TeenHelp - Work or college

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So, in may I dropped out of college due to the fact that it was making me miserable, my plan was to get a job, and just move on. however, despite looking for jobs all over, I haven't made any progess (hell, I've only even mad the one interview).

so, do I just keep looking and hope that I get lucky, or do I suck it up and go back into education? I honestly have no idea :P

Re: Work or college

OK, a few questions:
What are your interests as far as jobs go?
What sort of levels of qualifications do you have?
What were you studying at college, and what did you hope to use the qualification(s) for?
What sort of environment would you PREFER to work in?
Are there any jobs you WOULDN'T do?

Re: Work or college

I wouldn't go back to something you hated because you can't find a job, only go back if you really want to because otherwise you might just leave again. If you did want to go back, maybe consider a different major sometimes that can make all the difference. You will be somewhat limited jobwise with only a high school education, be willing to do ANY job and realize that what you can get probably won't be the kind of job you want.

Re: Work or college

Hey Jack,

I'm sorry to hear that your college experience wasn't what you expected it to be. That definitely sounds tough! And it sounds like you're in a bit of a predicament right now. Like Kate said, be careful about running straight back to college if you're not sure how it'll work. But while I'd be careful about jumping right back into it, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of college just yet. If you can pinpoint the areas that were making you miserable and set a plan in place to make sure things go differently this time, college could work out for you.

May I ask what it was about college that was making you miserable? Was it a lack of friends? Was it your classes? Your professors? The campus itself? How did you make the decision to attend college at the end of your senior year in high school? Did you do it because you felt obligated to do it or because you wanted to? Did you take the time to carefully research schools and choose according to what you felt was the best fit for you, or did you make the decision on a whim or based on where your friends were going? Were you ready to go to college, or would you have benefited from some time off? These are some questions to ask yourself.

College has the potential to be a great experience or a terrible one. I myself almost fell into the trap of going where my friends were going. It wasn't until I decided to take a gap year and was hospitalized for my depression that I realized that I needed to approach things differently. Now I'm applying to a different set of schools that meet my needs -- away from the influence of my friends. I don't think I realized what a big decision college was. Your decision hinges on more than just where your friends are going or your proximity to home. It hinges on your colleges' selection of majors, the campus, the professors, the counseling (or disability, if you have an LD like I do) services.

I realize now that if I had ended up following my friends, I would have been miserable. Upon closer observation, the schools I was looking at didn't have a good selection of majors for me, the best housing situations, or even the best counseling services. Not to mention, I wouldn't have been challenging myself to step out of my comfort zone, and as a result, it's likely that college would have turned out to be a bigger version of high school, which I certainly don't want.

College should be a PERSONALIZED decision. That's what I've learned so far this year. It's not something that you need to rush into. In fact, don't. Take your time, take some time off if you need to, and make an educated (no pun intended!) decision. Go on tours. Talk to people on campus. Ask questions. (That's also a mistake I made while touring colleges the first time around -- I was much too timid to speak up and ask questions!) Sometimes the question is not what you can offer to the college, but what the college can offer to you. Make them sell themselves a little! Why should you want THEM?

Remember that the college experience is also what you make of it. Make sure you utilize your college's resources, like learning centers and counseling services if you're struggling with personal or academic issues.

These are some things to think about in addition to the questions Rachael asked you about work. Maybe you could make a pros and cons list for each. The bottom line is: I wouldn't jumping into anything without having some a specific plan in place. Where do you see yourself in the next several years? What do you want out of life? What are the steps to getting there?

I hope this helps! Good luck!!

All the best,
Kylie

Re: Work or college

Kylie:

May I ask what it was about college that was making you miserable? Was it a lack of friends? Was it your classes? Your professors? The campus itself?

A mix of all, I was forced to do some subjects that I didn't want to study, along side some that I did want to, as a result I was constatly bounced between a great subject that I enjoyed studying, and awful classes that just depressed me. Most of my friends were in different classes, I saw them during breaks but was alone in lessons (although I did start talking to people towards the end of the year). The teachers we're fine, well, non of them were mean or what-not. In the last year we had a new head teacher who introduced a lot of new rules, most of which stifled student expression, (if you dyed your hair bright colours, you were given detention til you dyed it back. that kinda thing). As a result the bad parts slowly took over the good until I was spending whole weeks depressed and just not caring.

How did you make the decision to attend college at the end of your senior year in high school? Did you do it because you felt obligated to do it or because you wanted to? Did you take the time to carefully research schools and choose according to what you felt was the best fit for you, or did you make the decision on a whim or based on where your friends were going? Were you ready to go to college, or would you have benefited from some time off?

I continued into college 'cause I had always been brought up under the idea of 'go to school, go to uni, get a degree, get a good job' as a result I didn't think about alternatives (like jobs that didn't reguire a degree) and figured it would be fine, both my siblings did well at college. I decided to forget that they are both far smarter than me :P the college I went to was the same as both my siblings and all my friends, it was also one of the few in leicester that teaches sociology (which is my main subject). No I don't think I was ready.

Rachael:

What are your interests as far as jobs go?

At the moment, I just want something the pays, beyond that, I have no idea, I've never seen anything that has suck out as something that I WANT to do, it's always been something I'd be WILLING to do.

What sort of levels of qualifications do you have?

I have 3 AS levels, which to be fair, aren't worth the paper they're printed on :P

What were you studying at college, and what did you hope to use the qualification(s) for?

I was studying History, Sociology and poltics. (as well as maths but that wasn't my choice). like I said, it was all about getting a degree, like I was told I should get. the degrees I was looking at were in sociology and gender studies.

What sort of environment would you PREFER to work in?

something quiet, I have terrible self confidence issuses and lots of people/things happening makes my uncomfortable.

Are there any jobs you WOULDN'T do?

Stripper XD

thanks for the help guys, sorry to give you an essay in return.

Re: Work or college

Have you considered talking to a career counselor or advisor? I'm not sure if the college(s) you're looking at have them, but most I know of do. You could try to find out what interests you, and what your strengths are. This potentially could allow you to figure out what you would like to do for career. I think it's super hard to be motivated to take classes if you don't have a career in mind. It may be easier if you pick your dream career, then your major, and then go back to school.

Re: Work or college

I know it's been mentioned, but what was it about college that you hated? Because I know when I first started school, I don't think I was REALLY ready to be there, I had a lot of issues with my ex, I couldn't find roommates and I was barely passing my classes. I wasn't thriving, and that made me hate being in school. Some how I managed go make myself go back for my second year but I had an honest to god concrete plan to drop out, work from January to September and then go to college for a 2 year hands-on diploma. I fucking HATED university. But.... At some point it just turned around for me, I guess thing's started going right, I started to thrive a bit better, and things started improving for me, so now I am almost done my honours BA.... So for me, based on my personal experience, I think it WAS worth being in university.

I can definitely relate to just not wanting to be there, especially if you aren't succeeding or enjoying it. But to me, it doesn't sound as if you are enjoying NOT being in school much either. And honestly there is so little you can do without a diploma or degree, even if you end up doing something totally unrelated to what you went to school for it helps you in the "real world". So, in my opinion I think it would be worth your time to consider why it is that you quit school. And then work through that to find a program and a school that will be less likely to present those issues to you.

So... yeah, in my opinion it's your time to go back.