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What careers and college majors would you consider if these were your interests?
Not sure if it's the same for other high school students but mine has us focus on self-awareness and college prep as part of curriculum outside of working with our guidance counselors. It's part of my english class. Something we have been working on is an essay about our career interests.
I am a high school senior with several interests focused mainly on how our mind and body work. I like building relationships to understand and help others because empathy and compassion are my most important values. I enjoy meeting new people because it exposes me to different perspectives which I believe is important. I am very curious and enjoy research to understand people such as why they think a certain way and their motivations leading to my interest in psychology. I am an avid reader and enjoy forming relationships with the characters and storyline which also helps broaden my perspective and learn about people. I’d like to be able to encourage and help others understand themselves and build their self-confidence, particularly those who are misunderstood.
I am also very detail and process-oriented meaning I like organizing, setting goals, and planning particularly for self-improvement. I’m good at science and math, which are my other favorite subjects because they allow me to solve problems requiring logic and order. Industries I am interested in are education, health care, and mental health
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10 answers
Updated
Atul’s Answer
I will give you short and succinct answer: Psychology.
You may to acquire BS as well as MS degree to be successful.
You may to acquire BS as well as MS degree to be successful.
Thank you for the advice.
Caitlin
Updated
Ashley’s Answer
Hi Caitlin - it sounds like you would be a great life coach! There are many ways that psychologists and therapists use their education to create impact plans for their clients/patients. Additionally, life coaches are accredited and go through formal training. You may consider doing this either individually, or as part of a company who provides this kind of support. You also may find yourself providing this as a resource to companies who want to focus on employee wellness.
Thanks Ashley, I have thought about similar things. Helpful to see you agree!
Caitlin
Updated
Jill’s Answer
Hi Caitlin,
I agree with other posters who have suggested psychology. It looks like your interests and strengths may be a good match for the study of psychology. I'd also recommend taking a look at an offshoot of psychology called Child Life. This is a general definition of a child life specialist: "Child life specialists are pediatric health care professionals who work with children and families in hospitals and other settings to help them cope with the challenges of hospitalization, illness, and disability." Take a look at the Association of Child Life Professionals at https://childlife.org/ to see if that might spark your interest.
I agree with other posters who have suggested psychology. It looks like your interests and strengths may be a good match for the study of psychology. I'd also recommend taking a look at an offshoot of psychology called Child Life. This is a general definition of a child life specialist: "Child life specialists are pediatric health care professionals who work with children and families in hospitals and other settings to help them cope with the challenges of hospitalization, illness, and disability." Take a look at the Association of Child Life Professionals at https://childlife.org/ to see if that might spark your interest.
Never heard of a child life specialist, but sounds interesting! Thank you
Caitlin
Sabha Rabaya
University lecturer and medical laboratory scientist
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Sabha’s Answer
Hello Caitlin
After reading your description, I think you should consider a career path as a clinical psychologist.
All the best,
After reading your description, I think you should consider a career path as a clinical psychologist.
All the best,
Thank you so much for the advice.
Caitlin
Updated
Leslie’s Answer
Google: Personal Awareness and Self Improvement Major
Description: A program that focuses on the knowledge and skills useful in becoming aware of one's feelings, using methods of assessing one's personal attributes, and being aware of how one is perceived by others. Reference: https://www.mymajors.com/college-majors/personal-awareness-and-self-improvement/
You can be a counselor, life coach, etc. and go on to do your masters in psychology get licensed. You can compose research studies. As an undergrad I graduated with honors cum laude wrote an honors thesis as a crisis hotline counselor interviewed other counselors. The goal is to have a job in mind then make sure you acquire the credentials to get jobs in the career of your choice. If you have time, look up the types of jobs you’re interested in and check credentials they want. That should help you plan ahead better.
