College

[Guest Your Olympic Hero]

Here's my situation. My parents are paying for everything to do with college, and I start in about a month at a good school here in southeast Virginia. At the moment, I'm undecided as to what my major will be. I don't have any real skills to use to get a decent job. But, I kind of feel like I'm just putting off having a real life and relying on my parents. I don't really particularly want to go to college. But, with it all being paid for, do you think I should go ahead with it? Or should I go to a technical school to learn a trade and follow that path to get my life on track sooner? Any advice is helpful.

[Guest Eagan469]

If your parents are paying for it, go undeclared.

 

There is *no reason* this day in age when anyone should be satisfied with just a high-school diploma.

 

Plus, you're getting a free ride, which some of us would die for.

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

College is a waste of money.

 

But if you can get someone else to pay for it, then go ahead.

 

Unless you are going for a real degree (medicine, engineering, etc.) academia is pretty much a waste of your time. However, you need that piece of paper you get after 4 years for most jobs out there.

 

Do what you want to do -- I went to a community college for my first two years. It was the best schooling experience of my life. I got time to figure out what I wanted to do, and I saved a bundle in the process...

[Guest Sandman9000]

If someone else is footing the bill, I've got two words for ya:

 

Fuck. Yes.

 

Let's see, a 40+ work week, or a 15 hour week surrounded by people your same age, in an environment where not only are you expected to royally screw up at times, it's practically encouraged?

[Guest The Czech Republic]

I'm not sure what I want to do. This is my senior year of high school coming up this September, and I'm planning on NIU or U of I, but I don't know what I want to do. My history and English skills are really good, but in terms of practical skills, I'm rather inept. Think teaching would work well for someone of my ilk?

[Guest Eagan469]

I'm starting pre-law in September.

 

Honestly, I can't see myself becoming a lawyer. I just chose it because it pays good money and is respectable.

 

My dream is to become famous. I'm very skilled acting-wise, and I like to sing (didn't say I was good ). My friends all say that I should run off to Hollywood and write and/or become a comedian.

 

It's intriguing, but I'm still happy in my parents house, with my slightly above minimum wage job and no real worries.

[Guest The Czech Republic]

That's cool Eagan. I've thought about law as well. I've done a pretty nice job in mock trials at school.

[Guest Incandenza]

Law's a fucking waste. Everyone wants to be a lawyer, so it's tough field. Same goes for communications, or any major that people take simply because they think it'll lead to a big money job. They all end up in insurance, if they get a job at all.

[Guest JaKyL25]

I'm facing the NEXT problem of this ilk you kid will face--I have a year left to go in college, and I have practically no idea of what I want to do afterwards. I'm an English major with a Philosophy minor, and I don't want to teach. Kinda limits my options. IDEALLY I'd like to be a booker for a fed, and I'd practically do it for free, but I have no idea how to break into that kind of thing.

[Guest The Czech Republic]

Law's a fucking waste. Everyone wants to be a lawyer, so it's tough field. Same goes for communications, or any major that people take simply because they think it'll lead to a big money job. They all end up in insurance, if they get a job at all.

Don't forget political science.

 

 

Well Inc thanks for the encouraging words.

[Guest Incandenza]

Well Inc thanks for the encouraging words.

Just stick with your plan for teaching. There's always jobs out there, plus you would be majoring in a subject that you already do well/have great interest in.

[Guest The Czech Republic]

There are some districts in the north and northwest suburbs that pay very well for high school-level teaching, so that helps me along.

[Guest The Amazing Rando]

Hey now...i'm a Mass Communications major with a minor in writing...

 

 

I honestly want to work in Photography or own a small business (re: Record Store)

[Guest nl5xsk1]

I'm facing the NEXT problem of this ilk you kid will face--I have a year left to go in college, and I have practically no idea of what I want to do afterwards. I'm an English major with a Philosophy minor, and I don't want to teach. Kinda limits my options. IDEALLY I'd like to be a booker for a fed, and I'd practically do it for free, but I have no idea how to break into that kind of thing.

Your degree doesn't mean anything ... I'm a Liberal Arts graduate with minors in English, History, and Psychology and my job has NOTHING to do with any of those things.

 

Just look forward to being a corporate worker bee, my friend. (like that old IBM commercial: "I want to claw my way up to middle management.")

[Guest Retro Rob]

I'm not sure what I want to do. This is my senior year of high school coming up this September, and I'm planning on NIU or U of I, but I don't know what I want to do. My history and English skills are really good, but in terms of practical skills, I'm rather inept. Think teaching would work well for someone of my ilk?

Having an education degree doesn't necessarily mean you have to teach in a school. Other business might bring you in to train their employees and do workshops. Stuff like that. That subject doesn't really matter as much as you actually have the degree. For me, I am a major slacker and could give a shit about school, but I will be going to college since my parents are paying for it. At first I wanted to go to a 2 year, but then if I decide to transfer I might lose credits, so I'll probably just try and get it over with as soon as possible. I have no interests in any field, so I'll be majoring in education. Go figure. As for the subject, I suck at/hate most of them, but we'll cross that bridge when the time comes.

