I'm terrified.

[DiscoBiscuit]

Do whatever makes you happy man.

That's all that matters.

Just don't expect the world to bend to your every whim and desire.

Things can always be worse.

You could have failed out (decided not to petition my re admittance) of Law School like me.

 

[Amethyst]

Some people can go through some things with more ease than others. Working/studying for an extended amount of time may not be your strength. It certainly isn't mine...I burned out years ago.

I'm assuming your semester is almost over, so I'd say just caffeinate your blood stream and fight it out. If you're also able to (I'm not sure about work/study, I know some places you're able to work at your own pace, but still put in the amount of hours you need in a week) try looking for a job with less hours required? If not, maybe talk to someone at your school about what's up. Sometimes if you approach them they'll be willing to pull a few strings for you.

 

[mochajava]

Do you exercise or practice forms of self-care? That is something which can work wonders... or what about other types of self-care?

 

[Haphazard]

I walk over 4 miles a day, but this is because of school or work. The only times avaliable for me to exercise are right after mealtimes which I learned very quickly are very very bad for me.

I don't care for myself at all. I can barely be bothered to shower. My brain is completely and utterly fried and there's absolutely no reason for it to be.

I don't know why I bother with anything. It's only going to get worse. I should cease all writing and knitting and drawing and any creative endeavors I have. I can't manage them. It's too hard. My brain is slush. I mean I'm going to be working at Wal-Mart once I graduate and for the rest of my life so if I can't even manage this and writing then why bother writing? Eating is generally considered to be more important.

 

[Haphazard]

As I see it, I have four options:

1. Graduate college, work at walmart until I die in debt
2. Quit college, shame my family, work at walmart until I die in debt
3. Graduate college, get shipped off to Korea for the CIA, and if I don't die, once I'm in government mandated retirement, work at walmart until I die
4. Quit college, move to Nevada, become a prostitute, work at walmart until I can retire on the money I saved as a prostitute

Really, none of these sound like good options.

 

[nonsequitur]

Life could be a lot worse. No, really.

Don't think about what you're going to do after you graduate yet, just take it a day at a time. It sounds like there probably is some degree of burnout, of which I'm example no. 1 and am currently working through. I have a few suggestions:

1) Negotiate a more reasonable work/study schedule, something that you can deal with. Talk to a counselor for your options, your situation is common and these counselors have lots of experience with such problems.

2) Transfer course/university. It's pretty drastic though.

3) Acquire skills with time-management, prioritise subjects. You don't need to do everything in your freshman year. Spread out the tougher/must-do classes. I had to learn the hard way that doing 3 lab classes in one semester was not proof of capability, it was suicide.

4) Set aside non-negotiable "me" time, during which you do things that you actually LIKE and that relaxes you. Not necessarily creative things, it can be as simple as listening to music passively in bed with the lights off.

You don't need to be this negative about college or post-college life yet, especially since you haven't had much experience with either. If the signs are that it's not something that you can deal with right now, you can either set out to make it manageable or change yourself so that it will be manageable. As someone who did everything in a rush and tried to maximise every part of my college academic experience, I found that I didn't have much time to make friends, to simply "have fun" or to see anything outside of academia. In other words, I got a quality education, but not much in the way of life experience. Now I'm a washed-up graduate student on anti-depressants and I have to learn to be satisfied with (if not being able to do everything that I thought I needed to do) everything that I CAN do.

So I guess my point here is - there are things that you can do; low energy levels (I don't have much energy either) can be proportioned/prioritised; you can find ways of "recharging"; despondency is premature. What you should not do in this situation, however, is give up and accept things as they are. You'll burnout; probably sooner than I did. It's much harder to come back from that. Working out a study/work/life balance is hard, but it'll be worth it, and an invaluable skill that you'll be able to use forever.

Good luck!

 

[Haphazard]

I mean, my brother has been out of college for two years and has barely found a job at WalMart. My mother is working about 70 hours a week with nearly a master's degree and she's barely keeping us off of welfare. My father has a law degree and a degree in electrical engineering and he can't find a paying job to save his life (though a ton of people have hired him and just 'forgot' to pay him for his services), so my mother is trying to convince him to become a substitute teacher.

