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Maybe you should go into some kind of work that you do a lot of research...like science, a think tank, some forms of corporate strategy, some consulting work.
Those types of jobs usually require a PhD. I did apply to the PhD program when I was at MIT, and I was rejected, so those jobs were never an option for me (and probably not for the OP either).
This thread reminds me of a friend I met in college.
She was an art major. Her parents were wealthy, so they paid for her college with cash. They even gave her a mustang. She was a popular girl and people lined up (literally, I swear I'm not exaggerating) to date her.
I was a science and engineering major. Quite poor background so I had to take out a lot of loans. Didn't have that much luck with dating.
Somehow, somewhere in there we became life long friends.
After we graduated, I went ahead and got a job with a software developing company. She started subbing at schools because she simply couldn't find a full time job with her art degree. A couple years later, I quit programming and got a job as a law enforcement officer. A couple years after that I quit that job, went back to grad school, got a masters in engineering, and started working in an engineering firm. She's still subbing earning $20k/year while I earn many more times that working in management.
Last time we went out to a bar and just enjoyed the night, she shared with me that she really misses the carefree environment of college. I'm the opposite. I love my life nowadays and I'd rather shoot myself in the head before I have to go back to school. She recently broke up with someone she's been dating seriously and living with for the last 5 years because (again, I swear I'm not exaggerating) she felt the relationship was holding her back and she wasn't going out and partying enough anymore. Again, I'm the opposite of this. My boyfriend and I hate going to clubs nowadays. When we have free time we just take road trips, travel to places, or work on various projects around the house.
This friend of mine is just one example. God knows I've seen plenty of other examples. So, it seems to me that the people who say they miss college are people who never have an ambition to excel in life while the people who can't even fathom the idea of going back to school are people who are on top of things in the real world.
That is a part of it. I think also people like myself who preferred college are people who value free time over material wealth, and who are interested in intellectual stimulation. I think that a big part is also what your college experience was like. I had a full academic scholarship, and I didn't need to study a lot to get good grades, so college was easy for me. The students who had to work full time to pay tuition, and who struggled academically may prefer the real world.
people generally have more flexibility after college... no one to answer to except yourself
Not true. In the real world, you are responsible for your spouse and children. In college, you are responsible only for yourself.
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...which means being responsible for yourself too, college kids can slack off because parents/teachers are there to catch them if they trip, so they can act careless/with abandon. This isn't real freedom...
I didn't slack off in college, nor did I act careless or with abandon.
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intellectual challenges? You should have that at any age/time/etc of one's life... you shouldn't expect to have someone put a puzzle in front of you, you go out and find it on your own... hence freedom...
Most jobs are not intellectually stimulating.
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friends, yeah, you have less concentration of like minded people but go out and meet other people. Even non-like minded people are great friends
if you don't like your job/career, find another one,
In most cases, the degree and work experience that one has locks us into a particular field. When you are supporting a spouse and kids, you can't afford to go back to an entry level salary.
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I don't know why people think it is too hard to find something enjoyable to work at.
Not all of us have anything that we want to do for 40+ hours per week that also pays the bills.
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Seems most of the people I know who aren't happy with their life/job are also the ones that want to "do nothing". They want to travel/go to gym/etc.... IE lounge around and have no responsibilities... I travel a month a year for vacation, sure I'd like more, but after a month, I'm also ready to go back to work too. I go to the gym a few times a week. I go meet people in my field at conferences to share what we know and just meet other similar people. If I wanted to travel more, I would go back to a traveling job and see the country again.
Traveling for a job is very different from traveling for a vacation!
Welcome to the modern day version of the circle of life.
In the "old" days, you hunted, gathered, and built shelter all day. Every day. That is how you stayed alive.
In the current times, those tasks have been farmed out to collectives which exchange necessities (food) for services (accounting).
You get to college, and you have neither. Everything is served to you on a silver platter....food, shelter, good times...in exchange for money...which comes from you, your family, or loans.
Then.....it is real world time again. Work. To get money, to buy food and shelter. To survive. AND, unlike college, you have extra time that you have to learn how to fill on your own terms. A hobby, reading, TV, dancing, music, sports...whatever. It doesn't get served to you; you have to go seek it out, make plans, organize funding, and make an effort to actively engage. Exciting? You bet. But YOU have to make it happen. No effort on the job.....serving fries...and life isn't so exciting. Learning a skill, like computer repair.....and you have a better income, and can seek out more exciting experiences...vacations to wonderful places, hobbies that involve "stuff" like boats, air[planes, whatever. Yu get out of life what you put into it. And it takes time, a LOT of time (and effort) for the good stuff to come your way.
Old expression: you can get on with dying, or you can get on with living. College makes that choice for you. After that, you have to make it on your own.
