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

  • 12-04-2021 2:27pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 293 ✭✭


    I've known for a long time college isn't for me.
    But I've seriously tried sticking it out for the sake of the time and money I've spent on it up to now.

    I can't see myself getting a degree and even if I was to it wouldn't be a very good one.
    In terms of careers after the fact, I don't fancy a 9-5 desk job.

    It's taken me nearly 5 years to pass 2 years of a business degree, I'm going to fail 3 year.
    I have a repeat due that's a semester long software assignment and I can't do it, I've tried speaking with the lecturers and I'm none the wiser, I don't know what it is, how it works or how it's even graded.
    I've tried starting/doing it numerous times and I can't do it, I'm going to fail again, there's no question about it.

    I cannot study, I can't sit at a desk and do assignments let alone study additional material.
    It's a joke, but it's the truth, I've tried and I can't make it happen.
    Beyond that I actually just despise the work I'm doing, I don't enjoy accounting (but can do), finance, maths, stats, economics, I tolerate management, I'm good at marketing but I think it's morally dodgy.
    IT/IS will be the death of me, there's nothing out of this degree that in any way shape or form interests me, it was a mistake.

    I'm seriously considering going back and starting an apprenticeship.

    I left my degree a few years back to start an apprenticeship, I rushed into an electrical apprenticeship with an industrial outfit and I hated it.
    I liked parts of it, working with my hands, seeing a job through and what not.
    But I really just didnt' enjoy the electrical work itself, pulling cables, chasing wires, cutting cable tray and unistrut.
    I left after 4 months when they wanted me to sign up as an apprentice, partly because of the work itself but more so because the crowd I worked for were horrible.

    I stupidly decided to try once again to get a degree, I wrote off apprenticeships as a whole after that and I was wrong to do so.
    I went back because the grass is always greener, I thought if I changed out of that business degree, started back in as a second year in a degree that had less Maths/Stats components I'd manage it.
    Studying seemed like a doddle when I was getting roared at by a middle aged man for not picking up the rubble as it was falling on top of me.

    I don't know but I think maybe plumbing or HVAC/Refrigeration would more up my alley.
    I wouldn't fancy industrial work but I'd manage.

    I work part time in a supermarket and I've seen fellas come in fixing fridges and what not, that looks interesting.
    I'm fine with dirty work, I've a strong stomach.
    I hated being out in the p*ssing rain in the middle of winter but then again, who doesn't.

    I've worked with an uncle who's a carpenter, he fits kitchens, wardrobes etc.
    I liked going into people homes and doing jobs, more than going on site.
    I'd consider going down the carpentry route but even he's told me I'd be better off with a more recession proof trade.

    I just don't know if I'm making the same mistake again.
    But then again I am certain college just aint it.

    I think I left the original apprenticeship for a couple reasons.
    - Didn't find the actual electrical work interesting, I picked the wrong trade based on 'prestige' and money.
    - Hated the company I worked for, there was a lot of bullying, I guess that's almost to be expected, but I ended up blowing up at a guy who made a point of telling me how useless I was, I don't mind getting a bucket of sparks, but I have some respect for myself I won't get pinned to a wall by a fella.
    - I missed the whole college life/experience, but at 23, that's behind me, I only got to experience a year of it, and it honestly did me no good.
    All my mates were out during the week and working weekends, I was working 10+ hour days.

    So I'm thinking of going back on the tools, I have been for some time now.
    I just want to get out of this cycle of making mistakes.
    Between going to college in the first place, sticking it out, going into the wrong apprenticeship, leaving (I hated it but I probably should have tried to make it work), and ultimately going back to college.. Whatever possessed me to do that I don't know.

    I'm fine with hard work, I know I can apply myself to a physical task, and I can't do that with a laptop and an assignment.
    I like working with my hands and fixing things.
    I think an apprenticeship is my best way of not falling into being 30 and working in a supermarket.

    I just need some advice.
    How do I know if I'm making a mistake?
    Am I doing the right thing?
    I know the majority will probably say 'get your degree, it'll stand do ya', you're right, but what if I can't?
    I honestly don't think I can get a degree, even then I don't want it, hate isn't a strong enough word, I hate college, I'm miserable where I'm at and I want to change that.
    I know there's college elements to an apprenticeship and I'd manage that but a 4 year degree isn't for me.

