Careers and Future Plans

Money is not always what will make you happy. I'm at school to be a veterinary technician (it's like a nurse for animals) it might be something you'd be interested in. The average salary is about 50,000 a year which is fine for one person. If you have any questions about this area of work let me know. It also helps to volunteer at places you might be interested in getting a job in or studying in school: animal shelter, homeless shelter, school, etc. Not sure where you are but I live in the US. They say you need to know what you want to do junior and senior year. You don't at all! I changed my major 3 times! Your first year of college is just going to be general courses like english, history, and that stuff. Most college students don't declare a major until after freshman year, and half of them change their major. Good luck and do things that you find interesting and do some research, it all helps! :)

profoundlydisconnected.com is a great website that I would very much recommend checking out. Ask around. Try talking to people that share similar interests (especially adults). You are not the only one that has gone through this before, it happens all the time. Sometimes these things take a while. It's a big decision. The worst thing you can do is rush it to much and end up with a career you do not truly love. Good luck to you!

I suggest doing a search on jobs involving working with animals. I bet there'll be loads of things you'd never even thought of, and some might pay very well and seem desirable :)

Time is not necessarily running out. Yes, I understand that you want to graduate next spring and go off to college like your peers. Thing is even though people decide where they want to go and what to study, many change their minds and figure out certain majors are not right for them sometimes as early as a few months into freshman year. If you are set on going to college and you can't decide, maybe take some of the general requirements at a community college to transfer later. This could give you some time to explore some options and volunteer/join some groups relating to animals. College is your time to explore not high school. High school sets you up (supposedly) as a minimum for the rest of your life.

Money is always a factor but money cannot keep you warm at night (unless you quilt yourself a money blanket). You have to love what you do or at least enjoy it most of the time because you are going to spend a great deal of time there and with the people that you work with. Success will follow (maybe not the blatantly obvious money) and you will have stories and memories that make you smile.

Your scenario can take you anywhere. An example could be that you eventually own a pet grooming business where you get to call the shots. Check out the link, it is a list of animal careers...
http://animalcareers.cornell.edu/list_careersby.php?col=title