I Don't Know What to Do with My Life

DBRJ on 03/11/2023 - 12:08

Hi everyone,

Idk why im writing this but i have no idea what im doing with my life. I'm 21 years old and i graduated from highschool in sydney in 2020. I got into bachelor of commerce/bachelor of computer science at unsw (i wasnt sure what career i wanted to do). However, i didn't understand coding at all and failed my fundamentals course of coding 4 times so i got kicked out of university at the end of 2022. Start of 2023 i was very lost and didn't know what to do. I ended up applying to get into bachelor of commerce at unsw again and got it and currently finishing off bachelor of commerce with 2 more years to go still. In short i wasted 2 years not knowing what to do, i do not know what career i want to go down and i just wanted some help. All i know is that i want a career which has good pay (hence why i wanted to do something in computer science) and good flexibility for work life balance. I want to travel in the future, have a stable income and also invest a lot in property for higher asset management. My parents are insisting i still do something related to Information Technology becasue it has good scope but i do not know what to do. I was thinking of majoring in finance but im still not sure about that and parents dont want me doing finance. My mind is all over the place and i dont know what to do at all with my life. Please Help.

Education & Work

Comments

  • geekcohen on 03/11/2023 - 12:20
    +17

    What are your hobbies?

    • DBRJ on 03/11/2023 - 12:58
      +11

      my hobbies are more of just sports, cars, gym etc. all the male stuff. But they won't be useful for a sustainable work

        • DBRJ on 03/11/2023 - 13:03
          +24

          but gym is just a personal hobby, there isn't much growth in PT and nutrition.

          • TheRealCher on 03/11/2023 - 14:45
            +20

            @DBRJ: It's also a pyramid scheme unless you own the gym or yr own space

            • cydia9k on 07/11/2023 - 13:28

              @TheRealCher: @TheRealCher only a scheme if you don't go 😅

              Flip the pyramid. If you go four times a week, you're paying like $3.50 per visit for chilled water, a machine to target any muscle group at any weight you please so it'll scale with your progress, a shower, and most importantly a space dedicated to your personal health goals with zero external distractions.

              • TheRealCher on 09/11/2023 - 21:31

                @cydia9k: Sorry…my fault for not being clearer. Meant being a pt rather than the gym itself. Agree that the right place can be healthy, it has its benefits and helps often with other goals.

                Have just seen friends and family members go down the pay us 5k to train you in a cert and then we'll help you find clients, only to take half the pt money, make the pts give free sessions to generate clients, and do gym floor work at no pay as most pts are individual contractors.

                Again, sorry for not being clear.

                • cydia9k on 09/11/2023 - 22:32
                  +1

                  @TheRealCher: @TheRealCher No stress I'm following you now, yes I have heard of that kind of thing going on. Shady stuff

          • bargain huntress on 03/11/2023 - 15:34
            +1

            @DBRJ: There is always room for growth if you are passionate about something.

            There are burgeoning specialties you could distinguish yourself in if you had the passion like disorders, sports and space.

            • supersabroso on 06/11/2023 - 09:51
              +2

              @bargain huntress: This is correct. Unfortunately, it doesn't apply to 99% of people. As only 1% are passionate about their job, if that. However, I do think that you need to be at least neutral about your job, you can't hate you job and just do it for the money. If computer science isn't for OP (it definitely sounds like it isn't if they can't even get through the uni degree), OP should pursue a different career path. If you're hard working, you can get a job that has regular weekend overtime and it will generally pay an additional 60% compared to the same job without the weekends.

          • cski on 05/11/2023 - 09:05
            +2

            @DBRJ: Nutrition is not a dead end
            Think more biological studies,
            Going into the future diet is not jenny Craig lose weight diet.

            It is food science optimisation of performing diet where study of the absolute minimising waste and inefficiencies in the food channels.

            China and Israeli food industries work really hard to maximise the amounts of food production with x soil, fertiliser, water.
            But food science's need to work harder on perfect portions, cooking techniques and technologies to maximising every calorie necessity is consumed.

            It has always existed in army optimised rations, expeditionary travel, hiking and hospital recovery. But mainstream is inevitable and needs improvement over the eck factor current ration food is perceived

          • frewer on 05/11/2023 - 20:49
            +1

            @DBRJ: Have you thought of do PT through Twatter? Ppl is doing it.

