There is nothing I am interested in

[Tyrion101]

I picked engineering because it seemed to combine a lot of my likes, but I discovered I hate math with a passion. I took a test offered by my school but it came back "engineering fits you" which it doesn't. The other things on the lists basically sounded like glorified repairman. I don't want to spend my life telling people to try turning it on, or try resetting it. I also don't want to work my current job, or anything like it again. I feel stuck and hopeless, can anyone help me out here? I also don't want to work outside, at all if it can be helped.

 

[TTM2025]

Well what exactly are your likes? And in what year of your education are you currently in?

 

[Dewgale]

It seems like the main things you're looking at are what you don't want in a job. There is a near infinite list of things that will entail, so maybe forget about that for a moment. How about you sit down and write up a list of all the things you do want in a job. What are your interests? What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? Then use these attributes to match up with a job. If you focus more on what you do want as opposed to what you don't, you're more likely to find a positive match.

 

[Tyrion101]

I like science, but that requires math, so anything scientific is probably out. I like language, but apparently it's extremely hard just to get going, and once you do you never make very much. I like music, but again that's near impossible to "make it" in, people tell me I'm good, but it never leads anywhere so I only assume they are lying. Other than that, I don't have any real interests.

 

[Dewgale]

It's true that science does generally require math; it's like trying to read Mark Twain when you hate English.

So let's look at the other option, languages and music. Both of these things are totally viable job options, and anyone who tells you otherwise if frankly doing you a disservice. If you enjoy these things, then look for the intersection between your interests (in this case language and music), and what people are willing to pay for it. For example, according to Radio Free Europe, top-tier interpreters at the UN can make 6-figure salaries - so clearly this is not a field with no financial opportunities. Benny the Irish Polyglot makes a considerable amount of money learning and teaching languages. Monetization is simply a matter of creativity.

Music is a similar ball game. The question is what people are willing to pay for. If you are creative with monetization, you can make quite a lot of money. Video game companies need background music, and so do most marketing companies, companies who would likely pay good money for a composition. Similarly, teaching music online is a very good source of passive income.

Your options are never closed - there is always something you can do.

 

[symbolipoint]

I like science, but that requires math, so anything scientific is probably out. I like language, but apparently it's extremely hard just to get going, and once you do you never make very much. ...

Not necessarily.

What courses of Mathematics have you learned WELL? Which courses do/did you still find to be difficult? Have you any experience using Mathematics for its decision-making power? Have you used any Mathematics for any leisure time planning, academic course content planning, (that is like, preparing your laboratory science course exercises)? Would you wish to use mathematical skills as part of any design work?

You are also ignoring how easy and at the human level is the learning, study, and practice of languages other than your own native one. Courses of these (which include culture & history instruction) can do anything from making you more employable in a great variety of fields, to your becoming a language teacher or a translator or interpreter. Do you realize that the demand for E.S.L. teachers is still fairly high? And depending where in the world you are, you do not need to know the language of the student. (but it helps sometimes).

 

[Tyrion101]

The problem with interpreting that I have been told is most people prefer native speakers, and no matter how good you may be, they just don't want you if you're not. I have no wish to be a teacher online or otherwise. My mom did it for years and hated every second of it, and I don't really like the thought of it either. I wouldn't mind being a composer of film and games, but again, how does one get there? I can't imagine the job opportunities are limitless. I feel I could be good at interpreting if I could just figure out how to get there.

 

[symbolipoint]

But how does one become a "top tier" interpreter though? The problem with interpreting that I have been told is most people prefer native speakers, and no matter how good you may be, they just don't want you if you're not. I have no wish to be a teacher online or otherwise. My mom did it for years and hated every second of it, and I don't really like the thought of it either. I wouldn't mind being a composer of film and games, but again, how does one get there? I can't imagine the job opportunities are limitless. I feel I could be good at interpreting if I could just figure out how to get there.

