Any advice on this sort-of-identity crisis (not as dramatic as it sounds)?

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AngelofDarkness
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2019 7:38 pm

Any advice on this sort-of-identity crisis (not as dramatic as it sounds)?

Post by AngelofDarkness » Sat Feb 09, 2019 8:20 pm

I am not sure if this is the right section to post this, but here it goes: I am a 26 year old female from Germany (actually half German & half Italian) and finished high school about 7 years ago. Already during high school, I didn't really know what I want to do professionally, and even after, I took another one year break to figure it out. I was actually a good student in school, but mostly just for the sake of being a good student, rather than actually having a real passion for the subjects at hand. The subjects I was good at and I would say I am naturally talented at were languages (especially grammar) and scientific subjects (maths, chemistry, biology) as I have a very analytical, pragmatic and abstract way of thinking, plus I am very observant and a perfectionist (INTP/ISTJ personality type). But unfortunately, being good at something doesn't necessarily mean being passionate about and/or interested in something. Either way, I decided to study translation studies (English&Italian) when I turned 21, to later specialize in translation in media (film, video games, comics) to find a compromise between something I am good at and my actual hobbies and interests. Unfortunately, I didn't like the studies at all, as with 80% of the studies I couldn't find any interest in and therefore motivation to keep studying. Then I decided to try pharmacy, which was also a fail, as it is one of the most study-intensive and time-consuming studies (at least in Germany) and I couldn't bring up the motivation to study something 10 hours a day that I am not passionate about without even having the free time to pursue my hobbies to compensate. When I was 22, I met my Finnish boyfriend (then 18) in an online gaming chat room, and we were practically inseparable ever since. My situation of not having completed any studies or job training didn't help our long-distance relationship, but sooner or later (after another failed attempt of going to vocational school to become a pharmaceutical assistant), when I was 24, almost 25, I decided to move to Finland and find work there while I would try to figure out my professional future. After some initial troubles of finding a job, I started a 3-shift job at a car factory with my boyfriend and quit after 10 months as it took its toll physically. While I continued to look for a different job, I realized how hard it is to find a decent job without any professional training and/or university degree. Our relationship was also under a lot of strain, mostly because of a different issue, but also because of my job situation and living off my hard earned savings, and I decided to move back to Germany (2 months ago) to take a break from the relationship which we both needed. Now that we've had some alone time, there isn't any doubt that we are still meant for each other, and I am still at a loss how to continue with my professional situation. I already went to a career counselor 2 years ago and he applied the same strategy, asking what I was good at in school and what my hobbies/interests are. The fact that I am passionate about my hobbies passively, as a consumer, didn't make the options of pursuing careers in the gaming/film/comic book industry very appealing. So he also concluded that going to vocational school to train for a practical job in the science field would be the best option, as it comes with less responsibility and therefore requires less motivation than with a university degree. Now the problem is if I want to do it in Finland, I would have to learn the language, which I want to do one way or the other, but the fact that I am 26 years old already, that Finnish is not an easy language to learn and that to pursue studies in the science field would require a very good level of Finnish, it would mean another maybe 5 years until financial independence. So the only option I see right now is to do it in my own native language. But I was wondering if there are vocational schools in Finland that teach in English only (couldn't find any by researching myself), and if so, can anyone provide links or school names for me to research?

Thank you to anyone who has actually read this far, any advice or constructive criticism is also welcome!



Any advice on this sort-of-identity crisis (not as dramatic as it sounds)?

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FinnGuyHelsinki
Posts: 1439
Joined: Sun Nov 08, 2009 8:52 pm

Re: Any advice on this sort-of-identity crisis (not as dramatic as it sounds)?

Post by FinnGuyHelsinki » Sun Feb 10, 2019 10:20 am

https://www.studentum.fi/koulutushaku/study-in-english

While studying in English is possible, not speaking Finnish limits the options in the labor market (think of Germany without speaking any German). It's possible to get a job, sure, some jobs and employers just require Finnish, or at least not speaking it may be considered a disadvantage. Then again, better to get the training than not, if it comes down to that. I think you should definitely look into fields where being fluent in multiple languages is an asset (that's what you already have, would be shame let it go to "waste"), maybe even add e.g. French, Spanish, Russian, Swedish/Danish or Russian during your studies to the mix. Also, who said you'd have to stay in Finland for good, as opposed to moving to e.g. Central or Southern Europe, and maybe it's your boyfriend who'd have to start brushing up on his skills. Obviously I don't know him, just an idea.

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rinso
Posts: 3949
Joined: Fri Aug 25, 2006 7:22 pm

Re: Any advice on this sort-of-identity crisis (not as dramatic as it sounds)?

Post by rinso » Sun Feb 10, 2019 12:18 pm

Reading your post (difficult without any breaks :x ) it seems you don't have "sisu". So probably anything you're not passionate about is likely to fail. Best thing to do is find your passion first before jumping into the next adventure.

deepsudeep
Posts: 105
Joined: Fri Oct 19, 2018 8:11 pm

Re: Any advice on this sort-of-identity crisis (not as dramatic as it sounds)?

Post by deepsudeep » Mon Feb 11, 2019 4:59 pm

Typical problem of this generation. Like Arnold Schwarzenegger said work is not supposed to be fun. You have to find motivation in whatever you do. Also dream big do you have something to chase always.

I didn't get if you completed your bachelors? At least in the university level there are masters degree courses in science which are in english and you could be hired in industry after completing that. Geographically staying at the same place as a couple is becoming a luxury these days, unfortunately.


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