(I quit and went back to get my masters so I can do what I really want to do with my degree(s))

Ahhh College life:

Ok so after working the whole 8ish-6ish for an entire year being back on a college schedule is the greatist thing in the world.

Sure I have a CRAPLOAD of work due all the time and it's pretty daunting task, but in reality if I were chained to a desk 40 hours/week I could sure as hell get it all done and then some... but as a college student I'm free to SLEEP TILL 10am, go to the store, go to the gas station, go to the bank, go take a nap, whenever the hell I feel like it. I don't mind going to class other than "people" with too much cologne make me sneeze... but I got that when I worked next to an old lady that wore too much perfume too anyways.

Sure I've got $20.65 to live on until my last paycheck turns up somewhere... but hell I've got just about everything I need and want... (friends, time, G/F, health, fun)

Sure you have 3-5 things due at once BUT!!! those 3-5 things due make you not want the due date to come and so you squeeze all kinds of time out of your day and while I might still procrastinate I don't WANT that due date to come until I'm ready for it.

In the working world all you want is for the weekend to come and it becomes even worse around vacation time... so your life starts FLYING by b/c your just looking forward to the weekend and trying to get to it as fast as possible. with multiple HW due dates the week goes by a lot slower... So I don't feel like my life is flying by quite as fast...

So while it's frustrating being a college student with WAY too much to do all at once,

A) at least you can take a nap
B) at least I can get up and go where-ever whenever
C) my life doesn't feel like it's FLYING by anymore

many of these things could change as I get deeper back into college life... but GOD I was bored in the working world... and I was in a rotational program so I did something new every 4-6months... but 4-6months is a LOT longer when your sitting there day in and day out working.

[Edited on September 4, 2007 at 12:46 PM. Reason : OMG SLEEPING IN IS SOOOO AWESOME]

9/4/2007 12:45:29 PM

yeah college life is easier but you cant spend your whole life in college...well maybe you could but i wouldnt want to

9/4/2007 12:46:45 PM

this is part of the reason i'm still in school--i think i would rather shoot myself than sit at a desk 8 hours per day, 240 days per year for 40 years...really

9/4/2007 12:50:20 PM

college sucked. what's the point of being able to do whatever you want whenever you want to if you don't have any money to do things with?

9/4/2007 12:50:23 PM

I value (and always have) free time/flexible schedule over money.

also I wasn't doing what I wanted to be doing, and the only way to get out of the technical rut that I was in was to completely throw a wrench in everything I've done and go back for my masters (LOTS of digital experience an I NEVER wanted to do digital, so I'm back in school for a masters in analog design) So I'm not planning on staying in college forever, I want a house and a boat again, but I sure as hell am going to appreciate the next year and a half a lot more than I would have if I had just rolled straight through school

9/4/2007 12:52:56 PM

for the most part, when people do get money they still don't do stuff with it, they buy stuff--it all depends on your priorities

9/4/2007 12:54:35 PM

it's kind of hard to do something like go to the beach or mountains if you don't have money to buy food and gas with.

9/4/2007 12:57:18 PM

well, obviously there's that, but most of the money people earn in their lifetimes is spent on things that they simply possess--a house, furniture, car, clothes, etc, but they overlook the opportunity cost of those things...i think thoreau had it mostly right

9/4/2007 1:05:12 PM

I own my car outright, I saved a LOT of money which I paid for my first semester completely with, I bought a few toys, But a huge chunk of change went to visiting my GF/family/friends in NC. ALL of my vacation time was tied up with either the G/F or the Family.

I went with my G/F to places but nothing spectacular, I rarely-never had a day to myself that I could do whatever with... that's an immeasurable opportunity cost b/c until you have lived it, you don't know what it's like to not have a day just to yourself... it's freaking rough.

long distance serious relationship played heavily in all of this so I mean, it's not a standard case, but it's a matter of time and doing stuff with your time, and when you don't have a lot of available time life becomes miserable

9/4/2007 1:15:12 PM

you need some form of all of those things when you're in school too though. you need clothes, a place to live, a mode of transportation. Sure, most people get nicer versions of everything when they have a job and can afford them, but you still have to pay for them in some form or another even when you're in school.

