ENTP's approach to the study and life goals

This is exactly why I dropped out of college. I couldn't deal with the monotony of core curriculum and ditching class to do something that was actually mentally stimulating was a much better idea. A large part of this was my complete lack of a boredom threshold and aversion to being mentally confined. Being bored and limited in scope of thought is the absolute worst.

What I came to realize as I got older is that those classes were a means to an end where I could do and think about what is was I wanted to do and think about. Prerequisites lead to the requisites of your major. Your degree enables you to apply to graduate school. In the modern education system, it's a process you need to suffer through before you can have that intellectual freedom you desire.

Unfortunately, because I have the same issues to this day, I don't have much to offer. You could, like many of us, fly by the seat of your pants and hope for the best. But I'm sure you know the folly of that approach by now. The more specialized things become, the harder it is to fake it. The only real advice I can give is to repeatedly remind yourself to focus on the process it takes to get to where you want to be and deal with the suffering along the way.

Oh, and why are you majoring in something that bores you (computer engineering) and not in something you love (psychology)? It sounds like you need to be studying less boolean and more brain.

Perhaps figuring out the answer to that question will solve your problem.

I thinked it too. I have to suffer now to be what i want in the future. But it's sooooo difficult I feel limited, i would somebody that enchain me on the chair and, maybe, even there i would think how to rid smartly instead study. That's why i asked help here, it's a serious problem and maybe someone older has experience about. Thx

Edit.
Cause i like technology too. Then, sincerely, in my country studying at university Psychology is like decide to do the homeless. Italy is shit, u can't do what u want, it's all a fuckin limit. Only taxes and taxes and taxes... if u wanna live u have to take compromises. I'm lucky cause i like technology. I don't like math so much, i think it is a means to do what i want. All is math. I suffer cause i like practices things, i wanna see what i can create, the evolution of things and why they become something or don't. Psychology is a passion. I have a 6 sense to understanding what people think and i like implement it. I always love watch the evolution of people's mind-set and reactions at externals incitements. It's a hobby. I'm don't like to control other people, i like to know what they think before they tell me and i like to help them sometimes.

To talk about my case. I was and, am still, exactly as you describe. I never worked at school, and worse, I've always been 'the bad guy', trying to get all attention, and doing nothing related to the school. I finish early, the scholar system rejected me (howfull mentions on my scholar dossier).
After that, I begin to work, and as I'm an ENTP, I learned a lot, quickly about tons of thing related to my job. Tons and Tons. Gradually, people gave me more responsibilities, I discovered circles of influence in companies and it's related power of relations, I learned very early to delegate simple jobs, because we cannot stand that, it's a pain, if not you will depreciate yourself and give up. Delegate or manipulate your colleague to get them doing it, you'll always find someone to help you because you're THE nice guy (I know it's bad, but, life is a war). And I became more efficient, concentrating on high skill problematic (even if i was a newbie), you try, you miss, you try, and become to succeed, and then show everybody that you were created for real problems, and to manage peoples. In ten years, I reach a position that true engineers (with a Ixxx ) will may be never reach.

If I have an advice it would be, try to concentrate, really. Keep trying. Try meditation too, I discovered that these last year, and it's quite efficient, you get a windows after while you're more able to focus. Train to concentrate by reading books. Not only reading, but reading hours without interrupting, and without wandering in your mind (I know that after to pages you even don't remember what you read before). Do sports, you'll never feel this kind of concentration problem in sport? Why, I don't know.

And you will fail. A lot, but you should never loose confidence, and keep trying. Nobody never succeed at the first attempt. I'ts just a question of time. You need to fail first.

Good luck..

