Please tell me horror stories of people who either dropped out of college, or did alright in college but then didnt get a job, into graduate school, medical school, etc.

Its 60, sunny, and beautiful down here. I was supposed to start studying at 1, until I go to bed. Its now 120. I dont wanna do it. Scare me.

I'd be making less than half what I make now if it weren't for college. Yeah, it made a huge difference.

your earning potential goes up dramatically with that sheep skin

Start learning, "Do you want fries with that?"

Or start your own business now. Your choice.

Good start. But maybe more along the lines of, "there once was this girl named andyant, and she didnt study for her cell bio test, and then she got a C in the class, didnt get into graduate school, became a meth addict, and now she is in prison"

stuff like that.

"Once upon a time there was a girl named andy_ant who thought she had the perfect system when it came to scheduling her life. Then she got a puppy. Then she stopped studying. Then she flunked out of school. Then she started turning tricks for hits of meth. Then she got sent to jail, where she got shivved and died. Then the puppy got adopted by a nice suburban couple with no kids who renamed the dog Bailey. The end."

Sin makes a good point. In the end, everything worked out fine for Bailey so, yeah, go play.

i would go back to the easy days of college in a heartbeat. if you can't take it...sin needs to post the gun.

dude, what college did you go to ...

Go take Whiskers for a long walk.

college is 100x easier than real life
it didn't seem like it at the time, but damn you can't compare the two

if you gots 5 seconds to spare

...16, clumsy & shy?

fully agree. i'll take studying for an exam over long work weeks....and having the flexibility of worrying about whether or not to study for your exam which probably starts at 9am and lasts until 12pm was invaluable. college was not a big deal. pull an all nighter...then come home and take a nap. then go out and get hammered that night. rinse and repeat.

neither is grad school thus far. in general people are just much more intelligent and competitive....and the discussions are much more interesting.

in other news...if you f this exam up you'll think back to this day for the rest of your life...and how much better your life could have been. you'll still get into grad school...it'll just be a second tiered school in some sh!tty town. but hey....wondering what could have been is cool and you'll have that dog.

HAVE FUN TODAY!!!

thats all I needed to hear. Its gamma tubulin time.

I am finishing up college. All I need is my internship. One thing that scares me is the economy. I have a friend who graduated last year. She got a degree in business. She can't find a job. I have slightly older relatives who have degrees yet make less than high school graduates. I hope it turns out differently for them. Maybe it has to do with the degree?

Yeah, you get so many more priviliges, and you have to work really hard to fuck up.
'
As far as a degree, get one, even if you don't achieve more than an associate's degree. Most employers (that is, those looking for people of higher standards than fastfood cook and retail clerk) won't even bother looking at non-collegians.

sometimes i kinda wish i had a 4 year degree, but i make pretty good $$ despite that fact. coupled with the fact that i've now got almost 9 years experience in the computer field, and my friends who have graduated in the last 2-3 have had problems finding jobs because no one is willing to give them a shot w/o experience.

if i ever go back i doubt it'll be for computers though, would seem sorta pointless/boring.

I"ll take real life over college any day. I still have those stupid finals anxiety dreams (you know, like 1 credit short of graduation, and you oversleep your last final, stuff like that). However, I wake up comfortably in my own bed, not ever having to worry about going through that shit again. At least now I actually have money, my own car, a place I like to live, and probably more free time than when I went to school.

edit: Not that I didn't enjoy college--I certainly did. After all, when else will you have access to that many 18-22 year old girls? However, I certainly had much more fun and adventure since graduating than in school. The stakes are a bit higher (with your own bills to pay and all that), but I find life much less stressful than during my undergraduate years.

all it really is is ambition. if you don't have a ba and work as hard as you can to network and get that job you want/ deserve, you will. on the opposite end, there are a great amount of people who DO have that degree and end up unemployed. i have friends who graduated and got AMAZING jobs right out of college (wall street journal, fancy ad agencies) but i also have friends who have graduated and work retail and walk dogs for a living. it's all motivation.

personally, i think college is bullshit and always have, especailly when i look at my debt but now that i'm out i long and dream for the days of sleeping until 2pm and doing nothing all day, emailing a professor and getting extensions on work. that was the life. it seemed hard as hell back then, but boy i miss it. if you think that college is undeniably the hardest thing you've done, you will get eaten alive when you graduate. have fun!

amen, gena. I have a B.A. and work retail, partly my blame I know. But the better you are at networking and just going at it(filling out resumes and apps daily) the better off you are in the real world. The less shame you have, the easier it will be for you to find good work. But Undergraduate College was a real cake walk. Getting a master's degree is a different story I am told. Something happens: when you become a grad student, you live and breath your classwork. That's an insular world I'm not looking forward to. But shit, it's miles above working a register, arguing with the riff raff! I guess the message I'm trying to convey is if you are going to school, keep in mind why you are there.

