I want to quit Academia and travel the world :-(

I agree. I've never liked how people use the word "academia" on this website- especially when all that follows is a bunch of GCSEs. In my third year of university and don't think I'm an academic haha.

1.In my opinion the user is.
2.The fact you've let the word "retard" be used in a negative light only makes me think you're a discrace of a moderator.
3.I'm not being melodramatic, I want to drop out and all these thoughts have recently come to my head. Would you rather me sit in silence intead of getting advice from people who perhaps (obviously are) going through the same or a simular situation as me?

I just feel like for the next 5 years if I stick with my University plans etc.. I'll be wasting my life.. you only live once. And then for the next 10s of years I'll be in a job 9-5 working for the rest of my life.

Note: Appologies if I missused the word "Academia"

Probably a rather strange thread. I'm doing my AS and I've just done a Psychology exam and I've gotten to the point where I just can't be bothered staying for Sixth Form.

I've started questioning the world recently e.g.


I just feel like for the next 5 years if I stick with my University plans etc.. I'll be wasting my life.. you only live once. And then for the next 10s of years I'll be in a job 9-5 working for the rest of my life.

I don't know.. it's just a really depressing thought that has plagued my mind often over the past few months.

I know this is life.. but I just can't help but feel like I want more.. and I just want to live it as best as I can.. and that I'm not doing it by following the path I'm on *gasps for air*

What do?

I'm like you OP - although I managed to get through my A Levels and am now done with them, thank God. The thought of going to university for another three years of yet more education to get a degree that doesn't even guarantee me anything in today's job market, surrounded by largely immature students whose main focus in life is drinking or "clubbing it up" was unbearable. Other people want that, and that's fine, but I sure didn't.

So I'm not going to uni, and likely won't for a few years - and even then it'll hopefully be abroad. I landed an internship in Dubai that I start in a few weeks, and from there I'll be doing some travelling around Europe with some money I've saved. All I've ever really wanted to do was travel and see the world, as much as I tried to kid myself that a serious degree and top notch office job was what I really wanted.

It annoys me when people think university is the only route to any form of success. Times have changed a lot recently.

I agree. I've never liked how people use the word "academia" on this website- especially when all that follows is a bunch of GCSEs. In my third year of university and don't think I'm an academic haha.

Just like to say I went through the same feelings at exactly the same time as you (Feb of AS Year), although mine was set off by a trip through school. I went to the USA. It was amazing and I found a place that I never wanted to leave! Basically, when I got back, it was snowy and horrible and made me feel totally depressed. This then developed into resentment at being stuck where I was, I got fed up of the mundane cycle of going to Sixth Form etc and dreamed of using all my savings and just buying a ticket back out to America. Trouble was that I had been offered the chance to go back to the USA by the people we stayed with, so I knew it was possible. In fact, my parents were so scared, they hid my passport

I wasted half of my AS level year, hated every minute for 8 months. Made plans to leave, get a job somewhere, save up and then go on a massive trip etc. Then came AS results day, and I realised that I needed to buckle down! I look back now and think I was in DREAMLAND Whatever you think now, your education is important. Like others have said. If nothing else, completing A levels means you have something to fall back on.

I did buckle down for my A level year but still missed out on my first choice uni. So I took a gap year, I've been working my butt off, saving as much of my wages as I can. And my reward? I'm going to live/work in America for a month This way, I get to go back, I have had a year to grow up and mature and I've sorted out exactly what it is that I want out of life. In my case, I've finally decided to go to Uni in the summer, in part because it will open more doors to travelling through my career.

I didn't feel ready for everything that seemed to be mapped out for me when I was your age and its taken me two years to get comfy with it. I still have plans to travel and live abroad etc, but I think I now have a more realistic view of what I need to do to achieve this.

Try writing out a list of things you want to do/see and where you want to be (ie where you want to be living, the type of job you want, whether you want children, pets, what material goods you want, if you want to own a house etc) 5/10/20 years from now and then you'll be able to work out how to get there. In your case, you might not need to go to Uni, but there will be certain things that you do need to do, other than just go to Cali and bum out for a year! Sticking at something you don't really want to be doing now, may very well open up the doors you'll want to go through in future.

Wow that's really cool

I suppose you just took a suitcase with clothes, and washed them in one of those tumble-dryer places in one of the cities? I could imagine dragging a ton of clothes around might be problematic

i already said what i count as exotic... america is not an exotic country in my view... whether you have been there once or 100 times...i can understand why people would want to holiday there but it's still not "exotic"...

Exotic is defined as "From another part of the world" therefore the USA IS exotic..

Do you want to live in the US then?

we have a difference of opinion....

In a dreamworld, I'd love to!!! But in reality, unless I marry an American, or get sponsored to get a visa through work, its unlikely.

What you could do is save up, get a 6 month tourist visa and then volunteer on a B2 visa (what I'm doing). You could also look up Work America or Summer Camp programmes where you can live/work in the US for a short period of time (4 months) on certain J-1 visas.

In reality, as a UK national wanting to live or work abroad temporarily, it will be much easier to work in Canada/Australia/New Zealand. We can do this for up to 2 years (as long as you meet certain criteria) on a type of Working Holiday Visa.

I want to work and live abroad, but at the same time, probably wouldn't want to permanently emmigrate.