[Fleury29]

I should clarify, nothing is interesting that doesn't require years and years and years of math just to be able to do. Things that do interest me I've been told won't get me a job anywhere, and there would be very little reason to get the degree. So I'm stuck. I don't want to work my job, or anything like it anymore. I'm through with the "service" industry, that is to say I'm through having to talk to hundreds of random strangers a day, I'm tired of working between 4-16 hours a day for basically minimum wage. I want to find something I can succeed at, and occasionally get things like raises or promotions. I took a test at school to see what I'd be interested in and all it came up with was what I chose to begin with and decided I didn't like or "technician" which basically sounds like "repairman" or "janitor" with a nicer word attached. I'm good with language, but again, I've been told there's no real point in doing it, I'll be in the same boat I've been. I hate my life.

[JJORANGE]

I kind of feel you. I've been wanting to be a social worker since I was 14 (i'm 22 now). I was so excited when I got accepting into school, and now 2nd year in and I'm questioning if I should go further. But I have no idea what other career I would even look at. It causes me a lot of anxiety

[hvert]

'Technician' can be really lucrative! If you have any interest in fixing or troubleshooting any kind of thing, it wouldn't be a bad idea to explore it... computers, cars, appliances, hvac, sports injuries, etc.

What degrees have you decided are not worth pursuing even though you are interested?

[Fleury29]

Well I wanted a language degree of some sort, but have decided that would put me in the same boat I am now, I want stability, I also want something that would be at least mildly interesting every day, with a new challenge. Repairing my computer usually comes down to three questions, does it turn on? Does resetting it work? Have you gotten a new part? If all of those fail it's time to just get a new PC. Also this would involve talking to hundreds of random people I don't know, again I'm tired of dealing with the public. I don't mind dealing with coworkers, just not the public.

[ManOfConstantSorrow]

Language degrees are hugely useful. Any business, trade, craft, skill, technical expertise can be learnt on the job, but language skills are hard to build in a hurry.

What else do you want to do once you have your language?

Many undergraduate non-language courses have options for placement abroad for people with a basic knowledge of the lingo so you may do part of your degree in the UK (or the US for all I know) and the other part in Spain, France, Germany, Italy or China. Language and culture - ideal.

[Fleury29]

I really have no idea, I just know I like learning languages, and I'd like a chance to be able to use them once in awhile. I'm completely lost.

[ManOfConstantSorrow]

If you love languages then study languages I am sure you won't regret it. Language is a truly portable skill so when you find what you want to do you will already have a great advantage.

[alieninshadows]

Originally Posted by Fleury29

I should clarify, nothing is interesting that doesn't require years and years and years of math just to be able to do. Things that do interest me I've been told won't get me a job anywhere, and there would be very little reason to get the degree. So I'm stuck. I don't want to work my job, or anything like it anymore. I'm through with the "service" industry, that is to say I'm through having to talk to hundreds of random strangers a day, I'm tired of working between 4-16 hours a day for basically minimum wage. I want to find something I can succeed at, and occasionally get things like raises or promotions. I took a test at school to see what I'd be interested in and all it came up with was what I chose to begin with and decided I didn't like or "technician" which basically sounds like "repairman" or "janitor" with a nicer word attached. I'm good with language, but again, I've been told there's no real point in doing it, I'll be in the same boat I've been. I hate my life.

There are lots of career that don't' require year and years of math.
I was inspired by an opera singer who said she was asked by her brother "If money wasn't an issue, what would you be doing right now?" She said "I want to be a singer." He replied "Then why aren't you doing that?" That's when she went on to pursue that dream. She ended up becoming a successful opera singer.
I'm horrible at math. I don't hate it. In fact, I enjoy and prefer doing my own taxes. But because I have dyscalculia I don't like to be in situations where I'm hustled to be quick about it. But I've learned that math is everywhere. Even in art. Art is my raw talent and there are many roads to take with it.
People on average change their careers about 3 times in their life. If you go with something now, there is always a chance to change it later.
Try thinking about what you like to do and then think about why you like to do it. You could be an artist, historian, climatologist, marine biologist. Do you like to work with animals? Plants? Do you enjoy flying? Maybe you could be a pilot.
Don't so much think about getting a degree or certificate just because you think it'll make you feel like your smart or successful. It's all about what you enjoy and how you feel about doing it.

[kennyc]

I've come to believe that the most important thing is to chase your dreams. Do what you love. It may or may not be financially lucrative, but happiness is more important and there are almost always ways to get by. I've chased two major dreams in my 60+ years, the first to be a scientist/physicist and ended up with an Electrical/Engineering Computer Science degree and career after abandoning a psychology degree. I'm now chasing a writing/poetry dream which I've working on part-time for several decades and am now early retired and chasing it full-time.

- it's Joni Mitchell's birthday) but in some ways I wish I'd recognized my desire to pursue literature earlier. We each do what we can.

I took those career aptitude tests and they all said I should be doing something in either languages or arts. I was a music major for a hot minute (I played several instruments and sang) and I thought of majoring in English after I realized that, while I loved playing music, I didn't want to teach it. Even back in the late 90's/early 2000's I realized that being an English major wasn't going to do anything for me unless I wanted to teach (I don't). I mean, there are lots of things you can do with that major, I had an English major roommate back then who was a publicist, but it's not a terribly stable thing to go into. I'm not personable enough to be a publicist anyway.

I ended up going into science which I didn't realize I actually love. It is a field which requires (varying degrees of) mathematical aptitude. I am horrible at math, and I would honestly rather pet a rattlesnake than sit through another semester of math. But I had more science courses than math, and I did get a degree and am working in a field I love. Point is that sometimes the right fit isn't what you thought it was. And don't dismiss an option just because of the math involved. There are necessary evils in everything.

[stewartmays1]

its hard to get into someting you want as a job or career i often find my self with no clue and no sense of direction most of the time but i think you have to stop and take a good hard look at were you are in life and were you want to be ect i know i want to do something i enjoy doing so i have had a hard think about things and now i have a much better idea of were i want to go

[kennyc]

Marco Rubio says become a welder!

[winter4me]

Originally Posted by Fleury29

Well I wanted a language degree of some sort, but have decided that would put me in the same boat I am now, I want stability, I also want something that would be at least mildly interesting every day, with a new challenge. Repairing my computer usually comes down to three questions, does it turn on? Does resetting it work? Have you gotten a new part? If all of those fail it's time to just get a new PC. Also this would involve talking to hundreds of random people I don't know, again I'm tired of dealing with the public. I don't mind dealing with coworkers, just not the public.

Languages are IN DEMAND! As someone in health care & community work, I can tell you there is a great need for translators, ESL teachers,
and-----this could bring you work in another country even....(I had a friend who ended up in a great position because he could travel, and spoke Hebrew, and the language of the Bedouins)
In my area Spanish is especially in demand, also all eastern european, african, and asian languages. A friend of mine works for an insurance company, handling all hispanic customers----I often see ads that request bilingual skills.

[winter4me]

as an example, I went to work one day, and this is in a very white part of the country---and had three patients who spoke three different languages with no one to interpret (one from Portugal, one from Germany, another from Mexico....) and this is happening more and more often.