Except not everyone has this experience. Perhaps it matters where you go, and it depends on your personality, but college was certainly harder and less rewarding for me than "real life."

Time to kill Yancy for bringing Spandau Ballet into this.

i went to art school and died

Id be pissed off too if I was spending all this money and didnt even get an education because I was doing nothing all day!



I suppose its more, motivation to get a phd and get grant money, rather than graduate and make tons of money. Which you might have been able to figure out based on the whole "not getting into grad school" part of that post.


If only my coursework allowed me to do that. Would that make me a better dog owner? If so, I am now a leisure studies major.


Everyone's response in this thread is depressing. And not even in the way I wanted it to be. Everything past the Zolacolby post on the first page sucks.

boohoo.
this all shouldn't be a big shocker to you. were you expecting to graduate and all your questions about life would be answered and your problems solved? it's best that we're at least being sort of honest with you.

for some reason i was ahead in all my classes for my major, so it was me and another kid in a class with ten other seniors. right before midterms we got a speech from the dean of our department about what life was going to be like after graduation. basically "you're going to hate it, you're going to be poor, you're not going to have health insurance" and we kind of were like WHATEVER DEAN, WE ARE INVINSIBLE AND WILL BE PRESIDENT OF THIS COMPANY WHEN WE GRADUATE. now that i look back on it, i'm really kind of proud of my school for being so drearily realistic/ pessimistic about our futures because it snapped some sense into us. anyway. college...

actually, when i said "horror stories" i was expecting poeple to be creative and entertaining. I know how much the real world sucks. hence my need to remain in academia.



ps. BEANSIMPSON--this whole thread was created because of the most awful class ive ever taken. its the most uninteresting material ever presented to me, its presented in the most confusing of manner, and i dont connect with the professors. YOU TOLD ME THiS CLASS WOULD BE GOOD!!!!

Ill never trust you again.....

i think it depends on what your version of the real world is.













(re: don't crush my idealism.)

school blows. i'm not into the college scene, i never will be, and i feel like i do things my classmates don't do. i got to a private university so it's easier to just come in, get my shit done, and leave with as little social/club interaction as possible. there are people that have this attitude and people that don't. it's not a bad attitude, i just prefer learning through real life experience, exploring, and reading on my own. what i need to learn i can get from a book, asking around on my own, or getting involved in that particular scene (which i'm really good at... investigating).

i absolutely hate doing 'busywork,' homework i don't see the point of doing, and taking classes i don't necessarily think i need to sit through.

so much in fact, that i will say 'pass' when new classes start and everyone has to introduce themselves. i'm not there to kiss teacher ass, or make friends. i'm there to get stimulated, hear about others who took risks and did something different (and this is not often). people that aren't stressing over tests, getting the 9-5 job, or seeing life in time constraints. everyone needs to fuckin relax. i hate the college environment because of this (was a pretty dedicated student all throughout my youth, this isn't coming from the 'bad student.' grew increasingly disenchanted towards the end of high school when people's lives were consumed by future planning).

but i go thru it. oh god, i get a devilish smile and feel better knowing i weasled thru the loops and got away with only paying a third of this semester. paying for my education makes me cringe. sometimes i think i could easily be fairing better by stripping by night, reading by day, and dropping out of school altogether. i'd have my money, my fun, and the time to read and do what i want.

andy ant, my only advice is 'chill out'.

All of your good advice was undone by your confession that you're either insufferably pretentious, a sociopath, or both. You don't really do this, do you?

it depends on how much the teacher is asking us to tell. i will give basics of course, but usually say i don't want to get into private details. some of them are really nosy and i can't explain myself in simple sentences. if i was to, it would leave too much for people to assume and i don't know anyone well enough to begin to explain more. and i don't want assumptions made. simple as that. i'm not paying to be there to make friends. i am not obligated to give private details about myself to anyone. one of my teachers finds this frustrating because he says he knows i lie in all my personal essays but that he can't do anything about it because they are well-written and he can't judge the truth.

i'm not trying to sound like a snob, i'm just not as moral and concerned with things my classmates are. i'm not going to waste my time trying to let them get to know me when it's not worth it. don't get me wrong, i have my few close friends in school but i met them out of class.

i'm not the bitter bitch that sits in the corner. i just smile, and listen. occasionally talk if i have something to say. daydream... that's about it. believe me, it's the only thing i can do to keep my sanity. the whole place makes me feel bummed out. i'm just not the type that's going to get caught up in stressing out over school and tests like andy and almost everyone. i won't let myself, i don't think it's worth it in life.

it must sound like i have issues. i did. but now i just accept them. i want the degree. i don't want the interaction. this is my happy medium.

