The future scares me and I no longer know what to do

Hi,
I'm a UK law student wanting to becoming a corporate solicitor one day. I took a gap year during my a levels due to ill health. Then, I went off to university at 19. I was r*ped that year and became very depressed which led me to repeating the year. I am now realising that I hate my degree and I do not enjoy this university. It triggers me and I want a fresh start elsewhere. However, I am now 21. It scares me to that when all my friends are graduating and moving into work, l'll be restarting a whole new degree course at a whole new university.
I'm scared l'll be judged. I'll graduate at 24 and it normally takes another 2-3 years to qualify. So I will not be a qualified solicitor until 27. Is this bad? I'm just so confused and upset. I wish I had never stayed at this university and went elsewhere. I just have so many regrets. Any advice?

I have been through this things as well plus right now I am finishing my masters at 25 when my classmates are getting employed. What can be worse than this?
I also took a drop because I flunked college. Even after passing out I got extremely low grades (2:2 as per British System). I suffer from OCD, learning issues and have anxiety issues too. Unlike most people out there I have very hard time to remember things. Infact you won't believe I can't even remember my own address. There have been times when I ended up in my friends place. Life went on and then I realized I got to be tough to sustain. Stop caring about age as long as you're passionate about something. At least you know what to do in life, I am still not sure.
I have been through all this, bullying, harassment, because I was suffering from mental illness. But then I realized you got to live at the end and there is so much in life to learn. The future haunts me too but then I keep pushing my limits.
In fact at this age I am thinking of switching to data sciences from economics which may sound crazy but I have realized academics is not my thing.
Sometimes you learn things late. Nothing good has happened to me in my life. It's like someone has casted spells on me but then I believe things will be alright someday. I guess god has other plans for me.

Hey there,

Firstly I just want to say that it is amazing that you're looking for a fresh start and still aiming to work towards your goals; that demonstrates a lot of strength and it's a great attitude to start university - I understand it's not easy at all.

I didn't have the best education path in my teenage years, and a lot of factors led to me never really completing college thus not being able to get into uni. I worked full time for a few years but it gave me a lot of time to reflect and think about what I want and what is best for me. I was 20 when I went back to college to get my UCAS points so I could enter university, and I was 21 when I started. I was really anxious about going back, as I was worried everyone would be so different to me if they were younger. I was delighted to see that this wasn't the case at all! So many students were around my age, and even if they were a bit younger it didn't really matter - you're on the same course, meaning you probably have the same interests goals etc. There is even students even older, and you soon realise 21 is still really young!

I get the worry about not being qualified as soon as your peers, I don't think i'll be in my 'desired' career path until i'm almost 30. But, I know I can demonstrate that i'm determined and I am putting the work in with work experience, studying etc. with a more focused mind than if I was 18 starting university - I know I wouldn't have cared as much then as I do now. In a way this can make you a stronger candidate for future employers. And to be honest, a lot of students will take gap years during or after their degree so they'll probably be a similar age when they are fully qualified too. I think it's quite rare students will finish their degree and be able to walk straight into their dream job anyway, it's pretty normal that we will have to do graduate level jobs first before becoming a true working professional. There's no time limit at all, I know people who have returned back to education in their 40's and smashed it to achieve their goals - I don't know about you but I don't think thats a bad thing at all and well done to them!

It's good to focus on what is important right now, and worry about the future when you get to it
I hope this makes you feel a bit more supported with your decision - you can do it and you're not alone

Best wishes,

Lauren -Official Student Rep

Why do you hate you degree ?

I think people get caught up on what it is like to be a lawyer without realising the work you have to put in to get there . To represent clients you have to know your stuff , and alot of it , hence why law is a very dry subject at

I’m so sorry to hear this things will get getter, I know it! Wishing you the best of luck!!