            Or you can finish your IT, then work for xp, then get into bank's quan trading ep, get them to sponsor your finance study. Ob require all round plan

          • ajr5k on 06/11/2023 - 12:38
            +1

            @DBRJ: If you can work in your interest space, you never have to work a day in your life.

          • eris on 21/02/2024 - 01:02
            -1

            @DBRJ: Exercise Physiologist is a solid career.

        • hasher22 on 03/11/2023 - 16:55
          +11

          I get downvoted for a legit job prospects for the OP and putting in an actual profession that many people do….

          What? you people are against personal trainers?

          There are alot of people who make money from their interests and hobbies

          • whatwasherproblem on 03/11/2023 - 17:25
            +6

            @hasher22: I updooted to balance it back out a bit, but I imagine people were against the idea of turning a hobby into a job, which is typically the quickest way to start hating a hobby.

            • WhyAmICommenting on 04/11/2023 - 11:14
              +6

              @whatwasherproblem: I think it’s more that PT pays about 30k a year or something

              • xavster on 04/11/2023 - 23:20
                -6

                @WhyAmICommenting: Most of my PT clients are self employed, they average around $200k/yr, same for makeup artists.

                • rumblytangara on 06/11/2023 - 12:08
                  +4

                  @xavster:

                  xavster: Most of my PT clients are self employed, they average around $200k/yr, same for makeup artists.

                  Genius move there, it's called "selection bias".

                  If they are all making 200K for PT or makeup, and they are your clients, then there is something about your business that means that you get clients who average 200K a year.

                  This is like watching actors at the Oscars and extrapolating "all actors in the world make millions of dollars".

                  I can't believe that this needs to be explained to someone.

              • node modules on 06/11/2023 - 13:02

                @WhyAmICommenting: it's more of that PTs are hot salespeople

            • SydStrand on 04/11/2023 - 15:45
              +4

              @whatwasherproblem: While we'd all love to get paid for our hobbies, it's just not realistic or we'd all be professional gamers, athletes, or pornstars. The vast majority of jobs are just jobs. So long as you don't actively hate it, your boss isn't a prick, and you make enough to pay the bills while having enough left over for your actual hobbies, you're already ahead of 99% of the planet.

          • SydStrand on 04/11/2023 - 15:49
            +9

            @hasher22: Nothing against personal trainers, but it's not exactly a career with legs. How many PTs over 50 are there? It's the default job for 20 something gym rats without degrees who were already spending 7 days a week at the gym. The OP wants to make money, good luck competing with a bunch of gorillas who are basically already doing it for peanuts or free membership.

          • p1 ama on 04/11/2023 - 20:13
            +3

            @hasher22:

            I get downvoted for a legit job prospects for the OP and putting in an actual profession that many people do….

            I wouldn't call it an "actual profession", it's a casual job which has very low job security and potential progression.

            There are alot of people who make money from their interests and hobbies

            Yeah, but you happened to pick like the worst one. If OP's interest are "sports, cars, gym", I would say things like a PE teacher, mechanical engineer, workshop mechanic…etc. would all be much better suggestions.

        • Tech5 on 04/11/2023 - 14:11
          +2

          I doubt the "standard" male interest in sport is enough to sustain enough passion

        • Jules_d1 on 06/11/2023 - 10:27
          +4

          Coming from someone who was a PT and then mentored other PTs, the #1 way to be a successful trainer (Measuring that by income and lifestyle flexibility) is to become very good at sales and then have others work for you.

          Yes, being an amazing trainer helps but you need to know how to sell and market yourself with long term package deals. Otherwise you will be left with an extremely volatile income and working hours you don't want to work it.

          You can make OK money if you are willing to sacrifice your lifestyle as most clients will want to train before and after normal work hours.

          Yes you can go online with it but its a cutthroat business where you are up against big players who are brilliant at sales (or have someone who is), easily marketable as they are in incredible shape handsome/beautiful and have a huge following already.

          In other words, if you want to make a good living with reasonable work life balance….don't enter this industry unless you have something very unique to bring to the table.

        • zeomega on 06/11/2023 - 14:23

          Turning hobby into your work can go either way. You enjoy the work that you do (rare) or you hate the hobby (common).

        • Name on 07/11/2023 - 10:52

          Or rather than Personal Trainer - look at sports physiotherapy. Bit more money and easier to get solid work stream. So many people injuring themselve and it relates to sports and gym. two of your interests.

