Considering quitting.....

I'm in my first year at community college. I don't know what I'm even going for. I really don't want to get stuck in the same position as my parents though, constantly struggling financially. So I'm terrifed that someday I would regret not going to school. At the same time though, I just don't care. I just want to give up, sell everything I own travel. There are times I come very close to doing this, you know just LEAVING this place, but then later on the idea seems so stupid. Like there's no way that would work. But what am I working towards that's so important?! My career goals change every day! I'm so frustrated. I just don't want to go to class... I don't know how I'm going to make myself go tomorrow. I'm stuck and have no idea where my life is going.

Hello Space case!
Do not be anxious or worried.
You need to prioritize things in your life. Life is long enough if we live it right. Education is something that has a phase, and if the phase passes by, then it is difficult to study in later life. So do what ever you are doing in college and as for travelling, you can look up to it in the coming vacation. Plan a little, and schedule the things. When you have a schedule to follow, forget every thing else, only the schedule, when it is study time, study, no more thoughts and when leisure, then no serioys talk. Also stop thinking about the financial prospects, only try to excel in your own. If you do something with heart and spirit, money, fame and success will follow. Do not be bothered about that.
In short, I here by quote a message written on a bumper sticker: "Not failure but low aim is a crime."
I hope this would help!
Regards
ZILCH HOUR

I was without a goal my first two years of college. Every semester I had a different major. I did well in the classes I liked and flunked a couple that bored me. After two years I still had no goal for my life so I dropped out and worked the next four years at McDonalds. I ended up living in a room I rented for $10/week with no kitchen privileges so a hot meal meant heating up a can of tuna in my popcorn popper. By the end of the four years I realized I didn't want to spend my life serving fast food. I trained as an EMT, then paramedic and a couple years later a RN.

School isn't a race. Do your best at what you are doing even if that means dropping out awhile to sort your priorities. I am encouraging my son to work awhile before he heads to college.

Another thing you can do is talk to your advisor. If you want to stay in school but are undecided which major you can focus on taking the core classes required for all majors and trying out some classes you are quite interested in. When I dropped out I thought I had wasted two years but after I became a RN I found I had so many hours completed I was only one class shy of a BA.

There isn't just one path to success. Sometimes we have to try different paths before we find the one that leads us where we want to be.

Good luck.

It took me 3yrs to get my Masters. 5-6yrs to get my Bachelors.

12+yrs to get my Associates Degree from San Francisco City College. Even though this is my "lowest" degree, this is the degree I'm most proud of. If I had to do it all over again, I'm not sure I would bother with the other two.

My scholarly and career interests changed per semester. I would be making an 'A' in a class and would impulsively drop it because I was no longer "stimulated" by the subject. I was put on academic probation for years because of my tendency to switch interests and drop classes. My grades were never a problem.

My advice: Take a vocational interests test. Go to Registration (or where ever it is in your school) and sign up for academic counseling. Hopefully, you will get a good counselor. My academic counselor kept me focused and got me through the last year of my degree. Having the Dean of Students crack down on me and make me stop dropping courses also helped.

If you have any learning disabilities (eg. ADHD), go to the Disabled Students Department.

Also, check out certificate programs. CCSF has cert degrees for paralegals, drug/alcohol counselors, etc. Some of these strike me as more useful than a traditional degree nowadays.

Good luck. Mike

Uhg, yeah I still am not sure what to do. I think I'm going to try and make it through next semester and see where I stand then. If I still feel this way then, I'll take a break to get things straightened out. The initial plan was to go to a 2 year college, play catch up basically and make up for my lack of effort in high school, then move on to a university or 4 year college. All that school seems so unnecessary now though, considering I'm not even sure what I want to do with my life.

You are welcome Spacecase!