advice please...

LegacyUser

Hi all. I'm 29 years old and am about to graduate from a field of study that I have really grown to dislike. Its quite a general degree that I have done and ultimately I will end up in a corporate role that I have realised is something that I do not want. Even though I have paid for me college fee's myself ,I will never be able to avail of free education in this country in the future as i will now be liable to full fee's, I did not realise this was the case...I assumed because I was paying my own fees in the future I would be able to go back to college and study something I really enjoyed if / when I was more financially stable in the future, either short term/long term future...

This is constantly on my mind and every day I am regretting the decision I have made by taking on the degree I am studying. I am in my last year now and am making significant sacrifices with spending time with my child....its awful sacrificing all this time particularly when I cant envision I will be happy in any job that this degree will get me. it will be a typical 9-5 office job. I feel I should have chosen something that 'makes a difference'. I am a lone parent, maybe I used this as an excuse to not bite the bullet to go back full-time, the part time option was the 'safer' option as I could remain working while doing it.

I'm so unhappy with the choices that I have made and am full of regret:-( The thoughts of being in a career for the next 30/40 years which I dislike immensely is really depressing me. I now feel that I cant even enjoy my spare time with my child as I am in constant anxiety over the whole thing.

this is really effecting me badly..it has been on my mind very day now for over a year. can anyone please offer me some advice on how to cope with the situation I have found myself in, I am constantly depressed and extremely negative about my future happiness...

Thank you for taking the time to read this, I know that other people have problems so much worse than mine, I am grateful this is my only major issue at the moment, but at the same time it has consumed me and I am in constant turmoil therefore significantly affecting my life.

Thank you in advance for your help

skyfall2012

I think it is the time of year that has you feeling this way. But if you stand back and look at your situation, you should be patting yourself on the back to get this far. To be a single mom, work and to have the commitment to get to 4th year in a degree program is amazing achievement and there is are not a lot of people out there with your drive.

If your degree is general, well that would suggest that you could go into many different industries with it. Secondly, if you want to take a different direction all you need to do is a Master degree, which is only one year (part time maybe 2 years). You really would not have to go through a four year degree again.

You are a fantastic role model for your child and you will not be living on low wages and below the poverty line, which is often the case for single parents.

Talk to the Career Adviser in your college about the different career options available to you and about funding for a Master degree. Good luck. Stick with it, you will be OK.

LegacyUser

thank you so much for the kind response skyfall

judgefudge

I agree with above. You should be proud of what you have done. It certainly doesn't sound like it has been easy and paying your own way is very admirable.

As already mentioned, is it an area that could be expanded on with a masters? Why did you start it in the first place? Have you always hated the subject and if so why go through 4 years of it? Could it be that you are feeling generally negative now and it's affecting how you see your future? Realistically a lot of jobs are "office jobs", it depends whether you like what you would be doing in that office.

Try and stay positive. You may be able to use your degree in a creative way to get a decent job, if not nothing is forcing you into the particular career you hate. You will be better off with the degree, regardless of what happens after. I assume you are finished by summer? Try and hang in there for another few months

Stavro Mueller

I don't have much to add to what the others have said, only to strongly suggest you hang on in there and get your degree. You're nearly there so it would be a shame to fall at the final hurdle. The degree you're getting might not be what you want but it is potentially a gateway into something else you might like better.

You really should go speak to the college's career guidance person. Final year in college can be an anxious time because it's when students have to start making decisions about what to do next.

You also mention wanting a job where you can make a difference. Do you have anything particular in mind or is it an aspiration? You've already built up lots of negative pre-conceptions about the sort of job you'll get and the drudgery of 9-5. All jobs aren't like that you know. You also have the option of part-time courses etc. With the climate that's out there at the moment, perhaps you have made the best decision of all. There are people working abroad who'd kill for a "boring" 9-5 job in Ireland.

Flimbos

I'd like to echo the above comments. Well done OP on getting this far. Being a single parent and getting to the final stages of a degree course is something to be really proud of. You've worked hard, and it will pay off.

Just hang in there and finish the degree. Times have changed and the days of people settling into one career for a lifetime have largely gone, with many people going back to college and retraining in a different field. To have a degree under your belt will be a huge thing, it'll open many doors for you.

In post grad education you will have a variety of options to pursue a totally different direction. Take a look at the Springboard website, they have fully funded post grad courses specifically for people who have already completed a degree. They call them conversion courses because they allow people to move their career in a new direction.

So again, well done OP, and the best of luck with your future career.