      • RefusdClassification on 04/11/2023 - 15:32
        +17

        It always angers me when people's career advice is "Do what you love". Lots of males love playing computer games and smoking pot, for instance, but where are the jobs computer game players and marijuana testers?

        You are wise enough to know that "Do what you love" isn't viable. Good on you. I would strongly recommend finishing a Commerce degree. It is a license to print money. Corporations will all offer you huge salaries when you have a degree in "capitalism". You will get to live happily ever after. No need to have to write a line of code. Just sit back in an office get paid lots of money for doing very little.

        • cski on 05/11/2023 - 09:25
          +6

          Noone loves cleaning the sh$#r , or enforcement of some rules laws regulations, teaching people, but sometimes someone's got to do it.

          So I've always hated that blanket do only what you love because it caused a somewhat negative trajectories in societal structure.

          Do what you are good at should be the reality, when you are good at something it is completed with less effort and less stress. You make it home without baggage.
          You cleared the sh$#r
          made someone's day better
          and your good at it so completed quickly moved on with your day and possibly already home with your family not worrying about 10 toilet per day quota.

          real problem is 'efficiencies' and expectations

          Person 1 can build a chair in 1 hour,

          Person 2 not as skilled but can complete 1 in 4 hours.

          But person 1 is expected to work every minute to complete 8 chairs a day.

          This simply leads to the burn out common today.

          And workplaces need a shift to objectives and less on fixed times.
          Rewarding person 1 for completing more chairs than person 2 with work shorter days,
          .

        • bio on 07/11/2023 - 13:12

          It always angers me when people's career advice is "Do what you love".

          It generally means that "given multiple reasonable options, choose the one you love the most, not the one you'll make more money" and it makes sense. Obviously if you think you can't earn a living by doing something you like, it's not an option.

        • TheRealCher on 09/11/2023 - 21:34

          "Lots of males love playing computer games and smoking pot, for instance, but where are the jobs computer game players and marijuana testers?"

          Colorado….

      • ihbh on 04/11/2023 - 20:31
        +1

        Why don't you mow lawns and study landscape gardening?

      • nobro25 on 05/11/2023 - 01:39

        Welcome to the real world wagey!!!

      • Exorcist on 06/11/2023 - 12:21
        -4

        “All the male stuff”

        lol you don’t even sound smart

    • HeWhoKnows on 04/11/2023 - 18:18
      +2

      Obviously spending a minimum of 3 hours a day on OzBargain is mandatory.

  • Andrew1232 on 03/11/2023 - 12:23
    +32

    try the UNSW individual coaching service or talk to someone that knows you well and you trust.
    https://www.unsw.edu.au/employability/launch/individual-coac…
    https://www.unsw.edu.au/employability/discover/career-discov…

  • bobbified on 03/11/2023 - 12:24
    +42

    My parents are insisting i still do something related to Information Technology becasue it has good scope but i do not know what to do.

    Your parents are probably saying that to give you some goals because they're not seeing any particular direction from you.

    My mind is all over the place and i dont know what to do at all with my life

    I went through this as well when I dropped out of uni after one semester. So I made an initial start in whatever corporate role I could get into (it ended up being data entry!) and I made it my goal to give it my best wherever I went and make the most of any opportunities (for the next step) that came along way. It's been 20 years and that logic has worked well for me so far.

    • drakarn_123 on 04/11/2023 - 10:32
      +6

      My story is pretty similar to yours. Good advice!

    • Poor Ass on 04/11/2023 - 21:45
      +1

      What do you do now as a job?

      • WhyAmICommenting on 05/11/2023 - 00:02
        +6

        Data Entry. They’re just really good at it now ;) /s

        • xylarr on 07/11/2023 - 12:03
          +3

          Gotta say, I've been writing SQL for 30 years. I am, without a shadow of a doubt, very good at it.

          But that's all.

      • bobbified on 05/11/2023 - 01:33
        +1

        Officially, I've been the Head of PMO at a large insurer for the last few years. Unofficially, I'm just a project manager because I prefer doing the actual work rather than just reporting (that is my actual role). I much prefer to get my hands dirty and learn that way.

        But still, if you were to ask me right now, I have no idea what my next move would be!

        • Zapwap on 05/11/2023 - 13:43

          Maybe you interviewed me then..

