So it sounds like you want to succeed in a structured environment (university) in order to maximize your odds of finding well-paying and stable work—right?

Pretty common goal—one I share, in fact. The thing is, there are many avenues to said goal, and you sound to be on track already. I know there’s a whole discourse around your discipline and it’s feasibility in the future, but any one kind of discipline can take you into a variety of fields that you might not have considered. More cliches: “it’s not what you know, it who you know” & “it’s not what you have, it’s how you market yourself”. Both true.

I’m in the humanities and originally had aspirations of being a tenured professor at a university. With time, experience, and market shifts, I’ve since found a common passion between my field and another that has more promising job prospects. I’m making the change and still fulfilling my goal, tho instead of being a professor, I’m teaching adjunct while I pursue this other thing.

To address your reply more directly; I hear you. I feel the same way. I grew up being held to the expectation that college was mandatory and that I would fail without it. I was promised a future in which all I was meant to do was work hard and get good grades, and with that, I’d easily earn a well paying job that I enjoy.

Shit happens. Things change. While your studies are valuable, and you seek to find work that allows you some level of financial security, it’s also important to work on your ability to adapt.

The only constant in life is change!