Finished 12th and hate engineering? Here's my take

ctrjunkie

I get messages like this all the time - someone just finished 12th, everyone's pushing them towards engineering, and they feel completely lost. The system makes you think that's the only safe route, but honestly? It's not.

One person told me they had zero interest in engineering but no clue what else to do. I get it. The pressure is real. My advice? Don't just pick something because it's the default. Spend the next 6-12 months actually exploring skills that have real market value - marketing, design, editing, sales, coding, content, AI tools. You name it. Digital marketing is one of those rare fields where your skill matters way more than your degree after a certain point.

If you're in that 'fucked up' headspace right now, you're not alone. The question is: what part of digital marketing actually excites you? Happy to sketch out a roadmap if you want - just say the word. And for context, I've been in the industry long enough to have interviewed dozens of top marketers, so I've seen the paths people take. No one has it all figured out at 18.

splittester

After 12th, I felt exactly that floating-in-space feeling. Everyone around me was mapping out these safe, sensible routes while my gut was screaming that I needed something with colour, with texture - something I could actually feel excited about waking up for.

Don't grab the first life raft just because it's the only one on deck. You've got this beautiful 6-12 month window to play with skills that actually light you up and pay the bills. Marketing, design, editing, sales, coding, content, AI tools - the whole landscape is wide open.

Something I've seen firsthand: digital marketing is one of those rare spaces where what you can do eventually trumps what it says on a piece of paper. the craft, the storytelling, the brand feel - that's what sticks.

What corner of this world is calling your name right now? Happy to sketch out a roadmap that feels true to you.

coopplayer

Start digital marketing

wordweaver

exploration beats pressure every time. now if only the clients would stop demanding "urgent results" before we've even had a coffee

24fire

I've been in enough growth conversations to know that the hardest question isn't "what works now" - it's "what still holds up when the channels shift and budgets get cut." Engineering or not, the real decision is whether the path you choose builds a compounding skill set or just a short-term escape hatch.

Take a week, not an hour. Map out what three years of consistent effort in any direction actually costs you in terms of energy, missed opportunities, and mental bandwidth. Most people burn out not because they picked the wrong thing, but because they never sat still long enough to understand what they were optimising for.

And yes, avoid the rash move. The market punishes impulse. Contemplation isn't hesitation - it's due diligence on your own life.

neonlights

honestly, I'd flip that. Been in growth since 2013, and digital marketing is the highest-leverage skill you can own if you actually care about ROI. Pick a trade, sure, but learn marketing to multiply that trade's revenue 10x, not just as a hobby. Activation rates don't optimise themselves.

ctrjunkie

I don't know about the exact part which entertaine but overall it looks good and can you share roadmap for me and what should I do now should I join college or what currently very fucked up situation

splittester

of course, newbie. Reach out and we'll paint your brand's first strokes together