I really like your post Ultr4 cause u are a positive person, like me. No pain no gain, it's THE maxim. However is the most difficult thing in life. Have pain scare the 99% of world's people. If u do what u want, how u want don't caring about pain u could be one of the most powerfull people in the world cause u really own your life. That's why i love personal improvement. That's why i suffer. I know that noone will regive me time, my wasted time. Wasted cause i don't know how to invest it. I try to improve myself but if i don't do well my job 1)my parents will not pay my university anymore 2)I'll waste my talent and my intelligence doing nothing at all. It scares me. I wanna live. I wanna feel emotions, have goals, said "That's the life i wanted". I don't wanna do as the 99% of people waiting their last hour.

Feelings scare me... I loose absolutely all the control I have on me, and it can lead me to very dangerous situations. I can become aggressive, very. I forgot this idea for a while..

But, you can do Arts! I did a lot of photography (10 years), the only way to explore your feelings without loosing control. No, in fact you loose your control, voluntary, but alone, and you can recover it when you want! Great.
The big difficulty is then to explain your pictures, because you shall explain your feelings and you don't want that. And here come the absolute silence.


Edit: A question..
Do you use silence, the real and violent one, when you don't want to answer? You look at the guy, and mean with your eyes, "I'll never answer, imagine what you want"?

I never lose control fortunately. For many reasons i've learned how to control my emotion and stay calm. Psychology helps me too. I tend to analyze myself everytime i do something. I should think less. Sport helps me to release my bad feelings and focus on a target. Unfortunately i've stopped to practice it by 1 year, i should restart

Edit.
Yea Ultr4, i often do this when i think that the other couldn't understand even if i explain it. It seems a loss of time.

Would it be possible for you to minor in something like Psychology? it might extend your time a bit at school, but it would also breakup the load with a change. Plus, Psychology classes are a lot more interactive then computer classes which can be a very refreshing change of pace (heck I had an Economics class that seemed wonderful just because there was opportunity for debate).
This also allows later for easier access in pursuing Psychology if you so desire.

I think adding other areas of interest is part of what got me through college (Computer Science major).

I just finished grad school - that led to an awesome career in business. I liked school, but that was because I focused on the classes and learning methods I enjoyed (case studies, debates, theory, etc.) and bull****** through the rest. ENTPs can do that very well (although in engineering??)

Things we are good at: generating ideas, brainstorming, pros/cons lists, and finding better ways to do things. Things we are bad at: focusing, listening to lectures (shoot me), and keeping organized/ not procrastinating. The only way I survived was by becoming organized ("organized chaos"), and making studying and doing assignments into a game. I made it a point to innovate my study habits after each test to try to figure out what worked best for me (hint: you are probably one of the few "P" types in your class - hence you need to study COMPLETELY different than them).

I figured out that I am bad at studying for hours and days before a test. It actually just stressed me out way more and it seemed the longer I spent studying, the worse I did. In my last year of grad school, I would "study" by basically setting up and organizing my notes and thinking about the "big picture" of what the test was going to be on, and all the main concepts, chapters, what I grasped/ didn't understand, etc. Then I would wake up the morning of the test and study my organized notes (in a quiet space with NO distractions, even phone) for 3 hours. I aced every one of my tests that year. This was of course just my optimal method, but wanted to share my years of trial and error haha.

You said that you stopped playing sports. I too, stopped playing competitive sports in grad school. My school work, social life, relationships, and pretty much entire life was turned upside down. My depression that I always had fully manifested itself and the two years after I stopped playing sports were the worst years ever. My health also majorly suffered, and I gained (and now lost and am in better shape than ever) about 60 pounds. Why? Because as ENTPs we have TONS of energy, and especially social energy, that we need an outlet for. Sports is such a mental "break" for us - or else our thoughts just drive us crazy.

Sports also helps you stay organized. I didn't realize how much having a scheduled practice made me organize the rest of my day. When you don't have that anymore, you go crazy because you procrastinate with everything! Make sure you do something active - even if it is a gym class or rec sport. It helps all other areas of your life! Especially school! Even if it is waking up 30 min earlier and walking outside - its going to help you focus more. I wish someone close to me had encouraged that more when I stopped playing sports.