I mean really. Considering this, what good is college, anyway?

 

[nonsequitur]

Are you asking us to convince you that college is worth it? Only you can decide that. The best that we can do is give suggestions as to what you can do to improve your situation.

College/postgraduate study doesn't necessarily guarantee a job, especially now with the unemployment rate above 10%. I'd say that it's less a reflection on the intrinsic value of college, and more on the state of the economy. While I'm sorry to hear about your family's situation, you're hardly alone there.

 

[Haphazard]

The economy is only going to get worse.

 

[ajblaise]

The economy is only going to get worse.

Except when it gets better, like it has for the past two years.

 

[ajblaise]

The economy is only going to get worse.

Except when it gets better, like it has for the past two years.

 

[Oeufa]

Chill out. The U.S. is actually in a fairly stable condition now; thing's are steadily improving. Compared to the weakening of the European economy, you've got it goin' on. Why else do you think all us paddys are queuing up to get in the door

 

[Haphazard]

Oh, then it's just me and my family that fails at life.

 

[Sparrow]

Hey! You seem to be focusing on only the negative (AGAIN!!!!!!), try think of some positive things that might come from your hard work!!! Not all college grads end up at Wal Mart, seriously. I only got an AA degree at a Fashion School and I ended up just fine! I got a good paying job and even bought a condo, life is what you make it !

Most schools have a school psychologist on staff that you could talk to for some support, if not you could also talk with your adviser or a trusted teacher. Either that or just tough it out and start thinking positive!!!!! Everything will be okay if you stay positive and work hard . Life isnt always easy, even if your rich. Take care okay!

 

[Amethyst]

Go to job fairs, make killer resumes (when the time comes...I know here you have to wait until your a senior) present yourself well, and people will be more than willing to hire you!


There are a lot of opportunities out there, a lot of jobs that will be available in the future aren't even in existence yet, many employers seek versatility for things like that. Even if you work hard, things might not work out the way you plan, but there's always a bright side to almost everything that happens.

Cheer up, buttercup

 

[Oeufa]

Oh, then it's just me and my family that fails at life.

Who said that? People have said the US economy is only getting better. Therefore, by the time you're done with school you'll have pretty good prospects. Stop taking people up the wrong way, it's getting annoying.

 

[mrcockburn]

Take some time to SERIOUSLY relax. I'm 20, and I attend school full-time, work full-time, do freelance writing, operate a side business and support myself fully. I manage it by truly separating work from play. When I play, I play. I will refuse to even THINK about work or school.

You'll be fine. If I can do it, anyone can. Just remember to devote time to just unwind.

As I see it, I have four options:

1. Graduate college, work at walmart until I die in debt
2. Quit college, shame my family, work at walmart until I die in debt
3. Graduate college, get shipped off to Korea for the CIA, and if I don't die, once I'm in government mandated retirement, work at walmart until I die
4. Quit college, move to Nevada, become a prostitute, work at walmart until I can retire on the money I saved as a prostitute

Really, none of these sound like good options.

Oh yeah. You definitely need some chillout time, because now you're just delusional.

 

[Thalassa]

You're ENTJ though. ENTJs and ESTPs in particular seem to have incredible energy for living that way. Not everyone can take it.

I usually don't defend Haphazard, because I think s/he is too easily overwhelmed, but I'll say even I couldn't do what you do without having a fucking nervous breakdown. I'd be miserable.

 

[mrcockburn]

You're ENTJ though. ENTJs and ESTPs in particular seem to have incredible energy for living that way. Not everyone can take it.

I usually don't defend Haphazard, because I think s/he is too easily overwhelmed, but I'll say even I couldn't do what you do without having a fucking nervous breakdown. I'd be miserable.

Well...I'll admit. I singlehandedly keep Red Bull in business.

 

[Haphazard]

I fell asleep about eight times today and I'm still tired, and I haven't even done anything...

I mean my entire life is chill out time and still I'm like this. I have absolutely zero chance of surviving in the real world. Walmart will kill me and suck the marrow from my bones.