- #1
MissSilvy
- 300
- 1
"Major in what you're PASSIONATE in!" and other useless platitudes
I'm sure many people on this forum have been at the point where they needed to make a decision about what to do with themselves as far as careers go. Many of you are probably way beyond that point so I thought perhaps I'd try.
I've been trying to ignore this issue for a while but there's still no getting around the fact that a physicist has a pretty garbagety job. They don't make much, work long hours, and have to deal with all sorts of bureaucracy and b.s. just to get a job. Engineers make more but it's still very low pay and so much headache and stress.
I asked everyone I can think of; career advisers, my academic adviser, professors, friends, parents, people in the industry, and almost everyone I know but I still get pretty empty advice. "Major in what you're passionate in!" as if everyone only had one soul mate major rather than a lot that they're potentially interested in. Or they have some sort of motive to push me in one direction, the most common one being "Be an X; we need more girls in X!"
I may sound like a young whippersnapper but I don't want to go through college and bust my hump at something, even if it's my passion and I'm good at it, just to get out and make 55k a year and maybe be an assistant manager ten years down the line. If I'm lucky, I may even get *gasp* more than that but it's still a rather low salary and a soul-sucking job. I hear all sorts of horror stories about mountains of paperwork, corporate b.s., and hours and hours of overtime that make me cringe at some of these jobs.
I want a field where my hard work and innovation are rewarded, not just treated as something you owe the company for signing your paycheck. Yes, if you're good at your job, you'll be promoted or get a small bonus but it's still woefully disproportionate to the amount of work you do versus what you get out of it. I'm not even just whinging about money; that's not the sole motivator but it is an important one. If money was the number one concern I wouldn't even be asking this question at all; I'd hang my brains, interests, and personality up and get an MBA.
I don't even know what I'm asking this forum. It's like taking shots in the dark but recently I've been frustrated and exhausted by this issue and I needed to do something about it.
**And I do realize that many on this forum are going through hard times and financial troubles where they'd like to have a job at all, much less one that pays 55k a year. I sympathize and I understand that money is nothing to turn your nose up at. I don't mean to insinuate that I'm better than anyone or that I'm far too good for a mere mortal job. This is just mostly heartbroken college student daydreaming than anything.
I'm sure many people on this forum have been at the point where they needed to make a decision about what to do with themselves as far as careers go. Many of you are probably way beyond that point so I thought perhaps I'd try.
I've been trying to ignore this issue for a while but there's still no getting around the fact that a physicist has a pretty garbagety job. They don't make much, work long hours, and have to deal with all sorts of bureaucracy and b.s. just to get a job. Engineers make more but it's still very low pay and so much headache and stress.
I asked everyone I can think of; career advisers, my academic adviser, professors, friends, parents, people in the industry, and almost everyone I know but I still get pretty empty advice. "Major in what you're passionate in!" as if everyone only had one soul mate major rather than a lot that they're potentially interested in. Or they have some sort of motive to push me in one direction, the most common one being "Be an X; we need more girls in X!"
I may sound like a young whippersnapper but I don't want to go through college and bust my hump at something, even if it's my passion and I'm good at it, just to get out and make 55k a year and maybe be an assistant manager ten years down the line. If I'm lucky, I may even get *gasp* more than that but it's still a rather low salary and a soul-sucking job. I hear all sorts of horror stories about mountains of paperwork, corporate b.s., and hours and hours of overtime that make me cringe at some of these jobs.
I want a field where my hard work and innovation are rewarded, not just treated as something you owe the company for signing your paycheck. Yes, if you're good at your job, you'll be promoted or get a small bonus but it's still woefully disproportionate to the amount of work you do versus what you get out of it. I'm not even just whinging about money; that's not the sole motivator but it is an important one. If money was the number one concern I wouldn't even be asking this question at all; I'd hang my brains, interests, and personality up and get an MBA.
I don't even know what I'm asking this forum. It's like taking shots in the dark but recently I've been frustrated and exhausted by this issue and I needed to do something about it.
**And I do realize that many on this forum are going through hard times and financial troubles where they'd like to have a job at all, much less one that pays 55k a year. I sympathize and I understand that money is nothing to turn your nose up at. I don't mean to insinuate that I'm better than anyone or that I'm far too good for a mere mortal job. This is just mostly heartbroken college student daydreaming than anything.
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