Half way through a degree I don't enjoy

TheBiz

Its a 3 year degree, I'm coming up to the half way point.
I'm studying business, I tolerate some areas but I overall I have no interest, I hate going to sleep because I know I have to go into college in the morning, as a result my attendance has been quite poor.

This is on going, I posted something similar first year, this time I don't have any friends, I'm completely separated from my old 'friends'.
My housemates are the closest thing I have to friends despite having nothing in common with them (2 friends from home).

I know what I am interested in.
I am interested in fashion, menswear, streetwear, silversmithing.
That's where I hope to be in the future, I mean I am interested in music as well but I don't see that as something I would like to make a career out of.
Fashion, jewellery design on the other hand..

But I'm half way through, I've essentially wasted a year and a half and god knows how much money.

I want to get out of the city I am in.
I can't afford to move to Dublin to study at NCAD. Nevermind moving to London.

I already feel like I've gone down the wrong path, I've ****ed up and I'm paying for it now.

Do I continue with a degree I dislike, and try to get through it?
I'll probably come out in a position where I cannot get into a postgrad position, which most people in my course tend to go into.
Or do I some how attempt to move?

zoobizoo

Could you do the degree with a fashion focus in mind?

If you were working in fashion, is it as a designer for a brand or for yourself?


Every one in business should have some background in business techniques - I'd imagine that there's a focus on marketing on your course which is essential to any fashion brand.

Accountancy, which is boring to most of us, is a great resource to have to be able to know about mark ups, margins, tax and profitability - again , all useful if you're running a business.

Hollister11

I'd finish it.

It's 18 months more, probably 9 months of college, and you have a business degrees at the end, which will stand to you.

It will open up a whole range of postgraduate courses to you, that you might enjoy.

eet fuk

I dropped out twice before finding something I enjoyed studying (once after 6 months, and once after about 15 months). I was blessed however as I was living with the parents and they helped me fund my first dropout. The second time I just got student loans to pay the fees.

I know what it’s like to be studying a degree that you have no interest in, and to feel like you have no friends to help ease the burden. Given that you might not be able to afford the path I took, it would be wise not to make any hasty decisions - I made sure that I didn’t start a full time job between dropouts to ensure that I went back to college rather than getting too “comfortable”. I would suggest looking into studying abroad. There are cases within the EU where they will basically pay you to study afaik. I’ve heard of universities in Scandinavia doing this... might not be a key fashion hub like London, but you could enjoy it more than what you’re currently doing.

My main prices of advice are:
1) Don’t drop out without a plan of action. 2) It’s never too late to change your path - I graduated with my ordinary degree at 24 and then my honors degree at 26.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

SouthernBelle

Permabear wrote: »

This post had been deleted.

This is exactly what I was going to post.

If you think of your degree in terms of helping you with your future fashion business, it might help you to focus on it in a more positive way.

Best of luck to you.

Tenigate

Here's one from your business books.. A Gap analysis.

Figure out what you'll have if you puddle on with your degree. You'll have a degree by the end of it. Maybe a 2.2 if you're lucky given your lack of interest.

Then figure out what you want to do. So, junior merchandise something or other.. Look up a job spec.. Do you need a degree for a graduate job & will a business degree suffice? Do you need a portfolio of some description? Do you need industry experience (unpaid summer work)?

In short, if you know what you want it should be easy to figure out the next steps. Just look at what you currently lack to find your ideal job in 2 years time if you continue on your current path.

If you have absolutely no idea what you want, you might as well stick with your degree rather than doing nothing. At the very least you are in a better position to apply for internships, graduate jobs, and you'll gain some experience in working on teams, etc.

Sleepy

Let's be honest here OP, most of what you're interested in aren't exactly reliable career paths. Fashion is fickle by nature and only a handful of those trying it will ever make a proper living from designing, writing about it etc. Even at the "boring" retail end of the business: most boutiques /fashion outlets fail in a matter of months.

