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Should I follow what I WANT or what I NEED
I currently got into college (haven't taken my first classes yet though) and went for the Geology Department because finding a job with this major is easy and pays good, plus I think its a bit interesting. However I originally wanted to go for an English Major, perhaps making a double major in the future in plastic arts and making a small certificate in cinematography. I have a lot of insecurities and one of them is my future. Could I find a good job with my actual passion? Should I just follow my heart like a lot of cheesy commercials say? My parents are neck deep with debts and I want to be a good daughter to them - they raised me, I think its only fair that in the future I repay them by helping them pay their debts too. Also, my best friend is going for a physics major and I recall my father various times saying how I should go for what she went because in the future I could get a good job and get well payed. I suppose some of my inferiority complexes come from having such a smart, independent friend who has had much more triumphs than I have. Back to the topic, should I change majors... or stick with this one considering everything I said/wrote?
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I like Pooks thought of checking with people in both fields to see what they have to say. In highschool, I remember taking each of my daughters in senior yr, as it was the requirement for school at the time to follow around and interview a person who had a business or worked in a business in the field they had an interest in and then they had to write up a report to submit to teacher. I felt it was a great idea and I had fun going along and learning details of those jobs too.
I would suggest seriously doing that.
Also the thinking ahead to how you would feel in the future, the degree that brings in the money and pays the bills for most people is not going to be the one that allows you to follow your passion.
You mention an English Major. So theres always a chance you could go after the Geology major, and perhaps later in life publish some interesting books on geology. One of my daughters at age 10 or so was very interested in learning about rocks so we joined a rock hound club where they had a kids night and taught all the kids what they know about rocks. They also knew of all the places in the state where rock enthusiasts and geology buffs could go to find and dig for free rocks where public was allowed with no restrictions. recall that info of the places was passed on word of mouth but there was no guidebooks to help people find these places nor where they could go to just view different types of geological formations like a guide book with written one explanation of what they are looking at. If after years in the geology job you want to expand using the English major, and write about the subject, that might fulfill your desires and passions. My passions were never pursued during the years we had kids and were raising them. I worked a so so job that paid the bills but my heart wasn't in it. Now my kids are adults and I am pursuing one of my passions to earn money at, later in life.
There are many people who keep active and work for themselves doing something they want as they are older when its just the two of them again.
Sometimes to be practical, you can't have it all at once. You can go for all the schooling while you are young. But best to choose the one degree and work the job while going part time evenings to school for the other degree, taking your time as there's no rush.
Good luck.
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You could find a good job while following your passion, but as you know, it is not as likely. That being said, you can still do what you love if you take an interest in finance and become a good saver. Do not listen to cheesy commercials. Cheesy commercials are for extremely rich people who do not need to worry about making rent or paying bills. The average North American spends 165% of what they make. If you want to be different, you need to have a different approach to life. You cannot follow the fairytale attitude that the rest of our culture follows where you get the job you love, expect to make tons of money and then to spend every Friday night at the bar. In reality, you can have two of these three things at once: enough money to make ends meet, a job you love, and money for spending and going out. You basically can have two of those three options, but not all three. You need to accept that. Go ahead and do what you love, but understand the reality: that if you are not going to earn a lot doing what you love you will either spend your money on necessities and not be able to go out or you will go out and live like a poor irresponsible teenager all of your life. You mentioned that you want to be debt free. This means that you will need to become extremely good as saving money if you go for the job you love. This means no shopping trips and no nights at the bar. This means setting aside all of the money you have for essential things. If you don't think you can be happy living this way, then I suggest you find a better paying job. But, if you are capable of saving almost everything you earn, I think that you will find that working very hard at something you love is quite rewarding in its own way. At least, that has been my experience.
Miss Piggy
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Whatever decision you make should be based off what YOU want to do, not what you feel you owe your parents, or what you think about your friend and her accomplishments. Think about 10 years from now: are you going to be sitting in your geology job thinking, wow thank goodness I don't have to worry about money and can spend my free time pursuing my other interests of art & cinematography - or will you be working in a small independent art house thinking, I'm so lucky I get to do what I love every single day, even if it means I can't buy everything I want to?
Or, is it possible to find financial security in the area you are passionate about?
Have you spoken to people working in both fields and asked them? That might be a good place to start.
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