<p>I am currently a senior in college majoring in computer science. I am going to have to go through another semester and graduate in 5 years, having two senior years. I am feeling kind of tired of my major. For one thing I don’t feel like I am very good at programming compared to a lot of the other guys in my classes. The younger guys seem to pick up new concepts way faster than me and its depressing. I feel like I have been going down since freshman year. I had a couple of friends then, but as time has gone on I haven’t been invited to any thing anymore and my friends just seem to be vanishing. I am almost always alone in my room every night even weekends doing homework. I do not know how I will cope with all this if or when I graduate. Who knows if I will even be able to keep a job, since my fellow classmates are so much better coders than I am. I feel like I am just getting bye. I don’t know, I just lost interest in everything I just feel hopeless and stupid. Is it worth it to stick it out and maybe graduate? Some of the assignments I am getting this semester I can hardly figure out and might fail them. I want to get this degree, I just don’t want to be terrible at programming and be a bad reflection on my school peers and myself. I don’t want to fool myself into being something I’m not. I think I am rambling now… anyways, I just don’t know anymore. I might drop out. thanks for reading.</p>
<p>Hi Paper, Have you talked about any of this with an advisor, dean or counselor at the school?</p>
<p>You need to reach out for help at your school, as well as here. You at least will have some marketable skills, even if you might not be Steve Jobs or something. I hope you’ll finish when you’re this close, unless you really can’t take it. This sounds like a bit of depression to me and I’m a psychologist. Mustn’t diagnose over the internet, but you need some help now. Go to your advisor and/or the counseling center.</p>
<p>OP, I agree with above that you should speak with a school counselor both about your academic and social concerns.</p>
<p>But you should know - lots of people question their major. Their skills and future in their field. It’s normal, it’s common, it’s part of the growing process of discovering yourself. Lots of people go on to rewarding jobs that have nothing to do with what they did as undergrads. You too can change direction at some point. </p>
<p>If you still feel ambivalent about CS when you finish up, you can look for work that doesn’t include a lot of programming. Or take some (for example) business classes to make yourself more marketable in areas outside CS. But don’t give up now: you will neither have a degree nor a clear professional path – and all that hard work you’ve put into your classes so far will have gone to waste. </p>
<p>Don’t let this crisis stop you from graduating. Finish up your degree. If you think it’ll be hard doing “a second senior year” next year, imagine what it’ll feel like to go back to school to finish your degree a few years from now. Graduation requirements will have changed, that second senior year will turn into second-senior-year-and-a-semester (or more) and you’ll be YEARS older than your other classmates. Virtually everyone who left college early regretted it to some extent later. Heck, even Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple, went back to get his Bachelors in CS (under an assumed name) years after he became a gazillionaire. I have another friend who left school short of one class from graduating. He’s very successful, but it really bugs him that on their college applications his children have to indicate Dad never did finish up. So don’t do this to yourself. You’re so close.</p>
<p>Also, tuition costs do NOT go down. Just do this, but get the help you need, here and at school.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice guys. I know I need to finish and I want to finish. I just feel so down in the dumps with all this group work and projects. I just don’t feel like I have a life outside of school and if I do get out of the house I feel like i need to be working on something. viscous cycle.</p>
<p>I wish I could introduce you to my college senior. She is tired of school and tired of her major. </p>
<p>Hang in there, Paper525. Lots of us have feelings of doubt. I do agree with the others that it might be helpful to talk with someone. All the social media make people think they are on the outside when their gregarious acquaintances seem to be having a great time at life.</p>
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<p>This is so true. People only post cool stuff - there are no pictures of people just being bored or unhappy or slugging along. </p>
<p>Only you know whether you can pass these classes. Do you feel less capable than when you started? If so, you may just be burned out. If you can finish up the year, as others have suggested, this degree WILL be useful. There are so many fields where having your background will add to your marketability. You are young (I assume) and so discovering now that pure CS is not your thing is fine. You are not supporting a family (again, I assume), so you can alter your career path. </p>
<p>I am also a psychologist, I work with a lot of young adults and I have one VERY important question - are you getting enough sleep? Messing around with healthy sleep saps you of your ability to cope and makes all problems seem much worse.</p>
<p>My son was a history major and is not planning to teach history. He learned how to research, write, think. The degree itself is a credential.</p>
<p>Agree with worlnprogress2–make sure you get sleep. Also eat properly, like not just sugar. Go to the counseling center or at least an advisor. Are you commuting to school? This would make social stuff a lot tougher for anyone. If you have extra time on campus, might there be a club you could try out?</p>