I am still working with organization in my life. I have come to the conclusion that I probably will never be the routined person I want to be - but the good thing is, there are careers MEANT for people like us - where our adaptability and lack or routine is actually best (consulting - any industry - look into it!). While I might not be able to organize my entire life all at once (yes, I have made master plans a la Ben Frank, such an ENTP thing to do), I have learned I can make little additions (and subtractions) at a time. Work in exercise, standardize the way you take notes or study for a test, keep everything in an organized folder (this was big for me), keep a calendar on you at all times, and set up study times or coffee dates with people just because you know it will force you to work - even if it is just out of guilt.

Lastly, hone your people skills. Us ENTPs can manipulate people (I think) more than any other type. Watch how other individuals work, how they communicate, who takes charge and how, etc. Learn how to get people to like you. Ask to help them and also compliment them and ask for help (these were big for me as I am very independent, it doesn't come naturally). In the end, in whatever job you have, people skills prevail.

Hope this helps! If you have any other school-related questions I would be happy to chat!

Congrat', I honestly don't know how you've been able to perform all that stuff... Bravo

Thx all. Constant_girl u describe very well many of my lacks. I'm totally disorganized. I never studied at school cause i didn't need. Now that the difficult is higher, i need a method, i need organization but i'm not able. I think too many things, i have to many interests and one of my worst defect is that i'm lazy and i procrastinate too much. Plus i developed my character to be more calm as possible and less impulsive, more indifferent to the other's judgment (i loss control of that, sometimes i said "who cares" to the good advice too) and to bad things that happened. So i'm not pushed too much by fear or anxiety or something like that. That is good, but i don't know how to say in english, sometimes i feel myself too detached. Don't know if u undestand. Restart sport is a good advice, i never thinked that could help me reorganizing my life. I live in a fuckin chaos.

Edit.
Obviously i'm not a bot xD i'm a soulful guy, but it's like i've build a wall against bad thing.

I studied political sciences to fulfill my curiosity, was nice but eventually, I struggled to have my master (7 years instead of 5), just because I was too dull with administration, nothing related to results.

Eventually I realized I didn't know to do anything, I just had stockpiled non-practical knowledge.
So, no wonder no body wanted to hire me. Then I started teaching myself programming at 26, and I m going entrepreneur.


Learning how to code is tough but you can't even fathom the rewards It s so cool, it s so addictive even, it can give you a flexible enough frame to unleash you Ne-Ti in a quite practical way.

LOOOL the issues Lacedemone faces is exactly what I am going through. I don't know why I find it amusing :/ hmm laughing at my own despair. Anyway I do law instead of engineering, and I don't know what on earth I going to do... well my plan is to practice for about 3-4 years, then use the contacts and money developed over time to start a company, then delegate people and hire people to take my role. Soon enough I have people working for me while I go swing on tree's in the amazon or just go explore the world with a lot of money at my finger tips --well thats my fantasy anyway I honestly cannot care about getting that salary paid job and licking people's as*es as I climb up the corporate ladder. I hate bureaucracy and the need to please people you don't like :/ (personal view) anyway right now im doing a law degree I do my assignments on the last nights, one time is stayed awake 2 days in a row, brutally messed me up :/ Now I found a hack that works for me. I sat at the front knowing thats where all the geeks and found the most intelligent and hard working student I have ever seen. I mean he has his 2nd year note and he's in first years :O anyhow by doing that I adopted a lot of good habits in time management and focus. It actually rubs on you. Soon enough he realized I was kinda manipulating him (atleast I got him laid lol) and now I am focused on studying because he is my competition in getting the best grade possible. I plan in coming first and outclassing him in ever sense.

But yea thats my secret from a total slacker to a text to book genius-
a) be-friend a hardworking student and adopt his traits
b) have an academic competition and make ur stay like a game

(p.s I was bored but I hoped I helped, i dunno I was talking about myself)