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Hello I am a junior in high school and the question of what I want to major in ,in college comes up on a basis. I find it really frustrating because I really want to work in the fields of Science yet I really want to work in the fields of History. I really enjoy Geology. I also really love weather and working with animals, I would really love to know more about Meteorology or Zoology. Please help me and suggest some majors I could possibly be in. I'm sorry if this is really confusing, I am just as confused.
Question Date: 2015-12-11
Answer 1:

The best thing about your question is that you like a lot of different things -- that means you have lots to choose from! What a great position to be in, even though it can make it harder to decide.

I'm a geologist so I can speak to that area -- there are jobs in academia (if you wanted to get a Ph.D. and research new ideas), the mining industry (gold, copper etc. exploration) and oil and gas. Most often there is associated field work where you go outside and collect data, so if you don't enjoy the outdoors then Geology is not the path for you. Most oil and gas jobs are based in Houston, Texas.

Geology is about looking at rocks, mapping out different units and deciding if there is anything valuable (minerals or oil/gas) in the rocks. It can be somewhat creative in this way, because you have to interpret the rocks and map them in creative ways.

Meteorology leads to careers in weather prediction (making/interpreting weather charts and forecasting the weather for the government and for private networks) or in weather broadcasting on T.V., which usually requires a degree in Meteorology plus 2 years of broadcasting school.

Meteorology is often in the same department as Geology (Earth Science department) so often there is cross-over between courses and electives in the first couple of years of university.

And it's always O.K. to take some courses that you're interested in and try some different subjects in your electives, that way you can see what else is out there!


Answer 2:

There is no quick and easy way to answer this. What you can do is go to college, take a few courses in each, and then decide. It may add a year to your graduation, but it will make you a better scientist or whatever you wish to become to have a more rounded background in either case (for example, animals' lives are affected by the weather, so even if you go into zoology, knowing a little about meteorology will help). You can also take electives, or even do a double major.

UC Santa Barbara actually has a design-your-own-major program called the College of Creative Studies that you might look into if you're looking to go into Science as a career. How do migrating birds respond to changing wind patterns? Do animals forecast severe storms and get out of their way? If so, how? If you are interested in questions like that, then you can easily bring the fields together.



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