I had a hefty academic scholarship to get through school, but I still had to work at a job every free hour I had just to pay the remainder of rent, utilities, food, and gas. My nights and weekends were covered up with course work. Now that I'm out of school, I actually have free time to do things I enjoy at nights and on weekends. I never had that when I was in school. It's not like I have expensive hobbies either; lifting weights and watching football on TV are all I really wanted free time for.

9/4/2007 1:16:12 PM

I just get tired of the same routine......I was soooo ready to graduate my last year or so, and work was a great change for the first year+, but now I'm getting tired of it too. now I'm starting to toss around the idea of going back to school.

for me, it's not so much about school or work being better per se, I just get eventually tired of doing anything that is basically the same day in and day out for a prolonged period of time.

9/4/2007 1:27:29 PM

Quote :

"-i think i would rather shoot myself than sit at a desk 8 hours per day, 240 days per year for 40 years...really"

At some point, you gotta pay the bills. If you absolutely can't stand working at a desk, find something that you can support yourself with and enjoy. There's more types of careers than office work. Also, a lot of careers start out as office labor, but after your pay your dues, you get promoted to something more rewarding. Your first job or few jobs out of college shouldn't be where you expect to spend your entire career, except by choice.

Quote :

"college sucked."

If you can sincerely claim that college sucked, there's something seriously wrong with you. Then again, judging by your posts, you definitely seem like the type of guy that people don't want to hang out with. So yeah, I can see why you derive happiness from money.

9/4/2007 1:48:25 PM

If you don't understand the difference between college and hanging out with younger people and doing shit you enjoy, then there is something wrong with you. You go to college to get an education; not to have a social life. You can hang out with people your own age and do social things without having to go to school, as can be demonstrated by going to any college party and asking how many of the people there are actually enrolled in school.

9/4/2007 1:57:18 PM

^^yeah, i've come to the realization over the past couple of years that i can't do that kind of work--atleast not for very long. working, in and of itself, isn't something that bothers me, but i can't look at the same shit day-in, day-out; living for the weekends so to speak

[Edited on September 4, 2007 at 2:02 PM. Reason : .]

9/4/2007 2:01:53 PM

^^

well, there's no use trying to reason with a robot, so you do whatever works for you, chief.

9/4/2007 2:12:42 PM

There exist jobs that only work you 20 hours a week, but they are rare. I am lucky enough to have one, even if it is temporary.

What I think most people want to do is find whatever skill they have a contract it out to businesses. That way, you get to pick your work schedule. If you need more money then you seek more contracts, if you feel stressed then take fewer. It is the life to have, but the prerequisites are huge. The only way to get into the business is if you know someone already in it, which I don't. But that is my dream career.

9/4/2007 2:20:41 PM

^^you were never trying to reason with anyone in the first place, so feel free to backpedal out of the conversation when you get called out for making dumbass comments.

9/4/2007 2:25:51 PM

Quote :

"I value (and always have) free time/flexible schedule over money."

Some people in college have neither.

9/4/2007 2:34:46 PM

^^^ basically that's what I've been able to do lately.. and it's awesome.

9/4/2007 2:38:55 PM

Quote :

"I value (and always have) free time/flexible schedule over money."

I'd say I have more free time and flexibility now that I'm out of college.

9/4/2007 2:40:34 PM

i loved college but have enjoyed life much more when i started working

i had no money in college and was too stressed about making grades to work until my senior year

i am getting tired of my desk but i do expect to pay my dues and move up eventually

9/4/2007 3:53:38 PM

Quote :

"I'd say I have more free time and flexibility now that I'm out of college. "

me too. I had no free time or flexibility in my schedule whatsoever in college.

9/4/2007 4:03:19 PM

the one thing i do miss is sleeping in, but I would say I have enjoyed my short span of full time work more.

The money to be able to do the things you want and go where you want is great.