          • bobbified on 05/11/2023 - 15:32
            +2

            @Zapwap: ha! Did the person you interviewed with ask really random questions and throw in the F word here and there? (That's my way of making sure whoever we hire has a sense of humour and can fit in with the team. It does scare some people away!)

            • WhyAmICommenting on 06/11/2023 - 13:17
              +1

              @bobbified: I interviewed for helpdesk - the manager had some good questions to weed out the misfits:

              1. (Left field) Someone rings IT for hot water service. How do you assist them?

              Wrong answer: laugh
              Right answer: refer them to building services etc

              1. (Creativity) Come up with three uses for a pen with computer hardware
                Answers: as an insulator etc etc

              2. (Weirdos) what are three of your favourite movies
                Wrong answer: killing, killing and killing movies

              Edit: I wrote 1,2,3 but the app is “fixing” it

              • bobbified on 06/11/2023 - 14:00
                +1

                @WhyAmICommenting: I love those those types of questions. It's surprising how many people can't think outside the box. Knowledge about certain topics can be taught, but common sense and how a person should think/act in a particular position is a different story. To me, the latter is much more important.

                • WhyAmICommenting on 06/11/2023 - 14:31
                  +1

                  @bobbified: You reminded me. Another helpdesk manager hired a few workers from the cafe as he believed customer service was harder to teach than process and light technical skills.

                  I know two girls he hired still working in or around the help desk 5 years later.

              • rumblytangara on 06/11/2023 - 15:02
                +3

                @WhyAmICommenting:

                (Creativity) Come up with three uses for a pen with computer hardware
                Answers: as an insulator etc etc

                Surely the instantly obvious answer here is to use it to press factory reset buttons.

            • Barabbas on 07/11/2023 - 15:27

              @bobbified: This is a terrible way to hire people, zero predictive validity of their work performance.

              • bobbified on 07/11/2023 - 15:32
                +1

                @Barabbas: I'm more than happy to listen and learn if you've got a better way…

  • JIMB0 on 03/11/2023 - 12:24
    +22

    If you're good with your hands do a trade. You can make a fortune if you're smart and well organised.

    • Jimothy Wongingtons on 03/11/2023 - 12:43
      +8

      i will say, definitely need tough skin to survive the apprenticeship in any of the trades, hell even when a qualified tradie you need to be able to take it as much as you can dish it out.
      easy to get bullied / taken advantage of.

      • Some Human on 04/11/2023 - 03:44
        +21

        Then be a sparky.

        • miicah on 04/11/2023 - 20:31
          +24

          Not looking great if he failed into to coding 4 times though

        • Poor Ass on 04/11/2023 - 21:46
          +7

          Yep and leave shit everywhere when the jobs done

          • bargdebarg on 05/11/2023 - 07:19
            +3

            @Poor Ass: I'm still finding little bits of wire in my house one year after getting a few extra power points put in…

            • Poor Ass on 05/11/2023 - 10:52
              +1

              @bargdebarg: haha yeah it's true they never clean up just leave shit everywhere for other people to cleanup

      • ass3ts on 04/11/2023 - 21:50
        +9

        Yet you got kicked out of uni. Sounds like you just want to earn a lot of money to have the lifestyle without putting in the effort. Would be easier if your parents are relatively wealthy and you're the only child?

  • sumyungguy on 03/11/2023 - 12:25
    +5

    Have you been in paid employment? Sounds like you need to take a break/gap but not at your parent's expense.

    • DBRJ on 03/11/2023 - 13:04
      +3

      i basically took a break from start of the year to august because i was doing nothing beside work

      • dajiska on 05/11/2023 - 12:39
        +4

        Mate - my input is that you need to sit down and think what you really want to do with your life ahead or what your end goal is? And how do you want to achieve/implement those things. Your parents are always there for guidance and will be till they see you on your feet!

        As you mentioned that…." All i know is that i want a career which has good pay (hence why i wanted to do something in computer science) and good flexibility for work life balance. I want to travel in the future, have a stable income and also invest a lot in property for higher asset management."

        You need to change your mindset to lead you to that goal.
        you can DM me if you need further assistance :-)

        • juki on 06/11/2023 - 22:51
          +1

          sitting down and thinking about what you want to do never helped me when i was younger, as a matter of fact i am in a job i used to tell my best friend i would never do.

          job counselors said i would be unemployed because i didnt draw lines with a ruler during one of their exercises

          job advisors all recommended jobs that are on the decline or obsolete, i wish i never listened

          I like my current job but its only because i fell in it by necessity

  • scrimshaw on 03/11/2023 - 12:26
    +26

    Finish your bachelor of commerce first, since you're about halfway done. Don't drop out and waste the time you've put in.

