Career choices - advice needed

[mentalbunny]

I have a few ideas, I could get some well-paid job in the city or soemwhere and keep my paretns happy whilst using my earnings to fund socialist causes and various charities, i could become a journalist and ask politicians difficult questions and tell the public the truth, or i coould go into the film industry or similar and write. My mother wants me to become a diplomat but I don't think that will happen, and I'm not interested in law.

Any adivce or any differnet career paths you could suggest?

[Frosty]

That sounds familiar. Maybe because I have the same problem, and want to do the same with excess earnings.

"a journalist and ask politicians difficult questions and tell the public the truth" would certainly be great, but "free press" isn't always free...but if you found some newspaper (or founded one yourself) that wouldn't fire you for being too radical it would certainly be great, maybe even needed.
But it's your decision. Noone but yourself can decide. Not even your mother.

At my school they handed out a personality profile test, which could be used as an aid in choosing profession. I could translate the full ~60~ question test if you asked politely...

[Goldfinger]

Bare skriv den!

[perception]

Quote: from mentalbunny on 9:37 am on Oct. 2, 2002
I have a few ideas, I could get some well-paid job in the city or soemwhere and keep my paretns happy whilst using my earnings to fund socialist causes and various charities, i could become a journalist and ask politicians difficult questions and tell the public the truth, or i coould go into the film industry or similar and write. My mother wants me to become a diplomat but I don't think that will happen, and I'm not interested in law.

Any adivce or any differnet career paths you could suggest?

how old are you? are you going to school?
journalist is a good profession, but if you want to work for a major media outlet you're going to have to compromise some of your ideals, that's for sure. You'd probably have more freedom being a writer.

It comes down to whether you'd rather "sell out" so you have more money to donate to the "cause"(if you choose to do so), or stay true to your beliefs and live more humbly.

I'm in my fourth year of college, studying economics and political science, and I don't have a career goal yet. I'll probably end up writing or become a professor, or something like that.

just see where life takes you....

[mentalbunny]

For your information I'm 16 and going to take GCSE's this coming summer, although I took French last year and will rpobably take Japanese and Italian the year after.

This summer I will be taking:
English literature
English Language
Maths
Chemistry
Physics }all sciences seperate
Biology
Drama
Reigious Studies
German
Latin
Ancient Greek

We did a personality profile called the Morrisbey test last term and I got my results back a few weeks ago, it included Journalist/write, PR, broadcasting (various behind the camera work, eg writer, producer), diplomatic service, barrister and interpreter.

However I think I could also make it in the city if I sutdy economics. We are having a "taster" series of lessons at the moment and it all makes sense, although I see it as completely immoral that people make money from manipulating that money and other peoples'.

I have to talk to my career advisor at school I guess, it's hard to decide if I want to more good financially or to live by my ideals. i guess if I go for the former then I run the risk of becoming a "white collar slave".

[queen of diamonds]

Personally, I'd go into business. You may never be a millionaire, but if you're smart and you have a knack for it, you can be decent and still make a reasonable amount.

But, in the end, it's your call.

[Goldfinger]

When are you gonna post that test, Frosty?

[Frosty]

Maybe next weekend. I have some other work to do (texts to evaluate for tomorrow). I tried to find it online but couldn't find it where I expected it to be. It's not only questions, you have to rank them 1-4, then count up all the rankings in one general profession and make a graph.
"business"
But she might end up as a capitalist...uh another stupid asumption, let us hope that i won't write an essay on my mentality now.
Don't choose something you think is immoral. Remember that you might have to do the same thing for many years, and having a moral problem going to work sounds like a bad idea. I'm not saying your morals should make you run out in the forest living as a hunter just to get away from the system, but taking them in consideration is a good idea. Myself, I don't want a job in the oil industry, even though it is by far the most important and workforce-demanding in my region.

It's your life. You only live it once.

[oconner]

go into law, court of human rights

[mentalbunny]

Quote: from oconner on 8:14 pm on Oct. 3, 2002
go into law, court of human rights

The human rights bit sounds ok, but I'm just not interested in law. I think I'll wait and see,t he journalism dream is fading so I'll see what happens, I'd like to write in some way though.

