It sounds like you have a lot of interests, which can make big and somewhat mutually exclusive decisions like this hard.
Here are a few thoughts (long thoughts, sorry):
boldIf you want to change the world, you first need to figure out what you wantbold. This is the most difficult part of everything I’m going to say, even though it sounds the easiest. Some people NEVER figure this out.
With this many interests and this much indecisiveness in what you want to do, I wouldn’t take on the astronomical amount of debt that comes with college for self-discovery. College isn’t for self-discovery any more, it’s far too expensive for that. It’s more like buying a house. You take on debt to get an asset that will pay off that debt. I don’t think you’d buy anything else you weren’t absolutely sure you’d like with a price tag of $60-$300k (?), so why would you do that with an education?
Most importantly, it’s what YOU want. Not what your parents want, not what society tells you you want, what YOU want. Sit down and think long and hard about it. Why do you want to change the world? Is it because you like solving tough problems? You can do that without changing the world. Is it because you want to help your fellow man? You can do that without changing the world. Is it because you want to be a billionaire? Well then, you need to change the world. Ok, so…why do you want to be a billionaire? Do you want to have fun? You can do that without spending a dime…you get the drift. Ask yourself “why” until it doesn’t make any sense, then ask yourself a few more times. You can easily get to “my own house, car..pay[ing] all my bills…excellent credit and an income of six figures” without changing the world. Heck, you can do that before you’re thirty.
boldYour life will not end up like you envision itbold. I don’t know about you, but I’m not an astronaut-secret-agent-fighter-pilot-postman like my 6 year-old self wanted to be. Being substantially older than that, I’ll say the above trend hasn’t changed. Every single plan I’ve had for my professional career has been wrong within about three years of when I made that plan. Every. Single. One. And that’s not bad. I am incredibly happy with where I am at and immensely thankful for the hand I’ve been dealt. I still have boxes I will check before I leave this earth, God willing, but what you want will change, and you want to be ready to adapt to those changes. If you don’t believe me, think about 7-year-old you versus 17 year-old you. What did they want, value, etc. in life? Life is a crazy adventure full of highs and lows, not a chess game.
boldStatistically, in order to do something great you need to fail. A lotbold. Almost every world changer has faced innumerable rejections and/or failures before they found success. Edison comes to mind, as does Musk. Everyone will tell you what you want can’t be done if it’s big enough. You think there weren’t a few people that said that online payments, electric sports cars, and reusable commercial space flight couldn’t be done? They will say it’s impossible because they are jealous, lazy, knowledgeable in the field, or out-of-touch, but they will say it. You need to plan for how you will deal with these failures, so they do not derail you from your ultimate goal.
For your situation, I’d do something like this. Put off college and get a medical assisting certification like you mention. It’s cheap, it looks good any eventual college applications, it gives you an income, and it allows you to try medicine, which you mention. If you hate it, it’s only a few months and not much money lost, and you can have a decent job to support trying the next thing. If you love it, off to college, medical school, and residency. See you when you’re 32, haha.
You mention the arts, especially media, a bunch, so you need to explore that, but DO NOT under any circumstances get in to substantial debt for the arts until you know you have talent and a passion for it. I would say take community college classes, intern somewhere, or find a free game design course online.
If you want to try entrepreneurship, go low risk. Mow lawns, clean houses, walk dogs, etc. You can start one of these businesses tomorrow with virtually no money and relatively little risk. Just treat it like a business. Advertise, make a website, make a business plan, do some bookkeeping, and all the other things. If you love it, you’ve now got a business you can grow, or sell to fund your next venture.
If you want to take the “safe” route, get a college degree in computer science, engineering, accounting, or some other area with a definite path and good pay. Spend a few years living on ramen, build up some savings, then do something crazy with all the money.
Finally, practice writing and public speaking. The ability to communicate well will help set you up for success no matter what you do. You will notice a trend in all of this. None of it happens fast or easily. Above all, take your time, enjoy the journey, and remember that we’re all faking it. You are clearly smart and motivated to be worrying about all of this at 17, so you’ll be fine no matter what. Best of luck and see you out there.