an INTP in college | motivation problem

[Erdős]

Hello everybody.
I am 17 years old, and it's my first year in college. I was wondering if there is any advice to how to manage studies, especially that i didn't do very well in high school because of me being a very lazy intp.
I am smart, yes. But I can't help but change my interests, i usually get bored easily and i suffer before exams because i can't focus on studying, and instead, i'm reading about penguins or string theory (even if i'm not finished yet with classical mecanics)
I always wanted to study physics (or at least mathematics), but i ended up with engineering owing to a series of cercumstances.
i have 2 years of studying sciences [preparatory classes] (maths : calculus, algebra, statistics etc.. - physics: classical mecanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, chimistry etc.. - and some programming courses) after that i get to choose a speciality- a branch of engeneering.
now don't get me wrong, i'm a little bit excited, but i know that this 'state of mind' is going to be over soon, and i find engineering to be very boring, i'm more into abstract and theoretical stuff, that's why i deceided to finish the first 2 years, and in the meantime i could think about the future.
I am asking for ways to stay motivated, or some methods to charge my motivation from time to time. I don't want to fuck it up, and i mean it.
I need some insight
====
~ thank you | شكرا

 

[baccheion]

https://www.intpforum.com/threads/m...us-accumbens-shell-increases-motivation.26632

Also, eat and sleep well. And add a multivitamin, D + K, and chelated/TRAACS magnesium supplement.

 

[Cognisant]

INTPs try to think their way through things which is great for preventing you getting caught up in the stupid shit everyone else thinks is important but it also makes studying for its own sake really fucking hard. So don't do that.

Do you want to learn this stuff, if so why? What is it getting you?
A degree? What does that degree get you? A job? Where? Paying how much?
Is that what you want?
Because if it is then focus on that, keep that goal in mind and work towards it.

INTPs are fiercely independent and entirely self motivated, an INTP with a clear goal in mind (which is rare) and the freedom to work on it at their own pace (even rarer) is a force of nature. Imagine if you didn't have to deal with your college's bullshit, all the information you need to learn is immediately available to you and you can complete all your assessments and take all your exams as soon as you like.

You would put your life on hold and complete your degree in a month.

What do you want?

 

[Erdős]

an INTP with a clear goal in mind (which is rare) and the freedom to work on it at their own pace (even rarer)

I think that you said it.. I don't have a clear goal, yet. I just couldn't choose between all what is available.

You would put your life on hold and complete your degree in a month.

I agree, wish i can do this..

= thanks for the ideas man.

 

[Hadoblado]

If your problem is that you have no clear goal (like me), it can be helpful to set an interim goal that will keep your options open.

For me, my degree was one such interim goal. Each unit I completed was an interim goal to the degree. Each assignment/exam was an interim goal to the unit. Each hour spent studying was an interim goal to each assignment/exam.

I'm finishing honours in the next two months and I don't have a clue what I'm going to do afterwards, but I'm going to be much better off than had I set no interim goals at all.

One downside to this is that my drive will never be as high as the people with clear goals. They feel like there's a reward for their expended effort and I just sort of have a vague sense of accomplishment maybe.
However, my options are going to be open, when I spot something I want to do I'll be positioned to jump on it while losing nothing.

 

[sushi]

college is for 30 + years old, not for young 17-20ish noobs.

and its a huge waste of time and money, i recommend online courses.

 

[Hadoblado]

Err... It might take some people that long to get around to doing uni, but that's not the norm.

I'm a 30yo 4th year, and I'm in the upper quartile for age. Most people are 23-25 in this year.

 

[Cognisant]

and its a huge waste of time and money, i recommend online courses.

This is good advice.

I'm a 30yo 4th year, and I'm in the upper quartile for age. Most people are 23-25 in this year.

Yes but how many are going to pass?
The brother of a friend is something like $50-60k in debt.

 

[Hadoblado]

All of them - Once you've made it this far your grade average has to be high enough that a pass is highly unlikely.

 

[Polaris]

Correction: University is a huge waste of time and money for average students with little to no intrinsic motivation. Additionally, the higher you've turned up the expectations, the more likely you'll crash and burn. People seem to often go into studies thinking it's going to be easy, and that just wanting the degree will be sufficient drive to get to the end.

Nope. It becomes a humbling experience when realising who/what they are up against, and some give up when they perceive others to be smarter/better/whatever than them - forgetting that it's not about what other people do - revealing the perhaps real motivation for going into studies in the first place. It depends on persepective. Is competition a discouragement or a motivator? To what extent are expectations true, and will you be ready to put the work in to overcome limitations? Have you identified your strengths and weaknesses? Does studying, no matter what the learning environment is - give you joy? Are you willing to accept that the so-called bullshit that is a large part of the academic landscape, is also inevitably going to be part of life, no matter what you do? That whatever you do, it's always going to be part of some fucked up game, which you're going to have to exploit somehow, even if you become "independent"?

Anything is going to be a waste of time and money for people with little intrinsic motivation. Nothing is going to magically fall into your lap unless you're privileged. And if you're privileged, you're probably not going to appreciate it as no effort was made (delayed vs instant gratification).

 

[sushi]

Correction: University is a huge waste of time and money for average students with little to no intrinsic motivation. Additionally, the higher you've turned up the expectations, the more likely you'll crash and burn. People seem to often go into studies thinking it's going to be easy, and that just wanting the degree will be sufficient drive to get to the end.

