College Students Grappling with Future Direction

“I graduated three months ago with a degree in Business Administration, and honestly, I still have no idea what I want to do career-wise. When I chose Business Administration, I mainly chose it because I didn’t know what I wanted at the time. I liked that it was broad and wouldn’t limit me to one specific career. I never felt particularly interested in any of my classes, but I always worked hard, got good grades, and usually took the lead in group projects because I cared about doing well, even t”

“This is one of the few times I have ever used reddit, so please forgive me if I sound quite unexperienced, but I feel like the ideas of my future are weighing on me. Basically since I have entered high school, I have decided to attempt to become a lawyer, as for what kind of lawyer has been still in thought, but narrowed down. Though, I have been really considering if I truly do want to follow this path. A lot of times when the topic of lawyers are brought up, it’s definitely not in a positive l”

“I graduated highschool in 2025. Since then i’ve just been working and thinking about what i want to do with my life. My parents never cared about college and in fact straight up did not want me to go, so even in school i kinda just didn’t participate with anything to do with college and getting you prepared for it. But now i know i want to go to college for either peds occupational therapy or speech language. I’m just feeling a little bit lost and don’t know where to start. How do i apply and wh”

“I’m a freshman and I’ve only been in college for about a month, but I’m already questioning what I want to do in the future. Before college, I was pretty sure I wanted to become a corporate lawyer because I’m interested in both law and business. I’m currently majoring in political science, and I’m also part of a scholars program focused on public policy, advocacy, and helping communities, which I really like. The problem is the amount of reading. I honestly haven’t finished a single assigned rea”

“You see, i've been thinking alot about my future and i don't really know what major should i do? I don't really have Dream or ultimate goal that i work towards. I only have skills on Art and Programming and those stuff are either Useless or Overcrowded. You see i wanna have a Major that is versatile and can lend well with most jobs and im fine with any Job as long i enjoyed it So what should i Major for in College? submitted by /u/Dormixia [link] [comments]”

“I am almost done with community college and am a bit worried about my future. So, I am on track right now to earn associates degrees in social and behavioral sciences, child development, and early childhood education (if I fail one of my child development classes this semester or get a grade lower than a C in one, it will just end up being social and behavioral sciences) in addition to a certificate showing that I have completed the gen Ed’s. I am a behavior technician and have been doing this f”

“Sooner or later I will need to figure out what do I wanna major in and most people around me already know what they wanna be later in life but this isn’t the case with me. If I don’t decide Ig I’ll have to choose sth random and get along with it but I don’t like that thought tbh. I like math and biology so I am trying to find a major that has both cause I can’t choose one . Any help would be great ! submitted by /u/ReplacementOk5999 [link] [comments]”

“For my high school years i've been in an early college program, and i will be graduating with an associate in science (hopefully if i can pass calculus). This sounds like a good thing but for me, it's just given me less time to figure out what i want to do. I've been worrying about finding a future career and what to use as my major when applying for college since i'll be going in with enough credits to be a junior. I know you can technically go in as unregistered and change your”

“Hello, all. I am a 22M (23 in Oct) living in Illinois, and I've been struggling to figure out what I want to do regarding school for the past four/five years, all of which I've spent at community college. I have around 60~ credits (along with some AP credits), most of which are in humanities, though there are also some science/technical classes. Of note, however: my best math class is only College Algrebra, and I haven't taken any statistics. At the start of my journey, I was attendi”

“Ok so bottom line i will graduate from my masters in horticulture by next June. By this year it was understandable I didn't want to pursue it. P.S I also plan on working anywhere near my household mostly night shift as my family is a little burdened by expenses. I don't have to attend classes just to go for exams. 1st thought about learning core marketing by free courses online . I was still overthinking so someone close told me about marketing analyst. I dove into it. Deciding to learn”

“hey guys, weird question, and not even sure if this is the right place to ask, but I’ve spent a pretty large portion of college networking, optimizing my resume, doing internships, talking to academics/professionals, etc. I’m fortunate enough to already have some stuff lined up after college too, so career-wise I feel like I’ve been pretty focused. But recently I realized I’ve barely done a lot of the actual “college” stuff people talk about, and I kinda feel like I might’ve missed out on part o”

“I’m currently in college and recently realized there are so many things nobody really teaches you. Could be anything money, friendships, studying, internships, career, communication, or just surviving college. What’s one thing you learned the hard way that you wish someone had told you earlier? submitted by /u/Hopeful-Bird-3855 [link] [comments]”

