I Hate School

[iheartscience]

I just felt like venting...I''m back in college to finish up my Bachelor''s. I have probably 3 semesters left, including this one. I''m hoping to be able to do my third and final semester next summer so I can be done sooner.

I haven''t been in school for 3 years and have just been working as a buyer for a clothing store. I enjoy it but I don''t want to do it forever so I decided now was the time to finish. I know I need to finish school, but all the classes I''m taking are just so very pointless. I''m just a little discouraged at the futility of it. A bunch of busy work and $10,000 more and all I''ll have to show for it is a piece of paper. Lame.

My degree is in Psychology but I''ve taken all but 2 of my Psychology classes, so really and truly, except for those classes, everything else I''m doing is general education stuff. So I can pretty much take whatever, as long as it fits in certain categories. I know that should be a good thing, but to me that just emphasizes how pointless all those general education classes are!

Any words of wisdom or happy thoughts any of you wise PSers have would be greatly appreciated!

P.S. Thanks for listening to me be negative and whiny!

 

[TravelingGal]

Hey, I hated school too. I still have stress nightmares that I didn''t actually graduate and that my life since has been a sham.

All I can say that is in many professions, the glass ceiling is a bit lower for those who do not have degrees (fair or not.) So that 10K you are spending will hopefully come back in the form of a higher salary as you go on in life.

And as for those useless subjects...they can be great for useless trivia games!

Hang in there!

 

[wolftress]

I know it seems really pointless now, but that piece of paper could really open doors and make a difference to your asking salary. I felt that a lot of classes I had to take for my Bachelors degree were a complete and utter waste of time, but the degree landed me a good job within 2-3 weeks of graduating. If you pursue grad school in the future, it will also give you an extra edge over other job applicants.

A lot of job ads say ''tertiary degree required'' so that piece of paper isn''t quite as worthless as it seems! Hang in there and hopefully you''ll find something you like about school to keep you going!

 

[Independent Gal]

Thritto! Think of that BA as a passport. It opens doors. Or, like a magic key - to make it more thrilling.

You''re suffering now for more career choices and higher salaries later (and higher salaries = more killer shoes!). Worth it? You bet!

Hang in there kiddo!

 

[wolftress]

Date: 9/12/2007 10:50:47 PM
Author: Independent Gal
Thritto! Think of that BA as a passport. It opens doors. Or, like a magic key - to make it more thrilling.

You''re suffering now for more career choices and higher salaries later (and higher salaries = more killer shoes!). Worth it? You bet!

Hang in there kiddo!

higher salaries also means more bling! Yay to that!!!

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 9/12/2007 10:45:23 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Hey, I hated school too. I still have stress nightmares that I didn''t actually graduate and that my life since has been a sham.

All I can say that is in many professions, the glass ceiling is a bit lower for those who do not have degrees (fair or not.) So that 10K you are spending will hopefully come back in the form of a higher salary as you go on in life.

And as for those useless subjects...they can be great for useless trivia games!

Hang in there!

Good point about the $10k coming back to me in a higher salary...I''ll have to keep that in mind when I''m feeling broke! I definitely know the degree is necessary in other professions...it''s not necessary in fashion, but I don''t want to do that forever so I just have to power through! Thanks, TG!

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 9/12/2007 10:47:01 PM
Author: wolftress
I know it seems really pointless now, but that piece of paper could really open doors and make a difference to your asking salary. I felt that a lot of classes I had to take for my Bachelors degree were a complete and utter waste of time, but the degree landed me a good job within 2-3 weeks of graduating. If you pursue grad school in the future, it will also give you an extra edge over other job applicants.

A lot of job ads say ''tertiary degree required'' so that piece of paper isn''t quite as worthless as it seems! Hang in there and hopefully you''ll find something you like about school to keep you going!

Very true, wolftress. And who knows, I might want to go to grad school in the future. Another thing to keep in mind when I''m feeling extra whiny! Thanks for the advice!

