Lemmy, I have completed tens of modules across several different universities. I have been course-hopping for long enough that I’d have a bachelors degree by now had I found and stayed on a course that suited me. I can’t be asked to commit to one and study it for yet another 3 years before I get a degree*. Yet I feel like all of the effort that I have expended up to this point will go unacknowledged, just because it was spread across several unis and doesn’t fall into any of their pre-defined study plans. I am a person driven by short bouts of intense curiosity of the type that dives down Wikipedia rabbitholes**. I want to do a highly qualified job but am failing to fit in to the rigid framework that academia sets you. I have several Master’s theses that I’d start researching tomorrow if the system let me. Yet without so much as a bachelor’s I might as well go work in a supermarket. How do I move on from here?
*Perhaps it’s also because I’m now in my early 20s and finally want to have some time to explore.
**I am a logical thinker and predominantly interested in STEM topics.
You sound like me when I started uni. I actually just picked something I thought I was good at. It took me 8 years and a mountain of debt to graduate (I don’t suggest this route). Now, after 13 years in this profession, I’m trying to do something different.
It might help to hear what you’ve studied so far, as well as your interests, strengths, weaknesses, etc.
I think my dream job would be designing things that undergo growth/change. Cities, cell cultures, social networks, prosthetic organs, … . What connects all of these is problem-solving to fit specific requirements, and that they are all empirical things that have to be studied from the outside using statistics and graphs. I don’t even know what this job position is called.
I studied 2 first years of biochemistry and 1 of bioengineering. My thinking was to study the bio stuff because I figured that design was something I could learn outside of uni. I was happy on my BioEng course but had to quit due to money.
Unfortunately my current BioChem course is very demanding and isn’t leaving me any time to focus on my other interests. I am also beginning to lose steam and motivation, and I just want my bachelors to finally be over and done with tbh, so I can go out and get my hands busy.
I also wonder whether straddling so many subjects, including the needed skills (like statistics, machine learning, etc.) isn’t too ambitious. They’re all skills I’d be interested to learn, but I don’t know how many people would actually end up being employed as jacks-of-all-trades in the job I describe above. What’s more, it seems like it must be a really uncommon job and I’m afraid I would struggle to find an open position like that.
As for straddling many subjects - its an okay thing to do, however you will not find a job that fits everything you’re interested in.
Thats okay, you can have a job (for example) re-designing city roads based on issues with traffic flow (lots of graphs and statistics there), while also reading into other topics. There’s also things like wildlife mangment that keeps track of wildlife population, from keeping track of their illnesses, to keepinh a a balance between over+population and extinct.
Topics you enjoy may or may not cross over into your work, and thats okay.
People are considered lucky to have a job they enjoy for a reason - most of us have a shit job that pays the bill, while we spend our free time pursuing hobbies and interests.
My advise is to go get a paid internship doing something for a year, talk to a recruitment agency or some professional (be careful with a random self-advertised “career coach” that sounds fishy).
Read this part:
Sense you’re in enrolled in collage, or even a recent student of one, they should have a whole career department you can reach out tofor free. Even if your online, a phone converstation with someone can offer new perspective. They get paid to help you so their “alumni working in feild they went to school for” ratio goes up. Use the resources available to you.
Want to second “Talk to the career counseling office” - you are paying for it, and they really want you to get a good job so it can add to your school’s/programs clout. Use it!!