College Students Grappling with Future Direction

“I graduated college in 2024 with a BS in Marketing and it has been a whirlwind ever since. I had a marketing job for 3 months but was laid off, so I took the first job I could get as a program coordinator at a local university in service-learning. I’m working on my M.Ed because the university pays for it. What can I do next given my background? submitted by /u/Jumpy_Consequence_84 [link] [comments]”

“Hi everyone! I plan to attend community college starting in the spring semester, then transfer to a four-year college. I’ll be majoring in psychology, but while I’m at community college, I also want to learn a trade, specifically accounting or something finance-related. I feel like having that skill and experience would be really useful when I transfer, especially since I’ll need a job while I’m in college. I want to do this alongside my psychology major. Does anyone know how I should go about g”

“Hi hi! i’m currently a high school graduate and i’m trying to figure out what course i should take in college based on what i might want to do in the future i’m still pretty unsure about what career i want to pursue, so i wanted to ask people who are already working; what jobs would you say offer a good work-life balance while still having a decent salary? i’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences, especially if you feel like your job gives you enough time for yourself outside of work”

“Hi everyone! I’m new to the group but thought I’d join to ask for advice. I’m 26F, starting school (again) in 2 weeks. I went to CC freshly at 19 but to be honest, I didn’t know what I wanted to do for sure. I did finish 15 credits. HOWEVER, I’m most nervous for math as it’s my poorest subject. I will be taking college algebra but I’m required to take “MAT 61” prior to that which is like an intro course due to my poor math ACT score. Any youtubers, online programs, or tools that you’ve used that”

“I was one of those people who you would ask in high school “are you going to college” I would always say no. I’m so lost I’m about to start senior year in 2 days. I started caring about school last 2 quarters of junior year realizing I want to go to college ending off with one B and the rest A both quarter. My gpa is so low I’m having so a really hard time with my act I’m so passionate about my dream. If anyone can help me give me advice I been working hard took 2 classes in the summer to boost”

“I’m still in 11th grade, but I thought about 2 pathways my life could take. The first is majoring in aerospace engineering, learning about stuff that I’m indifferent about for 4 years, graduating then having a decent salary. This sounds good but it’s not exactly what I want. It’s incomplete. The second; being an English major and learn about things that actually motivate me, basically studying in university for something that I actually give a damn about, then graduate and teach English in anoth”

“I'll be a college sophomore this fall, but I'm still not sure what to major in. I've always wanted to be a doctor, because I wanted a job with a stable income and a way to help people. Med school seems like a huge commitment and I'm not sure if I have what it takes to even get accepted. So I thought of going to PA school since it doesn't take as long. I struggled a lot in bio 1, not so much with the content but more with managing my time and staying on top of the class. I end”

“So I've pretty much got my heart set on being a teacher; I've been taking education classes in both high school and university, but I'm unsure of whether to try getting a degree in education or something else, like history, because I've heard some teachers advising against getting a degree in education because there's nothing else to do but teach with it. submitted by /u/Cute_Worth_7677 [link] [comments]”

“I'm looking for advice from people who were in a similar situation. I'm graduating this month at 20 years old with a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences (pre-med concentration) and a minor in Health Communication. I essentially finished my bachelor's in two years because I entered college with a lot of credits. My original plan was to apply this cycle after taking the MCAT this month. However, I'm currently finishing up my physics course, and balancing that with MCAT prep has made me rea”

submitted by /u/Relevant-Medium-8610 [link] [comments]

“as suggested by the title, i can't seem to find a career path i have a passion for. i'm fine with studying anything really as long as i can be financially independent. i'm currently a high school student in australia, studying year 11. in about less than a year's time, i can apply for a university early entry into a course i want to study. but the problem is, i don't know what i want to study. i know that i want to do some sort of double degree, with one of them being in the”

“No. Because the journey matters as much as the destination. Comparable question. Did graduating college feel empty? Why/ why not?”

