I'm not sure what to do with my "future"

[masta247]

Okay as some of you know I study IT, I'm finishing 2nd semester right now and am seriously stuck.
I spend a lot of time studying and I must admit that I hate most things here. I hate maths, hate programming, algorithms and everything that relates to them. Oh and I have problems passing them too because I literally hate studying them.
Problem solving on that level is just frustrating to me. The only thing I could see myself doing after I graduate is database administration/analysis/engineering but to do that I also have to know shitloads of things I honestly dislike doing and would have to pass a lot of subjects I hate and think that I would have problems with some of them.

The point is that I really like my university. Besides all that stuff how reputable it is I simply enjoy studying here. Great people, great lecturers and teachers - I like everything about it. I feel like it gave me a lot.
There's something I've been considering before I decided to pick IT. There's a smaller, less popular and quite new thing called "Information management". A combination of IT, economics and organization. The point of it is to educate people to become mostly project managers in IT. It's more of a 'all-round' type of thing but seems less frustrating to me since there's still programming, databases and such but more specialistic and technical subjects are replaced by economic subjects.

Now I'm a bit stuck. Should I say fuck it and start all over again on that IM thing or brutally force myself to pass all those frustrating courses here and keep on frustrating myself for the next *at least* 3 years (IT and IM studies here take 4 years) and spend a lot of money on studies and courses I have to repeat. Information management is also 50% cheaper since it's new so they want to get more people there and it doesn't use all those high-tech computer labs - only those more basic ones.

I won't lie, I picked IT because I really liked this uni and knew that people who graduate from it make good money. The problem is that IT requires a specific mind and you have to be a specific type of person to really enjoy it. I failed to understand it before.

I just don't know what should I do now, I'm stuck.
Do you think it's worth it and do you think that there's at least a point in studying information management/it project management?
I already have a lot of IT knowledge that would help me there but I think that I don't really want to do IT itself in the future. If I decided to do those databases I could finish IM and then do postgraduate studies on Databases only. That way I wouldn't have to pass through most annoying courses that are required to pass IT.

 

[S O F I]

The beautiful thing about Information Management, from what I understand, is that even if you're less "technically" knowledgeable, the reality is, you'd be bossing IT guys around and making more money than them.

We have a course in our business school designed for managing engineers and IT geeks.

 

[masta247]

Yes, basically that's what they make it to be and that's what people are learning there most of the time. I guess there's only one other university offering "project management" as a specialization while this one is the only one offering "project management in IT". There's also "information management in business" specialization which doesn't tell me much really.

I was just a bit sceptic about it at the start - economomy + IT means you're not a master in either of them and I was worried because of that "Jack of all trades, master of none" thing. It might be wrong in this case though but that's why I picked IT itself back then.

Also, IT is a bit more "international" and everybody needs a specialist. If I decided to work abroad I have no idea if I could get a job after this.
I'm worried about "Information management, wtf is that?".

 

[Bobby Sands]

I acually studied Software Development when i first went to college. I failed all my mid-term exams and dropped out halfway through the first year. I hated it especially programming.

 

[Rahim]

I'm doing IT also (second year). I only like it enough to learn about it and it's my back up plan career wise. The irony is, I'm doing my back-up plan first before pursuing my real career choice - which is audio engineering / music production.

But the point I'm trying to make is that you should do something that you love. Don't settle for less. Do what you love.

Don't worry about how much money you'll make either cuz you don't wanna be 40 and wake up one morning and realize that you aren't living the life you wanted to live.

I picked going into music because i love it and i don't want to do a job that's boring. I wanna do something fun. I wanna wake up in the mornings and go to work happy and not force myself to do something that I don't give a fuck about.

Do something you love man...but in case that doesn't work out...have a back up plan. But have faith yourself and know that you will kill the guy the first time you try and shoot him in the head.

I also think you should finish what you started. I'm not about burning bridges and I don't always want to take that route even if it turns out that way.

Maybe you can use the credits from the IT courses you've taken and get credits for them in the Information Management program.

But even then, is Information Management what you really wanna do for the rest of your life? Find something that you love and that you love doing and that you could see yourself doing for the rest of your life and make a good living from.

And don't worry if you can't see your future...cause I don't think most people can either...I think you should take it easy and approach things as they approach you..

 

[masta247]

Bobby: It sounds a bit like me but I passed most exams. With each semester there's material that is harder to pass and it's pointless to try to "just get through" since it's expensive and in IT only skills really count. There are a few things I like but then again they still require things I hate.
To do a database I have to also know at least Java (which I dislike). If I picked multimedia then there are algorithms and a lot of physics.

Rahim:
Yeah but if I picked what I was good at and liked in high school I'd end up in a shitty university here. Then there's a school I like and really would like to pass it and besides worthless things like "cultural studies" or arts there's only IT and IM. Besides being good at economical subjects and geography in high school I've always dreamt of studying IT. I just didn't know that I might not like it when I get to know it "from the inside".
I guess that IM is pretty much close to it but less frustrating to me.
The only thing I'm thinking about right now is if it's really worth studying that.

 

[Bobby Sands]

I dont agree with doing something you dont like if you have an opportunity to do something you do like.


I get the impression that you picked this course just so you could go to this university. I know people that do this as well. They see the reputation or hear about a university and just pick any course so they can go there. I dont understand that.

