Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm not really sure why I'm posting this here, but I'm hoping everyone remains kind and gives me some impartial advice, as almost everyone I've talked to about this is biased in some way.
So, I went to community college for two years to get my gen ed credits out of the way. I decided in my first semester that I wanted to pursue a career in the film industry, but something geared more towards corporate video/editing. After two years, I transferred to a private liberal arts school for their film program, where I realized I had made a big mistake and this was NOT what I wanted to do anymore. So, I moved back home and finished my Associate's Degree in General Studies. As of that time, I am completely debt-free.
This past fall, I transferred to a private school to study marketing/communication (it's a hybrid program between their business and communication schools). I did this because I have been taught since I was in middle school (maybe earlier) that getting a Bachelor's Degree is a MUST, especially for someone with the writing skills I have. I'm a good writer and have always excelled in liberal arts classes, but here's the thing: I hate school. I really, truly loathe college. I made it through my AA program just fine because it was easy and I was able to take a lot of electives of my choosing.
So, I did fine last semester, but I hated it. I realized early on that I'm not like the other students (or most of them, anyway); I'm not ambitious about my marketing career, I don't care about making six figures, I don't give a crap about networking events or career symposiums or "dress for success" events or completing two or three unpaid internships (misleading term, as you usually have to PAY THE SCHOOL FOR CREDIT) just so I can maybe have a chance at an underpaid introductory white-collar job that I really don't want. Truth be told, this is my dream: to have a job where I can simply work to live, make an okay lower-middle-class to middle-class salary, own a small house, and maybe have a family years from now if I choose to do so. I much prefer wandering around cities and hanging out with my friends and making music to buying material possessions. I don't WANT to be a part of the rat race.
So, here are my choices: enter the job market right now with about $5,000 of debt, with an AA in General Studies and over a year of retail experience, plus three years experience doing some freelance/contract work with a local business. I have good references and I like my retail job, although I'm unsure if it's something I want to do as a career (but it IS an option). Or, I can finish my B.A. degree, end up with about $20,000 of debt, and hopefully get a job in marketing/communication that I like okay (I realize I probably won't love or even greatly enjoy my job).
So, basically: my problem is that I have no real career ambitions/passions that I can feasibly turn into a career; I don't like school, and while the subject I'm studying is the one that I can tolerate best that will most likely turn into a career I don't hate, it's not something I particularly enjoy, and especially not at a $20,000 price tag.
No, there's no reason I have to finish right now. I could theoretically come back at it several years down the road.
Mandalorian, I'm not very motivated because it's hard to have motivation when you have no interest in what you're doing and don't know what it is you want to do. I work hard at my job, because I enjoy it and believe in a job well done, but you're right, I'm not motivated when it comes to college.
I agree with a previous poster: drop out and get a job. You have an AA under your belt, so if at some point you find a career ambition, you can always go back if you need to. I don't know if it's the same everywhere, but credits at my school "expire" after 10 years, so that is something to take into consideration.
Steven P., school is not for everyone. Your first priority is to pay off your debt. Then, go ahead and pursue your dreams. It is "okay" to just be a bum. Just don't become a drag on society and the economy. Good luck.
p.s. On the military thing. That's good, but I also witnessed something that was pretty unsettling to me personally. I had a four-year enlistment, (Vietnam conflict), and I saw a lot of two-year active duty enlistees come and go. A whole lot of them joined the military to "discover" what they want to do, or should do in their lives. The sad part is that they came in not knowing . . . and left the same way. They were no closer to knowing their calling in life as when they first joined. They were lost souls. I have a hard time relating to that because I've always know what I wanted to do, or at least since the summer between my seventh and eighth grade schooling as an early teenager. Now as I contemplate retirement in two more years, I'm satisfied how my life turned out. Don't join the military thinking you will find out what you are supposed to do in this life.
I don't know if it's the same everywhere, but credits at my school "expire" after 10 years, so that is something to take into consideration.
Depends somewhat on your field. If you're looking at going back to something math/science related, the pre-req science classes often expire after 5-10 years for 2 reasons: 1) in theory content may change, and 2) most people have forgotten how to do it, since it was often just rote learning. I'm not familiar with Shakespeare or creative writing courses expiring.
In any case, for the OP, I'd say to at least "stop out" as the new lingo goes. If you're not passionate about your current field, it's unlikely having a degree in it will help you find employment. With your current debt, even on the standard plan the payment should be around $50/month, which is pretty negligible.
The job market isn't booming, but it's not bad. At least a decent time to stop and reassess, rather than just accruing debt and a degree just for the sake of doing so. But don't just put your head down and work - look around, read up on career exploration, and think about what might actually interest you to pursue.