Nope. It becomes a humbling experience when realising who/what they are up against, and some give up when they perceive others to be smarter/better/whatever than them - forgetting that it's not about what other people do - revealing the perhaps real motivation for going into studies in the first place. It depends on persepective. Is competition a discouragement or a motivator? To what extent are expectations true, and will you be ready to put the work in to overcome limitations? Have you identified your strengths and weaknesses? Does studying, no matter what the learning environment is - give you joy? Are you willing to accept that the so-called bullshit that is a large part of the academic landscape, is also inevitably going to be part of life, no matter what you do? That whatever you do, it's always going to be part of some fucked up game, which you're going to have to exploit somehow, even if you become "independent"?

Anything is going to be a waste of time and money for people with little intrinsic motivation. Nothing is going to magically fall into your lap unless you're privileged. And if you're privileged, you're probably not going to appreciate it as no effort was made (delayed vs instant gratification).

if you have 150 IQ, or have experience deal with consistent failure and setbacks, or unless you are asian genius then age who is ready to crack the books all night at the expense of all other activities, then age doesn't matter. Its hard to motivate yourself if you are always the last runner in a marathon. You are competing with top geniuses and its worse if your professor is a dick.

Thats why i recommend higher age and maturity for college, especially in difficult schools. and don't aim and take the most difficult classes in everything.

 

[pjoa09]

I think I fit the bill here except I am a retard.

I had a very low GPA in high school and I tried but I just couldn't store things in my head that I didn't care about.

When I graduated from high school I worked for my dad for about 4 years. I spent most of my time coming here and whining about my work, contemplating college.

I finally joined university at 22, graduated at 27 with a degree in Computer Science. ( yeah, I dropped a class thinking I was gonna fail then it took about a year for it to be offered again )

I then got a job at small software company.

Honestly, short of being comfortable with functional programming, there wasn't much to gain from university concretely.

I spend most of my time accepting work that I have to learn on the fly.

All of my success if any, has just been by accepting work that I know jack shit about. The pressure makes me think harder than I normally do and the ADHD medication just helps with keeping the pressure on.

Go to university to make friends and learn about concepts that are best known amongst the academics. Your GPA might not really matter unless you go and get a Masters or a PhD.

My time at university was worth it just as a good way of spending time on earth and not so much as a stepping stone for greater pay etc.

I do really like my job now which is more than I could say about working for my dad.

TLDR:
All in all, it doesn't matter, I couldn't stay motivated myself and I am doing fine. My motivation could only come from pretending that there is a tiger in the room even when there isn't. Might be the ADHD but if I don't feel anxiety I can't think right.

 

[Ex-User (14663)]

Everything seems cool and interesting the first few weeks you're doing it. After that it becomes an exercise in self-discipline to keep sticking to it. The thing is – at that age and with that level of experience, you don't have the faintest clue what any subject is really about or what sort of work it entails or what it will lead to in the future. So therefore you can always easily come up with rationalizations for changing to something else. That way you can keep wandering around for years, even decades as many millennials do, like a lost kid in the woods. I have so many friends who have done exactly that, and they say stuff like "eventually I lost inspiration for that subject". Well, no shit you eventually lost it – inspiration and interest comes and goes. Long-term dedication to a subject is not some external thing to happens to you – it's something you personally have to maintain and develop.

 

[Polaris]

^ True. And I think that has become a real issue with the way humans are conditioning themselves with instant gratification. It's like we're constantly flicking between the channels (or should I say tabs....revealing my age here) in every aspect of life. I am always left in awe when I study works by great thinkers, artists and writers of the past - their dedication is inspiring, and it just makes me want to give up all external distractions.

I think a big aspect of my current lack of motivation/depression is the result of burnout, combined with the fact that I resort to stupid shit like the internet as a "reward" because I'm too exhausted to work on my own stuff.

 

[kora]

omg u are 17 who cares just run around in circles flapping your arms deal with shit later

 

[redbaron]

omg u are 17 who cares just run around in circles flapping your arms deal with shit later

not everyone majors in philosophy

 

[Polaris]

While I think some 'flapping' is important and healthy, one should not completely lose focus on some sort of goal. I certainly wish I had done less flapping and more focusing.

Edit: god, I sound like such an old bore...

 

[kora]

omg u are 17 who cares just run around in circles flapping your arms deal with shit later

not everyone majors in philosophy

Circular flapology 101

While I think some 'flapping' is important and healthy, one should not completely lose focus on some sort of goal. I certainly wish I had done less flapping and more focusing.

Edit: god, I sound like such an old bore...

Sounds like somebody is having their existential crisis ! Yay being conscious !!!

No you're right, I'm trolling. Well, I think it's important to feel like you can start over which was the constructive part of my trolling.

 

[Ex-User (13503)]

I see what Serac and Polaris described as being the result of people gaining the experience required to find the "right" path, too late; an issue with exposure vs instant gratification.

If someone's crossed the exposure threshold, the "right" path is itself the reward. One is able to "do what they love," whether that involves deferred gratification or not. They know what they want to do, and it doesn't get old, it only spawns side hobbies.

 

[Polaris]

Precisely Lagomorph. Had I stuck to my goals earlier, it wouldn't have taken me this long to get where I'm at currently. But Hindsight, and all that jazz. I do tend to set pretty high standards and expectations for myself which means I end up with too many balls up in the air. But it seems to be paying off, so I am certainly not displeased with the outcome.

However, the fact that I didn't stick to my goals lead me onto paths I would not have missed. So every experience has value, if you can recognise it in time and utilise it for your own personal development.

If you're going to be wasting time, be smart about it