7 yrs in college & still clueless

<p>I'm planning on graduating with a bachelors degree in Sociology in a few months. My path to a four-year degree has not been the common one as it will end up taking me seven years. I have been to three different schools, dropped a lot of classes along the way, and have been extremely indecisive about what I want to do.</p>

<p>I didn't major in Sociology because I had an interest in it. I didn't -- and don't. But I had to pick something and it wasn't as if anything else struck me as a much better option. I have had little or no interest in just about everything I have taken in college, be it Sociology or any other subject. </p>

<p>And in the end, I have learned absolutely nothing. I mean that literally. Not because my grades were awful -- I had a 3.0 coming out of community college and outside of out horrendously bad semester, my university GPA would be in that range as well.</p>

<p>More than anything, I just hated all of it. The vast majority of courses struck me as useless and irrelevant in the real world. As I said, I had no interest in any of it. That's the problem because I don't know what I have interest in. 4 years ago while at a previous school I did some career counseling but it didn't lead to a whole lot.</p>

<p>Back in high school, I thought I was all set. I was on the school newspaper for three years, was the editor for a year, and scored a couple internships in my first few years after high school. But neither went well and I realized that the real world of journalism is quite different than what I had been exposed to in high school. The fact that I battle social anxiety was another major factor. </p>

<p>I never really had a back up plan. I thought journalism was going to be it for me and anyone who knew me in high school would have agreed without a second thought. But I lacked the mental makeup for the job and have been left empty handed ever since.</p>

<p>Now that I can see the end of college quickly approaching, I don't know what I'm left with. When I look at job listings, I quickly come to the conclusion there is little that I'm qualified for. It's a merging of a number of negative factors -- learned nothing in college, questionable major, bad economy, and no career path. I guess it will be a good thing that I at least have a degree, but one I contend borders on useless.</p>

<p>My only employment history is an ongoing 4+ year stint doing a desk job at a retirement community. It's a classic low-pay dead-end job that requires no college. Looking at the positives, you could say it shows steady employment.</p>

<p>Two things I do know: I never have had the aptitude for trades and am not cut out for the military. Those two areas are usually alternatives for people who don't go to college, but neither was right for me. </p>

<p>You could argue college wasn't right for me, at least in the sense maybe I shouldn't have gone right away even though my grades in HS were top 20% of my class. In some ways, I was much more responsible than most kids who graduated H.S with me, but in other ways I was extremely immature from an emotional standpoint and even more naive. Even as a high school senior, I had no interest in the academics of college and only went because I thought I would be screwed career wise if I didn't. Now that I have went, I fear that might be true anyway.</p>

<p>I think college could be great if you have a good reason for going. For some professions, such as medicine, law, teaching and the like, you absolutely need college. But if you're just going to go, it ends up being a waste of time and that seems like that's what happened to me.</p>

<p>Thoughts? Feedback? Advice?</p>

<p>I think that you’ve been lazy your whole life and now its biting you in the arse.</p>

<p>You’ve probably heard this already, but you sound depressed. It’s obvious, I know. Have you thought about therapy? There are treatments that could help you. </p>

<p>Goals are important too. What are yours?</p>

<p>I feel for you (unless you’re a ■■■■■ ;)).</p>

<p>Lazy? What makes you think that?</p>

<p>A few years ago, I was diagnosed with mild depression. I was on various meds for that and social anxiety but none of them did a whole lot. A little bit, but no life changers. I’m not always depressed, but I have my rather pronounced high’s and low’s.</p>

<p>ignore thebigcheese. s/he is probably ■■■■■■■■ or trying to be funny/obnoxious/insensitive.</p>

<p>unless you’re a ■■■■■, then bigcheese is cool.</p>

<p>are you a ■■■■■?</p>

<p>Goals. What are yours? You have to have hope/dreams?</p>

<p>My goal is to have a good career that makes me financially secure. I want to be financially independent while doing something I like, but I haven’t found my niche yet. I can write and I love sports, but couldn’t make it in newspapers.</p>

<p>No, I’m not a ■■■■■.</p>

<p>My goals were much more specific in high school. I wanted to take over the local high school sports beat at one of my local papers.</p>

<p>If it makes you feel any better, I spent 8 years getting my math degree (similar sitch as yours). I worked in aerospace for years after that–not unhappy but not happy–and then I decided to go to grad school studying something I love – film school – and I am very happy in the film industry now.</p>

<p>You can change your path. Just need to find what you love. I don’t think you know that yet. “A good career that makes me financially secure” doesn’t display your passion.</p>

<p>What is that? You may not know yet. It took me years to find mine.</p>

<p>My passions are sports and various aspects of pop culture.</p>

<p>Unlike Sociology, at least math leads you places.</p>

<p>couldn’t make it in soeasyology???</p>

<p>wha???</p>

<p>No, I’ll have a degree in Sociology in a few months so I’ll have “made it” albeit with nothing to show for it.</p>

<p>Parlay that desk job and your interest in sports into Activities Director at the retirement community–or another one–or a freelance business doing the same for several. Set up croquet, bocci, billiards, foosball, Hold’em, darts and shuffle board tourney’s for the old folks and keep them apprised of the various games coming up in the weekly news bulletin you write. Surely you’ve learned how to learn how to set these events up. Much of a college’s value is in learning how to learn how–that degree proves you’re teachable and some degree of capable. It’s only a waste of time if you choose to view it that way.</p>

<p>No, I have nothing to do with those kind of activities. Basically, what I do is walk the building once an hour.</p>

<p>What happened to your interest in journalism? Why did that come to a sudden halt?</p>

<p>2 bad internships and the fact that I suffer from social anxiety makes it hard to do a lot of journalistic tasks.</p>

<p>I LOVED journalism in high school… obsessed with it and I was good at it. I remember graduating HS on a Friday and began an internship the next Monday. It lasted 3 days… couldn’t cope with things. There was little face to face contact in HS journalism (did my interviews via e-mail) and no travel (which I’d hate).</p>

<p>I don’t know where everyone gets this romantic idea of waiting to find something they love and translating it to their dream job. A LOT of people hate their jobs…or at least don’t care for their work. It’s a life responsibility and therefore usually not fun unless you’re extremely blessed. Just find someone willing to pay you and be grateful for that. The fun parts of life come after the workday, on weekends, vacations, and holidays.</p>

<p>I don’t have to love what I do, though it would be nice. As long as its tolerable and pays well, that’s the most important thing.</p>

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<p>Then be a published writer. There are plenty of people whom write and have no face to face interaction with people.</p>

<p>Or maybe try teaching (I know this contradicts the face to face problem). A degree in sociology could get you a job as a HS teacher, maybe with the newspaper?</p>