Cody needs some answers please;

[Chiefs Pantalones]

...about college, that is. I am going to college, but lately, I am getting tired of it. Its a pain. Its getting annoying.

When I graduated high school, I took a year off to settle my brain. Should have I taken a couple years off, or what? A couple of my friends that went straight to college after high school (they were very smart) ended up dropping out because they couldn't handle the constant cramming you have to do sometimes. Another one of my friends took two years off, and is doing fine in college, he told me not to go until YOU feel you are good and ready, and that by the time that the two years have passed, you also know if you really want to go to college or not.

My parents kind of forced me into the position I'm in right now, I guess. Or its the constant studying:confused: , I'm not for sure.

CG

any advice or stories you should tell me?

[Chiefs Pantalones]

This one guy in psych (a summer class I'm taking) , was sitting there and looked kind of in "aw", I asked him what was up, and he said, this stuff is not for me, I don't like school, and walked out. I guess college isn't for everyone?

CG

gotta go for the night, thanks and good night

[Logical]

Cody,

I started College as a 17 year old skipping my Senior year. The first semester I did great, pretty much A's so that blows the theory that a person needs to wait. I took the College Level Examination Entrance Placement exam and tested out of my freshmen year so I had the advantage of starting my College as a Sophmore (that was 72 you can no longer do this). Then a year later I was no longer motivated, other things interested me and so I quit because I could get a job as a Manager of a fast food restaurant and make $12K a year (pretty good money in 74), biggest mistake of my life. A mistake that I paid for in spades. I did well and was an acting area manager by 76, but I found out that this was not that much money in 77 when I got married. I tried to improve myself, but guess what, the 1520 on my SATs the 3.4 GPA without a degree did not mean shit to employers. They wanted that degree. I improved myself all the way to 18K by the end of 1980 by working an average of 90 to 100 hours a week, it was a salary job so you can figure out that I was making diddly per hour. I had lots of responsibility and awards at work, 3 kids, a wife, and no life outside of work. I got smart, went back to school while working 60 to 70 hours a week, and went for a completely different degree in Engineering. Now 6 years had went by since I left college so my CLEP hours for my Freshmen year were no longer accepted and my upper level hours towards a Chemistry degree did basically no good towards the Engineering degree I wanted. So at the age of 25 I had thrown away 87 hours towards a Chemistry degree and was back in college. I decided I was going to make it through in three years so despite working the 60 to 70 hours I took more than 20 hours each term and in three years had my Engineering degree. It was 1983 I was 28 and was a beginning Engineer at Boeing in Wichita, by 1990 I was making 50K a lot for that year but not immense, and now at 45 I am well into Six figures and also got a masters during that time.

So what is the point of all this, the point is that a lot of my fellow Management types went through and finished by 22 or 23 and now are making those high six figure salaries in their late 30s early 40s, and they did not have to sacrifice nearly as hard to get there.

I advise you and urge you to tough it out now, it will never be easier than it is at your age now. The benefits you will reap will far outweigh your sacrifices.

Good luck, and e-mail me if you have any thing you would like to talk about.

[Otter]

Cody,

Good timing! I'm a pretty good source of info (IMHO) on this matter.

After I graduated HS I took 2 years off and worked in an iron foundry. (Horrible work BTW) I wasn't sure what I wanted to do and being the youngest from a Brady Bunch size family whose college funds were long ago exhausted, I needed some money.

I saw the same things happen that you are seeing now. People who you thought would grow up to be president wind up dropping out of college because they don’t want to be there or can’t handle it.

Everybody is different and there is no easy answer to your question but I could tell you this:

Waiting 2 years did me a world of good. It allowed me to see what the real world was like and mature just enough. I have very little doubt that if I would have gone to college straight out of HS, I would have partied my way out.

If your not sure what you want to do or if you want to go. I’d say wait. Just make sure you don’t waste away the waiting time. College isn’t going anywhere and maybe a little time in the industry will help you determine you strengths and weaknesses and give you a better understanding of what you want to major in if you unsure.

