The Future

[For'Ninniach]

THIS, is a thread for discussion, and no spam. Kthanks.
I'm really conflicted as to what is gonna happen in my future.
And I wanna know what you guys wanna do in, oh. 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, etc. Just, what do you wanna do? What're your plans?

I REALLY wanna succeed. And I'm good at makeup, I'm good at hair, I'm good at tactile things, and I'm good at stage carp.
BUT, my school work, is next to carp.
Like.
I'm getting a C+ in Math. Like I always have. And colleges don't like low grades. I'm getting, as of now, a D+ in Chemistry, only because of my stupid, firetrucking teacher. I normally get A's and B's in Science. I'm getting a Nocredit in APUSH (Advanced Placement United States History) But besides that, I'm getting an A in German, an A in band, and an A in English.
God. Damn. Those of you who are out of college - can you give me some advice? Or just random useful advice on High School and how it pertains to College?

The thing is, I REALLY wanna go to College, because, I've been told my whole life, that the only way to succeed and have a happy life, with plenty of money to fall back on or whatever is to go to a four-year college. I mean, I can take that into account because my mom didn't finish her studies of Philosophy & Religious Theory at the U of M, and my dad got his GED, but didn't finish High School. And, tbh, their financial situations aren't that great right now, but I guess that depends on a lot of other things too; I guess all I'm trying to say is that I think that they could have done better if they finished and/or went to college and got a four-year degree.

Below, a little rant on 'DA SYSTEM'
I honestly hate this system; you go to preschool to get prepared for elementary school. You go to elementary school to get prepared for middle school. You go to middle school to get prepared for High School. You go to high school to get prepared for college. You go to college to get prepared for your job. You get a job to get prepared for retirement. You get retired because then you're ready to die.
Jesus.


I'm just, REALLY worried as to what is going to happen to my future. If I'm going to firetruck it up or not.

[Xyk]

You would like Ken Robinson's talkies about education. Lemme find a link...Here it is! (http://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution.html)

Also, I have been giving my future quite a many thoughts. I'm (probably) going to college in the fall. I mean, it's pretty much set for me, with my auto-admission due to really high SAT scores. But still, I don't know for sure what I want to do with my life. I keep telling myself that I shouldn't worry too much, but I never listen.

[KuReshtin]

Don't worry too much about college.
Yes, it may be beneficial to have a college degree, but it's by no means a requirement for getting jobs.

I've even heard of people who have been rejected from getting jobs because they have college degrees.

Heed the words of your avatar. :smallwink:

[Serpentine]

THIS, is a thread for discussion, and no spam. Kthanks.Uh... This whole forum is for discussion, and spam is explicitly, vehemently and repeatedly forbidden in the rules :smallconfused:

Here's what I'm hopin': Finish my honours by the middle of the year - preferably completely and utterly finished by the end of April - work for a couple of months, then go to various places around the world to work for a number of months, maybe a year. In a year or two from now, find a proper career-starting job. Within about five years, fall in love, settle down, etc. Ideally, have a kid shortly before I hit 30, then another within a few years after.
That's the plan. Which I was meant to have started 6 months or a year ago, but I screwed up my honours bad :smallsigh:

[Coidzor]

Aww, and I even found this thread's theme song. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDiDK_yBCw0) :smallfrown:

Well, within the year I want to have figured out what path I'm going to be following for the next few years. Within 5 years I want to have found someone to share the rest of my life with. 10 years... Seems so nebulous and unreal to me that the most I could really think of would be to be somewhere in the reproductive phase of the lifecycle. I'd like to be published, but given how I've stagnated for the past three years despite efforts to break out of the rut I'm in, I'm busy scuttling that dream.

My advice for college... start looking for scholarships pertaining to your interests and talents your free time, take the PSAT if this is your junior year of high school, since there are a fair number of things that will ping from that, IIRC. And, if possible, get the information and do a comparison between what you would get aid-wise from your top schools and what doing your GEs at the community college level and then transferring would do for you, with some other perspectives on the matter if possible.

[pffh]

Eugh the future well lets see what do I want to do:

I want to finish my degree in the next three years and that will almost automatically either net me a boring long hours job that pays really well (like 6 figures a year well) or an interesting research job that pays around half to third that.

I also want to buy my own place in the next year or two and hopefully having settled down with someone and had a kid before I turn 30.

[KenderWizard]

Next year will be my last year as an undergrad, and I'll graduate with a degree in Geology. I'm hoping to get a 3-year paid PhD, but we'll see how well that works out! When my boyfriend (a medieval historian) gets his PhD and a job, we'll get married, so hopefully I'll start having children in my mid-twenties, but maybe we'll take a year to go travelling first. We want three or four children, we both love kids. So, in ten years time, I'm hoping to be living in a nice house near the sea close to Dublin, with a couple of kids, and the career (lecturing in geology, I hope) on hold until the kids are older.