 

[KimberlyH]

I did not enjoy completing general ed for my BA, but I loved classes related to my major. I''m about 1/2 way through an M.Ed. program and already plotting out what I''ll take as soon as I graduate (my new goal, after I get my gerenal ed credential and teach elementary ed for a while is to become a special education teacher). I know how futile school can seem...you''ll be so glad you did it when all is said and done and it will open up doors for you that you can''t even fathom right now (if someone told me I''d be working on a master''s right now I''d have said they were nuts!). Just keep thinking about the long term, and finding ways that the gen ed courses are applicable to your life, even if only in abstract ways, it will help you muddle through.

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 9/12/2007 10:50:47 PM
Author: Independent Gal
Thritto! Think of that BA as a passport. It opens doors. Or, like a magic key - to make it more thrilling.

You''re suffering now for more career choices and higher salaries later (and higher salaries = more killer shoes!). Worth it? You bet!


Hang in there kiddo!

So real about the shoes, IG. Hahaha! Marc by Marc will be replaced entirely by Marc Jacobs!

Thanks!

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 9/12/2007 11:01:06 PM
Author: KimberlyH
I did not enjoy completing general ed for my BA, but I loved classes related to my major. I''m about 1/2 way through an M.Ed. program and already plotting out what I''ll take as soon as I graduate (my new goal, after I get my gerenal ed credential and teach elementary ed for a while is to become a special education teacher). I know how futile school can seem...you''ll be so glad you did it when all is said and done and it will open up doors for you that you can''t even fathom right now (if someone told me I''d be working on a master''s right now I''d have said they were nuts!). Just keep thinking about the long term, and finding ways that the gen ed courses are applicable to your life, even if only in abstract ways, it will help you muddle through.

Yeah, I also loved all the Psych classes I took. I took them too soon, though-I had them almost all done by my Sophmore year! I''m glad to hear I''m not alone in my dislike for gen ed stuff. It seems like most of my friends liked those classes because they were usually fairly easy. I would really rather have more school work to do from an interesting class than a bunch of busy work from a boring one.

But you''re right-there are a few gen ed classes that will be useful. There''s a Writing in the Workplace class I''m going to try to take next semester that is really just about business letters, resumes, etc. and it counts for one of my gen ed requirements. So that should be easy and useful. Thanks for even more good points, KimberlyH.

 

[princesss]

That's definitely how I felt my first two years. I basically got my gen eds out EARLY, so now I'm in all fun classes. Seriously, once you're done with gen eds, think about how fun school is going to be. Really. Sure, the tests and papers stink, but it will be fun/interesting eventually.

Good to know I'm not the only one that's kind of "over" school though, you know? I am just ready to be done. At least you have real world experience (what a plus!). I'm going into the working world in a year with nothing but a small internship and retail under my belt. You're going to have such a leg up when you graduate. I'm jealous.

ETA: Wow, ignore that bit about getting into your major. I just re-read your original post. Gen eds...they're good for trivia. And....ways to kill time when you're bored?

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 9/12/2007 11:09:20 PM
Author: princesss
That''s definitely how I felt my first two years. I basically got my gen eds out EARLY, so now I''m in all fun classes. Seriously, once you''re done with gen eds, think about how fun school is going to be. Really. Sure, the tests and papers stink, but it will be fun/interesting eventually.

Good to know I''m not the only one that''s kind of ''over'' school though, you know? I am just ready to be done. At least you have real world experience (what a plus!). I''m going into the working world in a year with nothing but a small internship and retail under my belt. You''re going to have such a leg up when you graduate. I''m jealous.

ETA: Wow, ignore that bit about getting into your major. I just re-read your original post. Gen eds...they''re good for trivia. And....ways to kill time when you''re bored?

Hahaha-yeah, that''s true, princesss-I''m definitely not bored right now, and I really was a little bored once I started kind of getting over my job. Thanks for listening to me complain!

