ready for that leap. There are still things I need to experience in life for myself before I create new life. I want kids, yes, but I'm smart enough to know I shouldn't be making them, yet.

I don't want to sound like a braggart. Indeed, I hope I don't, but I've always been one to excel at anything I want to do. Sports, photography, different areas of study... You name it, and if it interests me enough, I can learn it. I taught myself Greek through an independent study class for the gifted students my Junior year.

I think this is what my problem stems from. There's so much I *could* do that I can't decide on what I *should* do. There's also so much I worry I can't do. Yes, I know this sounds like a contradiction, but let me explain:

Growing up, I was a very angry child. I had a horrible home life. Abuse, neglect, poverty, etc. I was a bit rebellious. No, I never did anything like drink, smoke, do drugs, or engage in criminal activities, but I did not respect authority. I hated school. I felt like it caged me in. I felt like it held me back. I was only able to learn what the school taught me. When the information wasn't as fast to come by as I wanted it, I was stuck in slow motion. I was supposed to skip grades in grade school. My family, however, wouldn't allow this. For some reason, the school didn't bother to put me in the gifted program even though I had far exceeded the requirements. As a result, I stopped caring. Stopped trying. In my childhood mind, I thought, "Why should I even bother when no one seems to care how much I can succeed?"

By the time I entered high school, I had fought and argued with the system long enough that they finally agreed to give me the test again. Which I passed, again. However, more complications arose. The principal didn't like me. In fact, he didn't like any of us gifted children. Some speculated it was because he felt threatened. Maybe he was jealous. Maybe he just didn't know how to handle us. As a result, we didn't get fair treatment like we should have. I think it might be a classic "small school" scenario. Anyway, point is, he found new ways to hold me back academically. It came to the point that I wanted to just drop out and forget school. However, as ignorantly rebellious as I was, I wasn't THAT stupid, so I opted to early graduate. I had more than enough credits already by my Junior year. I asked to graduate a semester early and be done with high school after the first term of my Senior year. The principal refused. He said it would make the school look bad and he wouldn't allow it. I lost it. I dropped every single class I had except for English and a computer networking course I was taking at the technical center. All through high school, I had been a failure. I hadn't cared one lick about school and just wanted out. That was my demise. Looking back, I can see why he denied my request. I didn't deserve it. Here I was, a gifted child with so much potential, barely carrying a C average because I simply didn't care. I could have easily carried a 4.0 or high if I had tried. I didn't, though. I had let myself down and didn't even realize it, yet.

And that leaves us at where we are today. I screwed up my education. Big time. I could have gone to Cornell, Harvard, Yale, etc. (In fact, I got birthday cards from Cornell for a few years.) I didn't, though. I threw it all away. I eventually got my life in order enough to go to a college near me. I had lost all chances of good scholarships, though. I was able to get a pell grant and some other financial aid thanks to the income of my mother. For some reason, when I was ready to go back the next year, they were saying my mom's SSN didn't match her name and refused to give me any grants or loans. I didn't find this out until a week before classes were due to start and I didn't have the 14k they were asking to keep going, so I had to give up.

I'm ready to try again and old enough to not have to worry about listing my parents on my FAFSA, so now I'm trying to figure out what to do. I'm not writing all of this for pity or because I feel sorry for myself. Just trying to give some background info to explain why I am where I am. I didn't have the worst life imaginable, but I had one most kids won't have to worry about. I let it get to me too much and became too angry over it and took it out on the school system and ultimately, myself. Many of my friends tell me I'm lucky, though. The fact that I have lived through all of this and have come out relatively unscathed. I still stick to my values. I still don't drink. I still have never touched a cigarette or a drug. I still don't engage in casual "relations". My law record is flawless. Not even a speeding ticket. In fact, I'm the complete antithesis of my mother. Some of my friends consider that a miracle. I don't know. I just know how I stand on those things and know I could never allow myself to be like her or do the things to my children that she did to me.

At any rate, I thank you all for the help and advice you're giving. I know I can be stubborn, but I really just want to figure my life out. I don't want to end up like her. I want to ENJOY what I do, though. I don't want to be broken down feeling like I have no choices in my own life. I want to do what I love, but I want what I love to be rewarding enough that it gives my kids a better life than I've had. I don't want them to make my mistakes out of anger or misguidance. I guess money is such a big issue for me because money scares me. It can make or break a person. I know what I've had to go through and I don't want to always live like that.

I think that's one problem I have with Sonoran's first reply. Calling some of my choices "exotic". No. I refuse to see it that way. I refuse to believe that I can't do anything I set my mind to. I DO have the choice. Any person should have the choice if they are capable of making it.

Thank you for taking the time to read this extremely long string of nonsense.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

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So you were talking about your future kids?

 

[WildernessLofts]

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Yes.

I like to plan ahead. Every decision I make now will affect the future, so I try to look at as many variables as I can in the choices I make. Something I lacked too much of in my younger days.

 

[WriterofWords]

Planning ahead is good, but planning so far ahead that you are taking into consideration children you don't even have yet is taking it too far right now. Rarely will a wonderful opportunity that pays well and is exactly what you dreamed of fall into your lap, you have to get started to even attempt to get that far.

Get your basics out of the way first. If you really want to travel and see the world try being a military vet. Yes they do boring things like check the meat locker in the Commissary for violations, but they get to do neat things too. During Desert Shield and Desert Storm they tried to do what they could for the animals in the Kuwait Zoo. Also during this most recent conflict in Iraq they are there helping not only exotic zoo animals but teaching the locals how to care for their own animals. No it's not a fancy job with cool title, but it's a good one and it has great benefits.

My suggestion is plan a couple of years ahead and work your way to where you want to be slowly, don't expect to get there in one giant leap. I love my job teaching, I make lousy money and gripe about it all the time. I worked the most menial jobs to get here too and it took me a long time as a single parent who started college part time. Short term plans are easier to get to and they give you a sense of accomplishment. Get off your fanny, stop worrying about the kids you don't have, and go get yourself started.

 

[the4heathernsmom]

You need to find a starting point get into a small junior or community college. You can figure out the rest along the way but you have to start somewhere. I admire what you have said and you seem determined and you soooo need to do this before kids and a family. I am 36 years old and just now going back to school with a family and four kids and let me tell ya it is ROUGH!!! Start small instead of trying to analyze everything all at once. You can get a pell and if you research a bit there are all kinds of scholarships from essays alone, I got one from a foundation in Minnesota on research interests for 200.00. Scholarships are everywhere you just have to do a little digging and find them. you know you have to have your basics so start small most pre reqs will transfer so prove in your basics that you have what a major college is looking for in your grades and you have a speedy start and chances are after finishing a few college hours with 4.0's you will open a world of doors for financial aid. You can do this you are just trying to eat the whole apple instead of taking a bite at a time. I screwed up too in my youth in high school but that doesn't dictate your future. Alittle time and effort and you can prove that you are no longer that person. I encourage you to start now as there is so much available for those of us who are ummmm let's just say economically disadvantaged lol!!!