There was a time in my life when all my socks had holes in them, because sock money didn’t come easy. Took a while after those days ended for me to realise I can buy socks that go all the way around my foot any time I want.
If you need to crowdsource this decision do not go to college immediately.
College is expensive as fuck, and it is wasted on someone who doesn’t have a burning desire to be there for a specific course of study.
Instead, go live the life of a person without a degree. Just be a human for a while, and learn how to the world works. Then go to college.
If you go to college without a clear mission, you’re going to be twiddling your thumbs in a place that costs more than continuous international travel. Like, go travel internationally if you want a mind-expanding experience of self discovery. That will help you pick a major.
I say this as someone who went to college “as my destiny”. I went to college because it was always assumed I would go. I wasted time, money, energy, and opportunity by doing so.
College used to be a place to find yourself. Then it started costing five figures per year, and it became a place you go to get what you need to make more money. That’s what it still is, and will continue to be until it becomes inexpensive again.
Traveling the world, staying in hostels, learning bits of languages, meeting other travelers and locals, getting a little month to month apartment and waiting tables in a foreign city, partying with the locals, getting involved in whatever they’re doing, this is cheaper than college, and far more valuable, if you’re at a place where you don’t know which degree you want.
I know it takes a lot of courage to buck the trend and do what all the (foolish) grey-haired people in your life are doing.
But trust me. College is a different thing than it used to be, specifically because it got super fucking expensive.
College stopped being casual, and started being a very serious thing, and in that way it changed fundamentally from a place of exploration into a place of industry. It is not a place to fuck around. I mean, it is, but not wisely. There are far cheaper, far better places to explore yourself and the world.
Thank you for your response. I think you slightly misunderstood where I am at though, and what I meant by “crowdsource”. I am in my mid-30’s, and I am entirely focused on making a career transition into the technology sector. The crowdsourcing part of my question was in regards to which track to take based on the programs that were available at the institution I am at. Also, money isn’t really an issue at this point as I diligently saved in my previous role with the specific expectation of making this transition. So, I am covered there for the foreseeable future, but I appreciate your concern. This is not a casual undertaking for me at all, and is being done entirely with purpose and intentionality. I am way beyond the fucking around stage of my life.
asklemmy
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