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In need of advice
Hello strangers I am here in need of advice. Some background; I started college doing chemistry/physics half way having all the pre engineering completed I decided to switch over to the engineering department--it was a last minute thing my sister convinced me to do. Meanwhile I have also been dedicating time to a part time job I found at a small non profit that deals with educational mobile apps. These are mostly browser based apps that are being ported from flash/java. I find myself most of the time stressed out and with no direction in sight. Even when I go out with friends to grab a drink there's just no incentive to try and talk to women or meet new people, this is all I think about. I gave up on this semesters course load because it was just becoming a grind and I found myself hating it. I feel like a worthless piece of shit. I don't know what I am doing. I don't have a direction in my life and its freaking me the fuck out. That little stupid part time job is the thing that probably keeps me going. I have been thinking about switching to computer science but even so I am not sure. I really just want to dedicate time to SOMETHING. I WANT TO DO. I don't want to sit around and whine and think about this shit; I don't know what to do. Most of all I fear I will never accomplish anything and will just end up settling for a wage. Well that's it I suppose.
PS*
After reading this Im thinking this might sound suicidal or something lol..I am just unhappy that I have nothing going for me, I feel most of the time I am wasting the potential I have--its driving me nuts.
- logn 13y agoI don't think switching majors is that important. The important thing, at this point, is just graduating since you're already in a BS program. Switching majors takes a lot of time, and a CS program can be very daunting. An engineering degree, or even chemistry/physics, will get you past many of the HR filters. You'll miss out on some entry level jobs that filter strictly on comp sci graduates, but with some experience and a BS I don't think you'll be at much of a disadvantage.
- pedalpete 13y agoHave you been thinking of switching to computer science because you enjoy the part-time job you have coding? Do you love coding? Is it something you kinda enjoy, but are thinking it might be a good career? I didn't go to university, and am damn happy that I didn't. I was very fortunate to work for a large conglomerate when I was 20, where every few months somebody would come along and say " we need somebody to do xyz (Customer Service, Retail Buying, Food & Bev, Accounting, IT, Marketing, Public Relations, etc, etc). This gave me experience in a huge diversity of areas, and was a ton of fun and constant learning. The reason I mention this, is maybe you need some time away from university? I'm pretty sure most universities offer their students a way to take a semester off or something, don't they? If you took 6 months off, could you work in two different areas that interest you for 3 months each, and see what you like? Or maybe you could continue at uni, but reduce your coarse load while you figure out what direction to take. You may even decide that university isn't important. I think I'd struggle to get through a Google interview, with all the data structure type questions, but I've built some cool industry leading stuff and have a great time in my career so far. You want to dedicate time to SOMETHING YOU WANT TO DO, than dedicate time to finding what it is you want to do. My one other bit of advice is this. If a university degree is something you always thought you'd have, and something that you truly want, don't take too much time working in the real world. I think it gets tough to go back to school after a certain age or time has passed. Also, you get used to have a (hopefully good) income, and you won't want to loose that. Lastly, have you spoken to your friends about your not wanting to talk? Have they noticed a difference? The reason I ask, is it is important to learn how to ask for help, it is important to talk about these sorts of things your thinking with your inner circle. You may find that everybody is feeling the same way, which may go a bit to alleviate your feelings. If not, you can be proud that you didn't cower away in the corner when you've had an issue. Hope that helps.
- thewest 13y agoThis is much help! A university degree is not something I thought I have always wanted. The only reason I even started going to school was because it was already paid for so I decided to take some calc/chem/physics since I was not sure what I wanted but I knew a liberal arts degree was just a waste of my time. Then when I was taking some of the upper level physics I really just found it boring so when I mentioned to relatives they just said hey go into engineering, you are already half way there and finding a job wont be that hard. This semester the engineering courses are just as boring as the physics one. Its really just rinse and repeat from certain principles, which is what boring means for me. I find the part time job really far away from the rinse and repeat stuff. You can always optimize your code, you can always find a neater way of doing something--its just cool. I also have smart people around me so when ever a have a hunch I am going about something the wrong way I usually consult with them and I always end up learning something new. Regarding the friends thing, I feel a strong pressure in my stomach all the time, this shit has really been driving me nuts--cant sleep etc.... When we end up going out I try to just motivate them to talk to girls and have fun. Being social has become a chore for me because all I am thinking about is what the hell am I going to do. The friend I did speak to said to me I just look like I always do lol--that he also has that fear of settling for a wage and doing something more fulfilling.
- pedalpete 13y agoHappy to have helped. What a part of the world are you in? If you don't mind my asking. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help. My e-mail is in my profile.