I don't know what to do.

I concur with Emily! It's hard to know what you want to do if you haven't tried it! It's like asking you if you like brussel sprouts, but you never tried them. How are you supposed to know? There are various interest surveys you can do. Don't talk yourself out of something for any little reason. For example, don't say I don't want to work in the medical field because I look horrible in scrubs. There are positions that don't require scrubs! That's just an example.

Now, let's talk about technology. Technology touches on nearly every field! You don't have to be doing techno whiz kid stuff. Truck drivers are even keeping their logs on a computer! So, if you really like being on a screen all day, that's fine. You could be a Scribe. That is the person who goes into the room with the doctor, and enters all the notes, so the doctor actually interacts with the patient rather than the computer! Some doctors use them, some don't. You could do medical billing and coding. They make sure the right codes go on the invoices. By the way, neither of these require a 4 year degree. You could do radiology tech type work - taking xrays, mri's, ct scans, etc. A lot of times young people aren't around the medical office much, so they don't know what all is out there.

I don't have a medical background, but like to encourage people to consider it, as it has every conceivable job. . . hospitals have warehouses, dietary department, etc.

I also would encourage you to consider the military. They will test you to see what you are best suited for. The testing is free. You can always decide to say no! But, consider enlisting, as it helps young people with the transition to adulthood. (being away from home, being responsible for handling your money, etc., leadership responsibilities, etc.) And, it looks good on a resume!

But really, don't sweat this too much. People tend to change jobs a lot more than they used to, and lots of times, one job can lead to another in a totally different career field - you will learn that "transferable skills" are those that can help you bridge from one area to another. For example, I relied on my law enforcement experience to land a job doing job placement at the workforce center. That's because of my experience talking to people, my report writing skills, and my understanding of the need to maintain the confidentiality of the information I handled! You aren't really "stuck" in one field!

Kim

Hi,

My suggestion would be to research different careers. Where possible, if you know anyone in the career ask what they like and do not like about it.

Focus on your strengths. ( ie if you like working with people, maybe HR is a career to research)

Remember to be flexible! I started with a Business and Marketing degree. I now work in Process Improvement. All the skills I learnt in this degree all help me in this role. So any type of skills gained

Hi Christine!

I hear that you're feeling pretty overwhelmed with the thought of picking a major. I hear you! It probably feels like so much pressure. Everyone is always asking you what you want to do for the rest of your life and what you're going to major in. That can be really stressful when you feel like you don't have an answer. I'm here to help you!

I will start by telling you that you are in the VAST majority that doesn't have an answer about what they want to do. It's okay to not know. You don't have to have an answer and saying "I'm not sure what I want to do yet." is a perfectly acceptable response. I didn't know what I wanted to do either.

The first thing to do when you get to college is to meet with your advisor. Tell them all of your interests. They will recommend classes to take and maybe even some clubs and organizations to get involved in. Your freshman year is ALL about trying new things. You can take some courses and get involved with one field and if you don't feel like you fit well, you can simply change direction. I changed my major from Art to Biology to Education and eventually found Communications which I LOVED. I didn't pick communications until my Junior year of COLLEGE. I still managed to graduate within 4 years too. My older sister picked Psychology and stuck with it for the whole 4 years but after she graduated, she never used her degree and chose to be a vet tech instead- and had to go BACK to school again. She said she regretted not trying more majors.

Also, try reaching out to different professors in any major you're interested in (especially the department head). They will be able to talk about their personal experience in the field and give you advice about what to expect so you can make a more educated decision (Plus, professors LOVE to talk about themselves and will be happy you popped in to ask).

I know that saying "Don't worry" isn't always helpful, but do know that things will fall into place. Explore as much as you can, ask a lot of questions, try new things- eventually something will click.

Hope that helps!

best,

Emily