I'm thinking of dropping out of college and starting an apprenticeship

zoobizoo

5 years to get through 2 years of a business degree.

What subjects are you failing on?

ifeelabreeze

zoobizoo wrote: »

5 years to get through 2 years of a business degree.

What subjects are you failing on?

Between dropping out taking a year out for the apprenticeship and ultimately going back at it again.
First year once, second year twice, year out in between and now third year once.
I'm failing a Business IT module, it's some SAP logistics software programme that I can't make heads or tails of, I can't even get it running on my laptop properly.
I've had to get Windows running on my Mac in order to do it, every time I log in I have to access a server, the page is in German, it never works.

I don't know what is actually is I'm doing, I know theres this programme and a spreadsheet at the end of it, beyond that I don't even know how it's marked.

I scrapped by in my other exams, Accounting, Finance, Marketing, Management and Law.
I haven't gotten through a single year of my degree without having a repeat, I managed to have a marketing repeat because I did the wrong bloody paper the time of remote exams.
I ended up getting 79% in that repeat.

There's nothing out of the business degree that even interests me enough to want a career in it.
Accounting, Econ, Finance - Nope.
Management, yes but I don't want to/wouldn't be on par for the highly competitive management graduate programmes, nor do I really want to do that.
Marketing - I went back to focus on Marketing, easily my best subject, but I now hate it.
I just see it as a shady practice that's morally bankrupt and full to the gills with ****.
It's also far more tedious than I originally thought, lots of surveys, questionnaires, focus groups, and the likes.

To answer your question, some stupid SAP logistics software program.
2nd year round two Marketing Thought, 2nd year first time round, Maths & Stats (different college more maths intensive degree), first year Maths, Stats, Macro economics and Business Information Systems.

ifeelabreeze

Oranage2 wrote: »

Am I right by saying you're in semester 3 now and if you pass this software assignment you'll be in year 4?

You don't want the career you choose to get repetitive? Is working at the supermarket repetitive?

If you can't hack wiring for 4 months what makes you think you can stick out a 4 year apprenticeship?

You also want to start a business?

What are all your friends doing, and slightly personal question but how long do your relationships usually last?


I think you've to be realistic with yourself and also do a bit of growing up.

college isn't for everyone and it's not the end of the world if you drop out. As for your career, I think you need something with quite a considerable less training time. Bus/truck driver, Gardai/fire brigade, army, maybe buy a field and become a farmer. Plenty of options out there.

I think more so your line about growing up rings through in regards to the amount of training, I just need to grow up and get on with it, whatever it may be.

I know I want to start a business, I always have that's not changing any time soon.

Repetitive - Stocking shelves is very repetitive but it's alright, I can zone out and just go through the motions, I'd hate it only for the people I work with.
I get on really well with my coworkers and it's what gets me through the repetitiveness.

I don't mind some repetition, that's to be expected.. I just couldn't work on a production line for the rest of my life, I spent a summer stacking milk onto pallets - wasn't fun.

I could hack wiring, I was asked to sign up as an apprentice.
I think I have a habit/made a habit of always looking at what I don't have.
So I'm always looking for that next big thing, rather than just going out my life one day at a time.
I need to get out of that stupidity.

I think my best bet is to just start into an apprenticeship, seriously consider what I'm going into up until I actually start - from then on it's just a matter of finishing it out.
I can't constantly look at what else is out there, that's all I've been doing.
I just need to start something and finish it, if I hate it or not at this point it's hardly even relevant.. I hate what I'm doing at the moment, at least that way I'd hate what I'm doing, but I'd be getting paid and trained to do it..
Hopefully it doesn't come to that, that I can find something enjoyable, but the be all and end all is I'm getting a qualification at then end of what ever I end up starting.

qwerty13

I genuinely think you’re focusing on the wrong things OP: you’re focusing on the details why you don’t like a course or apprenticeship, as opposed to why you change your mind so often, and don’t stick with anything. I think you also wanted to be an entrepreneur, a driving instructor, and a hairdresser.

I’m not saying any of that to berate you. Just that focussing on the specific career that short-term appeals to you is unlikely to solve what I view as the underlying issues, ie: insufficient research/details/staying power (the ‘immediate gratification’ stuff), and perfectionism (where if you decide you don’t like a couple of aspects, then that career path is dead to you).

