Quite the predicament (College Advice please)

[Koshunae]

So I plan on going to College, that's a no brainer. One issue is, my family is lower-middle class, meaning we don't make enough to provide much support, but we make too much to get any decent help from Financial Aid. So if I decide what I want to do, which is another issue that I'll get into in a second, I have to stick with it. However, I don't know what I want to do! I could see myself being happy doing a multitude of things. I really enjoy playing music, guitar in-particular, but an undergrad in classical guitar isn't going to get me very far.

Things I like;
Sciences (Biology/Chemistry/Physics), History, Literature(to a lesser degree than the previous two, I enjoy writing fictional stories), Arts, Technology(to a much lesser degree, I couldn't see myself being a programmer), Mechanics(this was actually my first choice but decided against it, I like the way vehicles work in theory)

Also, does the undergrad degree matter or have a conjunction with your master's degree? Like if someone wanted a masters in BioChemistry, would they need an undergrad in either Chemistry or Biology? Both? Nobody I've talked to seems to know so maybe I can get some sort of help from here.

I can only really afford to go to a Community College at the moment, which even that is really, really pushing it. So whatever I decide on, I have to kind-of stick with it.

Any thoughts, advice, or personal experiences will be greatly, greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[Hycanith]

It is quite difficult to recommend a course for you to take; it seems you have a wide variety of interests! This is probably not what you want to hear, but believe me when I say that your current interests may change drastically after actually studying a particular subject. The best way to find out what you may actually be interested in is to study it! It seems like a general science course would be a good idea to explore your interest in the scientific fields. You will likely need to take an english/literature course with your sciences anyway (at least in B.C you do), and you can always take a history course as an elective. I know that you have limited financial options and cannot afford to change programs partway through, but it is still better to explore courses than to lock yourself into studying subjects you do not enjoy!

 Also, I am not able to answer your questions about the undergrad/masters relationship (It probably varies with which country/area and what institution you are studying at, but I really don't know), but I would not worry about it at this stage. Focus on obtaining an undergrad first; as I said earlier, your tastes may change drastically as you progress through college.

I hope this helped a little!

PS: This is coming from a first year student. You should probably seek some more qualified advice

[Koshunae]

Spoiler for Hidden:

It is quite difficult to recommend a course for you to take; it seems you have a wide variety of interests! This is probably not what you want to hear, but believe me when I say that your current interests may change drastically after actually studying a particular subject. The best way to find out what you may actually be interested in is to study it! It seems like a general science course would be a good idea to explore your interest in the scientific fields. You will likely need to take an english/literature course with your sciences anyway (at least in B.C you do), and you can always take a history course as an elective. I know that you have limited financial options and cannot afford to change programs partway through, but it is still better to explore courses than to lock yourself into studying subjects you do not enjoy!

 Also, I am not able to answer your questions about the undergrad/masters relationship (It probably varies with which country/area and what institution you are studying at, but I really don't know), but I would not worry about it at this stage. Focus on obtaining an undergrad first; as I said earlier, your tastes may change drastically as you progress through college.

I hope this helped a little!

PS: This is coming from a first year student. You should probably seek some more qualified advice

This helped somewhat and I understand that I will change my choices, but that's a fear. I tried enrolling in the fall semester, but I was a little late and my schedule was cancelled a couple days after due to insufficient funds(also take note this campus has the lowest tuition rates I've ever seen). I'm also not sure if college is right for me. I was able to take a couple of days of classes before termination but they felt lack-luster. Like High School with bigger rooms . Are there any options to furthering my education in a non-traditional way?

[Hycanith]

Well, you could always take online courses! Or perhaps take a specialized course for a specific job. Try stepping out of your comfort zone and participating in new things! There is nothing wrong with simply moving up the work ladder at a simple retail job while taking an online course.

Perhaps you are simply not ready for college. Try traveling, working, and meeting new people. It is sad to see people who regretted going to college (and eventually dropping out) simply because they were not ready. I have a friend who was a straight-A student (and the student council president), and he took on hundreds of hours of volunteer work just to apply for scholarships and bursaries. He unfortunately dropped out of university after about a month of schooling.

A friend of a friend of mine initially enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts program (university) after highschool. However, he couldn't keep up with the workload (despite this style of program having a reputation for being "easy"), so he dropped out. Sometime later, he enrolled in an engineering program at a local college and really enjoyed it. He eventually transferred back to the university and is now in his final years of obtaining his engineering degree.

Tldr; My opinion is that you should not force yourself to go to college if you are not interested in your studies. 

[Cirrus]

As a note, there are a lot of things to do with technology other than programming. I know it's kind of the apple of the public eye, trying to introduce kids to programming or whatever they're up to these days. If you get a chance, look at some of the technical or mechanical courses offered - there's a lot more out there. There are people working in IT right now who hate writing code and have limited use for it in their position.

In my experience, a lot of schools aren't very good at teaching programming, so if you want to learn that you're better off picking up a book on Java or C++ in your own time. One of my friends took an introductory course where they were taught using a language that was designed for honest-to-goodness children (Scratch), which isn't necessary when many, many teen and adult programmers just jump right in.

[Armalite_]

I received my BA in Digital Communications and tried a whole array of different work. Not to say that it was a bad experience but I just wasn't passionate about the work as much as other students. For a while I considered getting my Masters in Business but when I asked other graduates what they did, they told me many didn't see the purpose in getting a Masters only because they didn't learn more about Business but rather learned how to prepare to get their Doctorate, which wasn't my intention.

My program required me to find an internship to graduate as part of the 4th year requirements. I was working along side people in an office doing graphic design. I was the only one there without a Masters degree and under the age of 29. The pressure there was immense, I struggled to keep up with the demands of my psychopathic boss and many people quit as soon as they were hired. I don't think possessing a Masters helped anyone I worked with, it only raised the level of expectation in their work, which wasn't always present. My boss used to get so pissed off at his think-tank employees armed with Masters degrees that he would call ME into the board room to speak in front of investors and municipal officials to talk about what could go wrong with their investments. I did an alright job while I worked there, but the experience left me with a crippling depression, anxiety, and a struggle with borderline alcoholism.

Long story short, getting a masters won't always help you. I didn't need one to get a job I was barely qualified for, but I was in over my head armed with a sense of false confidence. I'm now considering becoming a police officer instead.

Take your time choosing courses, it's a lot of money to throw down on courses you won't enjoy/be passionate about. You will only learn as much as you seek to learn during your short time in school.