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


«1

Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,739 ✭✭✭zoobizoo


    Did you not pose the same question before but with a desire to become a entrepreneur?


  • Registered Users Posts: 545 ✭✭✭CageWager


    One of the worst things we do in this country is try to shoehorn young people into cubicle office jobs via the university system. Some people are much happier working with their hands or working outside - OP it sounds like you have given it plenty of thought and if you know in your heart of hearts that the office life isn’t for you, then go for the apprenticeship. Probably a smart move given the demand for housing over the next 20 years.

    Trust your gut. Best of luck.


  • Registered Users Posts: 293 ✭✭ifeelabreeze


    zoobizoo wrote: »
    Did you not pose the same question before but with a desire to become a entrepreneur?

    I did indeed and that's still true.

    I want to eventually start my own business.

    I'm looking at learning a trade, and I'll start my own business down the road.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 34,104 ✭✭✭✭listermint


    Unsure if your uncle thinks you might be flakey or not. But a good carpenter should always be in demand. Work can come from being a fitter first fixes etc to custom work and or floor fitting doors , garden construction and various other things. Plumbing is dirty work but again people always need heat and water it's recession proof. But like anything else if you don't have the business brain for it then you can easily not have work.

    Being good at boths sides of those trades would stand to you.


  • Registered Users Posts: 293 ✭✭ifeelabreeze


    CageWager wrote: »
    One of the worst things we do in this country is try to shoehorn young people into cubicle office jobs via the university system. Some people are much happier working with their hands or working outside - OP it sounds like you have given it plenty of thought and if you know in your heart of hearts that the office life isn’t for you, then go for the apprenticeship. Probably a smart move given the demand for housing over the next 20 years.

    Trust your gut. Best of luck.

    I have, I've posted here and elsewhere before and I've gotten the same 'stick it out advice', that's well and good but I know college isn't for me.
    I wish it was because I would have saved myself and my parents a lot of time money, and headaches.
    I've been stressed beyond belief, I've spent a fortune on college.
    I'd like to get a degree at the end of it but I honestly don't think that's going to happen.

    I hate how people see my posts like this one and just assume that I'm lazy or that I'm simply looking for a way out.
    I've tried, I've spent the last 5 years trying to do something (anything) right.
    I don't need the stern talking to about how I need to cop on, I tell myself that daily.

    I think an apprenticeship is the route for me, I just seriously hope I'm not making yet another mistake in a long line of f*ck ups.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 293 ✭✭ifeelabreeze


    listermint wrote: »
    Unsure if your uncle thinks you might be flakey or not. But a good carpenter should always be in demand. Work can come from being a fitter first fixes etc to custom work and or floor fitting doors , garden construction and various other things. Plumbing is dirty work but again people always need heat and water it's recession proof. But like anything else if you don't have the business brain for it then you can easily not have work.

    Being good at boths sides of those trades would stand to you.

    No he actually offered me an apprenticeship, he just said it's there if I want it but to look for something more recession proof.
    I definitely think I have a business brain, despite my track record of hating my business degree!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,122 ✭✭✭Idle Passerby


    You are far better doing an apprenticeship than sticking out a course you dislike and don't expect good results from. However, you've tried it before and gave up completely because you didn't like that particular trade and the people you worked with. Then went back to it again despite disliking it enough to leave previously. There seems to be a trend of flitting from one thing to the next and back again which if that's what your doing, it won't matter if it's a course or a trade, you need to pick something and stick with it to get anywhere.

    It does sound like the course doesn't suit you after 5 years trying to complete it, your not happy and have lost interest so there's no point continuing with it. But why not do some proper research into what specific trade you'd enjoy. You sound a bit vague in what your looking for. You'd like to fix fridges but don't like electrical work. You want to do carpentry but not outdoors or on sites. Every job will have elements you dislike. You'll never be satisfied if you wait for something perfect to land in your lap. You need to work out what will engage your interest before leaping headfirst in only to give up when some element doesn't suit you.


