Graduating with a bachelors next year but don’t think I learned too much

[Mysterious Milkk]

Before anyone calls me a retard. No I’m not graduating with any debt, quite the contrary I’ve managed to have a positive net income from being paid to go to college so my current money should be somewhere near 10,000 by the time I graduate (without even working though I’m no freeloader I do plan to work next semester).

I’m graduating with a bachelor of arts in International Relations. I have OCD so there’s always this lingering uneasiness of what am I missing in information. I’m bilingual in English and Spanish and there’s a shit ton of consulates around here so I can easily work in one while living at home or basically just not moving somewhere new. I like my city (minus the rent and some people) because the weather’s at least nice. But I just don’t know what to do with this fucking degree information wise. I’ve still got classes yes, I learned about the treaty of Westphalia, what a herold is, some small insight into the U.N, but since I like to avoid all controversial shit from the right and left I’ve just managed to maintain a centrist approach to global affairs (for the most part) and I am not particularly interested in politics whatsoever and even wish I could just sort of forget some shit I was taught. It’s definitely been harder for me ever since I was diagnosed with an Anxiety Disorder (GAD).
I’m not in any bad financial or social situation nor are my parents bad people so I’m doing fine on my own. I never managed to get into weird shit and I feel the older I get the more it’ll be less of a pressure on me

 

[The Bovinian Derivative]

Unless you're a lawyer or doctor diploma are basically just toilet papers that you need to show off to recruiters so they can filter out the deadweight from the deadweight that can at least hold some information in their heads for a while. I went to an IT college and I've learned more with my homebrew projects than I've ever did at uni.

 

[JoseRaulChupacabra]

lol welcome to the real world where everything they taught you is wrong or insufficient.

 

[Mysterious Milkk]

Well

Unless you're a lawyer or doctor diploma are basically just toilet papers that you need to show off to recruiters so they can filter out the deadweight from the deadweight that can at least hold some information in their heads for a while. I went to an IT college and I've learned more with my homebrew projects than I've ever did at uni.

Well at least I was never placed on any debt.

 

[crowabunga]

TMI but at least you got your license to get a desk job with no debt. If you weren't doctor / lawyer / engineer material then a bullshit degree and 10k leaves you far better off than all the morons who don't realize their degree is BS yet and got into debt for it.

 

[MoffAlbert]

That sounds like college to me. I retained maybe a modicum of what I learned in college, I'd say about 10% of it is actually applicable in my current life and job path. College in general is a scam these days, just businesses looking to take your money for bullshit degrees and brainwashing sessions.

 

[Open-Source Dodonpachi]

You should take some extra or short courses that are practical for you along with certificates to help you grow. Another solution would be to validate your degree with some 2 to 3 year institute where you only focus on the mechanical side of things and skip the theoretical bullshit. Beyond that, youtube and other networks usually teach you much better and at your own pace.

OCD is your responsibility to stop or your life will go to shit. It's about time. Trust me. OCD can be beaten, but it takes discipline. Try to get a job which demands you to be present. Stay at home will worsen your OCfuckingD. (if you truly dislike your trash certificate, then choose another career. Dont fuck up now that you have experience.)

 

[Bloitzhole]

A bachelor of anything is supposed to give you a basic overview and force you to prove you can write a thesis and understand the basics of scientific writing/research. Anything beyond that happens in higher degrees. If you feel like everything you've learned is rather superficial - that's what a Bachelor is supposed to be.

 

[Neo-Nazi Rich Evans]

OP im the same way. i got a engineering degree and i legit feel like i learn far less than i feel i should have in four years. maybe i was just a lousy student, maybe it was a lousy school (kind of was), maybe both, or maybe this is just true of all bachelors.

 

[Mysterious Milkk]

A bachelor of anything is supposed to give you a basic overview and force you to prove you can write a thesis and understand the basics of scientific writing/research. Anything beyond that happens in higher degrees. If you feel like everything you've learned is rather superficial - that's what a Bachelor is supposed to be.

Well this explains it really.

 

[Mysterious Milkk]

TMI but at least you got your license to get a desk job with no debt. If you weren't doctor / lawyer / engineer material then a bullshit degree and 10k leaves you far better off than all the morons who don't realize their degree is BS yet and got into debt for it.

Honestly I’ll look into the positive side. At least I wouldn’t have graduated with any debt, and though I never stated this I’ll graduate at just barely 21 years old so earlier than like 80% of college students

 

[Mysterious Milkk]

You should take some extra or short courses that are practical for you along with certificates to help you grow. Another solution would be to validate your degree with some 2 to 3 year institute where you only focus on the mechanical side of things and skip the theoretical bullshit. Beyond that, youtube and other networks usually teach you much better and at your own pace.

