I need some career advice. Please please help! ?

Question

I've been thinking a lot about neuropsychology, because I think it would be an interesting field, but my dad has been pushing it on me a lot. The thing is, I don't think I'd be happy in a scientific field. I've always been a creative person, and I love to sing and write. I really don't want my creative side to go to waste, so I've thought a lot about journalism lately. I told my dad this, and he instantly shot down the idea, saying that it's really hard to get a good job in journalism. This is true...but I guess my question is, how hard is it to get a high position as a journalist? I hate to say it, but salary is really important to me. My dad is kind of scaring me into a medical career, and while that would be interesting and I'd have a stable salary, I have a gut feeling that it is absolutely not what I want to do. Any advice?

Answer 1

You don't have to do things because your Dad wants you to! Its really hard to get into Medical as well you need the top grades, the best possible, it is so competitive to enter into Medical so it could be just as hard. I'm from England the Grading system is GCSE's A* being the highest, AS Levels A, I think, and A Levels A, I think,  you have to stand out from the rest of the crowd as well and there are plenty of people who have all the top grades so you need to tell your dad to back off as you could just end up rebelling. You could have a singing contract where you just sing at weekend and nights in clubs and bars, if you didn't want your creativeness  to go to waste, I hope I helped x

Answer 2

Neuropsyche is a great field ... but ... there is a lot of schooling involved ... for a long time. Can you shadow someone who already works in the field to see if you like it first? Talk to them and let them tell you what the schooling is like? It would help you a lot, I'm sure.

Also - journalism. If you like to write and are good at it, scientific writers are in good demand. Being able to translate the scientific/technical into layman's terms is an artform.

Check out Poynter Online and Absolute Write for answers to questions that are writing related.

I was interested in neuropsyche myself at one time, but I knew I didn't have the $$ for school, I didn't want to go into hock forever and ever - And - I'm a Type B personality. I didn't have the Type A drive that seems to be so necessary to succeed in Med School.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Hey, relax. Its ultimately you who will have to decide where you wanna go because its your life. Obviously your dad is extremely experienced about what kinda jobs lead to what kinda life. But then he obviously won't realise it if you completely hate science and wanna stay away from it. About the creativity part, science is attached to journalism so you could take a degree in this field and turn up in science journalism, maybe popularizing things like David Attenborough. You have to decide and look for info and build your field. And wherever you go, its ultimately hard work that will lead you up. There is no place for slackers in this world.

Answer 4

Whatever it is you wind up doing, you have to be happy doing it.  If you are not doing something that makes you happy in some way, you will just be going to "your job" everyday, and eventually you will wind up resenting what you do for a living.

Find something you like doing, and then find a way to make money doing it.

For example, there is a show on Discovery channel called, "It Takes a Thief".  The two hosts of this show are former burglars.  The liked breaking and entering, and now the have a show about it an get to do it legally.  

Like I said, find something YOU like doing (not anyone else), and then find a way to make money at it.

Good luck.