# I'm a mess



## Ben8 (Jul 5, 2013)

I'm getting my associates in science at a local community college, right? Well, I need to start filling out applications to universities and I still don't know what I want to do with my life. I've fluctuated between mechanical engineering and accounting, but lately I've been strongly considering getting a Ph. D is Psychology to help people. I had it all planned out recently. I was going to get a Ph. D in Psychology, help a ton of people as a psychologist, write a book, and eventually I would teach at a university. I've been doing a lot of thinking lately and I've heard pieces of advice from multiple folks. I feel, in the end, that getting a degree in psychology is too unstable and not a reliable source of income. Thus, I revert back to engineering. I love math and science, but I also love psychology. If I do engineering (which I want to do for the math and science), I would want it to be chemical engineering. The only issue is I'm in my first ever chemistry class right now and we haven't hit the heavy stuff yet. While I don't know if I like chemistry yet or not, there's no reason why I wouldn't; I love learning everything. I need to start filling out applications soon, so what do I make my major. I'm apprehensive about ChemE because it's so difficult, but I would be ready for the challenge. Is it brash to declare a chemistry major without ever being exposed to chemistry until now? HELP


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## Diauxie (Nov 17, 2012)

I did a double degree in biochemistry and psychology though it took me an extra year. The psychology was more for the fun of learning than anything to make a career out of and my actual work deals in the biosciences. In your case it might be worth considering doing something similar and pursuing the graduate degree in psychology if you're doing really well with it (join a lab as an undergraduate research assistant ASAP to get research experience and build up your contacts for good letters of recommendation). If the psychology thing doesn't work out for you, you can fall back to the chemistry/chemical engineering.

That said, declaring a major isn't that big of a deal and changing it if it's not working for you just takes a quick appointment with the academic advisor. The big issue is that the classes you've taken for the first major so far might not be applicable to your new major (for me, the biology classes I took for my biochem also counted towards the psychology degree).

So yeah, don't worry about feeling like you haven't had enough exposure. Obviously if you end up hating general chemistry you probably want to reconsider your options but Organic Chemistry I/II will be the classes to make or break you.


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## Father of Dragons (May 7, 2012)

I would agree that you shouldnt let yourself get too stressed about it, you have plenty of time. I feel like you should start off with your first instinct, and all the while read/ask people tons about the actual* profession.

*Ive heard from many engineer friends that a love of math isnt the best reason to enter the profession. You should ask yourself if you find the actual process of engineering interesting, whether its designing, consulting, researching or something else.

Personally i spent 2 years thinking about being an economist, as i love the theoretical side, but when i researched and realized id be one of: an academic, a bureaucrat, or a researcher at a giant bank, i changed my direction towards architecture right away.


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## purplewool (Mar 25, 2012)

How can you know you're going to write a book and teach at a university before you've even started the program?
Maybe you're stressing because you're thinking too far into the future. Baby steps, man.
Can you just take some intro courses in each subject and move on from there? That way nothing is wasted, unneeded classes can just become electives.
I'm getting a bachelors in psych (3rd year at 24 yrs), but I at first wanted to get it in english, and then I spent a year in journalism school...
ANYWAY.
Just dip your foot in and feel it out, you don't need to plan it all out in advance.
At least that's how I feel, because I figure as long as I enjoy my self I can make it work in the end. But maybe I'm naive.

GOOD LUCK roud:


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## Cellar Door (Jun 3, 2012)

Ben8 said:


> I'm getting my associates in science at a local community college, right? Well, I need to start filling out applications to universities and I still don't know what I want to do with my life. I've fluctuated between mechanical engineering and accounting, but lately I've been strongly considering getting a Ph. D is Psychology to help people. I had it all planned out recently. I was going to get a Ph. D in Psychology, help a ton of people as a psychologist, write a book, and eventually I would teach at a university. I've been doing a lot of thinking lately and I've heard pieces of advice from multiple folks. I feel, in the end, that getting a degree in psychology is too unstable and not a reliable source of income. Thus, I revert back to engineering. I love math and science, but I also love psychology. If I do engineering (which I want to do for the math and science), I would want it to be chemical engineering. The only issue is I'm in my first ever chemistry class right now and we haven't hit the heavy stuff yet. While I don't know if I like chemistry yet or not, there's no reason why I wouldn't; I love learning everything. I need to start filling out applications soon, so what do I make my major. I'm apprehensive about ChemE because it's so difficult, but I would be ready for the challenge. Is it brash to declare a chemistry major without ever being exposed to chemistry until now? HELP


