pondering what to do

[trade-challenged]

Hello,

I am going into my 3rd year studying sciences at a university, and am having a bit of doubts about what I'm doing with my life.

I was thinking of trying to get a CA; problem is, as it stands, I'm pretty much clueless with how the business world works. The last business course I took was in grade 9 highschool. Apart from that, I'm pretty stupid when it comes to money talk. To be honest, I'm barely capable of grasping at the moment what a CA exactly leads to (I've looked at several sites, I'm just not familiar with the business world).

Like, I still sometimes forget what a tax return is for crying out loud...

Some of my traits:

perfectionist
obsessive-compulsive in many things, especially being a neat-freak
appreciation for organization and structure behind anything (just looking at my computer's file and directory structure shows how organized and neat-freakish I am)
I'm average at university-level math (calculus) -> maybe I should have studied harder? Past the initial steps of university calculus, nothing comes naturally to me.
I have people skills, but also have social-phobia and am "socially-retarded" in many ways according to some people; I tend to be a loner even though I get along very well with people if I do decide to get out (generally people receive me very well)
I'm either a very good communicator, or awful, never in between (depends on what I'm talking about)
I'm generally ambitious, but realisticSo what do you think I should do? Do I even sound like "business materal", being "clueless" (according to me) and all? Should I take a business course and see how that goes?

I dunno if I should stick to my guns or change course.

Thanks.

[philipwhite]

I think you need to build some more confidence in yourself. If your a bit lost as to what to do, I would go out and start interviewing, go to a few career fairs and talk to people, and see if it gives you any hints as to what you may want to do or may not want to do.

A lot of business type jobs, don't necessarily require a business degree. It obviously helps.

[goldctrsteve]

In many ways, I can relate. My first two degrees were in physics. While I speak often at conferences, I don't feel comfortable in social situations. Having said that, I am more creative than precise in my thinking. Your organizational skills and perfectionist streak would be well suited to something financial.

Looking back, here's what I wish I had done sooner:

- Take the time to work for a small business during vacation times. It's easy to work in an ivory tower at college and to be isolated from the real world.

- In addition, consider working for a charity of some sort. Not only is this a very human experience, but charities would value help on some aspects of the business. Your organization skills, in particular, would be very helpful.

- Join an organization such as the Toastmasters. While I am not a member, I know many people who are. They seem to do wonders for self-confidence, and communication skills are among the most important in business.

- Don't worry yet about your long-term career. Enjoy life, pursue what you love, and your career will become clear as time goes by.

Good luck as you decide what to do.

[mike]

There are many things to do in business that are suitable to your traits; like goldstrsteve said- finance would probably interest your OC and perfectionist traits, as would book keeping, accounting, efficiency controls and logistics. From what I understand- a CA designation gives you broad perspective of management skills, with depth in the accounting and bookkeeping realms.

I've attended a few Toastmaster meetings and seriously considerred joining up- it will certainly help polish your presentation skills. You could also look into the Landmark Forum- some people swear by it as an effective way to drop your barriers and become much easier with with people and gain more confidence. It's not for everyone and I haven't personally tried it to be honest.