Postal Letter

How do I know if college is right for me?

I'm 26 years old and I still don't know what I want to do with my life. I still don't know what I'm good at. I tried going to community college off and on with no consistency for the past five years. I just went wandering aimlessly in there. I felt alone and lost in the crowd because the classes were so big. I have just a part time job working at FedEx. I have no way of supporting myself. I've thought about committing suicide often because at my age I should have a degree, have a career, my own apt and a girlfriend. Life is about having a career and making a living. Is there any hope for me?

Public Comments

1. if you have no money atm then your pretty screwed if your gonna go to college because of the price, depending if your american or english, english, you will still have to pay for college because your over 19, american, about what i think is $9000 a year, so, what you should do if i were you is go on one of them online job searching sites and type in what you want and find it that way :) good luck :)
2. I sometimes feel that a lot of people put pressure on themselves to find their "passion", or a career that's ideal, when in fact, for a lot of people, that's a false pressure. It's not really about finding your passion, or what you want to do for the rest of your life (OMG!!!!) It's more about figuring out what you might not mind doing next - for right now. I think this is especially true for those of us who are perhaps a bit older, and who need to support themselves - who can't rely on parents or etc. Who've maybe been working some so-so job for a while, and want something more. IMO, as a 25 year old working part-time at Fedex, and who wants something more, you should focus on finding something you like or at least don't dislike, which is in demand where you live, and with which you can support yourself. All the time, not trying to find what you'll do WITH THE REST OF YOUR LIFE OMG X ELEVENTY!!!!, but instead on what you'd like to do next, for now. Most people change careers - not just jobs, but entire careers - 5-7 times in their life. What that means is that whatever you do next is simply your first step. You'll work in that field for a while, and perhaps you'll like it enough to stay in it... or perhaps it'll lead you to what comes next. But for right now, look around you. Who is hiring, and for what? What skills/education are needed to get into those fields? Which fields/education might suit you best? And do not disregard the trades. Plumbers, electricians, and HVAC are in high demand where I live, pay well... heck, master electricians make more than most college grads. You could study a trade via your local community college, or trade school, or even via the union itself. Get yourself a good, solid job, a real career, with good pay, and then with that financial solidity behind you, you can then look at your other options without a sense of panic or life passing you by - because it is not. You'd have a career that you could adjust to suit you. For example, if you find you don't like working for a company, you open your own electrician's business. If you find you prefer solidity, you find work as an electrician with the state. If you prefer something more creative, you become an electrician for the theater. So many options. Another option, if you're really unsure, is the military. You could serve for a while, and use that experience to explore potential careers. If you're even vaguely interested in a specific field - law enforcement, or medical, for example - you'd talk to the recruiter about getting one of those jobs. And maybe you'd make the military your career, or maybe you'd come out and have a better focus on what's next in your life. But it could be an option, and IMO, it's better than part-time at Fedex. The other thing you can do is find out what you need to do at Fedex to advance there. What skills/education are needed for the positions that interest you? There are opportunities there for both degreed and non-degreed folks. Maybe the next time they're looking for drivers (sweet pay rate, btw), you apply and see what happens. No matter what, if you're interested in advancing there, make sure the folks there know that, and get them involved in your quest. Seek out their advice. Ask them how to advance, what education is needed for the job you want, etc. Get them on your side. As a final word, stop putting so much pressure on yourself re: what you should do with the rest of your life. Instead, focus on the here and now... what you'll do for now, what you'll do next. Then actively pursue that path, and see where your life takes you from there.