I don't really have any advice, because my knowledge of the US school system is a bit fuzzy... I guess I think it's important to go to college too. I went without having any idea of what I wanted to do, and only by chance came into Geology, where I'm really happy.

[CynicalAvocado]

you sound like me in my senior year...

anywho i have one year left in meckanik school and afterwards i'm going to do one of three things

apply for a 4 year college
join the air force
GTHO this state

[For'Ninniach]

The theme song, made me lol.
Thanks Coidzor.

Well you guys all seem to have it set, I mean jeez. When did you begin thinking about all this? And did you stress about it?

<Sorry my answer's so short, I just got up.>

[KenderWizard]

The theme song, made me lol.
Thanks Coidzor.

Well you guys all seem to have it set, I mean jeez. When did you begin thinking about all this? And did you stress about it?

<Sorry my answer's so short, I just got up.>

Oh, don't worry! Like I said, I just wandered into college. I chose my college based on where it was and how pretty it looked and my course on what one of my teachers said to me (that is, she threatened me with death unless I went into Physics, so I did, and changed later). At your stage, I would have answered with "I don't know. I want to travel, and have kids at some point." The actually-having-a-real-long-term-plan thing only happened in the last year or so, when I settled down with someone I want to spend my life with!

Now that I think about it, the last few years of school were a bit scary. Teachers try to make you do better by saying you'll mess up your life if you don't have a good plan and start working towards it Now. I suppose it makes some people realise that yes, this exam will have more bearing than just your mom yelling at you if you do badly. But if you're already trying and you're not sure about the future it can freak you out. I definitely remember complaining about the pressure to choose what to study for Leaving Cert, because you needed certain subjects to qualify for certain college courses, and if you messed up now, your life would be RUINED! Except that's not true.

[CynicalAvocado]

The theme song, made me lol.
Thanks Coidzor.

Well you guys all seem to have it set, I mean jeez. When did you begin thinking about all this? And did you stress about it?

<Sorry my answer's so short, I just got up.>

that's about as set as i can be, i mean i have no idea where i woud like to move, what college i want to apply for or if i should join the military. quite frankly it's scaring the sputnik out of me

[For'Ninniach]

Oh, don't worry! Like I said, I just wandered into college. I chose my college based on where it was and how pretty it looked and my course on what one of my teachers said to me (that is, she threatened me with death unless I went into Physics, so I did, and changed later). At your stage, I would have answered with "I don't know. I want to travel, and have kids at some point." The actually-having-a-real-long-term-plan thing only happened in the last year or so, when I settled down with someone I want to spend my life with!

Now that I think about it, the last few years of school were a bit scary. Teachers try to make you do better by saying you'll mess up your life if you don't have a good plan and start working towards it Now. I suppose it makes some people realise that yes, this exam will have more bearing than just your mom yelling at you if you do badly. But if you're already trying and you're not sure about the future it can freak you out. I definitely remember complaining about the pressure to choose what to study for Leaving Cert, because you needed certain subjects to qualify for certain college courses, and if you messed up now, your life would be RUINED! Except that's not true.

Really? HOT DAMN. I just literally, took a huge sigh of relief. I mean, you just wandered, thats amazing! Well. That's what my mom did too, but that was back in the 80's...

Anyway. What I'm really worried about is my GPA. Do colleges focus on your GPA?

[For'Ninniach]

that's about as set as i can be, i mean i have no idea where i woud like to move, what college i want to apply for or if i should join the military. quite frankly it's scaring the sputnik out of me

Yeah, ikr? I just don't want to be that neighborhood hobo that asks for bananas.

[Sipex]

I'll offer perspective from someone who's seen it through to the 'job' part.

First off, college isn't the end all, be all. Teachers will tell you it is, other adults will say so too but they're wrong. It's all dependant on what you want to do with your life and what makes you happy.

For example, you like stage prep and costume design from the sounds of it. Why not go to a community college (and no, "Because people will laugh" is not a valid excuse)? It'll serve your purposes...probably better than any university will, it will cost less and you get practical experience in your field. University tends to focus more on theory which is useful depending on your field of choice.

That said, don't rush into things either. Take a year off to work and figure out what you want to do if you're unsure right now, maybe get some of your grades up on an extra term if you know you really really want to go to university (and I mean YOU want you, not everyone else wants you to).

[For'Ninniach]

I'll offer perspective from someone who's seen it through to the 'job' part.

