Major suggestions

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I want to start college fall 2017, but I really don't know what to major in.

I know that I like helping people, have high attention to detail (I'm incredibly good at skimming documents and finding relevant information or spelling/grammar/punctuation mistakes), I'm good at and enjoy research, and I like to be on my feet when I'm working at least part of the time.

Subjects I've always excelled at include everything relating to reading and writing in the English language. I'm good with history because it interests me and I'm good at remembering dates and pointless trivia. I like science, and I'm pretty decent with math (except geometry - don't suggest anything that involves visualizing shapes and space, it isn't something that I can do).

In terms of science I like biology related sciences and geology - I have little interest in physics though. Computer science escapes me. There is too much happening there with all the code and I have ADHD lmao.

So: I have high attention to detail, like researching and finding out why things work, like biology and geology, am an excellent writer and reader, I like helping people (I also mean that in the sense that I like being in an auxiliary position), and I don't mind repetitive work (in fact I love hand sorting and organization quite a bit).

I'm not good with: coding, visualization of space and size, animals (at least not when it requires doing something they don't like), being verbally persuasive, leading, or dealing with subtle interpersonal and emotional things.

So what would you suggest?

Do you already know where you want to go to school?

I was just curious because I was going to try to look at a list of their majors and I would find the perfect fit for you.

Engineering and computer science is definitely out. Nursing is a possibility. Looks like they also have education if you wanted to teach any of the subjects you talked about. There is a history program there, but I don't think history as a major provides very many jobs.

Nursing would be good so that you could help people. There is also an earth and environmental science program that would probably satisfy your love for biology. I would suggest one of those two. I would lean more towards earth and environmental science because you could do research and maybe even write essays.

Thank you! I was considering science but I'm always worried I'm not smart enough since I've always excelled more at the more "liberal" type of studies (sociology, English, history), but I do like science and have a drive to learn more.

The sciences are always a good fields to go into around this area.

Nursing is definitely one I've considered, but I'd preferably like to get myself into a surgical nurse position after a few years if I chose that route - or work in a specific area, not the ER or other areas liable to overwhelm me.

Nursing would be a good way to force me to work more on my social skills too .

My father is a retired marine biologist. There is work, but he tells me that you are far more marketable in the field with a graduate degree. He got a masters, which required a thesis and substantial hands-on research. With the cost of college these days, you want to consider whether you are in a position to stay in school to that extent if needed.

In the working world he did a lot of hands-on research, which meant a lot of dissecting fish. Much of it was repetitive - he would extract and sample thousands of odaliths (earbones) every year to form a statistical picture of groundfish ages and thus the health of the population. He seemed to enjoy that as much as or more than the "glamorous" moments like presenting a research paper. He found the repetitive work calming - some people find it boring.

I work intermittently with nurses, and it's largely the opposite. Nurses are usually responding to emergencies and managing difficult people. (The nicest people become difficult when they're scared and bleeding.) The ones who stay with the profession and enjoy it seem to have thick skins and handle stress well. Nursing jobs are particularly plentiful these days due to expansion of the healthcare industry, and tend to pay pretty well.

If you want to explore the nursing field before committing, you might look for a job as a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA). CNAs can begin work with a fairly minimal amount of training - a six to twelve week program is fairly typical, and you can probably find it at your community college. It is also usually a prerequisite for more advanced nursing studies. You would do the lowest level patient care jobs in a hospital or nursing home, usually under direction of a Registered Nurse. You'll clean up bodily fluids, help disabled people get around, and deal with some of the difficulties of dementia. If you find yourself liking it, you may be suited to complete the full degree and become an RN or LVN. If you don't, then at least you've tried it and know your preference - and it's a job with responsibility that you can put on your resume.

^ thank you for your suggestions.

Ideally, yes, I'd like to pursue a master's degree, though as you said that would largely be dependent on money and time.

Marine biology actually interests me, but if I went into a science major it would probably be something more widely marketable like microbiology. I've noticed specialized sciences have less plentiful jobs. Which is a pity.

I would be lying if said I wasn't really considering geoscience Though I'd likely have to go to a different college, probably Western Washington University, since earth and environmental science isn't the same as geoscience.

You are definitely doing the right thing by thinking about job availability in advance and picking your college based on your intended field of study. Good luck!

Oh yeah lol. My mom graduated with her master's when I was 14, and she just started her first job that paid over 50k, nine years later. She made the mistake of getting a degree that narrowed her options, though it was because the program she wanted was at a more expensive school that was an hour from where we lived.

I don't want to be someone with a master's degree and a master's degree's student loans and be making $35,000 a year.

If you like history/social sciences, research, writing, helping people, etc. and you want to get a master's at least, you might consider Social Work. You probably wouldn't be good at clinical work, but there's plenty of opportunty for work doing grant writing/research in the nonprofit sector.

I would look at the courses that peak you interest and have a read through of what they are about and what they involve.

Eventually one will attract you and even if it doesn't work out you can transfer to another couse.