I want to just go with it, but i have to get a degree in something and i want it to be something i like so i will not hate the 4 years i am in school for that degree. As for finding problems that are common in everyday life, i think i should learn Python :P
That lifestyle really appeals to me. I also lose my passion for stuff if i am forced to do it al lot.
The thing is, the college course i am following right now all focuses on things i liked in the past and now have become irritating and annoying to do. it is kind of like reading a book. I love reading books and read every day but when i have to read a book for a school assignment i just feel no enjoyment in reading it.
But unfortunately i do not have a huge amount of free time besides school. I leave early and come back late. And after homework i have an hour at most left to do something i enjoy, like gaming or watching a video, if i still have the energy.
I really like science and the physics of something like electricity is really intriguing but that is kind of it. I kinda think it is neat and cool there is no possibility that I would get a degree in that partly because i do not have a ton of interest in the field and partly because of my educational level. Here in The Netherlands we have a school system with different levels so people can work and learn on their own pace on the level that they are good at. I am doing 'Niveau 4' currently. That is the middle --the average education level. Above 'Niveau 4' you have 'HBO'. That is higher education. If you are above average smart you are expected to go there. Above that you have university and that is where the really smart people go to.
As you can see, I am just on average and do not have any course options even coming close to physics.
I've indeed heard before that you just find something okay to do as a job and do what you love in the weekends.
If you are fine with that, more power to you! Whatever floats your boat.
But i do not think that that is a good option for me. I know i will feel unsatisfied and miserable. As i have 5 days (some 6 if you include homework) of school and 2 (or 1) day to do something i like. And that doesn't work for me.
I'm very glad you found what you love to do for a living. Kind of an odd combination, coding and learning to drive an 18 wheeler.
I am pretty afraid of the last part. I imagine a guy working 8 hours shift in an office and coming home to his wife who hates him but they stay together for the kids etc. I do not want to be that guy. Nor did they when they where young. But sometimes life takes an unexpected turn and before you know it, you where to go and you are trapped.
Now i am kind of a pessimist (oh what a surprise.....) and it just could be my imagination running wild, but still...
Hmm.. Maybe i will give it a try again. If i get a good story idea and i kinda like my work, maybe i will post it. :)
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Well.... That is kind of a huge leap.. Guess you never knows what the future brings.
Your reply gave me hope. I'm not the most athletic person so i don't know if something like Private Security would be my future career but still..
You are indeed completely right, good things take time.
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In the Network Admin course i get a multitude of subjects. Helpdesk, (a little) programming, management, etc.
It is pretty broad but none of it appeals to me.
Hah yeah could be that i am really good at it but just didn't challenge myself and haven't discovered that i was really good. But i really doubt it.
The thing is, yes there are plenty of jobs that just need someone to maintain their Windows Server or something but I do not want to get a job in that field. And I do not want to realize in 20 years that i am stuck in that field.
I admire your authenticity, but this may be a bitter pill to swallow.
While you might not have found your professional calling yet...you still need to pay the bills in the meantime. I know you're still in school, and that's good, you haven't fucked up yet. I recommend finishing college, as without many year's of experience in whatever field (I think the minimum is 5. Most jobs don't even list non-degree experience requirements). Due to rampant credentialism and educational inflation, you're seen as useless without a degree (and it's already becoming evident that a 4-year degree oftentimes, gets you work that would've only required a diploma a decade ago). At best, there's a glass ceiling for people without a 4-year degree now, and the recession harshly punished people without one. It really sucks, but that's the way it is...for now.
Admonishment: Finish what you started. Change your major if you must, but finish your degree.
If you're still wandering aimless once you've got that degree, I sincerely hope you're able to live while you find yourself.
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I struggle with finding my "thing" or niche as well. But part of my problem is, I find so many different things to be interesting, it is hard to focus on any one of them. The result is, I'm never good enough at anything to actually be proud of it, and that's discouraging.
Thanks for the reality check. I guess it is kind of the idealist young person in me that spoke when making that post & reply. I wil finish college for sure. There is no doubt about that. It would just be ideal if i found a college major in something that i love to do. But i guess only few are that lucky.
Thanks for the reply man.
I have developed a workaround for this. Much like you I have a plethora of interest, but I'd say I'm pretty good at them (some obviously better than others). The way I do it is by changing the ones I'm focusing on for a few months, this lets me gain skills in a few areas without doing too much and keeps them all interesting for me.
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It would be ideal, and if you can, stay and study. Once you're out, the countdown begins to find a job.
Formal educational systems, as a rule of thumb, DO NOT measure your intellectual abilities. Only your ability to please that system. If you really like something, I think you can always improve your abilities. I had a Dutch batchmate while I was doing my PhD, and I think she is still around (I only just finished), who had a glitch when she was working up the ladder. But she persevered, and has earned a PhD from one of the most well known labs in the world. I think, **iff** you are interested, then you should definitely give the next level a shot.
But, more importantly, it's not all about getting a formal qualification. I am not gonna pretend that having one does not help. It does. Immensely. But some of the most cited and discussed intellectuals, for example Noam Chomsky, never completed college, and yet has been the Institute Professor at MIT for 56 years. If you enjoy, say, coding... then code, my friend. Code like there's no tomorrow. Try and get the syntax of the language, understand its philosophical underpinning, try and get why all programming languages have an universal Deep Structure, and why it matches with Natural Languages... and one day, you will find you have done something amazing!
Of course, doesn't have to be coding. Could be anything...__
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This seems to work? My approach has been to focus on the interests where I actually make some progress.
Perhaps you are making progress and don't realize it. This happens to me all the time w/ my guitar playing. "Oh I haven't learned anything new or refined my skills"... then i get someone else's perspective.