Uni is no good, what else could i do?

Mr. Anderson

Mr. Anderson

Mr. Anderson

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To die by your side......
I'm struggling big time, in my 2nd year, only just scrapped through 1st year.

I have coasted my entire education, and as such, have not learnt how to 'work'. I struggle to find the effort required to want to open up my notes from lectures and go over them.

I would quit uni in an instance if i had a career path to go into, however i just don't know any that would offer possiblitys that the likes of graduate schemes are able to offer.

I thought about the RAF a while back becoming an engineer for example, but i don't think i would cope with the ladish attitude that a lot of the comrades have and would posibly find it quite a lonely experiance (if i even got in).

I would love to train as an electrician, however i am now 4 years behind people of my age which means i would be 24 by the time i am at their level which is a shocking thought. I was pushed into uni by the governemtn, school, and parents. All the properganda made it seem that if you don't go to uni you are a failure and all the people that didn't go to a-levels were mainly chavs and idiots.

I need to be thinking about alternative routes anyway, as passing this 2nd year could pove quite a challenge, let alone also then passing the 3rd year. Also, is there much point having a degree if it is a 3rd?
 
Work harder?

Seems like the kick up the ass you need my friend. Take this as the wake up call you need.

You can thank me when you get your degree. :p
 
There's not much point having a degree if it's a 3rd (imo) unless it's from a top uni.

What is the degree in?
What uni are you at?
Could you scrape this year and do a sandwich year? (To get you out of education and into work)

Studying is much easier when you have a clear goal, which it sounds like you don't have.

Under 30, age of qualification is irrelevant.
After that it gets more difficult to change careers due to kids / commitments.
Any good employer is blind to age, but not blind to the employees circumstances.
 
Yeah, but i still don't feel any urge to work. I feel slightly retarded. I know my future life is dependant on me working hard now and doing well, but whenever i look at the work i just get filled with depresion and end up doing something else like watching tv or a film, or playing a game.
 
Mr. Anderson said:
Yeah, but i still don't feel any urge to work. I feel slightly retarded. I know my future life is dependant on me working hard now and doing well, but whenever i look at the work i just get filled with depresion and end up doing something else like watching tv or a film, or playing a game.
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If that's your attitude then you'll probably not get too far out of uni either.

What course are you doing? What are your interests?
 
Mr. Anderson said:
Yeah, but i still don't feel any urge to work. I feel slightly retarded. I know my future life is dependant on me working hard now and doing well, but whenever i look at the work i just get filled with depresion and end up doing something else like watching tv or a film, or playing a game.
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I remember the feeling.

The trick is to take the first step, and then you find you can do an hour or so without too much trouble - but sticking your fingers in your ears and going 'laa lala laaaa' is much easier. But it'll all play on your mind and stack up against you.

I was a bit like you - I managed to do what I had to and got through eventually with a 2:2 - I was close to a 2:1 but not close enough to be bumped. Never mind, all done now.

3½ years after graduating (a year earlier than planned, I have a BEng instead of the now-usual MEng), I've finally realised I'm not cut out to be an engineer, certainly not an electronic one. I can do it, but I'm numbed - I just don't care a jot about it and have no motivation at all. I'm going to go into a PGCE this Autumn to become a Physics teacher - right now that feels the right thing to do and much more up my alley - but who knows, maybe it's not my place? If not, I'll keep looking...

Give it a go for now, set aside one hour every evening for work, and just get on with it. You can get a lot done in an hour, and it doesn't take up your whole evening. Do the hour earlier (like, straight after tea), not later, or it'll just get put off.

If this doesn't help, take a step back and ask yourself what you /really/ want to do with your life, and see if there any possible paths to follow.
 
24 is not old if you train to be an electrician. I have mates who are 30+ and have just completed a few trades. One of them an ex City boy. Loves the freedom and is now close to earning the same as what he did but his own boss.
 
I was exactly the same 18 months ago mate. Really really struggling with my second year of CompEng, ready to sling it in. The only thing that kept me going was the chance of a work placement for a year (which I'm now on). I repeated my second year and knuckled down (ish :p) and got a great placement at Broadcom, my number one choice.

It depends just how bad it is tbh. Is it worth it repeating the year, ie is the degree really worth continuing with to the extent you'll get a 2:1 at the end of it? How much do you enjoy life not at home (this was big for me, I cannot stand going back to the homestead for more than a day or two) and how much do you love living with your mates and having a great time at uni?
I just figured, its make or break time, I know I'm clever enough I just have no motivation, hearing about great placements gave me the motivation.

However, at the same time. You don't want to spend any more time there than you can, it costs a LOT of cheddar!


Reading it back, this post doesnt really make any sense. Just take from it, your not the only person who's ever got second year blues. Lots of students rage during the second year about being pigeon holed into a degree (its true IMO) and how they could be on a real career path had they not come. You need to surround yourself with people doing well, and look at shiny cars and fancy houses and any other cool stuff you know you want one day, and realize how working now to get that stuff is totally worth it.
 
Go train to become the electrician, if that's what you want.

It sounds like you have no idea what you really want though, and that's why you're struggling.
 
I'm currently doing an electrical apprenticeship in my 2nd year of a 4 year program and loving it. I didn't know what I wanted to do after college and I saw this advertised in a local news paper still wasn't 100% sure but so glad I did it in the end.

Do some research on companys near you and write to them showing interest and about possible training programs.

If there are no places available you can do a college course (not sure how long) but will have to pay for it yourself. Think its a couple thousand.
 
