Zach is currently looking at colleges. He has a good SAT score from December and is taking them again in early May. He also has a great GPA. In a lot of ways, his biggest problem is the same that mine was. We are both creative people. Zach loves Photography and Graphic Design and will definitely minor in one of them. But almost no one can make a living in the arts so, he's trying to think of what to do along with them. I recommended business, particularly Marketing. He got an A+ for the class this year and did like it. He is just iffy about it. That recommendation has a story.
My degree is in Dance. When I was a sophomore in high school I tried to think about what I wanted to do for a living. I liked kids and I thought dance was the only thing I was sort of good at even though it seemed like everyone else was better at that too. In case you can't tell, I had about zero self-esteem in high school. My first real non-babysitting job was with a YMCA after school program in town as a Counselor and I loved it.
I got into my first-choice college in September of my senior year and majored in Dance and Education. But the program changed in my second year so, I transferred to a school closer to home. I also got into all three schools I applied to at the time. To make Dance a major at my new school I had to link it with something else. I linked it to Education and Management.
I connected with my management teacher right away and in one class, Ethical Life, had to volunteer as an After-school Counselor. It's when I decided I wanted to be a teacher but, I continued my dance degree and got certified to teach through Alternate Route. I made Management my minor and dropped education.
So, how does someone who wants to be a classroom teacher graduate college with a degree in Dance and a minor in Management but not Education? I had already taken core Education classes. Enough to pass the PRAXIS by 25 points. The PRAXIS is the test you take to get a teacher certification. Most Education majors pass it by less than that or have to take it multiple times. My college was in Pennsylvania and so my plan was to get a master's degree in education in NJ. But I was also planning my wedding so, I never did go to graduate school. But I am certified to teach Preschool - 5th grade and was a tutor at a local Sylvan Learning Center for years.
I forget the timing and order those decisions. One influence was that there were four dance teams you had to try out for and I didn't get into any of them. Stage fright will do that to you. I also am just not that flexible. That's when I decided to teach in a classroom. I did have a dance teacher talk to me. She was worried about me when I announced my decision to not peruse dance as a career. That's why I told Zach to see what happens in college. Your experiences with your professors shape your life, and not always in the way you think they will.
Throughout my time at this other college, I connected with other business professors and liked my classes. I did have to take Macroeconomics as a summer course at a nearby college because I had taken it online and wanted a better grade. That turned out to be fortuitous. The school I took Macro in over the summer was the same school Zach visited last weekend. He looked at their business department. Possibly the very classroom I took that class in.
My advice to him before that visit was to start college undecided. Take the general education requirements and see if there is a subject or teacher you connect with. Then you can explore majors and careers that will mix his creative side and his practical side. He thought about his current teachers and was more solid on the Photography or Graphic Design minor. That's also when he told me he would take a closer look at the business department on the tour.
He might do something different than business along with his visual arts minor. But I talk about my management classes because I think it will help. The New York Times had an article in early February (2026) on the possible new Disney CEO. That was the person who later got the job. He started out majoring in sculpture, wanted to actually make a living, and transferred and switched to Marketing. I sent that article to a list of people including Zach and his Guidance Counselor. Zach had heard some stories about negative experiences working in Marketing and this was a positive story. It also was an outside link showing how other creative people choose to make a living through business. I actually always thought Management would be a better focus than Marketing for him, but he shut that idea down a while ago.
The main thing I told him about these visits is to make sure he likes the school, campus, and can probably find a major in their offerings. At the bare bones basics we hope he won't have to transfer like I did. He needs to make these decisions for himself. But they are very hard and very important decisions to make. What career will fit his personality and needs, even when they conflict?
Right now, Zach is undecided. Even when he was much younger our rules for a decision were that it had to be safe, legal, and age appropriate. I don't know how many jobs that crosses off the list but it's a good start. He's just so intelligent. Because of that, he has a lot of choices, and I hope he reaches his potential.
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