I’m almost graduating, but I don’t want to work in my field

Hypothetically, let's say you are a fourth-year student at the U of A. You decided to get into your degree: education, business, med school, law school, psychology, pharmacology, etc. because you thought it would lead to an interesting career. You begin the first year chipper and eager to learn. However, second year rolls around and you're a little jaded from your experiences. You begin to question if the degree you chose is right for you. You begin to look at other degree/career options, but you say to yourself since I have already started this degree, I should at least see it through till the end. So you pull up your metaphorical bootstraps and charge onward through your degree. Unfortunately, the more you push, the less interesting a career related to your degree sounds. Now you're in your fourth year. You're almost finished with your degree, but you don't really want to work in your field. You feel stuck, frustrated and stranded. What do you do now?

Step 1: Cry (Joking)

Step 1½ : Breathe

You're okay. You're not alone. There are so many students who are going through the same experience. A lot more than you realize. There is a very, very small minority of people who genuinely know exactly what they want to do when they begin university. So be still, compose yourself and let's look at options.

Step 2: Clear the slate

Clear the slate. Many people believe that because they've already spent so much time and money pursuing a degree, they are somehow obligated to complete it because otherwise, it would be a "waste." Similarly, many people believe if they don't work in the field they studied for, then that too is a "waste." Well, this is false. In fact, it's a fallacy. Sunk cost fallacy. In money terms, this fallacy means continuing to put money into an investment, even though you know it's going to yield bad results, simply because you have already started investing in it. In other words, it's like refusing to leave a bad movie you paid for even though you're not enjoying the movie.

Money, time or effort that has already been put into something should not play a significant role in making a new decision about the future. In other words, don't limit your options because you feel you have already put in time moving towards one path; all options are valid. This is not to say that you should quit your degree or that your degree is invalid. Any experience that develops your understanding of a given topic is immeasurably valuable. All of this is to say that there are many people who work in fields unrelated to their degree, and having completed a degree only adds to your potential career opportunities in the future.

Step 3: Think

Now, let's take this step by step. First, question yourself. What is it that is unattractive about your current career field? What would you prefer to see in your work environment? What is important to you in a career (flexibility, benefits)? Have you talked to people in the field about other options? What, if any, career might you be interested in exploring (all options are valid even if they may require additional education or certification)? Next, begin to gather real-world information about any career options you may be interested in. If none come to mind, explore general interests instead. For example, if you are interested in writing but don't see any viable career options, try exploring writing workshops, clubs, events, fairs and so on. The purpose of this is to expose yourself to what your potential interests look like in the real world. From there, you can begin to make judgments on what you thought you liked but didn't, and maybe what you didn't even think about but liked a lot. Next, reach out for advice. Reach out to the Career Centre, academic advisors and other students who are working in a field you may be interested in. Utilize the network you may already have to see if there is anything of interest that may come out of your interactions. Ask your contacts questions like what do you like about your position, how did you come about your current job, is there anything you find challenging in your work? All of this is to further extract information so that you are properly informed once you begin actively making moves and decisions.

Step 4: Explore

Let's say hypothetically that you have already tried planning for your future. You've written down your interests, strengths, weaknesses and experiences, and it hasn't really helped all that much in deciphering what you should do. Well, the truth is, there really isn't a way to plan entirely for your future. A vast majority of the journey is happenstance: chance events and random happenings. However, you can plan for happenstance. As in, you can position yourself to be able to take advantage of chance events. For example, if you are a computer science student who is not interested in working as a software developer but is interested in banking. Attend a few banking career information sessions. Not to get a job but just to see what will happen. There are two reasons why this sort of exploration is valuable:

1. You get to learn what other potential careers look like in real life. As in, you create the opportunity to interview and ask questions to people already working in the potential field you may be interested in.
2. You get to calm some of the anxiousness around planning for your future. Although it may be small steps, any sort of active exploration allows you to say that, at the very least, you have begun planning for your future. Hopefully, in a short time, you will find a career that complements your interests, strengths, passions and goals.

I hope these steps are helpful, but if you feel you need more assistance, book a career advising appointment at the U of A Career Centre, where you can talk face-to-face with a career peer educator who can offer deeper advice related to your specific situation.