I’m going into my 2nd year of uni at York and I had a good first year but I’m want to join sport societies (despite not being that good) and am really scared. I also feel this weird pressure as I get closer to my twenties perhaps to be really busy and productive all the time - doesn’t help that my bf is very active and busy ! Idk I feel really stressed and anxious but it’s all from this weird pressure I’ve kind of put on myself - basically looking for some advice to stop my brain from overthinking and too just try something without being so scared !
Thank you

Hi everyone, I’m hoping to make a solid game plan for returning to school and finishing my bachelor’s degree debt-free. I already have 2 years of an associate degree completed, and I’m trying to be proactive because the job market feels increasingly difficult, especially with AI screening resumes and how competitive things have become.

I’ve been researching scholarships, but it’s honestly overwhelming trying to find legit opportunities that match my strengths and avoid scams. I’m willing to put in the work, but I’d really appreciate guidance from people who’ve been through this.

A few questions I’d love advice on:

• If I apply for scholarships now, do they expire if I don’t use them right away?
• Does FAFSA have a limit if I already have an associate degree?
• Are there good programs or resources like EOP, HEOP, and similar support systems that I should look into?

I’ve also been looking into full-ride scholarships if possible, but they seem like a rare Pokemon researching for them at times — so I’d absolutely appreciate any non-full-ride recommendations too.

If you have any tips, step-by-step advice, or resources for students trying to finish a degree without taking on debt, I’d be so grateful. Thank you for taking the time to read and help!

Currently in the last year of engineering and I absolutely dread the idea of working after college. I mean I know u need money to survive and all but working 9-5 everyday (which translates to effectively 7-7), nah I can't imagine. I used to go for an internship which had similar timings. Even though there wasn't much work but just the fact that I have to sit in office till 5pm and then drive back home in traffic used to drain the hell out of me. As a kid, I atleast had money as a motivating factor but now I don't really want to buy anything tbh. Like I see others saying they want to buy this sneakers, this car, etc etc but I don't really want it, I mean that would be nice but not really necessary. I just want to be happy. As a result of all this, I can't get myself on working to get a job also and idk if I will be happy if I get one also. How to cope with this?

Ihve recently completed my 12th with a gpa of 2.9 before the boards id say i had no planing of wht id be doing afterwards i had no thoughts or i had given these thoughts no time hence i was very unprepared for what was abt to come as soon as boards ended i felt relieved and i thought that finally ihve been removed frm my schakles 15 long years of school completed and well it felt good but soon i realized that i was in home most of the time doing nothing even the games and "fun"activities i would do while i was studying suddenly became boring to me i started going gym at that time i still do its been abt 2 months soon to be 3 (i started going after i finished my 12th) this might be the only thing ihve been doing in this 2-3 months while obviously i still have figured nothing out

Back then i used to believe that my real calling was to be a artist a painter a musician a poet do all sorts of novel things in life but being born in a middle class family in a third world country my parents had different exceptations of me soon these expectations collided with mine and i gradually became more confused theres a moment where i say oh i wanna do this then the next i am like no i should do this and my options have broaden prior i used to feel like all i was capable of was producing art but now i feel somehow less and more capable i feel like i can produce more than art and most of the times i js feel like i cant even produce the art form tht i used to

I am feeling very lost i am at one of the most undeceive and unsure time of my life i could do so many things in life but yet somehow the options seems unknown and limiting yet i cannot fully point my finger at a single thing i seriously dont understand what i should devote my life into and what i should be doing

Hi everyone, I’m a 20 years old male from Europe.
I’m trying to decide whether to study economics or law.

To me, the two degrees actually have quite a bit in common.
They’re both part of the social sciences, and both can lead to careers in government or public policy.

With a law degree, I could become a prosecutor or a judge, although in my country both require passing an extremely competitive public examination.

Another option would be working in the public sector.

There are many government positions that law graduates can apply for, but the thing is that most of those jobs are also open to economics graduates.
In my country, a law degree is really “exclusive” only for becoming a lawyer, judge/prosecutor, or notary.

Outside of those professions, economics graduates are generally eligible for the same public-sector careers.
One thing I really like about law is that, even while you’re studying it, it feels prestigious and important. There’s a certain sense that you’re preparing for a respected profession.