“Hello everyone! I’m currently doing my undergraduate degree in Chemistry, but I’m not sure what do next. For context, I decided to major in Chemistry because I wanted to get into pharmaceutical research (industry not academia) and I still want to work on drug discovery and get a top managerial role as I get more experience with time. I checked on LinkedIn and most of the CEOs/Chief Scientific Officers usually have an MD degree and few of them have PhDs. Therefore, I’m not sure whether I should d”

“I'm going to be a senior in high school and just trying to figure out what I want to do with my life. It would help me a lot if you answered the questions! Thanks! submitted by /u/LongjumpingSet439 [link] [comments]”

“I'm going to be a senior in high school and just trying to figure out what I want to do with my life. It would help me a lot if you answered the questions! Thanks! submitted by /u/LongjumpingSet439 [link] [comments]”

“Hey everyone. I'm entering my senior year of high school and evaluating my options for the future. I originally planned on a long academic track, but due to academic burnout and wanting financial stability early on, I'm seriously considering pivoting toward Air Traffic Control. Since I don't have a four-year college degree yet, my understanding is I would need three years of full-time work experience to qualify for an off-hire bid. For anyone in the field or who took a similar route:”

“Hi, I’m a 18F who’s going to community college in CT because I had a difficult time deciding what I wanted to major in. I’m doing my pre-reqs this fall (planning to transfer to uconn ) but, I’ve been doing a CNA program where most teens were pre-med students and it actually kind of “inspired” me because if they can why not me. But at the same time these students are “nepo” babies they come from a family of doctors which means they already know the game or they are getting help from their familie”

“For most of high school, I've been focused on doing computer science/cybersecurity activities/classes/etc. because that's what I wanted to do in college/as a career. But now I'm going into senior year and having second thoughts. I think I want to do something in environmental science (or engineering?), but I haven't done nearly as much research into that as I have for compsci. (Btw it's not because I'm concerned about AI taking over jobs or whatever). Mostly, I'm conc”

“Hey everyone, I need some advice because I’m incredibly stressed and confused about my next steps. I’m currently a community college student with 66+ credits. I accumulated so many credits quickly because my high school didn't offer AP or IB classes, so I took a ton of Dual Enrollment courses instead. I want to apply to transfer to some “top-tier” universities/colleges (like Vanderbilt,Amherst, etc). Right now, I'm stuck between two choices for the upcoming semester: Stay at CC : Keep ta”

“I apply this year for college, and I'm really not sure what I should do. Community college is obviously much cheaper and I'd be able to stay with my mom, but I also want to go to university to get away from her. She's incredibly overbearing to the point I feel like I'm suffocating living in the same house and it would be SO nice to get away and have my own space. If I go to cc, I'll be able to save up money while getting my associates, then go to a university. I don't kno”

“I don’t normally do these but I’m really stuck and I feel so behind and lost. I just really need some advice right now. I’m going into my senior year and I have no clue what I want to do after. I think I want to go to college but I don’t know what for. I don’t think I could even afford to go. I know I can apply for FAFSA but I have a feeling I may not qualify. I could apply to scholarships but I don’t even know where to start. I’m not the best in school. I’m about average, maybe a little above a”

“I guess if your like really smart and have amazing stats then its probably easy to figure out but for me who kind of just has mid everything how do i find out where i want to go? i look at all these colleges and it just all seems like random places submitted by /u/Practical-Piano-9085 [link] [comments]”

“Hi, Reddit! I’m a young adult who is about to end college (in about a year) and I’m freaking out with the career choices. I have ended up in a point on which I realized I don’t care what I need to do as long as I earn a lot of money. The issue that I find is the following: if I work for a company/law firm (I’m in law school), I will not earn money bcs I will be dedicating my time to built some else’s legacy/fortune… but, at least I will have some stability. If I try to entrepreneur, I will have”

“I'm about to start my senior year of high school, and I honestly have no idea what career path I should choose. A little background: I'm an all-A student with a 4.0 GPA, take honors classes, and I'm enrolled in a dual enrollment program. By the time I graduate high school, I'll also have an Associate of Science degree. I've done everything I was told would set me up for success academically, but now that it's time to decide on my future, I feel completely lost. I've a”

“In school there are guidance counselors and stuff but now I have no idea where to start. Does anyone have interesting tools or resources to figure out what you want to do? I've taken simple tests online, but they didn't seem any good. Whenever I try to search for "upcoming jobs" or "jobs that will be in demand in the future" all the pages seem out of touch and inaccurate. I've been working simple low paying jobs since I got out of high school and I'm want to d”

