January 2, 2004
A: FROM MENTOR KRISTIN TAGHON IN IL
Hi, Sung,
You are in a GREAT position! If you like physics, you could major in that and
do anything you want afterwards! Most companies will hire a Physics major to do
ANYTHING! I know many MANY Physics majors who have done multiple career
changes. You will be FINE! I have a friend who was a Physics Major who first
made computer chips, then went into software engineering and now is in the
trading industry, coming up with algorithms for predicting trading and then
programming that! I have another Physics friend who went directly into
programming and is now a manager. Another went into testing. She's considering
doing something in the medical field, now - it may take 1-2 years of training,
but not that much. Many more stories will probably follow my email. So, take
those Physics classes. Take those computer classes (because I'm sure you'll
need to take some of those for a Physics degree, or engineering, OR
programmer!). As you take these classes, pay attention to what you enjoy the
most and as you get closer to having to make a decision on the major in college,
you will probably know what you want. If you don't, major in Physics! And you
can't lose.

And yes, Sung, it IS normal to be in your spot. It's great to have all those
choices and you will have many opportunities in the years ahead to figure it all
out. And don't worry if you change your mind a few times. That is what happens
as you experiment and learn more about the different fields. Also you may want
to talk to people you respect in those fields. Talk to more than one person.
FInd out what they do every day.

Good luck and keep us informed!
Kristin Taghon
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A: FROM MENTOR ANDREA GUNTHER IN WA
Picking a career is difficult. It is very normal to
be changing your mind and thinking about different
careers in high school. Because you have narrowed
your options down to a SET field, a similar high
school education will prepare you for whatever you
choose. Don't worry you have time to decide. Find
out how your days would be spent in each of the
careers that you are exploring. Do you like working
with problems that you can visualize or put your hands
on or do abstract problems interest you. Are you
curious about how our physical universe works or are
you more intrigued with a system of interrelated
computer functions. Try to figure out what one or two
aspects of each career excite you the most. I thought
I might like computer programing in high school. I
liked its logic and the problem solving process that I
went through to write programs. These things that I
liked about computers were also found in engineering.
I chose engineering in the end because it incorporated
what I liked about computers as well as some
additional interests.