Description: A program that focuses on the knowledge and skills useful in becoming aware of one's feelings, using methods of assessing one's personal attributes, and being aware of how one is perceived by others. Reference: https://www.mymajors.com/college-majors/personal-awareness-and-self-improvement/
You can be a counselor, life coach, etc. and go on to do your masters in psychology get licensed. You can compose research studies. As an undergrad I graduated with honors cum laude wrote an honors thesis as a crisis hotline counselor interviewed other counselors. The goal is to have a job in mind then make sure you acquire the credentials to get jobs in the career of your choice. If you have time, look up the types of jobs you’re interested in and check credentials they want. That should help you plan ahead better.
Updated
Pamela’s Answer
I admire your ability to put your thoughts down on paper! You seem to be very self-aware and goal oriented. I am a retired teacher and, in my profession, I worked with students on IEPS or Individual Education Plans. One of the things I enjoyed most was figuring out what each child needed to succeed in life. At times I joked I was like a personal investigator looking at each student's strengths and weaknesses then planning a unique strategy just for them.
As I moved into my career I began wondering what it might have been like to be someone on the outside of the school building doing the same job. Teaching had so many facets to deal with every day. Inclusionary practices brought in to play the personalities of each teacher they met with, and I had less time with my students to get to know them and implement my plans. I am not saying inclusion was bad by any means. It just altered my approach and I felt less successful at knowing them as a complete learner.
If I were younger, I would love to be able to write a program for all teachers/students that tracks learner's strengths and weaknesses while allowing the teachers to see first-hand what they need. What do I mean? Well, I actually tracked results from tests etc on spreadsheets so I could see what had been mastered and what needed taught in another fashion once again. I also monitored social skills needs. By doing so my class (not the gifted class) scored higher than the group with the highest leveled students. I had the middle of the line kids. Their test scores beat out the other kids. Not bragging, just making a point that if someone designed an easy way to track progress for all kids' education would be more successful. Too much time is spent on teaching things they already know and not enough time on things they need to do more inquiry on. We are wasting students time in the classrooms of America.
I challenge someone out there to design this formatted idea. It should be based on the curriculum for each individual grade level. Mastery should not be that a topic was merely covered but known and understood. If they have mastered most all concepts, focus on the ones they haven't.
I admire your post and think you have a bright future ahead of you. I don't know if what I have written inspires you. If it does, great! If not, perhaps it will inspire someone else. Best wishes.
As I moved into my career I began wondering what it might have been like to be someone on the outside of the school building doing the same job. Teaching had so many facets to deal with every day. Inclusionary practices brought in to play the personalities of each teacher they met with, and I had less time with my students to get to know them and implement my plans. I am not saying inclusion was bad by any means. It just altered my approach and I felt less successful at knowing them as a complete learner.
If I were younger, I would love to be able to write a program for all teachers/students that tracks learner's strengths and weaknesses while allowing the teachers to see first-hand what they need. What do I mean? Well, I actually tracked results from tests etc on spreadsheets so I could see what had been mastered and what needed taught in another fashion once again. I also monitored social skills needs. By doing so my class (not the gifted class) scored higher than the group with the highest leveled students. I had the middle of the line kids. Their test scores beat out the other kids. Not bragging, just making a point that if someone designed an easy way to track progress for all kids' education would be more successful. Too much time is spent on teaching things they already know and not enough time on things they need to do more inquiry on. We are wasting students time in the classrooms of America.
I challenge someone out there to design this formatted idea. It should be based on the curriculum for each individual grade level. Mastery should not be that a topic was merely covered but known and understood. If they have mastered most all concepts, focus on the ones they haven't.
I admire your post and think you have a bright future ahead of you. I don't know if what I have written inspires you. If it does, great! If not, perhaps it will inspire someone else. Best wishes.
Thank you! This was very kind and I appreciate it
Caitlin
HUGZ Thank you
Pamela Taylor
Updated
Margaret’s Answer
You've gotten a lot of good answers on what you could do with your skills. But I would like to flip the question:
The question isn't what you CAN do, but rather what do you WANT to do? Because it's easier acquire the skills you need to do something you feel is truly important compared to finding passion for something you are skilled at but ambivalent towards.