Interpreting and Translation are two very different things. Do or would you prefer one over the other?
Worrying about not being top-tier as an interpreter is not something you are ready for. Try to be a good student first.

Options in languages are not limited to just "interpreting". Can you learn to think and plan? Can you take a statement of some accomplishment that is needed, and then DESIGN a way to make this accomplishment happen? If you say, "Yes", then maybe you can become... an engineer, ... or a LANGUAGE TEACHER (for some foreign language), such as to teach in a high school, or a private school, or an adult-level school to teach English as a Second Language.

 

[Dewgale]

But how does one become a "top tier" interpreter though?

The first step is to learn a language, and immerse yourself in it. You start off not at the top tier, and work hard and get yourself up to the "top tier".

The problem with interpreting that I have been told is most people prefer native speakers, and no matter how good you may be, they just don't want you if you're not.

Who keeps telling you this stuff? It seems like all they're trying to do is dissuade you. Think about it - what are they native speakers of? Another language besides English, sure, but you're a native speaker too, and of the single most studied language in the world. You have an edge over other nationalities because no matter what language you choose (except Mandarin), your competition is less than the ones going to English. If you speak Swahili for example, or you speak Tagalog, your competitive market is likely not that massive, especially if you become a translator elsewhere besides the UN.

There's alway some form of market if you look hard enough.

I have no wish to be a teacher online or otherwise. My mom did it for years and hated every second of it, and I don't really like the thought of it either.

Fair enough.

I wouldn't mind being a composer of film and games, but again, how does one get there? I can't imagine the job opportunities are limitless.

One gets there by networking with people in your area. Are there any game companies in your area? Are they willing to pay money for an original composition tailor made to their game? Especially target smaller companies to begin with, as they have access to a smaller array of artists and so are more likely to hire you. They may pay less, but money is money is money.

I feel I could be good at interpreting if I could just figure out how to get there.

Start at the basics, and if you know of any interpreters where you live, talk to them! Find out how they got to where they are. Don't be afraid to ask people in the profession.

Good luck!

 

[russ_watters]

I like science, but that requires math, so anything scientific is probably out.

You're only following Dewgale's advice for three words at a time. Seriously: you need to stop looking at this problem from the wrong direction. You will never find something you will like to do if you are only/primarily looking for things you don't like to do/don't think you can do.

Engineering is broad, but the not-so-dirty secret is that a great many engineering jobs don't require math beyond algebra. So as long as you can struggle through the math successfully it in college, not liking/being "bad" at math doesn't need to prevent you from being an engineer. So stop using that as an excuse/roadblock and answer the question: what do you want in a job?

 

[Dale]

If there is nothing that you are interested in then obviously you will have an uninteresting job. And an uninteresting life.

 

[Tyrion101]

Why are engineers forced to learn all that math if they never use it? Seriously, I just don't want to spend my life taking math courses. I would like to not hate my career choice, and I want something stable, and something with options beyond "teacher."

 

[SteamKing]

Why are engineers forced to learn all that math if they never use it? Seriously, I just don't want to spend my life taking math courses. I would like to not hate my career choice, and I want something stable, and something with options beyond "teacher."

A lot of the math you learn as an engineering undergrad is so you can understand what is going on in other courses. For example, fluid mechanics uses a lot of vector calculus, so if you don't know vector calculus, you're stuck watching the paint dry on the classroom walls while the lecturer talks about div and grad and curl.

If you want to be a structural engineer, you need to know basic single variable calculus at a minimum, otherwise you're stuck knowing only how to solve beam problems which are contained in a handbook. If you want to analyze structures using finite element techniques, it takes not a little knowledge of linear algebra to understand how to derive and use a stiffness matrix to solve a problem.

Some engineers, believe it or not, want to enroll in graduate school after getting a degree. Graduate courses tend to have a lot of math, so again, if you want to get an advanced degree, you need to know plenty of math.