“Hey there everyone, I am barely 18 and will be entering college in the next month; a little about me is that I come from a single parent household and I graduated high school with my associates degree. Im not going to a "main college" in my state for smaller tuition prices and I told myself I was going to work full time in both my jobs over the summer to make micro payments to the tuition. Well after 80ish hours a week at shitty paying jobs, hanging out with friends, buying supplies, I”

“I am currently a junior in high school (well about to be, we start in a week) but my parents have been wanting me to research colleges and majors for what I want to do in the future. I am currently looking into sports media. I’ve always been interested in sports journalism, graphic design, marketing, etc. I did a sports marketing class my sophomore year and now on my schedule I am also doing another sports media type of class. I live in AL, so I was trying to find colleges in-state so I won’t ha”

“I've been thinking a lot about what I want my life to look like in the future, and I keep realizing that I only ever see the destination, never the journey. I grew up in a place where very few people leave for top universities, pursue research, or build international careers. Most people follow more familiar paths, so I don't really have anyone in my life who can explain what the other route actually looks like. Online, I see people getting into amazing graduate schools, receiving schola”

“I've been thinking a lot about what I want my life to look like in the future, and I keep realizing that I only ever see the destination, never the journey. I grew up in a place where very few people leave for top universities, pursue research, or build international careers. Most people follow more familiar paths, so I don't really have anyone in my life who can explain what the other route actually looks like. Online, I see people getting into amazing graduate schools, receiving schola”

“I'm currently starting junior year in high school and I have no idea what to do. Everyone keeps telling me I have time to figure out what I want to be when I "grow up" but it seems like everyone already has it all figured out. I know I'm not supposed to worry about what other people are doing, but it worries me I have literally no idea what I'm even leaning towards. I feel like a lot of the things I'm doing right now are only because I "know" they'll be go”

“I recently graduated with a psychology degree and I honestly feel pretty overwhelmed trying to figure out what comes next. I’ve been looking into grad school, especially higher education programs, because I think working with students and helping people could be something I’d enjoy. I’ve also thought about other options related to psychology, but I’m just not 100% sure what direction I want to go. I feel like I keep comparing myself to other people who seem like they already have everything figu”

“Hello, I need some advice...I graduated HS in 2025. I am currently attending the University of Houston at Clear Lake, but I want to transfer to a different college. My top pick is TXST. The only issue I'm dealing with is how on earth do I live there?! Roommates or not, I feel like life is so expensive. What do I do? Do I live off of loans? Loans and a small part-time job? Or just give up on the idea altogether? I really want to get out of this house, so living away from home would be most id”

“I am once again struggling with college decision making. I've gone back and forth between my plans, because I'm trying to come to terms with the fact that attending my dream school for all 4 years is entirely out of reach. My state's community college provides free tuition, but they do not have a degree I am interested in at a campus close enough to me for it to be convenient. I was considering going to the CC for two years to work on gen eds and such, and then maybe transferring to”

“I’ve always wanted to continue my education since graduating with my bachelors degree. I really goofed off the first two years of college, but when I came back to finish off, I finished the remaining 2 years in one year with straight A’s and maybe 1-2 B’s. Absolutely locked in. I’m 28 now and I have an incredible job that is a bit niche. We get to do life changing work around the globe, travel first class, stay in the nicest hotels, dine at Michelin rated restaurants, super flexible schedule, th”

“I’m a current incoming senior in high school living in the US and I really want to study abroad. I hate what this country has become and I’m always so stressed when I read news and go on social media. I really want to leave. I’ve been thinking for a long time now about applying to schools in Spain since I can already speak the language and I thought adapting wouldn’t be as difficult as other countries since my country’s culture is not so different from Spain’s. I’m pretty average at school (B+ s”

“I spent a long time feeling like everyone else got a memo I missed. Every time someone asked "so what do you want to do," I had nothing solid to say, and it felt like a personal failing. Here's what actually changed things for me: most people who look like they've figured it out didn't get there through some moment of clarity. They took a job that was available, noticed they didn't hate it, got a little better at it, and kept going. From the outside that looks like a pl”

