I messed up college what should I do for the next ~2 years?
I'm in the U.S. and I went to college for biochemistry and my academics declined, but made it to my senior year until messing up badly enough and lost my scholarships. I want to save money to return, finish, and hopefully apply to medical school. For now, I need to start working and save enough to go back.
The problem is that I have little to no work experience, and I get anxious around people. Unfortunately, things went downhill. I'm worried I'll mess up again. I am seeing a therapist and plan to talk to a psychiatrist to hopefully figure out my problem and get back on track.
I looked into jobs and saw that night stocker, assembly line, IT help desk, and night auditor for hotels were options. Most positions say I need prior experience but I'm unsure of where to start. Due to my lack of experience, I'm not sure what to put on a resume and I'm worried I won't learn fast enough or that I'll mess up at work.
My plan is to work until around spring 2028, save money, and then hopefully return to college. Given my lack of experience, realistically, where should I start looking for jobs? Is it reasonable to view my first job as temporary? I apologize if this is against the rules.
Posted Aug 14, 2026, 12:40 AM UTC