i am a 19 year old student in community college. i am going for a aas degree in network administration and then i wanted to transfer to the unversity of washington for higer degree. i recently have been doing research on the computer job field and it aint looking so good and i am not really enjoying this advanced computer stuff and later on it will involve math which i hate. my real dream is to go into politics and im thinking about switching to a political science degree. i was wondering if i can be guaranteed a liveable wage after i do this, i dont want to get a degree and then be screwed im so worried about that. Also i really dont have any kind of income at the moment i am going to comm college for free through finicial aid, i was wondering if this is also possible through a university and what about living on campus and etc. also was wondering about law school if i can even do this because i ahve no money any help is appreciated this is a big decision for my life :/

Yeah, you can make a liveable wage in politics. Seriously though, you are 19..I wouldnt be too incredibly worried about the money situation at this exact moment. Right now you need to find the things that you happen to really enjoy doing. Its good that you've found that computers isnt your thing and that you have an idea on where to go instead.

Lets face the fact that whatever you wind up doing, you've got the next 65 years to do it. Thats quite a bit of time, so whatever you are doing, make sure its something you want to be doing, otherwise its going to be a miserable time.

An advanced degree is only going to help you in the future. Lets face it, when looking at the job pool as a whole, there is a large percentage of people who do not have a degree, a medium percentage of people who have an undergraduate degree, and then a very small percentage of people who hold advanced degrees.

Masters & PhD programs, or well..education in general, doesnt garantuee you any wage or even a glorious job working in the field you actually hold a degree in. What it does do is provide you with options as you progress thru life.

You'd be surprised what degrees wind up in different positions. For instance, I know lots of people who think that a degree in history is basically "majoring in poor". I beg to differ though since you just might wind in a job labeled "President of the United States of America". Yep thats right, George's undergraduate degree was in history.

So again, dont worry too much about the money and look more for something that will occupy your time for the next 65 years and not drive you up the wall.

thanx for the advice yeah i made an appointment with my adviser and i think i am ready to change, but i have to worry about money thats what will keep me living.

Surviving is always a problem isn't it - I too had to do that being a single mom at the time I was in college and it was exhausting, but the good news is, I did do it and graduated eight years ago with a BA in Sociology and Education and have been teaching for six years and....I am 50-years old! I would go to your community college (good choice by the way) tell them you need the full amount available in loans - you will be able to pay for school and live on that money - it is not a lot, so you will have to live frugally. You should be able to get school loans for the full four years - if you have no adults helping you and are completely on your own, you may be able to get grants to pay your tuition and all the money you borrow in loans can then be used for living expenses. PLEASE DON'T BE DISCOURAGED - take your time if you are confused - you can go part-time and still get assistance. Has anyone suggested that you to take the Strong/Campbell Interest Inventory? It is a test just to test what you like, where your interests are and what career you would be good at - the test is free and your community college can give it to you. Good Luck