What to Do With My Life

Off Topic
1 
 That question gets drilled into the minds of high school students about to graduate, and most of them have he same answer

“I don’t know”

Which is completely okay, you can’t expect everybody to be so sure of themselves at that age.

But what about older people?

I just went through 2 and a half years of an Anthropology degree when one day i woke up and realized that I wasn’t motivated anymore, I was unhappy, and that the few chance careers it offers didn’t even interest me. In fact, they disgusted me.

I changed alot over those 2 and a half years, I’m quite a more stable and strong person, both mentally and physically. But next semester I’m not going back to Anthropology.

I’m 20 grand in debt with no degree to show and part of me feels like a total failure. the question now is? what do i want to do with my life?

I need to gather my shit together now, spend a year or so to pay off my debt, and get my ass into something I can see myself doing 10 years from now.

My short term plan is to work full time at an entry level personal trainer at some commercial lame gym, pay a chunk of my debt off, and then pursue a degree in physiotherapy or exercise science while training as an olympic weightlifter.

Am i making a mistake? i don’t want to end up being a deadbeat for the rest of my life, actually FUCK THAT. I think i need advice right now from like minded people. i would write more but im being called up for Christmas eve dinner with a family that’s slightly angry at me.

2

[quote]schultzie wrote:
That question gets drilled into the minds of high school students about to graduate, and most of them have he same answer

“I don’t know”

Which is completely okay, you can’t expect everybody to be so sure of themselves at that age.

But what about older people?

I just went through 2 and a half years of an Anthropology degree when one day i woke up and realized that I wasn’t motivated anymore, I was unhappy, and that the few chance careers it offers didn’t even interest me. In fact, they disgusted me.

I changed alot over those 2 and a half years, I’m quite a more stable and strong person, both mentally and physically. But next semester I’m not going back to Anthropology.

I’m 20 grand in debt with no degree to show and part of me feels like a total failure. the question now is? what do i want to do with my life?

I need to gather my shit together now, spend a year or so to pay off my debt, and get my ass into something I can see myself doing 10 years from now.

My short term plan is to work full time at an entry level personal trainer at some commercial lame gym, pay a chunk of my debt off, and then pursue a degree in physiotherapy or exercise science while training as an olympic weightlifter.

Am i making a mistake? i don’t want to end up being a deadbeat for the rest of my life, actually FUCK THAT. I think i need advice right now from like minded people. i would write more but im being called up for Christmas eve dinner with a family that’s slightly angry at me.[/quote]

You need to understand that if you drop out of school, you family and friends are going to give you shit no matter what. The only thing you can do is work your ass off and prove them wrong. Only you can decide how your life is going to work out. Merry christmas. (^:

3

You’ve heard this, or will, a thousand times. You’re young, you can do anything you want. You will probably change careers as opportunities come up, 3 or 4 times in your life.

Bottom line: Do something you like. Find a way to make the kind of money you want at it. But doing what you love is important because your life will suck in so many ways, if you don’t.

4

Things to consider:

  1. Is it the career path, or the subject matter that turns you off? If you find the subject matter at least tolerable but can’t stand the career path, consider that a bachelor’s degree in and of itself can be a major advantage even if you don’t go to work in your major field of study.

  2. How much extra time/money will you have to spend to get a bachelor’s degree in a different field? How supportive are your parents? Are they together (no need to answer; just to consider) or apart; is the situation “annoyed but supportive” or is it really tense because the parent you live with was really counting on you to finish up college at the appointed time & get the hell out?

  3. Can you finish up a bachelor’s degree in anthropology but fit in enough electives in physiotherapy or exercise science to give you a good start on that career path?

  4. Are you accustomed to middle-class amenities; a reasonable amount of sleep; and a reasonable amount of leisure time? Will you be faced with a situation where you will have to provide your own housing; pay your own bills; pay down your college debt; and pay for school on your own all on an entry-level no-degree paycheck if you drop your current course of study?

No need to answer any of this stuff; just things to consider.

5

Hi Schultzie,

Hey, fellow Canadian here (Toronto) going to college in the US.

Warning, this might be long-winded. Carb-starved on the Velocity Diet and been studying like mad. :slight_smile:

I am/was in a similar position. I came to college and majored in computers, but in my senior year (this year) I became convinced, at first gradually, but then it was strikingly clear, that I no longer like computers. In fact, I hate computers. I’m 24 and I’ve been fixing them since I was 14.

Part of it was because I found health and fitness, and my lifestyle changed BIGtime. I no longer enjoy sitting in front of computers for hours on end. I also experienced dramatic changes in my life and became stronger - as you said - mentally and physically. I got counseling to deal with issues and overcame an eating disorder. I dropped about 45 pounds but the change in my heart and my mind was far more powerful.

Anyways, I am graduating in a few weeks, with my bachelor’s degree in a field I do not want. I did not have the option of staying longer and changing my major to something I like, because my school has NO programs for anything related to exercise, kinesiology, nutrition, etc. But I did get my NSCA-CPT after giving up my summer to study.