A good framework I have used for this in the past is: what is a burning problem in *your world* that you want to solve?
Your world: the places you go, the things you do, the people you meet.
You mention you want to help people who are misunderstood. Be very specific: who are they? why are they misunderstood? how is this problem personal to you? For example, do you have an autistic sibling that is misunderstood by others? Or are your parents immigrants who don't speak the language well and have trouble acclimating to the US? Digging deep into what makes this question personal and important to you might give you the best clues as to the problem you want to solve. And then you might get some ideas for next steps - helping people with autism might require you to study neuroscience, while helping immigrants with language will put you on another path. Once you have some ideas of what might be possible, find ways to try it out - volunteer or intern with a relevant organization. Speak to someone who does the work and learn what their days are made up of.
The question isn't what you CAN do, but rather what do you WANT to do? Because it's easier acquire the skills you need to do something you feel is truly important compared to finding passion for something you are skilled at but ambivalent towards.
A good framework I have used for this in the past is: what is a burning problem in *your world* that you want to solve?
Your world: the places you go, the things you do, the people you meet.
You mention you want to help people who are misunderstood. Be very specific: who are they? why are they misunderstood? how is this problem personal to you? For example, do you have an autistic sibling that is misunderstood by others? Or are your parents immigrants who don't speak the language well and have trouble acclimating to the US? Digging deep into what makes this question personal and important to you might give you the best clues as to the problem you want to solve. And then you might get some ideas for next steps - helping people with autism might require you to study neuroscience, while helping immigrants with language will put you on another path. Once you have some ideas of what might be possible, find ways to try it out - volunteer or intern with a relevant organization. Speak to someone who does the work and learn what their days are made up of.
Updated
Sara’s Answer
I would suggest Occupational Therapy. If you like a more hands-on approach then Occupational Therapy will allow you to use play to develop children's skills. You will also build relationships and interact with families to further the skills learned in therapy for their home setting. If you choose to switch age groups; OT's also treat adults and geriatrics. The field is very hands-on, medical-based, and has a psychological component to get patients to engage in therapy. There is also a strong mental health background in Occupational Therapy.
Updated
Victor’s Answer
Hello Caitlin,
Based on the different things you described you like, I think definitely you will be a good fit for the psychology field and related careers. A specific career you might want to consider is organizational psychology. In this field you will be analyzing the behavior of the employees and will be able to improve the workplace and their performance.
Updated
William’s Answer
Hi Caitlin!
You have some of the qualities for your choices, but PATIENCE is a must for them. Any of the areas you are lacking can be worked on for self improvement by learning and discipline.
Any of these will be okay for you. Read strengths for your interests below.
1. MEDICAL SCIENCES / HEALTH CARE / PSYCHIATRY
2. TEACHING / COUNSELLING
3. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
EDUCATOR / RESEARCHER:
Critical thinking
Patience
Communication
Organization
Imaginative thinking
Leadership
Teamwork
Time management
Technological skills
Conflict resolution
Learning
HEALTH CARE / MENTAL HEALTH:
Communication skills
Positive attitude
Reception
Patience
Time management
Flexibility
Empathy
Stress management
Attention to detail
Ethics and discipline
Organization
You have some of the qualities for your choices, but PATIENCE is a must for them. Any of the areas you are lacking can be worked on for self improvement by learning and discipline.
Any of these will be okay for you. Read strengths for your interests below.
1. MEDICAL SCIENCES / HEALTH CARE / PSYCHIATRY
2. TEACHING / COUNSELLING
3. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
EDUCATOR / RESEARCHER:
Critical thinking
Patience
Communication
Organization
Imaginative thinking
Leadership
Teamwork
Time management
Technological skills
Conflict resolution
Learning
HEALTH CARE / MENTAL HEALTH:
Communication skills
Positive attitude
Reception
Patience
Time management
Flexibility
Empathy
Stress management
Attention to detail
Ethics and discipline
Organization