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

Everyone wants to be a lawyer, so it's tough field. Same goes for communications, or any major that people take simply because they think it'll lead to a big money job. They all end up in insurance, if they get a job at all.

Thanks for letting me know 9 years too late...

[Guest dpac]

Get as much education as you can, believe me it will be worth it.

[Guest Spicy McHaggis]

Here's my situation. My parents are paying for everything to do with college, and I start in about a month at a good school here in southeast Virginia. At the moment, I'm undecided as to what my major will be. I don't have any real skills to use to get a decent job. But, I kind of feel like I'm just putting off having a real life and relying on my parents. I don't really particularly want to go to college. But, with it all being paid for, do you think I should go ahead with it? Or should I go to a technical school to learn a trade and follow that path to get my life on track sooner? Any advice is helpful.

The first question is what is life? Is it a 9-5 job or is it the sum of all your experiences?

 

Experience college. There's a lot more to it than a degree.

[Guest Bosstones Fan]

Experience college. There's a lot more to it than a degree.

You are wise, Spicy. Lots of potential employers will tell you that they aren't as impressed with your having that piece of paper as they are with your displaying the work ethic to earn it.

 

Plus, college provides you with a chance to meet and interact with ALL kinds of people. And, if you leave home, it often provides one's first "real life" experience with paying your own bills and getting your own ass out of bed in the morning; you don't get all that with just a high school diploma.

[Guest godthedog]

I'm facing the NEXT problem of this ilk you kid will face--I have a year left to go in college, and I have practically no idea of what I want to do afterwards. I'm an English major with a Philosophy minor, and I don't want to teach. Kinda limits my options. IDEALLY I'd like to be a booker for a fed, and I'd practically do it for free, but I have no idea how to break into that kind of thing.

if you don't want to teach, why the hell did you choose to major in english and minor in philosophy?

[Guest Edwin MacPhisto]

Southeast Virginia? What school?

 

You should definitely go. College is frickin' great. If you don't like learning cool shit and you don't want to make yourself more palatable to future employers, then no, don't. Like Bosstones Fan said, it'll also make you infinitely more competent. It forces you to deal with people you don't like, deal with people you do like, and basically assume responsibilities you would have normally taken for granted.

 

Don't be deterred by going in undeclared, either. Very few people go in with something in mind, and a lot of those are pre-med or pre-law kids who change their minds entirely in their first year. Like a few people have mentioned, your actual degree might have very little to do with your job. It's more about skills, and you can get most of those from any subject. So take the free ride, study something you really like, and just go from there.

 

College is also insanely fun. At this point, I can't wait till the summer's over.

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

Experience college. There's a lot more to it than a degree.

So true. Most of the worthwhile things you will learn happen out of the classroom.

 

It's a shame you have to pay tuition for the garbage they "teach" you in the classroom, though...

[Internet Warfare 0]

Look at it this way, FREE COLLEGE!!!!!!!!

[Guest JaKyL25]

I'm facing the NEXT problem of this ilk you kid will face--I have a year left to go in college, and I have practically no idea of what I want to do afterwards.  I'm an English major with a Philosophy minor, and I don't want to teach.  Kinda limits my options.  IDEALLY I'd like to be a booker for a fed, and I'd practically do it for free, but I have no idea how to break into that kind of thing.

if you don't want to teach, why the hell did you choose to major in english and minor in philosophy?

Simple--Those are the things that interest me the most.

 

I love reading and writing papers on everything from The Iliad to Harry Potter, as well as discussing and comprehending philosophy from Socrates to Sartre.

 

The thing that turns me off of being a teacher is that, from experience, there are always plenty of kids that DON'T give a flying fuck about what you're trying to teach them, and those kids would frustrate me to no end. Not to mention I have little patience for slow learners. I mean, it's fun teaching things to people who just don't know them yet or else just need it explained a different way, but everyone's got SOMETHING that they'll just never understand for the life of them, even if they want to.

[Guest Retro Rob]

Being a teacher in the high school setting is more about molding students into well-rounded adults than actually teaching them William Shakespeare or the Vietnam War. It's the little lessons that they pick up along the way that count.

[Guest Spicy McHaggis]

Experience college. There's a lot more to it than a degree.

So true. Most of the worthwhile things you will learn happen out of the classroom.

 

It's a shame you have to pay tuition for the garbage they "teach" you in the classroom, though...

No doubt.

 

Other than the skills of journalism (if there are any ) most other classes are a joke.

