I gave up on a study course after five years of hell and now I’m back at my parents’ house and must make a big decision on what career to pursue and find a job asap. But I just can’t decide, I can’t picture myself in 5/10 years from now and can’t even imagine what type of job I’d love, bc everything seems out fo reach and impossible, just like it felt when I was 20.
I’m from Italy, and I made my previous choice based on job perspectives here, now I’d like some perspective from abroad…
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business and economics This is a course in English, I also speak French and in an ideal world I would have studied foreign languages (but in reality, I would have found no job, here at least, or nothing promising). Studying economics in English would sort of fulfill that, I’d study other languages and strive to become an export manager with time. Other than that I could combine it, in THe future, with studies in cultural heritage, which would be my first choice if only I could live off of that. And find related jobs as I go.
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computer science. Never interested me that much, I had a basic programming course which wasn’t that bad, I think I’d be able to do that… But I don’t know if I’d really want that. I’ve thought about it bc I’m interested in data journalism, and I could combine it with data visualization, design, writing… But that’s more like an interest, I don’t think I’d like the actual careers I’d have access too… I don’t even have that much knowledge on what possible jobs would be like.
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management engineering Again export or project manager. I’d prefer economics, but bc of my age this might give me slightly better chances of finding a job asap?
Of course the careers I mentioned require years of work and I’m willing to do that, the problem is I feel very confused, I’m afraid of wasting time bc of my age, maybe studying and not finding a job and also how can one know if a career is the right one for you? You first have to get there…
Any type of advice would be of great help, thank you in advance
can’t even imagine what type of job I’d love
Fun fact! Most of us don’t love our jobs. We just do them to have a roof over our heads and food on our tables.
Well of course, but the context is I’m choosing what to major in… And if you read you’ll see I’m choosing between things I don’t hate that much for more job opportunities, but still in hope I’ll get a chance at something I like.
Love is a big word but that’s what came to me in the moment, and being that ppl ho read me usually can contextualize, I used it without fear of being misinterpreted this much
Don’t bother with “do a job you love and you’ll never work a day” that’s garbage. Not only does it lead to existential dread, it often doesn’t put food on the table, and often times doing what you love for a living ruins that love for you to boot.
Get something you don’t hate that’s easy to find employment for - maybe accounting, for example. Think of things everybody needs, don’t get a niche specialization.
If you get the bug to go after something your heart calls you for later, you have a stable and well paying job to keep you afloat while you take night classes or whatever you gotta do to switch careers. There is no rule that says you gotta stick with whatever you pick first
I have one friend went to school for veterinary medicine and zoology. He’s now an endpoint engineer. I have another that went for his MBA and is now a butcher. I worked retail, never finished school, and now I’m a Desktop Support director.
Pick what you’re interested in, pursue knowledge and growth over anything else. People mostly want hard workers who show they are able and willing to learn imo. A degree in anything shows that that.
Obviously this doesn’t apply if you’re persuing something high level in a specific field. But if you’re lost as I am in this crazy world I think it’s a solid choice lol.
First: stay strong, you got this.
If you’re “not really” into CS, I would think long and hard before committing to it. While it’s very useful to pick up a few basic skills, studying theoretical computer science is a whole different level. I’d suggest you look at the basics, start programming on some of the websites people have suggested in the comments and do a few small projects for yourself. Then at least you’ll know, if you have fun programming and problem solving.
I studied computer science without knowing much about it when I started, and it was a good decision for me - however it wouldn’t have been for everyone.
That’s exactly what stops me: I had a course, it was C and Python programming and I did quite well but it was really basic. And if it hadn’t been for what I was studying before, I would have never tried programming.
But new things are actually a good thing… For example what makes me consider computer science is the idea that later I might get into data science and maybe do something as a data journalist. But even if I think it’s really cool, I don’t know if I’ll actually like doing it.