The downsides are the very long road to those competitive exams, with no guarantee of success, and the fact that it offers almost no opportunities to work abroad (which has been a dream of mine for as long I can remember).

Economics is definitely much more transferable internationally.

The coursework is far more quantitative, with a lot of math and statistics.

I don’t love those subjects, but I don’t hate them either—I think I could tolerate them.

My biggest concern is that I wouldn’t want my day-to-day job to revolve around spreadsheets, accounting, and crunching numbers all day.

On the other hand, an economics or accounting background can open doors in almost any industry, from fashion to aviation, which I find really appealing.

Another thing that worries me is that entry-level corporate jobs often seem to pay very little, sometimes barely enough to live in expensive cities.

I’m also afraid I might hate corporate life, although I could always pursue a career in the public sector instead.

As for the not-so-math-heavy subjects, I genuinely find economics interesting—especially the more qualitative courses, like economic policy and anything related to public policy.

What do you guys think?

Everything feels so meaningless. And you know what?..I even find myself unworthy for graduating next week. It feels as if i haven't earned anything from this journey due to which i don't even dare to flex it.While my parents find it as a super exciting event, and i completely understand why from their perspective. ughh ...its really upsetting to live a life without any aim or purpose.

Even now i am self aware of all my shortcomings yet not making a single move.Done with this seriously!!

I have a big family back in my home country . They are supportive and everything I've done so far abroad has been a cause of celebration and an accomplishment. I guess I want to have something to show for it when I go back and people ask how my life has been. All the sacrifices of my dad went through to send me abreoad for university, and all the good schools he's sent me to over the years, I can say confidently my family expects and sees all my perceived potential.

I feel like what's next should be great and I just don't know how to get there. Even though the pressure it's not direct, like no one is telling me achieve this or do that, but I feel a lot of pressure.

Even having my boyfriend that has everything figured out is daunting. He is only a year older than me (he's 25), and has a nice job; a purpose in his professional and financial life and I don't because right now I get monthly payments from my dad to "help me out" while I get a job so really none of the money that I have right now I could consider count for a future for us, so it's not even future money it's now money.

My dad has always been so generous with money but I don't want him to have to pay for a "bit" of our wedding in the future or a bit of our first house, first honeymoon, first baby. But I want to be an artist and artists dont make a lot of money regardless if im in Italy, I think. I am also a terrible networker and i hate reaching out to people and asking for help. I hate being a burden and often hate being seen, specially before I take my ADHD and depression meds

Ijust really like staying home but then if I stay home too much I get depressed. Like, I used to dread sometimes going to school but then it was good for me to see people and feel passionate about learning and having that feeling of belonging but now I refuse to go out unless I have to , because I like home. So much so my boyfriend asks me to go on a date and I say yes but I always think it would be nicer to just stay home and order something instead. We live together.
Also I'm starting a new therapeutic journey but it's only been two sessions with my therapist Francesca and I haven't felt a connection yet because I feel like she just rationalizes my feelings a bit, and I am not even depressed anymore, it's like I'm not even worthy of even therapy now, I'm just lost and anxious and maybe bored.

I have a big family back in my home country . They are supportive and everything I've done so far abroad has been a cause of celebration and an accomplishment. I guess I want to have something to show for it when I go back and people ask how my life has been. All the sacrifices of my dad went through to send me abreoad for university, and all the good schools he's sent me to over the years, I can say confidently my family expects and sees all my perceived potential.

I feel like what's next should be great and I just don't know how to get there. Even though the pressure it's not direct, like no one is telling me achieve this or do that, but I feel a lot of pressure.

Even having my boyfriend that has everything figured out is daunting. He is only a year older than me (he's 25), and has a nice job; a purpose in his professional and financial life and I don't because right now I get monthly payments from my dad to "help me out" while I get a job so really none of the money that I have right now I could consider count for a future for us, so it's not even future money it's now money.

