complete frutration :(

[cornbreadandmilk]

Excuse my rant

Looking for someone whose been here

Have you ever noticed, the harder you try at something,the more disappointing loosing becomes.

I use to be very care free about school. Now,I get so frustrated just seeing a "c", even if it's a subject I am terrible at.

my grades for this semester : A,B,B,B,C <----HEAD EXPLODES

I have become a very competitive person, maybe its not the best thing.

Just realized yesterday, that I have given up on my dreams in the search for money.

School has taken me forever and I see friends with new houses and cars and I let it consume me. (wives and families )

I am starting to realize: I cant just goof around if I want to be great at something

Looking for an internship now with IFDC, School recommend me.

What are your thoughts on college ? Life ? did you graduate? struggle? become jealous ? become completely obsessed ?

I graduate next spring. BA Communications,journalism

 

[Joba]

Hang in there. If I may: I was a C student in high school, avid reader, but disenchanted with the world and uninspired, like many teens. Worked in law enforcement for many years before realizing that I had more to offer (no offense, law enforcemnt you're awesome!). Went back to school in my 30s, completely obsessed with grades and making a bazillion dollars, because experience taught me that work sucked, right? Finally graduated (3.8!), went on to get my Master's (4.0!) and then the death of my grandmother (who should be a saint) finally taught me that what really matters in what you do with your life is how you impact others' lives. Houses, cars, even wives will come and go, but nothing can take away the positive impact you make on another life. The Karma you create will change the world. You have to do what drives you. That will likely change a few times during your lifetime. It's OK. You are reminding me of something my mom said when I was growing up: she said that she didn't care what we did in life, as long as we were good people. Hang in there. Finish school. Change careers a few times; it's fine. Money isn't everything. Do what drives you, and you will change the world. This may sound corny, but I don't care, this is what I believe.

JB

 

[dave partington]

Just realized yesterday, that I have given up on my dreams in the search for money.

School has taken me forever and I see friends with new houses and cars and I let it consume me. (wives and families )

What are your thoughts on college ? Life ? did you graduate? struggle? become jealous ? become completely obsessed ?

I graduate next spring. BA Communications,journalism

Nice outline for an article.
If vanity, new cars, McMansions, luxury and all the trappings of the 7 deadly sins is your goal, you can attain all of those things, but having met many persons who have attained most of these things, very few seem truly, honestly happy.

My truck is 16 years old, paint falling off, stuff growing on it. I do not want a new truck, or the latest gadget or newest vice. My insurance is super cheap because the truck is worth , like, a dollar as far as the insurance company is concerned. And paid for. However, perhaps it is important to you to be seen in a $555 per month payment on wheels, a $1200 monthly payment to take care of a home with loads more expenses, & so forth. If so, I wish you all the best with that.

Personally I am more free to pursue happiness without the trappings of the monthly payment plan to happiness.

No college degree, not interested. My sister has 5 degrees, 6 figure income, pays $65 per day to park in the city, outrageous mortgage, lots of high-stress work, & so forth. Sure, she has a larger income, but it all goes out the door, so it's relative. Has to wear the right stuff, have a house full of the right stuff. Because of expectations we've learned from having grown up on sit-coms featuring pretty over-privileged mostly white people with problems, who go shopping and have all the right stuff so they can feel good

My road is my own. I would hope your road is your own as well.

 

[5 Star Serpents]

Agreed, hang in there.
I always had great grades in high school...when I applied myself, but it was brutally boring and I quit trying, I wanted to be a vet my entire life but settled for going to an Ag college since I gave up in high school and didn't have the courses to go to vet school. At 17 I went to college for a 2 yr program, 6 weeks before I graduated from college I dropped out! It wasn't what I wanted to do, but at that point I realized that, in due time I would figure out what I wanted to do. Well I'm now 31, have 3 beautiful children, a husband, a home, a truck and some amazing friends, and NOW I'm ready to go back to school. I hope to be a realtor by the end of this year, my reason for it???? So I can help others achieve their goals, and owning your own home can be one of the greatest accomplishments in life.
As for my children, I say, as long as they are truly happy, as long as they remember that honesty, integrity and respect are SO SO important to maintain in life, then that is all I want for them. We all have different things that will make us happy, and as Joba said, that will change more than a few times in your life, go for it, you are the one who controls your success in life, you make your dreams and only you have the power to make them happen
Good luck in your journey!