Steven P., school is not for everyone. Your first priority is to pay off your debt. Then, go ahead and pursue your dreams. It is "okay" to just be a bum. Just don't become a drag on society and the economy. Good luck.
p.s. On the military thing. That's good, but I also witnessed something that was pretty unsettling to me personally. I had a four-year enlistment, (Vietnam conflict), and I saw a lot of two-year active duty enlistees come and go. A whole lot of them joined the military to "discover" what they want to do, or should do in their lives. The sad part is that they came in not knowing . . . and left the same way. They were no closer to knowing their calling in life as when they first joined. They were lost souls. I have a hard time relating to that because I've always know what I wanted to do, or at least since the summer between my seventh and eighth grade schooling as an early teenager. Now as I contemplate retirement in two more years, I'm satisfied how my life turned out. Don't join the military thinking you will find out what you are supposed to do in this life.
I get it, but the military gives you a preference for a lot of civilian government positions and they will train total neophytes in a lot of technical jobs. That preference and training is probably the easiest path to a middle class job for a person that isn't particularly smart, hard working, ambitious or well connected.
This past fall, I transferred to a private school to study marketing/communication (it's a hybrid program between their business and communication schools). I did this because I have been taught since I was in middle school (maybe earlier) that getting a Bachelor's Degree is a MUST, especially for someone with the writing skills I have. I'm a good writer and have always excelled in liberal arts classes, but here's the thing: I hate school. I really, truly loathe college. I made it through my AA program just fine because it was easy and I was able to take a lot of electives of my choosing.
So, I did fine last semester, but I hated it. I realized early on that I'm not like the other students (or most of them, anyway); I'm not ambitious about my marketing career, I don't care about making six figures, I don't give a crap about networking events or career symposiums or "dress for success" events or completing two or three unpaid internships (misleading term, as you usually have to PAY THE SCHOOL FOR CREDIT) just so I can maybe have a chance at an underpaid introductory white-collar job that I really don't want. Truth be told, this is my dream: to have a job where I can simply work to live, make an okay lower-middle-class to middle-class salary, own a small house, and maybe have a family years from now if I choose to do so. I much prefer wandering around cities and hanging out with my friends and making music to buying material possessions. I don't WANT to be a part of the rat race.
Several thoughts come to mind.
1. That marketing/Communications program sounds very practical, and it sounds like it could get you the kind of life you want; working part-time for good enough pay to support a modest lifestyle. I'd stick with it if I were you, not sure why you hated it. It's preparing you for a career that allows a fair amount of creativity and a good income once you get past entry-level. But maybe you're just not ready for a career yet.
2. With the real estate prices the way they've been for the last 30 years, and wages more or less stagnant, you won't be able to get a small house unless you do join the "rat race", and work full time. So your goals are in conflict with each other. You'll have to choose which is more important; working to live, or having a house. A career is what you'll need if you want a house and/or a family. Even if it's a well-paying part-time career.
3. If you want to wander around, hang out with your friends, and make music, go for it, but....how will you pay rent and buy groceries? How will the home=ownership and family thing fit in? If you need time off from school to just hang out, do that. Then in a year or two, reassess. See if your thinking has evolved, and in what direction.
And btw, in this economy, it's an employer's market. That means that anyone who wants any kind of job, pretty much, needs to have a BA, because that's what employers can demand when there are too few jobs. So even to get a barrista job, you need a BA or personal connections. So at some point, unless you get lucky, you'll need to finish a college degree. However, once you have that, you don't have to stick to your career track. You can find other stuff that's more interesting. I know a guy who somehow got work making soundtracks to TV science and woo-woo occult shows as a 16-year-old college freshman (back before the economy got shaky). The work paid REALLY WELL, and was fun. He's gone on over the years to become a music producer. You could find niches like that. Once you get a BA, you can get jiggy with it. In fact, if you work your music connections over time, you might be able to land a job as a soundman, and work your way up to be a producer, or whatever turns you on in that realm.
That's how a lot of the house re-habbers and landlords I know got started: they just didn't like college but they liked earning money and were good enough with their hands to fix, flip, and rent houses.
It's not for everyone and pretty easy to lose your shirt if you don't have a good mentor and some common sense, but that might be something to look into. You would maybe become someone's assistant. I started cleaning houses and then started working for landlords clearing out student rentals at the end of the term. From there, I made friends and learned a little about the business. Back in those days, there weren't so dang many regulations, but real opportunities still exist. You just have to be ready to "get rich slowly" and loose money until you know what you're doing.
But, yeah, drop out rather than go 20K into debt for a major for which you have no passion.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
