The Regrets of a Harvard Graduate

@TejasHullur @Dylanlemay

[ChronycLove]

I didn’t even need to go to Harvard to get depressed 💪😎

[tansymccray]

Thankyou for being so honest about your feelings

[Nullmeo]

I’m from a Filipino family. Everytime my brothers and I say something about a career path other than nursing, our mom always exaggerated the benefits of nursing while downplaying any other career path. Long story short, don’t be fooled by parents who pretend to support your choices, because they don’t actually respect your decisions. They’re just hoping to be happy through what you choose. Some of them have valid advice, but there comes a point where you need to be your own person, and sometimes, that means unavoidably making your parents unhappy.

[common_wolf]

I got into Stanford. One year I was super depressed. My dad who had changed his life after serving prison who pushed me to stanford...suggested I drop out and attend city college to take the pressure off. I moved in with him and it changed my life...transferred to the local state college and graduated working as a engineer with only 17k of debt. The pressure was gone and my dad let me grow into my calling. Thank God for my dad Big Fig. I was the first ever in his family to go to college.

[clarkkant]

There is a big difference between powering through something because at the end there is something you love, and forcing yourself through something in the hopes that something worth loving will be at the other end.

[spurslegacy]

I got into a good school and felt the same way my first two years. And it made my grades worse each semester. And then I stopped taking it so seriously after that and once I got my mental state right, I finished my last 4 semesters with honors easily despite less studying. It’s incredible how your mental well-being can affect things.

[Ohemma.theafricanbabe]

I am grateful to my parents for not pushing me to get a masters or a PhD, even going to college was optional, they said i could learn a trade if i wanted to or do other things. Left school in my second year to start up my business, and went back to graduate a year later. No pressure, my parents weren't trying to live there dreams through me. Thank you papa and ma.

[joyous]

This hit home .. 2005 my cousin 22, attended a prestigious college… we all thought he was happy & wanted to attend there .. until we got a call that he was no longer w/ us … he left a letter apologizing to his parents that he was beyond depressed & stressed out 😰 & that he let them down & himself… rest easy cuz… you’re truly missed & forever in our hearts ❤️ 😢🙏🏽🌸

[slixnoir]

"Suffering makes you stronger." Except not all suffering is necessary...

[shree]

"If you're miserable, you can succeed."
I could never put those feelings in words. Thank you. Now I know, what I thought.

[SR-mvmf]

Am also Asian and I was pushed so hard to achieve academic success and get into the best university when I didn’t get into the best university I felt like my life was meaningless. I went about the next 10yrs of my thinking that I am a loser and chose jobs that made me feel like a loser. It is really sad.

[abhradipkundu]

Damn man as a 21 years old college student who have same feelings, this seems very deep to me.

[dankodev]

This is so true. People say that you have to be disciplined in everything you do and just brute force it. But I think there's more to it. Every single person can be disciplined, but they need a purpose first.

A year ago I found my purpose in game development and machine learning, and I've been investing all of my effort into it ever since. I can confidently say that, in that single year, I've learned 3-4 times more than I would if I was forced to do it. I've never been this happy before. I'm nowhere near being an expert and I still have a lot to learn, but I know my direction now.

It's all about finding your purpose, your vision. There is no such thing as a bad student, only a student with no purpose. Keep an open mind and an open heart, and you will find your own purpose. You'll know it when you find it, because it'll show you how to walk through the darkest parts of life with a big smile.

[CookieMangler]

College is a fantastic way to get deep in debt and deeper into depression.

[tg]

That’s the kind of son-in-law I want. Intelligent, but knows the value of happiness. Life is short. ❤

[LuckyBambi]

Not only college but also work and career in general. I have a post-grad degree but I want to follow my own passion and become self-employed but my parents just think that I'm jobless, Asian parents of course. I tried to work for companies before and I felt so misserable, woke up everyday feeling like a zombie. I decided to quit and started my own business. They still criticize me sometimes but I don't care anymore. Don't let others stop you from living your dream life, it's your life and not theirs.

[paultt]

only if my wife can understand this. let the kids do what they want for a year after high school. Let them think of what they want to do and who they want to become instead of going straight to college and getting into debt for no reason when they aren't ready

[Sasux]

This is completely so true! I hated college and pushed through to graduate. And I still feel the same... it was almost pointless. College really isn't for everyone and that's ok.

[bogoss]

That's because of the parents. They pressure you into being doctor and lawyer. Then you do it because you don't want to disappoint them. But you sacrifice your own happiness for that.

[deeznutz]

In Germany, you don't need to go to class sometimes. Any class that not required attendence or got your material online, i mostly skip it & study it later on at home or library.

I struggle learning the old way on going to class, taking notes, etc, but after changing my way. I graduated better & feel more chill in life