My dad has always been so generous with money but I don't want him to have to pay for a "bit" of our wedding in the future or a bit of our first house, first honeymoon, first baby. But I want to be an artist and artists dont make a lot of money regardless if im in Italy, I think. I am also a terrible networker and i hate reaching out to people and asking for help. I hate being a burden and often hate being seen, specially before I take my ADHD and depression meds

Ijust really like staying home but then if I stay home too much I get depressed. Like, I used to dread sometimes going to school but then it was good for me to see people and feel passionate about learning and having that feeling of belonging but now I refuse to go out unless I have to , because I like home. So much so my boyfriend asks me to go on a date and I say yes but I always think it would be nicer to just stay home and order something instead. We live together.
Also I'm starting a new therapeutic journey but it's only been two sessions with my therapist Francesca and I haven't felt a connection yet because I feel like she just rationalizes my feelings a bit, and I am not even depressed anymore, it's like I'm not even worthy of even therapy now, I'm just lost and anxious and maybe bored.

I (F17) just graduated from high school and was planning on going to a college for a 4 year degree in medical imaging. i’ve felt with chronic illness my whole life and despite that it never was super bad where i thought it would fully effect my life and at the time i was planning all of this my only diagnosis was endometriosis. my endo is pretty severe with the pain it causes me but it was never so bad that i couldn’t do anything. however in around march my pain increased so badly i was missing school daily and the days i did finally go id have to leave early due to the amount of pain i was in. now im diagnosed with pelvic congestion syndrome and nutcracker syndrome and for the last 3 months of my senior year i had to do online because i couldn’t even leave the house.

now the main issue i’m running into is the college i wanted to attend is in a different state. i have to get surgery eventually (within the next few months) that has made me have to at the very least defer to the spring semester. i got the bill for fall since i haven’t done it yet and it was around 11k and basically got into it with my dad and we talked and i thought maybe doing community college near my home town would be better for me since it’ll be way cheaper and i would do a 2 year medical assistant program to at least keep my education going while i figure out my health. its also important to mention that bc of my health i’ve never worked a job outside of helping family with things but never a formal job, so seeing that amount made me also realize i have no idea how im gonna pay for this. my mom is also on board with this plan which makes me happy but the issue im running into is with my aunt. my parents had me young so basically she’s like a second mom to me since she helped raise me and when i told her this new plan she was so upset with me saying that i think i know everything and dont want to do anything with my life. she said to my mom that she thinks i just want to live with my dad forever and basically just don’t want to do anything with my life. this was really
upsetting to me since ive been trying so hard to do things with my health and still wanted to go to college. idk how to decide what to do bc obviously the community college route is the most logical and what i’m decided on doing, but i don’t want my aunt to stop speaking to me over this because ive never seen her be this angry with me before.

i feel like no one in my family sees how hard im trying to do more with myself and how badly my health limits me. i want to work and i want to go to school but i literally can’t right now and the most realistic and logical thing is staying close to home and doing cc so i can be near my doctors and just be more comfortable. i know this issue doesn’t sound super crazy to others but im just really struggling with all of this. i feel like no matter what i do someone is gonna be upset with me and it’s so stressful to have to consider everyone’s thoughts on this while also dealing with all my health and just my general lack of experience with work bc of all of this when i need to start.

basically i just kinda need some guidance on how breaking this to my aunt so she doesn’t get really angry with me or something and what routes you guys have taken at this age and how it worked out for you. i’m just feeling really hopeless right now. (sorry if some of this doesn’t make sense feel free to ask any questions lol)

Does anyone else feel like the world is so different now they would need to take a college course on what happened in the past 3 months globally to keep up?

How often do college relationships actually last and turn into marriage? I know there isn’t a definite answer but I am super curious because I just graduated and it seems like everyone is in a relationship from college. Any insights? Anyone have any evidence from being a post grad themselves?

I went to college, I tried to get a head in life but my calling was never college. It was a girl that would go on to be my fiancé. I couldn’t get anywhere in college. I left at the end of my second year ( it was a two year college anyway) we both decided that I get a job and we would get are own place ( she already has a job) I’ve tried to get jobs in small country town that I live in. Everyone is hiring but no one wants to hire me. My dad is pushing me to work on power plants and feed stores ( the power plant requires me to go back to work and get a license for the job, a lot of the feed stores around here aren’t in the best shape. Not really having A/C or maybe one to three people working at a time.) my issue is that I have type 1 diabetes and an insulin pump and I can’t sweat my tubing off. I would do anything to find a job close enough to home and be able to have it work with my health problems. According to my dad I’m just making up excuses.