First off, college isn't the end all, be all. Teachers will tell you it is, other adults will say so too but they're wrong. It's all dependant on what you want to do with your life and what makes you happy.

For example, you like stage prep and costume design from the sounds of it. Why not go to a community college (and no, "Because people will laugh" is not a valid excuse)? It'll serve your purposes...probably better than any university will, it will cost less and you get practical experience in your field. University tends to focus more on theory which is useful depending on your field of choice.
Well, I've been told that quote: "If you go to ___ Community College, you're kicked out of the family."
...So
AND THAT WAS, 8th grade.


That said, don't rush into things either. Take a year off to work and figure out what you want to do if you're unsure right now, maybe get some of your grades up on an extra term if you know you really really want to go to university (and I mean YOU want you, not everyone else wants you to).
I want to, but everyone else wants it more. So, I think that I've been just bent on wanting to please everyone. I mean. All I want is to be happy.

[Sipex]

If you seriously want to go to a community college then it should be something you bring up now. What you were told in grade 8 may or may not have been a joke or it may have been serious but your parents might also be reasonable.

IF it is seriously something you want to do, do your research and bring it up to your parents again stating why you want to go. Think it out so you can display the advantages to them.

If you don't want to go to college now (or at all even) then tell them. If you don't do what you want to do now you'll regret it for all of your life.

[SDF]

Well, I've been told that quote: "If you go to ___ Community College, you're kicked out of the family."
...So
AND THAT WAS, 8th grade

Is there any reason for that? Many CCs feed into university systems. It is cheaper than going to uni for four years, easier to get into, and you have an associates degree to help you get a job while you finish your uni degree.

[Falgorn]

Is there any reason for that? Many CCs feed into university systems. It is cheaper than going to uni for four years, easier to get into, and you have an associates degree to help you get a job while you finish your uni degree.

It SEEMS like the OP's and my family are fairly similar on this. In 8th grade, I was also told that I'm not going to community college.
I don't know, maybe because it's easier just to go to a four-year from the get-go? (I really have no idea, but my family is dead-set against me going to community college.)

[Sipex]

Okay, I may need this explained to me because I am now a bit confused since my school system is a bit different than yours it seems.

In Canada we have College (basically your community colleges) and University. College is 'lower grade' but more practical while University is seen as the more pretegious of the two, takes longer, is more expensive and is very theoretical.

When you graduate from College (anywhere from 2-4 years) you get a diploma. This is good enough to get a lot of jobs except for highly specialised fields like Teaching, Law (courtroom law, police officers have a specialised college instead) and some Medicine (ie: Doctor or Pharmacist). Everything else you just tend to start a bit lower on the ladder but then can work your way up as experience tends to count for more.

How does this differ from your community college set up?

[For'Ninniach]

Is there any reason for that? Many CCs feed into university systems. It is cheaper than going to uni for four years, easier to get into, and you have an associates degree to help you get a job while you finish your uni degree.

She says she wants me to do well, and therefor implying that CCs are ****ty schools.
Sipex:
It's basically the same. But I didn't know that Universities were more theoretical in their teachings. I thought they were just more advanced than CCs.

[Sipex]

Well, if they're the same I will tell you this.

There's no Bachelors in Costume Creation and Stage Makeup (this is, still assuming this is something you're interested in)

The closest you're going to get is Art which is kind of overkill.

[For'Ninniach]

Well, if they're the same I will tell you this.

There's no Bachelors in Costume Creation and Stage Makeup (this is, still assuming this is something you're interested in)

The closest you're going to get is Art which is kind of overkill.

Damn.
Ugh.
Oh well.

[Keld Denar]

Well, I've been told that quote: "If you go to ___ Community College, you're kicked out of the family."
...So
AND THAT WAS, 8th grade.
Thats...kinda dumb. Sorry, it is. One thing you do need to figure out, is what you want to do and how you are going to acomplish it. I see a lot of people go to college without much direction, pick a major because it sounds interesting, take out tens of thousands of dollars in debt, and then graduate and say...now what? A girl I know majored in French Lit. I'm sure it was a great program and she learned a ton, but unless you plan on teaching French Lit to other people destined to teach French Lit, there isn't a whole lot you can do with it. She's a server in a restraunt struggling to make rent each month on the grace of her tips, and trying to pay off this massive debt she has.

Community college helps with this. Its cheap for a reason! You are supposed to experiement with a few things. Take your general credits like your basic maths and social studies credits, then dabble in a few things like economnomnomnomics, business, human health services, communications, etc. Make sure that they have some kind of practical application. If you find something that clicks, you'll know. If not, you'll only be out a couple thousand dollars tops, instead of a couple tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. College isn't for everyone either, and its cheaper to discover this at $1,200 a semester rather than $12,000 a semester.


