Unrelated?

[TubaMorg]

Originally Posted by t3hroxor

Anyone going to college for something completely unrelated to robotics?

I'm majoring in molecular biology.

I got my bachelor's degree in molecular biology and am almost done with my doctoral thesis in computational biology. I've pursued a number of paths in my life. Some I got paid for, some just because:

Line chef
Naval nuclear propulsion plant mechanic
carpentry/furniture maker
auto mechanic
plumbing
electronics
computer science
molecular biology
and, of course, robotics
I can also sew, weld, and landscape

People sometimes ask me how in the world do all of these relate? I think it just boils down to me wanting to know how things work.

Point is (and this is important to you HS students fretting about what you are going to do with your life), picking a major doesn't lock you into a particular path in life. We have a number of physicists working in our biology lab. The most important thing you should pick up from school is learning how to learn. Everything else in life is gravy!

Many new comers to FIRST become frustrated when they discover that there is no single resource that tells them how to build the dang robot. They have to learn how to learn.

We often have HS interns come work in our lab over the summer. Not all of them plan on pursuing biology in college, but they just want to see what it's like to work in a lab.

Follow your interests and don't worry about whether your major seems to conflict with other interests. If you think about it, you will see that there is a common thread amongst all your interests.