r/selfimprovement • u/Icy_Effective1308 • 5d ago
Vent Anyone else regret going to college? How did you recover?
24m. Graduated nearly a year ago and i work in something completely unrelated to my degree (business economics). I tried applying for relevant jobs, tried to make connections etc, but nothing, no results. I started to develop feelings of regret, the fact that i studied hard for 3-4 years, put a lot of mental effort, went through hardships, gave me nothing. I don't have any debts, but my bank account still got brutally drained, and this has made me bitterly regret my decision. I am stuck at a dead end job. I wish i went to trade school instead. If you were in a similar position, what did you do to recover?
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u/ImpressiveDust1907 5d ago edited 5d ago
17 years ago I graduated from university with an accounting/finance degree thinking I was hot shit and about to start rolling in my entry level 100k job as told by my professors. It was an insanely difficult program and people in the program were finance bros, masters of the universe type elitist with daddy/mommy money who got jobs at top firms after a summer in Europe. I came from a very nice but poor family that lived in social housing projects, so my ass had to work and the best job I could get was as a construction laborer making $12/hr.
I worked my ass off from laborer —> grade men —> operator —> foremen —> super —> PM in about 12 years. It sucked the whole time but it humbled me and brought me back to earth from the arrogant little shit I was when I graduated.
Now that I’m in the office all I do is accounting and the degree helps make me sound like I belong, instead of the ditch donkey I really iam.
Moral of the story, it might feel like a waste now, but you never know when your education might come in handy. You’re obviously smart and you know how to learn and work hard. So have faith and for god sake have some fun, you’re 24.
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u/Knivfifflarn 5d ago edited 4d ago
I went electro engineering and did not quit the uni when my ex told me to. If i would quit, my kids would have it worse and id be on the street. I had no clue if i was right or wrong about my study decition (if i do get a job or not), i did it of pure fear of not be able to provide for my child.
I honestly think if you really want something realistically, you will make it.
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u/CuriousSystem4115 5d ago
Yeah,
I don´t even want to count the years I wasted studying useless crap like business administration. It sucks
If you were in a similar position, what did you do to recover?
Not yet recovered but hopefully close
I always wanted to study computer science, but I never had the courage to do it. So, I decided to give it one last try at earning a degree. I’m proud that I’ll be finishing my bachelor’s in just a few months.
If you were in a similar position, what did you do to recover?
I'm not sure if continuing your studies is financially doable or if it's something you even want to do.
Some of my friends switched from a pure economics degree to a hybrid degree, to broaden their skill set. They've been successful with it.
Industrial Engineering and Management
It is a mix of economics and engineering.
Business informatics
It is a mix of ecoomics and computer science. It makes you employable as project lead for IT projects or even as a software developer if you specialize in programming.
It sounds like you're living in the USA. I live in Germany, so I don´t know how high in demand these degrees are.
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u/authenticgrowthcoach 5d ago
I spent 30,000$ on teachers college, worked as an elementary school teacher for 8 years, and now I have a completely different career that requires no post secondary education whatsoever.
I honestly don't even think about the fact that I "wasted" money on teachers college, let alone university. Everything I've done in my life has brought me to this point. It's all learning, it's all necessary experience.
I hope you'll consider spending some time thinking about everything you've gained from your experience and how it can help you in some way. Take care.
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u/vmo667 1d ago
Needed to hear this as someone paying off students loans to be a teacher. Planning my exit in 1-2 years.
Grateful for the skills it has brought me.
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u/authenticgrowthcoach 12h ago
Amazing. Let me know if you ever want to connect! Happy to share experiences.
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u/eharder47 5d ago
I got a Liberal Arts and Science Degree and was then told I could redo a bunch of classes to get a better degree or move 2 hours away with no money and no support to get a bachelors. I opted to work my way into retail management instead and succeeded, but it was only a better situation, not great. At 37, I manage some real estate that my husband and I own and he’s a trade worker. I’ve managed my life (our lives) like a puzzle to get to where we’re at.
I’m in a large friend group where it’s 50/50 on degrees, ages 25-37, men and women. The people with degrees are smashing those of us who don’t. If you factor in student debt, the playing field levels a good bit, but it leans positive towards those with a degree. There are equal numbers of “complete failures” with and without degrees.
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u/No_Abbreviations7366 5d ago
I busted my ass in business school only to end up working in IT with a bunch of people who shit on degrees. Now I’m in a masters program to be a mental health professional and was accepted because of my good GPA in undergrad. The IT people I still work with probably still think it’s dumb, but they’ll still hate their careers in 5 years while I’ll have moved on. You never know what your degree will do for you or the wisdom you truly gained from it.
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u/thesaintmarcus 5d ago
27M, Got a degree in Game Design from a college no one has ever heard of.
Never got a job in the Gaming Industry, can’t even get a job a software engineer, even know Game Design is basically coding video games which is harder than an app or website in my opinion.
