So, since a couple weeks back I've been able to apply for universities. I'm kind of set on starting my studies in August, but there is a possibility of me post-poning them until next term instead (January). Either way, I need to figure out what the hell I want to do with my life, haha. Right now I'm doing a basic course in Law, which is really interesting. I love the complexity of it and the methods to reach a conclusion - that there's no real answer but it's all based on circumstances. However, since a couple months back I've also gotten my eyes opened to Speech language pathology. I love linguistics, psychology and I'm also very interested in medicine - all these areas are part of being a speech language pathologist. The thing is, I cannot decide which one to apply to!
Applications here are set up the way that you go on to a certain website where you can choose amongst all the different programmes and universities in Sweden. You choose the programmes/courses you're interested in, and then you have to rank them. The one you want to get into the most, you put at the top of the list, then the second best, and so forth. The only "problem" is that if you get in to your first choice, you're automatically eliminated from the rest on your list. So if you change your mind after the applications are sent in, you're basically screwed and have to apply for the next term instead.
This is where I get a bit weary. I could put Law at Lund University as my top choice, but if I get in to it and then change my mind, I cannot study Speech language pathology until January. The other way around, I could put SLP at Linköping University as my top choice, but if I realize I don't want to do that, it's the same story again. I'm sort of terrified of making the wrong choice even though I know I'm far from screwed even if I pick the wrong one :P
Pros with Law:
*Interesting area
*I think I could do relatively well within it
*The pay is SO good if you succeed (the lowest pay (monthly) is about 33.000 sek/5.110$/3.700 euros, and the average pay at the age of 45 is around 48.000 sek/7.500$/5.400 euros)
*Lund is very close to continental Europe and it's very easy to make day/weekend trips to pretty much everywhere else in Europe.
Cons with Law:
* Very hard so succeed, with around 2000 new lawyers each year. There are more lawyers than there are jobs.
* Most of the other students are upper class from Stockholm, which equals rich brats that are a pain in the ass. Not sure if I would fit in or like the atmosphere.
* Competition is insane. There's incidents of students ripping out pages of books for instance, to make sure other students fail.
* Lund isn't a city I'm very attracted to. It's far away from where I live now, and it just feels very old and sort of outdated (even though this is not true, it's just a feeling I get)
Pros with SLP:
* Relatively well paid straight out of uni (ca. 25.000 sek/3.900$/2.800 eur)
* There is (and will be) roughly the same amount of SLP's as there are jobs = easy to find work
* Includes areas I'm very interested in and find fun to work with
* Love the city of Linköping and have visited the university before.
* Feels like there will be a bigger variety and more "normal" people on the SLP-programme than Law.
* Possible to find work abroad as the Swedish SLP-education is regarded highly, as long as you know the language.
Cons with SLP:
* Not 100% sure I want to do it
* Not as well paid as a lawyer when I'm 40 (ca. 32.000 sek/4.950$/3.600 euros).
The more I think about it, and now that I've listed this... The more it seems like SLP might be the right choice. Ugh, I'm freaking out! I wish I was like some of my friends and knew when I was 15 what I wanted to work with when I was older :P I've ranged from wanting to be a vet to a psychologist, from being a farmer to being a traveling photographer, from being a journalist to being a baker.
Maybe I can become a baking SLP that travels the world? I think that's it
The more I think about it, and from reading here, I'm leaning towards SLP more and more. I'm 90% sure it will be what I'll apply for, with law as my second choice. As some of you have pointed out, money isn't really that important if you're working within a field that you don't like. So I'd much rather do something that I'm more interested in and would probably enjoy more, rather than the opposite. I'll tell you all once I know what my autumn will look like! Thanks again