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It sounds like Cassidy here has a severe case of malaise:
I am a second-semester junior at a small liberal arts college in the US. I’ve always gotten (very) good grades, but I’ve been gradually realizing that they really don’t mean shit to me, I’m not interested in my chosen course of study, and have no desire to be here.
It has gotten incredibly easy to convince myself to sleep in rather than go to class, make myself a snack instead of go to class, or to read or play computer games or anything else rather than go to class. This is affecting my grades, and I do not care.
How awful would it be to just drop out/take a year off then transfer someplace not nearly as expensive to finish up a bachelor’s degree? I had a fairly shitty part-time job over the past summer, and doing simple work there was far, far more satisfying than readings and classes and writing papers, despite being tedious and probably doable by a reasonably talented six-year-old.
I’m worried it’ll be very difficult to get a job, however, without being an actual college graduate, even though I really wouldn’t be too picky about the work. And no, I don’t think I’d have the same issue going to work as I do with going to class- I have a job here and have never had trouble going, and I never had trouble going to my job back home. Knowing that my presence and effort is actually needed for things to work out there is very different from just being one person in a class.
Answwer me this: what should I do?!?!
Readers, please go to the comments and give Cassidy some of that copper-bottomed A-grade advice you’re so good at.
Meanwhile, Cassidy, here’s my ha’ppeny worth: while at the moment you think you find shitty work satisfying, in 20 years’ time it will have broken you. Whatever you decide to do, keep your future options as open as possible; and if you can’t transfer courses or colleges, the best option may be to grit your teeth and sticking with the current situation for another couple of years. Unappealing as this might seem presently, once you’re on the other side it will seem trifling.
Real-life example: our very own Martin the Sound Man. Halfway through his doctorate in quantum physics (yes, he has one; we like our sound men to be ridiculously over-qualified), he was ready to chuck in the whole thing. But for want of more pleasant options, he shouldered on for another two years, and lo, he was crowned Doctor Martin Austwick, so all the pain was worth it in the end.
Then he went and temped in a call centre for a year, but that’s another story.
Answer Me This! Podcast 
November 24, 2011 at 10:06 pm |
Is the problem college, or your major? Is there another course of study you can switch to that you would be more into? Sometimes you can make a good decision to start studying something, and have to actually try it out for a while before you find out it’s not for you- doesn’t mean anyone did anything wrong. What would you study if you transferred to another college after a year? I agree that it’s better to be earning money at a job than staying in college and running up bad/mediocre grades and debt, but you do have to keep your eye on working towards being able to do something you don’t hate that will earn you a non-stressfully-small amount of money when you’re 30 … that doesn’t have to be what you’re doing now and hating, though: how about work experience in a job with a bit of challenge to it in a field you’re into, or a different course of study, or traveling. If you do stay at school, perhaps if you formulate a goal for what you in general want to do when you graduate, you can focus on that as a reason to go to otherwise-tedious classes. I agree with the above comment that if you stay on campus you should get involved in something. If your feeling is that studying doesn’t contribute to anything concrete (which is true), then is there a charity or community group you can contribute to? Or research that you can help with? Then maybe you’ll feel like you’re making a contribution to something concrete overall, even if not with classes.
Good luck!
November 24, 2011 at 4:47 pm |
I realised by the beginning of my second year of university that I hated everything about it – the place, the people, the course – but I dug my heels in and stuck it out because I thought that having that bit of paper would open a lot of doors for me later in life.
I’m very glad I stayed, because later that year I joined the theatre society and came to realise that I wanted to work in theatre when I graduated. I did a postgrad course in arts management and now I have a job I really enjoy.
I may have hated the university and the course I was on, but if I hadn’t had that experience in student theatre and got my undergrad degree, I would never have done the postgrad course and I don’t think I would be as happy in my work as I am now.
My advice: keep doing just enough work just to pass your academic course, while participating in as many extra-curricular activities as you can. Don’t be afraid to try new things! You’ll probably never be surrounded by so many interesting and diverse people for the rest of your life; this is a great opportunity to work out what makes you tick. You never know – one of your interests could turn into a career or new direction in your life.
November 24, 2011 at 12:16 pm |
I think Helen or Oli’s advice here is as sound as you can get. Jobs ARE satisfying – they just are – and you get paid and you work hard (most of the time) and your free-time feels amazing and well-earned.
But you’ll most-likely never get the opportunity to do what you are doing right now again. Maybe take it easy – you mention you are pretty good academically so maybe go into third or forth gear, get a 2:1 (or whatever if you are American – you know, a standard good degree) and then you can choose whatever you want to do with your life – my degree has nothing to do with my job, but it was required to get my foot in the door.
Then in 10 years you can dream about doing an academic course again but not be able to because a child is on the way or people would look at you funny if you have a 2 year gap on your CV.
Good luck!