 

[masta247]

I thought that I like IT, as I said I really wanted to study it. I really like my university and I was happy to study here.
It just turned out that IT is not as nice as I thought.

I don't know if I like IM because I don't really know how working there would look.

In high school I liked geography and biology the most. The point is that a lot of people study it here, there are shitty universities to study that and still with biology there's chemistry I hate, studying geography is a bit pointless and most of all to study it I would have to write my high school final exams again with biology and pass it well. Again I would have to pass maths, chemistry, physics etc etc and that means also many subjects I'd hate. After that I'd work for less than an average salary which wouldn't bring good perspectives for my future, my family etc.

I want to find a mix of something I would like to do and something that would pay off.

 

[Rahim]

how about a Business Administration Degree?

or maybe you're not as much into academics as you think you are.

When you were younger, what was it that you wanted to be? A fireman? A police officer?

I think somewhere down the line you lost touch with your inner child and replaced it with this washed up version of what you thought would be an acceptable career choice.

Go find that inner child and millest him back inside of you because that's what you need right now man!!!

 

[Flipmo]

Don't go into Business Administration. lol. I've heard many horror stories

 

[Glockmatic]

Think 10 years ahead of you - will you enjoy the career path you're in or are you just in it for the money? If you don't like what you're doing, drop out. Don't go 30k in debt just because you want a piece of paper with a signature, you'll be kicking your own ass down the road.

 

[Rahim]

Think 10 years ahead of you - will you enjoy the career path you're in or are you just in it for the money? If you don't like what you're doing, drop out. Don't go 30k in debt just because you want a piece of paper with a signature, you'll be kicking your own ass down the road.

exactly

 

[Preach]

Think 10 years ahead of you - will you enjoy the career path you're in or are you just in it for the money? If you don't like what you're doing, drop out. Don't go 30k in debt just because you want a piece of paper with a signature, you'll be kicking your own ass down the road.

What about the paper without the signature?


.... 22k

 

[masta247]

how about a Business Administration Degree?

or maybe you're not as much into academics as you think you are.

When you were younger, what was it that you wanted to be? A fireman? A police officer?

I think somewhere down the line you lost touch with your inner child and replaced it with this washed up version of what you thought would be an acceptable career choice.

Go find that inner child and millest him back inside of you because that's what you need right now man!!!

First I wanted to work in the military haha.
Then I wanted to work in IT because I loved video games since I was a kid. Then I wanted to do sports. But after all I always thought that I have to work with computers. I thought that I made a good decision but now I'm stuck. I know that finishing those studies (which is already hard) is not enough. IT guys have to study and learn new technologies for the rest of their lives.

 

[S O F I]

Don't go into Business Administration. lol. I've heard many horror stories

lol weird.

Share one.

 

[Rahim]

First I wanted to work in the military haha.
Then I wanted to work in IT because I loved video games since I was a kid. Then I wanted to do sports. But after all I always thought that I have to work with computers. I thought that I made a good decision but now I'm stuck. I know that finishing those studies (which is already hard) is not enough. IT guys have to study and learn new technologies for the rest of their lives.

maybe your problem isn't with disliking IT. Maybe it's how you feel about how much time and effort you have to put in (the amount of years) and be doing the same thing for the rest of your life. Maybe it's a sort of a commitment issue that makes you want nothing to do with IT or even Information Management or whatever that it was...

I think you should maybe give IT another chance. I felt like that too and sometimes I did want to give up.

You could just finish your IT Diploma and than go into another field? You have a lot of options here.

But if you were to do any kind of degree, it's a fact that you will see more money in your life if you did have a degree.

But that doesn't mean you have to do a degree.

But if you do, I say do the Business Administration Degree cause you can take a variety of courses in the field of business.

You can still finish your first and second years of IT and then go into something else if you like.

How about audio engineering? lol

 

[masta247]

I don't know but when I look at what I will have to pass next year - algorithms and advanced data stuctures, physics, advanced electronics, discrete mathematics pt2, 2 semesters of mathematic analysis, shitloads of more programming etc. etc. I feel like I simply don't want to. It's not as good from the inside as I thought it'll be. Most of that stuff is math-related.
On the other hand it's a bit of a let down to me.
I'll have to start something else over again and I have no idea what to study. I don't know what I want to do.

 

[Jokerman]

I don't know what I want to do.

Here's my advice: Observe animals whenever you can, for at least ten minutes at a time.

 

[masta247]

Here's my advice: Observe animals whenever you can, for at least ten minutes at a time.

Does staring at a fried chicken count? I couldn't resist it for more than 30 seconds

 

[kastro]

well see im kinda in the same boat as you im jst going into my 2nd year first semister and currently chosen to major in international business and still undecided eathier to study marketing or advertising for my second major and deciding between advertising and marketing is proving to be a hard choice, after my degree i plan on going overseas and working as i can make more money in other countrys then in nz, thats why i chose international business.

I dnt want to choose something and waste money when later on if i dnt like it, but u can never really know what you goana be happy with untill you try it sometimes you just have to take a gamble. I also wanted to do I.T and management but i backed out at the last minute as i didnt really like all the nitty gritty stuff and then also alot of ppl put me off it, but like i said it pretty hard to decide on what u reali want to do, for me im undecided between marketing or advertising or another subject that would go well with my international business major.