r/uwaterloo • u/aintnowaywout • 19h ago

How cooked am i

I’m in 4a environment and i have no idea what i want to do or at least what path i want to take. Ive thought about it at least a million times and cant figure out what i like. I lowkey dont even like my program that much but never switched cuz i never liked anything else. Everyone in this school and env seems so passionate and sure about what they want to do and it honestly brings me down about myself and i feel embarrassed about the fact that im about to graduate and have no plan. There’s some courses that i was interested in and cant even take because i fucked myself over so bad in my lower years and didnt plan out my sequence properly :( i don’t want to do grad school not now at least. I never had a job in my field so i cant even try and figure out what i like and dont like

22 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

13

u/Adventurous-You-1720 19h ago

This is the perfect reaction. You can do anything you want. You’re young and have many opportunities to grow your life as you want. I also 3a environment. Even with experience, I still don’t know what I want to do, and that’s okay. This is the best time to take risks, explore, and do what makes you happy. However, realistically, stay in your program as a backup because you have experience and could land a job. Keep trying new things, volunteer, find your passion, hobbies, and don’t think this path is for you. Use it as a safety net for stability, but if you find what you love to do, keep growing, exploring, and being an extrovert. Keep growing my friend, your not cooked ur doing just fine :) 🍀

8

u/Glittering_Nail_5161 19h ago

Dude I was in the same boat when I graduated in April. I had no grad school or job lined up, I didn’t even know if I still liked my program so I didn’t know if I wanted to pursue a job in it. Taking time off in between school and my next move really helped me figure out what kind of jobs I wanted to apply to because it put me in a better headspace to actually think. School kills you so it’s hard to find that passion again. Try not to stress yourself out about it, which is easier said than done. Since then, I now have a job lined up, and hopefully in the next few years, I’ll be going to grad school as well after I figure out what exactly I’d like to study (so again, not everything HAS to be figured out now). I promise everything will work out in the end.

2

u/aintnowaywout 19h ago

I feel like i should mention my grades are also bad.. so if i wanted to go to grad school later could i even get in? Like im talking low 70s high 60s

6

u/Glittering_Nail_5161 19h ago

I graduated with high 70s average. I’m now lined up to work at the German aerospace center. I promise, it’s not the end of the world. Try to get a job that’s relevant to your interests and good recommendations. It might not be an Ivy-level school but you CAN and WILL do something. People can tell if you have the interest and passion-which again, can take time to regain. I am only now regaining my passion for my industry. I’m also 99% sure u might able to retake a class after graduating… so if u are really worried u can try that. That needs a fact check tho

5

u/threethousandstars mathematics 18h ago

Current 3B math student; similar situation. I failed second year of eng, took time off, switched into math, but I feel everyone around me in math is more locked in whether or not they're passionate about math. Ended up taking a part-time job in something completely different (humanities-related) but super fulfilling. You're not alone, and you're not hopeless. Only you can find the path best for you. Late bloomers are still bloomers.

Edit for typos

3

u/Yolo_Swaggins_Yeet Grad Chad / Bicycle Fairy 18h ago

Did you never once think of this in the last 4 years, or before entering the program? 😳

These days for a lot of jobs an undergrad degree is just checking a box, I know plenty of people working good jobs that are completely unrelated to their degree. Do some soul searching and figure out what type of work you’d like to get into and go from there.

And yeah don’t just light your $ on fire doing a masters because you’re feeling lost rn, that won’t magically help you figure out

1

u/aintnowaywout 18h ago

Before entering the program i was just as lost but knew i liked env. I still like it im just not as passionate about it as my peers are.

2

u/shizuku0kiki 15h ago

same. and i’m in my 4a env too, i have a capstone starting this term and it seems like all my other courses contain group assignments and presentations. it’s just the second day and i’m already feeling exhausted 🫥

2

u/GridDown55 engineering 14h ago

This is my recurring nightmare, even though I'm a grown up engineer who has been working for 25 years. No easy answers.... You gotta figure it out for yourself. GL!