How do you shut out excess information in career searches?

[Cellmold]

In the age of information how does one go about sifting through the enormous wealth of options that appear when trying to aim for a certain career?

For example I'm interested in two areas: Language & animation. Coding might be in there too but I'm not sure about how much it appeals to me. When I attempt to search for courses or guides (eg: translator of a specific language or 2D animation in a specific program) I find myself bombarded by hundreds of search engine hits and advice columns telling me to spread my finances one way or another (even within the very specific guidelines of only my own area).

I find it very hard to break this information down into something I can grasp, it just appears overwhelming and stifling. One of my main issues with education was this same stifling bombardment.

This could be a more individual problem to me though. It's also indicative of a larger issue in the modern world which has been building throughout human history. With the rise of the internet we finally have a vast saturation that I think creates a paralysis of moving forward in life. And since one only has (as far as I can tell) a limited amount of time to exist you run the risk of expending all your energy in areas that give little progress or may even hinder it.

Anyone else have similar issues which confound decision making and career progress?

 

[Zoom]

My area of study and expertise is languages - specifically, I am en route to becoming a translator or interpreter, depending on the job market when I receive my M.A. If you're wondering whether you want to do the job or how it works, 'tis invaluable to talk to people who actually work in the field. If the line of query is more along the lines of academics and how to get there, contact professors. The internet is a great way to find resources, but the best resources are interactive ones (specifically, things made out of meat). This approach has the additional benefit of networking, which is an annoying but helpful practice in life. It's not rude to email someone with questions - it's entirely up to them as to whether or not they'll respond.

Ye should know right off the bat that translation and interpretation are skill sets - graduating with a degree in a language does not necessarily qualify you to subtitle a movie or perform interpretation on someone else's behalf. So either a degree in the field or building up experience is what achieves said skill sets. There are no Bachelor's programs in interpretation or translation in the United States that I know of, but there are a few M.A. programs. Once you get to the PhD level it is much more likely that one is studying the theory of translation, i.e. studying the methodology or philosophy of the practice itself.

P.S. The job market for animators is not too hot, and a degree in the field can be quite expensive. Knowledge derived from knowing someone quite well who got a degree and worked in the field of animation - modeling, to be precise. Just a thought.

Cheers.