Stop planning so far in advance, going to college doesn't get you anything other than a check box on an application. What it comes down to is your ability to learn, get experience, and leverage that experience for more experiences. Also, a degree in psychology is meaningless and doesn't prepare you for graduate school, it's just a check box, and you're not going to get in without without internships/lab experience and skills your PhD adviser wants. In the field of economics, if you want to get a PhD you will NOT get into any top 25 program, if that, with only a degree in economics. It's so proof heavy and mathematical that the most competitive applicants have a math major or so much proof based math experience that you might as well have a math degree. If you want to do psych you need to figure out what that in demand skill set looks like, you may want to double major in statistics and get a minor in computer science if you're interested in experimental psych. Getting to the next level isn't about proving you've mastered the past as much as proving you can handle the workload ahead.

Engineering you really can't go wrong, a lot of engineers in school don't do engineering when they graduate. Companies hire engineers to do sales, software development, lab work, equities trading, etc. because they have so many skills and have proven that they're smart. There's also significantly more internship opportunities as a lot of companies hire engineers to generate value for their business. I could write a 20 page report about how awesome engineering is, it's very hard in school, but worth it when you're out of school and you're getting paid more then a lot of your friends. 

If you're looking for advice, don't plan an exact future because you never know what you're opportunities are going to be. What if you don't get into Psych graduate school? What if you don't get that professorship? You can only put yourself in the best position for success and let the odds play to your favor. I'm biased because I'm an engineer but I can tell you from experience as someone whose been out of school for several years now, NO one I know that got a degree in engineering ever regretted it. Recent grad or old people, doesn't matter, they may not all be doing engineering anymore but they don't regret it. On the other hand, I know tons of people who wish that had studied engineering, CS, or something else technical. What people don't realize is that being an engineer is nothing like engineering school, you're not completing problem sets. You're likely doing hands on work and making decisions using basic scientific calculations. It's fun and exciting if you like problem solving.


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## Blazy (Oct 30, 2010)

It's clear to me that you are suited for business. How did I reach this conclusion? You are concerned about your future so that drives you to plan things out for yourself and maybe for a business you're working for. You considered being an accountant, so business won't be a problem for you.

Chem. E. is a very difficult subject. Many people like you have ambitions of obtaining the degree, but only a few make it far. At this point, it is better to stay safe than sorry. 

So you like to help people, but also want a marketable job. This is where HR comes in, which is essentially a nice combo. of business/accounting and psychology. It's a growing field (look it up on Bureau of Labor Statistics). After years of experience, you'll probably move up the ladder to the position that defines INTJs--strategic planner. All terrible jokes aside, considering your MBTI type, your interest in both accounting and psychology, and your aptitude in both math and science, all prove that you'd be a great asset to any business.

@Ben8


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## OldManRivers (Mar 22, 2012)

If I were about to commit a big chunk of time and my future income ion what is in a large part job training, I would first fine where my interest lies. I took a few Chem E courses as continuing education when I was in chemical R&D - I found it easy, did not care for it. I also did not care for applied chemistry, but I had commitments to a family . . . 

I would suggest considering a little testing at a clinical psychologist. I found the Strong -Campbell Interest Inventory very accurate - in retrospect, at age 50, restarting my life. The current edition is the Strong Interest Inventory -
Strong Interest Inventory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Read up on it, giving some consideration -and good luck! A big-time hairy decision you are facing.


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## Ben8 (Jul 5, 2013)

I've decided to go with electrical engineering. I need something mentally stimulating and I want to problem solve. Ultimately, I feel that my life wouldn't be complete without a strong usage of math and science. It's a risk, yes, but it's where the heart lies.


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## All in Twilight (Oct 12, 2012)

You're a mess and you want to help other people not to be a mess. Yeah, that sounds like the typical psychologist already. (I wish that was a joke)

It's like you said, follow what your heart tells you. Life is only a risk when you think you're im-mortal.


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