[queen of diamonds]

Truth is, if you're going to be hesitant about comprising your morals, chances are no one's going to offer you a job where you might have to. Frosty's right - it's your life, & at the risk of sounding harsh, if you don't feel right about what you're doing, you're going to be useless to your employer.
Be a teacher. Shape the minds of tomorrow's leaders.

[mentalbunny]

I couldn't teach, I'd be too impatient, I reckon writer of some sort, maybe both fictional and journalistic, I'll jkeep you informed on my progress towards a career...

[MJM]

There's tons of Non profit orgs. around.
Try out business management, human resources, marketing, press officer etc.
These will see you into the NPO workforce easily, then you won't have to compromise your beliefs like most people do.

Look at this site for some options and discussion.

http://www.idealist.org/

You can ask questions on the forum and get a feel of what you might like to study and where it could take you.

[mentalbunny]

I went to a talk today by a photojournalist, pretty inspriing, so it looks like journlaism and writing of various kinds at the moment, he recommended radio, his favourite medium.

[oconner]

yaaaaaay someone quoted me I feel so wanted!

[Panamarisen]

mentalbunny, just to doubt about everything as you do is really good, specially among young people like you!

Maybe it can help if I tell you that I got a couple of University studies: I´m a Licenciate in Fine Arts and a Licenciate in Medicine and Surgery. A couple of years ago, being as a volunteer physician in Mozambique, I LEARNED that BOTH were important! I mean, I had to go and work in a very underdeveloped country (of course, because of today´s global, cynical system) to learn, by listening to native drums and music in general, that Art is not only important, but also necessary for the human being... I had to learn it over there: I had to learn that painting here in "civilised" Madrid didn´t mean I was an egoist: we all need Painting, Literature, Music and so on... It´s in the human nature.

So, my opinion is that you will be tomorrow a good journalist, a good lawyer -for Human Rights´ sake-, a good writer, or whatever you finally decide to be..., because you got the spirit!

HASTA LA VICTORIA SIEMPRE!

[mentalbunny]

Quote: from Panamarisen on 7:38 pm on Oct. 18, 2002
mentalbunny, just to doubt about everything as you do is really good, specially among young people like you!

Maybe it can help if I tell you that I got a couple of University studies: I´m a Licenciate in Fine Arts and a Licenciate in Medicine and Surgery. A couple of years ago, being as a volunteer physician in Mozambique, I LEARNED that BOTH were important! I mean, I had to go and work in a very underdeveloped country (of course, because of today´s global, cynical system) to learn, by listening to native drums and music in general, that Art is not only important, but also necessary for the human being... I had to learn it over there: I had to learn that painting here in "civilised" Madrid didn´t mean I was an egoist: we all need Painting, Literature, Music and so on... It´s in the human nature.

So, my opinion is that you will be tomorrow a good journalist, a good lawyer -for Human Rights´ sake-, a good writer, or whatever you finally decide to be..., because you got the spirit!

HASTA LA VICTORIA SIEMPRE!

Thanks for your vote of confidence, at the moment my motivation is going down the drain, my paretns are helping, they are silently trying to push me into a white collar proffesion which is not what i want to do. we'll see...

[guerrillaradio]

Become a guerrilla in the Sussex jungle!!! :biggrin:

Nah seriously people...Harriet's well intelligent. She could do just about anything. If you wanna get rich quick, do business, but you believe in morality and wanna enjoy yourself, do something arty.

[mentalbunny]

Quote: from guerrillaradio on 6:18 pm on Oct. 21, 2002
Become a guerrilla in the Sussex jungle!!! :biggrin:

Nah seriously people...Harriet's well intelligent. She could do just about anything. If you wanna get rich quick, do business, but you believe in morality and wanna enjoy yourself, do something arty.

thing is i just couldn't. i'm too scared of growing up, i'm insecure, although I hate living at home I can't escape. Whatever profession I followed I wouldn't succeed in any way, I don't know how to get over this mental barrier, anyone have any ideas?

[Mahdavikia]

Don't be a journalist!!! A journalist must be neutral so you can't share your ideas. Be a writer, it's better, you will say what you want in your books.