Pursuing what I enjoy or what I'm good at?

  • Thread starter Thread starter HannyJess
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a high school senior seeking advice on whether to pursue a college major in astronomy, which they are passionate about, or to choose a field where they feel more competent, such as literature. The conversation touches on the challenges of math and science in relation to their interests and future career aspirations.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that the original poster should explore different subjects in their first semester rather than making a definitive decision now.
  • Another participant emphasizes the importance of pursuing something practical, sharing their own experience of switching from English to engineering due to job market considerations.
  • A different viewpoint argues that the original poster may not fully understand their enjoyment of astronomy, given its heavy reliance on mathematics, and recommends taking math classes first to gauge interest.
  • Conversely, one participant encourages following one's passion, asserting that enjoyment can make the additional effort in challenging subjects worthwhile.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing opinions on whether to prioritize passion or practicality in choosing a major. Some advocate for exploring interests before deciding, while others stress the importance of job market viability and the challenges of pursuing a math-intensive field.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference personal experiences and the importance of understanding one's own interests and capabilities, but there is no consensus on the best approach to decision-making regarding college majors.

HannyJess
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Hello all,
I am in desperate need of some guidance for my upcoming years in college, so any input and opinions on what I should do to make my decision would help a ton.

I'm currently a senior in High School and have been accepted into a University that I will be going to this fall. It's very important that I make a decision as early as possible for my circumstances. I need help on deciding on what type of major I want to pursue. I love astronomy and I've even taken a small online astronomy course and had a huge interest throughout the whole semester. The problem was the math. Math and even science have been my worst subjects all of my schooling career (not terrible, but just not up to par). Although I have a strong aptitude in literature, it's not what I'm passionate about. I'm fascinated by physics and astronomy, but it just takes me some extra time to learn the equations and whatnot. Another thing against me is that I barely remember the math I've learned throughout High School and my science classes were a joke. I didn't take a math and science course this year because it wasn't required to graduate (but now it's biting me in the ***). I really think that if I study hard enough and push myself into my math courses because I enjoy it so much, I could succeed, but every course description I read says I should have great background knowledge in physics, mathematics, and chemistry.
My dream is to one day become an astronomer, but maybe I should think realistically and go into something that I could accomplish without a hassle and without taking extra courses to get caught up.

So now I ask for your help, should I pursue what I enjoy, or what I'm actually good at?

To all who reply, thank you.
 
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You're in high school, you don't have to decide now. Take a few science classes and a few literature classes your first semester, and see what you like. It's a waste of time to try to plan out the rest of your life without giving some things a shot.
 
Pursue something useful. I have a BA in English, and I am jobless. I am going back to school at age 25 for engineering. I "sucked" at math and have a B in Calculus II at the moment.
 
Normally, I should say that you should always do what you enjoy. However, I don't think you know astronomy well enough to say whether you enjoy it or not. Astronomy is extremely math intensive, and if you don't enjoy math, then you won't enkoy astronomy either.

My advice is to take a few math classes in your first year in college and see whether you like it.
 
Being good at literature (whatever that means) will probably get you nowhere anyways so you should definitely do what you love. If you really enjoy it then the extra work you have to put in won't be a problem.
 

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