There are downfalls however. After being out for 2 years it took a little bit to get back into the study and ‘book learning’ ways. Plus I just turned 29 and only been in my industry for 3 years now. That doesn’t bother me, but its something to think about.

2 last pieces of advice: 1.) I don’t know your financial situation but college is very expensive. Don’t waste the large amounts of money it takes to go through. 2.) If you do know what you want and feel your ready for the college years, go for it! College is one of the best times in most peoples lives. It was mine!


MmmMMmmm – College girls

[California Injun]

Cody,

I did the community college thing right out of high school and so did about 60% of my classmates. It felt like a 5th year of high school.

So I took just enough classes to qualify for sports and then dropped them all after the final game of the season.

I left home at 19 for SoCal with a job and did not return to college until reaching 28. Those 9 years got all of the vim and vigor out of my system so when I chose to pursue a higher education, I was ready to learn.

Some people are not emotionally ready and need to sow their oats with $8-10 an hour jobs and major keg parties. I worked in a refinery AWAY from my parents while pulling down $50,000 a year.

After breathing toxic chemicals for 9 years I took the leap into another profession that required a degree.

Methinks you are still within earshot of your parents home but want to start living life. Start looking for a decent job AWAY from your folks until you are ready to return for more schooling.

You're never too old to get that education.

[KS Smitty]

Cody,
Do you know what you want to do or "where you see yourself in XX years"? That should go a ways to helping answer your questions. If not then I know a lot of people that went to made college a "career" til they figured it out. I also know people that didn't do Jack and some are doing well and some are sindking in crap. It's all up to the effort you put into it. Go For the Gold

[Logical]

Cody,

I would like to slightly modify my advice, it is good advice if you know what you want to do. But if you do not then the year or so off extra might be a good idea. Unlike CalInjun I advise that School gets a lot hard the longer you wait.

[Chiefs Pantalones]

I'm back, couldn't sleep.

Otter,

"MmmmMMmmm-College girls"...thats about the only thing that is keeping me motivated these days! :)

Thanks for the advice, guys...

My major is business, and I like business and all, but my worst subject is math! I am math reeruned, and when I have to work on a different class, I am too busy thinking about "how in the heck am I gonna get this shitty math done?" I get tutored for the crap, but math is just a pain! I wish there wasn't any math...

CG

oh the sweetness...:D

[Chiefs Pantalones]

Logical,

I am majoring in Business and I like business and all, but do you think that maybe why I'm not very motivated is that because, deep down, I don't know if that is really what I want to do or not? Maybe I need some more time to think about what I want to do, huh?

Thanks guys, this is helpful, honestly. I am not being sarcastic.

[Chiefs Pantalones]

Jim and everyone,

Based on me not me being motivated and all, do you think my problem is that I really don't know what I want to do yet? Maybe I really don't no what I want to do yet? So should I take some time off to find out what I really want to do, or what?

CG

what should I do?

and thanks again

[Otter]

Mr. Cody,

Me answering this question is like me asking you should I stick with my current girlfriend after our latest disagreement or move on to different prospects.

You don't know what goes thought my head at night and I don't know what goes through your head when all is quiet and you have no choice but grapple with your demons.

I think the others will agree with me when I say that this is a decision you must make on your own using the advice you were given only for what it is, advice from strangers.

The only true advice I can offer is to search your conscience.

[keg in kc]

Sounds like you don't know what you want to do, which might be okay depending how far in you are. If you're not too far in, just take the time to do some soul searching and find out what really interests you. If you find something, go for it...

Now, don't be like me and stay in school just to stay in school. I [i]hated[/i] college, and was in a degree program that I hated, and instead of figuring out what it is that I wanted to do, I just "stuck it out".

Bad move.

I spent 5 years getting a bachelor's degree. And then another two (thankfully free...) working for my masters.

Then, two weeks before graduation 1999, I had an epiphany: I hated everyone I knew (including myself) and I hated the direction/career path in which I was headed. Generally just hated everything.

