Finished a degree I hated, now stuck in a job I hate

goldenheron6 said:My story is a bit of a mess. I ended up enrolling in a school because everyone told me
it was the "right move," even though it wasn't what I actually wanted.
I pulled decent grades there, but I absolutely loathed the coursework. One specific subject was a total nightmare—the professor basically made it her mission to pick on me. It was so bad it messed with my body; I dealt with irregular cycles for months and even broke out in cystic acne just from the sheer stress of being in that classroom.
Now comes the second act of this tragedy: I’m working in that field now and I hate every second of it. I have to drag myself out of bed at 6 AM to go do a job that offers zero fulfillment. This whole industry just doesn't interest me at all.
So yeah, I’m basically carrying the weight of a career I never wanted for the rest of my life. 😵

It’s just one long chain of stress.

They really aren't kidding when they say if you spend your whole life listening to everyone else, you end up stuck in a rut.
Life is way too short to waste it being this miserable, but man, I’d give anything to be doing something else. I really regret not going into something like dental hygiene or esthetics. I didn't even go to college, but my actual dream was to be a preschool teacher.
That would’ve been the perfect gig for me.
But nope, nothing came of those plans. 😠

goldenheron6 said:My story is a bit of a mess. I ended up enrolling in a school because everyone told me
it was the "right move," even though it wasn't what I actually wanted.
I pulled decent grades there, but I absolutely loathed the coursework. One specific subject was a total nightmare—the professor basically made it her mission to pick on me. It was so bad it messed with my body; I dealt with irregular cycles for months and even broke out in cystic acne just from the sheer stress of being in that classroom.
Now comes the second act of this tragedy: I’m working in that field now and I hate every second of it. I have to drag myself out of bed at 6 AM to go do a job that offers zero fulfillment. This whole industry just doesn't interest me at all.
So yeah, I’m basically carrying the weight of a career I never wanted for the rest of my life. 😵

It’s just one long chain of stress.

They really aren't kidding when they say if you spend your whole life listening to everyone else, you end up stuck in a rut.
Life is way too short to waste it being this miserable, but man, I’d give anything to be doing something else. I really regret not going into something like dental hygiene or esthetics. I didn't even go to college, but my actual dream was to be a preschool teacher.
That would’ve been the perfect gig for me.
But nope, nothing came of those plans. 😠

Quincy:

I don't even know where to start with this one. Honestly, I’m just sitting here staring at the screen, wondering how we even got to this point. It feels like everything is falling apart, piece by piece, and everyone is just acting like it’s business as usual. It's exhausting. Truly. You look around and see the same old patterns repeating, the same mistakes being made by the same people, and you just want to shake someone and ask, "Are you kidding me right now?" But what's the point? They aren't listening anyway. They never listen. Everything feels heavy, like there's this constant weight pressing down on everything we do. It's just... a lot. A lot to process, and frankly, I'm pretty tired of processing it. kaže: So, what exactly pushed you over the edge to just hit the reset button on everything? What was the breaking point? And how old are you actually? I know, I know—age shouldn't matter when you're starting from scratch, but you carry yourself with this youthful energy that makes me even more confused about what's going on in that head of yours.

goldenheron6 said:I'm 24, but honestly, it feels like I'm just stuck in this endless loop. You grind away at some soul-crushing job you absolutely despise just to stay afloat
so you can afford to go out and spend money on stuff...

Look, if that’s really how we’re playing this, I’ve got an idea. Honestly? Just sit down. Grab a pen and some paper—real paper, not some digital nonsense—and write a letter to yourself. Something you can toss into a time capsule and address to your older, much more wrinkled self once you've finally reached deep into old age.

Opcija za tekst:

Look, sorry babe, shopping just took priority.