  • Registered Users Posts: 293 ✭✭ifeelabreeze


    You are far better doing an apprenticeship than sticking out a course you dislike and don't expect good results from. However, you've tried it before and gave up completely because you didn't like that particular trade and the people you worked with. Then went back to it again despite disliking it enough to leave previously. There seems to be a trend of flitting from one thing to the next and back again which if that's what your doing, it won't matter if it's a course or a trade, you need to pick something and stick with it to get anywhere.

    It does sound like the course doesn't suit you after 5 years trying to complete it, your not happy and have lost interest so there's no point continuing with it. But why not do some proper research into what specific trade you'd enjoy. You sound a bit vague in what your looking for. You'd like to fix fridges but don't like electrical work. You want to do carpentry but not outdoors or on sites. Every job will have elements you dislike. You'll never be satisfied if you wait for something perfect to land in your lap. You need to work out what will engage your interest before leaping headfirst in only to give up when some element doesn't suit you.

    You hit the nail on the head.
    There's no point lying about it, I've made a habit of it.
    I know I need to find something and stick with it, more over I want to.
    I just want to find the right 'thing for me, I'm fairly certain that's going to be a trade of some description.

    When I said I didn't like electrical work, it was the industrial electrical work I didn't/don't enjoy.
    It was just pulling cables thicker than my arm every day of the week.
    I did some short stents in the office buildings, chasing cables, wiring sockets and what not, I liked that.
    I'd even go as far as to say I wouldn't mind fitting houses/offices etc.
    I just did not like the industrial work, the higher voltage stuff wasn't for me.

    I don't mind being outside, I just wouldn't fancy a trade that spends every day outside, like roofing..


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,122 ✭✭✭Idle Passerby


    You hit the nail on the head.
    There's no point lying about it, I've made a habit of it.
    I know I need to find something and stick with it, more over I want to.
    I just want to find the right 'thing for me, I'm fairly certain that's going to be a trade of some description.

    When I said I didn't like electrical work, it was the industrial electrical work I didn't/don't enjoy.
    It was just pulling cables thicker than my arm every day of the week.
    I did some short stents in the office buildings, chasing cables, wiring sockets and what not, I liked that.
    I'd even go as far as to say I wouldn't mind fitting houses/offices etc.
    I just did not like the industrial work, the higher voltage stuff wasn't for me.

    I don't mind being outside, I just wouldn't fancy a trade that spends every day outside, like roofing..

    Well your already on the way to narrowing down a field you'd enjoy working in. I don't know much about being an electrician but I'm guessing you'd have to learn all of it before deciding to specialise in the area you prefer. So you'd just have to knuckle down and get through the parts you aren't into in order to get qualified. Then presumably you could focus on the area you do like.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,055 ✭✭✭Emme


    OP if you have a chance to do an apprenticeship you would like go for it. A college degree isn't the be all and end all. Someone on the radio was saying that a primary degree now will give you the same access to employment as a leaving certificate 30 years ago.

    Having a trade will be invaluable in years to come. If you're good you will have no problem setting up your own business when you are qualified.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 666 ✭✭✭sadie1502


    Life is short. Don't be stuck doing something you detest. Go for it what have you got to lose!


  • Registered Users Posts: 69 ✭✭sunshine2018


    Don’t be too hard on yourself - lots of people don’t know what they want to do and you have to try a few different things before you find out what your are good at and what you enjoy.
    I think before you jump into something you need to do some more research and really consider your options
    You are on the right track - keep thinking about your skill set and what you enjoy doing - environments you enjoy. You could consider a career guidance professional who can administer some testing to help you refine your focus (but try to get a recommendation as not all are equal !)
    Don’t stay pursuing a degree you hate - life is too short! There are many many apprenticeships outside the traditional electrician / carpenter etc. Check them out here : https://apprenticeship.ie/
    You need to look into this more and get a list of all the options - then do some further research on each of them to see if they be a fit
    I had about 10 different jobs before I settled on my career including completing 2 out of a 3 year degree but I dropped out to go travelling.
    It seems to be causing you a bit of anxiety - you want to think about it of course but don’t let it consume you
    Best of luck


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,016 ✭✭✭Blush_01


    Hey OP, I'm curious why you think you'll get different advice from the last time you posted this same issue?


