[Propos]

22 year old here who dropped out of Uni and not sure of returning. All I do at the moment is stack shelves from Monday to Friday. Limited social life. I feel like I'm living the life of a 52 year old or something. Everyone else seems to be at University and on graduate programmes and I feel so left out. Any other youngsters my age a bit stuck/in limbo? Anyone who isn't going Uni and struggling to find purpose?

[Anonymous]

(Original post by Propos)
22 year old here who dropped out of Uni and not sure of returning. All I do at the moment is stack shelves from Monday to Friday. Limited social life. I feel like I'm living the life of a 52 year old or something. Everyone else seems to be at University and on graduate programmes and I feel so left out. Any other youngsters my age a bit stuck/in limbo? Anyone who isn't going Uni and struggling to find purpose?

I also have this problem. It seems that everyone who goes to Uni has a better social life than those of the same age who don't.

[Propos]

(Original post by Anonymous)
I also have this problem. It seems that everyone who goes to Uni has a better social life than those of the same age who don't.

Ye it seems you either go to Uni and have a great time or you don't go to Uni and lead a very dull life (unless you know what you really want to do with your life). Then again many still have school friends to contact which helps a bit I guess.

[Anonymous]

(Original post by Propos)
Ye it seems you either go to Uni and have a great time or you don't go to Uni and lead a very dull life (unless you know what you really want to do with your life). Then again many still have school friends to contact which helps a bit I guess.

Well I still had my friends from school for like 1 year after leaving, then everyone moved on and made new friends (particularly those who went to college) and now 6 years later I only see any of them once in a blue moon. It's kak.

Sometimes I consider going on an Access course and going to Uni just for the social side of things.

[331sam331]

I just dropped out of uni. So relieved tbh. The grass isn't always greener, but if you are sure of your decision, and what you REALLY want from life it is.

It really depends what you want. I am someone of simple pleasures. I don't want the expensive car or house. Just good friends and family will be fine. Enough money to go away once a year or save up for some backpacking.

Luckily I have a family friend I am working for at the moment. It's so nice to be working again!

Looking for apprenticeships too.

Just stay positive OP, the worst thing you can do is become hopeless and depressed. If you aren't moving forwards, you don't stay still, you move backwards.

[Its-your-shot-pal]

Yeah I feel in a similar position. Am 21 but feel life is just drifting by, doing same things over again each day, each week, each month.
Currently working on a golf course, which is okay but money's not fab plus it hardly provides great career prospects.

Thinking of uni, but only as more of a last resort as I cant say I know what to study or what career to aim for, thoughtof journalism but dont think my grades are good enough. Just can see myself sort of meandering through uni without too much interest or motivation in a subject nor clear goal of where it will get me career wise. Which some people say is fair enough, as uni provides you the platform to realise your goals and opens up a path etc, but for debts of 35-40k, seems a bit of a gamble to me.

Just have such a lack of motivation/direction in life atm, anybody else wish they where born in like the roman times or something ?

Thats it, im off to check my wardrobe again, just incase Narnia really does exist.

[331sam331]

(Original post by Its-your-shot-pal)
Yeah I feel in a similar position. Am 21 but feel life is just drifting by, doing same things over again each day, each week, each month.

Just have such a lack of motivation/direction in life atm, anybody else wish they where born in like the roman times or something ?

Thats it, im off to check my wardrobe again, just incase Narnia really does exist.

Haha, I know exactly how you feel, especially that last part

Back then you only had like 4 options. Be a farmer, run a business, work for the town government, or if you were lucky maybe a doctor or politician or leader or something.

The people I really envy, are the ones who know what they want to do early on. Not because they are forced by there parents, but because they find something they are passionate about and pursue it with unshakable faith.

For example, my sister always wanted to work with disabled and disadvantaged kids. Wen't to uni, got the work experience in hospices and schools and now she's in a job she loves and set out to get.

My nan always wanted to be a teacher, she got a degree and became head mistress of a school.

I on the other hand I am completely clueless!

As for not feeling you have any direction or goals. Just make an ongoing list of goals. Start small so you don't get deafeated to easily.

I have much smaller goals than below, they are easily remembered and in my head though.

These are more long term I guess.