My mother used to be just as obsessed with the idea that more schooling would somehow make her career easier. Turns out, it didn't exactly move the needle for her. Some people just aren't built for certain roles, or they're dealing with other hurdles entirely. Maybe you're facing something similar. You might want to take a second and really pinpoint what's actually bothering you.

heh

It really just comes down to how much you actually want this


If your ultimate dream is to be a preschool teacher, then go sign up for an education degree
Start grinding now—look up textbooks online or dig through this forum—and just start learning. You’ve got an eight-month head start on everyone else... you could prep for your first round of finals right now, or even knock out most of the freshman curriculum during these eight months. That way, when you actually enroll, while your classmates are sweating over their first exams, you'll already be studying for sophomore year because you basically already know the material
Look, if you sleep eight hours, work eight hours, and have eight hours left... just dedicate those remaining eight hours to studying. Simple as that.
Once you’ve mastered all that and graduated with a perfect GPA, then you can say, "Yeah, I want to be a preschool teacher." Until then, all you can really say is, "Man, I wish the universe had just aligned differently so I could be a teacher without lifting a finger"
If you don't have the drive for any of that, then honestly, starting this thread is just straight-up trolling

I mean, whatever. Maybe you haven't had the best luck in life, but some people are born blind or deaf, or with serious mental health struggles... compared to them, you've been pretty lucky

hollowpuma762 said:Quincy:

I don't even know where to start with this one. Honestly, I’m just sitting here staring at the screen, wondering how we even got to this point. It feels like everything is falling apart, piece by piece, and everyone is just acting like it’s business as usual. It's exhausting. Truly. You look around and see the same old patterns repeating, the same mistakes being made by the same people, and you just want to shake someone and ask, "Are you kidding me right now?" But what's the point? They aren't listening anyway. They never listen. Everything feels heavy, like there's this constant weight pressing down on everything we do. It's just... a lot. A lot to process, and frankly, I'm pretty tired of processing it. kaže: So, what exactly pushed you over the edge to just hit the reset button on everything? What was the breaking point? And how old are you actually? I know, I know—age shouldn't matter when you're starting from scratch, but you carry yourself with this youthful energy that makes me even more confused about what's going on in that head of yours.

Look, if that’s really how we’re playing this, I’ve got an idea. Honestly? Just sit down. Grab a pen and some paper—real paper, not some digital nonsense—and write a letter to yourself. Something you can toss into a time capsule and address to your older, much more wrinkled self once you've finally reached deep into old age.

Opcija za tekst:

Look, sorry babe, shopping just took priority.

It’s all just shopping to me. 😁

I can't even deal right now. Seriously. said:You're not too old for this...

Look, you’ve definitely picked up some solid life lessons along the way:

Stop listening to everyone else when they start acting like they "know" what’s best for you. They don't.
Money doesn't mean a damn thing if you're miserable deep down.

Life’s just one long series of lessons, whether you want them or not. 👍

bluewalker9 said:If you actually want to become a preschool teacher, just go sign up for an education degree. Simple as that.
Start grinding right now. Seriously, get online, hit the forums, and start digging through the literature. You’ve got an eight-month head start on everyone else, so don't just sit there. Use this time to prep for your first round of finals, or even better, try to knock out the entire freshman curriculum before you even step foot on campus. If you play your cards right, by the time your classmates are sweating over their first midterm, you'll already be studying for sophomore year exams because you've already mastered the basics. Don't waste the lead.
Look, it’s simple math. You sleep for eight hours, you grind at work for eight hours, that leaves you with exactly eight hours left in the day. Stop wasting them. Pour every single one of those eight hours into learning something new.
Once you’ve grinded through all that coursework and finally crawled across that graduation stage with a perfect GPA, then—and only then—can you actually say, "Yeah, I want to be a preschool teacher." Until that moment? You can't say squat.Man, if the universe had just played its cards differently, I’d be living the dream right now—just some chill auntie working at a preschool, zero stress, zero effort. Just vibes.
If you don't actually have the drive to deal with any of this, then starting this thread is nothing more than pure trolling.

Look, I get it—you haven't exactly hit the jackpot in life, but let's be real. Some people are born blind, some are deaf, and others deal with serious mental health struggles from day one. Compared to them, you’ve actually had it pretty damn good.