I was thinking I could combine it with something about design (single courses, self taught or whatever opportunity arises), and I even found out about this guy, Leonardo Nicoletti Just imagine being able to do that! What scares me is the actual doing, I’d like to get more into it but don’t know how to try it out in the few months I have left. I think I could access further studies in Data Science even through Economics or Engineering but CS seemed like the “whole package”… Idk
If you’re not fascinated by computers and you’re not sure if you want to really dedicate your career to it, I’d really think twice about going into CS. If you want to get into programming/development, you can either do that by learning specific languages and building stuff, or study something technical that interests you.
Nowadays, programming is very much required in any STEM related fields if you want to keep up with the times. I myself have an Aerospace Master’s degree but have been mostly doing software related things in my career and am now a data engineer at an aircraft manufacturer. None of my data science colleagues studied CS, neither did the data engineers that I work with.
Just one perspective. Don’t give up, you’ve got this!
I think a problem is that many jobs exist in the world, and we don’t even know that most of them exist or what they are. If there are any really large companies near you, see if you can get in doing something, anything. Once you are in, you can learn about the different types of jobs in the company and maybe start trying to work towards something that you like better, either within that company or in another company. Also just having co-workers or a boss to discuss these things with can be a big help and open you up to some new possibilities that you didn’t know about. But yeah, don’t worry about finding your perfect job right away. Having any job will open doors and connections, making it easier to land that perfect job in the future.
In my 20s I worked a lot of different jobs in a lot of different industries and learned something from each one. There is nothing wrong with making a living until you can make a career.
I second this, if you are unsure of what direction to take, get a job that is easy. Something simple like grocery store, deli, etc. If you have the intelligence for higher education you will excell at simple jobs, get in a groove doing your daily taks and you will probably get promoted through the ranks while you figure out what direction you want to take in life.
If i lost my job tomorrow (professional technical career) i would seriously consider becoming barista and living stress free for a while and not rush to figure out my ‘next move’.
You won’t love your job. Get a job you’d be good at and that pays well. Spend your free time doing what you love.
“Discover What You Are Best At” by Linda Gail.
I was about the same age as you are now when I found this book. It led me to a career I’d never even sonsidered before.
Thank you!
What career was that?
The book summarizes your skills and points to jobs that use them.
A Product Demonstrator and a Paramedic both need dexterity, good people skills and imagination.
The skills are the same, the jobs are completely different.
I’m talking about your specific career that you took as a result of that book, though: what was that?
Also, paramedics need exponentially way more skills than product demonstrators! But yes, they both need at least those skills.
The first option sounds to be fitting your interest the most, so why not go with that?
As it reads like another study course, the question is if the reasons for giving up your original course still persist. If so, deal with that first, I would suggest.
If you can afford it, just get a MBA and try to get a business job. It may not be the most exciting career path, but it’s at least pretty guaranteed to get you a job that pays decently (of course salaries vary widely but this is one of the paths to least resistance) and opens up a ton of opportunities.
Again, this is advice for if you don’t have an alternative career parh that excites and motivates you. It’s just a decent way to get a decent paying (or even well paying) job. Better than nothing.
For me, a job is just a way to pay the bills and build wealth with the hope of retiring early. I get my satisfaction from my hobbies and family, not my job.
Unless you have real and actual interest in software development and computers, I wouldn’t go into it. I hire developers, and the good ones I don’t gleven care what or where they studied, they’re the ones that love tinkering with a raspberry pie, they’re the ones who love to work on open-source projects, they’re the ones that are self taught because they couldn’t wait for school or university to teach them.
From what you’re telling me, it sounds like a “well yeah I guess I could do that” which to me sounds like you don’t love it. I love my job, I go programming on a Saturday morning because to me it’s like building a puzzle. I love puzzles.
I might be mistaken here but I don’t think you’d love your job very much if you’d be in IT
I hire developers, and the developers I hire would never work for a man who says shit like this.
Since you’re not sure what you want to do, I say don’t pursue a specific career, but pursue a field that interests you. You might not have the luxury of finding a job opening for exactly what you want, even if you did have something specific in mind, but by having relevant skills you can get closer and eventually find something that works for you.