  • Registered Users Posts: 293 ✭✭ifeelabreeze


    Blush_01 wrote: »
    Hey OP, I'm curious why you think you'll get different advice from the last time you posted this same issue?

    Because I have already?
    I think I've put across my point a little better this time around, also by the fact that I've bothered to ask twice probably shows how much I hate my current situation.

    Apologies if it's a nuisance, I can see how it could be.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,272 ✭✭✭qwerty13


    As I see it, there’s two major issues that you need to address:
    1. You want immediate gratification - to jump straight to the end result/‘the glory’ without putting in the ground work. This is even true of the level of research that you’ve put into making major decisions.
    2. Anything that is less than the idealised version in your head becomes somehow intolerable to you.

    Unless you address these issues, I feel that you will be stuck in an endless cycle of highs when you jump life path, and lows because you find some imperfection and it ruins the glowing idea of your new life path that you had in your mind.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,802 ✭✭✭✭suicide_circus


    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.


  • Registered Users Posts: 293 ✭✭ifeelabreeze


    qwerty13 wrote: »
    As I see it, there’s two major issues that you need to address:
    1. You want immediate gratification - to jump straight to the end result/‘the glory’ without putting in the ground work. This is even true of the level of research that you’ve put into making major decisions.
    2. Anything that is less than the idealised version in your head becomes somehow intolerable to you.

    Unless you address these issues, I feel that you will be stuck in an endless cycle of highs when you jump life path, and lows because you find some imperfection and it ruins the glowing idea of your new life path that you had in your mind.

    Thanks for that, I'm not going to try and argue with you because as sad as it sounds you're right.

    How do I go about changing/fixing this?

    In regards to your second point, I think I definitely get hung up on the ideals..
    If I'm out sitting on a roof in the middle of winter redoing 101 pieces of Unistrut because someone else made a mistake, I cannot get out of that train of thought - this is stupid, why am I even bothering my arse'
    I still think the industrial electrical work was a bad choice for me, which probably proves your first point.

    I rushed into it, I saw: pays better, more job security, more theory knowledge and what not.
    I ended up doing the boring jobs for the health and safety office, stock taking, checking safety equipment etc.
    I had no interest in the electrical work, I didn't take any pride in it..
    Beyond when I fixed a broken light switch or managed to fish out a cable..
    I just saw the times where I was getting roared at or where I was tacking down the same cable for 10 meters.

    I still think a trade is my best bet, just get into something I can tolerate, learn a thing or to, put the head down and just graft and get through it.
    I've spoken to other electricians and they all say how they hated their apprenticeships, maybe I jumped the gun too fast, maybe I should have tried sticking it out..

    Or maybe I was just in the wrong trade and I'd be better off in carpentry, plumbing or hvac.. I don't know.

    I want to get out of this cycle, it's soul crushing to realise I'm 4 years out of school with nothing to show for it.

    So going forward...

    I know I need to get started in an apprenticeship.
    Something that I find interesting/enjoyable.. I know I won't love every minute of it.
    I need to get in and just do the work.
    But how do I know what to go into?
    It's almost like I need to have my back against the wall, 'that's it you're going back to electrical work, you'll get through your apprenticeship, there's no question about leaving, swapping or changing, get through it and go from there'...


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,455 ✭✭✭Tork


    Have you ever been assessed by anyone? ADHD etc?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,274 ✭✭✭✭Purple Mountain


    OP. With respect a few months ago you were looking to swop over to a scientific degree and two weeks ago you were musing about becoming a driving instructor.
    With this confusion going on in your head, I don't think strangers online are your best outlet for advice.
    Pay a proper career guidance counsellor and maybe a few sessions with a therapist too might help you reflect better on what you really want out of life.

    To thine own self be true



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,115 ✭✭✭eggy81


    You hit the nail on the head.
    There's no point lying about it, I've made a habit of it.
    I know I need to find something and stick with it, more over I want to.
    I just want to find the right 'thing for me, I'm fairly certain that's going to be a trade of some description.

    When I said I didn't like electrical work, it was the industrial electrical work I didn't/don't enjoy.
    It was just pulling cables thicker than my arm every day of the week.
    I did some short stents in the office buildings, chasing cables, wiring sockets and what not, I liked that.
    I'd even go as far as to say I wouldn't mind fitting houses/offices etc.
    I just did not like the industrial work, the higher voltage stuff wasn't for me.

