Help with career choice

SheepBeast · 11 Feb 2012 at 23:39

Ok, so I'm going through a realisation that I've no idea what I want to do with my life. I'm currently studying Astrophysics at uni but I struggle to motivate myself. I just can't see the relevance of what I'm studying. I'm not really interested in a career in research, for example.

So I'm asking you guys for some ideas of alternative jobs I could consider. Here are the things I'm good at:

Maths
Programming
Producing things on PC (photoshop, after effects, ableton etc)
Guitar/songwriting (not really good enough to do as a main job)
Gaming

And the things I enjoy:

Call of Duty
Making short films
Writing and producing music
Building things
Doing athletic stuff (climbing, badminton etc. I hate plodding forms of exercise like jogging)

And the things I'm bad at:

Being friendly/outgoing
Making important life decisions (!)

Not meaning to sound arrogant, but I tend to be pretty good at most things which I set my mind to. Just in the past few years, there's not really been anything which I've really got into, in the way that I used to. I had a phase when I was younger of making loads of short films with friends and it was awesome, we'd spend entire weekends just filming. But that sort of dwindled and there's nothing now which I do which captures my imagination like that, except for writing music.

These are the options I've been thinking about for a career:

1 Pilot
2 Movie director/camera operator/visual effects
3 Research physicist
4 Songwriter/musician
5 Sound engineer
6 Programmer

Option 1 would be amazing. However it costs tens of thousands to get a commercial pilots licence which I can't afford, and the Air Force isn't even recruiting pilots at the moment because there is too much demand and not enough jobs. One of the three possibilities in option 2 would also be cool but I gather it takes a network of contacts in order to be a success in the film industry. I don't have any contacts, and I'm not particularyl outgoing so I wouldn't be good at making any. I'm not really interested enough in physics for option 3. Not really good enough at songwriting to do option 4. 5 would be cool but I'm not sure it appeals to me as a long term career. Same goes for option 6.

TL;DR any suggestions for a career for a typical geek type person with few marketable skills, but the ability to be good at nearly anything I set my mind to (IF I can be arsed ie. if it interests me enough)

iamtheoneneo · 11 Feb 2012 at 23:42

finish uni, enter real world......

just be thankful to get any job.

Fenris · 11 Feb 2012 at 23:46

SheepBeast said:
1 Pilot
2 Movie director/camera operator/visual effects
3 Research physicist
4 Songwriter/musician
5 Sound engineer
6 Programmer

Why not add Astronaut, Spy and King of the Universe to the list whilst your at it.

Look, you may think you are "good at things", unfortunately beyond programming everything on that least requires you to not only be "good" at their subjects but also "inspired" by them in some way.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is this, get some perspective and be realistic. You say these are options you have thought about as a career for the rest of your life yet you go on to say that you are either too lazy, scared or are just simply not interested in them enough to pursue them as a career.

That doesn't make any sense.

SheepBeast · 11 Feb 2012 at 23:52

.... the whole point of this thread was for you guys to offer other suggestions. I realise that the careers I listed don't look likely to happen which is why I made this thread. Telling me to "be realistic" is not helpful.

Ahleckz · 11 Feb 2012 at 23:54

Whatever you do, get your degree first.

iamtheoneneo · 11 Feb 2012 at 23:56

telling you to be realisitic is helpful. well at least it should.
your not the greatest person to ever walk the earth , you cant just pick stuff up instantly bc you think you can - your deluded.

walk into any interview with that attitude and their tell you to do one. YOU must make YOURSELF marketable and understand that your OTT expectations of life just aint gonna happen.

Fenris · 11 Feb 2012 at 23:57

SheepBeast said:
Telling me to "be realistic" is not helpful.

Really? Would you like to meat up so I can give you a swift kick up the arse? Maybe that would be adequate motivation.

Seriously, you say you are interested in things but you need to realise there is a difference between "interested in" and "inspired by", the former are things we do for fun, like gaming or drinking copious amounts of wine, the latter are things that interest us enough to pursue beyond the every day stuff we can learn from wikipedia.

We can not tell you what you should pursue because if you don't know what you are really interested in enough to pursue then how the hell could anyone else?

TNGL · 11 Feb 2012 at 23:59

Get a degree in physics or something, and you'll have a lot of career choices.

EDIT:
Just saw you're studying astrophysics.

SheepBeast · 12 Feb 2012 at 00:04

iamtheoneneo said:
telling you to be realisitic is helpful. well at least it should.
your not the greatest person to ever walk the earth , you cant just pick stuff up instantly bc you think you can - your deluded.

walk into any interview with that attitude and their tell you to do one. YOU must make YOURSELF marketable and understand that your OTT expectations of life just aint gonna happen.

I just reread the OP to check what I wrote. As I thought, I never implied I can "pick stuff up instantly bc I think I can". Obviously I know anything worthwhile requires effort. The only expectation I have of my life is that I will end it dissatisfied unless I find something to do with myself that I'm genuinely interested in.

Fenris said:
We can not tell you what you should pursue because if you don't know what you are really interested in enough to pursue then how the hell could anyone else?

I'm asking for suggestions. Clearly I'll make up my own mind whether they interest me.

