Going places

LONG POST INCOMING! (I think.)

So over the past few months, I've been telling people that I intend to switch into engineering. And it was true - I did fully intend to do so. I applied, and I got accepted a few days ago. Yaaay.

Over the course of half an hour, after a talk with my dad, that may no longer be the case. Now, I don't want to appear to be a little indecisive bitch about things, so hear me out. I'll lay out a bit of backstory.
So over a decade ago, my dad was quite the hot stuff. He was in the way upper ranks of software development, and lived in Connecticut for several years while he worked at Oxford Health Plans. He raked in almost $70,000 per year, and our family seemed to be doing quite well. I also got the coolest toys during that time period.

But he wasn't (probably isn't) a very sane man. He suffered from extreme paranoia, which made him quit the job after 3 or so years and return home. To stay forever unemployed. While believing that people were out to kill him. He broke down and went to the hospital a countless number of times, taking in medication after medication. I swear, he must've taken in every kind of drug that exists for suppressing negative emotions. I'm not too sure about this, but he may even be diagnosed with some form of schizophrenia.

So that's the dark side of my family. My mom's been supporting our 5 member family for most of our lives off of a near minimum-wage job. Heck, we've never even owned a car. Now it's quite understandable why I dislike my dad a lot. It's not because he treats me like a kid or that we have a lot of disagreements... it's that I just don't respect him. He has the potential to go out there and make the big bucks. Maybe we could live somewhere other than an apartment for once.

So I didn't know what to expect when he talked to me about what major I should go into this afternoon. He saw my engineering acceptance letter and asked, 'Yo, what's goin' on?'

I had considered computer sciences for a potential degree. I also considered engineering - engineering physics, then branching off into the software engineering. My main motive was to find a degree that would show that I have a strong set of analytical skills that can be put to use in a job, preferably one that pays nicely. It was likely my lack of knowledge on the computer science side of things that pushed me over to engineering. My dad talked about the computer science field; the great pay, the job opportunities, the flexibility both in the type of work and in what coutry the work could take place, etc etc. This is when I realized that this man knew what he was talking about. His level of knowledge on computer science and the industry had never hit me previously, but now I was aware of it.

He advised that I go into computer sciences, if I am considering that area. To go all in (with a hint of applying for med school later on too, haha).

He also mentioned that he could help me out. Teach me some of the advanced techniques of whatever software engineers do. Essentially, I would be able to think like a programmer before I hit the job market.

And all this from a man I hardly spoke with over the past couple of years. It's definitely a lot to take in.

I feel that my dad has a valuable bank of knowledge on everything and anything related to computer sciences. He can easily fill an entire bookshelf with books on various coding languages and things on databases blah blah blah that I do not quite understand yet; in addition, he has quite the resume with several project lead positions at notable corporations. I guess I should make good use of it - extract all the knowledge, and utliize it well.

To conclude: I am (for safety, I'll say most likely) going to transfer into computer sciences. Maybe I'll pursue engineering afterwards? Maybe I'll combine the degree with something like physics, or make use of the bunch of bio courses I have lying around in my transcript.

But whew, I need some time to think stuff over.

P.S. Caro, got any input?