Back in 2019 I finished my first two years at a community college and completed my associates degree in liberal arts. I got automatic acceptance into a university close to my house, has a massive panic attack because i couldn’t choose a major and clicked “drop out” and never looked back. I told my parents I’d just take a gap year or two and work till I decide. It’s now halfway through 2024 and two of my siblings have completed there bachelors degrees while my youngest sibling just graduated high school and is now going to college in the fall. Yes, before you ask, I’ve taken every career test and personality test out there to try and get an idea and nothing has helped. I was never invested in a sub just or hobby in school and I didn’t exceed in certain subjects. I was just there. I did what I was told, went home, came back the next day, and did the same thing. I feel like a failure and pathetic for not figuring out at least something to do for now to at least get me started. Any advice?
I’m 24 and still can’t choose a major so I can finish my bachelors
I’ve always loved music and singing but i lack confidence so I don’t think it would be worth trying
Perhaps it's time you looked somewhere tangentially to that. Audio engineering, for example. But if you don't think your interests are worth pursuing an education for, then perhaps college isn't for you. There's nothing wrong with that, by the way, but you shouldn't waste your time on something that won't bring you value.
Perfectly said
Dude get a fucking social sciences degree and move on. Stop, you’re going to do sales.
not a terrible suggestion
What do you for work? Do you enjoy working with your hands or working in an office setting? What did your siblings major in? Maybe you could potentially seek advice from them. Also, do you enjoy figuring out how things work? Or do you like stories and abstract theoretical ideas.
Selecting and pursuing any major takes a leap of faith and commitment but, it is possible you will meet other people in classes and grow to enjoy the experience. Personally, I was an education major focusing on both social studies and English; however, I recently switched to an English major with a minor in teaching and learning because I found myself enjoying literature and language arts more than social studies. I hope this helps.
Currently I’m working as a teacher assistant at a private preschool and I’m transferring to the public schools this fall. I like the schedule and routines but I don’t want to be a lead teacher in a classroom. The responsibility and dealing with parents it’s too anxiety inducing for me. I appreciate the advice! I just need to try more things u til something sparks
Same here. Same graduation year and age too. I went to community college then just got the easiest/fastest degree available after taking 2 years off. I figured that’s the most logical option bc I could go back to school later after actually trying different jobs and seeing what I like. Any degree is enough to get your foot in the door for government/nonprofit/executive assistant/clerical/paralegal/etc. work. At the most you’ll need some kind of certificate.
The only thing I wish I’d have done differently was minor in something technical like math or statistics. It’s only like 6 classes and opens up so many doors. You’ll have fewer prereqs for grad school, you can get into higher paying “office jobs” like analytics, and you can even tutor math for $30/hr+. Other than that I don’t regret my “useless” degree. I had a great time, loved my classes, and got a job I liked immediately after graduating where I use my degree every day (anthropology/sociology). It’s not high paying but that’s okay for me right now.
Don't compare to your siblings! Career tests aren't perfect. Consider free career counseling at your community college or online. They can help explore options based on your skills, even if they weren't obvious before. You're not a failure for taking time. This is your journey, start fresh!
This is essentially what happened to me. We used to joke I was on the ten year plan….and now it’s been…longer than that lol
my younger sibling who didn’t start undergrad until 5 years after me, is now graduated from med school. I simply could not pick a major for whatever reason. I liked everything! So I tried everything. But I was too focused on obsessing over what type of job I could get and then would change my mind. So I just dropped out. I’m 33 now and finally spoke to my advisor last year and he told me my fastest route to a degree would be sociology based on how many credits I had going towards the various possible majors. I’m set to finish in a year. I won’t do much with my degree other than be able to apply to higher positions within the company I work for (and love) now.
So my advice to you, assuming you don’t want to be 33 and still lost, is to literally just pick something. Unless you have a serious passion for something specific, a bachelors is just going to show that you finished some program. If nothing is super interesting to you then just try to pick something general that might be useful to multiple different fields.
It’s comforting knowing that I’m not alone, but yes I want to change this asap. I either hate things or just feel “meh” about it. Nothings popping out. Thank you for the advice! guess I just need to bite the bullet and pick
The thing is, you don't need to feel passionate about your career. It's great if you do but most people don't. You just get the credentials to get the job, you do the job and get paid, and then you live the rest of your free time doing the things you're passionate about
If you don’t necessarily like anything then do u have certain subjects that you dislike? Like would writing down huge essays in your own words about particular topics feel exhausting or fun to you.Or do u prefer logical analytical subjects or are they too hard.
