<p>im currently a freshmen business student at a pretty good college. im currently not finding that much passion in life. now that im basically an adult, like seems to be about money, sex, and power. i remember the old days of being a kid and having soo much fun. now life just seems like work.</p>
<p>seems socially conditioned to go to college, and then get job, get married, etc..</p>
<p>i dont like that whole idea. im thinking about dropping out of college and perhaps going on an adventure to find myself. trying to live homeless for awhile, going to africa with peacecorp, hitchiking across america, living in a forrest, etc..</p>
<p>any ideas on what i can do?</p>
<p>the whole idea of being a business student and going into like finance is not what i want to do with my life.. after partying hard for 2-3 months i am getting tired of the superficialness of college students and the direction im in. im pretty happy here in college and can continue on my path if i wanted, i just dont quite feel fullfilled and feel that there is more for life in me. i dont wanna follow the normal path normal people take. i want excitement, i want adventure.</p>
<p>i know life isnt all fun and games. my family reccomends i maybe drop out and get a job for a year and go back to school to appreciate my education. but no job sounds interesting enough.</p>
<p>what are some interesting jobs that pay well that could maybe excite me?
what is something adventurous that i can do if i drop out of college? whats a good adventure?</p>
<p>any life direction help please? im kind of lost. im a very smart kid and very creative.. im just kind of dissapointed in life right now and feel that thers more for me to do with my life.</p>
<p>I can’t imagine there would be any “interesting” jobs, let a lone ones that pay well, that wouldn’t require some sort of significant qualifications(ones that I believe a college freshman wouldn’t be qualified for). It sounds like to me you just haven’t found the right major. I think if anything the fact that you’re in college should mean that you have the freedom to explore different careers through internships(especially if your school has really good career/internship resources). Unless your family is financially wealthy, and you can take the liberty of not doing anything for money, life out of school will be about making money and supporting yourself.</p>
<p>What about other majors that are better suited to a creative person? Have you tried to take a design class? What about sudy abroad? That’s adventure, new cultures, less american centered focused power sex and money. Try someplace like Brazil or Costa Rica for a new look on adventure. China could be a great adventure and you could bring back some experience that would help if you stay in a business major. If you are going to take a full turn and drop out try teaching english in China. But if you drop out good chance you will bever be back. Sign up for a summer adventure like studying painting in Tuscany for 5 weeks. Dont worry if you cant paint…an object…paint your feelings.</p>
<p>Since you are so far into it, please finish this semester. Have they received the tution bill for next semester? Can you make a decision fast enough to not waste their money? Even “cheap state schools” are $6000-$10,000 per semester and most parents, even the wealthy, don’t want that kind of money flushed down the toilet.</p>
<p>Definitely finish out the quarter or semester with the best grades you can. One day you are going to want to go back. Also consider a leave of absence. I think you ended up at Cal Poly. My son’s friend did something similar but walked out mid quarter without telling his parents. He is now wishing he had thought it out a bit more. He is at a CC and he knows he has no chance of transferring back into Cal Poly. If you drop out of Cal Poly you most probably will not be going back.</p>
<p>The reason folks get an education is to have options. Without a college degree, your choice of jobs may well be the opposite of fullfillment, excitement and adventure. Do you think the lady checking your groceries dreamed of doing that when she was a little girl?</p>
<p>There are exciting things to do without a degree, but you need to seek them out. I was talking to a guy who visited Alaska; he had met a very engaging young man who visited Alaska, loved it and just up and moved there. He works at a resort in season and I don’t remember what he does out of season. He has few possessions and loves his life.</p>
<p>Also remember that you can’t legally work in just any country you choose.</p>
<p>I actually laughed out loud (or LOL) when I read the OP.</p>
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<p>I say, finish the semester, try to find a job and live on your own for while, be homeless (that’ll be an experience to write about someday). When you are tired of the happiness then see if your parents would continue to fund your education.</p>
<p>I think it’s rich when an 18 year old wonders “if this is all to life.” Maybe if OP needs to worry about where his next tuition is going to come from, or how he is going to pay for his text books, then he would understand what a privilege it is to get a college education (all paid for by wealthy parents).</p>
<p>You could enlist in the military. My brother’s D, who graduated from high school last spring, enlisted and is in basic training right now. It’s not the right choice for everybody, but makes sense for some. I did four years between high school and college and have very fond memories of those years–plus they paid for my college when I got out.</p>
<ol>
<li>Suck it up and finish the year, or at least the semester. Given what your parents paid, that seems like the least you can do for them. </li>
<li>While you finish off the year do the following:
a. Stop partying, and see what shows up in your life.
b. Join some meaningful organizations on campus where you can make worthwhile friends, give back to those less fortunate, find your interests, and do something unrelated to ‘sex, money, power’ (or whatever the heck your world seems to be about lately).