My list is:

• Get down to 12 stone using bike + Healthy food.
• Become more competent at maths.
• Spend only 1 hour a day on laptop and TV (unless for ebay selling or work)
• Stop being lazy.
• Play more Guitar and Get into a band.
• Start dating.
• Find an apprenticeship.
• Get up at 7:30 without fail. (maximum of 9:00am lie in on weekends)
• Go to sleep before 12:00pm every night.
• Get out more, make friends.
• Learn at least 20 staple recipes for diet. (+ 5 deserts)
• Drink green tea every day.
• Spend more time with nan and sister.
• Learn saxophone
• Set up a website about something I am interested in. With the view that I can eventually monetize it.
• Backpack and couchsurf/volunteer around Europe and then the world.
• Learn another language (French/Spanish/Mandarin)
• Give blood.

Also, make sure you have things to look forward to. So for me, I am planning to go to South Africa next year with a friend. Then the year after we are road tripping across America (hopefully)

Then short term things to look forward to. Conserts, gigs, cinema, festivals, dinner with a friend or group of mates etc...

So all this provides you with routine, goals and hopes.

Just try it. I was way more lost before than I am now I have created the things above.

Keep your chins up everyone

[Its-your-shot-pal]

Yeah i definately agree, about the list thing, is a pretty good idea actually. I have got quite a few things I would love to do and targets to set etc... but meeting them all is something else :-S .

For example travelling around Europe or Oz is definately something i want to do just to inject some oomph into life and do/see amazing things, has sort of been a plan for many years now tho ha....

And I also know want you mean about family members achieving their goals and knowing their directions, my cousin and sis where pretty similar for me.

Its good to come to these forums and see its not just you with your feet still stuck in the ground and your brain all muddled.

[331sam331]

(Original post by Its-your-shot-pal)
Yeah i definately agree, about the list thing, is a pretty good idea actually. I have got quite a few things I would love to do and targets to set etc... but meeting them all is something else :-S .

For example travelling around Europe or Oz is definately something i want to do just to inject some oomph into life and do/see amazing things, has sort of been a plan for many years now tho ha....

And I also know want you mean about family members achieving their goals and knowing their directions, my cousin and sis where pretty similar for me.

Its good to come to these forums and see its not just you with your feet still stuck in the ground and your brain all muddled.

You just have to MAKE time for them. Break them down into smaller bits, and you will have achieved them before you know it. Nothing to lose, lots to gain. It's the whole "Rome wasn't built in a day" thing. Try not to look at the big picture and get scared or overwhelmed.

As for the travelling thing. Just plan it all out properly. Research where you want to go. Price it up. That way you feel closer to it, and the hardest bit is out the way. Then just pluck up the courage and do it!

Exactly, a lot of people put up a front about how well they are coping with life and decisions. Nothing wrong with that, but it makes you panic about your own life when you assume people are doing fine.

I thought that about my mates up until recently. However, when I got talking to them, only one out of 5 actually liked there course at uni, and they all still don't know what to do after.

The friend I was living with when I was at uni who is doing mechanical engineering, says he wishes he had done history or another humanities subject because those are the subjects he is passionate about. He only chose engineering, because he is pretty much guaranteed a job with a 2:1 or above, because of the shortage of engineers.

[Jim-Jam]

This has made me think, I really don't want to go to University tbh but I don't wanna be the only one left around, lonely as hell doing nothing interesting or nothing with my life at all, especially as I still don't have the foggiest what I want to do with my life.

[Propos]

(Original post by Jim-Jam)
This has made me think, I really don't want to go to University tbh but I don't wanna be the only one left around, lonely as hell doing nothing interesting or nothing with my life at all, especially as I still don't have the foggiest what I want to do with my life.

Join the club! It's a difficult decision.

[Jim-Jam]

(Original post by Propos)
Join the club! It's a difficult decision.

Just don't have a clue mate, nothing's happening for me. :/

[jam277]

(Original post by Jim-Jam)
This has made me think, I really don't want to go to University tbh but I don't wanna be the only one left around, lonely as hell doing nothing interesting or nothing with my life at all, especially as I still don't have the foggiest what I want to do with my life.

My mates don't go to uni, they got jobs but are still in the same friendship group and get more money than me, one of my mates doing alright as a teaching assistant and can go on a course to become a full teacher, while my other mate went to ghana earlier doing charity work and he plays football and has time for loads of things. I envy him a bit as I know that most of my earnings I make at the moment I have to pay back. I'm now stuck in my house doing nothing as uni has finished, have no source of income so I'm digging into my pathetic excuse for savings until I get my student loan in september.

Makes me think what I'm doing at uni, I'm doing a course that I like, but I have no aim and no idea of what I'm going to do after.