 

[snlee]

I hated school too! Hang in there! I agree that a degree opens doors and you'll get higher salaries later.

 

[luckystar112]

Ugh. I can''t even tell you how burnt out I am on school.
I don''t even have my AA yet and I''ve been there for 3 years.

I took a four year break after high school and did some other stuff before realizing that my life wasn''t going anywhere. So most of the time it''s just me and a bunch of 17-18 year olds. I''m 24 and I''ve had one prof that was my age and one that was only one year older. ::sigh::. It''s depressing.
I just want to hurry up and get it over with. I''ve been going full time for these three years too...what''s taking so long is that they made me take THREE math classes that aren''t transferable before I could take a college level math course. It''s my own fault for not remembering the info from high school. Hmmph.

I always love finding out that my classes aren''t transferable though. It''s the best.

 

[Haven]

Thing2of2--You should be so proud of yourself for going back to school, I know that it can be very difficult to return after being out for a few years, so kudos to you.

As for those gen eds that you dislike, well, you have to take them to finish your degree. Try to find profs that are special. Seriously--every department in every university has a few star professors, and many of them teach gen ed classes. Maybe it''s a food science guy who''s really funny, or an anthropology prof who is the wackiest lady you''ll ever meet. Whatever their story is, star profs make ANY class intriguing. Talk to people you know in different majors to get some feedback, that''s what I did as an undergrad and I have enough stories of crazy professors to write my own book of shorts, and I became interested in things that I NEVER would have considered had I not taken those classes.

And of course, your degree will serve you for the rest of your life. It''s not only a piece of paper, it''s a rite of passage, and a testament to the fact that you stuck to your guns and worked very hard to earn yourself the distinction of a higher education. Stick to it, because once you earn that degree nobody will ever be able to take it away from you.

(Oy, I sound like such a teacher. My students would so be rolling their eyes at me by now.)

You can do it, Thing20f2, just keep on plugging away!

 

[~*Alexis*~]

I agree with the finding of the teachers that you like, it makes everything alot easier. Try to find a club associated with your degree and get involved. It makes school go buy so much faster and if you have people that have already taken those classes you can find some things that could help you out in the future and you can get some tips on what to study and what the tests are like.

On the other hand....see if you can test out of some classes. You might be suprised that you are better at a certain subject than you think...if that is allowed at your campus...did u take any AP classes in HS?

As far as degrees...I have 2 AA degrees in Business and Marketing and I have been out of school for over a year and a half, graduated at the top of my class and I am STILL looking for a job in my field. But in the long run it will all pay off....even though the loans suck....its cheaper than not having an education at all.

 

[Gypsy]

I''m not sure how helpful I will be as I loved school and all the pointless classes. But I wanted to give you a ((HUG)) and tell you that that piece of paper, will make a big difference in your future honey, so stick it through with the goal of that in mind as much as possible.

 

[poptart]

I didn''t read the other posts yet, but I know what you mean about the futility of taking pointless classes. The last semester of college I took mostly "filler" classes for my generals. But if you can just get classes that are fun, then maybe the time will go by faster. I took pottery and yoga, which were great! Finding teachers that you like is also helpful as well. Just stick with it, you can do it!

*M*

 

[jas]

I hear you sweetie -- sometimes it felt like I was putting my life on hold for all those "down the line" benefits.

What I did not anticipate was how handy the connections became after graduation. If nothing else, you can see this as a networking opportunity. Get on people''s radar. It''s never a bad thing to add to your circles, professional or personal!

Hugs. May you never have to deal with another spiral notebook again (in a year)

 

[iheartscience]

Thanks, snlee, lucky, Haven, Alexis, Gypsy, poptart and jas. I''m definitely going to have to remember all the helpful hints and good reasons to keep on keepin'' on this weekend while I do boatloads of homework. Thanks again to all for listening to me bitch and moan!