My parents basically look at me like I’m some kind of high-stakes notary or a legal clerk, but honestly? That whole vibe just isn't my scene. It's totally not my thing, and frankly, I'm failing miserably at it.
It’s all buried in that mountain of paperwork. Like at work, when some judge needs something, they don't even look for it themselves—they just call their secretary to go hunt it down.
We should just swap them out entirely. Every time I show up in front of a female judge, she acts like she’s better than me the second I make a single mistake.
They see some tiny little detail and immediately act like, "Oh, you absolutely have to know this!" They play all these high-and-mighty types, acting like they’re some kind of experts, when in reality, they haven't accomplished a damn thing.
Law is basically the only field that doesn't have to deal with actual physics or chemistry. It’s just people arguing over words while everyone else deals with reality. 😁

I honestly think the real issue isn't even the job itself—it's that whole attitude coming from female judges.
I'll take gay guys over straight dudes any day. 👍 They're simple.

Back to that whole idea about working at a preschool. Honestly, it would be my dream job, but am I really going to enroll in college at 24? It feels wild. That being said, the curriculum for early childhood education actually really interests me, and I'm super into it.
Interesting. I actually already took a look at that school's curriculum. 🙂
I wouldn't mind grabbing some books just so I could dive straight into studying right away.

goldenheron6 said:It’s all just shopping to me. 😁

Life’s just one long series of lessons, whether you want them or not. 👍

My parents basically look at me like I’m some kind of high-stakes notary or a legal clerk, but honestly? That whole vibe just isn't my scene. It's totally not my thing, and frankly, I'm failing miserably at it.
It’s all buried in that mountain of paperwork. Like at work, when some judge needs something, they don't even look for it themselves—they just call their secretary to go hunt it down.
We should just swap them out entirely. Every time I show up in front of a female judge, she acts like she’s better than me the second I make a single mistake.
They see some tiny little detail and immediately act like, "Oh, you absolutely have to know this!" They play all these high-and-mighty types, acting like they’re some kind of experts, when in reality, they haven't accomplished a damn thing.
Law is basically the only field that doesn't have to deal with actual physics or chemistry. It’s just people arguing over words while everyone else deals with reality. 😁

I honestly think the real issue isn't even the job itself—it's that whole attitude coming from female judges.
I'll take gay guys over straight dudes any day. 👍 They're simple.

Back to that whole idea about working at a preschool. Honestly, it would be my dream job, but am I really going to enroll in college at 24? It feels wild. That being said, the curriculum for early childhood education actually really interests me, and I'm super into it.
Interesting. I actually already took a look at that school's curriculum. 🙂
I wouldn't mind grabbing some books just so I could dive straight into studying right away.

It's pretty simple.........

If you can't stand something, there are basically two ways to play it:
1. Just deal with it (suck it up)
2. Take action (change it)

And regarding your little dilemma, there are also two options:
1. Buy the books and actually start learning
2. Stop posting on this forum and lying about wanting to be a preschool teacher

Whatever, thanks for the tip 😁

Keep pushing forward 🙂 .

Why is starting college at 24 even an issue? 🤔
I know this guy who went back to school at 28. He finished his degree and now he’s actually doing his dream job. Before that, he wasted years on a degree he hated working a job he loathed.
Anything is possible if you actually want it. Everything else is just excuses.
And yeah, you can totally work while studying, especially if the major isn't soul-crushing. Like that education degree you mentioned. It's basically just a long course.
So look, buy the books, hit the books, get into that dream program, and go live your damn life.

If you don't do it, then you don't actually want it—you just want something to complain about. ☕

goldenheron6 said:It’s all just shopping to me. 😁

Life’s just one long series of lessons, whether you want them or not. 👍

My parents basically look at me like I’m some kind of high-stakes notary or a legal clerk, but honestly? That whole vibe just isn't my scene. It's totally not my thing, and frankly, I'm failing miserably at it.
It’s all buried in that mountain of paperwork. Like at work, when some judge needs something, they don't even look for it themselves—they just call their secretary to go hunt it down.
We should just swap them out entirely. Every time I show up in front of a female judge, she acts like she’s better than me the second I make a single mistake.
They see some tiny little detail and immediately act like, "Oh, you absolutely have to know this!" They play all these high-and-mighty types, acting like they’re some kind of experts, when in reality, they haven't accomplished a damn thing.
Law is basically the only field that doesn't have to deal with actual physics or chemistry. It’s just people arguing over words while everyone else deals with reality. 😁

I honestly think the real issue isn't even the job itself—it's that whole attitude coming from female judges.
I'll take gay guys over straight dudes any day. 👍 They're simple.