Most of us working in the real world don't have the free time for all that.
College is different for everyone. I worked in college, so even with a full time load of classes, I almost always worked 20-30 hours per week. So I never really had the flexibility of just leaving a class to do whatever, I was usually leaving class to head to work or to a computer lab to work on a project! I did manage to squeeze in fun, joined a fraternity, etc but it was still a lot of work.
Fast forward 20+ years post graduation - I'm married with one kid, make a very good living as a engineering manager and my wife just started a full time job. For fun, we travel. My kid has had a passport since she was 10 months old. Our excitement comes from the experiences and memories of travel and hanging out as a family. There's *no* way I could have afford to do even 20% of the travel that we do on a yearly basis when I was in school. So this is totally better!
With regards to intellectual stimulation, take the advice of another poster, get a hobby. A hobby that makes you think and solve problems. You can do that solo or with a group. I personally like dabbling in embedded systems. It has the multifaceted benefit of being fun, keep my mind sharp and keeps me technical which can be hard to do in management. Just an example.
Most of us working in the real world don't have the free time to find a hobby at that level.
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Also, note, I worked for the university that I eventually graduated from for a couple of years and trust me, just working for a university isn't not necessarily going to be much different from a typical corporate environment. In my case, the caliber and intelligence of my co-workers was significantly higher, on average, in corporate world vs the university. I was a faculty level professional staff member too.
Again, just my 2 cents!
The reason why you have so much free time is since you work for a university rather than in the real world.
The friend you mentioned has her family's wealth to fall back on, so she's not living on the 20K a year she earns subbing.
And once her parents pass she will most likely not even have to sub.
It's hard to count someone else's money. My kids thought I was rich because I paid cash (otherwise known as "my life savings") for their college. I even gave my son a nice used car. My daughter had a horse. We are upper middle class and live comfortably, but we are not going to leave behind anything like an amount that a young person can "fall back on" for the rest of their lives.
Most of us working in the real world don't have the free time to find a hobby at that level.
I'm not sure what you're talking about, I very much work in the "real world."
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The reason why you have so much free time is since you work for a university rather than in the real world.
Incorrect. I stated that I worked at a university in the past tense and that was more than 20 years ago. All hobbies don't take massive amounts of "free time."
There are certain aspects of college that I used to miss in my earlier career days:
1. Flexibility to control my time and effort. At work, unless you are really working in a silo, the concept of teamwork most of the time means that once you are done with your work, you have to help teammate who is not as smart/efficient, at college, it was only applicable when we had group projects.
2. Something new to look for every year-new friends, new classes, at work, it kind of settles into routine.
The aspect I don't miss:
1. Lack of money. I was very, very poor when going through an expensive college, basically, 1/3 was covered by need-based grants, 1/3 was loans, and 1/3 was works-study program where I saved most of income to pay my tuition. My parents could not help me financially. The funny thing is, the lack of money did not make me unhappy, hey, going out for pizza was a huge excitement back then!
I did feel blue to some degree two years after college when I was just up and coming in my career and things were not happening as fast as I would have liked them, but then, I had family, my career took off and I lost that feeling.
The reason why you have so much free time is since you work for a university rather than in the real world.
and what makes your world any more real than mine?
you seem to throw around "real world" like there is a separation between you and me... as far as I'm aware, the world is the same. I happen to enjoy it. And yes, I have enough free time/money to do it with, that is part of the real world too... If nothing else, money/time is a driving factor of the "real world"
That is a part of it. I think also people like myself who preferred college are people who value free time over material wealth, and who are interested in intellectual stimulation. I think that a big part is also what your college experience was like. I had a full academic scholarship, and I didn't need to study a lot to get good grades, so college was easy for me. The students who had to work full time to pay tuition, and who struggled academically may prefer the real world.
I had to work to support myself through college and pay the bills. Took out huge amounts of loan. I'm also not that bright. I noticed from very early on in my life that things came to my peers a lot faster than to me. So, I had to work extra hard for everything.
There was one guy I knew that I was always jealous of. He had blond curly hair. If you look at him, he looks like an angel. Naturally good looks. He would come in to our calc 3 class early every day and copy homework from me. I could never say no. I happen to know for a fact that he partied every other day. He hardly ever studied. And yet, on every single test he always had a slightly higher score than mine.
Out here in the real world, it's taken me a few short years to get into management and the salary that goes with it. I have people working under me that's been doing this for 7-12 years. So, at least out here in the real world I have a fighting chance. Back in college, I had no chance at all against the naturally gifted.
But here's the thing. I've recently realized that college is easy compared to the real world. Here in the real world, I have to compete with real people in real corporate settings. What I do have real consequences. A mistake can cost thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. Back in college, all you need to do is throw money at it. Your mediocre performances have no real consequences.
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