All I want is to be happy.

Don't we all. The trick here is not to TRY to be happy, but simply to BE happy. Take comfort and joy in the things you have, set realistic goals and celebrate them when you achieve them. Rationally consider your options to the best of your intelligence, seek the councel of others often, but reserve judgement for yourself.

If you spend all of your time chasing perfection, you'll never reach it and you'll look back with dispair. If you revel in what you have, you'll look back on the things you've enjoyed with many fewer regrets.

To quote the great Barbarian Monk: "Be well!"

[Sipex]

Er, what I was getting at is if you went to University you'd be doing Visual Arts and be getting a bachelor's in art.

If you went to college and did some research you'd probably be able to find one with a "Costume Design and Stage makeup" course or something close which would help a lot more.

[Mauve Shirt]

I'm going to graduate next spring with a BA in German and a 2.6 or so GPA. I seriously doubt I'll get a decent job with my college degree. My grades at the end of high school were Cs and Ds, I think even a D in German. I should have seen this coming.
If you've already gotten into college, and can afford it, you should go for it. A degree rarely hurts. But if you really don't like school, or don't think you could succeed at school, it might be better to not.
But it sounds like you do want to go to college. Get a theater degree, perhaps?

[For'Ninniach]

Don't we all. The trick here is not to TRY to be happy, but simply to BE happy. Take comfort and joy in the things you have, set realistic goals and celebrate them when you achieve them. Rationally consider your options to the best of your intelligence, seek the councel of others often, but reserve judgement for yourself.

If you spend all of your time chasing perfection, you'll never reach it and you'll look back with dispair. If you revel in what you have, you'll look back on the things you've enjoyed with many fewer regrets.

I try to, and yes. I get where you're coming from. I don't even want to begin to try to be perfect. Because. Nothing is.
Thanks for the advice :smallsmile:


Er, what I was getting at is if you went to University you'd be doing Visual Arts and be getting a bachelor's in art.

If you went to college and did some research you'd probably be able to find one with a "Costume Design and Stage makeup" course or something close which would help a lot more.

I guess. But, I just don't want to go anywhere where I dont want to go, you know? Like.
Oklahoma
or.
Iowa.
>.>

I'm going to graduate next spring with a BA in German and a 2.6 or so GPA. I seriously doubt I'll get a decent job with my college degree. My grades at the end of high school were Cs and Ds, I think even a D in German. I should have seen this coming.
If you've already gotten into college, and can afford it, you should go for it. A degree rarely hurts. But if you really don't like school, or don't think you could succeed at school, it might be better to not.
But it sounds like you do want to go to college. Get a theater degree, perhaps?

GERMAN WOO.
Do you regret it though?

Maybe. But, I've realized that maybe that's not what I want? Because actors aren't in the greatest demand. So, I figured I try to find a job that's in higher demand.

[Savannah]

She says she wants me to do well, and therefor implying that CCs are ****ty schools.

Your mom needs to figure out what community colleges are really like. Sure, there's some bad ones. There's also some bad 4-year colleges. I went to a community college for two years then transfered to a 4-year college for my last two years. The CC was about half the price for the exact same quality. Plus with the way Oregon state schools are set up, everything I took transferred. My parents were a bit skeptical of the quality of the CC when I started, but now they're huge fans of it.

If you're worried about your grades, is there any sort of tutoring at your school or even just someone who's passed the class that you can talk to? I often find that just having someone else explain it in different words helps me a lot when I'm having trouble with a subject.

[Keld Denar]

Oh, another thing...its pretty easy to get into CCs. Once you have some CC classes under your belt, your HS grades matter less and less. They are a great patch to fix a previous slip-up of grades.

Of course, if you go to CC and do poorly there, you probably won't be able to transfer.

Have you ever considered an industrial trade? Like, electrician or pipefitter? Its a bit physical, but I know a few women who do it. I'm an engineer and employ a lot of tradesmen, and I can tell you some of them make more money than I do when you factor in overtime!

Alternatively, enlistment is a tough but rewarding experience. Good ol' Uncle Sam will figure out what you are good at, and then you'll do that. You also get a decent amount of money, great VA perks for buying property/vehicle/etc, and money to pay for additional schooling if you find something you really want to do. Again, its not easy, but the things you'll learn in it are invaluable. My ex just graduated from basic a couple weeks ago, and she loved every minute of it!

