What should I go to college for?
StampySquiddyFan
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This. I think even at 18 it's still a bit young to choose what sort of career one wants to invest loads of energy, time and money into, much less at 13!
I don't want to choose it now, per se, but rather have a general idea in mind. Otherwise I just feel kind of aimless.
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Hi! I'm Stampy (not the actual YouTuber, just a fan!) and I have been diagnosed professionally with ASD and OCD and likely have TS. If you have any questions or just want to talk, please feel free to PM me!
Current Interests: Stampy Cat, AGT, and Medicine
StampySquiddyFan
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I like the concept of keep your options open, but it's also a good thing to have a few ideas already planned!
StampySquiddyFan I have a few ideas, you could go to college to get a degree in graphics designing, programming computers, animation.(Since one of your interests is Minecraft!)
Another idea is you could get a degree in psychology, social working, a nurse, a counselor.(You said you want to work with kids that have ASD.)
Those are some things you could go to college for. (Though like everybody said keep your options open). I find it great that you're taking the initiative! You will soon be in high school (and trust me that can fly by quickly!) so nice to get a head start!
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Thank you for understanding, AquaineBay! I would like to at least have an idea so I can start choosing high school courses soon . I hope you are able to find something you want to do as well! Thanks for your suggestions- I would love to get a degree in anything computer or ASD related . I will definitely keep my options open, but I would like to have a general idea since some of my friends have their whole life planned out already . Thank you!
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when i went to high school, students there were a lot of courses students had to take. and not much room for choice.
however, i am 34 years old. and you are 13 years old. plenty of things have changed since then. besides, your high school is not the same as mine.
especially for college bound students . college prep this, honors that, AP that .
what i regret the most, was failing to take Computer Science. especially in this day and age, it appears that pretty much every high school student could benefit from taking computer science. not just students planning to major in Computer Science.
my high school did not offer many electives.
if you are so inclined, look up what courses are required by the colleges you want to apply to.
discuss it with the school counselor. when i went to the school counselor the first time, both of my precious lil "parents" went with me.
your friends with their whole lives planned out might not end up following their plans.
ten years ago, a 24 year old living in the same house as me. got a stroke. he was a phd student in electrical engineering. something like that. after the strokes, he could no longer follow the plans. however well laid.
but if and when situations change, you can change plans too.
sometimes it's good to make long term plans. taking the big picture.
sometimes it's good to live in the moment.
Yeah, I know it is sometimes better to live in the moment, but I want a general idea.
_________________
Hi! I'm Stampy (not the actual YouTuber, just a fan!) and I have been diagnosed professionally with ASD and OCD and likely have TS. If you have any questions or just want to talk, please feel free to PM me!
Current Interests: Stampy Cat, AGT, and Medicine
StampySquiddyFan
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There are so many subjects out there that you have no idea exist, and it's possible that when you encounter them you might end up falling in love with it and choose to pursue it as your career.
Thank you for your advice, but I can only have one interest at a time, so I'm not sure if I'll be falling in love with anything soon ! Then again, maybe that could replace one of my other interests, but I'm not sure I want a replacement for my current interest.
_________________
Hi! I'm Stampy (not the actual YouTuber, just a fan!) and I have been diagnosed professionally with ASD and OCD and likely have TS. If you have any questions or just want to talk, please feel free to PM me!
Current Interests: Stampy Cat, AGT, and Medicine
StampySquiddyFan
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Joined: 19 Jul 2017
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,754
Location: Stampy's Lovely World
Thank you !
_________________
Hi! I'm Stampy (not the actual YouTuber, just a fan!) and I have been diagnosed professionally with ASD and OCD and likely have TS. If you have any questions or just want to talk, please feel free to PM me!
Current Interests: Stampy Cat, AGT, and Medicine
StampySquiddyFan
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Joined: 19 Jul 2017
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,754
Location: Stampy's Lovely World
Thanks for understanding . I like to plan ahead, but my goals/aspirations can definitely change. I just like to have an idea in mind!
_________________
Hi! I'm Stampy (not the actual YouTuber, just a fan!) and I have been diagnosed professionally with ASD and OCD and likely have TS. If you have any questions or just want to talk, please feel free to PM me!
