cup my eyes and look up at the stars

I want to change the world...

yea, I want to change the world.
People often look at me as if I just said something outlandish when I answer the question of "what do I want to do." I'm not sure if they don't understand or what it is, but few people take me straight when I tell them that. That is not the problem. The problem is how I'm going to do this. I'm not studying developmental econ or international relations or anything like that. I learn about nucleon oscillations and solve systems of equations. Then I draw a graph, which has been a bitch lately. Every morning I struggle to find the link between these two desires. How do I link a life of science with a desire to work with people and make their lives better? Motivation plummets when you see no end in sight. My engineering professor recently showed us a chart of starting salaries broken down by engineering field. He told us that our hard work would pay off. I'm not satisfied. Happiness isn't in a cubicle or a healthy paycheck or the brand of my shoes or size of the ornament on the hood of my car. I lack a vision of where this is all leading.
I'm all for diving into the fray, but I can't even find a fray to dive into...
Like a cage without a key.