[Guest godthedog]

I'm facing the NEXT problem of this ilk you kid will face--I have a year left to go in college, and I have practically no idea of what I want to do afterwards.  I'm an English major with a Philosophy minor, and I don't want to teach.  Kinda limits my options.  IDEALLY I'd like to be a booker for a fed, and I'd practically do it for free, but I have no idea how to break into that kind of thing.

if you don't want to teach, why the hell did you choose to major in english and minor in philosophy?

Simple--Those are the things that interest me the most.

 

I love reading and writing papers on everything from The Iliad to Harry Potter, as well as discussing and comprehending philosophy from Socrates to Sartre.

 

The thing that turns me off of being a teacher is that, from experience, there are always plenty of kids that DON'T give a flying fuck about what you're trying to teach them, and those kids would frustrate me to no end. Not to mention I have little patience for slow learners. I mean, it's fun teaching things to people who just don't know them yet or else just need it explained a different way, but everyone's got SOMETHING that they'll just never understand for the life of them, even if they want to.

that's why you should teach at college. if someone in your class isn't motivated and doesn't care to understand, you just let them fail. you're not obligated to hold anyone's hand through it--in fact, you're obligated NOT to, cause you're supposed to weed out the dipshits who don't belong there.

[Guest NoCalMike]

Once you start yourself in the path of the work force, it is hard as hell to do ANYTHING else. When you get a 40 hour a week job, you usually get comfortable with more bills and they soon engulf you to where there is no way down the line you could switch to part time work and school. That is kind of my situation and is why I am gonna go to a computer/business tech school at age 23, because at my age I am not sure if I still have the time to invest 4 years. I know as far as being "young" I do, but there is a stat that says once you are over 25, your marketablility goes way down because corporations want to hire people at a young age that will grow with the company.

[River City Rocker 0]

I would say go for it, and that you may never get another chance like this.

 

But here's my story, just like everyone else.

 

I went to Columbia College in downtown Chicago for five years (1995-2000). My parents paid for each and every semester. They didn't have too much say in it, as I made a last minute decision to go to college sometime during senior year in high school, after a long period where I honestly believed that I wouldn't even finish high school (for social problems, not academic ones).

 

I majored in communications, specifically, radio/sound. Well, one major thing happened when I was in school: the rise of Clear Channel. Let's just say that with ownership regulations severely relaxed, getting into radio went from pretty hard in 1995 to basically not even worth trying anymore by the time I graduated five years later. But I was too proud to consider a minor in anything, it was radio. I wouldn't even consider not being able to get in.

 

But personally, college wasn't as exciting as most people make it out to be. I started to sour on spending three long days downtown every week, and I hated the commuting. Basically, from 1997 on, I had days where I looked forward to getting out of class and going home to unwind. I also didn't have too many friends, either.

 

When I finally graduated, my first thought was literally "Well, what do I do now?"

 

So, three years later, I'm living in southern Indiana with my parents, and still working in the same occupation I was doing when I first started college: retail clerk. Out of 200 audition tapes mailed to radio stations, I have just eight rejection letters to show for it. I'll just end this by saying that while I have a degree, I still need to find work in another field, since I've basically given up...

 

-Ben

[Guest Matt Young]

This is a very interesting topic to me, personally. I dropped out of high school after my junior year, not because of academic failure, but because I was just sick of spending 35 hours a week in a classroom (I guess you could've deemed me lazy, but I had been in school since a month after I turned 4 [preschool at that time, but still]). I also was going through a lot of emotional problems, heartbreak, and family issues. I had been kicked out by my mom during sophomore year and sent off to live with my stepdad, who was working 100 miles away from here, in a tiny efficiency apartment and attended a school where I knew no one. I never really recovered from that setback during the remainder of my high school career and I just gave up.

 

I got my GED a while back, finishing the test in a fraction of the allotted time and getting a nearly perfect score. I always was a good student, getting A's and B's and a plethora of academic achievement awards. I've always been very creative and intelligent, and I go out of my way to learn new things daily. I'm a voracious reader and a talented writer, and now I am highly motivated to take my education to the next level.

 

With only a GED, my options are somewhat limited, but I plan on starting classes in a few weeks at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, Illinois. I'm still not sure what I want to study, but I'm pretty sure I'll be taking some form of writing/journalism course, as well as psychology/sociology. I'll most likely continue taking classes even during the summer in order to make up for the year I missed (I should've graduated in 2002 and started college last fall) and I also plan on taking classes online or by mail in order to finish obtaining my high school diploma. My plan is to get the diploma and attend 2 years of community college, get good grades, and enable myself to transfer to a more prestigious academic institution.

 

In a very pleasant surprise, a few weeks ago my best friend/ex-girlfriend's grandma (whom I have only met twice) offered to help pay for my college costs. She says she likes me and thinks I have a great mind, and she wants to see me develop it and make myself into something. I am very grateful to her for making such an offer, and now all the pieces seem to finally be in place for me to move on to the next chapter of my fledgling adult life.

Edited July 30, 2003 by Matt Young