If you want an uncomplicated job where you don't need to know a lot of math, memorizing the phrase, "Do you want fries with that?" comes in handy.

 

[symbolipoint]

Why are engineers forced to learn all that math if they never use it? Seriously, I just don't want to spend my life taking math courses. I would like to not hate my career choice, and I want something stable, and something with options beyond "teacher."

You did not read what we said very carefully, and you did NOT THINK about what we said.

Exactly which mathematics will an engineer need to use? Nobody knows. You must be prepared for as much as may be predicted, so one must study THE WHOLE SUB-COMPONENT OF THE REQUIRED MATH COURSES IN THE PROGRAM, and sometimes more.

 

[Vanadium 50]

A few points:

One is that I think I agree with many of the others - you seem not to be taking the responses very seriously. If you continue down this path, people will eventually stop responding.

Another is that it's probably true that you'll directly use only about 10% of what you learn in school. Thing is, you never know which 10%. Continuing along that path, the attitude that learning more than the bare minimum is somehow a bad thing is not helpful to an engineer. Or members of many professions.

As Dale says, "If there is nothing that you are interested in then obviously you will have an uninteresting job." The other side of that coin is that if you are certain that there's nothing you are interested in and no job is more interesting than any other, you might as well select a job based on salary.

 

[Tyrion101]

So I should just agree with what everyone says? Is that it?

 

[symbolipoint]

So I should just agree with what everyone says? Is that it?

No. That is not enough. You need to understand, and to find some interests and develop some of them. Look for programs to study according to your interests or your career goals.

 

[micromass]

OK, let's try something else. A lot of your career goals involve math. So why do you hate math? Maybe you hate math for the wrong reasons and it is something that can be fixed.

 

[Intraverno]

So I should just agree with what everyone says? Is that it?

Your negativity is astounding. People are sincerely trying to help you here, when you obviously do not want to be helped. Everything that someone has said to you you have thrown back at them, blandly and mindlessly turning it away or dismissing it. If you want to wallow in misery forever, then do that I guess. If not, reread everything in this thread and try to think about your options. People have repeatedly told you that you have many viable ones.

 

[StatGuy2000]

To the OP:

A question for you: what exactly do you hate about math? Is it because you have trouble understanding the subject? Do you have a difficult time with solving word problems using math, or doing proofs of math, or remembering formulas? Or is it the fact that you had a bad teacher?

Because in my opinion, people who say they "hate math with a passion" are really telling me "I'm struggling with math" or "I don't understand math". Math can be a beautiful, fascinating subject if taught well. So my suggestion is to work on your weakness through self-study, online learning, tutoring, and many career areas will open up that you will find interesting.

 

[Hercuflea]

Why not pursue a career in engineering technology or HVAC with a vocational school degree? This shouldn't involve too much math and probably has decent salary prospects for the amount of time spent in education. Nothing wrong with picking up a trade and making a living. I know my dad's AC guy makes like 300 dollars just to come out and say "yep, it's broke".

 

[billy_joule]

Why not pursue a career in engineering technology or HVAC with a vocational school degree? This shouldn't involve too much math and probably has decent salary prospects for the amount of time spent in education. Nothing wrong with picking up a trade and making a living. I know my dad's AC guy makes like 300 dollars just to come out and say "yep, it's broke".

It sounds like that sort of work is below the OP:

The other things on the lists basically sounded like glorified repairman. I don't want to spend my life telling people to try turning it on, or try resetting it.

I know a glorified repairman who has over a billion of dollars worth of power generation assets and hundreds of personnel under his watch. He wears a suit and tie to work and gets there in a brand new M5, the sign on his office door says 'maintenance manager'.
He doesn't use any higher math or tell people to 'try turning it off and on again'.

 

[Mark44]

I picked engineering because it seemed to combine a lot of my likes, but I discovered I hate math with a passion.

