School troubles

[fingerscrossed Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close fingerscrossed]

Hey this is the first time I'm posting here in months not because i don't want to but because I've been quite occupied by school. I need some advice preferably from a few of the older members. I'm in my 2nd year of college and its not going well. I study and do my work but my issue is that I'm still not doing well in the class thats my major. I don't believe I'm having trouble with it because i don't understand it but because i hate it. Im only majoring in it because its a stable degree as well as its what family/wealthy family friends have been preaching to me. Normally i would work my way through this but I've been stuck lately i can't think, my head is constantly in a mist, and I no longer have motivation to do what i actually love to do. I'm 20 and yet i feel like im working full time doing a job i don't want and I'm already having anxiety problems. I can't see myself doing this in the future. I guess what I'm trying to get across is i don't know what to do the major that i actually like and my quite good at is too inconsistent and risky. The norm in society has made me second guess myself and i don't have the confidence to bet on the major i want and its just easier to stick it out with the safe major. My current major is comp sci. I need some advice not on what to do but more like some words of wisdom from people that are either in my shoes or have been in them.

[TAAB Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close TAAB]

Well as a guy almost in his 50's with no trade or career I would get what you can just to fall back on. If you really have another passion or life path do it after you get what you are working on finished. Even with the schooling you are getting other doors will open. I have a great deal of knowledge in things that most guy with several years of school cant do, but they get the jobs because they paid there way through school for in some cases jobs they don't like, but make good money.
So that's my suggestion, and in your spare time investigate what you really want to do for future reference. TAAB

[Dangler Senior Administrator☼ Wizard ☼ White Tiger Award 2015 Find all posts View Profile Close Dangler]

You may find a way/path to use your Major as a way to get more of what you want.

Example-
You love math, numbers, figures, accounting, etc
You 'plan' to use your Computer Sci skills, to utilize computers to build your Accounting/Statistical measurements, etc, buisiness.

Use what your studying to begin planning a path towards what you really want.

[TehDBare Senior Member Member of the Month Sept 2013 Find all posts View Profile Close TehDBare]

What you'll find also is that various careers are cyclical. What is stable and in demand today may be completely the opposite ten years from now, and vice versa. Do what you like to do, if you are miserable studying a subject now how are you going to feel doing it 40 hours a week for the next ten or twenty years? Your friends are probably touting the stability of having a well paying job and all the happiness they believe will come with money. Money can't buy you happiness, but it does make a nice down payment. You have to find balance. Regardless if any of it you will be unstable and relatively broke for a few years after graduating anyways, you may also find what you have your degree in may not matter much when it comes to a career path (do an informal survey of people you know over the age of 30 and ask how many of them are actually using their degree for what it was intended, the results may surprise you).

[ElbowGrease Member Find all posts View Profile Close ElbowGrease]

I concur with what has already been said. Please do listen to experience which is all people are trying to impart upon you, because they care.

At this point you may find it tedious and uninteresting but school is nothing like the real world. In the real world workplace there are problems and projects that will take you far away from the 'comfort' zone you have right now and into areas where you will realise 'hold on, I really enjoyed that part of the work' and you can position yourself through being good at the work and using a grounded positive personality to encourage more of the same your way. It really does work like that, these opportunities will present themselves at the right company.

I don't think you mentioned how long you have left on this degree.

All the best on whatever you decide to do.

[CUSP82 Administrator Admin of the Month Dec 2014PEGym Hero Find all posts View Profile Close CUSP82]

There was this really smart guy; his name was Socrates. I think he was Greek. He also had some pretty smart friends named Plato and some guy named Aristotle. I hear they were pretty smart, at least for Greeks. Anyway from what I understand they wrote a lot of stuff about something called philosophy and how to live a life. They would say to follow your passion, what gives you the most joy, what your heart is in, and then you will have a good life. To do something your heart is not in they would say is stupid and a waste of life.Why not pick up a book or two they wrote, read what these guys have written, and maybe follow what they teach. If anyone says what you're doing is stupid tell themto go and argue with Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle; although I hear they're dead they would be pretty hard to argue with don't you think?

[NCGUY1972 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close NCGUY1972]

I have to say if you dont like it dont do it. People that do well where they work are usually the ones that really enjoy it.

[namsokiek Banned Find all posts View Profile Close namsokiek]

I came from a humble background. I was a non-traditional student (I returned to school at 25 and graduated at 28). I've worked since before I was 16 and held multiple jobs to get through school. I paid for my degree.

As a back-drop for my answer I recommend you listen to these programs.

Episode 485: What's Your Major? : Planet Money : NPR

The Most (And Least) Lucrative College Majors, In 1 Graph : Planet Money : NPR

The Most And Least Lucrative College Majors, In 2 Graphs : Planet Money : NPR

One poignant part of the programs is where the former psychology major realizes he cannot support his family in the manner he desires with the job options available to him. So he returned to school and is studying to be a petroleum engineer.

Regarding work: Work is something that someone must pay you to do; it may be unpleasant. If you enjoyed doing it you would pay them (like I pay to ski or golf); this is called play. Jobs are tough, tiresome, contentious, hard to do, boring, etc.

If you're lucky, someone may think an action is unpleasant and are willing to pay you so they don't have to do it; but you may not think it unpleasant. Then you can like or even love your job.

Realize that you will need to be successful at a job, but don't plan to fall in love with your job.

There are several things I recommend you consider when finalizing your major.

1. Are the things I like or have an affinity towards well compensated? If so, great. If not, welcome to the work-force.
   1. What is the net present value of the degree?
   2. How many years of income (present value [PV]) will equal the cost of education (again PV)?
   3. How many other students are in this career field and how many jobs are presently available?
   4. Is pay in this career field stratified or does it have a normal distribution? (i.e. actors have basically two strata: poor and hollywood icon)
   
   
2. Am I good at stuff that other people value?
   1. Many folks lack basic numeracy, many can't lead, many can't organize, etc. These are valuable requirementss that others need fulfilled. What can you do that other's cannot?
   
   
3. Looking at the average pay in that field, can I support a family on the income?

You need to examine what you like to do then examine stuff you find easy to do. If these don't align with your vision of success, then you will have to do what the rest of us do, which is bitch and moan about the job, work your ass off to make a difference, then cash your check.

I know folks will say, "you should follow your passion" and when considering hobbies or things to do in your free time I heartily agree. But if your eventual vision of success is the ability to support a family, then you need to ensure your degree offers some payback. You may find that you can learn to love the job.