6 ms·

There's not much here. He decided to compete against himself and made a list of self-improvement items? He complained about being directionless yet had some c

There's not much here. He decided to compete against himself and made a list of self-improvement items? He complained about being directionless yet had some clear choices he could make. Cat? Grad School? Girlfriend? Sounds like this person needs a role-model and a mentor.

disgruntledphd2 6y ago
And that's ok. Like, he's in his early twenties. I upvoted this because the atmosphere of constant competition he describes is a relatively new thing (certainly I didn't experience it) and I'm interested to hear if other people of a similar age agree or have thoughts on this.
- tafox 6y ago
  I think anyone under 30 today who studies or has studied feels immense competition and pressure. I started undergrad in 2011 and already getting in then you needed very good grades. Reading about the acceptance rates into my program and the grades now required, I feel really sad for current students, and I was already very unhappy during my undergrad...
- ZephyrBlu 6y ago
  What he describes to me is competition for the sake of competition, and not having any goals. I'm also 22 like the author, and I realized a long time ago that I had no interest in competing in things I didn't care about. I was in the top class at my secondary school (High school for you Americans) and easily got above average marks while doing work 1yr ahead with not much effort. I really didn't see the point in grinding for top marks when they were meaningless, but I put in a little effort because I felt like it's what I should be doing. At uni, I managed to scrape by for a couple of years doing little work and getting C- to B- marks mostly. Again, doing it because it's what I thought I should be doing and I felt obligated to go to university and get an engineering degree since that's what smart people are supposed to do. I dropped out when I realized that I had been following the path I was "supposed" to take rather than what I wanted to do. It sounds like OP finally chose a path instead of just following the one that was laid out for him. Note: I don't live in the US
- 082349872349872 6y ago
  I went to university in the US last century, and don't recall an atmosphere of constant competition at all. At least at that time, townies seemed more competitive than gownies. My memories are mostly of us helping each other to drink from the firehose (of both the course load and of life).
agumonkey 6y ago
important question actually, how important is having a mentor for how much of the young people population ? I'm fairly certain that 6 months with a mentor would have altered my life to unbelievable levels (not difficult since I flirted with rock bottom ;)
arolihas 6y ago
Not everyone just gets a mentor to tell them the right way to live life. We all aren’t as lucky as you.
- blobbers 6y ago
  I certainly don't have one. I think that finding one is important.

disgruntledphd2 6y ago

And that's ok. Like, he's in his early twenties. I upvoted this because the atmosphere of constant competition he describes is a relatively new thing (certainly I didn't experience it) and I'm interested to hear if other people of a similar age agree or have thoughts on this.

tafox 6y ago
I think anyone under 30 today who studies or has studied feels immense competition and pressure. I started undergrad in 2011 and already getting in then you needed very good grades. Reading about the acceptance rates into my program and the grades now required, I feel really sad for current students, and I was already very unhappy during my undergrad...
ZephyrBlu 6y ago
What he describes to me is competition for the sake of competition, and not having any goals. I'm also 22 like the author, and I realized a long time ago that I had no interest in competing in things I didn't care about. I was in the top class at my secondary school (High school for you Americans) and easily got above average marks while doing work 1yr ahead with not much effort. I really didn't see the point in grinding for top marks when they were meaningless, but I put in a little effort because I felt like it's what I should be doing. At uni, I managed to scrape by for a couple of years doing little work and getting C- to B- marks mostly. Again, doing it because it's what I thought I should be doing and I felt obligated to go to university and get an engineering degree since that's what smart people are supposed to do. I dropped out when I realized that I had been following the path I was "supposed" to take rather than what I wanted to do. It sounds like OP finally chose a path instead of just following the one that was laid out for him. Note: I don't live in the US
082349872349872 6y ago
I went to university in the US last century, and don't recall an atmosphere of constant competition at all. At least at that time, townies seemed more competitive than gownies. My memories are mostly of us helping each other to drink from the firehose (of both the course load and of life).

agumonkey 6y ago

important question actually, how important is having a mentor for how much of the young people population ? I'm fairly certain that 6 months with a mentor would have altered my life to unbelievable levels (not difficult since I flirted with rock bottom ;)

arolihas 6y ago

Not everyone just gets a mentor to tell them the right way to live life. We all aren’t as lucky as you.

blobbers 6y ago
I certainly don't have one. I think that finding one is important.