Ah, school days. Once Operation End Hassle is complete and my thesis is approved, all of this will be behind me. (Stock Answer: "Hey, my name is Ben. I'm from rural Eastern Iowa. I enjoy large meals, pop music, and a little rum in my tea.") Instead, I can look forward to the much more bitter office politics of desk assignments, passive-aggressive flowchart abuse, and did-he-just-walk-in-at-a-quarter-past-10-again. Luckily, my line of work requires that someone be denounced every six months or so. That should keep things interesting.

Most jobs that require a college diploma can actually be performed by trained monkeys.

It's amazing how many people with little to no education used to be able to become wealthy in business, and now you need to go to graduate school to type numbers into a database.

Are there lobbyists for colleges? Because I gotta figure that's how college became such a mandatory thing and how now it's looking like graduate school is next to become mandatory to make it in life. People'll be in school for fucking ever at this rate and this country will still be less intelligent than most of the rest of the world.

word up, hickman. nice points.

i went to a selective high school and was near top in most classes and i dropped out after yr 10. i'm not stupid.
but i dont wanna go to university just so i can buy nice couches before im 30. i wanna go when i'm settled and focused enough to absorb the knowledgez properly.

im going to do some degree in anthropological type shite one day.

However, a degree is still required. Doesn't make any difference how "easy" the job is-- what matters is whether or not employers prefer a degree. Most do.



That's a canard. The definition of unskilled labor is just that-- unskilled. You'd be surprised how many CEO's actually have degrees. Even guys who are geniuses like Steve Wozniak went back to college to get their diplomas.



NOW YER TALKIN'! Back in the 1980's, everyone was becoming a lawyer. These same guys have moved on to lobbying... the perks are better, the money is certainly better... so now, all you need to do is design a course and charge out the gazoo. Lobbyist Polytechnic...

I understand that a degree is required. I even said it in the post you quoted.

I haven't bothered to read the thread, but not graduating is at the top of the 'stupidest things you could do' list, in my book.

UPS lets people start careers in management without a degree. they are the exception though.

[quote]college was not a big deal. pull an all nighter...then come home and take a nap. then go out and get hammered that night. rinse and repeat.[/quote]
If only my coursework allowed me to do that. Would that make me a better dog owner? If so, I am now a leisure studies major.


Everyone's response in this thread is depressing. And not even in the way I wanted it to be. Everything past the Zolacolby post on the first page sucks.
[/quote]
i don't know....i guess i managed my time well and did whatever it took. i took college for what it was worth...building a necessary skill set to get a job, and to interact with as many people as possible and have great experiences via that. oh yeah....class was tough...and oh year, studying for a certain certification exam was tough as well....but i "threw away" the better part of a summer hammering that out. very happy i did. it is up to your motivations. all i am saying is enjoy this part of your life...the learing stage...as it'll get much more difficult when you are going for that grant....of trying to get that research position at a major university. I just took tests for what they were....a challenge from your professor to you. enjoy your studies.

and yeah...that would make you a better dog owner....and we would get more of those f'd up i am DRUNKZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ posts from you.

somegirl....you are entertaining. haha. pass. haha. by saying pass i think your fellow students are assuming plenty. oh man. private university....in chicago...hmmmm......yeah..not too different from public university.

You have a very good point. A college diploma these days is like a high school diploma a generation or two ago. It's pretty much expected of you if you're in the white-collar workforce. It's getting to the point where you really need graduate degrees in order to stand out from the competition. However, I do still feel that there's plenty of room for people who do not have college degrees as long as they have the experience required for the job.

I still think college is a great experience, and for me the value was really in the people I met and the connections I made, as well as using extra-currics to build real-world experience for me. I would not be where I am today without college, even though I have never been asked for my degree since graduating 8 years ago.

same here! except i actually DID miss a final senior year (didn't go to class much and had the date wrong). fortunately there was a makeup exam that you didn't need an excuse to take. otherwise i don't wanna think about what would've happened

college sucked for me. real life's no picnic, but without a degree i'd be a total mess

it's more come and go.

i'd rather it that way.

x,
some girl the star student

Don't go to college or get a degree.