“I’m sure this question comes through here a ton, but i genuinely feel very behind. I am in my second year of community college and 20 years old. I am studying business with the goal of transferring to a 4 year and completing a degree in finance, but it seems like i am so behind in that space. Almost zero networking, can’t get an entry level job in that area. I’m not completely set on it, but am more interested by it than anything else i’ve come up with. Any type of advice from anyone helps, I li”

“I’m sure this question comes through here a lot, but i genuinely feel very behind. I am in my second year of community college and 20 years old. I am studying business with the goal of transferring to a 4 year and completing a degree in finance, but it seems like i am so behind in that space. Almost zero networking, can’t get an entry level job in that area. I’m not completely set on it, but am more interested by it than anything else i’ve come up with. Any type of advice from anyone helps, I li”

“Hello everyone! I would love some help on figuring out where I should go to college! :) Here are the subjects I’m interested in : Entrepreneurship Art Fashion Animation Singing Dance Fashion Cooking Japanese Poetry Public speaking Gender studies Studies about Feminism I’ve done quite a bit of research myself, but it’s gotten to be overwhelming and even draining, so I would very much appreciate any help! Thank you so much for reading 💕 submitted by /u/SunRaaii [link] [comments]”

“I'm a freshman in college and I have no idea what I want to do. I'm currently a psychology BA major, because it's one of the only things I find mildly interesting. I'm aware a BA is not as good as a BS, But I am very bad with STEM, specifically science and math. I find things like criminology and forensics cool as well, and I think being a profiler would be interesting. The problem is that I'm just not really good at anything, nor do I have a passion for anything. I live righ”

“I'm a freshman in college and I have no idea what I want to do. I'm currently a psychology BA major, because it's one of the only things I find mildly interesting. I'm aware a BA is not as good as a BS, But I am very bad with STEM, specifically science and math. I find things like criminology and forensics cool as well, and I think being a profiler would be interesting. The problem is that I'm just not really good at anything, nor do I have a passion for anything. I live righ”

“Im about to graduate (biochemistry/mol. biology) and I'm torn between what career paths I want to pursue, meanwhile, it seems like everyone around me has a solid goal to work towards, they do extracurricular, volunteer hours, entry-level jobs, all to get to say, med school or some grand career path. In comparison, I'm kind of a bum with no motivation or goals. I've always been smart and done good in school with low effort, never had a job, my parents told me "focus on school&quo”

“I’m currently a student at a T50 university, majoring in a politics-related field and originally planning to go pre-law. The problem is that the more I think about it, the more I realize I don’t really want to be a lawyer. I also have severe ADHD, which makes a career that requires huge amounts of reading, writing, and sustained focus especially intimidating to me. I’ve always struggled with sitting down and grinding through long periods of work. On top of that, I’m not naturally good at math, s”

“hi guys Im a senior in hs!! I feel like Ive worked my butt off to get where I am, mostly because Ive always wanted to get out of my state. I live in what is considered the south and its never really been something Ive felt happy with. Im a really outdoorsy person and im gay and ive always felt kind of out of place in my environment. Ever since I was really young its been a dream of mine to live in the northeast likely in a big city!! Im at a point where I am deciding what binding early decision”

“I am a senior, so I am almost done with my degree. I have spent thousands of dollars only to find out I don't even want to go into the field I am studying. I feel like I have wasted so much money; I don't know why it took me this long to realize that. I have matured so much socially and mentally over these four years, and I am grateful for that. I just don't know if my degree will help me, especially if I apply for a job that doesn't involve my degree. submitted by /u”

“I’m graduating with my bachelor’s in psychology this December and am trying to figure out what direction to take next. Originally, I planned on becoming a therapist, but I’ve been reconsidering because I’m worried about the income compared to the amount of schooling and licensing required. I’m open to getting a master’s degree, but I want to make sure the time and money I put into graduate school actually leads to a career with good earning potential. Some of the paths I’ve been considering are”

“Hello! I’m 17M and I’m about to graduate high school. I’ve been thinking about going to my local community college for two years to work toward an Associate’s degree in Information Technology, with a focus on programming, and then entering the workforce immediately afterward. Because of my family’s financial situation, I would be able to attend community college completely free for those two years, which makes it a pretty appealing option for me. I genuinely enjoy working with computers and gett”