Back to that whole idea about working at a preschool. Honestly, it would be my dream job, but am I really going to enroll in college at 24? It feels wild. That being said, the curriculum for early childhood education actually really interests me, and I'm super into it.
Interesting. I actually already took a look at that school's curriculum. 🙂
I wouldn't mind grabbing some books just so I could dive straight into studying right away.

Look, if you love hitting the mall, fine, but seriously think about whether that's more important than a degree. You can always go shopping while you're in school—just maybe a little less often. But once you graduate? You'll have a better career, which means even more money for shopping later on 🙂

And listen, it doesn't matter one bit how your parents see you or if they're on board with your choices. This is your life, plain and simple, and you're the only one who has to live with the decisions you make

Starting college at 24 is perfectly normal. People pick up degrees much later in life all the time. If that's what you want, just go for it and don't look back 🙂

You just have to put in the work. It doesn't matter what the job is; no role is inherently "good" or "bad." At the end of the day, we're all just working for a paycheck, and everything else—the satisfaction, the prestige, the grind—is entirely up to you and how much skin you have in the game. You can't really go around demanding more than what you've actually earned.

Sarah Ruiz852 said:You just have to put in the work. It doesn't matter what the job is; no role is inherently "good" or "bad." At the end of the day, we're all just working for a paycheck, and everything else—the satisfaction, the prestige, the grind—is entirely up to you and how much skin you have in the game. You can't really go around demanding more than what you've actually earned.

I’m actually starting to like my job now, everything's finally clicking,
anyway, thanks for all the advice 👍

since they moved me over to work with a male judge and it's actually great!

I bet you’re just asking for people to laugh at you. Look, as long as you keep hunting, testing the waters, and refusing to quit on what you actually give a damn about, you're fine. Plenty of folks took the easy route, worked some mindless grind, and completely snapped because they couldn't handle the heat. Now they're out there cleaning sewers or something, probably feeling way more content. Honestly, maybe you should give it a shot in the States, since people actually make their dreams happen overnight over here.

I’ve mentioned this before, but I’d love to go into psychology. Honestly, even being a preschool teacher wouldn't be a bad gig. 🙂
Right now, though, I’m interning at a courthouse, which isn't terrible. I just need to grind through my year of training and then I can finally start hunting for something new.
Who knows? Maybe I’ll actually pull the trigger and enroll in some college program.
I’m single and don't have kids running around, so I've got plenty of downtime to hit the books. 👍

I didn't say why I froze up on this job—basically, two shift workers there were total nightmares. They targeted me and started screaming in my face. Everything's fine now, though; I'm not working with them anymore. 🍿

ambercrane722 said:I bet you get a lot of laughs from people. But as long as you keep searching, trying things out, and refusing to give up on what you actually want to do, you're fine. Plenty of people took on heavy-duty jobs, cracked under the pressure, and ended up much happier doing something simple, like working sanitation. Maybe you should try moving to the USA, since people there make their dreams happen way faster.

Oh, I definitely get laughed at. At my age, most people already have their PhDs and
know exactly what they want out of life, while I’m still basically a teenager who occasionally deals with a random breakout. 😁

As for the USA, I'm not interested.
I've always been more drawn to somewhere else—somewhere a bit more sophisticated, like Berlin or maybe somewhere in France. 🙂

In my estimation, working within the judicial system offers a far more comfortable existence than pursuing a career as a psychologist.
Furthermore, life in France is prohibitively expensive, and one finds it only truly tolerable if they happen to belong to the upper crust of society.

Larry Turner7 said:In my estimation, working within the judicial system offers a far more comfortable existence than pursuing a career as a psychologist.
Furthermore, life in France is prohibitively expensive, and one finds it only truly tolerable if they happen to belong to the upper crust of society.