I went to school for a certain field, found a job that was in no way related, and eventually got a position there that did use my education (I was chosen because of it). 10 years later, found a new company in “my field” that uses both my education and the skills from the previous job that I thought would never be useful elsewhere. The more things you can put on your resume, the better, especially in a world where AI will be screening thousands of applications for the most keywords.
I can’t picture myself in 5/10 years from now and can’t even imagine what type of job I’d love, bc everything seems out fo reach and impossible
You’re approaching this with 100% the wrong view and attitude. You sound like you’re trying to define your life by what job you have. Your job should just be the way you fund your life.
Find out what you want out of life. Do you want a family? Do you want to travel? Make art? Build community? Learn what hobbies you enjoy, how you want to spend your days, who you like to surround yourself with. Then figure out what you need financially to make that happen to the best of your ability. (Nothing will ever be perfect, and you shouldn’t expect that.) Then find a job that can fund the lifestyle you want.
Who cares what the job is? That’s not what life is about. That’s just how you pay for your life. Most people don’t love their job. Hell, most people don’t even like their job. It’s just how we get food and shelter.
Yes you’re right but what I’m talking about refers to the job side alone. I’m going to opt for one of these three things, and I don’t know how to choose
Research what working in those fields is like and choose the one that has the highest pay for the least time commitment. Whichever requires you to actually be at work the least is your best bet.
If you want to know more about Computer Science, you can also read along and ask questions over at https://programming.dev/c/cs_career_questions
Can confirm. Boring is the way. Accounting, economics, etc.
For me, I worked my ass off to be a person that works on movies and TV etc. Got lucky, held some dream positions, and even got to make my own thing.
However, if I could do it all again, I’d stay in the boring office job I had and share twice as much time with my family and friends.
Instead, I worked 80 hour weeks, made some decent money in respected roles, and then Covid took everyone and everything close to me. Money and respect mean nothing if you can’t share it with those you love.
Boring is the way. Don’t worry about liking your job in 10-20 years, worry about liking your life.
That last sentence hits hard.
Something you don’t really consider when you’re young and everything feels like forever is that A LOT can happen in 10, 20 years.
Museum guide?
If you’re at a University of some kind, you can ask a counselor there about job shadowing opportunities in the fields you are considering.
I second this, and would generally recommend finding some people to talk to who are in jobs similar to those you are considering, even if you aren’t able to shadow them. And you don’t have to be in university to do this–ask people you know if they know anyone in jobs or careers related to those you are considering, and ask to pick those people’s brains. Ask them about what they like and dislike about their current job, what previous jobs/positions they’ve had and what they learned from those roles, what decisions they made that shaped their career path, what advice they would give to someone curious about or just starting in their field, etc.
I’ve found that people who are passionate about their jobs/careers often love to talk about how they got to where they are and what they wish they had known earlier along their career journey. Heck, most people enjoy talking about themselves in general, so don’t be shy! I did this with a couple of friends’ parents when I was trying to decide what to major in in college/university, and more informally along my early career trajectory with others I met, and it has been a huge help. One of the people I talked to even helped me realize how flexible a degree program I was considering could be, and she was absolutely right! And who knows–you may even meet someone who turns out to be a great mentor.
Picking a career path is intimidating, but it’s a path, not a label you’re stuck with the rest of your life! Even if you take a job that isn’t a good fit for you, it can teach you more about your strengths/weaknesses and what growth areas interest you. When you come to a fork in the road of your career path–you learn about a promotion opportunity, see a job posting at another company, or even just have a conversation with your manager at your current job–you’ll have the opportunity to make decisions that could help you find a role that’s a better fit for you (or even re-shape your existing role to fit your strengths and passions better). Learning about other people’s careers–especially the choices they made and what came of them–can be a huge help as you walk down your own career path.
Best wishes for your journey! It’s completely normal to be uncertain in making big career decisions, but you got this!
(EDIT: minor rephrase)