[darbythegambler]

best thing to do is not to worry at all about the future. Like, i have no clue what i'll be doing in 10 years, hell i'll be lucky if i knew what i was doing tomorrow :smalltongue: It's fine to have a plan, but don't fret too much about it, because it's almost certain to not go exactly how it was planned. And besides, doing just well enough to live a happy life isn't that hard. A lot of people can do it, I'm on my way to doing it, and I'm more than certain you'll have no problem doing it yourself :smallsmile:

[Syka]

My sister and I both did very well in HS, and I was actually accepted to a very good state school straight out the gate. I turned them down to attend my local CC, and my sister just skipped the whole 'apply to a real university' deal and went with the CC. We both then attended the same, pretty hard to get into state school. My degree is pretty useless (Classics), but my sister just got an (paid!) internship with a major newspaper and is well into the application process with another major university. I am currently holding a 4.0 in an MBA and have had many excellent real-life opportunities.

Going to the CC was the best decision I ever made, and many of my HS teachers supported it. I had amazing professors there and the quality of education was fine. It also helped because I wasn't ready to move away, watched about half my friends fail out and/or suffer depression and come back within a year, and helped me figure out what I wanted to do.



That said, for my own personal goals? In a years time (24), I will be in NYC, preferably employed as a Marketing Manager. I will be OK with a job in Marketing, though, or even something that is able to support Oz and myself. The being in NYC part is non-negotiable, though. I will also have been to Europe.

In 5 years (28)? I dunno. By that time, Oz should have his BFA in Film and well on his way to making a bigger name for himself. I would like to have sufficiently advanced in my Marketing career to head a department at a company. If nothing else, I want to be working in Marketing. Just supporting us won't be an option- I want to be in my field by then. Probably still in NYC. If not NYC, then LA, Vancouver, or maybe in Europe if I can get work with a multinational corporation.

10 years (33) down the line is just too far for me to plan.

At this point, kids and marriage just aren't on our mind. We're partners, everyone knows we're together pretty much for life. Marriage isn't a big deal to either of us. Kids we're both on the fence about it. We aren't actively opposed to them in the future, but we also don't actively want kids. It's more a "If it happens despite all precautions, we'll love the kid to death...but we'll still take all precautions." Just...neither of us are kid people.

And hopefully family will stop bugging us about it by then. I DO want to be the cool aunt whose nieces and nephews get to visit the Big City with by then, though. :smallsmile:

[Sneak]

I'm a worthless high school senior myself, so I dunno if I can be much help to you, but I'll give it a shot.

Me? I have no plan.

I've already applied and been accepted early decision to college, so that's set, and I'm happy—mostly for non-education reasons, since I totally ****ed up my social trajectory in high school and ended up with a crowd that doesn't really suit me, so I'm looking forward to both the intellectual pursuits of higher learning and just being around people, y'know, like me. But I'm still scared ****less of the future—I still have no idea what I want to do with my life beyond "go to college, then, ehm, maybe get a job or something" and even no idea what I want to study in college beyond vague swirling temptations of useless liberal arts type things. I'm counting on college to sort all that out for me, because, well...if it doesn't, I have no idea what will. I'm banking so much on the mystical magical macguffin of COLLEGE! to sort out my future-related nebulous mist because, if it doesn't...like I said, I don't even know. I have so little idea of what I want to do with my remaining time on this earth that I can't even contemplate the alternative.

My brother has already finished high school with good grades, graduated from college, gotten a good girlfriend and a job at a research lab at Dana-Farber. And now he's applying to medical school, and he's been rejected from a few places, and I think he's banking on getting into medical school as much as I'm banking on the experience of college. If he doesn't (which hopefully won't happen, but may), who knows what he'll do?

Basically, my point is thusly: the future is always uncertain and scary, especially at the age where you're A) young enough that you don't really know what you want to do or what you should do and B) old enough that you think you should know what you want to do or what you should do.

And really, it seems like you're ahead of me at least in the sense that you have more than the remotest inkling as to a possible pursuit or calling.

As for grades and things like that...I'm no college counselor or anything, but I'm pretty sure there's no one factor that will automatically, instantaneously, by itself get you either admitted or rejected. The college application process is pretty much a crapshoot. Obviously, good grades will help, but there are countless other factors—your race/ethnicity, your social class, your standardized testing scores, your other talents, your essay, etc. Maybe you won't get into an Ivy league school, but my brother that I mentioned was rejected from Yale and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have gotten in either. Hell, the smartest dude I know who speaks ten languages, plays piano and is basically more or less the pinnacle of human evolution got deferred from Yale. I would at least apply to college, perhaps a range of schools so that you think you're likely to get into at least one. Like others are saying, although it can be beneficial to have a college degree, it's certainly not necessary in the long run. But I think you are a smart person and you are capable of getting into college, and, from what you've said, I think you would enjoy going to college and would perhaps regret NOT going to college later in life if you choose not to—not necessarily for career-related reasons, but for personal reasons. And I personally know nothing about community college, but I wouldn't toss it out as an option just yet. Again, I know nothing about them, but surely some of them must be decent, and your mother is not helping by putting an insane amount of pressure on you and then telling you that community college isn't an option.