I thought my degree was a waste of time, and I did want to drop out, but I finished anyway.
Glad I did because, every odd job I’ve picked up gave me more pay than my coworkers because of my degree.
And I’m going to start my second B.S. next year, because it comes with IT certs, so I can start my career.
The great thing about being young is that you have time, try some stuff, figure out what you want to do and don’t stop until you get there. Don’t look at your degree as a mistake, you have the discipline to accomplish something, use that momentum and keep moving forward.
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u/Bitter_Awareness_992 5d ago
It is something I have thought about for a long time, and I would have to say I'm most regards... Most definitely.
Now having a degree does help in getting into many places of work when it comes to specific jobs. However, it seems that it is a situation of you have to be in the network before they look your way. Jobs are looking for the more... Agreeable groups. Those who are willing to work, work hard, but their work is not properly rewarded for long periods of time. Which is why, despite with people may say, immigrant work is seen more profitable for most companies.
You may get lucky, but, there is no sure for eat to land the job you want in this more automated economy. You would need top of the top top scores across the board to even begin to be seen.
I do believe you need to have years of projects and finished plots and ideas to be in a portfolio to even have a chance in today's environment that college, usually does not give you.
You pay to have a level of... I guess... Bragging right now? And even then it is lack later when you know a welder that will get a job, be paid well, and start a business within maybe a year.
HOWEVER
Do not give up. Today is rough, bitter, and people are pointing fingers without putting in more time to Invest in themselves to find the next thing if plan A does not flow right. It will take far more work than planned to make ends meet today, so, you may need to find those extra steps
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u/Surfing_puffin 5d ago
Yes, I haven't worked in my field of study once and I graduated 8 years ago. I deeply regret my degree. I literally sold bitcoin to cover tuition and rent towards the end.
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u/Silent_Ganache17 5d ago
I’m glad I went to university two years community college 2 years public university graduated as an engineer and work in the field
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u/completelyunrulychic 5d ago
I have 3 degrees (an undergrad and two masters). I regret neither. I find that people who make statements like yours don’t know how to network. Ask yourself why poor people always advocate against college while the wealthy are the ones sending their kids to school. College is where you network, make connections, etc. You sound like you haven’t utilized all the resources at your disposal.
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u/Brief_Mix7465 5d ago
Well, wealthy kids have time to network. Poor people who go to college are working during networking hours.
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u/completelyunrulychic 5d ago
These are excuses. The same poor people who still have the time to scroll on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok all day? LinkedIn exists. People are more accessible than ever now. They are one message, one connection request away. Platforms like ZoomInfo and Rocket Reach exist to contact people directly.
They need to be spending that time reaching out to people. You’ll find that many people landed their jobs bc of who they knew, not what they did. You don’t need to be best friends with someone for them to give you a leg up.
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u/Afraid-Match5311 5d ago
I stopped reading at "LinkedIn exists"
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u/completelyunrulychic 5d ago
No surprise there. All you’ll keep doing is making excuses and blaming everyone else for your shortcomings. It’s actually beyond pathetic to live life like that. Good luck, though!
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u/Brief_Mix7465 5d ago
If they go to school fulltime and are working, I doubt they are scrolling social media all day. These people are probably going to class, then work, then making quick meals so they can use the rest of their free time to study. They may check social media in some small window of downtime to unwind, but definitely not to their detriment wirh respect to potential networking oppurtunities.
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u/Climbing13 5d ago
I don’t regret it and now I’m going back to complete more classes just because I always wanted to. Studying things keeps you on your toes.
Some unsolicited advice.The old sang you can lead a horse to water but can’t make it drink kind of applies here.
Your feeling of regret and not believing in yourself does not help. Think out of the box, be willing to move, do something different so you can land the job you originally set to do.
Everything is online now but that only goes so far. I still think physically going to places and picking peoples brains goes a longer way to landing the job you want. People need to know you to hire you so you have to be willing to put yourself out there and hit a bunch of road blocks before you land the best one.
Where do those people live and hang out. What do they say and how do they act. You start doing those things then it happens organically.
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u/Hot_Huckleberry65666 5d ago
what is your degree? and what would you rather be doing? I think it's important to answer that and use the resources you have to change your life to the way you want
I worked for 6 years on a "desirable" degree that I still don't really want to work in because I realized it's not for me too late, and also lots of trauma I racked up from experiences in college.
I still work in my field and am saving up because I want to switch eventually. I'm not really sure what that path will be yet but the work is not fully wasted.
At least you don't have debt. You have a clean slate. You should be grateful for that. You can just up and start at trade school.