 

[kathylove]

You asked for it! Sorry for the long "book" - but I have been around for a LONG time, lol!

The time and place you are at in your life is difficult, challenging - and exciting! It brings back a lot of memories that are both anxiety provoking, yet exhilarating, at the same time! You don't quite know which way to go, yet the whole world and your whole life lie ahead!

I hated high school. I did very well at subjects I liked, and barely made a "C" in those I found boring - or irrelevant. I just wanted to finish and get out! I would have loved to be a vet, but couldn't see myself going to more than maybe a year, possibly 2, of further schooling after high school. My lifelong dream since childhood was to have my own business, somehow related to animals. I wasn't even sure if it would be dog grooming and/or training, or a pet shop, or a reptile or horse related business. I even looked into becoming a farrier (horse shoe person). I worked for a while as a nurse's aide, (while running a small, part time pet shop), and then lucked into a partnership traveling the country with a mobile reptile exhibit. It was wonderful - and very educational, right at the time a few pioneers were beginning to breed a few reptiles (mid 1970s). When my partner (and future hubby) and I decided to settle down, I went to nursing school (LPN - only 1 year) and I did MUCH better than in high school, since I could see that it was important in order to get a decent job so we could start another reptile biz - this time in the new market of reptile breeding.

Once we had a decent income from nursing, we were able to pursue our mutual dream of reptile breeding, which turned into Glades Herp for a while, and then morphed into a multi channel herp biz of breeding, photography, dry goods sales, and other related things. Now it is changing more into mainly photography, but will still include other avenues to support us. It has had to change with the times because the economy and the reptile hobby / industry has changed so much in the past few decades.

We have never made a bunch of money from the various businesses we did. But it was always enough to support us in a modest but acceptable manner. When Bill went to his high school reunion in his early 50s, most of his old pals had been working in fairly high paying jobs their whole lives. They had much fancier houses and cars than we do. But hubby's photos of the places he had been and things we have done, both biz and personal related, were the hit of reunion.

Since you have already finished 3/4 of your degree, it would be great to finish it - unless you absolutely have another direction to go. We both went to college for a while, but neither of us finished. If I had a degree, it would have given me a few other options during some of the lean times we have had.

My main advice to those in their teens and 20s would be this: If you don't know exactly what you want to do, some extra education is a great way to spend some time exposing yourself to new ideas and experiences. Do keep in mind that you need to make a living in something constructive in order to do what you want. BUT - if breeding reptiles can sometimes make a living, then almost ANYTHING can make a living if you are creative enough to make it so. Don't chase the big houses and cars if your true love lies elsewhere. My favorite advice is this line from the movie Flashdance:

"Take your passion and make it happen".

Get a good foundation of education and experience. Don't be afraid to change your mind. A college degree can still be a good springboard into another career or business, even in an unrelated area. It isn't always necessary, but is usually helpful. Use your 20s to explore yourself and the world. By your 30s, you will hopefully be ready to follow a path, at least for a while. But as long as you continue to work or gain education in constructive occupations that you are excited about, then you are most likely on that path that is right for you. If your life journey allows you to constructively (as opposed to a destructive vocation such as crime or anything that hurts people rather than helps them) provide an acceptable lifestyle for yourself and your family, then don't allow anyone to push you towards a career you hate in order to get a fancier house and lifestyle than you feel you need.

I hope that your own life journey is exciting, challenging, fun, and very long! Good luck in whatever you choose!

 

[Kokopelli]

Such a fascinating subject to me... I have gone back and forth over the last 10+ years, trying to really understand what it is I want to do.

I hope you don't babble cause it might get long... but I am trying to make a point

So... in Israel things are a bit different- you finish highschool, and while your performance and choice of "majors" have some extent of effect, these are incredibly irrelevant when compared to our Psychometric exam... which is the exam you have to take when you choose a college/profession etc- it is supposed to predict the likelihood of you succeeding but doesn't really do it well. At any rate, you can technically do very poorly in highschool, but ace this exam... and all the doors will be open to you.

ANYWAYS, school was always important to me... I know friends who did invest allot of effort during that time, and friends who did not... and honestly? I don't think the implications were that significant either way... nothing was beyond fixing. I don't really believe that high school has that much of a bearing on your future financial success... I think it has allot more to do with personal skills, dedication as an adult, choice of profession... and yeah... luck.