Honestly I dunno why people are being such ****s here. I was just asking for some suggestions of jobs, which I would then research to see if they appeal to me. Instead everyone is jumping on me for stuff I didn't even say.

Danthus · 12 Feb 2012 at 00:10

SAS
Milkman

SheepBeast · 12 Feb 2012 at 00:13

OldCoals said:
SAS
Milkman

More like it

Fenris · 12 Feb 2012 at 00:14

SheepBeast said:
Honestly I dunno why people are being such ****s here.

Because it's a stupid question.

Sorry but it is, yes we could just list of random jobs or subjects but it would be meaningless, look at yourself, look at what you do regularly, find the subjects that you are really interested in over the things you just "enjoy". Trust me, I was in this situation for 5 bloody years, the only way I finally managed to turn it around was by making a decision and going with it.

You are the only person qualified to make that decision.

Danthus · 12 Feb 2012 at 00:20

http://www.genusbreeding.co.uk/documents/upload/RMS_Cheshire_January_2012.pdf

dowie · 12 Feb 2012 at 00:27

SheepBeast said:
And the things I'm bad at:

Being friendly/outgoing

Probably best to work on this - its actually quite important in the work place.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0091906814/

etc...

Not meaning to sound arrogant, but I tend to be pretty good at most things which I set my mind to.

Sounds more naive than arrogant.

1 Pilot
2 Movie director/camera operator/visual effects
3 Research physicist
4 Songwriter/musician
5 Sound engineer
6 Programmer

1. is plausible but can't become unfeasible for various reasons beyond your control - eyesight and medical issues for example.

don't know anything about 2, I'd assume 3 is going to be unlikely if you're already struggling to motivate yourself through your undergrad course.

Luck plays a very big factor in 4.

Perhaps try 1 and if unsuccessful pursue 5 or 6 - work on the being friendly/outgoing thing...

Threepwood · 12 Feb 2012 at 00:36

Sod being realistic. If you really want to do something then try your best to become it. If you fail at least you tried.

Just thinking. "Oh I'll never be that, no point in even trying" means you will never, ever become it.

FoxEye · 12 Feb 2012 at 00:37

Dual class.

Gigolo/Engineer.

SheepBeast · 12 Feb 2012 at 01:12

dowie said:
Probably best to work on this - its actually quite important in the work place.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0091906814/

etc...

Sounds more naive than arrogant.

1. is plausible but can't become unfeasible for various reasons beyond your control - eyesight and medical issues for example.

don't know anything about 2, I'd assume 3 is going to be unlikely if you're already struggling to motivate yourself through your undergrad course.

Luck plays a very big factor in 4.

Perhaps try 1 and if unsuccessful pursue 5 or 6 - work on the being friendly/outgoing thing...

Thankyou, best reply so far. Honestly pilot would be my ideal job, just not sure about the money thing. Could get an intermediate job and save up for training, or maybe just wait until I get my inheritance. Meh.

shadesofgrey said:
Sod being realistic. If you really want to do something then try your best to become it. If you fail at least you tried.

Just thinking. "Oh I'll never be that, no point in even trying" means you will never, ever become it.

True dat.

Pestilence · 12 Feb 2012 at 01:22

Get your head together and get focused. Do you understand how many people on this very forum would likely be delighted to be undertaking a degree in Astrophysics?

Retract from your rectum and realise you aren't the center of the universe. I know it's difficult at your age, as a student in higher education, but many of us here have been there, and been you right now.

The "real world" is a very real thing, and it'll take over very quickly. Get focused, or before you know it you'll be working in retail and praying to be made regional manager so you can make just that little bit more and get home to play Call of Duty on your leather sofa before you know it.

The decision is yours. Make it. Option 2, if you aren't willing to get out there, self promote, and make an actual personality of yourself just isn't going to happen. If you don't have the social skills for that, then just write it off immediately.

Programmer? Do you know any languages? Have you invested ANY time in that in the past few years? No? Then get to it. DECIDE, and FOCUS. There is absolutely no point in coming on here asking people to tell you what career you ought to do, simply because of your inflated sense of ability (which, I'll repeat, we've all had at one time or another).

Get real. In the best sense.

DAnDan · 12 Feb 2012 at 01:29

A flowchart for you;

Find something you enjoy doing enough to have a career in
Decide/find out if you're good enough/can work hard enough at it to be worthwhile
Get the relevant qualifications
Get a job in it

There you go.

MamaMia · 12 Feb 2012 at 04:29

SheepBeast said:
I'm asking for suggestions. Clearly I'll make up my own mind whether they interest me.

Honestly I dunno why people are being such ****s here. I was just asking for some suggestions of jobs, which I would then research to see if they appeal to me. Instead everyone is jumping on me for stuff I didn't even say.

Well, here's the thing - you would research jobs that sound interesting to you therefore you’re not really after suggestions per se as you can easily do that kind of research on your own, as you have stated.

Maybe you just need to be motivated to type in ‘job aspects in astrophysics’ in a search engine but only you can supply that.

Perhaps it isn’t about asking ‘Give me something to do.’ but more a case of ‘What can I do with my time today?’.