@Tyrion 101, I have participated in many of the threads you started that involved questions about math. From these threads, I can see that you have difficulty with it. One possible reason that you say you hate it is that the classes you've been in are fairly low level, as college math goes: algebra and precalculus/trig.

If I can offer some advice, it is this -- even though you hate it, take some more math classes. As you get further along, it gets more interesting, unlike (IMO) the algebra and precalc stuff. If you decide to do this, I would further advise spending time regularly at reviewing the topics in algebra and trig. One thing that many people don't realize is that math courses build on the material from previous courses, so if some of the concepts in a previous course aren't nailed down, they will come back around and bite you in the following courses.

 

[vela]

@Tyrion 101, I have participated in many of the threads you started that involved questions about math. From these threads, I can see that you have difficulty with it. One possible reason that you say you hate it is that the classes you've been in are fairly low level, as college math goes: algebra and precalculus/trig.

It's also quite possible you simply are bad at learning math, so you struggle and, predictably, come to hate it. You wouldn't be the first student like this, and you won't be the last. But it's a problem that can usually be addressed. Or maybe you simply need to find a different way to learn math. I learned a lot of basic math just because I got into programming computers in junior high and needed to learn some of it along the way. When you have a reason to learn the stuff, you may find yourself a lot more motivated than when you're simply trying to pass a class or a test.

Perhaps it's just an attitude problem. No offense, but you seem kinda lazy. Every time someone offers a suggestion, you respond with reasons it won't work. I've done this myself, but I also recognized I was just making excuses to avoid doing work. You need to honestly assess what you want and, more importantly, what you're willing to do to get there. If you're not willing to put in any kind of work, you're just wasting everybody's time here.

Finally, I get a sense you don't think much of your own skills. People compliment you on your musical talents, but you think they're just lying, for instance. While a certain amount of being self-critical is healthy and useful, don't overdo it. If you convince yourself you're not going to succeed going in, you've pretty much guaranteed you're going to fail. Recognize that challenges are to be overcome and opportunities to learn and advance; they're not insurmountable obstacles that will doom you to failure.

 

[Vanadium 50]

I have a PhD in physics and when the experiment is running, I *am* a glorified repairman. Maybe not glorified. When a one-of-a-kind device fails in an unexpected way, whose problem is it? Why, it's everybody's problem.

 

[symbolipoint]

To do better at Mathematics:

• Study each course MORE THAN ONCE
• APPLY what you have learned in other courses which use the material and in hobby & personal interest activities which use the material

 

[micromass]

To do better at Mathematics:

• Study each course MORE THAN ONCE
• APPLY what you have learned in other courses which use the material and in hobby & personal interest activities which use the material

God, this is such a good advice. It's very short, but it's so true that it's amazing.

Maybe some personal anecdote. I had studied differential equations formally in a calculus course and later in an analysis course. I knew a lot of its properties and I could solve some of them. I did find it not so interesting and quite unmotivated (I had no background in physics, so I had no idea how they were applied, sad I know). But ok, I knew the subject and I moved it. A few years later I randomly made up the following problem for myself: "Assume you are lost in the woods, but you can see the moon at each instance of time. Does constantly following the moon get you out of the woods? What do you get in long term? Don't forget that the Earth rotates and so does the moon". As I tried to solve it, differential equations suddenly came alive, because this problem is controlled by a (very ugly) differential equation, but one that could be solved numerically. So I started studying differential equations again with this new perspective. From this study, I decided to study physics to see more applications of math that might appear unmotivated and boring.

So OP, you find math boring? Sure, I understand that, much of math is indeed boring at face-value. But you should try to engage in small projects, like I did. We here can give you many different projects you could engage in and which makes the theory come more alive. But best is of course if you invent questions yourself and then try to solve them. You learn a LOT more this way than by reading a book (of course, reading a book IS important mainly because it presents the knowledge in a systematic way and because it fills up gaps).

