Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeBlogs  So now I'm in the situation where I might as well complete the course and get my degree as it is far too late to change, but I have a huge amount of difficult work to do, none of which interests me and which I am trying to learn on top of a very poor foundation. ie. I stumbled through the first two years so I don't feel that I know the basics well enough. |
A proverb I always try to remember but often have trouble implementing is,
"No matter how far you have gone down the wrong road, go back."
I'd say the critical point is that, even if you get the degree, your pain's not over. You'd then feel obligated to get a job
using the degree, which you'd hate, and not excel at, because you hate it and didn't pay attention in school because you hated it. But you'd do it for a few years, and all of your job experience would be in that career, so you'd feel obligated to continue to get jobs in that career, and hate it, until 20 or 30 or 40 years down the road, you'd wake up and say, "I hate my job! And by extention, my life! I'm going to change careers!" And you'll go through the loss of income, and the struggle to learn a new career and job skills and find a job when you have no experience in the field. And you'll say, "Why didn't I just change degrees back in University? I wish I could go back and do it over."
*POOF* Wish granted!
Right now you can make that choice, and do it correctly.
So the question you have to ask yourself is, "If I continue on this path, will my life get better?" If you think you can find a job that you'll like with this degree, by all means slog through it to improve your life in a year or two. But if the result I described above seems more likely, then turn around and slog through the pain of another 3 years of university, in order to have a worthwhile career when you get to the end. You're
going to make the change; the only question is whether you do it now, when it's painful, or later, when it's REALLY painful.
But maybe you don't know. Maybe you're not sure whether you'd like to be an engineer or not. In that case .... most universities have an option for taking a year or two off; they'll put your degree on hold, and when you come back you can pick up right where you left off. See if you can explore new things, try shadowing different people in different job types, learn hobbies you've always wanted to try, and see what you find fulfilling. If, like geekchick, you find that your original subject always held your heart, that your frustration was just due to 3 intense years of study, then go finish the degree. But if you find something totally different that really inspires you, have the courage to make the change.