I genuinely think you’d benefit from therapy about this. But perhaps approaching from the idea of WHY you are behaving like this, as opposed to focusing on why you don’t want to finish your degree. I feel that the degree v apprenticeship question is looking at the symptoms, and not the problem.

ifeelabreeze

qwerty13 wrote: »

I genuinely think you’re focusing on the wrong things OP: you’re focusing on the details why you don’t like a course or apprenticeship, as opposed to why you change your mind so often, and don’t stick with anything. I think you also wanted to be an entrepreneur, a driving instructor, and a hairdresser.

I’m not saying any of that to berate you. Just that focussing on the specific career that short-term appeals to you is unlikely to solve what I view as the underlying issues, ie: insufficient research/details/staying power (the ‘immediate gratification’ stuff), and perfectionism (where if you decide you don’t like a couple of aspects, then that career path is dead to you).

I genuinely think you’d benefit from therapy about this. But perhaps approaching from the idea of WHY you are behaving like this, as opposed to focusing on why you don’t want to finish your degree. I feel that the degree v apprenticeship question is looking at the symptoms, and not the problem.

Good point, I can see where you're coming from..

I just want to say there is some sort of a thought process behind all of this.
Driving Instructor, already explained but long and short is it's a career I think I'd enjoy (working with others, helping/teaching, I enjoy driving) and there's a lot of scope for self employment/starting a business.

Hairdressing - Hands on work, rewards attention to detail, and there's scope for self employment/starting a business.
I also considered tattooing for the same reasons, still think that would be cool.

I find I'm always looking for something else, I look for a way out instead of a way forward, I'm doing that now but I truly believe I am doing the right thing by leaving college behind.

A 4 year Bachelors is not on the cards.
I remember half learning English quotes the day before my Leaving Cert that's the extent of my studying.
The routine of school suited me far better than the flexibility of college.
Also I'm just in the wrong degree, but there's nothing else that jumps out at me, certainly not when I'm paying out for the first three years if I'm starting over again.

So I guess in terms of what I'm doing, I haven't the faintest idea..
I just know that learning a trade would allow me to work with my hands, it's rewarding, I'd learn an invaluable and employable skill and that could lead to me starting my own business down the line.
It also wouldn't cost me a fortune, I'd learn something and it the ****test day on a building sites sounds far more appealing than a SAP Logistics software assignment.
It's also far more appealing than the possibility of turning 30 (or even 25) and stacking shelves with no end in sight.

qwerty13

I understand your reply. It’s not like I think you’ve put zero thought into it, I’m afraid I just think you’ve put the wrong thought processes into it - and until you deal with that, you’re just repeating a cycle of unhappiness.

There’s lots of people that I know who have ups and downs with their career path. Some of them have retrained and made very different moves. I can understand that. What I can’t understand with you is the complete diversity of careers you land on. It makes no sense to me. None of it is about a love of x type of work, it’s just random and bizarre. I think you need to talk to someone about why you keep doing this. I know a couple of diagnoses have been mentioned on this thread, but I’m reluctant to go there. But what I would say (again) is that you need to examine why you jump between wildly differing careers, don’t stick with any of them, and zone in on 1 aspect of the career that you’ve jumped to that isn’t perfect - and then you jump yet again.

It comes down to what the hell are you searching for OP.

Could you do a course in anything that you’re interested in that lasts for a year. And just commit to it and not be perfectionist about it. Just do it. I’m wondering if that would helpful to you, to do a relatively short term course with a sense of achievement when it’s done. This flipping and flopping is clearly hurting you mentally.

Vital Transformation

I wrote in your last thread and still stick by that advice.

Email the lecturer of the Business IT module. You're struggling with it but that is a process that can help. Lecturers are paid to support and help you, make use of it and other additional supports provided by the college.

homer1982

Hi OP

I was in the same boat as you just over 15 years ago. I was in college but dropped out to do an Electrical/instrumentation apprenticeship. I did mine in a big food plant factory setting, I am now in the Pharma sector which is interesting work and high pay. Even on site people will look down at us maintenance lads but why? Maybe they don't realize how technical and interesting our job is, or the absolute freedom we have on site and a big part is the pay.........generally we are the highest paid roles on site at a technician level.

If you are interested in the electrical route I would advise the instrumentation apprenticeship or the electrical/instrumentation apprenticeship if its still available. There is a huge shortage of instrumentation qualified techs in this country and most other countries and unlike the electrical trade there is no problem with instrumentation anywhere in the world as it is generally all the same.

If you want a trade that provides security I would recommend the plumbing route, its hard to get a good plumber and like it was said before its almost recession proof.

qwerty13

While I think you’ve got great practical advice re apprenticeships OP, I feel that my original point still stands, ie why do you flit from one extremely different choice to another (not just college v apprenticeship, there was also stuff about driving instructor, hairdresser, entrepreneur - and if I’m recalling correctly, you also wanted to be a consultant or surgeon).