    Once you're graduated, or even before you have graduated, start applying for jobs in areas where you think you have an interest in — in many situations it's more important to have work experience than none at all (even for people with degrees and diplomas — it's more advantageous to have work experience that you can write down in your resume)

    Once you're in the workforce you'll gradually start to discover the things you're good at and what interests you. Most university students really just flounder about when they're studying and they're not super sure where they will end up after graduating; many of my friends have studied in one area but have ended up in completely different industries that have nothing to do with their degrees

    • Hvrd on 04/11/2023 - 16:35
      +2

      is it worth spending the time and $15,000 to complete degree if they end up in a completely different field?

      • bejahi on 04/11/2023 - 18:14
        +16

        Yes

      • p1 ama on 04/11/2023 - 20:04
        +16

        Absolutely, the income differential across your entire life will make that $15K one of the highest return, low risk investments one can make.

        Having a degree (especially a generalist degree like Commerce, Arts, Science…etc.) is not even so much about the specific things you learned, but it's a signal to prospective employers about your capability.

      • cski on 05/11/2023 - 09:45
        +4

        Regardless of the topic of a degree

        To employers it
        Symbolises commitment
        Ability to learn
        Possesses common electives such as basic finance business strategy ethics etc
        You possess a narrow unique stream skills in something.

        You made firm Decision and followed through, even if wrong, maintained commitment to end.

        So you did a science degree, but it wasn't for you and looking for a career stream change, you will still be more competitive than someone without.

        It is that theory all those that got art degrees , but because this narrow stream became too popular
        that uniqueness was lost (it became too synonymous/ obvious that course was chosen because people possessed an indecisive nature)

        Indecision and indecisive is really bad in any career. Represents risk

        A degree is classified as worthless when it doesn't demonstrate something more than
        Someone that went from school committed through hell and certificates I/II/III to show absolute dedication and willingness to pick a direction.

      • Carmen Sandiego on 06/11/2023 - 08:25
        +1

        Absolutely.

        I have 99% of a HS teaching degree, all of a BA, and I got my start in Insurance due to the fact I had a degree.

        Also, stuff like group projects and any kind of psychology really does help in everything.

      • garage sale on 06/11/2023 - 22:20
        +1

        getting a degree as was explained to me by an employer was more about showing that i could take on doing a degree and complete it, and they wanted someone in the role that could apply themselves and take things to completion rather than drop projects.

  • Dollar General on 03/11/2023 - 12:28
    +6

    IT is overrated and boring according to colleagues I speak to.

    Continue on with your commerce degree. There’s lots of career paths from accounting, business analysts etc. Also allows you to work overseas

    At 21 you will probably changes careers once or twice during you life. Difficult to make lifelong decisions when you have been at school most of your life

    • geekcohen on 03/11/2023 - 12:30
      +3

      IT is overrated and boring according to colleagues I speak to.

      Depends what area of "IT" you go into. I am an "IT Manager" and whilst that is what the business calls it, it isn't what it sounds like.

      At 21 you will probably changes careers once or twice during you life. Difficult to make lifelong decisions when you have been at school most of your life

      Agreed. I moved from 1 thing to another before I was 22. Plus, choosing 1 career can move and go onto other things.

    • Bystander on 03/11/2023 - 20:14
      +4

      IT is overrated and boring according to colleagues I speak to.

      I've been working in IT for 35 years and I still enjoy it. I still enjoy learning about new tech and how I can implement it to make my customers workload lighter/easier. There are many other reasons that I like the work as well.

      Having said that, IT, like so many professions, has hundreds of different roles and there are plenty that I wouldn't choose to do, eg. coding.

      • Kangal on 04/11/2023 - 18:20
        +6

        Not sure all this negativity against IT.
        I mean afterall it made the career of Stephen King.

        • illusion99 on 04/11/2023 - 19:36
          +1

          Thought that was The Shining that made his career

          • OzBarAnon on 04/11/2023 - 21:52

            @illusion99: It was actually Carrie because it was a best-seller as a debut novel. In fact, the movie adaptation already came out before The Shining novel even came out.