“Hi! I’m an incoming HS graduate and i really have no idea what I want to do, yet i’m getting pressured to figure it all out, I was thinking about criminal justice, but I don’t know what jobs there ever are in that job group (im sorry if i posted on the wrong sub, dont really know what im doing tbh lol) submitted by /u/Aquaxblxee [link] [comments]”

“Hi, lol. By the time I turn 18, I will have my associates degree thanks to dual enrollment. I’m not sure if I want to continue college since I dislike it. I would rather start collecting real experience. Is HVAC a good career to get into right now? Is there another job or blue collar job you wish you perused instead? I’m not sure what to do. Thank you! :) submitted by /u/Moonlight363 [link] [comments]”

“Hi, lol. By the time I turn 18, I will have my associates degree thanks to dual enrollment. I’m not sure if I want to continue college since I dislike it. I would rather start collecting real experience. Is HVAC a good career to get into right now? Is there another job or blue collar job you wish you perused instead? I’m not sure what to do. Thank you! :) submitted by /u/Moonlight363 [link] [comments]”

“I feel like I’m wasting time and there’s something I’m supposed to be doing. I’m planning to go to grad school. Is there anything specific I can start doing now that would help me later, save me some time, or make the process easier? submitted by /u/Sensitive_Set_8234 [link] [comments]”

“I am going into my second year of college and I'm majoring in informatics (human computer interaction) and I am unsure whether I like my major. I decided to go into the information technology field because I really like doing anything involving computers, but I quickly realized I hate coding after my first year. I can focus more on UI/UX design or datas science but I am unsure whether I'd be passionate enough for those subjects and the market for IT in general seems dire. I've been a”

“In my senior semester of undergraduate studies. Fortunately one of the capstone classes has our school career development team come in and give us some guidance. Now I know that I’m going against the general guidance to stay off social media, but why? The negativity and despair that someone must have felt to create /recruitinghell Can’t be light! Have people heard of career one stop? Some of the positions there seem to have a good outlook ☀️ submitted by /u/Klutzy-Hand3672 [link] &#3”

“tldr: open discussion about college guidance for students/families who need help navigating everything from admissions and course planning to transferring, majors, financial aid, and all the confusing stuff in between. What college related questions do you wish you had someone you could just ask? Hey alll~ I'm curious about something and would love to hear from current high school/college/university students, parents, and/or recent college applicants :) I've worked for ~10 years working”

“I’m applying to college soon and I genuinely have no clue what I want to do for a career. Every adult I’ve asked either says “follow your passion” or describes a job that sounds miserable. So I printed 180 flyers and spent a day taping them to poles around Manhattan. They ask one thing: if you have a cool or interesting job, would you let me shadow you for a day? By cool I don’t mean high paying. I mean the kind of job where people ask follow up questions when you say what you do. Jobs most peop”

“Im a 17 year old student in college, during high school i never knew what i wanted my major to be, i was that student who hated school and didnt even want to go to college. I was always bad at math, basic math i can do but not the complicated math. Im not so good in science either. But almost every major includes math and science. At first because i didnt know what to do but was forced to go to college i just decided on real estate, but then realized that wasnt for me. And i really wanted to be”

“I’m curious what are parents suggesting their kids do after high school right now? Go into the trades? Or if college, study what exactly? (Assuming the kids are receptive to suggestions) submitted by /u/asleepymom [link] [comments]”

“I’m a senior and it’s that time of the year to start sending college applications and narrowing down my college list. I’ve been pretty set on going to CUNY La Guardia for the Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) course. I live in asia, but I’m a US citizen, specifically born in NY so I’m hoping to complete PTA, work a little, and then maybe pursue higher education/ certification after getting my residency (i may be able to pay instate.) Lately I’ve been doubting if this is even the right choice fo”

“I’ve wanted to go to college for years now and haven’t made the leap because I’m not exactly sure what I want to do. Things I love- teaching (I homeschool my daughter)some aspects of medical, and animals. I’m an introvert and I’m hoping to find a career that offers flexibility and good pay. I’m a single mom so I need a job that works well for my daughter and I. I do value family time, and having holidays off. I’ve been looking into becoming a speech language pathology assistant, vet tech, nurse,”

