I just graduated, and I don't know what to do as someone who didn't enjoy software in college.
I just graduated from my university, and I honestly don't know what to do. I took a job at a brokerage (I know it's odd, but I needed a job since the IT one, where I was working as a student, didn't have any FT positions) as a data entry clerk just to keep myself afloat in the meantime. I don't know where to go from here, and honestly, I am not very passionate about software engineering or coding in general; nor am I good at it, because I often struggle to code on my own or do LeetCode problems. When I started this degree, I thought I would focus on hardware design and VLSI, but my university barely showed me how to create circuits and mostly focused on conceptual topics (such as in my signals class, where we just coded in Python) or on very basic subjects (coding in assembly). In general, I didn't feel I learned much, on top of the fact that I wasn't interested in the topics and only took a handful of hardware classes.
I originally wanted to be an electrical engineer (I didn't because my local university didn't offer it at this campus, and I was foolish for staying home), and after doing the wiring and soldering for our drone project, I was probably the happiest I'd ever been. I also enjoy the IT world more than engineering. I really never had much passion for software. Although embedded systems/firmware engineering sounds really cool, I just don't have any experience, and my university didn't really teach it.
I am all over the place, but have narrowed down my interests to:
- Get my certifications in COMPTIA & CCNA and try to go into Network Engineering
- Get a second bachelor's in electrical engineering or ECE
- Go get a master's in computer engineering with a focus on hardware or firmware engineering
- Try to create my own projects in embedded C rather than higher-level languages.
For me, I honestly yearn for a career in electrical engineering (even thought about learning PLC on my own), and I regret not transferring earlier in my career. IT sounds more realistic and easier to get into. I know this post shows that I have zero clue what I want, but I just wanted to hear some opinions, guidance, or encouragement. My resume is strong, and I have gotten interviews in the past for several companies. But I realize I just don't have the passion or skills they're looking for (I often bombed technical interviews).