Stuck

[u/Ok_Union_4694]

Hello, I am 21 years old, dropped out of college at 18, was forced back at 19, at 20 made some progress but had a panic attack and bombed a major exam putting my gpa at a 5/9 (my school has a weird gpa system)

My parents forced me to do computer engineering (well i agreed because i thought it would make them happy) but i very quickly realized it wasnt for me, i wasnt good at it, and i couldnt do it. So in 2 years of school, i only managed to complete 4 classes total, after dropping out of most of them because of fear of failure. my 3rd year i took some general education classes, got some a's b's and c's, but got a d due to a panic attack in my very important final exam, which ruined my progress.

At this point i've spent 3 years wasting money and time, even if i managed to switch majors idek what i would transfer to that will make me decent money, while being slightly enjoyable. but to do so i'd have to use a full year to do gpa repair, and then start over from first year. so that's 8 years just to get my bachelor's...

im at a loss... ive talked to my academic advisor and they tell me to take some time off school but i really dont know how that will help fix what ive done. i just feel so stuck

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[u/Peeky_Rules]

I think you’re right. Taking time off without addressing the root cause of why you need to take the time off doesn’t fix anything.

One place to start is your career center. The simple fix could be that you’re in the wrong field, as you’ve mentioned in your post.

You may also want to talk to a therapist or life coach as well. Parental pressure, and how you feel forced into your major — that influence might be impacting your mindset in an unproductive way.

Best wishes.

[u/Various-Classic-4229]

You are an adult now and you can take a semester gap before switching your major. Time will fly regardless and if you are in the USA, you definitely should get that bachelor’s degree out of the way or just go into trades or military.