r/Advice•
ihatepharmacy

How to keep a job that I don't like if I dread waking up everyday going to work? I am about to graduate college soon with a major I hate.

Hi. I am 23, currently still a full time student that is about to graduate this semester with a bachelor's in pharmaceutical sciences. I don't have a job yet, but I need one after graduation.

I'm really scared with graduation looming around because I cannot stand my major. It was a mistake for me choosing this major because initially I was pre-med, I found out I didn't have the capacity for 12 more years of school and the funds for med school. I didn't know what I wanted to do at the time, and my mom told me to pick a similar major that credited as many of the credits that I had already gotten so I wouldn't be behind. Well, that decision made me 1 year behind, and with life happening and switching my majors a couple more times, I became 2 years behind and am stuck with a BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences. After slaving away at this program for 4 years, I've come to genuinely despising it. The jobs in my state for this degree are not worth it, (below $40K/year). Students in this major typically go on to grad school or get their masters. I can't go to grad school because I have too many withdrawals, and I've burned bridges with about 90% of the professors here because I know I don't want to do anything related to pharmacy when I graduate. And now I graduate in about 50 days or so. And I have no idea what to do after. I think I'm definitely taking a break though.

For some reason, I can't ever keep a job. It's not that I get fired, I quit too soon because I become extremely anxious at the workplace, even if I have really nice coworkers and managers. I am just always overcome with dread at the workplace even when I know I have done nothing wrong. I worked at a Papa John's as a delivery driver for less than a week when I was 18, hated it, because I felt so awkward waiting around for times when I didn't have to deliver. I always thought I was supposed to be doing something, when my other delivery drivers were answering calls, slicing, or even making pizza. I just cleaned around and folded boxes, but I still felt so awkward. Then when I was 19, I worked at a financial transcription company where I just listened to audio and transcribed whatever I heard. I quit after one day because even though the work place wasn't bad, it was just so mindnumbingly boring that I genuinely that I was going to lose my mind if I worked any longer. Then I worked at Chipotle when I was 21, when I had a gap semester, I worked there for 4 months. Because I guess I didn't have much else going on, but I still genuinely dreaded going to work. I actually loved my coworkers and managers, but dealing with some rude customers didn't help. This was my last job before I went back to school to try and finish my degree.

I know I sound like a spoiled brat, because honestly when I reflect on myself I kind of am. But all I really want to do is find a job that pays decently (doesn't even have to be 6 figures), with a decent work-life balance, and one that I can enjoy and won't dread waking up for (I know how rare all of that is to find). I don't have any real reason to work as hard as most of you here. My parents aren't loaded, but I don't have anyone really that close to me to motivate me to work harder. I don't ever want to be a freeloader. But I can't imagine myself working in something that I just can't enjoy at all. Maybe I need therapy.

TL:DR - Stuck in a major that I hate. Job opportunities for this degree kind of suck, it's usually a major that students use in conjunction with a masters or Pharm D. Cause a BS in pharmaceutical sciences doesn't have many opportunities. I become extremely anxious in every workplace I join, even with friendly coworkers and staff. I don't have that much motivation to work, but don't want to be a bum.

I know hating your major is quite common, but I really hope someone out there can relate to the getting anxious at a workplace part too.

Posted Mar 8, 2026, 8:14 PM UTC

10
Loading comments…