“High school graduates of 2026, what major are you going to study? Who do you plan to work for after graduation from college/university? submitted by /u/Leather-Aspect4154 [link] [comments]”

“Hi! I just finished my final semester and I'm currently waiting for my results. I am also running around in circles trying to figure out what to do next that'll make me successful, independent, and rich. I've already landed a teaching job, but I don't really see myself doing it long-term. My plan is to teach for about a year to gain some work experience before applying for a Master's. I've thought of joining a media company like Aljazeera as a journalist or something clos”

“I’m gonna get right to it. I’m 19. I am halfway done my degree in business management. Set to graduate in 2 years. I don’t know what I want to do with my life. I don’t have any passions but I know that office work sounds like hell to me. I don’t know if I should stick out the degree and hopefully get a job where I’m not behind a desk all day, or to look into the trades and start my career asap. If anyone went down a similar path to this, I would love to know what you do and what you did in this”

“hi everyone! im an incoming college freshman, starting college this fall. i’m going to be studying math and econ at one of the top universities in my country, with plans to break into quant or high finance by 25. what shoukd be my roadmap during college to get into a good b school? im aiming for MIT Sloan’s masters in fonance or deferred mba program. also, could someone please explain the deferred mba programs to me? are they similar to us college rea applications? thank you 💕 submitted b”

“I'm a freshman in college this year and I'm very indecisive about what to study, I feel like I'm interested in anything and everything, but right now I've simmered it down to three, IT, Computer science, speech pathologist. Keep in mind that I am a female and that most likely in a few years I'll probably be married and thinking of kids. I live in the middle east and gulf area. Which of theese three is best for my situation and for the current state of the job market? su”

“I’m going into my second semester of community college and it’s almost time for me to transfer. I’m a CS major and I’m having second thoughts about whether this is the right major for me or not. I really only chose CS because I heard it paid well and this was when I was a sophomore in high school. I just ended up choosing it because I didn’t really know what I wanted to do and believed that I would do well in the subject. At the same time, I was trying to transfer into competitive schools since”

“so i’m about to enter my 4th year of university at a big 10 school and i want to prepare myself as much as i can for the job market in the last year that i have. i studied abroad last year in a few different programs, including an 8-week financial audit internship this spring in Colombia. im studying spanish, accounting and getting a minor in international business. my freshman and sophomore year i wasn’t super involved on campus. i was originally just a spanish major and started exploring the b”

“Looking for career direction. I’m 22 and currently only have a high school diploma. I’m ready to start college but I want to choose the right path before stepping in. The fields I’m consistently drawn toward are financial crime investigations, forensic accounting, auditing, fraud detection/ analysis, compliance, intelligence, and investigative work. I’m also interested in behavior and risk psychology in individuals as well. I’m naturally very observant and tend to notice anomalies in numbers, tr”

“College is right around the corner, and I'm feeling lost about what degree to pursue. The only thing I'm truly passionate about is voice-over work, voice acting, and other voice-related jobs. The problem is that I know those careers aren't very stable here in the Philippines, so I'm hesitant to pursue them as my main career. I'm also interested in things like game development, building PCs, and troubleshooting computers, but I don't know if I'd actually enjoy studying”

“For some reason, most, if not all of my friends have been raving about how excited they are to start college; However, every adult I’ve spoken to (parents, family friends, past-graduates, etc.) Seem to only talk about how much it sucked. My father, who took a similar program to what I’m taking, only talks about how much the school work sucked and how poor the quality of life was; Meanwhile my Mother only speaks about how most people back home don’t have enough money to go to college. I know that”

“I am a rising sophomore in college and still dont know exactly what i want to do.... My major right now is business management but i fear that i will A. not be able to find a job after college or B. not be able to fit a management position (my personality type is INFP, and i consider myself a sensitive people pleaser, it also doesn't help that i'm physically petite) i feel it will be very hard for me to be respected or taken seriously as a manger. My next best option would be nursing but”