I will miss drinking on random tuesdays and things like that, but I make the most of every weekend and my weekends still start on Thursdays (albeit, they are a bit lighter thursdays) and sunday is still a day of rest and football.

9/4/2007 4:05:35 PM

id ont have as much free time, but i love my job. I'm a trainer so I get to teach and still make decent money (technical training). I can buy myself fun things all the time and meet lots of different people. My employer isn't super strict so I can wear pretty much anything I want. I have flexible hours when not teaching so I'll come in early and leave early. My weekends are generally work free and I do what I like. I can't complain.

9/4/2007 4:46:22 PM

This is an iffy subject. I really miss school and the school atmosphere. I can't account for sleeping in though because my last year of school was absolute hell and my junior year wasn't a walk in the park. Now that I am in the real world, I am doing pretty good. Stress is at a major all time low. I have a constant inflow of money that isn't immediately going to food/rent so I can buy nicer things. The social aspect used to be a big area of worry for me but I've found a group of people my age to eat lunch with and hang out with on the weekends (even if they are only co-ops/interns). Things are going well for me, but I still just miss NCSU and all of my friends and good times there.

9/4/2007 4:47:44 PM

How can you say college sucked?

The work was easy

The conversation was good

You still could get a 20 hour job that payed 25$+ an hour

and of course, a lot more girls.

Like I'm really trying to find the suck in here.

9/4/2007 6:07:05 PM

me being a PhD student, and NCSU being my third school, I can tell you that college is a lot more fun almost everywhere else than here

9/4/2007 6:09:51 PM

i just want to get out of college. really. this is the confusing time between being a teen and being an adult and i hate it, because i dont want to grow up yet i'm not forced into the working world yet. i can graduate early, and i will.

9/4/2007 6:13:38 PM

Quote :

"that college is a lot more fun almost everywhere else than here"

hahaha.

9/4/2007 6:14:32 PM

^^^

Now that I'm out of college


Easier/less/more interesting work
Better conversation
More money

9/4/2007 6:15:58 PM

i work at the university

9/4/2007 6:17:42 PM

i think maybe the key is finding a job that excites and stimulates you so that everyday doesn't become monotaneous

9/4/2007 6:23:25 PM

college kinda sucked because i had no money

i like my job, but i need more money

9/4/2007 6:27:18 PM

^

9/4/2007 6:42:20 PM

WHEN THE WINDS OF DURRR PREVAIL

THE MASTER OF THE OBVIOUS SHALL COMETH

9/4/2007 6:49:24 PM

yeah, the whole not-having-money thing sucks too. I got an apartment this summer and my parents basically stopped paying for me. the only thing they pay is tuition..and health insurance...maybe..?

but yeah. it's a challenge to try and make rent each month.

9/4/2007 6:53:41 PM

yep

starving in mid-december blows

now that i can pay rent, i have to pay for college bills and wedding stuff

so really, i just wait until retirement or until i die

9/4/2007 6:58:23 PM

Quote :

"this is part of the reason i'm still in school--i think i would rather shoot myself than sit at a desk 8 hours per day, 240 days per year for 40 years...really"

well then maybe you shouldn't get an office job?

for me, i prefer working life to college life. yes, college life was a lot more fun, i guess. but i am different--i hate to study from books in a traditional formal education environment. i am not that type. i prefer to learn on my own, take my time, do other things in between, learn pratically, learn by teaching, etc.

and for a career, i chose teaching (since the age of 12, i have been teaching in some capacity or another). best job ever:

7-8 hours at work (school teaching)
4-5 hours actual work/day (school teaching)
5-6 hours at work (college teaching)
3-4 hours actual work/day (college teaching)

[and i am a college lecturer]

2 days off/week
60-90 days off in summer (PAID)
30-50 days more off during year (various holidays)

and the job itself is amazing. you are constantly moving around, hardly ever sitting, talking to people, interacting, entertaining, and being entertained, etc.

it keeps you fit and young, and most importantly, it keeps your mind fit, and keeps alzheimer's and parkinson's at bay.

WHAT YOU GOT???

