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cant decide on a course

Im so stuck on what course to do literally have no clue what to do with my future because im indecisive and have a fear of failure.
I did one year of law and dropped out for reasons and too a gap year to go for something id succeed in. business management doesnt have a great rep but its quite broad so I could continue after my studies into something more niche from my degree. also thinking about nursing ( due to high employability ) but its not coming from passion. Ive considered other subjects but nothings stuck other than these. I just need a degree for the sake of a degree, just hoping to find the passion and interest along the way. no clue what to do.
Original post by a322107e
Im so stuck on what course to do literally have no clue what to do with my future because im indecisive and have a fear of failure.
I did one year of law and dropped out for reasons and too a gap year to go for something id succeed in. business management doesnt have a great rep but its quite broad so I could continue after my studies into something more niche from my degree. also thinking about nursing ( due to high employability ) but its not coming from passion. Ive considered other subjects but nothings stuck other than these. I just need a degree for the sake of a degree, just hoping to find the passion and interest along the way. no clue what to do.

The sort of questions that I would ask myself if I was in your position include:

What are your values?

What sort of things make you want to jump out of bed and what sort of things drive you up the wall?

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Are you more of a maths person or an essay person?

What were your strongest and weakest subjects? Why?

If money was not an issue, what would you spend your day doing - be it work, leisure, etc.?

If you could have dinner with anyone or people you can imagine, be him/her/they dead or alive, who would they be and why them in particular?

What sort of things excite you and what sort of things you absolutely dread?

If you could make any difference to any part of your life, surroundings, or even the world, what would that be and why?

What sort of things are on your bucket list? Why those things in particular?

What could you not imagine yourself not doing day in day out? What could you imagine running for the hills if given to you?

What would you regret the most if you didn't do it within your lifetime? What would you regret the least if you didn't? Why?

What would make you persevere in something despite all of the challenges and setbacks? Why?

If you can only do one task day in day out for the rest of your life, what would that be and why?

What would you never get bored of? What will bore you easily? Why?

What would you happily volunteer doing or do without being paid? Why?

What can you not shut up about or read obsessively about? Why?

What did you wanted to do when you were 5 and what were your favourite subjects back then? Why?

What did people say you could do without trying? What were the compliments about you regarding? Why?


Whilst you don't specifically need to be passionate about the subject in order to get a degree in it, I consider it a waste should you do so. I also wouldn't focus on just getting a degree just for a job, since that's a little silly and you can get into 600+ different careers without having a degree.

What I would be somewhat interested in knowing are:

why you decided to go into law and what made you decide to drop out

why choose business out of all other options

why nursing in particular, considering there are other professions that are also in demand e.g. teaching, hospitality

why not something that is more skill based that can be used in a variety of professions and settings e.g. computer science, maths, engineering, design, music, English, etc.

Original post by a322107e
Im so stuck on what course to do literally have no clue what to do with my future because im indecisive and have a fear of failure.
I did one year of law and dropped out for reasons and too a gap year to go for something id succeed in. business management doesnt have a great rep but its quite broad so I could continue after my studies into something more niche from my degree. also thinking about nursing ( due to high employability ) but its not coming from passion. Ive considered other subjects but nothings stuck other than these. I just need a degree for the sake of a degree, just hoping to find the passion and interest along the way. no clue what to do.

Hello,

I totally get where you're coming from. I was in a similar situation after high school, feeling pressured to choose a path without a clear passion or interest. I initially went into engineering, thinking I could discover my passion along the way. After some exploration, I found electronics and communication engineering to be interesting, which gave me a direction. Even I wanted a degree for the sake of having a degree, which would help me get into the job market. I got placed and started working for an IT firm. That's when everything changed for me.
Life took a twist, and now I am pursuing an international business management MSc, after my engineering degree with placement. This is because I found my passion towards working in a tech management role. I learned from my experience that it's okay not to have everything figured out from the start. Sometimes, the journey itself helps you discover what truly interests and motivates you.
Considering your background in law and your thoughts about business management and nursing, it might be helpful to reflect on what aspects of each field appeal to you the most. Whether it's the potential for specialization, the broader scope, or high employability, try to identify what excites you I would say.
Keep an open mind, explore different courses, and trust that the right path will reveal itself over time.
It's a challenging decision, but you'll get through it!

Cheers,
MSc IBM Student.
(edited 3 months ago)
If you're doing it just to get the degree to then go onto any generalist grad scheme, just pick something you have a genuine intellectual interest in - as the graduate prospects for generalist grad schemes will be the same for any subject. If you always wanted to learn Egyptian hieroglyphics, do a degree in Egyptology. If you always found ocean life fascinating, do a degree in marine biology. If you always did well in geography or whatever else in school, do that.
Reply 4
Original post by a322107e
Im so stuck on what course to do literally have no clue what to do with my future because im indecisive and have a fear of failure.
I did one year of law and dropped out for reasons and too a gap year to go for something id succeed in. business management doesnt have a great rep but its quite broad so I could continue after my studies into something more niche from my degree. also thinking about nursing ( due to high employability ) but its not coming from passion. Ive considered other subjects but nothings stuck other than these. I just need a degree for the sake of a degree, just hoping to find the passion and interest along the way. no clue what to do.

