If you could go back..

[kyuuei]

I don't think I would have changed the military--but I do think I should have gone Air Force, and I would have picked a career that translated better into the civilian side of things... So that when I got out I'd have a fancy job.

[IndigoViolet11]

I need a completely new life complete free from and forgotten by my family and friends. Not because I particulatly hate them, it is just that we are so different that we cannot blend, harder and harder each minute. The things I have studied and learned no longer win their approval, and everything I do only meets objection. Meanwhile, as a result, im totally stuck

If this really did come true, I will be free to go to school if i have to, and study again.

[SurrealisticSlumbers]

I was actually just thinking of this the other day.

I attended a well-regarded, "second-tier" institution. I'm grateful for the education I received there; however, in retrospect, it may not have been the best fit for me. Demographically speaking, I fit in, being white and female (the school used to be an all-women's college) - but in other respects, not so much. I'd already attended community college, and by the time I enrolled at this school, I was just a couple years older than most everyone there, already in the workforce holding down a job, and didn't reside on campus. I never advertised my age or that I was a transfer student, but being a tiny liberal arts college where everyone knew everyone, word did get around as I was this new junior in their midst, and I didn't have the sort of rapport with people that comes with on-campus living.

There was another school not too far down the road from the one I ended up going to, which I'd briefly considered applying to. It was/is an art and design college (as opposed to liberal arts) that would have probably been a better "culture fit," and most likely have had a more unconventional, diverse student body. At that school, the percentage of students residing on campus is smaller, meaning that if I'd gone there I most likely wouldn't have been viewed as much of an outsider, and other students might not have given two shits that I'd transferred my credits. I dunno... hard to say. I was, admittedly, a more offbeat, though reserved student who needed an environment where that was more of the norm. (I feel like it's pretty much a given that everyone at art college is probably pretty fucking weird). Though the school I went to is deemed pretty liberal, and touts its involvement in a lot of progressively-minded causes, I was privy to a sort of elitist, highbrow aura of stuffiness from fellow students and disappointingly, some of the faculty, who possessed what might be described as a "parlor pink" mindset that I found distasteful. So, I do have some regrets over not - at the very least - applying to that other school... Could've, should've, would've.

As to my choice of major, that's a tough call. I think I could have managed to excel at studio art, and might have enjoyed sinking my teeth into environmental science and perhaps even minoring in it, as I love botany and the natural world. In my last semester, I had room in my schedule for two studio art classes, both of which I got a lot out of, and I felt more in-tune with the students in those classes. So, maybe that major would have suited me better than theatre. It's also too bad that I didn't get the chance to study upper-level sciences such as physics and astronomy (as a kid, I loved reading about all the constellations and had glow-in-the-dark planets and stars adorning my bedroom ceiling).

Still, I think college is what you make of it, and the experiences both good and bad contribute to your own self-awareness. I did feel a sense of accomplishment upon getting my degree in the mail. It justified all of the struggles of those four semesters. Though things could have been better, I also know from hearing the stories of others who've had nightmarish experiences with their colleges, that it could've been way, way worse.

[highlander]

I would have been one of the first 5 employees at Google

[Maya Dawn]

If I could go back... I would’ve chosen computer science much sooner than decoding to follow in my dad’s footsteps as an engineer. Although, if it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have discovered my passion for programming at all. Sooo...

Also, I would’ve worked harder as a student instead of procrastinating on most of my homework out of fear and anxiety.

Oh, and I would’ve continued my piano lessons instead of stopping after 12 years old.

[Shadow Play]

It was the decisions I made that brought me to where I'm at today. I'm now in a good place with a promising future ahead of me, having figured out what I actually want to do for a career, as well as having clearer priorities of what matters in my life. Yes, mistakes were made, and there are things I would've preferred to do differently if I had the chance, but I wouldn't have learned the lessons I learned or acquired the knowledge I have now. In fact, I'd probably have avoided making some of those decisions in the first place had I foreseen the outcome, and in doing so, missed out on some valuable opportunities.

[Tina&Jane]

Maybe choosing psychology from the start instead of biology.

[DragonKing]

I would have done more freelance work and looked into starting my own firm.

[Smilephantomhive]

Not take film senior year of hs, and take programming instead, take ap calc ab instead of buisness calc.

For college I wish I didnt burn out, and hit less addicted to social media. My advisor got me to take essentially the same chem class twice so that sucked.

[tinker683]

I majored in what I enjoy most - Computer Information Technology. My regret is not that, it's that I feel like I gave it up too quickly.

See, when I got out of college, I started out in IT for my parents real estate firm working under the IT director. He was a smart guy, but he had a temper, and he blew up on me one time because apparently I took the intiative when I shouldn't have and ended up causing a whole lot of problems.

I was young, insecure, afraid of conflict, and DEATHLY afraid of hurting my parents business, so I stopped working there after that. I transferred over to the admin side and found I had a knack for that and...the rest is history.

I wish I had been tougher. I wish I hadn't given up and stuck with it. I love working on and with computers and I've tried to do some Lynda.com courses for some programming languages and such (I used to do a lot with HTML and CSS and really loved that). The problem is that given how much my career now takes up my time, there is always this feeling of, "Why am I doing this again? This has nothing to do with my current career and things are good"

I've been told I'm good at my current job but...I'm not just passionate about it. I enjoy learning about the properties and the homes themselves but... that's pretty much where it ends.