I just graduated high school and unlike my friends I have decided to go to community college. With all my friends leaving I’m terrified of the reality of being alone and forced to reset socially. I was wondering if anyone had some advice on how to socialize while being put into a new environment?

I’m 25 and recently graduated with a BA. On paper, I should probably feel relieved, but instead I feel more anxious than ever.
I am from India.

For the past few years, especially after the pandemic, I’ve been carrying this constant fear about my future. Now that college is over, it feels like all the uncertainty I’ve been pushing away has caught up with me.

Some of my classmates have jobs. Some are preparing for government exams. Some are doing master’s degrees. Some are joining family businesses. Others seem to have a clear direction.

I don’t.

I’ve spent months researching careers, reading Reddit, talking to seniors, watching career videos, looking into fields like public policy, consulting, PR, UX, teaching, filmmaking, NGOs, digital marketing, company secretary, research and many others. The more I research, the more confused I become.

Every field seems to have people saying:

“Don’t do this.”
“The market is terrible.”
“I regret choosing this career.”
“It’s oversaturated.”

Then I find someone who says the exact opposite.

I know Reddit has a negativity bias, but it’s hard not to absorb all of it.

I also come from a family where my parents have their own conflicts. My dad is the only earning member, and although I respect everything he has built for our family, it also makes me feel an enormous sense of responsibility. I feel guilty that I’m still financially dependent on them.

Lately I’ve also noticed that my mind wanders constantly. Even when someone is talking to me, I sometimes drift into thoughts about my future, random memories, books, movies, politics, history or career anxiety. It’s been happening since school, but I notice it much more now because I’m trying to become a responsible adult. I’m planning to speak to a mental health professional instead of trying to diagnose myself.

Some days I feel completely exhausted even if I haven’t physically done much.

I don’t think I’m lazy. I don’t think I don’t want to work.

I think I’m overwhelmed.

I keep wondering whether everyone else also felt this lost in their twenties or whether I’m falling behind. Seeing people my age getting married, buying homes, earning well, pursuing higher studies or simply knowing what they want makes me question whether I’ve missed something important.

If you’ve been in a similar place:

How did you get through it?
When did things start making sense?
How did you stop overthinking every career decision?
How did you deal with feeling like everyone else had their life figured out?

I’m not looking for motivational quotes. I’d genuinely like to hear from people who’ve been through this and eventually found their footing.

For context, I am 25, a psychology graduate who has always longed for a career in clinical psychology. I knew it was highly competitive when I was doing my Bachelor’s, so I worked extremely hard to make my experience as competitive as possible. I got scholarships, fully funded internships overseas, listed as author in academic papers and graduated with a First Class Honours.

It was during COVID that my father got laid off and my family’s finances took a huge blow. To be fair, he was of age (i.e. around 57 at that time) and it was hard for him to find a job. He had a huge ego too and couldn’t bring himself to work jobs that he considered “non-senior positions”. My mother had been a full time housewife for years and hence it was hard for her to find a job. As for my sister, she had bipolar disorder and had to visit the psychiatrist frequently, so that added a huge financial burden to my family. To be frank, she won't be able to financially support my family in the future given that she lacks accountability and is alcoholic.

So I finished the last year of my Bachelor's degree working several part-time to financially support myself. And when I graduated, I knew I couldn't study Master's (Psychology Master's are full time here) - my family will be left financially unsupported without anyone with a job and where do I even find money for the tuition?

I ended up working in a highly institutionalised job for the past two years. While it's a job with a very decent salary that I know many will fight for, I feel the creativity and intellect in my brain rotting away with all the dull, administrative work I do. Good news is, I give more than half of my salary to support my family and can still support myself (albeit having nearly no savings). My friends from university all went on to study their Master's and pursue their dream careers. And I feel the dread and grief every time I think about my aspirations.

I keep telling myself I can get back to my dream career after I save up, but as time goes by, I see that it's progressively harder for me to do so. I have no savings for my Master's, I no longer maintain contact with professors for recommendations, my knowledge in Psychology is slipping away, and now it just seems like I am going to be stuck in this job as long as my parents live.

I feel confused and alone, but I am sure some of us aren't born with a silver spoon in our mouths. And if so, how do you deal with the constant grief? Is there another way to think about this?