    I don't mind being outside, I just wouldn't fancy a trade that spends every day outside, like roofing..
    I work on the industrial side of the electrical trade and in my opinion as an apprentice you shouldn’t go near the big sites until you’ve cut your teeth in domestic and commercial first. Yes the money and conditions on some of the bigger sites are great at the moment but the range of experience you get isn’t very broad because you end up on a particular crew dealing with a specific area of the overall installation and are stuck there. You could spend 18 months on a site continuously installing conduit or trunking and not ever get to even pull a wire through it if you were unlucky enough. The domestic scene is where it’s at for learning the trade IMO at least in the first 2 years.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 293 ✭✭ifeelabreeze


    Tork wrote: »
    Have you ever been assessed by anyone? ADHD etc?

    I've brought up ADHD with my GP (and other doctors) a number of times, they've always doubted it, mentioned getting assessed and it never went further than that.


  • Registered Users Posts: 293 ✭✭ifeelabreeze


    OP. With respect a few months ago you were looking to swop over to a scientific degree and two weeks ago you were musing about becoming a driving instructor.
    With this confusion going on in your head, I don't think strangers online are your best outlet for advice.
    Pay a proper career guidance counsellor and maybe a few sessions with a therapist too might help you reflect better on what you really want out of life.

    Thank you for your concern.

    Here's my thinking..

    - Scientific degree, myself and most people who know me would say that's what I should have pursued in college, but I didn't..
    I can now go back as a mature student which is appealing because I can get into the likes of biomed, which I'd find very interesting.
    The issue is in part cost, I don't have the €7.5k for the first 3 years..
    Beyond that I decided against it because I know deep down I'm not really cut out for college.
    I find human biology fascinating, I'd have no problem studying that I know there's going to be parts of it that I don't like and I know that I won't study it..
    I'll just waste that time and money going back.

    Driving Instructor - My father is always onto me about it.
    And it's certainly appealing.
    I like driving, I feel I'd be a good teacher, it's in demand, it takes a relatively short time to get qualified.
    And there's opportunity to work for yourself which has always appealed to me.

    I'm still somewhat considering that, but I just think there's probably something else out there that I'd prefer, it sounds like an enjoyable career, but a very repetitive one..

    I've spoken to a career guidance counsellor, they've always pushed college.
    I think they suggested social care, I walked away from that appointment a few quid lighter thinking 'that was a waste of time', I don't want to go into social care, never have.

    As for the counsellor, I spoke to one on a weekly basis around Christmas time, when I was stressed to the t*ts over exams, which I ultimately failed.
    I was planning on dropping out at that point, which they were very against.
    I found they were really trying to help, but not being very helpful.
    It was a lot of 'well see you've so much going for ya', with me thinking and saying 'oh yeah I suppose, it just doesn't feel like it', or me saying how deeply unhappy college is making me and being told 'well, see it through anyway, wouldn't it be nice to say ya got through it?' - it would, but that's not happening.

    I've honestly found writing this out, and the other similar posts, more cathartic than talking to professionals.
    They say a lot of nice words, while on here I get told I'm being a gob****e - which I am.

    In the end they deemed I was feeling 'a little bit anxious', over failing modules in my degree, and their suggestion was - I know you hate it, it makes you depressed, unhappy and resentful, but sure, stick it out why dontcha.

    Every time I spoke up, it was basically dismissed in the nicest possible way, the overarching theme was 'don't drop out, beyond that I can't help ya', I'd say if I told them I was standing on a bridge they'd suggest maybe taking a week off, if I was to end up in a psych ward they'd suggest taking a semester off and then getting right back in the saddle..
    Needless to say it wasn't very helpful, I felt they had a vested interest in the college and not me.


  • Registered Users Posts: 293 ✭✭ifeelabreeze


    eggy81 wrote: »
    I work on the industrial side of the electrical trade and in my opinion as an apprentice you shouldn’t go near the big sites until you’ve cut your teeth in domestic and commercial first. Yes the money and conditions on some of the bigger sites are great at the moment but the range of experience you get isn’t very broad because you end up on a particular crew dealing with a specific area of the overall installation and are stuck there. You could spend 18 months on a site continuously installing conduit or trunking and not ever get to even pull a wire through it if you were unlucky enough. The domestic scene is where it’s at for learning the trade IMO at least in the first 2 years.