        • WillKillfor5Cents on 05/11/2023 - 12:31

          Exactly. And if OP goal is to be able to work remotely, I haven't seen a more flexible working structure than the IT industry. A lot of my devs mate are mostly WFH 60-80% of the time.

          I was in finance and trust me, the standard is minimum 3 days in the office. Even less for some front office high pressure roles.

    • cski on 05/11/2023 - 09:55
      +7

      Kind of silly statement
      IT no longer exists in narrow form.

      Saying someone is like saying someone is a medical worker.
      A doctor? Anaesthetist? Dental aide? Surgeon? Battlefield medic? Neurological physician?

      IT used to be the computer operator, but that no longer exists in that form

      strategy
      business intelligence
      development
      process management
      Financial architecture
      Data entry
      Security
      Procurement

      Every job involves IT computer operator, every industry has reading and submitting data through a computer.

      So a blanket noone enjoys IT, or all your colleagues don't like IT
      Maybe the workplace is bad, maybe they haven't picked the stream right for them, maybe their job isn't really IT
      Maybe the job is really in the service industry

    • String name on 06/11/2023 - 13:12
      +2

      IT is overrated and boring

      So you mean level 1 customer support? Cool

      There is forensics, data analysis, distributed systems, pentesting, mobile, cloud systems, embedded … the list goes on and on.

      Tell your mates to move laterally if they find "IT" boring - there's plenty of jobs out there

    • garage sale on 06/11/2023 - 22:29

      look at things like business analysis or enterprise architecture in IT where you look at business needs , strategies, and how to meet those needs, etc ….we hire coders from india now, many work off shore as cheaper and with Teams for meetings.

  • 7ekn00 on 03/11/2023 - 12:33
    +19

    I have been through life and the one thing that stands out: Experience >> Education almost everywhere!

    Have owned and run many many companies in my life, even a programming company (which was focused on financial tasks) - and even then I found self taught university drop out programmers were way way faster and more efficient than formal university educated (to the point there was one programmer that could do in 100 lines of code what took a traditionally educated programmer 1000 lines of code).

    The point being, get out and experience life, take jobs you never thought you would like, etc. Get some experience with something you like and get familiar with demonstrating those skills and abilities. Landing a job is more about confidence and ability to demonstrate knowledge, more so than what a piece of paper says you can do!!

    • DBRJ on 03/11/2023 - 12:59
      +4

      appreciate this, kinda helped me clear my head a bit

    • chriskq on 05/11/2023 - 22:27
      +1

      the old chicken and egg scenario…. sometimes its difficult to get experience in the field you desire without the education to get the foot in the door.

    • BinnyC on 07/11/2023 - 12:35

      Not everywhere in the world. Try India and if you are not qualified enough first, you won't land a job.

  • jm7 on 03/11/2023 - 12:34
    +35

    My 2 cents..
    You didn't 'waste two years', you spent 2 years learning that something wasn't meant to be and you needed to be on a different path.
    I would focus on your interests and being rich in terms of experiences and happiness, rather than monetarily.
    Everything will fall into place, it may just be a different path compared to what you imagined.
    I suggest doing what makes you happy and not what your parents want. Also, dont compare yourself to your peers. We are all on different paths.
    If I were in your shoes, I would defer uni for a year, work and travel (or something you enjoy), then you might have more clarity.
    I was in a similar boat and worked in a minimum wage job after graduating uni because my marks were so poor (forced to study, little interest, didnt know what i wanted to do). If i had my time again i would have moved out and worked for a few years before studying. You can even get a masters with just work experience.

    • AlanJ on 04/11/2023 - 11:12
      +1

      There is a lot more than two cents worth in jm7's answer! I'd listen to every word. You are only in your early twenties… you're not supposed to know what you want to do with your whole life at that time. You ARE supposed to be getting experiences which will help you choose at some time in the future, and your two years at Uni was one of those experiences. Do you know how many people have chosen their future career out of desperation, at far too young an age, and often because of parental pressure, and then spent the rest of their life working in some career they absolutely hated but were in so deep that it was hard to get out? You are one of the lucky ones… you have time to think, time to keep sampling, time to appreciate that EVERYTHING you study is worth something to you, even if you didn't pass the final exam, as all of that goes into the mix to make the future "you". Just relax and go with the flow. Keep doing what you're doing, and when the time is right, you will be mature enough (through your experiences of life, study, and work) to choose WELL. You will probably develop a passion for something over the next few years, and that means your future career is bound to be fulfilling. Good luck!

