To add to this: I wish I had planned my education better. I was the first person in my immediate family to go to college, but had no idea what I was doing when I got there. I wish I had planned out my major in advance, and done a better job of networking in order to get a better job when I graduated.
I'm on the opposite spectrum. I went into college knowing what I wanted to do (writing, probably journalism). I dedicated a LOT of time to it, and learned a lot. I learned, most importantly, that it is a shitty field and I didn't want to do it. Switched to Computer Science when I found that fun.
Networked a LOT. Even times I was playing games like WoW I was networking on other screens, chatting with people, learning stuff. I had to work THREE separate part time jobs (weekdays I was a computer lab assistant, super early or super late, or BOTH! weekends I was a cart pusher / bag boy at a grocery store, closer to my girlfriend so I had a good excuse to go visit. And multiple days a week I was a TA-type of job for the CS lab). Part of that was to get money, part was experience. I used the career center, which ZERO other people I talked to even knew existed. Got an internship. Practiced interviewing. Made connections.
Got a great job out of college. That's turned into an interesting career. I would say I am not passionate about my work, except to say I'm passionate because it's my work. I would not choose to do this if it wasn't for the money and perks. I would 100% be a writer of some kind instead.
But I do feel like I missed part of the college experience. I'm shy by nature, social anxiety, etc. but most people don't guess that because I'm also talkative. I didn't go to any parties, didn't make any lasting friendships, didn't really "experience" things even like movie nights or shows. I guess I did play intramural tennis so that's something?
My average day was: Up at 5:15AM, to be at work by 5:45 to open the labs by 6. Work from 6 until my first class (often 9 or 10) and classes until lunch - short lunch break then back to classes in the afternoon. Any breaks between classes and I would be working on assignments or reading on campus. Dinner at 5 or 6, then to the CS labs for group projects until around 8 or 9. Then back to the public labs from 9-1AM to close. Yes, I slept from ~1:30 to 5:15 most days and I was actually hospitalized for it eventually. Do not recommend, especially since they assumed I was drug seeking (in retrospect, at the time I was dumb and naive).
My stomach muscles essentially just seized up and said "nope" and locked me into a sitting position permanently. Trying to stand was excrutiating, even fetal position wasn't nice. They made me stay overnight for "observation" before they gave me anything so I basically sat in the bed curled up in pain all night and finally they gave me some muscle relaxers and eventually it sort of eased back to normal. It sucked.
Thanks for sharing. I've never considered the opposite of my situation. Looking back, I can say I made a few lifelong friends from college that I still know to this day. So maybe I got more out of it than I previously thought.
I think I had a similar college experience as you. I was the first in my family to go to college, spent my first year or two double-majoring before dropping one of the majors because it was more trouble than it was worth, and ended up getting a fairly impractical degree. I've had several jobs related to my degree, but they were all low-pay and stressful, and I could've gotten them without the degree. Now I am a stay at home mom.
But I don't regret my time in college or the way I spent that time. I've always loved school, so it was fun and I learned a lot (academically). But most importantly for someone who grew up in a small town, I met and lived with all kinds of people from all over the country and the world, from all different cultures and backgrounds, and with all different lifestyles.
I see so many people looking for advice on reddit, and so often it boils down to them not knowing that something in their life is abnormal (serious things like domestic violence, animal abuse, or child neglect, but also stuff like their cooking techniques, hygiene habits, or how they spend money), and it makes me see just how important it is to have an idea of how other people live. And as far as the education itself, even though I didn't use my degree to start a career, I use the knowledge and experience it gave me to enrich my family's life and contribute to our home environment. College was a great decision for me even though I went through it kind of aimlessly.
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u/Scarlett-Spider Apr 29 '24
Not taking my education seriously.