We're gonna need people to work at McDonalds and as cleaning ladies once we get all these pesky immigrants out of here.

I often wonder if it's all just been a lie. Go to college, study something you're passionate about, work hard and your dreams will come true.

Was that what life was like for our grandparents? No, they had to hustle and bust their asses to keep the lights on and put food on the table. The simple idea that you can do whatever you want is a relatively new one, and while it's been a workable model for a few decades now, I don't know if it's going to work out for our culture in the long-term, economically-speaking... especially when you factor in outsourcing and the ironic way that new technology is working to reduce the number of jobs available to us.

Were we sold a lie? Are colleges just nothing more than corporations trying to lure students like companies try to lure investors? For most of us, the turnaround on our investment to break even is going to be years, or decades, maybe. And then what? Go back for more because suddenly the BA you were so proud of when you were 22 is now nothing more than a mandatory space-filler on a resume? Go back and become a lifetime customer in pursuit of a dream that's forever going to be one step beyond your reach?

It's a cold world out there. Sometimes I think I'm getting a little frosty myself...

if you don't study something specifically job-relatable (accounting,engineering, comp sci, etc), then your ba is near-worthless and you'll be making shit out of school. you'll have to work your way up the chain, which completely sucks and really minimizes the value of that degree.

it pisses me off when so many counselors/teachers encourage kids to study what they love, encouraging them to remain idiotically idealistic despite the fact that doing what you love does not equal happiness if you struggle to make a decent living. i've sort of realized that for 95% people out there, work is work and as a result will always suck in some fashion. probably should have viewed college as an apprenticeship for a specific trade. ok, end rant.

we should be friends.


seriously.

Unless you plan on starting your own business, don't kid yourself. You need a degree just to get an entry level career at 99.99999% all businesses. That doesn't mean the degree and/or your education is going to give you topical info and experience for the job, but if you want to get your foot in the door you need the slip.

However, if you're just coming out of school with a bachelor's in something like English, Poli Sci (which was my major), Art History, or Rhetoric (which, until last week, I didn't know existed until I heard someone is pursuing a Masters in it. WTF?) your degree sucks. Sorry.

Unless you plan to teach in that field, of course.

I went on to law school as it was just an expectation/assumption of me and my parents that I wouldn't get by with just a bachelor's. Glad I did. My younger sister stopped with just a bachelor's, but it was in Chemical Engineering, which is THE straight-cash-homey of all 4 year degrees.

Those kids seriously bust their ass, learn a useful skill, and can apply it in the marketplace. That's the difference. Most 4 year degrees are just wankery that teach you how to be a student . . . not prepare you for post-graduate careers. Still gotta get them, though.

i gotta politely disagree here ... i know several people who are very happy w/what they do for a living, are very passionate about their work, find personal meaning in it, and more than make ends meet (i guess maybe this is that 5% you were talking about). granted, i know TONS of 30-somethings completely disenchanted w/their jobs/lives and despise their means of employment (perhaps the other 95%). I think the former is possible; it depends a lot on your objectives (ie i know some ppl who just don't care, want to make enough $ to live happily and then invest all their emotional energy into other things, such as family. which is also a-okay.)

don't mean to sound critical, just trying to throw out a different perspective ... i hope you don't hate your job that much, SP


boo. me = poli sci + psych (& french speaking). 2 AMAZINGLY practical degrees

i think you're right, but i'm hoping that my other experiences (internships, international study, employment, volunteering) will make me more useful to an employer. (right ... RIGHT? )

Do those things look nice on a resume? Absolutely. Sure thing. They show that you are an active, engaged, and informed student/new graduate. Along with about 1,000,000 other college kids who graduate every year. That part is what sucks.

I don't know what type of field you want to get a job in. Poli Sci for Lobbying? Work in a legislators office or on staff? Use the psych degree for social work of some kind? If so, your degree will be of benefit compared to a history or english major. But outside of that niche, you're basically like everyone else.

I'm 29. I've worked at several different companies, and I am now the owner of my own business. I've learned over the years that all of that other stuff you have is all nice and good, but at the end of the day the million dollar questions for an employer are: 1) What do you already know and how can it benefit me? 2) What (and unfortunately even more more important "who") do you know that sets you apart from the other hundreds of resumes clogging my desk and keeping me from getting my own work done?

No lie kids. I'm not that far removed from what new grads are going through. I got done with law school in 2001, and have had lots of ups and downs over the last 5 years. Those first years out of school suck almost universally. That's just the way it is nowadays.