How do i end up doing what I want?

I like creative stuff. That is why I’m going to take visual effects, video editing, 3d animating and all that stuff. I chose all that because It is something I enjoy and can make a good amount of money from. It is true that you should pick anything you enjoy and makes you happy but also try to find something that also offers a generous amount of money. If these things are really what you want to do for your future just explain to your mother how you want to live a happy future and not be miserable for the rest of your life.

Do you have to decide, in the Canadian Universities, on a concentration or program before matriculating? Here if you simply pick a quality school, it will offer programs to appease your mom and also give you a chance to try Anthropology or Classics at a low level and see what evolves.

Your mother cannot expect you to chart a serious career choice at 18, can she?

Throw a tantrum.

@pixel: she thinks that things i enjoyed 4 years ago are still what i enjoy doing. she keeps on saying “oh, you were on the school paper 2 years ago, you liked that. why dont you try out journalism” or “you seemed to enjoy being on the student union, so why dont you do that”.

@ gailcalled: from where i am now, i cant go into science (medicine, physics, biology, chemistry, etc…) or commerce. so, i have all social sciences to choose from, which is great. certain universities specialize in certain areas, like University of British Columbia has a great anthropology school, but not so good communications. Concordia is almost the opposite. Queens has better history and religion programs. Another factor is that some schools are very far away, and my parents would not be that comfortable with that, but that discussion is for another time and has been mentioned before on fluther.

So, you have to stick w. the Canadian system?Would you be allowed to head south?
UBC is around the corner? What about McGill or U of Toronto.?

(A friend of my daughter’s from third grade is living in V’couver and married to a prof. at UBC. I could find out what his specialty is if you like. Just say the word.)

@gail: american schools are way too expensive and its cheaper for canadians to go to school in canada. UBC is on the other side of the continent. mcgill doesnt “specialize” in what im interested in. it deals mainly with medicine and science. U of T is just a horrible school altogether and isnt recognized as well for grad school.

haha. that wont be necessary. i want to get in for my intellect, not my connections. thanks anyways.

No, I was not implying that, Zack. This guy would have nothing to do with your admissions status; just a source for info.

Why can’t you do science?

I think it also depends on the minor you take (if you have minors in Canada, I’m not sure how the education system works there) but I know a lot of kids who are majoring in history. Truth be told, there’s not much you can do with a history major career-wise so most of them have an education minor and they are planning on being history teachers. Would you be interested in teaching anthropology?

You could also look into schools whose graduates tend to get good jobs right out of college. I am a media production major which normally wouldn’t get me very far, but students from my school get great internship opportunities and often get good jobs after graduation.

Also, if you’re not wedded to making a lot of money in your field right out of school, you could talk to your mom about getting a job outside of your field to supplement any earnings you make in your field.

I think what Gail may be getting at (not that she isn’t perfectly capable of explaining herself) is that most people do not end up working in the field they initially study out of high school. It’s so hard to know what you want to do with the next 50ish years when really you’re learning who you are and want to be.

College is a great time to get exposed to new ideas, new people, and new activities. Unless you’re just completely sold that anthropology is your life’s dream, why not poke around a bit at a school with a solid reputation. I don’t know much about the differences between Canadian colleges and colleges in the US, but here the first couple semesters are going to get you a lot of your basics and if you change your mind most of your work so far transfers well. Why not take the basics and various classes that interest you to get a better grip on what you enjoy and excel at?

A couple real life examples -

My wife went into school sure she wanted to be a physical therapist, after a few years of school she had a chance to see more of what the day to day to work is like and didn’t enjoy it. She switched slightly and now loves being an ER nurse.

My brother went into college as a drama major and was doing very well. He landed roles in quite a few productions. He decided it wasn’t what he wanted to do forever, switched his path, and came out of school on time with a molecular biology degree. Since then he’s done cancer research for several organizations looking for cures.

My last boss graduated with a degree in physical therapy, didn’t enjoy it, and started a small business with her husband selling baby products. She loves it.

Take your time and find something you love to do, there’s no benefit to settling for something you don’t enjoy but if you’re unsure, lay the groundwork while you figure it out.

Mtl_zack “when it comes to the subjects that i like (anthropology, classics, etc…) she says “we’ll think about it””

This is a toughie since, in spite of what your mother says, she’s got some specific ideas.

People go on to university for 3 reasons:
They know exactly what they want to study and get right into it.
They have an idea about things they like and need to get some experience in different areas to see how they like it.
They don’t know what else to do and all their friends are going so why not.

You sound like the second type, so do some homework. Go to your local universities and meet with professor’s and talk to them about the things you are interested in and what kinds of careers exist.
Anthropology has quite a few areas of specialty and career options including teaching.
Classics would be a reasonable part of a study program for someone who wanted to write, edit, etc. One of my high school buddies studied anthropology and his career has taken him all over the world.

You need to show your mom that not only do you like a field of study, but that you’ve also thought about the work related opportunities and they are….(doesn’t matter a lot that some of those work opportunities are not interesting, just that they exist}.

Also work on helping her accept that a general program of studies is best in the first couple of years and most schools don’t require you to declare a major for at least one year and often 2.

Someone who has great desire and affinity for a particular field is more likely to excel in their studies and will find a satisfying career.

Maybe there are people on Fluther who work in your areas of interest.

But be prepared to stand your ground if this is important to you. You do not want to get forced into studying something you do not like.

I’ve been a professor with a few students who were in my field because that’s what there parents decided. They were miserable and failed out of the program. I’ve also had a few employees who made it through their university program just fine, but hated the realities of the career that they studied. They too, didn’t do well.