My advice to you is as follows:
You decided you don’t like it anymore. The best thing to do, if you are absolutely convinced that you are through with it, is to not look back - find out what you want to do, and go for it. Change your major, or transfer credits to another college. If you need to, take some time off to decide on a plan of action.
It is FAR better to figure this stuff out NOW than to find yourself a few years down the line living someone else’s dream and regretting being stuck in a job you hate instead of doing something you love. I see friends of mine who graduated and never took the time to find what they love, and they regret it terribly, no matter how much money they make.

Lastly, here’s a commencement speech by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple. I have watched it many times. I highly recommend you check it out. Feel free to PM me.

Happy Holidays

  • Dan

“Do what’s good for you… or you’re no good for anybody…” - James, by Billy Joel

6

Read “Atomic Dog” and “Total Money Makeover.”

That’ll give you a start.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

7

I did the same thing - crapped out after 2 years and 10 grand in loans. I lost it one day (actually, I had a breakdown in the parking lot).

I totally stopped going that semester. Got an F in every class and wasted $4000. But, I just couldn’t go back. There was nothing left in me that gave a damn.

I sort of realized that everything didn’t matter. What family and friends thought did not matter at all, it wasn’t their problem. I’m young and single, no kids. It’s not like I needed a lot of money to live.

I took a year off school. In that year, I decided that I did, indeed, want to be a writer, and write for the rest of my life. During that year, I wrote over a thousand articles. I networked. I started writing for nothing, and I worked hard. At the end of the year, I was making a fulltime salary writing for a couple different companies via the internet. I currently work 25 hours a week and make more than enough to live off.

There is absolutely no shame in taking time off from college and no need to feel like a failure. How are you a failure exactly? Because you decided that you don’t enjoy that major? Did you learn something in the 2.5 years? You said you did. Thus, it was anything but failing.

Something you might want to consider:

Go to school part time [2 classes]. This will only take up a couple hours of your week, but will postpone the loan payments longer. If you take both classes on a Saturday, then you can work all week and start hording money to pay off the loan. You don’t have to take any Anthropology classes.

Try taking a prereq that you will need for the other major. Is there a math or science class that is required but that you don’t have? Consider taking them. It stalls the loan, lets you work, and lets you meet the req’s.

Just some thought-ramblings from someone whose been there.

8

My advice is to finish up your degree. It doesn’t matter if you hate it - it’s only a stepping stone. If you can figure out what you’d like to switch to right now, of course do it. Otherwise, it’s a lot easier to pay that student debt off with a degree in your pocket.

A lot of people I know have jobs that they love that they didn’t go to school for. However, their jobs required a degree - a sign that you can buckle down for a few years to reach a goal.

You might not realize it now, but if you have a specific grad program in mind, most any degree will do - you just might have to take a couple of prereqs beforehand. If you have a degree, they trust that you have the skills and discipline to pick up whatever you need on your own i.e., going to the library, picking up a text and learning it on your own recognizance.

It’s always harder to go back once you’ve stopped, and at least in the US, you have to start paying back loans if you stop for 6 mos. Best of luck to you, and merry Christmas.

9

I truly believe it must be something you love. I see so many fellow college students who have no cluue what they want to do. Ive always looked at it like this. What do you spend most of your free time doing? I can look at training articles all day long. Thers no doubt in my mind that i want to so something in the field.

My brother for example is going into law, yet for his free time he is always looking and coaching articles and books. I told him i personally believe he should go into that field cause he will love it and ultimatly i believe you will be much more succesful doing what you want to do, then what you believe people think you should do. That is the art of real power IMHO

10

I have a lot to say on this subject. Since I was in your shoes a couple of years ago. I eventually decided that College wasn’t for me, and since then I have felt enormous freedom, strength and resolve to accomplish what I want to accomplish. Presently, I am “working on it”, but if I was still in college, it would all be “damn, I have to write a paper when I want to work on my own shit”.

Then I’d either write the paper and get a low grade because I didn’t give a fuck, work on my own shit and miss the paper and get a low grade, or dedicate countless hours towards writing a GOOD paper, and inevitably feel like I just wasted my time.

It takes a lot of strength and willpower to go against the expectations that people put on you. But they’re not living your life. You are. One of the hardest things that you may have to do, is seriously asking yourself "do my friends help me? or are they just bringing me down? or “does my town help me, or is it keeping me stagnant”…etc.

As best as you are able(better than you are able even) you must force yourself to take your life seriously, and work hard, dedicated and focused on what you want to do.

No one can decide what it is you want to do. You have to do that. You also have to be prepared to accept the responsibilities, the burdens, the ups and downs…etc.

Avoid the cynics, and the do-nots, try to remain progressing and active in some way, and probably most importantly Stay humble, but don’t compromise yourself to do so.