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Cruising for a career; help a youngster out?

So I think I've narrowed down what I like to three main categories: science (all types, from simple physical science to advanced theoretical physics), philosophy (more so about the effect things like entertainment and technology have on society, society and life in general, etc), and music (a love of guitar and the want to learn bass, drums, violin, and piano). Any help? I went on this careercruising.com site and it helped narrow some colleges down (I heard University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a pretty good music school), but other than a few schools, I have no idea where my life is headed. I'm a 16 year old junior in high school and I have a knack for worrying about things, this being chief among them, at the moment. Thanks for any advice or tips you type in.

Public Comments

1. To be honest, I get the whole psychology-vibe from you. You seem like you're someone who likes to help people, likes to understand people, is creative, is hard working and is strong in the sciences. That is someone who can do well in a psychology degree program and has potential for graduate study to later become a psychologist or psychiatrist. What do you think?
2. Pursuing music is a risk. You may want to consider a double major. The reason behind the risk is you love guitar, drums, etc, but there is a 99% probability you will amount to nothing. What happens after you realize you are not going to be a rock star or even a concert musician that only makes $24,000/year? You don't have the right education for a backup plan and you'll end up working as a Starbucks barista and you're 27 years old. You may love playing, but don't limit yourself to what you have the potential to do. Also, since you're 16, you still have some time to think about it. If you need even more time, go to a community college and really get a feel for what's out there. Plus, it's cheaper to take care of your required courses this way, while you're figuring it out. I really suggest that if music is that strong of a passion for you, do the double major in music and science or philosophy so you have something else - the worst case scenario is you end being awesome like They Might Be Giants and make songs about science!
3. I am in Canada so I don't know too much about how your universities operate. At some of our universities you can start your degree program with General Studies. For two years in the Arts and Science faculty you can take a wide variety of courses and see what you like. Since you have to take a variety of courses anyway for an Arts or Science degree you won't have wasted the courses. Life gets much easier in your early 20's. Being a teenager is very stressful. Be open to new ideas and you may change your mind a few times before you pick. Relax. It will all turn out okay. Even if you pick and don't like your choice, the earth isn't going to stop turning if you change your mind and go somewhere else! Maybe you can sit in on some courses and see what they're like? Good luck!
4. im 16 too, so i cant say that i know a lot. but unfortunately, i cant choose your major for you. consider how much money you want to make, what kind of a lifestyle you want to have (travel a lot, lots of time off, work on weekends, etc.), and most importantly, what you like to do the most! you might be unsure of what you want to do now, but i think that within the next few months, it will suddenly hit you. and remember, you can always major in one of your choices and minor in another.
5. Before the early 20th Century, a college degree was not meant to train a person for a job. A college education was for personal enrichment. To turn you into an educated person with skills in critical thinking to allow you to take up a career in public administration, the clergy or business where you would learn on the job. There was no intention for a degree to train you for a specific career. However since the 1940’s the expectation of the public about a college or university degree has changed and a college or university education is now expected to lead you to a career. Unfortunately the college and university system has not changed with the times. A degree in Anthropology, Archeology, Art, Art History Creative Writing, General Studies, History, Humanities, Liberal Arts, Literature, Political Science, most any language including English, Music History, Philosophy, Religious Studies or Sociology is considered a "personal enrichment" degree. That is, these degrees are degrees that are meant to enrich you personally in the classical sense of a university education without leading to any specific job. These degrees sometimes result in a position in academia if you go on to get a PhD though there is an oversupply of PhDs for all the academic jobs that come up in these fields. However, in today's world where people go to university to enable themselves to get a job and hopefully a career a bachelor's in these fields is essentially useless. With a degree in these fields and a GPA generally over 3.0 you can: 1. Get into law school. However law schools today graduate far more lawyers than there is business for lawyers. 2. Get into graduate school in a different field. Hopefully one without too many prerequisites you do not have. Consider getting a masters in Technology Management. You can make a similar salary to an engineer but you need essentially no sciences prerequisites. 3. Get into graduate school in the same field and eventually into a PhD so you can become a college professor in this field someday. However, there are far more PhD grads in some fields like Philosophy than there ever will be professorships or any kind of teaching programs. 4. Take a teaching qualification, which is usually 2 more years, so you can teach the subject at a public K-12 school. 5. Look for a job in a field where they want you to have a degree without any concern what it is. Where they only want the degree because they want educated people who have proven they can stick with something difficult and see it to completion. Like the insurance industry. 6. If you join the military you are more likely to enter as an officer instead of enlisted personnel. Do note that if you do go for a more advanced degree, no one cares where you got your bachelor’s degree. Only the school where you got your most advanced degree counts. And that counts for a lot less than the name schools would have you believe. If your GPA is over 3.0, don’t take a second undergrad degree if you already have one of these degrees. A graduate degree will be more valuable to you. So, what exactly IS an English major supposed to do after college? http://www.publicradio.org/columns/prairiehome/posthost/2009/07/28/english_majors.php Here is a listing of the average starting and mid-career salaries for most majors. http://www.payscale.com/best-colleges/degrees.asp The ones with the highest salaries are the ones in the most demand by employers.