I'd be embarrassed to show a cv with a 3rd on it personally.

Cut your losses, drop out of uni so you don't accrue any more student debts and work for a bit, nothing serious just some casual bar work or something and see what happens.

Maybe you'll decide to go travelling for a while or find something else you enjoy and end up returning to uni or maybe you'll even get involved in a job you like and can advance through.

I think doing anything just for the sake of doing it is almost always a bad call.
 
There are a fair few apprenticeships and/or sponsored part time uni courses. Trouble is finding out about them. Carer service should be able to help find what is out there. Less debts and job experience.
 
King85 said:
I'd be embarrassed to show a cv with a 3rd on it personally.

Cut your losses, drop out of uni so you don't accrue any more student debts and work for a bit, nothing serious just some casual bar work or something and see what happens.

Maybe you'll decide to go travelling for a while or find something else you enjoy and end up returning to uni or maybe you'll even get involved in a job you like and can advance through.

I think doing anything just for the sake of doing it is almost always a bad call.
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For me to drop out of uni, i would need something though, otherwise i will just be a lost sole for ages with no direction. At least here, even if i don't like it, i know what my goal is.
 
Mr. Anderson said:
I'm struggling big time, in my 2nd year, only just scrapped through 1st year.

I have coasted my entire education, and as such, have not learnt how to 'work'. I struggle to find the effort required to want to open up my notes from lectures and go over them.

I would quit uni in an instance if i had a career path to go into, however i just don't know any that would offer possiblitys that the likes of graduate schemes are able to offer.

I thought about the RAF a while back becoming an engineer for example, but i don't think i would cope with the ladish attitude that a lot of the comrades have and would posibly find it quite a lonely experiance (if i even got in).

I would love to train as an electrician, however i am now 4 years behind people of my age which means i would be 24 by the time i am at their level which is a shocking thought. I was pushed into uni by the governemtn, school, and parents. All the properganda made it seem that if you don't go to uni you are a failure and all the people that didn't go to a-levels were mainly chavs and idiots.

I need to be thinking about alternative routes anyway, as passing this 2nd year could pove quite a challenge, let alone also then passing the 3rd year. Also, is there much point having a degree if it is a 3rd?
Click to expand...


Have you thought about manual work. Just being a 'builder's mate'? For some reason it's got a bad rep but I can honestly say it's a good hard solid day's work, will definately keep you very fit, give you plenty of new mates (if you can put in a solid day's work), and probably set you up with trades you can use for life, at very minimum on your own house.

I only did it for a few months but learnt how to tile, fit doors, replace radiators, roof tiling, bricking, some plumbing and got the fittest I was in my life. Downers = 6am starts normally, proper days graft (you can't doss even when you feel like it because the bloke working 3 foot away from you is losing money if you're not working) and not much money. But it makes you feel very manly and good about yourself after a proper day's graft, with a proper job done ..


People think for some reason working in an office on 18.5K per year is higher-up in the social order than a builder who earns 54K a year but has to get his hands dirty and do a proper day's graft. I don't understands it I tells ya!
 
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Mr. Anderson said:
For me to drop out of uni, i would need something though, otherwise i will just be a lost sole for ages with no direction. At least here, even if i don't like it, i know what my goal is.
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When I originally went to uni I felt the same but after deciding it wasn't for me I dropped out and worked.

I worked in menial bar jobs (which are great for meeting people but generally a pretty crappy job) and for four years thats what I did. I then decided to get my ass into gear, decided to develop my interests returned to college then in turn back to uni and now I feel massive difference to the way I relate to uni and the work involved and while i'm still not perfect when it comes to doing the work I find there's not that niglling thought in my mind saying 'this is wrong for you'.

A little distance and time to just be helped me a lot, it may not work for you but don't write it off completely.

Perhaps something such as a change of course could work for you?
 
I am exactly the same. I find it really hard getting my work done.

I did think of dropping out on my second year but after dropping my first course, switching unis and trying again I thought after spending this much I may as well try and salvage a degree.

I am now in final year and I'm still finding it hard, not sure how I will cope when it comes to my dissertation.

Somehow over the next few weeks I really need to teach myself to work so would also like to hear any tips.

I wish I had gone into a career straight away as I am fed up of being a skint student but think the general uni experience has been good for me learning to live away from home etc.
 
Mr. Anderson said:
I have coasted my entire education, and as such, have not learnt how to 'work'. I struggle to find the effort required to want to open up my notes from lectures and go over them.

I would quit uni in an instance if i had a career path to go into, however i just don't know any that would offer possiblitys that the likes of graduate schemes are able to offer.

I thought about the RAF a while back becoming an engineer for example, but i don't think i would cope with the ladish attitude that a lot of the comrades have and would posibly find it quite a lonely experiance (if i even got in).
Click to expand...

Life is work. You are getting bogged down by worrying, procrastinating and not DOING anything.

I was the same, you just need to work hard on your attitude, I need to work on mine everyday to push myself to do things.

BUT if you do it now and get through University then the rewards are really great, I dropped out of University and got a horrible office job that I had to work to pay the bills for a few years, that made me knuckle down when I went back to University and finished it.

I now have a graduate job and it's more enjoyable work with better pay and the work requires more intelligence/knowledge but it's more responsible, laidback and sometimes easier.

Get a diary, fill it up with courswork dates and chop your coursework up into percentages that you have to get through by each date, as small chunks as you like will make it more manageable and book a holiday or something for the last day of term as your reward for concentrating now.
 
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