As a nursing student i genuinly wouldnt suggest you go into nursing just for the employsbility aspect. You have to be passionate and love what your doing, not just because of the employability rates.
I agree with the above. I dropped out of nursing TWICE for health reasons...you REALLY have to have the passion for it because it is really hard work. I now have a degree in Business Management that I haven't really used apart from to go into Human Resources with Employment Law at Master's level, and I'm currently applying for PhD studentships in the subject of job disruption, neurodivergence and personality disorders, and how they affect professional identity.
Reply 6
Thank you to everyone who responded. really needed to hear this advice.
Ive fallen into a mess of potential ideas but it’s so scary with all the options and if id succeed in them. I have a true love for creative subjects as I love to paint and design clothes, but im so worried it has low employability and i wont stand out, then i’ve wasted my time and energy into something so pointless. this is why i gave up my dream of being a fashion designer or any sort of creative to go onto more traditional subjects like law and business for the money. i hate that it’s so hard to decide on a path and that i think way too much about the future. the idea of jumping into a subject not knowing what comes after is like jumping into the deep end without knowing what’s in it, its terrifying for me. the idea of wasting years of stress and effort then being in debt and all for nothing puts me off so many things, even subjects im passionate about. even though i’d prefer not to go to university, i still have no idea what to do and what will get me to succeed. definitely hate being an adult but i need a reality check for sureee 🥲
Original post by a322107e
Thank you to everyone who responded. really needed to hear this advice.
Ive fallen into a mess of potential ideas but it’s so scary with all the options and if id succeed in them. I have a true love for creative subjects as I love to paint and design clothes, but im so worried it has low employability and i wont stand out, then i’ve wasted my time and energy into something so pointless. this is why i gave up my dream of being a fashion designer or any sort of creative to go onto more traditional subjects like law and business for the money. i hate that it’s so hard to decide on a path and that i think way too much about the future. the idea of jumping into a subject not knowing what comes after is like jumping into the deep end without knowing what’s in it, its terrifying for me. the idea of wasting years of stress and effort then being in debt and all for nothing puts me off so many things, even subjects im passionate about. even though i’d prefer not to go to university, i still have no idea what to do and what will get me to succeed. definitely hate being an adult but i need a reality check for sureee 🥲
do what i did and go to Scotland for a degree... you still have to choose a subject to apply with but you get to take 3-4 subjects in your first and (to a lesser extent) your second year giving you more time to decide
Original post by a322107e
Thank you to everyone who responded. really needed to hear this advice.
Ive fallen into a mess of potential ideas but it’s so scary with all the options and if id succeed in them. I have a true love for creative subjects as I love to paint and design clothes, but im so worried it has low employability and i wont stand out, then i’ve wasted my time and energy into something so pointless. this is why i gave up my dream of being a fashion designer or any sort of creative to go onto more traditional subjects like law and business for the money. i hate that it’s so hard to decide on a path and that i think way too much about the future. the idea of jumping into a subject not knowing what comes after is like jumping into the deep end without knowing what’s in it, its terrifying for me. the idea of wasting years of stress and effort then being in debt and all for nothing puts me off so many things, even subjects im passionate about. even though i’d prefer not to go to university, i still have no idea what to do and what will get me to succeed. definitely hate being an adult but i need a reality check for sureee 🥲
you could also try a US-inspired Liberal Arts degree' where you do a bit of everything, or what about Sustainable development or Social Anthropology?
Original post by a322107e
Im so stuck on what course to do literally have no clue what to do with my future because im indecisive and have a fear of failure.
I did one year of law and dropped out for reasons and too a gap year to go for something id succeed in. business management doesnt have a great rep but its quite broad so I could continue after my studies into something more niche from my degree. also thinking about nursing ( due to high employability ) but its not coming from passion. Ive considered other subjects but nothings stuck other than these. I just need a degree for the sake of a degree, just hoping to find the passion and interest along the way. no clue what to do.
Hi there,

This is something a lot of people struggle with but it's not very talked about. Some people are born to do a certain job and for those of us who aren't it's so difficult to pick - lots of pressure, so I can totally sympathise.

I would think about the core of who you are, thinking back to childhood and what you 'want to be when you grow up' can be quite insightful. For example, when I was 4/5 I wanted to be... a bus driver... not the most academic or aspirational of jobs, but now I hold a driving license I absolutely adore driving, which did make me chuckle when I look back at it. I know if I'm ever completely lost with what to do I would potentially consider pursuing that. Going through the years I found that I always wanted to help people where I could, but am quite squeamish so couldn't be a doctor, this is when I decided to be a tutor and pursue teaching - now I manage a team of tutors and still would love to delve into the world of psychology or counselling.

Essentially, what I'm saying is, find something you're passionate about, does it align with who you are as a person and can you be successful/comfortable whilst doing it? The world truly is your oyster - don't forget that.

Best of luck with everything!

Ethan

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