Now... I tend to believe that when you choose a profession that really interests you, and really fits you- a profession that you can shine in because you have a natural affinity and aptitude with, your likelihood of succeeding is very high. The challenge is to actually find the right choice, I think.

Ever since I was a kid, I -knew- I was going to be a vet(well, when I was really young I wanted to be a dinosaur scientist hehehe, but you know...).

So, we start later here... there's a 3 years mandatory military service term for men... so I "started out" when I was 21.
Prior to committing myself to a 7 years worth of school, I wanted to see how if it was for me... so I took a vet technician course(1 year). I did fairly well... prior to graduating I got accepted to work for a respected clinic.

During school I participated in surgery, treatments... I really did well, I was sure I found my calling. And... sure enough, one week after working in a clinic , I quit (did you see that coming?).
The moral dilemmas I faced, and being in the proximity of allot of sick, suffering animals... that was too much for me( I also did not get along with some of the staff, admittedly, but I could simply look for another clinic).

So... there I was, at 22, having finished vet tech training but without interest to pursue the profession. During this time I also worked as a customer service representative to pay for bills and rent.

So... I decided to pursue a BA in business management. This is a general degree here which opens allot of doors without closing too many others... I knew at that point that I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, so I needed something practical, which will also give me the time I need to consider my options.

I don't know if my choice of degree tipped the scales or not, but I got a far better job on my second year in college, which improved things quite a bit...

Over the next few years of working+studying I really searched and searched... I tried learning alternative medicine... once I finished my degree I even enrolled to Chinese Medicine training(4 years) and thankfully, the college closed a month after I started... for years I was sure alternative medicine was for me, but as I got a bit older, and a bit more of a critical thinker... I simply couldn't see myself go through so much training, and take money from people, for something which has yet to be proved to be anything beyond Placebo...

After spending 6 more months of serious soul searching, I enrolled to AAT(animal assisted therapy)- it requires a first degree, which I already have, and it simply fit every single criteria... it took me close to 10 years to reach this point.

So... what I am saying is... it is OK to be undecided. It is OK to enjoy youth... more than OK... these years are not coming back.
If you have a flare for business and making money, and you commit yourself to it, you will succeed financially regardless of how you do in high school.... it is not really "too late", ever... especially not at such a young age.

Sure, "starting strong" in high-school might provide an edge... but with enough dedication, you can do just as well without acing high-school.

You will get older, you will change... because these are years filled with them... your standards and definition for success will be different... money won't necessarily remain your number one goal... I find that as people get older, they aspire to fully express their abilities... to make full use of this short life-time of ours and do everything we can do... so that when the time comes, we can look back and be without regret.

So... chill out, take a breath and enjoy life as it comes. Perspective will change with time, and so will your priorities... they will shift, and shift again, and again...

Do not berate yourself if things aren't going according to plan... you are completely free and capable of changing your circumstances, now and later... there is no need to fear that every single misstep will ruin your entire future... because it doesn't really work like that.

Best of luck, I hope I didn't SERIOUSLY bore you.

 

[Kokopelli]

I hope you don't MIND babble cause it might get long

Naturally...

 

[kathylove]

"...So... I decided to pursue a BA in business management. This is a general degree here which opens allot of doors without closing too many others... I knew at that point that I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, so I needed something practical, which will also give me the time I need to consider my options..."

EXACTLY! When you just aren't sure, a degree or diploma that is fairly general and useful in a variety of occupations is great! I think a degree in communications could also fit that general bill. It seems that most careers require good communications and decent verbal and writing skills - which seem in short supply these days! It is amazing how often I get emails from people, even from college students, which are difficult to decipher. I sure wouldn't hire these people for any job that required them to write ANYTHING, lol! So a communication degree could be useful in a number of unrelated vocations, I think.

 

[cornbreadandmilk]

WOW, Thanks for the response guys! I kinda felt bad about posting this at first.

I just got off work, I want to gather my thoughts on the subject a bit and make a reply. (later) thanks so much everyone!

 

[kathylove]

No reason to feel badly about it! I think if more college age people were more introspective about their lives, they might end up happier, sooner, lol!

 

[ZoologyGirl]

I get very obsessed about grades. Last semester I freaked out about getting an A- in a class...ruined my 4.0. But in the end, it's the information and joy of learning that I am after more than the grades, so I keep that in mind.