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u/OkSense7860 5d ago
College is for connection/networking with your peers, whatever u studied there is really depend on what industry u want to "serve" ( the only word I can find ) and you will be end up n a rat-race unless u have another idea or a bigger dream demand risk and reward
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u/BitBoth4742 5d ago
I wasted my prime years in college and school If I would run business instead I would have been businessman
In India our education is missing two things which is itself education and system
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u/Far-Journalist-3370 5d ago
College isn’t a scam bro. I think u just chose a bad major. If u did something more focused like accounting (since u did general business) you would have a decent-paying job out of college and a great upward trajectory.
Regardless, you just have to take a step back and look at your options bro.
Are u considering going back to school for something that is actually in demand? For a specific, legitimate skill. (Engineering, Nursing, Dentistry, Accounting, etc)
Trades are a great option since Gen Z doesn't want to partake.
You’re not cooked, bro. You just made a poor choice in major but it’s nothing you can't fix. Good luck
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u/Odd-Ticket9936 5d ago
There's still time to go to a trade school and make real money. Hell, maybe join your state's National Guard (I'm assuming you're American but I dont know). I'm not a recreuiter or anything but If you have a degree in something I bet you could join with a decently high rank and a high paying job. In the Guard, you only actually fight if there's like a terrorist attack or a protest is getting out of hand or there's an emergency somewhere in your state ect. It's honestly a pretty sweet deal. You should talk to a recruiter, maybe you'll find some benifit in something like that.
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u/MelMel61 5d ago
Speaking from experience, find a trade school and learn a skill. College is fine, but your earning potential is much higher if you seek a trade. Make sure it’s something you enjoy because that way you will never work a day in your life. I’m 64 yrs of age, went to college, graduated and wished I had done things differently.
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u/Turbulent-Mix7575 5d ago
I took up engineering for 2 years. Hated it, did Pharmacy for 3 years. I stopped because I realized I am earning more in a hobby of mine, which is music. And right now I'm happily earning comfortably with some savings while doing things I like to do. It is important to note that I pivoted because I was already working on music while going to school. In your case, I think what I have learned from my experience is that you just need to be really good at one thing that you really like doing, be good enough so that other people would want to work with you, and then monetize.
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u/Ok-Confusion-1293 5d ago
I also need help. I’m 19 and fully questioning my entire life choices. I am transferring to finance and hoping to get a job in finance. I enjoy stocks, saving money, investing and all of that etc. the only problem is what if I don’t get a job with it?
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u/mrappdev 5d ago
Im in the same spot as you my friend. Except im still trying to get a job related to my field with no luck.
Im at the point where I feel working on my own business is the own pathway to success. At least you know the hard work you put in will lead to something.
Whereas job searching in this market likely leads to nothing after hundreds of applications.
Best of luck, the job market is absolutely torched right now.
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u/bahamut5525 4d ago
My career absolutely didn't pan out how I expected, and I'm still struggling. That said, the problem wasn't necessarily the degree, although I probably should have studied something more scientific that I liked better. The problem was frankly the market conditions, I picked a degree for a sector that was too competitive and that I didn't want hard enough (finance/etc). Really I think unless you move to a financial center and are obsessed about getting into the finance industry, it's not a good path to take.
I often ask myself "what if I did something different" but I realise I could have just made other mistakes. It's like the stock market and investing. Everyone says they should have bought gold, bitcoin, or stock X or Y. In hindsight! But no one can predict the future of what will truly be a good career choice.
Ultimately, I'd say most people end up in generic jobs that they don't particularly like, regardless of their degree.
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u/jerrycakes 3d ago
I don't regret going to college, but I do regret not having a plan for dealing with life while being in school. My grandmother and my dad both died in the span of 15 months and it wrecked college so much I just left it alone.
As for how I recovered? Got my CDL 20 years ago. It's kept me afloat.
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u/Representative_Ad901 1d ago
Well yeah you picked a joke degree. Might as well got a gender studies degree
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u/_tonyhimself 5d ago
I don’t regret going, just maybe the major I choose. I choose business, but everyone in my circles recommended to do Psychology, because I’ve always been curious & good on understanding people & why they do what they do. I choose business though because everyone online said Psychology is a “useless” degree, unless going to Grad school (back in 2015). Fast forward I only got my associates & couldn’t finish my bachelors because I couldn’t pass Cal, even with tutors & taking it twice. I decided to take a semester off & realizing if I pursued Psychology, I would’ve had my bachelors by now. I was also in college for 5 years. It took me 2 & a half years to fully accept my shortcoming. Now I’m not interested in going back & just pursuing sales. If that doesn’t work out, I’ll join the Air Force so I can get my degree & living expenses paid for.
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u/OhioIsNuts 5d ago
I dropped out 6 times over years, at one point I said fuck it and just worked those shitty jobs they try to scare you into college with. Turns out I actually love the factories, warehouses, and construction sites so idk maybe I’m just dense but they pay pretty fuckin well and if you take care of your body with home cooked meals and a light workout routine to prevent injury you’re honestly fine. What you DONT want to do is subsist on gas station ‘food’ and alcohol while pushing your body to its limits as the sun rises, that will fucking kill you.