c. Look into different majors. Obviously this one isn’t working for you.</li>
</ol>
<p>Why throw the baby out with the bathwater? You’ve been at college, what 2 months? In a business degree where you’ve just been partying the whole time, and so from this extremely limited experience you’ve come to decide all of life is about ‘money, sex, power’ and you are now looking for a more meaningful or spiritual experience so you decide to drop out and maybe be homeless or live in a forest? What the hell? One extreme to the other? </p>
<p>Or did you get expelled after pulling the fire alarm and/or you’ve had a major blow up with your parents who no longer want to pay your way to party through school? Come on, fess up and maybe we can provide more useful feedback.</p>
<p>I like the idea of the military, or the peace corp (or other volunteer organization), or just getting whatever job you think you actually are qualified for after one semester in college. All of these things will be huge awakening and maturing experiences for you and just what you need. Good luck with it.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s all that easy to get into the Peace Corps these days. But, I agree that you need to examine your life from the inside…perhaps you’re just getting an early wake-up call that partying constantly is not the way to real happiness, nor is casual sex or a love of money. Think about a major that would lead you to a personally satisfying career…perhaps one of the health-related professions. You could take a broader variety of classes, study abroad for a semester, apply for an internship or to work in a national part for the summer…just try to do things you’ve never done, or perhaps even thought of doing, before.</p>
<p>A good friend of my S didn’t feel ready for college right out of high school so he signed up for one of the organized gap year programs. He’s living in Chile for six months with a host family and then moving on to Spain for another five months. He will come back bilingual and I’m sure with many stories to tell. My guess too is that it will fundamentally change who he is a person and the outlook he has on life.</p>
<p>i didnt get kicked out for pulling the fire alarm.
i have a very good relatinship with my parents.</p>
<p>im not a super partier… just once a week on like friday… im just tired that having fun = drinking in college mainly.</p>
<p>my life is pretty good on track.</p>
<p>thanks for your rudeness.</p>
<p>thanks for the advice everyone. its just that im just not content and fulfilled with my current track in life. i think i need to find a different major but nothing is looking appealing. and i am considering taking a break and doing community service or something in another country to appreciate my life and eduation more. im just not 100% content with my life track right now…</p>
<p>Have you looked into the humanities for majors, philosophy, literature, and art history are ones I recommend.
I find philosophy can either take you over the edge or be the perfect match for you, if you’re searching for more meaning or purpose in life.
Literature and art history are other great alternatives that expose you to cultures across times and borders. They can be enriching if you don’t get to caught up on the tasks these majors requires(for Art History: memorization, and Literature: extensive amounts of reading).
Reading isn’t one of my favorite activities, but what I get from finishing good books makes it worth it. (It will also take up your time which could be good if you don’t want to be around the partying)</p>
<p>^some philosophers and artists and writers also begin to feel uncomfortable as the OP says he feels. Part of the coming of age process is shaking off the conditioning of one’s upbringing and re-discovering one’s own purpose. It takes a brave soul to step off the traditional road searching for adventure. Maybe we don’t see a lot of that here on cc, but if this student feels stifled and wants to take to the road, why not?</p>
<p>My son is going through the same question-answer process. He has different goals though and knows what he wants. Its tougher when you don’t know what is that will excite you. Its out there but you need to find it.</p>
<p>If you can take a semester off and travel to new places and do community service that might be a nice change.</p>
<p>There was this book in the library, I’ll try to find out the name to it, something like this recent grad decided to take on a different job every week for a year to try out other directions. I did a quick read and it was pretty funny. Sure, by the end people were giving him some pretty “dirty jobs” type assignments but for one day he was mayor of a town, the next week he was milking cows. You are at a time in your life and luckily with financial backing, to try out different directions. Volunteer somewhere, travel a bit, teach english in China…if in the end you realize what you want to do, it is well worth it rather than trudge through finance and get a job on Wall St. only to realize that you hate it and you hate the people who love it. I dropped out of a university sponsored study abroad program in China to teach for about a year. Best experience, taught me so much more than the actual program. Supported myself for that time so I wasn’t putting my family out…jumped right back into college when I came back. Good luck, and if I find that book title, I’ll post it.</p>
<p>“i go to a cheap state school though and my parents are pretty wealthy.”</p>
<p>sounds like you should drop out, hitchhike to frisco, get a place in the Haight where there is this happening music scene. You can find some kind of job there, and if not, well folks are cool. </p>
<p>Stick around for the antiwar protests, when the 70s roll around you can get into some other liberation scene, maybe food coops, maybe some eco scene, or something New Age. </p>
<p>Then you can start start getting anxious, craving money and a family - go back and finish your degree, maybe go to grad school. Get a job as something relatively straightlaced, a lawyer or journalist or whatever. You can feel better about selling out by living in a funky inner city nabe (maybe fix up an old place with your SO) keep doing some environmental, vote for Gary Hart. </p>
<p>Have kids, agonize about diapers vs pampers, stuff like that. By the 2000s you can come here and give kids pretentious advice of one sort or another.</p>