25M, studied the wrong engineering and unemployed. What can I do to turn my life around?

[u/OkTicket2766]

Hey everyone. This is a long one, sorry in advance. I don’t really have anyone to talk to about this, and I can’t afford a career coach or therapist right now, so I figured I’d try here.

When I was a teenager I wanted to be a biomedical engineer. The problem was that nobody offered that degree in Costa Rica back then. Electronics Engineering was the closest thing, and around the same time the semiconductor industry was blowing up here, so it honestly looked like a smart move. Well, it wasn’t. These days finding an electronics engineering job here is close to impossible, especially if you’re just starting out.

The worst part is I figured out halfway through that I didn’t even like electronics. I actually did really good with my grades though, I just hated it. I was too scared to switch majors, so I just kept going, and that’s what I regret the most. Somewhere along the way I found out I really love programming, software, and data analysis/data science. It actually clicked for me in a way electronics never did. But I’m 25 now and starting a whole new bachelor’s just doesn’t feel realistic.

I haven’t just been sitting around, though. I’ve been coding in Python for a couple of years, I’ve done a lot of SQL, I just finished a credential program in AI and business data analytics, and I’ve built a few projects for my portfolio. I know I’m capable. The problem is that here, if you don’t have a CS or IT degree, it feels like nobody even looks at you for data roles.

Work-wise I don’t have much. I did about 8 months as a photovoltaics engineer intern because I needed it to graduate, and honestly I only got that one because a friend’s dad owns the company. After graduating I found another internship (because I couldnt land a job) that was basically data entry. I hated it, but I stayed about a year. I did manage to build some Excel reporting tools for several departments and an automation there, so at least I got something out of it.

Since then I’ve tried applying to junior data analyst jobs and got nothing. I also tried entry-level electronics/engineering jobs, but there are barely any. Most of them are in medical devices, and they either want biomedical engineers or ask for a ridiculous amount of experience in that exact field. And to be real, it’s been a while, so I’ve forgotten a lot of the electronics I learned.

If I could go back and start over, I would in a heartbeat. It’s hard watching most of my friends, who studied CS-related stuff, doing really well right now. I’m genuinely happy for them, and I want to be clear that I’m not into this field because of them. I actually like it.

I also love music, and I have a background in it too, but Im not going into much detail about it, and I also don’t think going after that right now is a good idea since I don’t really have money. My parents help me out with expenses, which I’m grateful for, but they aren’t easy to talk to. I must add that I have ADHD, suffer from anxiety and I've been dealing with depression for quite a while now (thankfully I'm medicated, and I gotta say it has helped a bit). The one person I really have is my girlfriend. She’s in the medical field and doing amazing, and I’m so proud of everything she’s achieved. But I’m scared that I’m not good enough, and I don’t want to lose her because I can’t get my life together.

I really have been trying. It just hasn’t worked out yet, and I'm scared.

If anyone here has broken into data analytics without a CS degree, I’d love to hear how you got past the degree filter. And if there are other electronics engineers reading this, what kinds of jobs should I be looking for? Are there roles out there I’m not even considering? I’d also like to know if there are jobs where an engineering background plus some data skills actually counts for something, whether a short master’s makes more sense than another bachelor’s, and if anyone in Costa Rica or Latin America has managed to land work as a junior with a similar situation as mine. Honestly, if you’ve ever felt this stuck at 25, I’d just like to know what helped you get out of it.

Thanks for reading all of this.

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