Life advice!

[Headless Rat]

I feel my life is very unfulfilled and thus I am quite unhappy and dissatisfied with what I have achieved so far in my life. I am in my mid 20s. I always did exceptionally well at school, was a very high-achiever and was expected to progress to have a very successful career etc. However, on going to university, all that fell apart. I stopped studying and just went through the motions of socialising every week and just cramming for exams in order to get through , rather than actually really learning anything. After uni I pursued an accountancy qualification (which i HATED from day one) with one of the big firms. Again I let time slip through my fingers and although I always passed my exams easily first time, I learned very little in my 3.5years working as an accountant. As a consequence I feel that I must opt of that career at this stage as I cannot simply continue with it as a "professional accountant" because underneath it all I know very little and would be a liability to a company.
I feel very lost and like I've wasted all my talent. I see a few others who were in school with me, who were the same standard as me, but who continued to do exceptionally well at university, obtained a scholarship along the way and who have excelled at their chosen professions. I feel like a failure when I see others who have done all this AND ran marathons, climbed mountains and done several other outstanding things.
The thing that gets me is that I have no idea what I should be concentrating my efforts on. I know that if I found what I like, I would be excellent at it and would make huge progress very fast. The problem is finding out what I am meant to do! Any advice? Thanks.

[Seadragon]

Headless Rat - I shall try and give you some advice apart from really wanting to say that I think you are an idiot for the reason that you are simply just wasting away your life reaching for something which you may/may not ever find. You sound like somebody who even if you had something that made you happy, infront of you, you wouldn't realise it or appreciate it.

I don't know why you are unhappy to begin with? - You are young, you have a good education, you're a 'high achiever'. You qualified as an accountant and work for a big Company. How many people wouldn't want that? For a mid-20 person I think you have achieved very well!

Stop comparing yourself to others! So what if they have climbed mountains or ran marathons? That is their life, this is yours. If it bothers you so much, why not travel yourself? Go exploring.

The only negative aspect of your life, from what I gather is your own self. You undermine yourself - 'Professional Accountant....know very little....liability?' Have you messed up yet? How many professional people you know, who are not capable in their profession?

My advice is don't live your life saying - 'If I found what I like, I would be excellent at it and would make huge progress very fast'. I think you are deluding yourself. How many people use that as an excuse for not having opportunity?

Stop comparing and undermining, accept your life, where you are at, what you have and what it is, if you are still unhappy, only you can do something about it. The starting point is positive outlook.

Good Luck, you've tired me out now! Don't come back on with anymore life questions please!

[Scarlett]

I think this is a simple issue of choosing the wrong subject which led on a path you didn't even like. Could you get together with a good mate (cheaper than a life coach) on the UCAS website and have a look at all the subjects that are now available for you to study. There may be something that jumps off the page at you! Then maybe look into doing a years course in that subject or a degree if you can commit to it, or an MA. That gives you a year to re-think your new path and decide where to go next. The Uni would also be able to help you with possible careers to approach at the end of the course.

[jno]

what do you like? Do you have interests, hobbies?

I know what you mean; I wasted some time on a job I didn't like (paid well) when I realised I didn't actually want to devote another minute to it. Instead I went to work in a field in which I was interested, though it paid less.

But before you can do that you have to sit down and work out what you are really interested in doing; and nobody else can do that for you. Read magazines, newspapers, watch TV, browse the internet... all these will mention all sorts of people working in all sorts of fields; your task, should you accept it, is to pay attention and see if any of them rings any bells with you.