🙄 .. but then again, where else would you go?

p.s. I suppose all wealth is built on someone else's struggle... for every luxury enjoyed, someone, somewhere, is footing the bill.🙂

Is it just me, or are we living in different realities?
I’m not sure it’s actually smart to tell a 24-year-old they need a degree, especially for something like preschool teaching. There are already way too many of those positions out there, and most people struggle to find work at all—let alone in their actual field of study. Following your dreams sounds great on paper, but in this economy, it’s a massive uphill battle. Sometimes it feels impossible.
At the end of the day, you just have to be grateful to land any kind of job and focus on making the shift go by faster. You grind through those eight hours and just feel lucky that a paycheck is waiting for you at the end of it.

velvetdriver38 said:Is it just me, or are we living in different realities?
I’m not sure it’s actually smart to tell a 24-year-old they need a degree, especially for something like preschool teaching. There are already way too many of those positions out there, and most people struggle to find work at all—let alone in their actual field of study. Following your dreams sounds great on paper, but in this economy, it’s a massive uphill battle. Sometimes it feels impossible.
At the end of the day, you just have to be grateful to land any kind of job and focus on making the shift go by faster. You grind through those eight hours and just feel lucky that a paycheck is waiting for you at the end of it.

👏 And let's be real, there are plenty of jobs out there much worse than yours.
If I could go back, I would give anything if my parents had just pointed me toward law school when I turned eighteen.

That’s exactly the issue. We're forced to make life-altering decisions while we're still practically kids. Some people head straight into vocational programs right after middle school. Imagine being fifteen years old and signing up for cosmetology school, only to hit twenty and realize, "Oh my god, am I really going to be stuck bleaching hair for the next forty years?" 😵
I probably changed my mind about my career path at least ten times between the ages of fifteen and thirty. But that's just how it goes; once you finish college, your options narrow down and there's no turning back. It would be great to live in a country where you could actually switch careers on a whim and then actually find a job in that new field, but we are nowhere near that reality here...

goldenheron6 said:It’s all just shopping to me. 😁

Life’s just one long series of lessons, whether you want them or not. 👍

My parents basically look at me like I’m some kind of high-stakes notary or a legal clerk, but honestly? That whole vibe just isn't my scene. It's totally not my thing, and frankly, I'm failing miserably at it.
It’s all buried in that mountain of paperwork. Like at work, when some judge needs something, they don't even look for it themselves—they just call their secretary to go hunt it down.
We should just swap them out entirely. Every time I show up in front of a female judge, she acts like she’s better than me the second I make a single mistake.
They see some tiny little detail and immediately act like, "Oh, you absolutely have to know this!" They play all these high-and-mighty types, acting like they’re some kind of experts, when in reality, they haven't accomplished a damn thing.
Law is basically the only field that doesn't have to deal with actual physics or chemistry. It’s just people arguing over words while everyone else deals with reality. 😁

I honestly think the real issue isn't even the job itself—it's that whole attitude coming from female judges.
I'll take gay guys over straight dudes any day. 👍 They're simple.

Back to that whole idea about working at a preschool. Honestly, it would be my dream job, but am I really going to enroll in college at 24? It feels wild. That being said, the curriculum for early childhood education actually really interests me, and I'm super into it.
Interesting. I actually already took a look at that school's curriculum. 🙂
I wouldn't mind grabbing some books just so I could dive straight into studying right away.

Why not?

I know a woman who started her freshman year of teaching school (early childhood education, or what you call being a "preschool teacher") when she was 30, mostly because she couldn't find work in her previous field.

After three years of undergrad, you can get hired in the field, and recently there's been more availability for part-time graduate programs too. You see women in their 40s and 50s in grad school all the time—half of them are in their 30s—who just want to further their education in the career they've been doing for years...

So no, being 24 isn't late at all... It's easiest to just dive in. By 27, you could already have your degree in hand and start working in your profession. (Just keep in mind that before you get permanent placement, you usually need to complete a year of student teaching for $800 and pass your certification exam 🙂)

By the way, I think you might be able to do early childhood education part-time starting from your first year (though I'm not 100% sure. As far as I know, the master's programs are mostly part-time only.) ... So you'd work a full schedule during the week, then hit the books on Fridays and Saturdays. You just have to decide if that's what you want to do.