“Asak and hello evryone.i know your schedule might be busy but it would really mean a lott if you took out the time to read this. So lately ive been wondering about what im going to do after 10th but like days jus go by so fast and there's so much to study like i sometimes don't get time to do properly think of what i want to become and even if i do i can't decide.i also have boards this year and there's just so much pressure and family expectations and distractions around me like”

“Hello! I've decided I really would love to go to college. I have been out of high school for around a year. After lots of research on majors and careers, I want to go into engineering. The issue for me is, that I am not proficient in mathematics and have around a middle school understanding of basic math. It's not ideal because engineering is obviously super math heavy so I am aware I must build up my understanding of algebra, calc, etc. before I go into engineering school. I want to sta”

“Hello! I've decided I really would love to go to college. I have been out of high school for around a year. After lots of research on majors and careers, I want to go into engineering. The issue for me is, that I am not proficient in mathematics and have around a middle school understanding of basic math. It's not ideal because engineering is obviously super math heavy so I am aware I must build up my understanding of algebra, calc, etc. before I go into engineering school. I want to sta”

“Hello! I've decided I really would love to go to college. I have been out of high school for around a year. After lots of research on majors and careers, I want to go into engineering. The issue for me is, that I am not proficient in mathematics and have around a middle school understanding of basic math. It's not ideal because engineering is obviously super math heavy so I am aware I must build up my understanding of algebra, calc, etc. before I go into engineering school. I want to sta”

“During my undergraduate years I studied psychology and neuroscience with the goal of getting my doctorate becoming a clinical psychologist or a neuropsychologist. I applied to schools my senior year of undergrad, and didn’t get in anywhere. I took the year off and worked at a large and very well known hospital as a nursing assistant in an inpatient psychiatric unit to gain experience for reapplying to grad schools. When I worked there, I fell in love with the environment of hospitals, the patien”

“I’m a final-year Computer Engineering diploma student, and honestly, I have no idea what I want to do after this. My mom wants me to go for engineering, which would take around 3 more years. I know I can pass it, but I’m not sure if I actually want to spend 3 more years studying when I don’t even know what career I want. Another option I’m considering is doing some kind of 6–12 month job-oriented course and then getting a job. I feel like that might suit me better, but I don’t even know what cou”

“Hi everyone, I’m curious what you guys would recommend doing during my gap year. I’m graduating college and will be taking a gap year due to some familial issues that arose last May, which prevented me from applying during this past cycle. Here is my current situation: Cumulative GPA: 3.95 Science GPA: 3.90 Non-science GPA: 4.00 MCAT: TBD Clinical experience: ~1,800 hours as a nursing assistant Clinical volunteering: A few hundred hours Non-clinical volunteering: ~900 hours Research: ~1,000 hour”

“I am a sophomore in high school. I’d say I’m pretty smart, and last year in grade nine I had high nineties in every grade. I need to start planning because in Canada, by grade 11 your whole schedule is customizable so you basically need to pick your career by then. I am wondering what jobs will be available and pays well by the time I graduate university, which will probably be in 2033. I’m considering something in finance or healthcare but I’m not really sure. My guidance counsellors are basica”

“I’m someone who genuinely doesn’t know what major or career I want to pursue. I’m good at subjects like biology and chemistry, while I don’t really like math and physics, but I don’t want that to completely stop me from considering certain careers. Whenever I look into different majors, people always say you shouldn’t choose something unless you’re passionate about it because you won’t do well otherwise. But how do you actually know if you’re passionate about something? I’ve never really been in”

“Hello all! I'm a 21M and I'm not sure exactly where I wanna go in my life. I've recently found a Passion in Physics and Astronomy. My current plan is to go to Community College for a Associates in Physics and Engineering, the reason I say engineering is because I'd love to work with telescopes and know the equipment I'm working with. It's also to get my foot in the door as I feel there aren't many jobs that I'd be able to get going into astronomy, so engineering w”

“Hi everyone! Few days into college now and tbh im not really enjoing it. Im 16 doing Construction and its kinda boring, but idk what to change it to. I dont really have interests apart from football and guitar which are both things you have to be extremely good at to make any money. To some extent im not bothered abt my job in the future as long as i make enough but, if i do well in college does that then mean i can only do construction based stuff in uni and apprenticeships or can that change?”

submitted by /u/StudiousEra [link] [comments]

“Im 23 and ive never been to college due to a series of personal events and decisions. Im currently living abroad from my home country and I don't have a good enough grasp on the language to commit to going to a university here, so I was thinking of attending an online university to pursue a degree. However, i've heard here and there from some people that college is really only worth it for the connections you make while there, and not so much the degree you receive. ive also heard that d”