 

[craigi]

This thread reads like a series of short sharp shock tactics. The intentions of the posts are well meaning but I'd suggest the reason that the replies aren't having the desired effect on the OP is because they are not sympathetic to his/her state of mind.

My suggestion to the OP is to find out if someone at your school specialises in careers and/or course switching counselling first. What you need is someone who is going to listen to you and guide in deciding what you want not lots of people telling you what to want.

 

[rude man]

I picked engineering because it seemed to combine a lot of my likes, but I discovered I hate math with a passion. I took a test offered by my school but it came back "engineering fits you" which it doesn't. The other things on the lists basically sounded like glorified repairman. I don't want to spend my life telling people to try turning it on, or try resetting it. I also don't want to work my current job, or anything like it again. I feel stuck and hopeless, can anyone help me out here? I also don't want to work outside, at all if it can be helped.

'Hating math with a passion' is not a good precursor to a successful engineering program, or for that matter to any of the natural sciences.
Why not simply enter a liberal arts college and find your way along. Many of your classmates will be in the same boat as you. In my case I was 'hooked' on electronics since age 6 or so but most of my classmates at my ivy league (liberal arts) school were as uncertain as you. Some went for medicine but found the curriculum rough, e.g. organic chemistry. Most wound up with a degree in something-or-other, then went on to law or business schools. Most wound up rich!

 

[clope023]

'Hating math with a passion' is not a good precursor to a successful engineering program, or for that matter to any of the natural sciences.

That's not true, I know more than a few theoretical physicists who've told me what math can do it itself; more than a few times. One needs to be competent at math to do physics or engineering, but it's fine to view it as a necessary evil that's just needed to do the subject.

 

[eltodesukane]

"..and once you do you never make very much."
Making very much is really not important at all.
Doing something you enjoy is.
Even a simple basic job can be pleasant in a good social environment.
Doing a janitorial job with friendly coworkers may well be more rewarding than stressing alone all day long while programming a supercomputer or fixing the space shuttle.

About language, going to Japan to teach beginner's English as a second language is something my neighbor has done happily for many years.
http://www.all-about-teaching-english-in-japan.com/
http://www.aeonet.com/

 

[Allin]

You're only following Dewgale's advice for three words at a time. Seriously: you need to stop looking at this problem from the wrong direction. You will never find something you will like to do if you are only/primarily looking for things you don't like to do/don't think you can do.

Engineering is broad, but the not-so-dirty secret is that a great many engineering jobs don't require math beyond algebra. So as long as you can struggle through the math successfully it in college, not liking/being "bad" at math doesn't need to prevent you from being an engineer. So stop using that as an excuse/roadblock and answer the question: what do you want in a job?

Some jobs have changed e.

I picked engineering because it seemed to combine a lot of my likes, but I discovered I hate math with a passion. I took a test offered by my school but it came back "engineering fits you" which it doesn't. The other things on the lists basically sounded like glorified repairman. I don't want to spend my life telling people to try turning it on, or try resetting it. I also don't want to work my current job, or anything like it again. I feel stuck and hopeless, can anyone help me out here? I also don't want to work outside, at all if it can be helped.

You can do a 2-year college degree in technology. (But do it in 3 years or more.) I repeat russ_watters' conclusion: ''What do you want in a job?'' It suggests to think of the kind of people you desire to work with; and how friendly & respectly you want to be talked/traited. The idea is to combine applied maths, basic applied physics, sounds for music/movie/computer-game industry, one foreign language, intro to computers, accoustics, basic car repairing. The softwares for high-technologists and for concretly practicing engineers take the bigger part of "doing maths"; they are robots and as such memorize all the formulas. The costs of academics studies as extremely high. So a 2 year college degree is a wise strat. Then in the future, you could do a 4-year B.Technology (post degree) which is 60 credits, thus can be done in two years full time on campus. Some universities or institutes of technology, offer on line courses and at partial time, like SAIT in Alberta. Ask your future professional corporation if they accept the diploma and the college/institute/university you are planning to study at. For any math course, buy the textbook & student workbook/solutionary, and read them thoroughly before registering in the course.

