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How many different career fields do human relations and interpersonal skills affect?

I'm an 18-year-old at a loss on what to do with my life. What career path should I choose?

  • I got into university with a plan to major in mathematical economics and minor in computer science. I personally didn't like it (I detest economics) but it was my parents who made the decision. But I went along with it anyways. I liked the look people gave me when I told them what I was studying and I liked how smart it made me feel. Stupid I know. So stupid.   Fast forward to the present I had to withdraw from school this Spring because my grades weren't so good and because I’m going back in the Fall, I have to make a decision on what I want to study. My strengths lie in the arts; I love to write, analyze, debate, etc. But I also really like business, especially the marketing, advertising, public relations aspect of it. I like psychology and the human mind and learning the way people think. I'm taking some courses on Coursera and they all have to do with business or English or history or psychology. The problem is my school doesn't offer a business major (only a minor) – It’s mostly known for its concentration in the STEM fields.   So I’ve decided that I’ll major in English and minor in business. The only problem now is that I’m absolutely TERRIFIED that there’ll be no jobs for me when I graduate. Not to mention I feel a bit ashamed because my family is made up of engineers, mathematicians, economists and doctors. So I’m basically the only one in the humanities:( I don't know what to do. Should I just stick to the safe route and get a degree that'll for sure get me a good job even if I hate it? Or should I pursue something that will help me improve my skills and strengths? P.s. I can't get a summer job because my parents won't let me so thats out of the question.

  • Answer:

    Blacksmith. Well, that response was funny when I first left it, as a response to a question with no details. Is there any way you can manage to disentangle yourself from your parents some? You appear to be at a school that doesn't even offer what you'd like to study because your parents thought you should study something else (and not, frankly, something particularly useful). They no doubt want the best for you, but they're apparently not emotionally capable of helping you get there. For practical reasons, yeah, you should definitely get a degree that you know will get you a job, because the amount of money needed to get a college degree is outrageous and it's a bad idea to make that investment without some pretty solid expectation of a return. That said, you're not going to manage if you major in something you hate because it's very hard to motivate yourself to do the work and succeed when you hate every step of the process. You really do sound like you have your interests figured out, which is great; my suggestion is to find some people working in PR or marketing and ask if they think the degree program you are describing will work. I don't know myself, but it sounds to me like a pretty solid background for someone looking to jump into those fields -- you may well find your worries about not being able to get a job are misplaced. But if it won't work, you don't have a choice: you have to transfer to somewhere that offers a degree program that you'd actually like to complete, with a decent chance at a good job coming out of it. It's your future and you can't give up on it to make your parents happy.

Damon Siefert at Quora Visit the source

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Only you can decide. But an informed decision requires some relevant experience. A lot of people choose college as the way to do it. Another good number choose trade school and work. Some go to the library. Some become Buddha. You need not define yourself by your job either - you can do good, quality work that helps all, while digging ditches and welding pipes (those welders get paid well too I hear). But whatever you do, take pride in it, for its a reflection of your character in how you do something.

Aaron Manley

I don't think this is a question for Quora, this is a question for yourself only. All that other people can do is suggest what jobs THEY enjoy, but since we don't know you, it would be kind of silly to make suggestions like that. I'd honestly suggest you find a temporary job, and earn a bit of money while you keep thinking about what truly interests you in life and what gives you that drive. Try a couple of jobs from different fields, work as an intern to gain some experience if necessary. Not everyone knows what career is good for them at the age of 18. Good luck! :)

Yoni Friedman

I would say you should do a Bachelors in Business Administration with emphasis on Marketing / Public Relations. Since you are good in writing, analysis etc, you will really shine there. Why do you care if none in your family are into humanities? Don't bother about what others say or tell you to do. Since you also like psychology, you will be able to gauge people very well as to how to market your company's products. I have no idea where you are... but I am guessing it is the US. I also think you should learn Mandarin if you can. Since China is not going to go away anytime soon, a lot of opportunities will come your way to bridge the two nations' need to be cooperative partners. You may want to make effort in improving your economics knowledge. It will work very well in tandem with your business degree. You may want to do MBA at a later date. You should change schools because your current school is not the right one for you. Let me know if you want to discuss this further.

Sai Nellore

I guess its hard to tell if you are going to 'hate' a job without even trying ; but certainly if you are looking at long term stability - which is a good option, you do need to be in a job that either you enjoy, or is a step on the right path to a position you will enjoy. Having said that, many of us do end up doing something entirely different in our lives from what we envisaged at 18. Sad to say, but when it comes to the job market, there is one thing that tends to be more important than degrees or grades ; that is of course connections, the old case of who you (or your parents) know being more helpful than what you know academically. From what you say, I wonder if aiming for a job with an enforcement agency aiming to be a profiler or interviewer ( perhaps in a different field, e.g. child interviewer ) could be a type of career to consider, where your analytic and phycology traits would come to the fore.

Warren Olson

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