As of me writing this message, I am just about to graduate from a community college and transfer to a university.
I still have a lot to do in terms of preparing to attend the university such as pay a deposit, schedule a tour of the campus, sign up for orientation, etc. But the problem I’m having is that I have been procrastinating a lot lately and a lot of these things aren’t getting done.
And lately, it’s got me thinking, do I even want to continue my college career and attend the university? I used to be really excited about going to the university but now, because there is way too much to do and I’ve been procrastinating on it, I don’t know if I even care about it anymore. I feel like just taking the degree I’m going to get from the community college and just live my life. I feel like just giving up and not go to the university because I just don’t care anymore.
Wha kind of future do you see for yourself? Do you want to rent shabby apartments all your life? Becasue nowadays, that’s pretty much all you will be able to afford if you don’t get a degree. Go talk to a middle aged person working at a shoe store and find motivation there for continuing your education.
Seems to me that you are putting up easily surmountable barriers to succeeding. Maybe you feel you aren’t good enough. Are you better than working at a fast food resturant until you retire? At the very least, give the university a shot. If you think this is tough, what happens at the age of 26 when you have to fill out your own health insurance papers and pay for it too? How will provide for future children? How will you ever afford your own home?
Let’s say college just isn’t for you, because it isn’t for everyone. Then at least go to trade school and learn to be an electrician, or a plumber. Those professions will always be needed and earn good money. But don’t just give up without a plan in place.
@Lindagaf hit on the main question. “What kind of future do you see for yourself?” You began this journey for a reason. “Do I feel like it?” is not even a consideration if the action required will get you where you want to be.
If college is required for the life you want, pay the deposit and sign up for orientation. You don’t have to do the tour – you will see the school during orientation. Get on with closing the gap between where you are and where you want to be. Maybe you are afraid. Ok, be afraid, but do what is required to get where you want to be.
I think you should stay in school and get your degree from university. It may seem like a lot of work, but in hindsight, it is only a few more years of work. And these 2-3 will make a huge difference between the kind of jobs you can get in the future, and ultimately the lifestyle you want to live. And if you drop out, and later decide to return to school, it might be significantly harder. I know it is easier said than done, but maybe just roll with the punches, grind out these next 2-3 years and then you are done with school forever.
Don’t continue college. Your options for jobs will be less well paying ones. Or find a trade type job (plumbing, etc.)
Take a break. You are recognizing that you are not highly motivated for the 4 year college…but is that because it is all new and different? Because you may have a depression issue? So maybe it makes sense to take a break…but will you forget some of the classes you have learned that you will need for future classes?
Continue to 4 year college. Ths will give you the most options for well payingcareers.
Not sure how to read your post. If your post can be read as a cry for help because you are struggling with general low motivation and malaise, try talking to one of the counselors/ therapists in your school’s health center. Maybe you need to work on some things personally to help you feel better and regain your sense of purpose and drive. It is not uncommon for people to experience feelings like you describe, especially in their early twenties. Do not be afraid to get help!
Or, if you are feeling okay otherwise but just do not like book learning, consider the advice of other posters here to consider what you would enjoy doing. Is there a trade or field that you can see yourself doing and enjoying? What type of education or training do you need for that line of work? Maybe speak with someone in career services at your school, or a job coach.
Think about what interests you. What are your hobbies? Is there something you could do to make money that is similar to one of your hobbies? (If the answer is that you have no hobbies or interests and are not doing much of anything in your spare time, please see the first paragraph of this post.)
I mean, I do agree that BA graduates tend to make a lot more money and have jobs with more autonomy than AS grads, but there is a wide gulf between the kinds of white-collar jobs most of the kids here aspire to and working in a shoe store or a “hairnet and name tag” job. There are many trades and semi-professional jobs that people without bachelor’s degrees do and live pretty normal middle-class lifestyles. Heck, I know some people here at Microsoft who don’t have college degrees. Not very many, but a few. (Most people also don’t own their own homes…)
That said, I do agree with the above advice that you need to think about your career plans and what kind of work you want to do. You will be shut out from MOST middle-class and well-paying careers if you don’t have a bachelor’s degree.
My God some of this is the snobbiest thing I’ve read in a while.
I have a degree–my husband doesn’t. He makes 5 times more than I’ve ever made in my life in any job I’ve ever had. My neighbors are a hairdresser and plumber, a business man, a chef, a consultant, a public health researcher, a city govt. officer, a high school teacher, and a jet setting couple that are in Amsterdam right for the year. We all live on the same street. The hairdresser/plumber probably have the nicest house and cars. They are also the best looking and have the best parties, ha ha!
What are you interested in? What is your alternate plan? Do you have a job right now? What do you want out of life?
There’s no snobbery @redpoodles . Trade school has been suggested too. Yes, all kinds of people can earn good livings without a college degree, but in this era, it’s harder than ever for an untrained person to make a decent living wage. Your neighbors are presumably adults in their 40s and up who were young adults in a time when it was still common for people to work their way up and do well. That really is not happening as much these days. My first job out of college required no use of my degree whatsoever. My current job now as a 50 something would not be possible without the degree I earned nearly thirty years ago. No one is being snobbish. It’s about being realistic in today’s economy.
FWIW, I ate welfare food, lived without electricity in a trailer, and attended CC before getting my degree, so I understand people who live in humble circumstances. Maybe because I lived in poverty, I want to help someone else avoid it if possible.