 

[votingmachine]

I've not had a career. I've had a lot of jobs. Some I hated, some I loved. I don't particularly expect that anyone will have an exact career, where they work exactly on the things that are most interesting to them, and get rewarded well for that. I have found that when assigned some random difficult thing, I get more interested in it as I work harder on it. I have worked years on something that I am sure i would have found an incredibly boring bit of science, if asked in advance. At one time I was quite likely among the world's leading experts on one particular protein, but one of no interest to most people. I still found it intellectually rewarding.

You don't like your current job. You have my sympathy. I've had a few jobs I hated. It drains you. Make a plan to move on from that. Even to a similar job with different people ... who knows, a slight shift can matter sometimes. Or an extreme change might be warranted ... I don't know.

From Tom Sawyer;
"Tom said to himself that it was not such a hollow world, after all. He had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it – namely, that in order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain. If he had been a great and wise philosopher, like the writer of this book, he would now have comprehended that Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and that Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do."

I'm not a career expert ... as I said, I don't know that I've had a career, just a series of jobs. I think you might be rejecting jobs you would like, by denigrating them as glorified repairman. I enjoy repairing things, and I enjoy hard work. I might have found being a plumber very satisfying. Don't rule it our just because the job title is not overly ego-satisfying.

 

[Russell Ensslin]

Just remember, they call it work. They don't call it play because it's not always fun.

 

[symbolipoint]

Now we are making some progress from the Tom Sawyer quote which votingmachine gave.
Tyrion101 and other people who do not know what direction to take for which career can try asking themselves some questions:

• Do you think of yourself as more of a scientist, or as more of a developer?
• Do you want to think and plan and try to understand the physical or natural world, or do you want to be able to do urgent tasks?
• Are you more interested in scientific understanding, or are you more interested in using technology?
• Are you more interested in the natural physical world or more interested in the biological world?
• What specific job would you want if payment level was unimportant?
• How is your computer programming design skills? What programming languages are you an expert? OR which have you used for any long, or big projects?

 

[Mark Harder]

Tyrion,
Have other people in your life told you that you're no good at math? Or is that your own evaluation? I know that many teachers will go out of their way to convince women that they can't do math, simply because they're women. Which is totally false and unjust. You need encouragement and assistance. Have you tried hiring a tutor? Perhaps some individual attention will help you remove the mental barriers between you and the study of mathematics.

Another point. You don't say how well you perform in other subjects. Logical and critical thinking abilities are extremely important in all field of intellectual work. Even computer programming is more about logic than the usual mathematical skills like calculus and differential equations. All sorts of upper-level high school work and college courses, including those that teach languages and cultures, including literature in other languages are open to you. Take one example I have 3 old college friends who majored in "International Relations", and not one of them directly works in international relations. One is a managing editor of a major US newspaper, the other 2 are corporate lawyers. How does that work? The international relations degree can be obtained by studying a wide array of course choices, literature, economics, geography, politics of course, history, foreign languages and literature, sociology and on and on. You can choose courses in the things you love, for one thing. What they learned in all these courses is a.) how to recognize patterns in data and thoughts and b.) how to think logically and critically. I have to confess that these 3 have been far more successful (in terms of income and position in their fields) than I have been in my scientific career. Unlike scientists, who must compete with the whole world for jobs and resources, lawyers have sort of job security that comes from doing work that can only be done in a specific society. I wouldn't trade places, mind you. I went into the sciences out of passion, not a desire for a 6-figure income. Law is but one example of a career where bright people can excel. There are many others. Keep an open mind. You don't need to have a career path in mind when you enter college. Let your curiosity guide you. But first, you have to get out of the slough of despond and think creatively and relax a bit.