Boredom and uselessness

illiop

I was in my first year in college but I dropped out because it wasn't for me. I'm still happy with my decision and in generel I'm happier now than I was then but I'm just so bored I can't take it.
I'm unemployed and my lack of quailifications and eperience coupled the "current economic climate" mean I don't have a great chance of getting oa job soon. I know that there are so many people so much worse off than me but I just feel like I've wasted so much time and money.
I'm also completely and utterly terrified of going back to college becuase I don't understand how you are expected to know if a course will suite you or not. I thought I'd love my last course and I'd done all the research, it's not like I was unprepared or misguided but I really didn't like it. I feel so purposeless and I feel like I can't talk to my friends or family because they've listened to my crap for so long. Besides I knew what I was getting my self into when I dropped out. I just need something constructive to do or I'm going to go insane.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

illiop wrote: »

I was in my first year in college but I dropped out because it wasn't for me. I'm still happy with my decision and in generel I'm happier now than I was then but I'm just so bored I can't take it.
I'm unemployed and my lack of quailifications and eperience coupled the "current economic climate" mean I don't have a great chance of getting oa job soon. I know that there are so many people so much worse off than me but I just feel like I've wasted so much time and money.
I'm also completely and utterly terrified of going back to college becuase I don't understand how you are expected to know if a course will suite you or not. I thought I'd love my last course and I'd done all the research, it's not like I was unprepared or misguided but I really didn't like it. I feel so purposeless and I feel like I can't talk to my friends or family because they've listened to my crap for so long. Besides I knew what I was getting my self into when I dropped out. I just need something constructive to do or I'm going to go insane.

Take up a hobby or pastime, maybe something artistic, maybe even a fas course. It's not as big an investment as a college course so if it's not for you you've lost nothing.

How about voluntry work?

nyarlothothep

I'd probably go back to college if I were you. Its very difficult to tell what you want to do when you start college. The best thing to do is plan for all the contingencies of the course, eg what you'll do afterwards, why you like it etc and then check out the college before you go. You have to try things out, your experience was good in a way as you can learn from it, think about what went wrong and formulate a plan from this. What was the course out of interest?

Trebor

pick a college/uni that offers a introduction year. you get this alot in english unis. the first year is a standard one where you get to pick from a range of courses and then your further years are dependant on which topics you have done. so you could do philosophy, art, computers and biology as an example to see which ones you like. then specialise in second year

ebmma

what was it that you didn't like in college?

LegacyUser

Listen, sometimes dropping out for the right reason is the best decision you could ever make. It leads you closer to the path you need to be on, as opposed to further away which the last course would have taken you.

Now is the time to be proactive. Forget about the past, and focus on exploring what you might want to do for your life. DO NOT LISTEN TO THE DOOM AND GLOOM. Turn off the TV and radio. It will not help you. By exploring your options, I mean actually having a go at them. Get up early and leave the house. Go into your nearest town. For example: Want to get into IT? Do a computer course in your nearest tech or FAS. Sometimes you learn more in the smaller institutions than you ever would in a lecture hall, trust me, I've done both. Want to be a chef? Get your ass into a restaurant, speak with the staff, offer to work for free if it takes that to get some experience. Only by doing will you ever know how something suits. As such, do not beat yourself up for leaving something that didn't.

Take it from a gal that dropped out, but went out and got back on the horse. It works.

JMCD

illiop wrote: »

I was in my first year in college but I dropped out because it wasn't for me. I'm still happy with my decision and in generel I'm happier now than I was then but I'm just so bored I can't take it.
I'm unemployed and my lack of quailifications and eperience coupled the "current economic climate" mean I don't have a great chance of getting oa job soon. I know that there are so many people so much worse off than me but I just feel like I've wasted so much time and money.
I'm also completely and utterly terrified of going back to college becuase I don't understand how you are expected to know if a course will suite you or not. I thought I'd love my last course and I'd done all the research, it's not like I was unprepared or misguided but I really didn't like it. I feel so purposeless and I feel like I can't talk to my friends or family because they've listened to my crap for so long. Besides I knew what I was getting my self into when I dropped out. I just need something constructive to do or I'm going to go insane.

I think its understandable that you dropped out of college, college isnt for everyone. I do think that something will click with you do and you will then realise what exactly it is you want to do, it could be something that you never thought of, for example if you joined a gym and got really into it you might fancy becoming a personal instructor, for example.

Just before the leaving cert I had no idea what I wanted to do, which for me was very frustrating because I didnt know what to channel my energy into and which direction I was going but was asked to do a bit of saturday work with a local builder and that was it then, I just enjoyed it so much and knew that was what I wanted to do after school.

A friend of mine also had a similar problem as you, did great on the LC gained a place in Trinity and after 3 weeks dropped out because he knew it wasnt for him, he then went on to work in what might be called dead end jobs (aldo he enjoyed them) travelled and just basically lived his life and then realised he wanted to go back to trinity all be it to do another course.

In short all Im saying is just get out there and do something, be proactive, stop thinking the way you do and embrace life and then eventually you will realise what ya want to do with your life!!:)

fifomania

I dropped out of college nearly 10 years ago, after about a week, and since then I've been in endless crappy jobs with no career prospects and now in my late 20's I feel like every day I'm not doing something productive I'm a total waster. It's easy to fall in to a slump like this and it's a vicious circle.
I've been unemployed now for over a year and have been applying for work left right & centre with no joy and recently had my dole cut so, feeling 100% fed up, I'm taking the plunge this year and have applied for several college courses, in line with some of my hobbies so I'll hopefully stick it out.
I find the thought of college daunting too but I realise now what I missed out on (that I could be settled in a decent career) and am thinking of 3 years down the line.
If college isn't for you, or the duration of college, would you consider a one year course in something you like? What about voluntary work or work through FÁS? Would you think about a working holiday, like Oz?