I've been in college for a few years now (2002-2007, and 2011-present). (Multiple majors, minors, multiple degrees, etc...). Sure I've seen people I went to high school with that are extremely well off today (I'm talking cha-ching$), and many other people that are working their jobs, home owners, family, etc... Then again, there are just as many people I went to high school with that did NOTHING after graduation and to this day are still doing nothing, except maybe having babies, that they can't afford.

I don't care what other people are doing, and I'm not going to compare myself to others as long as I am happy where I am at and still moving forward. Within the next 2 years I expect to be living comfortably and moving on to the next adventure in life. But then again, I love school, I'd be a student forever if I could afford it

 

[cornbreadandmilk]

Overall, I think I have realized that there is no reset button on life. I cant just reset if I get bored or want to try something different. There are consequence to our goals.
I am feeling much better about this today and excited to start pushing harder.

I have several projects I want to do. These goals and projects mean more to me than money.

dave your right I am obsessed with the wrong things.

Remember my theories on viral encoding dave. I think I may try to right a paper on it. Its always been a goal. At least write something on it.

I am going to switch my goals to : research papers, You tube series, FINALLY WRITING A BOOK!

 

[Myca]

Don't quit. You are almost there. Keep your eyes on the prize. I can tell you the from experience, the Mcmansion is not all that. You are probably suffering from stress and burn out.

 

[Kokopelli]

Overall, I think I have realized that there is no reset button on life. I cant just reset if I get bored or want to try something different.

While there are implications to things you do, none of them are terminal. People make drastic changes to their lives all the time- all it takes is a decision and the dedication to go through with it.
Change is probably the only permanent thing in life, and the quicker you realize that, the more free you will feel to embrace your current choices without being paralyzed with fear- if something does not work out, it is entirely within your scope of abilities to make a change.

 

[ZoologyGirl]

Overall, I think I have realized that there is no reset button on life. I cant just reset if I get bored or want to try something different. There are consequence to our goals.
I am feeling much better about this today and excited to start pushing harder.

There may not be a reset button, but there is nothing preventing you from pursuing new goals, (Believe me I understand money is always an issue, but even that shouldn't prevent you from achieving something you enjoy). In my case I actually graduating from university in 2007, graduating with majors that were more "expected" of me than anything, because I didn't really know what I wanted to do "when I grew up". I enjoyed it, loved my majors (zoology and conservation), but never figured out what to do with it. I developed a new goal, new dreams, and in 2011 went back to college (now in my late 20's) to pursue a new goal, and it's going quite wonderfully and probably the best thing I've ever done with my life. Yes, I've had to take out extensive loans this time around (I'm going to have roughly 7 times more loan debt this time around than my first time around), but in the end I am happy and have made lasting relationships and connections with friends and professors who want nothing but to help me achieve success. Never stop pursuing your dreams if they are something that you really want, and as long as that dream makes you happy.

 

[BlackBear123]

Looking for an internship now with IFDC, School recommend me.

In all the interviews I've had, not one potential employer has asked about my college grades. All of them have asked about my previous related experience.

Having that experience on your resume via an internship and a good reference from a reputable person or company is just as valuable, if not more so, than an A in stats, business 101, or any other class. It also gives you time to see if the jobs that relate to your major are really something you want to do for the rest of your life, or even if there are any jobs out there for that major. You also have the potential to make connections and build relationships with influential people who are already in the field though an internship. This can unlock a vast number of doors for you.

I really believe most colleges should require at least one undergrad internship. In your case, I'd apply to multiple internships. If the one you're hoping for doesn't accept you for some reason, you'll have backups. And if it does, you'll have gained interview experience from the other places. Nothing really to loose there.

I was lucky in knowing what I wanted to do right out of the starting gate. I did multiple internships and volunteered throughout college. A few of the interns I worked with started their internship and decided it wasn't the route they wanted to take in life, which is totally okay. But much better to find out before your graduate than after, especially when college doesn't exactly come cheap. Others of us realized that we wouldn't want to be doing anything else. It took a bit of time, but I was lucky enough to land my dream job at one of the places I interned. Will I be here for the rest of my life? Who knows. It's important to keep your mind open.

Just thought I'd share some of my experience for whatever it's worth.