25,000€ wasted in 3 years: the true story of a lost student struggling with career choices

Are you sure your teen has made a well-thought-out career choice and not a superficial one? Are you certain they won’t change their mind in six months?

Did they do an assessment? If it's just a personality questionnaire and their grades, it's a false sense of depth. Question their motivation, and you’ll see.

This isn’t about fear-mongering but about confronting reality and anticipating problems.

Have you considered the psychological and financial consequences of a superficial career choice? And not just for your child, but for everyone involved?

Recently, a friend told me about a gifted student who initially chose a math degree but dropped out after five months.
The following year, she enrolled in chemistry, but after six months, she was completely fed up. She pushed through and got her degree.
Then, she switched to a music degree because she loved singing, but that only lasted three months.
I don’t know how the story ends because it’s still "in progress."

Result: a brilliant teen, completely lost, doubting herself, and losing motivation. Financial toll: I didn’t ask for details, but we can easily estimate around 25,000 euros over three years for this wandering.
That’s roughly the cost of a year of student life.

And this isn’t just about gifted students. This scenario happens across the board.

She focused on her interests and grades…

All she needed was to dig deeper and reflect with structure and real commitment.

This story is just one example of a situation affecting most students—something I’ve observed since my first year at university. Three-quarters of them are there for unclear reasons.

Yes, you can change careers throughout your life, but choosing your path isn’t about switching fields three times.