So I quit. I just left. Didn't finish my degree, and basically 7 years of college went down the toilet.

We had been planning to move to Kansas City - I was originally going to work toward my doctorate here - and we continued out this direction, sans any more school. I was in [b]deep[/b] depression which I've only begun to come out of in the last few months (although I'm still fighting it every day) and I've now been unemployed for two years with absolutely no prospects whatsoever. On a whim, I'm writing a book, and we'll see how that goes.

Hopefully it turns out well, because if I don't succeed at that, then my prospects are not very bright, to say the least: I'm not particularly bright/intelligent, I've had no employment for two years, I have a useless bachelor's degree (music composition), I have no job training whatsoever, and, if that weren't bad enough, I have no desire to put in the effort to train for anything, at least not at this point (I'm [i]still[/i] burned-out from college, believe it or not, I may not [i]ever[/i] want to see a classroom again).

But, I am doing something I seem to enjoy (writing), just not enough of it - it's difficult to get myself moving sometimes because of a combination of years of bad habits (escapism, basically: video games, net-surfing, TV, reading...) and depression. It's difficult sometimes to keep the writing going because I'm terrified that I'll fail, and I have a mind-set that basically the entire 27 years of my life is a failure. That's a mind-set I'm trying to change, but the only thing that can really fix it at this point is succes. Talk about pressure... ;)

That's a lot to take in (and difficult to write, for me...), and the point I'm trying to make is this: take the time to figure out what it is you want to do, don't just ride through like you're on a wave. Meditate or talk to people or pray or do whatever it is that you need to do, but just know how important it really is to have some sort of goals and a focus on your future. Don't just go to college because it's what you're expected to do or because it's something to keep you occupied. Make it mean something and make it take you somewhere. In other words, take control of your own life and your own future...

Believe me, I wish someone had given me this advice 8 years ago...

And, Cody, one last thing. This is a tough one for me: nobody can give you any answers. You're going to have to figure this one out on your own. Hopefully, though, what I've said and what the other folks have said will help you to come to the choice(s) that is best for you. And remember, you are all that matters here. What your parents think, or your friends, or anyone else [u]doesn't matter[/u]. This is your life, and you're the only one living it. You alone suffer the consequences or reap the rewards. It's your future, your happiness, your success or failure. It may or may not involve other people in some way, but when you really cut to the quick, this is a question of what is best for you, and you alone.

Good luck! :)

[47mack]

Here is my advice.....

College is very expensive. If you aren't there for the right reason, don't go. My wife and I are paying back about $36,000 in loans. That is a pretty low amount considering there are two of us.

I went to college straight out of high school. I had a scholarship to play soccer and was the most likely not to succeed. I damn near flunked out my first semester (thanks to beer and women), then after a long a$$ chewing courtesy of my father, I straightened up. Graduated in four years and couldn't be more happy. My roommate (best-friend from high school) had a similar story, only he was most likely to succeed. He just graduated this past May after 6 years of full time school. Funny how things turn out.

As far as your friends saying there is too much cramming....you only cram if you have to. Maybe they should of managed their time better.

[Bob Dole]

Bob Dole is rather surprised at the number of stories similar to his own...

To summarize: Went to college straight out of high school and partied out after 2 semesters. (Funny how they don't like to renew full-ride scholarships for people with a 0.5 GPA.) Worked for a year and tried again, with the same end result.

Went back to work and did well, but decided after 5 years I was not living. I was existing. Made good money, had a company car, bought a nice house, yada yada...but my entire life consisted of work.

I went back to school because <i>I</i> wanted to be there--not because it was what I was <i>supposed</i> to do--and it made all the difference in the world. I also decided to start back at a community college because an associates degree allowed me to set a shorter-term goal.

As has already been stated: It's your decision, and you've got to do what is right for you. Don't think that if you quit now, there's no going back. (Just don't put yourself in a financial position that eliminates the option.)

[47mack]

0.5????

and I thought my 1.35 was bad