Current Interests: Stampy Cat, AGT, and Medicine
Things change fast when you are teenager, it's better to be adaptable than to have a rigid plan.
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some 13 year olds correctly plan their future careers and stick on the path.
but when i was in college, an academic counselor said that college students change majors an average of 2x.
some college students do not change majors, but they are in the minority.
your interests change between age 13 and 22.
however, even after college, interests change.
when i was in first grade, a lot of girls wanted to be teachers. and a lot of boys wanted to be president of the united states or baseball players.
being a schoolteacher just requires a Bachelors and a teaching credential. among other things. the world contains plenty of teachers.
plenty of boys want to be baseball players. there are not many professional baseball players.
there is only one president of the united states every four to eight years, unless the president gets impeached.
and even the president has to be 35 years old minimum before taking office. and before being president, the candidate has to have some sort of work experience.
you can plan ahead.
but your interests could change. the job or college major you aspire to get might be harder to get than you anticipated. situations arise. financial problems, academic problems, medical problems.
if and when the situation changes you can adjust your goal accordingly.
having a vague idea of what work you want to do is not such a bad idea though.
Many people here are telling you to keep your options open, etc. But in my own personal experience, it is perfectly possible to predict your own interests. When I was 8, I wanted to be a chemist. Had a textbook, periodic table, all of it. At 14 I still wanted to be a chemist. At almost 18, I'm in a chemistry program at a good science school who recieved chemistry transfer credits from AP. if you have a long term career interest, I'd follow it.
Maybe that should have been a sign of autism, but my mom thought that aspies were quirky computer scientists, so...
Maybe that should have been a sign of autism, but my mom thought that aspies were quirky computer scientists, so...
Talking with scientists at various meetings over the years, I discovered that quite a few fellow chemists knew that they were going to go into that area when they were very young (grade school or before). I too am among that group.
To the OP:
Your future is not written in stone, so enjoy planning your future, whatever you may chose it to be.
There are plenty of 13 year olds who figured out what they wanted to do in life and successfully did it, and others who took well into their 40's before they figured out what they wanted. Everybody is different. I don't think we can tell you or even give you a general idea of what you might want to do. However, that doesn't mean we can't give you some general advice. Here's mine.
Whatever you choose to do in life, I'd strongly advice it be a profession of some sort that has strong demand. There's plenty to choose from that could make that qualification. Keep in mind that robots are going to become a part of the work force over the next 10 to 20 years, so don't pick something that could become automated i.e. and accountant, librarian, etc. Many of these professions will not be phased out entirely, but will have significantly less demand than they do today.
Also keep in mind that whatever you pick doesn't necessarily have to be something you spend years and years in school for. You could choose a trade like a plumber or electrician if you enjoyed that type of work. Whatever it is you choose, you need to enjoy it. It needs to seem less like a job and more like something you truly enjoy and are good at. So I'd advice you look at all sorts of possibilities.
You could become a:
Physical Therapist/Physical Therapist Assistance (of course I'd put that first)
Occupational Therapist
Neurologist (Basal Ganglia)
Welder
Plumber
Violinist
Game Developer
Project Manager
Whatever you choose, make sure it requires extra education that makes it either a trade craft or a profession, and make sure it's one that's in demand. So, unfortunately, no majoring in french literature, or certainly don't depend on a high school diploma.
Well, there ya go, I hope that you have a prosperous and *happy* future, you certainly seem smart and nice enough.
Here is an idea that I failed to do:
Look up high school internships
Go to your school's career center
Or just email companies and ask if you can volunteer there
The most they could do is ignore you
Now that I am 34 it is a day late, a dollar short for me
But you still have plenty of time
Some jobs offer training programs for high school students
Emergency medical technician
Police cadets
Firefighter cadets
Suggest you take normal college-bound classes in high school and see what you like or don't like.
Biology, chemistry, math, physics, English, etc.
You might find you really like one topic, or another just annoys the heck out of you.
Going to say, its awfully hard to make a living as someone that plays a musical instrument. My nephew has decided to add finance to his curriculum in college. I mean, unless you are first chair, or try to get first chair and succeed, might want to look else where.
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