Maybe Choose something that you don’t particularly like but don’t dislike either. And then see how employable it is in the job market. Hope everything works out for you
Do you want to make money or follow a passion? If you want to make money study engineering or business even if you don't love it. You can go into nursing too. That's what most of the people I met do. Those are my only 3 recommendations to you. Good luck.
It's not too late! Here are some steps to get you moving:
- Schedule career counseling: Talk to a professional who can help you identify skills and interests.
- Focus on transferable skills: Your liberal arts degree offers valuable communication and critical thinking skills relevant to many careers.
- Explore "sampler" courses: Consider taking introductory classes in different fields to spark interest.
- Shadow professionals: See what a day in the life of different careers is like.
- Don't be afraid to start general: Many colleges offer undecided or exploratory majors.
You need to choose something. There are some pretty general degrees out there, like communications or business admin, or just a history degree.
Your major does not dictate the career you must have, but does make getting into certain jobs easier.
You should try and finish school now, because it is much harder to go back and do it later in life.
Also it sounds like you need some therapy to learn how to deal with your indecisiveness/anxiety (I say this as an indecisive anxious person)
I completely agree as an indecisive anxious person who is in therapy LOL just need to do something that proves that I can complete my degree
Just go into Business man. Finance, Economics, Business Administration, whatever is available to you. If you have no passions or interests (which I really find hard to believe) just go into a corporate job. Do some internships and decide for yourself what you want. Coming from a quantitative background really opens up your world so you can kind of just make your way into whatever fits the mold.
If you want to get a degree to get a degree, choose a common one like criminal justice or communications. Get through it and maybe (through electives) you'll find something you're interested in. At the end, you'll have a degree (which is a requirement for many jobs) and feel accomplished. If you find something you're interested in during your time, switch majors. If you find it after, go back to grad school or go take more classes.
Bro, don't tell me you not Interested in anything. Music? Art? Finance? What do you enjoy?
I do love music and vocal performance but lack any confidence to pursue that. So I’ve tried looking at everything else and it’s either I hate it or just ehhh
Nope, I was literally In the same boat as you when I went for a music degree. Trust Me when I say this you will LOVE it. I learned so much in music theory and ear training, It really levels you up. I was I'm choir and guitar ensemble it was amazing.
I know I’d love it I miss being in choirs like I did in high school but I suck at auditions lol and I’m very rusty since it’s been so long
Listen, you have to face your fears. You will HATE the fact that you didn't even try.
I know 😭😭
Honestly just pick something that you won’t hate and do it. Trying to choose a hobby to be your career usually ruins the hobby anyway. Just my opinion.
This sounds so, so much like me. What would you do if you couldn’t make the wrong choice and couldn’t fail? What would living the life of your dreams look like? Who are you with? What do you do in your spare time? What does the home you live in feel like? How do you describe yourself? Envision it. Then reverse engineer. What skills do you need? How much money? What jobs would support this? Happy to talk through this and help if I can - it took me way too long to stop fearing failure and just start.
Thank you! I guess my “childhood dream” was always music but I lack any confidence and ability to pursue it. Looking at other majors, I was thinking sociology or maybe even psychology but i struggle with reading (I know embarrassing) so again the anxiety is too overwhelming to try and fail. I like your idea to reverse it all. Definitely will talk to my therapist about this
Did you especially enjoy any particular classes you took at community college?
I started the same with an associates of general studies at community college. I most enjoyed the biology and environmental science class I took. So I decided for that major.
I just ask myself, what do I want to learn more about? What really interests me?
Comparison is the thief of joy, you don’t need a bachelor degree if you don’t want one
Ugh stop being a weenie and make a choice for your life. Or dont, but don’t complain that life isn’t getting better for you in 5 years like you didn’t have choices.
Valid
After looking through the comments no one seems to have offered alternatives to a bachelors. There are beauty schools, technical schools, trade schools and many more out there hell you don’t even need to get a bachelor’s if an associates or even a cert is all that’s required for a good paying job in some fields. What kind of lifestyle do you want to live? Who are your role models? or better yet what do they do for a living? Obviously you can sort STEM or Humanities.
Last bit of advice if you still can’t decide is to utilize the occupational outlook handbook in the link and read about what careers sound interesting
Some people are meant to be dog walkers, it's okay
HAHAHAHAHA THE BEST ADVICE I COULDVE ASKED FOR
Is there anything at all that you're interested in?