I dropped out of college 3 years ago and now I’m thinking about going back. The reason I dropped out is because I didn’t have passion for what I was studying. I did find my classes somewhat interesting and I kept up with the workload, but I felt like what I learned didn’t amount to much. I majored in Biology and I noticed that some of my peers were highly invested and had their career paths planned out already, while I was content to just “go with the flow”. I also felt like I wasn’t leaning any practical information or skills that would help me in a career.
Currently I’m interested in environmental science and agriculture but I’m not super driven. Is college worth persuing if I don’t know what career I want? There’s no specific thing that makes me say “I really wanna do this.”
So far I’ve been looking into a few schools, but I don’t know what would make one better than another. They all offer different opportunities, but I don’t know what will give me the most useful experience.
Any insight is appreciated…
I’m not super driven. Is college worth persuing if I don’t know what career I want?
The answer to this question depends on what one sees as the value of education. Some see education as a means to a good job leading to the ability to earn a living. Others value education for the sake of being educated. There are many more opinions on the worth of education (or not).
You have to decide for yourself if pursuing a college education is worth your time, effort, and money. The fact that you don’t have that one specific thing that makes you driven is not uncommon. Some people go through a whole lifetime and career not feeling passionate about it.
The answer to your question largely depends on your own personal value system. In my value system it’s important to finish what you start (in this case college), it’s important to be educated (for the sake of learning in and of itself), and above all I always think of education as something nobody can ever take away from you. For me, it doesn’t matter if someone’s college degree is where they land in a career. It’s still very worthwhile. With that being said, it doesn’t mean my values about education are right for you. You have to spend some time sorting this out for yourself. I think first you need to decide if a college degree is something you value enough to make happen. Once you commit to earning a degree, you can create a short list of schools. Good luck!
Lots of people going through life “with flow”, and they are doing ok. What do you mean by “succeed”? That is the question. If you mean to graduate from college and have a decent job and living, then I don’t think passion is a must have. If you mean to excel at what you are doing and enjoy it, then yes, passion is an necessary ingredient, but not an essential one. You might have passion yet still not succeed, but at least you have enjoyed the process.
So, I would hope you find something that intrigue you and excite you to do. Just remember, many exciting experience only comes after some mundane learning first. Find fun in the everyday learning. Good luck.
No. Many, if not most college students, are just working to get that degree.