Silversmithing is probably even less likely to generate a living wage for you. Your competition for the mass market lives in lower cost countries that you can never compete with, leaving you only a small niche of the market to sell to which you'll have to fight tooth and nail for and will likely end up having to turn to teaching to make ends meet anyway.

There's a reason why the majority of those at the top of the artistic careers are from rich or comfortable middle-class backgrounds: it's because they can afford to fail. Mammy and Daddy's money is still there for them if things don't work out. For the rest of us, failure at an impractical career is likely to leave us long-term unemployed until we manage to convince the government to re-train us in a more realistic career-path.

Maybe you're good enough to be the exception to the rule but it's a big risk, and a stupid one to take without a safety net. Fortunately you're 18 months away from having such a safety net: a generic degree that opens a lot of career opportunities to you. You've said that you can't afford a move to Dublin to attend NACD or to London to attend another course there. Have you a strong enough portfolio at present that they'd accept you? Perhaps the business degree could provide you with the means to pay for this (via a "boring" business role in admin / marketing / accounting etc. after graduating) while also giving you time to improve your portfolio. Sure, it'll take a few years to get back to what you want to actually do with your life but it'll give you a safety net (a degree and some work experience that should make you employable in the "real" world) and, as Permabear says, some skills those that go straight into the art degree won't have: marketing, finance and the reality of running a business.

I'm sure that's not what you want to hear but it's the reality of the way the world works: for every rags-to-riches story there's a million stories of those who didn't make it.

TheBiz

Looking at it from my point, I know finishing my degree is the best option..

I'm already not in a good place but I hate college, it's a major cause of my problems, I have not been happy in a long time, and I know that if i drop out I'll just have a whole new set of problems..

I just want to get out, I want to f*ck off and leave everyone behind, I want to start over.
It's not normal to default to a mixture between pissed off and depressed.

A few years, all my problems were hypothetical, 'what if I don't get into college', 'what if I fail'.. everything has become real.
People say college should be the best years of your life, in all honesty, I sincerely hope not or I'm in for a miserable existence.

I've got no other options, I didn't even do art for my Leaving (I was focusing on points, I wanted to study business)..
I'm up to my neck in **** I don't care about.

LegacyUser

TheBiz wrote: »

Looking at it from my point, I know finishing my degree is the best option..

I'm already not in a good place but I hate college, it's a major cause of my problems, I have not been happy in a long time, and I know that if i drop out I'll just have a whole new set of problems..

I just want to get out, I want to f*ck off and leave everyone behind, I want to start over.
It's not normal to default to a mixture between pissed off and depressed.

A few years, all my problems were hypothetical, 'what if I don't get into college', 'what if I fail'.. everything has become real.
People say college should be the best years of your life, in all honesty, I sincerely hope not or I'm in for a miserable existence.

I've got no other options, I didn't even do art for my Leaving (I was focusing on points, I wanted to study business)..
I'm up to my neck in **** I don't care about.

This is a bit different from your first post. Your first post presented a choice you faced, a set of options to be weighed and measured, the post above is no such thing, it's a cry for help and not help with college choices. I agree with the posters who've advised you to stay and get a degree that will actually help you in the fields you'd like to work in, that will be a huge asset to you. But I'd suggest that you more urgently address the fact that it's currently making you that stressed and angry, because it seems that's quite a bit deeper and the real origin of your current problems with college being just a symptom.

Tenigate

TheBiz wrote: »

Looking at it from my point, I know finishing my degree is the best option..

It might not be. If finishing college is motivated by fear of leaving college, and this repeats a pattern of the course you did in college, your first CAO option, your leaving cert subjects, your junior cert results.. maybe leaving college would break the cycle. Maybe finish 2nd year and take a year out for some headspace.

TheBiz wrote: »

I'm already not in a good place but I hate college, it's a major cause of my problems, I have not been happy in a long time, and I know that if i drop out I'll just have a whole new set of problems..