EDIT: And judging by some other responses in this thread, community college seems like a good option. SYKA IS WISE.

Whew...

I don't know if any of this is helpful, and hopefully I didn't screw things up so bad as to make you feel worse, which would be, y'know, the opposite of helpful.

But that's what I've got.

[KenderWizard]

Really? HOT DAMN. I just literally, took a huge sigh of relief. I mean, you just wandered, thats amazing! Well. That's what my mom did too, but that was back in the 80's...


I'm glad I could help! :smallsmile:

I don't know much about Community Colleges, but, like Sipex in Canada, we have Institues of Technology and Universities, where the ITs do practical stuff or lower-level stuff, and the universities do hard, specified, 4 year courses, often theoretical, or more so anyway. So if you want to be, say, a physiotherapist, you go to an IT and learn practically how to do that job. But if you want to study English, you go to university and do an English degree.

So, anyway, if you were in Ireland, I'd advise you to go to one of the art colleges. Do you have them? They're like their own thing, practical in a hands-on arty way, where you learn techniques and presentation and stuff. One of my good friends is studying costume design at one, and she makes costumes and props for assignments, as well as learning how to use graphics programs on computers and stuff.

The other thing you could do is find something you'd be interested to study in college, and do it. But once you're there, join the theatre society, go to the local theatre and beg to help out, make friends with people in the business. Then you graduate with a nice degree in something, and bam! Your new friends employ you because you've become totally indispensable.

[For'Ninniach]

And hopefully family will stop bugging us about it by then. I DO want to be the cool aunt whose nieces and nephews get to visit the Big City with by then, though. :smallsmile:
I'm glad you're happy, I mean.
Really? CC was the best thing you've ever done?
Wow. I've got a whole new outlook on all this.


I'm glad I could help! :smallsmile:

I don't know much about Community Colleges, but, like Sipex in Canada, we have Institues of Technology and Universities, where the ITs do practical stuff or lower-level stuff, and the universities do hard, specified, 4 year courses, often theoretical, or more so anyway. So if you want to be, say, a physiotherapist, you go to an IT and learn practically how to do that job. But if you want to study English, you go to university and do an English degree.
Oh wow.
I've got a lot to learn about different types of post secondary schools.

[AshDesert]

Oh wow.
I've got a lot to learn about different types of post secondary schools.

Here in the US we have have 4-year universities, which offer both practical and theoretical degrees. These are the most expensive (state schools are much cheaper than private universities though) and are generally what people here think of when they hear the word "college".

Community Colleges offer both 2 year and 4 year degrees, almost exclusively practical degrees, and cost less than universities. However, they offer many of the same basic courses in the first two years as universities do, and are a good option if you want to go to a university but can't afford all 4 years.

Technical and trade colleges offer 2 year practical educations in trades that require technical knowledge. You don't need them to be a basic laborer on a production line or as a construction worker, but you do usually need them if you want to be a welder, or electrician, or mechanic, or other technical jobs of that nature. Most of these schools also offer IT degrees.

For your situation (a few basic interests but no idea what you want to do) I'd heavily suggest going to a community college for the first two years. Get your basics out of the way and talk to the counselors there. Community colleges often have career counselors that can help you figure out what you want to do. If you're still in high school, talk to your counselor there. Don't be afraid to talk to them about your interests. They can help you choose what kind of education and career path you want.

I hope this helps you some:smallsmile:

I've got my future very loosely planned out. In a year I'm going to go to Texas A&M. Right now I think I want to do Electrical Engineering, but who knows what might happen. Five years from now I hope that I've graduated and started working. After that we'll see what'll happen.

[Cobra_Ikari]

I'm a perpetual ****up. >.<

But I have no real desires, motivations, dreams, aspirations, plans, whatever. Which...is not a good feeling. My future is very much an unknown.

[Mauve Shirt]

GERMAN WOO.
Yay.


Do you regret it though?
Not at all. I've learned a lot, even if my grades don't show it, and living away from home and meeting new people, it's a good experience. My parents, on the other hand, are the ones paying for this venture. They see my grades and probably regret allowing me to return.