To me, the degree v apprenticeship debate is just window dressing. The real issue is why you flip flop so wildly. I was reluctant to agree with others suggesting a medical diagnosis, but by now, it’s something that I really think you should push for. At least then you may gain clarity on why you behave how you do.

Wanderer78

....and some say our educational and training systems aren't too bad!

I've add, autism and dyslexia op, feel free to have a chat

Give yourself a break from all this what will I be when I grow up, you're torturing yourself, there's really no rush in figuring it out, but good guidance is essential

Brian?

suicide_circus wrote: »

Do it. We have a weird fetish in this country for for getting everyone into college no matter their suitability. The result? A huge amount of dropouts and a massive shortage of trades people. Everyone in starbucks has a degree. I wish i'd learned a trade.

I doubt everyone in Starbucks has a degree, but that’s a digression.

It’s a very good thing that we encourage people towards 3rd level education. The Irish economy is fuelled by well educated graduates. We absolutely shouldn’t change this mentality.

As for the OP, give up on College and do a trade. Just be realistic about where it’s going to bring you. You say you want to start your own business and that you you have a business brain. That’s a bit of nonsense, there’s no such thing as a business brain. Success is a function of

1. Hard work
2. Ambition
3. Skills
4. Knowledge

If you do switch to a trade you need to work your balls off.

Wanderer78

Brian? wrote:

It’s a very good thing that we encourage people towards 3rd level education. The Irish economy is fuelled by well educated graduates. We absolutely shouldn’t change this mentality.

Our educational system has become academically biased, yes it is good to encourage further education, but society requires many different types of people and different types of trained people, in order to function. Drop out rates are very high, and have been for a very long time, our educational system is failing. Ireland needs to diversify its educational and training systems to accommodate this essential, critical and urgent need, it is time to change, now

Wanderer78

Brian? wrote:

If you do switch to a trade you need to work your balls off.

Oh and the op has been working their balls off, and by the sounds of it, for a very long time

From what i know,the electrian trade is notrious for first 12 to 18 months just being lads hauling cables/chasing walls etc......if its not for yous,fair enough

But it would be most technical of trades earlist,your along way down line in other trades (such as mechanic) before specilaing/going as deep into particular areas....many lads dont ever even get that far,but you can work anywhere with a trade


I wouldnt feel bad for dropping out of it/college,but no point in hopping between jobs/courses and drifting along and being 30 before you know it either.....have you taught about joining army/navy,these do apprenticeships and have an insistance on exceptional standreds aswell.....the gaurds are likely recruiting heavily over next year or two aswell,as they emptied templemore for numbers at start of covid crisis

Theres plenty of good jobs about,without tieeing down onto a trade/college

Edit: aldi/lidl also recruit inhouse for managers and do a both hands on/college aspect to it aswell

ILoveYourVibes

OP if you really want it. Just do it.


Good luck ..everything will work itself out.

Find out where you need to be and put yourself there.

antix80

Hi op

You sound like a lad who's reasonably intelligent, easily bored, not good at desk work and not fussed on repetitiveness work.

There's no easy way out. It's called a poo sandwich.
You not stubborn enough to bull through menial tasks you're not good at, yet you're not good enough to sail through admin tasks that you should be good at.

9 am is one side, 5pm is the other. In between is poo. Eat that sandwich and you earn a living..

*alternatively, do physical work in construction handy €20-25 an hour....within a few years you may learn enough to call yourself skilled... Your college education may even kick in at some stage

qwerty13

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

OP if you really want it. Just do it.


Good luck ..everything will work itself out.

Find out where you need to be and put yourself there.

I have to strenuously disagree. The OP has flitted between apprenticeships and degrees, assuming changing life path would make them happy - but it didn’t, and that’s why they’re asking for other posters opinions.

Everything doesn’t ‘work itself out’, unless you’ve a lot of supports and cash behind you, or at the very least a single minded laser focused vision that lets you spend years being low earning while you build up a history of consistent hard work and achievement towards attainment of a goal.

Real life means accepting the unpalatable sometimes, but it’s good to analyse that in terms of a balance between the reality of ideal outcome or job, versus rent and bills and surviving. Some people prefer to have a lower paid lower stress job, and get their fulfilment elsewhere - whereas for others their fulfilment involves being higher paid/status, and accepting the stress and downsides of that.

