Molaric

How to cope with a major I hate

10 posts in this topic

Posted (edited)

Hey everyone,


I’m a senior in college and I’ve hit a really rough spot. I’ve realized I genuinely hate my major (computer science). Not just the classes, but everything about it. I’ve tried pushing through, but it’s been eating away at me to the point that it’s caused pretty chronic depression and unhealthy coping habits, such as eating junk food, excessive video game usage and media consumption, suicidal ideation sometimes, meaningless sex, etc.

At this point, I don’t even know if I should just finish the degree and pivot later, or if it’s worth making a drastic change this late in the game. I feel trapped between not wanting to “waste” the years I’ve already spent and not wanting to spend my life doing something that makes me miserable. I'm trying to pivot into design as I find it much more interesting of a field, but I don't think it would be practical for me right now to do so due to financial and time concerns. I just feel very empty and hollow.

I'm worried if I continue I may end up gaining new harmful vices or hurt myself emotionally or even physically. Due to my health issues (vitamin deficiencies), my impulse control has gotten even worse and my declining cognition makes it even harder to stay engaged in the material, and with learning in general. How can I cope in a healthy manner while finishing my degree?

Edited by Molaric

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

What are your goals? Why are you studying CS?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Can you finish and pass with low effort? If so, do that and spend more energy on other things.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 10/10/2025 at 8:16 AM, Basman said:

What are your goals? Why are you studying CS?

To survive really, I wanted to study CS for money initially but that burned out. None of my passions are profitable so I'm forced to just slog through a temp career for now.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
4 minutes ago, Molaric said:

To survive really, I wanted to study CS for money initially but that burned out. None of my passions are profitable so I'm forced to just slog through a temp career for now.

There's nothing wrong with just doing it for money, so long as you don't waste the money. You usually don't need to be very good at jobs, and you don't need A's in college. 

Edited by Elliott

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
59 minutes ago, Elliott said:

There's nothing wrong with just doing it for money, so long as you don't waste the money. You usually don't need to be very good at jobs, and you don't need A's in college. 

The tech job market is in shambles from what I hear for entry level, so now you do need to be very good. I'm just gradually losing my will to enjoy life and patience with my current situation, and I'm trying to find ways to make my life a little more bearable.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
6 hours ago, Molaric said:

The tech job market is in shambles from what I hear for entry level, so now you do need to be very good. I'm just gradually losing my will to enjoy life and patience with my current situation, and I'm trying to find ways to make my life a little more bearable.

Ah, that makes a big difference. I'm obviously not an expert on that, but from looking at what the experts say, which is a positive outlook, I assume AI to be a temporary disruption rather than a replacement, I think AI will be a tool for CS majors rather than a replacement. Is your school not focusing on AI integration?

But how long is the disruption, that would be scary to be looking at in your shoes.

Edited by Elliott

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 10/13/2025 at 2:39 AM, Basman said:

@Molaric

What are your strengths?

Anything involving creativity, aesthetics, abstract thinking, thinking in terms of logical systems, understanding of emotional themes in an experience or person, and coming up with ideas. Those are the ones I thought in my head right now.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
50 minutes ago, Molaric said:

Anything involving creativity, aesthetics, abstract thinking, thinking in terms of logical systems, understanding of emotional themes in an experience or person, and coming up with ideas. Those are the ones I thought in my head right now.

Those things actually fit neatly into design, which you mentioned earlier you where interested in. But design isn't something that requires accreditation.

How long into your CS degree are you? If you are close to finishing, it pragmatically makes more sense to just finish and then pivot towards design. Design you can learn autodictatically. CS will help you understand the coding as you bridge it with aesthetic design, so you don't become an airhead designer. You'll have more hard skills to implement your ideas with too. 

Edited by Basman

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!


Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.


Sign In Now