Depressed sophomore figuring out what to study - am I making terrible decisions?
I will be blunt. I am a sophomore, currently attending UCSC. Transferred here after my freshman year in community college because the school offered me a UC Regents Scholarship.
I am currently studying chemistry. I have been told this may be a total, huge, evil mistake. I do not want a Ph.D. I do not want to spend the rest of my life on the bench being paid hourly.
My mother is very low income and this has had an effect on me. I do not think I will be able to keep my sanity if I am pursuing something that cannot be made into a lucrative career.
The problem, furthermore, arises from this - I did not do good in high school. I spent the first 12 years of my formal education staring out of windows and depressed. I'm still depressed, but at least I can focus because of the primal fear of being poor. I do not know what to study because I have not had enough exposure.
I am thinking about studying neuroscience, but I am not sure. I am also thinking about engineering, but I am not sure if I can handle the coursework. I am considering transferring out of UCSC after my junior year is complete to attend a more prestigious college so I could hopefully get better connections and internships.
Some info about me:
- UC Regents Scholar Recipient
- (This is why I am so lost) I like to think of myself as creative and I love to create new things. I am talented in 3D Design. I worked as the lead 3D Designer and developer (basically I came up with new updates and maps and shit) directly with the owner of the game and the project made over 25 million dollars USD in profit. It had a peak of 810,000 players at one point in time, putting it in the top 10~ (I think) of all time, throughout history.
I love drawing, I love building things, and I love making intricate things and paying insane close attention to detail.
- I did an internship at a pharmaceutical R&D lab for opioid medicines (I like drugs, I like the way drugs work and seeing how they impact the brain)
- I also like neuroscience, I think - for now.
tl;dr: Sophomore currently studying chemistry, don't know what to study, need money, really likes/good at 3D design and project management, but resume is piecemail and I don't know how to connect my interests
Does anyone have any idea of good career paths to follow or pursue? What major I should be focusing on? Is transferring out (if I can get into a better school) worth it?
Posted Apr 1, 2026, 5:50 AM UTC