    We've got a local guy doing some jobs around the house and I've mentioned it to him in the past about going down the electrical route.
    He said there's very few guys hiring, he suggested going industrial and that there'd be work on the weekend if I was looking..
    Most apprentices I know/knew in that line of work were trying to get a year or two under their belt and then going into residential.

    Our whole group spent 4 months just pulling cable and cutting unistrut.
    I was the only apprentice who went into the offices, most of the guys hadn't even seen a cat5


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,115 ✭✭✭eggy81


    We've got a local guy doing some jobs around the house and I've mentioned it to him in the past about going down the electrical route.
    He said there's very few guys hiring, he suggested going industrial and that there'd be work on the weekend if I was looking..
    Most apprentices I know/knew in that line of work were trying to get a year or two under their belt and then going into residential.

    Our whole group spent 4 months just pulling cable and cutting unistrut.
    I was the only apprentice who went into the offices, most of the guys hadn't even seen a cat5
    Maybe have a look into the instrumentation side of the trade. Automation is the big thing coming online now and a lot of lad upskill Ito that area after qualifying. Difficult area to get into though I’ll admit but there are instrumentation apprenticeships and automation engineering courses.


  • Registered Users Posts: 293 ✭✭ifeelabreeze


    eggy81 wrote: »
    Maybe have a look into the instrumentation side of the trade. Automation is the big thing coming online now and a lot of lad upskill Ito that area after qualifying. Difficult area to get into though I’ll admit but there are instrumentation apprenticeships and automation engineering courses.

    Funnily enough when I started my apprenticeship that's what I was aiming for.
    I went in with the mindset of 'get qualified and get into instrumentation', it was even brought up in the interview.
    I think I just sort of lost sight of that along the way.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,823 ✭✭✭Deeper Blue


    I'd be of the opinion that you should finish your degree OP but it's clear that your mind is made up on that which is fair enough.

    Whatever you do next I think you need to put a lot of research into it, and I mean a lot. Talk to as many people as you can that work in the area, maybe try and shadow someone for a week or two to get a feel for what you'll be doing (obviously this will difficult due to covid).

    At this stage of the game you should only start something new if you're certain that it's what you want. No offence intended here but having a load of unfinished courses/apprenticeships on a CV isn't a great look, particularly if your reasons for dropping out are as wishy-washy as you describe. People may tell you otherwise, but that's the reality in this day and age.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,739 ✭✭✭zoobizoo


    I've brought up btADHD with my GP (and other doctors) a number of times, they've always doubted it, mentioned getting assessed and it never went further than that.

    Maybe look up ADD.... so without the H.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,943 ✭✭✭YellowLead


    OP, did you say you are only 4 years out of school? Lots of people don’t know what they want to do with their careers at that age. For most people it’s often a trajectory. My work now is totally different than my first job out of college. I ended up going down the technical route but studied sociology. You need help finding out what’s best for you in the here and now, then the future will work itself out once you get stuck into SOMETHING.
    When starting off with little experience it is likely that no matter what trade you choose there will be large chunks of the actual work that might not float your boat, in time that reduces the more experienced you become.

    I do think it’s worth investing in a few sessions with a career guidance professional to help you work out what type of job has the most kind of tasks that you are okay with doing. There is no easy route to having a job you like - most jobs have bits we like and don’t like, and plenty of people don’t love their jobs to absolute bits but needs must.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,455 ✭✭✭Tork


    I'd never heard of ADD so I've learned something new today. OP, I don't know what anybody here can do for you. None of us are qualified to help somebody like you. I've never seen such a track record of abandoned projects in my life and that's what makes me think that there is something in your psychological make-up that needs a closer look. This is something that some sort of therapist (not just a college counsellor) needs looking at. Nobody here really understands what you're going through. At a guess, we've all done courses and jobs we disliked but gritted our teeth and got through them. You seem to be incapable of that. I think you need to talk to your GP again and insist on being referred to a psychologist of some sort.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,128 ✭✭✭✭Oranage2


    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.


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