“I need advice for my situation. I’m a 22 year old senior in college this year. I had transferred from a previous college to my current one and felt lost in the beginning. It just clicked for me as a senior, that I really don’t like my major (health science) and what I’m studying, and I want to change it but it’s so late. I don’t want to graduate with something I have no interest in but also I don’t want my time/money to have gone to waste. I feel conflicted because not only do I not like my univ”

“I am currently quite lost about which subject to choose or which career to look for. I know most people have not figured out their lives yet and it is a process as we go through it but majority of the people have a direction to begin with: engineering, med, law or consulting. However, I have no clue on what subject to take. I know my interests though and the things I do not like. (i am sorry if this turned into a rant post, but i genuinely need some advice). I would not want to go into a technic”

“Hello, I hope all is well As of right now, I have started my third year of college, and my current major is a Environmental and Marine Science Major. However, I still feel lost about what exactly i want to end up doing in life, and if I have chosen the right or wrong major. My brain keep going back a forth and feel likes there no hope at the end of the tunnel. I just want to make sure I am doing the right thing, but just feel like I haven't had my sense of self, and don't know what the r”

“What do you do when you’re in your senior year of college but feel unsure about your degree. I’m getting my interactive design degree because I’ve always gravitated towards creativity and design but I’m feeling doubtful because it’s like ai is now doing the fun parts while we focus on human research and interviews. I hate the uncertainty of not knowing if your portfolio is good enough and the subjective feedback it’s not a clear path. Not to mention the layoffs happening in the tech industry. I”

“I'm already in high school and still have no idea what I want to study in college. I want to go to a nice university abroad and considering how I don't even know what career I want that's just an insane claim. The only thing I think I'm both good at and really enjoy is stuff like graphic design and package design/marketing, but I'm gonna be so honest, I'm going to die poor and in the streets if I do that. Its job opportunities were already pretty bad in itself, but now wi”

“I’m a college senior majoring in finance. Honestly I want to transition into something else eventually but a year from now I just want to have a full time job doing something I can tolerate. I have a bit of auditing experience (I got paid to do some auditing for some places around my state as part of a class, it was 6 months total) but I haven’t had a proper internship. I have also worked at a restaurant for 2 years. I decided to focus on my classes instead of getting an internship because I pro”

“I am currently a studying in business administration and I'm projected to graduate in the spring and honestly, I am not satisfied in my degree. I don't really have any passion of pursuing a degree in this field and I have a lot of regrets picking this degree. it's a lot but I'll keep it short here. the good news is that I can continue my schooling. I have been considering either pursing a degree in healthcare administration but I feel like that's too samey to business adminis”

“Moved to Chicago a little over a year ago and have struggled to know how to find jobs in the City. I went to community college, but didn’t finish. I always wanted to be an engineer but couldn’t find the discipline to stay focused on school. I spent nearly 10 years in the automotive/dealership industry. I would say I have strong communication and customer service skills. I have since tried 2 sales type jobs and have found that this is not for me. I find myself feeling like I bother people when I”

“I’m currently a rising college senior recruiting for full-time jobs, and honestly, I’ve been struggling to figure out what I want my career to look like. For context, I’ve interned across consulting, banking, and engineering, but none of them ever felt like the right fit. A lot of my friends finished their internships thinking, “I could genuinely see myself doing this,” and I’ve never had that feeling. I’m fortunate to already have a return offer, but I can’t shake the feeling that there’s somet”

“I’m currently a rising college senior recruiting for full-time jobs, and honestly, I’ve been struggling to figure out what I want my career to look like. For context, I’ve interned across consulting, banking, and engineering, but none of them ever felt like the right fit. A lot of my friends finished their internships thinking, “I could genuinely see myself doing this,” and I’ve never had that feeling. I’m fortunate to already have a return offer, but I can’t shake the feeling that there’s somet”

“I decided to go to school in my 30s. During my 20s I only worked jobs like gas stations and hotels/restaurants. I just never had the motivation to go to school but I started at CC last year and I am doing very well. It's been a year and joined the Honors program too. The Honors program sends internships but many of them have age limits such as 18-24 or must be a receiver of pell grants (I dont qualify for any grants). There is an app that my school recommended called Handshake and I am apply”