OCD is your responsibility to stop or your life will go to shit. It's about time. Trust me. OCD can be beaten, but it takes discipline. Try to get a job which demands you to be present. Stay at home will worsen your OCfuckingD. (if you truly dislike your trash certificate, then choose another career. Dont fuck up now that you have experience.)

Yeah I know it’s my responsibility, it’s not super debilitating but it’s just one of those things that sucks the enjoyment of life. As for any practical stuff with IR, a bachelor in it is fine itself, but what they really want for consulates is your knowledge of language and experience. That could make you a proper candidate for working at one. I already know English and Spanish at professional levels, my German is about an A1 so the most I can do right now is try to expand my German, it’s better to work in Germany than Spain any day and trust me bro I love Spain but it’s the truth, the German economy is far better.

 

[Bondrewddidnothingwrong]

Based on your post the issue may not be your degree but rather your mental state

 

[Mysterious Milkk]

Based on your post the issue may not be your degree but rather your mental state

I think you hit the right notes, it’s definitely more so my mental state.

If I had to give one benefit to it, having a neurotic mind at least makes you financially more frugal.

 

[Open-Source Dodonpachi]

Yeah I know it’s my responsibility, it’s not super debilitating but it’s just one of those things that sucks the enjoyment of life. As for any practical stuff with IR, a bachelor in it is fine itself, but what they really want for consulates is your knowledge of language and experience. That could make you a proper candidate for working at one. I already know English and Spanish at professional levels, my German is about an A1 so the most I can do right now is try to expand my German, it’s better to work in Germany than Spain any day and trust me bro I love Spain but it’s the truth, the German economy is far better.

As far as I can see, you could start as a language teacher. Maybe a spanish or english teacher in Germany. Thats a just a vague idea im having, so that you can already make a plan. Perhaps you can get a platform and start providing remote classes for this beginning. It's hard but you can grow gradually. By the time you've saved enough, you can fly to Germany and apply the knowledge of your career even though "it wasnt too much".

As one of the comments says, your bachelor is just the first step of a career and I am convinced that things will get very interesting when you take specialties, masters or a PhD later on. Good luck and protect your mental health.

 

[Demonslayer1776]

I have a degree in a much more practical field and felt largely the same way. I think alot of people leave college without alot of direction, and unless you already managed to land a job while you were in school you just have to find a way to make things work. You probably just need to find a generic office job that you can get adjusted to, or consider continuing you education to get something with a more direct path - a law degree would probably be the most practical continuation if you went that route.

 

[Mysterious Milkk]

I have a degree in a much more practical field and felt largely the same way. I think alot of people leave college without alot of direction, and unless you already managed to land a job while you were in school you just have to find a way to make things work. You probably just need to find a generic office job that you can get adjusted to, or consider continuing you education to get something with a more direct path - a law degree would probably be the most practical continuation if you went that route.

I was thinking of law but I also realized i didn’t want to work in politics or get involved way too much in high-level stress jobs when I myself have issues with this.

 

[Schwarzwald]

bachelor of arts in International Relations

I found the problem.

Kidding aside, higher education is very much what you make of it. Regardless of what major you find yourself in, if you apply yourself and genuinely seek out knowledge and make use of the resources offered you, you're going to graduate a more knowledgeable, well-rounded person. Learning how to learn, exposing oneself to other points of view, and how to question and apply critical thought is the goal one should have when entering higher education.

Things have changed a great deal over time as college has shifted from the 'best and brightest' to being seen as the default option for the average person, not to mention the indoctrination angle many college campuses have gone towards while squelching opposing viewpoints. Despite that, so long as you're not just going for a piece of paper and actively question what you're being taught, you can still have a very fulfilling and rewarding experience.

Ultimately, just having a degree, in anything, opens a lot of doors for you and your future. If your major kept you interested until graduation and broadened your horizons, even if you don't directly use it in your future job, your time spent in higher education was worth it, in my view.

 

[Ughubughughughughughghlug]

You didn't learn much, but nobody does, it's about having the credential and then you learn everything on the job. This is even more true at higher levels of education like graduate school.

Also I didn't read your OP lol

 

[JambledUpWords]

I have a BA and an MA in history. Now I’m a behavior therapist, but the degree taught me to have a better work ethic and increased my reasoning and writing skills. Don’t limit yourself with what you got a degree in. Play up the strengths you have from the education, but don’t plan on getting a job directly correlated to it. Also, sometimes you just need a starting job to boost the resume and increase experience. That’s what I did, and it’s how I got the job I have now.