Uni Stuff > General University Discussion and Queries
I don't know what to study at uni - help!
zhen:
--- Quote from: VanillaRice on August 16, 2017, 07:58:23 pm ---I'd like to share something interesting and relevant(?) about careers which 'help people'. What exactly do you mean by 'helping people' or 'making a difference'? Have you considered careers which might not involve actual 'patient care', and rather than focusing on helping individuals, involve having an impact on entire populations? Think along the lines of potentially designing the newest treatment for those with some form of chronic disease, or developing a public health strategy to reduce road death tolls in youths (these are only examples, but I hope you get the idea :P).
--- End quote ---
I feel like it'd be awesome if I could save lives by finding a treatment for a disease or if I could somehow end up having an impact on entire populations. But, I feel like realistically I'm not capable of doing such things and the people who do make these large scale differences are those one in a thousand people, which I don't really see myself being and don't think I'm capable of being. So, I see myself really helping individuals rather than helping populations.
Mr West:
--- Quote from: Sine on August 16, 2017, 06:53:23 pm ---are you close to monash or Melbourne?
Just curious which uni's biomed are you heading towards?
--- End quote ---
Im pretty much dead middle haha, possibly a bit closer to monash...
my first preference will be biomed at monash but im just wondering what to do if i cant get low to mid 90 atar.
Should i just do bachelor of science at monash and keep my options for medicine open to deakin, monash and melb?
Cheers
Bri MT:
--- Quote from: zhen on August 16, 2017, 06:15:31 pm ---Sorry I'm bumping this thread. It's been months after I initially posted in this thread and I still don't know what I want to do in university. Right now I'm even more unsure of what I want to do than I was before. I feel like I just want a meaningful career where I can actually help other people out. This year so far I've felt like I've grown in so many ways. I've had many hardships throughout the year. But, my friends and atarnotes have always been there for me when I was depressed and ranting on about my unfair circumstances. I know it's a bit cliche, but I feel like I really want a career that I can look back on and say that I truly made a difference. So, what advice do you all have on this? There's medicine, which is probably the most obvious career choice for helping people, but what other careers do you all think I should consider? I just don't know what to do and VTAC applications have opened, so I'm just asking for some advice.
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Warning: I'm going to (briefly) be arrogant. I use TabForACause and Ecosia to make my browsing count for something, I changed my diet to help the environment, I first started volunteering on a regular basis in grade 5 (tree planting every week), I have done (and organised) fundraising, donated hair, and I entered this year as the equivalent of chairman for two different community groups. It sounds good when I list it like that, but I would struggle to say that I have truly made a difference to the world. I'm not sure if I ever will feel that I have done enough. It's a great goal to aspire to, but don't let it become suffocating. Sometimes helping the community is making someone laugh, being the nice customer, or letting someone know that you care. A relatively small action such as donating blood makes a big difference to the person who receives it.
Uni can equip with a diverse range of skill sets, and every. single. one. could be used to help people/the community.
If there is anything my experience has taught me it is that out of every factor, it is the determined individuals that achieve the most change. If you want to contribute, you will find a way, regardless of what course you choose. From my experiences trying to juggle/balance everything this year, you are best of going for a skill set you have genuine interest in,otherwise it make things much harder for yourself, and when you can't function well you can't help as much. If medicine is something you are only considering because it is "the known way" to help people I would recommend you to not do it. You seem to have an interest in science, and there is so much you can do with science to help people and the community. (I'm actually planning to do a science course, and use it to help others.)
You also don't need to know the path you will take yet, there is so much information that you haven't been exposed to yet, and as you progress through your studies and life you will learn about opportunities and vocations you don't even know exist yet. Maybe your designs will help us move to a more sustainable future, maybe you'll find a find to make vaccines more accessible to impoverished communities, maybe you'll create a prosthetic which allows someone greater quality of life, maybe you'll use computing to see the links which contribute to disease, maybe you'll find new water purification methods, maybe you'll help us all think big and understand a little bit more how the universe works. Please don't start placing restrictions on your future just because preferences have opened. Maybe it's better for you to not be sure yet, and to remain open to new opportunities.
That all being said, if you realllly want a guide: https://80000hours.org/
Best of luck, it's great that you want to give back -that alone tells me that you will, if you haven't already
zhen:
--- Quote from: miniturtle on August 16, 2017, 08:40:39 pm ---Warning: I'm going to (briefly) be arrogant. I use TabForACause and Ecosia to make my browsing count for something, I changed my diet to help the environment, I first started volunteering on a regular basis in grade 5 (tree planting every week), I have done (and organised) fundraising, donated hair, and I entered this year as the equivalent of chairman for two different community groups. It sounds good when I list it like that, but I would struggle to say that I have truly made a difference to the world. I'm not sure if I ever will feel that I have done enough. It's a great goal to aspire to, but don't let it become suffocating. Sometimes helping the community is making someone laugh, being the nice customer, or letting someone know that you care. A relatively small action such as donating blood makes a big difference to the person who receives it.
Uni can equip with a diverse range of skill sets, and every. single. one. could be used to help people/the community.
If there is anything my experience has taught me it is that out of every factor, it is the determined individuals that achieve the most change. If you want to contribute, you will find a way, regardless of what course you choose. From my experiences trying to juggle/balance everything this year, you are best of going for a skill set you have genuine interest in,otherwise it make things much harder for yourself, and when you can't function well you can't help as much. If medicine is something you are only considering because it is "the known way" to help people I would recommend you to not do it. You seem to have an interest in science, and there is so much you can do with science to help people and the community. (I'm actually planning to do a science course, and use it to help others.)
You also don't need to know the path you will take yet, there is so much information that you haven't been exposed to yet, and as you progress through your studies and life you will learn about opportunities and vocations you don't even know exist yet. Maybe your designs will help us move to a more sustainable future, maybe you'll find a find to make vaccines more accessible to impoverished communities, maybe you'll create a prosthetic which allows someone greater quality of life, maybe you'll use computing to see the links which contribute to disease, maybe you'll find new water purification methods, maybe you'll help us all think big and understand a little bit more how the universe works. Please don't start placing restrictions on your future just because preferences have opened. Maybe it's better for you to not be sure yet, and to remain open to new opportunities.
That all being said, if you realllly want a guide: https://80000hours.org/
Best of luck, it's great that you want to give back -that alone tells me that you will, if you haven't already
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What I'm about to say might be a bit controversial, so just a warning before reading this. Right now, I feel like if I can support myself financially and feel like I'm making a difference, then I'll live a happy life. In a way, it might even be a bit selfish, since I help others to make myself feel better. I'm not a noble person. Unlike you, I've haven't done much to help people other than pretty basic things. But, I just feel like if I end up in a job that does not feel like it's contributing to anything other than my boss' wallet, then I probably will not be satisfied with that type of life. I want to live my life without regrets.
Bri MT:
--- Quote from: zhen on August 16, 2017, 09:11:50 pm ---What I'm about to say might be a bit controversial, so just a warning before reading this. Right now, I feel like if I can support myself financially and feel like I'm making a difference, then I'll live a happy life. In a way, it might even be a bit selfish, since I help others to make myself feel better. I'm not a noble person. Unlike you, I've haven't done much to help people other than pretty basic things. But, I just feel like if I end up in a job that does not feel like it's contributing to anything other than my boss' wallet, then I probably will not be satisfied with that type of life. I want to live my life without regrets.
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What I'm trying to get at (even if communicating this poorly) is that there are so many different ways to make a difference, the scope is so huge that it's hard to use it as any sort of filter for figuring out university courses. I'm also trying to say that if you want to make a difference you will, regardless of what course you choose.
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