I just want to get out, I want to f*ck off and leave everyone behind, I want to start over.

Of course you can "start over". Simply leave college and... "start over"

If it took 18 months to figure out what you don't want to do, it was time well spent.

TheBiz wrote: »

It's not normal to default to a mixture between pissed off and depressed.

It is surprisingly normal. It's just not healthy.

TheBiz wrote: »

A few years, all my problems were hypothetical, 'what if I don't get into college', 'what if I fail'.. everything has become real.

If all your decisions and goals were motivated by fear or failing, it's not surprising that you're obsessed with fear and failing.

Say you decided you didn't want to be a labourer, but you did Fas courses in labouring, and any jobs you applied for were in labouring, and you gained a few years experience. And you hated every moment of it and found it hard to keep a job... where does fashion design fit into it?

TheBiz wrote: »

People say college should be the best years of your life, in all honesty, I sincerely hope not or I'm in for a miserable existence.

College will be the best years of your life if you enjoy college. Then again, so will your working years if you enjoy the work you do. But every one's different.

If you're so obsessed with your fear of living a miserable existence, that's exactly what your life will be built around.

TheBiz wrote: »

I've got no other options, I didn't even do art for my Leaving (I was focusing on points, I wanted to study business)..
I'm up to my neck in **** I don't care about.

Well, you got advice on how a degree may be beneficial to your career. And honestly, leaving cert art is neither here nor there - you won't get a job with leaving cert art.

Nothing stopping you from doing art. College is 9-5. Do you not pursue your passions outside those hours? You could build your portfolio in the evenings. You could do a level 5 or 6 course of some description to help.

Some people have pretty fulfilling lives working a regular 9-5 and following their passions in the evenings. Other people work a dreary 9-5 while using their evenings to upskill into the industry they want to be in. I think a few lucky souls find their vocation, i.e. their work and their "reason for living" coincide. .. "find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life"

My advice to you right now is get motivated about your career choices, and spend your time pursuing them.

LirW

I have sympathy for the OP.
It seems you're still really young and I know how it feels when you realise you made a decision that doesn't feel right.

But first things first: You chose some very creative field. These fields all come down to talent therefore you face huge competition there. What really makes a difference is the knowledge about "the boring stuff in the background". You need to be good with money, marketing and always keep tracks of your numbers.
Coming from an Art school I've been through the whole lot. I started fashion school (I didn't go to school in Ireland) when I was 15. I dropped out after the first year, wasn't a big deal then. The thing is all these academic paths have a lot of incredibly dry background. Like really dry. So dry you'll hate it so much. Usually you have to learn a lot of very conservative methods and you'll spend years with teachers that have to bash classic fashion and construction into your head because it's the base for all the creative work that follows. If you're self-taught, the chances you'll succeed are even smaller.

Anyway I moved on into Art school where you dip your toes into several fields before sticking with one. I spent a lot of time silversmithing there and you need to be made for that, tough field, you're prone to permanently injured hands and if you don't love small scaled work stay clear. Didn't have the patience.
I sticked with Media in the end, graduated, was qualified as a media engineer and guess what: I left the field asap and didn't look back, I hated it so much. Precarious work, permanently underfunded, horrible working hours and you can't have a family with it.

In the end I ended up with the most boring job: as an accountant because for some reason I love doing all this background work. I worked for a small successful business for several years before the owners moved on and ironically pursued an art career. The thing is I got to learn so much about how small businesses operate in these years that no college ever would have taught me.
On the downside, I regret dropping out of fashion school, what a stubborn stupid teenager I was.

The advice I can give you: Someone said don't drop out without a plan. Can you do some short course to give you a feel for your chosen fields?
And the most important one: Build a strong portfolio, you will need it. Use your spare time to train fashion drawing (this is hard, don't underestimate that). Tailor. Put every minute into your portfolio and have it reviewed by someone reputable. If you can get your hands on any internship, there you go.
But don't drop out without a good plan of what to do.
If you don't see yourself sticking it out, don't. Especially if it does affect your mental health. But if you really want that work hard to find a good way to keep you going on the alternative route.

