I need Career Advice for International Affairs?

EVERYONE CAN ANSWER: I need some serious career advice!?

• I began my first year of college last fall when I was seventeen (I had been homeschooled, so I was able to graduate early). Now I am 18 and I still haven't chosen a major... My talent and passion is English, but I'm hesitant to chose it as my major because I'm not sure if I could make enough money to live a comfortable life. I also love science. I am smart and motivated. I know that I have many career paths to chose from. But I simply cannot make up my mind! I think I need some real-life advice. Please post the following about your own career: 1) what your career is 2) what you had to do to get it 3) the best part about it 4) the worst part about it 5) is the job outlook good in your field? 6) is the pay decent? 7) would you have chosen a different career if you could start over again? Any other advice would be much appreciated!!!

• Answer:

  Don't feel pressured into having to declare a major right off the bat. Even if you do, you take mostly introductory 101 classes anyway during your freshman year. When I was in high school, I excelled in both English and Math. I had no idea what I wanted to do, so I declared Electrical Engineering as my major when I entered college, even though I wasn't sure if I actually wanted to be an engineer. I just figured I should pick that because engineers make good money. Well, it turned out that I absolutely hated engineering. I ended up dropping out of school after a year. I worked at a pizza place for about 6 months before I realized I needed to go back to college and get my degree or else I would never get anywhere. When I returned to college, I changed my major to English Literature. I was enjoying my classes again. But by the time I was a senior, I started to hate school (again). But I toughed it out and got my degree. A lot of people criticize a liberal arts education, but I think you have a lot of options if you choose this path. You can work in publishing, marketing, non-profits, government, etc. I strongly suggest though that you take advantage of internships when you discover what field you are interested in. Don't be like me and take jobs such as working in a warehouse/restaurant/retail store during my summers just for the cash--that did absolutely NOTHING for me in terms of getting a leg up in the real world once I graduated. When I graduated, I wasted about 5 years doing stupid jobs (retail). I wish I had those five years back. When I was 26, I got a job with the federal government doing clerical office work, but after five years of that, I found myself working for non-profit associations--first as program assistant, then program manager. It's not the highest paying work, but I enjoy it and it feels rewarding to me (I make about 60k). Again, don't feel pressured into deciding what your life will be right this very moment--you're only 18. There's a good chance that you'll change your mind when you're 25, 30, 35, and maybe again when you're 40! One thing though--you say you like science--this country needs more people to study science, especially physics majors. Just a thought. All these baby boomer engineers and physicists will be retiring in droves soon, so we really, really need people to take their places.