posted November 06, 2008 03:55 AM         

My first love was Creative Writing in high school, but one can only go so far with that. I then turned to Journalism and I was good it and it kept me happy for awhile. Of course, that faded eventually and Journalism (the field, not writing) became dull and unfulfilling for me.

Freshman year, I kept at Journalism because it was what I was best at. A lot of people around me told me that I was just going through a slump and that I just needed to get out in the world and write about more interesting things than school sports. I figured that they were right and that I just keep writing because that's what kept me happy.

Sophomore year hadn't gotten much better so I switched to Cultural Studies (my other love) with a minor in Professional Writing so I could still write but study something that fed my "hunger for knowledge" more so than Journalism could. Also, I decided that I wanted to teach ESL abroad (maybe), or attempt to be one of those eternal life-long students/Professors that live on the school campus and talk about mundane things like Classical poetry and get paid for it.

I had to leave school because of serious money issues (Hopefully, now that Obama is president elect, the economy can get better, my parents will stop fighting with each other over money issues and their divorce, and realize that both their kids are in college and they STILL haven't paid for my last semester at Columbia THUS making it impossible for me to go on with my life and tarnishing my brother's hopes in going to college AT ALL), but I'm starting to think about what I can do if I do ever get to go back to college. I applied to transfer to CUNY City (also got accepted to CUNY Hunter) in Fall 2007 before all these money issues, so I got accepted but they're looking for my Spring 2008 transcript which I can't give to them because my parents still haven't paid for Columbia. I've deferred my admission because I'm leaving for an education internship in South Korea for a year, but it's really just an excuse to delay and gain some time to let my parents see the light and just pay the 8,000 that we owe.

Anyways, I've digressed. An education is very important to me... It's probably one of the MOST important things to me next to happiness and family & friends. I think about being back in school every single day and so I've been trying to decide which path I should follow so I don't waste my opportunities. Part of me thinks I should just go back to Journalism because it's far more exciting than being a Teacher I think. I'd get to run around and meet different people and with Chicago becoming more and more popular, Media here will be a booming industry once I get back from Seoul. At the same time, Journalism seems a bit shallow to me at times, especially with what the media chooses to report nowadays. Journalism is getting it's dignity back, although I'm still not impressed enough to 100% go back into the field.

After being a camp counselor and mentor in my high school's program, I've come to the realization that I can only teach very young children (I could never get mad at them, so cute!) or college students (I can get mad at them, but they'd actually listen to advice... I'd hope). There really isn't much money in teaching though... and if I went towards becoming a professor I'd have to study for another 3-4 years and that costs money. I can barely get my parents to pay enough attention to my tuition that was due 10 months ago let alone convince my mom to just cosign a loan for me (she won't do it, but only because she's using that as a way to get my Dad to give in and her more money in their settlement; my father's biggest concern is getting me back in school because he knows I am slowly going insane without school... My dad would cosign but his credit is practically ruined.) I could teach inner city schools in New York and the school system would pay for graduate school but at the same time they pay you barely enough to survive.

posted November 06, 2008 04:52 AM         

After I looked at your chart I flicked down and saw the message Koiflower left, and I would like to second her observation.

Mars and the Nodes in the 5th house suggests a fulfilling future working with children, helping them release their creative potential.

posted November 06, 2008 09:48 AM         

Actually, at the beginning of college, I wanted to go into international journalism and just work for UNICEF for the rest of my life. I'm a bit wiser now about foreign policy and the amount of red tape that goes along volunteering, but I've always felt that I should be going into some sort of service. My greatest and only fear is that that service will end up being within the fast food industry...

posted November 06, 2008 11:06 PM         

With so many personal planets in the 9th house, I think you'd be happiest as an academic.

You mentioned possibly teaching young children instead. Your 3rd house lacks personal planets, so I think you'd feel more yourself as an educator on the college level than the elementary level. And like I mentioned above, the key factor for choosing your career is finding the one that is most true to who you are.

The 9th house could also play out as you learning about social issues and then communicating your knowledge. Since your 9th house sun rules your 11th house, whatever 9th house activities you're engaged in are aimed at learning about humanity. So journalism could fit your chart, too. I guess you have to determine which you love more: learning and sharing knowledge in an academic environment, or learning about social/cultural issues and sharing what you've learned with the public.

Maybe it's your Cancer sun (or your already stated love of school ) that's giving me the hunch that you would prefer using your 9th house energies in academia rather than journalism. I think you'd like that home base, that intellectual haven a university provides. Also, your desire for knowledge would be fed more directly there.

You're facing some financial barriers to that life, but nothing that makes that career off limits. There's a chance you'll have to pay for your undergraduate education on your own, but that is something you can do. Don't feel hopeless. You can work to pay your past due tuition. If you can't get loans for the remaining years, you can transfer to a more affordable school. And you can go to the grad school that offers you the most generous fellowship.