“I am a rising sophomore in college and still dont know exactly what i want to do.... My major right now is business management but i fear that i will A. not be able to find a job after college or B. not be able to fit a management position (my personality type is INFP, and i consider myself a sensitive people pleaser, it also doesn't help that i'm physically petite) i feel it will be very hard for me to be respected or taken seriously as a manger. My next best option would be nursing but”

“It's probably a very common thing but I'm going into my last year of university in a degree for creative computing, something I chose pretty much last minute as I decided i didn't want to study business and hate my job. To be honest its only made me more confused. I currently have a part time job as a phone repair tech, and while I do love technology I've realised coding and development isn't something I can see myself doing. While my degree goes over a lot of stuff including”

“Hey all! I’m currently still in high school ( senior year ) and i’m planning on taking the community college route, I plan to major in animal science, but i’m not too sure if I want to do online or in person. If any animal science major or anyone in general who attended college could give me their pros and cons on in person v online it would be greatly appreciated! - I plan to be a veterinarian, if all goes well. Please give me insight! Thank you. submitted by /u/SpiritualGood8066 [l”

“Hi all, im just about wrapped up with community college and almost ready to transfer but I still have 4 classes to go in the fall Alot of the schools say to be finished by the summer and obviously im not but im still close, i really can't wait until fall 2027 so after i submitted 4 applications I've been living in dread. Anything i can do or something that can help me calm down and give me more hope? Also should i apply to more schools? I think my fee waiver is used up so I'd pay out”

“Hi, so I'm a high school senior trying to plan out my future (I hope this is the right sub, if not please tell me where else to go!) I have a plan (very iffy one) that will set me up with a great long-term job. The problem is that it will most likely fall through and I will be stuck finishing out a Health Science degree instead of being accepted into the program I want to be in. If it turns out that way, what kinds of jobs could I start looking for? I'm asking here instead of googling be”

“I am feeling like I’m backtracking. I am an older adult aspiring to go back to school. I have been trying to figure out what I want to do for years. I always get decision paralysis and change my mind. I tried changing my mindset to following the secure and lucrative career even though I lost my interest in the career and I broke down from the stress of it all. So now I am working a job I’m not passionate about to keep the bills paid and I hope I can pay for some college classes out of pocket to”

“I’m trying to figure out what I want to study in university, but I honestly feel completely lost. I don’t really have a dream career or a specific program I’ve always wanted to do. The only thing I’ve consistently been passionate about is aviation and travelling. I absolutely love airports. They’re genuinely a place where I feel happy and calm. I could spend hours just watching planes, looking at flights, exploring airports, and learning about different routes and destinations. I love the feelin”

“Start college and see where it leads you. More than half of students change majors”

“I finish high school…..but I did not have any actual goals on what I want to do after I have a certain theme …but idk how to explain it… The theme is : something related to building ,to fabric something ,a tool or a device ,in a creative manner … I love art and I make with clay object (usually small) but I want to go further than that ,and building actual things that can be for helping purposes ,or just aesthetic choices for fun .. (i don’t wanna do art just to say it) And I don’t want to do Ai”

“I'm a rising senior, and I have my general passions and possible careers laid out, but I'm having trouble with trying to pursue them in college/how they'll translate to a career. My dream end goal/career would be either a singer-songwriter or lyricist and composer for musicals. However, I know this is a long shot, and I do need a backup. I'm super interested in language, specifically linguistics, and I have some ECs pertaining to it (speech sciences mentorship, esl tutor, linguis”

“I’m a male senior who has been pretty set on going to a 4-year college and majoring in business mainly in management and have been touring a lot of colleges in nc since I live here but recently I’ve been thinking about going to cc to be a physical therapist assistant and going down that path since it seems like there is a much more certain job and less schooling and follows more of my passion in health but everyone I hear don’t like it and say schooling for it is hell and has more of a ceiling o”

“idk if this is the right place to post this but if u read long enough hopefully it all makes sense so i am in my prefinal year of math+cs major engineering. i've got some experience in research, interned and worked with wonderful people but i'm really just wondering why nothing has really PULLED me yet. why do i not yet feel that ache to learn more, the curiosity to dig deeper and deeper? right now its like, omg yes! i found out how to make this work! i found a research paper that works”