What should I do with my life?

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fishmonger12

Senior member
Sep 14, 2004
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So I'm a freshman in college at UNC Chapel Hill and like chemistry + economics. And honestly I have no idea what I want to do as a career. I know all of you are going to be like "It depends on what you like,"; I think that's a load of bull. I like chemistry, that doesn't mean I'll like getting paid to sit in a lab mixing things waiting for something desirable to happen. I like econ, that doesn't mean I'll like sitting around doing database work/statistics all day for an investment banking firm. The real problem is I don't know what the jobs people get with these majors are actually like.

My brother's perspective is the reason it's a job and not a hobby is because it inherently sucks, and you just have to pick a career where every once in a while you can say "Hey, this doesn't suck so bad." Is this true? Are there any of you out there who make a respectable living (ie enough to have a decent apartment, car, good food, support a significant other) who enjoy their job?

If any of you have any insight into this that'd be great. Thanks.
 
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kt

Diamond Member
Apr 1, 2000
6,032
1,348
136
Don't turn your hobby into your work / job. You may end up hating it once it turns into work.
 
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mjh

Platinum Member
Oct 10, 2005
2,442
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Jobs within the Biomed industry are absolutely booming right now.

Ultimately, like kindly pointed out by several other members in this thread, it truly does boil down to what you like. ;)
 
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Balt

Lifer
Mar 12, 2000
12,673
482
126
If you have an aptitude for chemistry, become a chemical engineer.
 
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Coquito

Diamond Member
Nov 30, 2003
8,559
1
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Fishmongers can make good money. If you can get up at 3am to feel up a bunch of tuna, you might have what it takes. :)
 
HomeBrewerDude

HomeBrewerDude

Lifer
Jan 18, 2001
14,465
1
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PSA: Denstists have the highest suicide rate. IMO, its because its a really boring job and people don't like dentists...

 
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Zugzwang152

Lifer
Oct 30, 2001
12,134
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Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude
PSA: Denstists have the highest suicide rate. IMO, its because its a really boring job and people don't like dentists...
Click to expand...

but the $$$, think of the $$$!
 
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DCFife

Senior member
May 24, 2001
679
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My brother-in-law enjoys chemistry and economics too. He's a pharmaceutical engineer and loves to play the stock market...see, it's possible to do what you like.
 
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Descartes

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
13,968
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I make a great living and enjoy what I do. My grandfather was lead chemist at Dupont in their R&D department, and he loved every day that he went to work; he still talks about how he misses it. My brother is an electrician and loves it; he makes a good living doing it too.

So, it's possible, and assuming otherwise just commits the rest of your life to relative misery. You're misunderstanding the spirit of "do what you enjoy." I enjoy a lot of things, but most of them I wouldn't want to do for a living. I enjoy math, chemistry, physics, etc. but there's no way I'd ever want to do any of them professionally. What I would do is find out what you fundamentally enjoy. Is it problem solving? Working with people? Science? Do you like to work in isolation for hours, days or years at a time solving one problem? Do you prefer a more dynamic environment where you're doing 20 things at once? Do you like order in your life, or are you more of an agile, adaptive, ad-hoc person that can respond quickly to change?

You need to ask yourself some more questions.
 
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broon

Diamond Member
Jun 5, 2002
3,660
1
81
[twistedsister]I WANNA ROCK![/twistedsister]

Go into the medical field. Pharmaceuticals is my vote.
 
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fishmonger12

Senior member
Sep 14, 2004
759
0
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Originally posted by: Descartes
I make a great living and enjoy what I do. My grandfather was lead chemist at Dupont in their R&D department, and he loved every day that he went to work; he still talks about how he misses it. My brother is an electrician and loves it; he makes a good living doing it too.

So, it's possible, and assuming otherwise just commits the rest of your life to relative misery. You're misunderstanding the spirit of "do what you enjoy." I enjoy a lot of things, but most of them I wouldn't want to do for a living. I enjoy math, chemistry, physics, etc. but there's no way I'd ever want to do any of them professionally. What I would do is find out what you fundamentally enjoy. Is it problem solving? Working with people? Science? Do you like to work in isolation for hours, days or years at a time solving one problem? Do you prefer a more dynamic environment where you're doing 20 things at once? Do you like order in your life, or are you more of an agile, adaptive, ad-hoc person that can respond quickly to change?

You need to ask yourself some more questions.
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I've asked myself those questions, and the problem is, to an extent, I enjoy doing all of those things. I like working on complex math problems for a couple hours every once in a while, but I dont know if I could do that every day all day. I like working with people, but when you work with someone long enough they inevitably get boring.
 
Miramonti

Miramonti

Lifer
Aug 26, 2000
28,653
100
106
Pursue what you like in school and don't worry right now about what you want to do.
 
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fishmonger12

Senior member
Sep 14, 2004
759
0
0
Originally posted by: sash1
UNC blows! Demon Deacons > Tarheels

;) :p
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Yeah. That's why we don't like you people.

Have you ever considered the fact you're paying ~160 G for the same education I'm getting for 30 after scholarship.

And our basketball team owns yours. ;) :p
 
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