Even though a business degree can save you and once you face running or working in a small business you'll think back about what you learned every single day.

Rubberchikken

You might like the idea of following a career in one of the options you mentioned but have you the talent for It?
You.need to look at this clearly and without sentiment.
There's really no point in talking about wanting to do certain thi us if you haven't the talent.

On the college thing, if you're truly miserable then leave. Nothing is worth that.
Take time and go through your options.

qwerty13

You may, or may not succeed at your chosen career. Everything you’ve mentioned as your chosen path involves: incredible talent, financial back-up, networking, and a lot of hard graft.

The degree you’re following probably has little to do with that; but make no mistake, you will still have to be very savvy about financial stuff, in order to make it work for you. I really do think that is important to have a business qualification under your belt if you are going to set up on your own.

I really think dropping out would be cutting off your nose to spite your face. The degree might have very little practical application- but it looks v good when applying for a business loan

MartyMcFly84

I left college after completing three years. I was going through a hard time in my final year, disliked my course course because it had no direction for me that I could see, and I had very poor attendance and I did not have a clue how to put a thesis together. I hit the sauce hard and dropped out of college.

I f****d off abroad for a few years. Which was a great experience but ultimately I was running away from my responsibility to myself. It would have been much better had I left with a degree when without. When I came back after 5/6 years I had to realise I was almost 30 and had no qualification since my leaving cert.

To this day I regret it. I am a different person now, but if I could talk to myself back then, I would say I was making a difficult situation worse for myself by not turning up and putting in the effort and of course the drinking (which was just another form of running away). Sometimes what benefits us in life is the stuff we dont want to do at the time.

I am in my 30s now working and studying at night. It is so much harder now, and I wish I had the maturity back then to complete my degree, when I all had to worry about was going to college. Not to mention seeing people in my work 6/7 years younger than me making almost twice as much and making life much easier for themselves

I would suggest trying to get through the degree, afterwards you can move into something else but at least you will have a qualification behind you. I never thought I would end up in the sector I am now, life can go lots of directions and having qualifications helps with whatever might be down the line.

Mr. Incognito

Hi there,

Welcome to life. Not everyone gets to live their dream job.

Everything takes work.

Don't like your social life- join clubs and societies.

Getting bad grades- Study and show up more.

You need to stop idolising "starting again". There is no such thing.

You just get on with it and set new goals once you have completed these ones.

Airyfairy12

Having a business degree alongside a strong fashion portfolio or fashion/textile qualification is hugely beneficial, fashion and design is a business after all and having that will be a great asset if you decide to start your own fashion brand/company or even work for a fashion industry, it will make potential buyers and employers take you more seriously.

If you apply for a job in somewhere like H&M or Dunnes Stores it will put you a mile ahead of other potential job seekers as you'll have a deeper understanding of business as a whole, it will add a nice balance to your cv and will show that youre serious about a career in the fashion/design industry.

I studied an arts degree and I genuinely feel that business should be a module on all creative courses because you leave not having a clue how to start career and basically being unemployable without an add on relevant masters. I honestly think that if creative courses included practical modules like business and finance we'd see allot more creative types securing employment from their degree.

Work on a portfolio in your spare time and when you finish your degree look into fetac level 5 or 6 fashion and textile courses. You may think its what you want but may find the measuring, hand sewing, machines, pattern making and cutting - the bulk of making clothes, tedious and unfulfilling.

Limerick offer a very good BA course in fashion and textiles if you decide to go down that root. Its a cheaper option to Dublin but just as good. NCAD is very over rated imo.

In the meantime id strongly suggest you stick out your business course as it will be a huge benefit to you in any career but particularly in a creative industry were youre basically self directed in your approach to securing employment - you wont walk straight into job security.