The OP appears to me to want all of the gain/glory/high earnings/status - but none of the unpalatable stuff like putting up with a certain percentage of boring work, or sticking with a plan. The OP is clearly unhappy with how things have turned out for them, so telling them to ‘just do it’ and ‘everything will work itself out’ just equals you advising them to keep repeating the pattern that has clearly made them unhappy to date.

LegacyUser

ifeelabreeze wrote: »

it's some SAP logistics software programme that I can't make heads or tails of, I can't even get it running on my laptop properly.
I've had to get Windows running on my Mac in order to do it, every time I log in I have to access a server, the page is in German, it never works.

I don't know what is actually is I'm doing, I know theres this programme and a spreadsheet at the end of it, beyond that I don't even know how it's marked.

There's nothing out of the business degree that even interests me enough to want a career in it.
Accounting, Econ, Finance - Nope.

Management, yes but I don't want to/wouldn't be on par for the highly competitive management graduate programmes, nor do I really want to do that.
Marketing - I went back to focus on Marketing, easily my best subject, but I now hate it.

I just see it as a shady practice that's morally bankrupt and full to the gills with ****.
It's also far more tedious than I originally thought, lots of surveys, questionnaires, focus groups, and the likes.

To answer your question, some stupid SAP logistics software program..

I'll break this out as I see it.

This isn't about whether you should drop out of an academic course and start a career working with your hands.... it's about your childish attitude/lack of ability to find solutions to what appear to me are relatively simple problems and how you deal with problems and failure.



Your SAP course:
You have a subject that you don't understand - that's fair enough. But the excuses regarding your computer and the software and no mention of 'I contacted my lecturer/tutor/class rep etc" and the fact that you've just given up, without seeking to understand or get concrete steps together as to how you will over come it

The way you put it yourself "some stupid software programme"... seriously, It's like a teenager refusing to learn Irish because 'no one speaks it' or a foreign language because 'I'll never go there'.


When I couldn't understand some of my course work I rang the director. When the course syllabus changed unexpectedly, I got voted in as class rep, called a class meeting, got an exemption from 1 subject and got the college to put on a more relevant subject.

If you don't know how it's marked - pick up your phone and call or email and enquire. If you haven't done that, why haven't you?

If you can't find anything interesting in a course - anything - then the problem is with you!

I have no interest in engineering but I'd say a lecture on bridge building, or aquaducts or whatever would hold some interest. Ie, how things and the world works. Gross Profit/Net Profit/Interest Rates/Supply & Demand - all become more interesting when you run your own business.

You don't want to do a management graduate programme that you wouldn't qualify for. That's fair enough. Management doesn't suit everyone.

You've discounted marketing (YOUR BEST SUBJECT) as shady and BS (parts can be but I'll tell you this - working in an advertising agency with lots of creative people, lots of smart and funny people and having the ability to influence others' behaviour is really enjoyable).

What's more telling is the "more tedious" comment. Those parts of marketing can be boring. But you need to study them to get the course - that's life.

And now you "hate" marketing.



The bigger picture here is how you deal (or don't deal) with adversity and your ability (or inability) to cope with stumbling blocks.



As an aside, might you have ADD? No ability to concentrate on things that don't interest you.... flitting from one job / course to the next? Look it up.

markmoto

ifeelabreeze wrote: »

I think an apprenticeship is my best bet, I just hope I'm not making another mistake

We never know what life would throw at us and where we end in 10-20 years time.

I knew some lads started as voice pickers 12 years ago. One work now as suppliers manager same company other lad day planner.
And both got number of trainings paid by the company.


You just have to find your own niche.

For successful business you would need in dept knowledge/experience or be very talented.

bobmalooka

It’s very hard to know what path to follow.

I don’t know if I have any advice that will help you with your career choices but I do think you could do with some perspective.

The vast vast vast majority of successful people have had to grind it out through the crap. Things aren’t just easy for them - most of teen they pushed harder though the crap than their peers.

The **** hot lawyers didn’t just walk into court - they spent years up to their eyes in paper work, writing letters, filling forms for 14 hours a day.

The partners in the big accounting firms all did their busy seasons, chasing confirms, ticking and bashing till 2am for 4 months of the year.

The consultants in your local hospital didn’t walk in dishing out sage words to the interns - they’ve done the night shifts, the 60 hour weeks,

All of them would have spent time doing things they didn’t like or weren’t good at - sometimes you just have to get it done.

My point is - it kind of reads like you expect things to always go your way and if they don’t it means that it’s not the right path and ultimately worth pushing through.

Everything worth pursuing will have challenges - so logically being challenged doesn’t mean what you’re doing isn’t worth doing