Don't really like my degree and unsure of what to do now. (1 Viewer)

[quickoats]

So I'm currently studying Actuarial Studies at MQ and I'm really not enjoying myself or the degree. Census date is approaching and I'm not sure if I should drop out of the course or not. I don't really know what I actually want to do now, so is it too much of an extreme measure to drop out of uni? In high school, I wasn't really sure of what I wanted to do either, so I ended up 'hoarding' random offers in each of the UAC rounds - MQ offered a scholarship so I accepted (not the best way to choose a degree I guess ). My other preferences included some combinations of commerce/arts/science - so kinda more liberal studies degrees where there's a little bit more flexibility.

As to what industries I see myself working in, I really don't know. I've thought about a really wide range of industries that I might enjoy - from teaching to dentistry to architecture, but can't really pinpoint exactly the right thing.

What should I do now??

Any help/advice is much appreciated, and feel free to leave any suggestions as to what degree/vocation I might enjoy doing, even maybe based on my HSC marks??!? (my marks are pretty much highest to lowest in terms of levels of enjoyment of the subject I guess).

 

[quickoats]

Sounds like you like math. Why not sci/enginerring?

I actually failed physics (fail as in did not pass) in year 11 - don’t know if that would make things difficult for me in engineering. I’ve heard that uni physics is quite different to high school physics though?

 

[Accurate]

Hey i'm interested in Acturial for university, can you please tell me how the degree is? How hard will i be studying, will I have no social life etc. Thanks.

 

[Arrowshaft]

Hey i'm interested in Acturial for university, can you please tell me how the degree is? How hard will i be studying, will I have no social life etc. Thanks.

Hey Accurate, so as for how hard the course is; so far from what I’ve gathered of the course - it’s introductory math courses are definitively the most challenging first year math courses offered by unis (even harder than all of the first trimester math major subjects), so it is indeed very demanding. You can also see from the statistics that it is very demanding with a 50% drop out rate. So my advice is, do actuarial studies if you are prepared for the intensive workload and have a solid background in extension 2 maths (at least E3), if you’re somewhat unsure I’d suggest pairing it with another degree and weighing your options after first year to settle on a degree (or if your mind changes completely, even do both!). Sorry if I’m scaring you a bit, but with a lot of hard work anything is possible!

 

[BLIT2014]

Can you try online teaching of different age groups?

More demand for online tutors at the moment.

What are you looking to get out of Uni?

 

[enoilgam]

Any help/advice is much appreciated, and feel free to leave any suggestions as to what degree/vocation I might enjoy doing, even maybe based on my HSC marks??!? (my marks are pretty much highest to lowest in terms of levels of enjoyment of the subject I guess).

I think one of the biggest mistakes when people choose degrees/careers is they base it off their interests in high school subjects or topics of interest (i.e. Im good at maths, so Ill do engineering). The link between the two is tenuous at best and has little to do with the profession itself. You need to understand what you will be doing in a profession on a daily basis. Let's say for example you decide to become a HR professional because you liked studying it in Business Studies. That's all well and good, but the Business Studies course just gives you the background on HR, not what you do on a daily basis. Working in HR is about doing many small, varied activities in a day, with a focus on compliance and process. If you are a person who likes to focus on strategy and working on larger, singular tasks you probably wont enjoy it. The Business Studies course would tell you none of that. So you really need to get out there and understand what a profession does and how that aligns to your preferences. Saying something like " Im good at maths, so Ill do engineering" is like deciding to buy a car based solely on the fact that you liked the seat covers.

Another bit of advice (which I dont know if relevant to you), but Ill say it anyway) is to avoid falling into the passion trap. Without a doubt, the worst advice I got was "Do something you are passionate about and love". The hard reality is the majority of people never find a job based on a passion. By all means, if you find something you love you should do it, but it is pure folly to spend years searching for it if you cant find it. You need to pick a job which you are comfortable enough with to do on a daily basis for an extended time. You should also look for a job that suits your life goals. I know for me personally, I spent a couple years fretting because I couldn't find my passion. However, I was lucky enough to realise that in my life, I wanted less stress and more freedom to pursue interests outside of work. So a chose an easy going profession with strong work-life balance that pays decent. Do I love it, no absolutely not. However, it has helped me achieve key life goals of mine and Im extremely happy with the route taken. I see so many people spend years of their lives at uni searching for their passion and meanwhile, they are falling further behind in life and getting nowhere on making themselves happy.