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I've always been interested in the liberal arts more than the sciences. When I get to college, the subjects I'd find the most interesting would probably be philosophy, sociology, anthropology, psychology, political science, religion, anything dealing with reasoning or critical thinking, and maybe linguistics. I'd also probably like literature and poetry, but when I read a piece of literature, I usually don't care too much about the literature itself, I care more for the ideas. Of course literature is more interesting and less dry than reading straight-up philosophy, so I sometimes prefer to get the ideas from a novel rather than a philosopher. But I prefer ideas to art, I guess, though I do need to learn to appreciate the latter more. I'd also like to add that I like learning about other cultures and I am planning on studying abroad in college, though maybe to an English speaking place like the UK or Australia so I could still be articulate when discussing ideas, which is what I like to do best.
I do find some aspects of science very interesting, others I find very, very boring. When it comes to the biological sciences, anything dealing with evolution, genetics, or humans I find interesting, everything else I find pretty boring. When it comes to the physical sciences, I like anything dealing with space (it's the last frontier, and the fact that there is so much about it that we don't know I find fascinating) and anything dealing with the basic questions of existence, like what are we and how we got here. Math can be okay sometimes, like I kind of like the challenge of trying to solve a difficult problem, and I might like number theory, but I don't know because I have no experience in it. So I think I'm not a math and science guy, I am a liberal arts kinda guy who likes ideas and concepts and can find some parts (most likely the conceptual parts) of math and science interesting (but not as interesting as the liberal arts, what I like best). But I think what is more important is that I like science, but only when it is applied to something interesting and significant, like people. I like the social sciences and psychology and neuroscience. But more on that last part later.
The problem is the math and sciences are all thats practical if I want to use my brain for my job (I don't want to work a tedious and insignificant 9-5 office job, I want to think and I don't want to be a big part of the working some capitalist institution such as a business). There is a chance that I could study the liberal arts that I listed above and work for the state department in the foreign services or something (there is a program I heard about where the government pays for half of your college, pays for you to get a master's degree in foreign affairs, which I'd find pretty interesting, and then guruantees you an overseas internship, which I'd like, and guruantees you a job working for them, the minimum being 4 and a half years, but if I liked it I'd do it my whole life).
The problem with doing that though is that it might be really dry and a bunch of paper work, which I wouldn't like. I want to think, not do something similar to a 9-5 office type job, which that might be. And if I decided I didn't like it, I wouldn't have much to fall back on. I'd be overqualified and I'd probably have to end up doing some different 9-5 office type job. When it comes down to it, I hate working, but I like thinking. And I am not a capitalist, so working for a business would not be my cup of tea. I mean I could work for a business if I was doing math and science or thinking, but being a part of the money making process I wouldn't like. So I want a job where I can think and not do tedious, monotonous work, and I want to work to mean something, not for it to be about making money for my company.
Doing math and science all day isn't my dream job, I'd prefer to discuss ideas, but I'd much rather do math and science than work some white-collar business job, and hopefully it would be a more thinking-oriented than working-oriented type job, if that makes any sense. That's why I need to find something practical that I like, and I think that will have to be in the math and sciences.
Neuroscience is one thing that does interest me (though not as much as some of the liberal arts classes I listed that I want to take), probably because it deals meshes science with psychology, linguistics, and other aspects of the human mind, which I find very interesting. But more importantly, ever since I read Andrew Newberg and Gene Eugene D’Aquili's Why God Won't Go Away I have wanted to study the science of spirituality. I heard neurosicence is a growing field with job opportunities. It would be a perfect fit, so I am thinking that I might major in it when I get to college. I am not looking forward to the required basic biology and chemistry classes, but I don't think I'd have to take too many. When I read about neuroscience programs at colleges, it is described as an interdisciplinary program where you take biology, linguistics, math, philosophy, and pyschology. So I don't think I'd have to take too many classes I don't like.
I realize that taking classes I don't like shouldn't be too big a deal, but there is so much I want to take in college and I'm going to be so busy with music and sports that I can't afford to waste time with anything I really don't enjoy. So if I don't have to take too many of these required classes I don't like, it will be worth it, depending on the job opportunities it will bring, which brings me to my next point. What can I do with a major in neuroscience? I plan on at least getting my master's, so what would I do with a master's in neuroscience? Or a doctorate in neuroscience? I remember looking at neuroscience in a college majors book, and under the jobs-you-can-get-with-this-degree section there wasn't a 'neuroscientist.' The only thing that came close was a biochemist. And if I wanted to be a biochemist, I'd be interested in and be taking mostly chemistry and biology. And I don't find either of those very interesting, so I don't think I'd like to be a biochemist. So should I just drop the whole neuroscience idea? I need to know because part of my college selection process is whether or not the school in question has a neuroscience program or not (most schools don't).