9/4/2007 7:01:44 PM

I will start teaching college next semester to suplement my existing income; lets see if I like it as much as you do.

[Edited on September 4, 2007 at 7:25 PM. Reason : .,.]

9/4/2007 7:25:21 PM

college was no cakewalk for me. between the hours of 8-5, if i wasn't in class i was at work. and not a do your homework while at work sort of job either. so all my nights and weekends were spent studying and struggling through homework. i did this all the way up to the last semester of my senior year, including summers. i finally quit my job the last semester and was like "Ohhh, this must be why everyone says college is so much fun".

in my current job i travel a lot, meet a lot of people, and work a lot in the field as well as the office. its certainly not a 9-5 desk job by any means. for the most part i enjoy those parts of my work. even still, sometimes you get tired of traveling, especially when its friday and you are on the last flight and you find out its just been canceled and just want to get home. you get tired of putting on the fake smile and playing the business games. but its all part of the job and you have to take the good with the bad. that's why its called work and why you get paid show up every day. if it were all fun and games, they would have charge you admission to show up every day.

i must admit, being busy all the time has put quite a strain on the social situation. its more or less nonexistent now. and time does absolutely fly by. i have no idea what happened to the summer.

[Edited on September 4, 2007 at 9:03 PM. Reason : .]

9/4/2007 9:02:06 PM

Quote :

"college sucked. what's the point of being able to do whatever you want whenever you want to if you don't have any money to do things with?"

wow. i'm pretty sure you somehow cheated yourself out of your youth

9/5/2007 1:30:50 AM

Im actually enjoying my after college life just as much as my college life. I just get paid more now.

[Edited on September 5, 2007 at 8:05 AM. Reason : its nice]

9/5/2007 8:03:46 AM

I don't think i've ever agreed with anything ^ has ever said, but I'm in the same boat.

9/5/2007 8:05:55 AM

haha dood we are so much alike and you just dont know it.

9/5/2007 8:09:59 AM

the more money thing is rad

one reason why i still don't have kids yet

9/5/2007 9:05:34 AM

Quote :

"wow. i'm pretty sure you somehow cheated yourself out of your youth "

when you're worried about where your next rent check and grocery money is coming from, you focus on working at your job instead of where you're hanging out the next night. If you didn't, then you have some serious issues with responsibility and time management.

On a plus note, I graduated debt free and have plenty of time to socialize and do what I want now.

[Edited on September 5, 2007 at 9:50 AM. Reason : I enjoy what I do for a living, which helps tremendously.]

9/5/2007 9:49:45 AM

aren't you the same person who has talked about his use of meth?

if so, i dont want to hear a damn thing about your struggles to pay rent or buy food.

[Edited on September 5, 2007 at 9:56 AM. Reason : maybe i have you mistaken for someone else.]

[Edited on September 5, 2007 at 9:57 AM. Reason : d]

9/5/2007 9:52:41 AM

I'm gonna have to totally agree with the teaching thing mentioned a few posts up. I was only a measly lab instructor for three years in college but I loved it. Aside from all the stuff 0EPII1 said, it really is rewarding and when you are an effective teacher your students will like you. It's also awesome to meet lots of people. I taught for 6 semesters and still keep in touch with a few of my older students. When I was still in school I would see them around all over campus, a few of them even went on to teach themselves under my guidance.

9/5/2007 10:23:32 AM

i hear ya. i'm anxious to go back to school... but I'm stuck with the same problem I faced my freshman/sophomore year...I don't know, and wouldn't know what I want to do.
I've been 'chained to a desk' 40+ hrs/wk for almost 3 yrs and it's really not all it's cracked up to be. sure the money is nice, but i almost enjoyed the fun and irresponsibility of barely making ends meet more.
don't get me wrong i enjoy very much what I do, I just see myself going back to school when I move back to Raleighin a year or so. At least for a MBA, M.Sc., DVM, whoTF knows?
until then...

9/5/2007 10:26:54 AM

Heh, I have no problem with being "chained to a desk"

9/5/2007 10:29:24 AM