Maybe. But, I've realized that maybe that's not what I want? Because actors aren't in the greatest demand. So, I figured I try to find a job that's in higher demand.
The way I figure, your degree has very little to do with the job you'll manage to get, and if you really want to specialize and get a job involving your degree you have to go back to graduate school anyway. German linguists aren't at all in high demand. I'll probably end up at a McDonald's. If I want to teach German, or translate it, or whatever, I'll have to be very lucky with my job applications or go back to school.

[Snares]

My future? No bloody idea. The only definite is university, because I'm fairly sure my parents would kick me out onto the streets if I didn't get in. >< In their words, I can do whatever the hell I want with my life after uni, but they want me to go to it. My parents are big 'EDUMACATIONS IS IMPORTANT!' people.

What do I know? Well, should I get into university (I should, I have two conditional offers already, even though both are quite high), I'll probably be doing some variation of English. Half because I'm not sure how far my motivation levels would stretch with anything but English, and half because it's just what I'm best at. So, no consideration for future job opportunities at all, then. :smalltongue: But then again I've never really known what I want to do with my life anyway. All I know is what I love doing, and that is writing, drumming and reading, and no matter what, I'll still be doing those things. The problem is that making money out of either of those three things... well, writing and music are pretty much two of the most oversubscribed job-thingies you'll find. Everyone wants to be a writer, everyone wants to be a musician. Crowded field. People like what I do, but I don't feel I'm anywhere near good enough to be commercially successful (or even commercially viable) in either of those fields.

So, basically, I know what I'm doing as far as university, but when the education system finally spits me out into the world... I won't have a clue what to do with myself job-wise. Outside of that, I want to travel as widely as possible. But I don't know how far da wurldz today will let me do that, so who knows. If the opportunity arises for me to travel around lots, I'll take it over almost anything, though. And hell, I've never been that concerned with having a job that pays tons anyway. I'd be quite happy in a job which gives me enough time off to enjoy myself, and pays me just enough so I can live reasonably comfortably.

Oh, and I also don't want to buy a house. Noooo. I will be a renter wherever possible. Mortgages scare me. I just really dislike having to pay more for your house than you have to, and on top of that the bank coming along and nicking it if you can't pay up.

Also, small moan at the education system here in Britain.
I'm at sixth form college right now, and well... I don't think we're actually properly learning for the sake of learning any more. I feel like my grades depend more on how good my exam technique is than how much I know. Is that the case? Well, there are definitely a few exams where you can know above and beyond what you need to know, and you can write it all down, but with the wrong exam technique you'll get like a C or a B. It just seems freaking futile to me. And when I get that feeling of not learning simply for the sake of knowing more, my motivation levels drop a lot. Hence why I'm probably not working as hard on my A levels as I was on my GCSEs... and that's a bad thing. A very bad thing. But I just can't bring myself to go over the damned exam technique. Drives me up the wall. Gah.

Then there's the whole knowledge that I'm only really doing this for the benefit of some employer some time in the future looking over my CV... but you have to accept that, really. That's not going to change, not now.

Well, that post was a huge mess which probably doesn't make much sense, and is mainly just the ramblings of a very indecisive person with an undecided future and some very incoherent views on education and employment. Whatever. :smalltongue:

[unosarta]

Do you regret it though?

Actually, I was going to ask this exact same question. I have known for a long time that I wanted to go to college to study languages, and for the longest time I have wondered if I will regret it later on because I won't be able to get a job, or I won't find it rewarding, or something else.

Something funny; it seems like the American culture seems to downgrade a lot of the experiences of community colleges, saying that they are sort of "low grade" or not up to the standard of many mainstream colleges. It was fascinating last year when a CC rep from an Engineering college came to my engineering class to talk about going to Community Colleges. They have essentially the same curriculum, although with more group projects. He said that a lot of colleges use the first few years to weed out people who don't really care about college, and then get into more stuff in the next two years, whereas his CC went straight into the stuff they were going to learn for the first two years, giving them more practical experience, and then students were transferred to pretty much any college in the state, where they finished their degree, giving them higher benefits than if they had just gone straight into college, and for a much lower cost. If I actually were planning on doing engineering as a career, I probably would have done that.



The way I figure, your degree has very little to do with the job you'll manage to get, and if you really want to specialize and get a job involving your degree you have to go back to graduate school anyway. German linguists aren't at all in high demand. I'll probably end up at a McDonald's. If I want to teach German, or translate it, or whatever, I'll have to be very lucky with my job applications or go back to school.