    • bargain huntress on 06/11/2023 - 10:43

      You can even get a masters with just work experience

      Dont you need a bachelor first?

  • Boioioioi on 03/11/2023 - 12:46
    +4

    If you aren't good at/dont enjoy IT, dont do it.

    What do you enjoy doing in your personal time? You can probably apply that to work. If you don't know, lower your screen time, spend some time being bored and see what you find yourself doing

    • DBRJ on 03/11/2023 - 13:02
      +5

      its not that i dont enjoy it, i can be good at it if i put in the time. i failed the fundamentals (which involved C language) but when i did python it was a lot easier. The reason i failed so many times was because i lost my academic drive after high school, like big time. Plus there were many instances of covid lockdowns and short staffing that i had to take up a lot of my time to help my family business (petrol station, car servicing workshop) which took out my time to study and focus entirely on coding. I can't blame them for it, i should have tried harder.

      • Boioioioi on 03/11/2023 - 14:17
        +3

        Maybe. Did you find during school you were motivated because you wanted to be, or because your parents told you to?

        I feel like you didnt waste 2 years at all, its good you gave it a shot. Sometimes it takes some time to figure out what you want to do with your life when you are young.

        When I finished school I went to uni for 1 semester, then kinda flunked and messed around with various other things for 5 years. After which I decided to finish uni, got a job in a career I am very happy with and am doing great now.

        But I did enjoy those 5 years. I really think you should give various things a go and see what you like. Trial and error

        • fadeinthemix on 03/11/2023 - 14:49
          +3

          When I was young I had no idea what to do either until about 24-25ish which is when I went back to TAFE and started my career later than usual.
          38 now and now I have been in IT for about 10 years.
          When you want to push in your career you will do it. I wouldn't worry about "wasting time" life is a marathon not a sprint you'll get there mate @DBRJ

          • Boioioioi on 03/11/2023 - 15:39
            +4

            @fadeinthemix: Agreed! As long as you're enjoying life, thats what matters really. We are here to exist

      • idonotknowwhy on 04/11/2023 - 11:07

        its not that i dont enjoy it, i can be good at it if i put in the time. i failed the fundamentals (which involved C language) but when i did python it was a lot easier.

        Just so you know,"IT" is a very broad term. Most jobs don't involve coding in C, and most python programmers have never touched C. Not only that, but there are plenty of roles within the field which don't involve programing (or very minimal 4GLs).

        Figure out what you want to do though, don't worry about what your parents want.

      • gups on 06/11/2023 - 15:01

        agree with @Boioioioi, sounds like there's a good chance it was your parents the whole time. If you lost motivation on your degree to work in your family business do you think it was because they shifted your direction?

        I like the idea of looking at what lifestyle you want and then working back to what steps you need to do to achieve it. It sounds like you want a desk job with good pay. will commerce get you that? if so keep down that path, otherwise look at your other options to pivot to.

      • cydia9k on 07/11/2023 - 13:33
        +1

        Mate you sound like you've got the aptitude but don't desire to be a full-blown developer., which is perfectly fine. I wouldn't recommend my job to most people.

        Go the business consultant / analyst pathway. You get paid to dress nice and meet the customers face to face, hear out and discuss customer problems and ultimately coordinate a fitting solution that scales with the requirements and is maintainable / compatible with future needs. No shortage of jobs in these areas.

  • onetwothreefour on 03/11/2023 - 13:21
    +14

    Mate, you're 21, that is really young to be thinking the way you are thinking. By the time I was your age I'd failed my high school exams, got a full time job at 16 paying peanuts and got made redundant from that job at 21 and I was still living with my parents. I could have been down about my situation but I decided to use the little money I had (approx $5k) to get a working holiday visa and flights to Australia and come here as a backpacker. 20 years later I'm still here and with all the things you say you want to have.

    These things take time, my tip is to stay off social media like tiktok where they make you feel like you should be a millionaire straight out of school and if you're not you're behind where you should be. Focus on what your goals are and go and get them at your own pace.

  • Protractor on 03/11/2023 - 13:31
    +2

    Take a break and get a job tree planting . Let your mind reset and let it guide you fwd.
    Avoid social media and gadgets. Don't let status or other ppls expectations eat away at your 'self'.

  • AustriaBargain on 03/11/2023 - 13:39

    Apple picking commune.

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