I'm 19 and stopped school 8 months ago because my grades dropped pretty badly after high school. I always had success in school without working very seriously but eventually you get to a point where it's not possible to continue without putting a bit of effort so I took a break to avoid completely failing.

I'm going back to studying this winter but the problem is I really don't know what I want to do as a career. It's rough to put in the hours required of schoolwork if you don't even know why you're doing it.

I'm sure alot of people had the same problem and are now completing college so i'm curious to know how it went out for you. Did you change programs after your first year? and how did it affect you?

seRapH

United States9830 Posts

September 16 2010 05:13 GMT

where did you go to college?
and what program?

Xela

Canada203 Posts

September 16 2010 05:17 GMT

On September 16 2010 14:13 seRapH wrote:
where did you go to college?
and what program?

i'm not in college yet, where I live there's 2 years of school between high school and university and I have about 6 months left.

matjlav

Germany2435 Posts

September 16 2010 05:25 GMT

Take classes about things you like to learn about... your first year classes can probably be used to satisfy requirements in just about any major remotely related to them, so the classes you're taking probably won't be a waste. I don't really know what else to tell you... you have to figure out what you like and stick with it.

gchan

United States654 Posts

September 16 2010 05:39 GMT

I faced the same problem and completely bombed my grades. In hindsight, I've realized that you won't actually realize what the point in your classes are while you're taking them. It's the process of going through school, being in classes, being in a college environment that shapes your thoughts and gives your life purpose. If you had already realized all these things before entering the class, then that completely defeats the purpose of taking that class.

Also, sometimes you're going to have to do shit that you don't like, but its part of the learning process. Take what you can out of it and do the best you can. Approach things you think of as pointless with an open mind. Maybe it isn't that pointless. Maybe it is. Only experience can help you determine that, but meanwhile, do well in the class. That is one thing I'm sorely wishing I had done better now in hindsight.

NukeTheStars

United States278 Posts

September 16 2010 05:44 GMT

No one ever knows what they want to do. You just stumble upon it randomly. You may even find out the job you want doesn't even require a college degree. That's the good thing about taking lots of different classes though. You get a sampler platter for employment.

Playmo

New Zealand3 Posts

September 16 2010 08:28 GMT

Hey Xela,

I'm 22, and at 19 was in the exact same situation you are in. Conforming to society's demands i took further study without actually really wanting to. Sound Audio Engineering was my first secondary school level study. After realising about half way though it wasnt what i actually wanted to do, rather just a hobby that i did for fun, my grades dropped.
I then moved on to university and undertook study in politics and philosophy.
( something that was reflective on my previous study the idea of " well i did something i didnt really want to do so i'm going to use that experience and try do something i would love " )
Problem was i had never taken any philosophy or politics before and blindly went into something that i knew nothing about, all i was going on was the idea that i might like it.
After realising it was something i wasnt' into again, my grades went down and i changed subjects.
Same thing happened with sociology, economics, english, maths and computer science.
This was really harmful as i started to develop a socialisation that was creating a concept of myself that all i knew how to do was move from something that i could of loved, but never gave a chance because all i knew how to do was quit as soon as something shit was going on. - be careful of this.

Now i'm doing web design and development and loving it. I stuck through the shit parts and now i know how to create websites and looking to continue my study at a media design school. I stumbled upon it by mistake as it was a "intrest paper" only took it because it was part of a degree as a core paper.

So lessons?

Study when your ready, its the only period in your life that you will be where you are inbetween school but still living at home ( socially that is ).
You can achieve in life doing things you love to do, you dont need to be forced into studying something that you dont really like. Waking up excited about something you love to do is something no amount of money will justify ( of course there's some limits ;P )
Dont let failure concern you, if you dont like something it's not a sound theory to continue. Of course there are again limitations, just because theres one or two things you dont like in a subject doesnt mean you should drop it all togeather, ask your professor/teacher the reasons behind the current topics your learning about to better understand the shitty parts. ( like fitness and working out, only a few amount of people actually like doing it - but it's something that the reward is worth it, and after youve done it you dont need to worry about it again until next time. )
like nuke said, no one ever knows what they want to do, and we all stumble upon it.
You just want to put yourself in the right places and situations to stumble upon something you will love.
You can do this by not going into subjects blindly like i did, but rather talk to professionals in the subjects and ask what their worklife and life style are like, if they enjoy what they are doing and the reasons behind it. I think this is really important as it will give you a more deeper understanding of what your getting yourself into rather then just studying blind and only realising once you have already gotten your degree. ( which a fucking lot of people do, you constantly see lawers, programmers, doctors all change their profession to something a lot more minimal - just because they dont love what they do )
All you have to do is know how to realise what your doing is what you like. You could fall into the trap of keep searching for something but never end up finding something. This can be really harmful as all your learning how to do is move on everytime you dont like something, which is a bad trait to have. There will be periods that you need to suck it in and work though the tough parts - like i said, this becomes easier the more you understand the reasons behind it. If you ask your friends or peers about the same topics , i'm 100% sure others wont like what your doing either.

hope this helped!

CheAse

Canada919 Posts

September 16 2010 10:19 GMT

i'm 23, almost 24, and I didn't know what I was going to do for a Career until quite recently. A lot of people don't really have a path laid out until the later stages in their life. It is good that you are starting to think about it though.

I spent 1 year after high school doing nothing, then 2 at some crappy community college. After taking a number of courses I realized what I wanted to do, then got into a program for it.

If I could go back in time, I would have done some research in different programs to figure out what I wanted to do and waste less time at community college.

meegrean

Thailand7699 Posts

September 16 2010 10:21 GMT

if you really don't know what to do, just study business.

DoctorHelvetica

United States15034 Posts

September 16 2010 10:38 GMT

#10

I flip flopped hard.

From political science to pre-med to nursing.

gokai

United States812 Posts

September 16 2010 11:57 GMT

#11

In high school I did pretty well, but it was mostly out of fear. I always felt guilty if I didn't do the homework or study for tests. Then for my first year of college, I moved into an apartment far away from home. I lived by myself and got really lazy. Had no motivation for anything. I just used the internet all day. I'm 23 now and it tooked me around serveral months ago to finally quit school for good. And I don't think I've changed, really. I just slowly learned more about myself, so now I'm more sure about what to do.

I'm actually gona go volunteer at a organic farm soon. I've done it before, and hopefully it will lead me to a career I like. Well at least I'll get away from the computer and get some fresh air.

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