I do find some aspects of science very interesting, others I find very, very boring. When it comes to the biological sciences, anything dealing with evolution, genetics, or humans I find interesting, everything else I find pretty boring. When it comes to the physical sciences, I like anything dealing with space (it's the last frontier, and the fact that there is so much about it that we don't know I find fascinating) and anything dealing with the basic questions of existence, like what are we and how we got here. Math can be okay sometimes, like I kind of like the challenge of trying to solve a difficult problem, and I might like number theory, but I don't know because I have no experience in it. So I think I'm not a math and science guy, I am a liberal arts kinda guy who likes ideas and concepts and can find some parts (most likely the conceptual parts) of math and science interesting (but not as interesting as the liberal arts, what I like best). But I think what is more important is that I like science, but only when it is applied to something interesting and significant, like people. I like the social sciences and psychology and neuroscience. But more on that last part later.
The problem is the math and sciences are all thats practical if I want to use my brain for my job (I don't want to work a tedious and insignificant 9-5 office job, I want to think and I don't want to be a big part of the working some capitalist institution such as a business). There is a chance that I could study the liberal arts that I listed above and work for the state department in the foreign services or something (there is a program I heard about where the government pays for half of your college, pays for you to get a master's degree in foreign affairs, which I'd find pretty interesting, and then guruantees you an overseas internship, which I'd like, and guruantees you a job working for them, the minimum being 4 and a half years, but if I liked it I'd do it my whole life).
The problem with doing that though is that it might be really dry and a bunch of paper work, which I wouldn't like. I want to think, not do something similar to a 9-5 office type job, which that might be. And if I decided I didn't like it, I wouldn't have much to fall back on. I'd be overqualified and I'd probably have to end up doing some different 9-5 office type job. When it comes down to it, I hate working, but I like thinking. And I am not a capitalist, so working for a business would not be my cup of tea. I mean I could work for a business if I was doing math and science or thinking, but being a part of the money making process I wouldn't like. So I want a job where I can think and not do tedious, monotonous work, and I want to work to mean something, not for it to be about making money for my company.
Doing math and science all day isn't my dream job, I'd prefer to discuss ideas, but I'd much rather do math and science than work some white-collar business job, and hopefully it would be a more thinking-oriented than working-oriented type job, if that makes any sense. That's why I need to find something practical that I like, and I think that will have to be in the math and sciences.
Neuroscience is one thing that does interest me (though not as much as some of the liberal arts classes I listed that I want to take), probably because it deals meshes science with psychology, linguistics, and other aspects of the human mind, which I find very interesting. But more importantly, ever since I read Andrew Newberg and Gene Eugene D’Aquili's Why God Won't Go Away I have wanted to study the science of spirituality. I heard neurosicence is a growing field with job opportunities. It would be a perfect fit, so I am thinking that I might major in it when I get to college. I am not looking forward to the required basic biology and chemistry classes, but I don't think I'd have to take too many. When I read about neuroscience programs at colleges, it is described as an interdisciplinary program where you take biology, linguistics, math, philosophy, and pyschology. So I don't think I'd have to take too many classes I don't like.
I realize that taking classes I don't like shouldn't be too big a deal, but there is so much I want to take in college and I'm going to be so busy with music and sports that I can't afford to waste time with anything I really don't enjoy. So if I don't have to take too many of these required classes I don't like, it will be worth it, depending on the job opportunities it will bring, which brings me to my next point. What can I do with a major in neuroscience? I plan on at least getting my master's, so what would I do with a master's in neuroscience? Or a doctorate in neuroscience? I remember looking at neuroscience in a college majors book, and under the jobs-you-can-get-with-this-degree section there wasn't a 'neuroscientist.' The only thing that came close was a biochemist. And if I wanted to be a biochemist, I'd be interested in and be taking mostly chemistry and biology. And I don't find either of those very interesting, so I don't think I'd like to be a biochemist. So should I just drop the whole neuroscience idea? I need to know because part of my college selection process is whether or not the school in question has a neuroscience program or not (most schools don't).
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