In need of serious help from career anxiety

Student Lounge College Life
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<p>Heading into college, I thought I was free from the grind that was high school. No more classes I didn't give a damn about, classmates I saw everyday only existed in memory, and I would begin to start a college career focusing on architecture. </p>

<p>Unfortunately, that didn't work out at all. I got out of architecture after my first semester after realizing I wasn't as artistic as the field demanded I be. From then on, I went through a bunch of majors like geography, business, and sports management. Then I took a semester off hoping the extra time would allow me to think a little clearer (also to cope with a health issue I was dealing with at the time). I ended up not doing much of anything except wasting time. </p>

<p>By the time summer came around, I decided I needed a change to get away from it all. I transferred to a different school, a different city. I felt a lot better, but it was short-lived. The excitement didn't last that long and it was only a temporary masking solution to my problem of focusing on a career/major.</p>

<p>At my new school, I decided to go into computers thinking it was a growing field with plenty of opportunities to be found in the future. It seemed like a safe choice but there's a lot of downfalls to a growing field too that I won't bother getting into. Regardless of the outlook of the career, I've realized now that the career doesn't interest me in the least bit. I would rather not spend my days sitting on my ass all day trying to figure network configurations or writing up code. I don't have the patience I once thought I did, at least not for computers.</p>

<p>A week ago I thought about heading into construction managment, but just last night I read a few chapters from a book and realized it was much more business oriented than I thought it would be. Too much pressure on deadlines and a lot of contact with clients.</p>

<p>I've frequently thought about engineering but the field seems so rigorous that I don't think I would survive. I haven't taken a math course in a couple of years and I was never good at science. If geniuses in math or science have trouble succeeding in those classes, I would bomb the same classes. I'm generalizing but I know I just wouldn't make it.</p>

<p>Oh, and by the way, I'm a junior now or maybe rather a senior. Time is not at my side. As much as you convince me to go for engineering, I can't fathom spending another four years in college, spending the extra money, and a number of other difficulties I would have to face.</p>

<p>I know plenty of people go through with the same thing. People say to take it easy and go with the flow but I have a more realistic (or pessimistic) view on my future. </p>

<p>I've grown up to watch my mother raise my brother and I without a father and struggle with finances and jobs. That's why I've been experiencing so much career anxiety.</p>

<p>I'm seeing a counselor right now as well. He makes some sense of my past and myself, but overall I just want the answers. His goal is to lead me to the answers by myself because that would be more rewarding as he has said.</p>

<p>What are my options now? Where can I seek help? I've bought the What Color is My Parachute book, I've taken a course in career development at my previous school, I know how trying out an internship or a parttime job can be useful. Trust me, I've done my research.</p>

<p>Appreciate you taking the time to read through this and any comments you may have.</p>

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<p>Maybe your best bet would be to major in something sort of generic, graduate, try out a couple jobs, and then go back to grad school when you have a really clear idea of what you want to do? I'm a first year architecture drop out as well...I liked the classes but I took an internship over the summer and decided I didn't like the business end of it. Still not entirely sure whether that was the right decision, or whether I'll really still like my current major in 10 years, but I figured I might as well pick something reasonably interesting, stick with it, graduate, get a job, and then sort things out later when I had a better understanding of the workforce and what I wanted to do career-wise. </p>

<p>I don't know anything about the book you read or what they do in career development courses, but have you ever taken one of those career tests that's supposed to tell you what your strengths and weaknesses are, what environments you'd prefer to work in, and then recommends professions based on that? Might be helpful if you haven't, at least as a starting point for what sorts of jobs to consider.</p>

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<p>Yeah, I took all of the career tests in the career development class I took. They key is to know yourself before you even take them, something I didn't (and still haven't) accomplish at the time.</p>

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<p>I agree that you seem very pessimistic; you are finding fault with every career you consider and discarding the possibilities. I can guarantee there is not a job out there that does not have one bad thing to it. Even if someone says they have the perfect job, it is because they have learned to deal with the bad things.
How about going into a trade instead of college? You don't want to sit at a desk all day, that might be a better fit.</p>

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<p>I see. Well, that's the only thing I could think of to suggest. Though I guess maybe the fact that you don't quite 'know yourself' yet is why you're having trouble deciding on what you'd like to do. Do you have any idea at all of the sorts of things you'd like to do when you graduate?</p>

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<p>If you would like an invite to a great career networking site, just PM me. Same goes for anyone else.</p>

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<p>yea dude....just relax, it will work it self out</p>

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<p>I don't understand why you can't just post the link.</p>

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<p>Easton,</p>

<p>I have worked at my school as a counselor to freshmen and a (student) strengths consultant for one of the departments employing student workers, and a part of my job has been to assist students in finding what they do best and in helping a large dept on campus best utilize its student workers.</p>

<p>I think a lot of what has been said is really good.
One thing I would add is that while people with the "perfect" jobs find them "perfect" because the job fits who they are. The "bad" things of a job for one person may be amazingly pleasing to another person.</p>

<p>Anyway, this is all to say I think it might help us help you if we knew a little bit more about you.</p>

<p>It sounds like you've taken some job inventories. Have you visited your school's career center? What have the inventories and career counselors said?</p>

<p>You said your counselor is trying to lead you on a sort of guided discovery. What kind of a counselor are you currently seeing? (Occuptational/career? mental health/clinical?)</p>

<p>Best of luck in your upcoming decisions!</p>

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<p>Because this is an invite only site. I would have posted the link otherwise. If you are implying that what I am doing is untrustworthy, I have a slew of other posts you can use to check my veracity. If you don't want the help, then don't bother.</p>

<p>One person has already been invited and two have sent me PMs. It's painless and I really don't care for your emails. Once I invite you, your email is open to all those you network with.</p>