Yeah, that last bit is my biggest worry. Although I am studying languages in high demand (Japanese and Chinese), I fear that I won't be able to get jobs that actually use my experience. I think I would dread not being able to speak those languages as a part of my life, especially since I happen to like speaking them more than English. :smallsigh:

[Serpentine]

Regarding the OP: My main bit of advice is to not look at institutions, but at classes/degrees. It sounds like what you'd really like to do is stage make-up. Go looking for places that can teach you this, in a class or a degree or a certificate or whatever. Look everywhere: universities, community colleges (whatever those things are), apprenticeships, everywhere. Then take the class - not the institution - to your family etc. and say "this is what I want to do. How can I get there?"
If you were in Australia, I'd encourage you to look into TAFE. TAFE - Technical And Further Education - is somewhere between university and apprenticeships, and can easily lead into either. It covers more practical, trade type skills, in everything from painting to laboratory skills to business admin. If there's a professional make-up course anywhere (outside of, perhaps, a devoted performance institution), it'll be in a TAFE.

Mostly, though, this: It might be different where you are, but there are many different ways to get into university than your marks at school. And, university is a means to an end - a job you like. If you can get to that end without university, bonza! Don't worry about it too much.

[Mauve Shirt]

Yeah, that last bit is my biggest worry. Although I am studying languages in high demand (Japanese and Chinese), I fear that I won't be able to get jobs that actually use my experience. I think I would dread not being able to speak those languages as a part of my life, especially since I happen to like speaking them more than English. :smallsigh:

I know how you feel. But hey, as you said, those languages are in high demand, there are plenty of businesses that like those skills. If you can't get a job dealing with them, you should take a chance and when you get enough money move over there. :smallbiggrin:

[unosarta]

I know how you feel. But hey, as you said, those languages are in high demand, there are plenty of businesses that like those skills. If you can't get a job dealing with them, you should take a chance and when you get enough money move over there. :smallbiggrin:

I hope so. But that is kind of sad that you have to learn a high demand language over a lesser needed language, even if you have a larger interest in that language. Like, I love studying Japanese and Chinese, as well as speaking them, but I would love to learn other languages, like German, Korean, a smattering of East Asian languages, maybe some european/romance languages. But because the economies in that area aren't necessarily in the best place they could be, it doesn't seem like an economically sensible decision at this current moment. :smallsigh:

[For'Ninniach]

Thanks for all the support, all of you. It's just, a lot of your responses are too long to quote. xD

Anyway.
So, I think I'll be looking into the differences between trade schools, CCs, Technical colleges and such.
I love that you all gave me all these wonderful opinions of yours that have helped me so much. :3

[Keld Denar]

Hey, you're playground. We take care of our own! *thumps chest*

[snoopy13a]

The way I figure, your degree has very little to do with the job you'll manage to get, and if you really want to specialize and get a job involving your degree you have to go back to graduate school anyway. German linguists aren't at all in high demand. I'll probably end up at a McDonald's. If I want to teach German, or translate it, or whatever, I'll have to be very lucky with my job applications or go back to school.

I'm really not sure of the demand for high school German teachers but getting a masters in education and trying to get a job as a German teacher may be your best bet. If your college has an education program, you should consult their career services offices to see what your prospects would be in that field. If your college doesn't then you should do research to see what your prospects of getting a job in the education field are.

To the OP: High school grades only matter for college admittance. I'd research the colleges you want to go to. As you apparently live in Minnesota, the University of Minnesota would be a good one to look at, especially if you live in the Twin Cities area and can live at home while attending. Community Colleges are always a good economic option but if you don't do well then it can be tough to transfer credits.

As a whole, the best undergrad majors (from getting a job perpective) are engineering, nursing, and computer science. Next probably are mathematics (for those looking to be actuarties), the hard sciences, and accounting.

Another option are skilled trades such as plumbers and electricians. Quite frankly, one can outsource many jobs but one cannot outsource their plumbing :smalltongue:

As for liberal arts majors, remember this joke:
A physics major asks: "How does this work?" An engineering major asks: "If this breaks, how do I fix it?" A liberal arts major asks: "Do you want fries with that?"

Seriously, liberal arts majors from elite colleges can get jobs and those with good grades can go to graduate school or law school. However, I wouldn't recommend academia or law as there are tons of Phds and JDs out there.

[unosarta]

As for liberal arts majors, remember this joke:
A physics major asks: "How does this work?" An engineering major asks: "If this breaks, how do I fix it?" A liberal arts major asks: "Do you want fries with that?"

Seriously, liberal arts majors from elite colleges can get jobs and those with good grades can go to graduate school or law school. However, I wouldn't recommend academia or law as there are tons of Phds and JDs out there.

Isn't that kind of stereotyping people who get liberal arts majors as people who work at low paying jobs? Do you have any evidence to back that claim up? Like, really, it seems from quite a few responses that a few people here have liberal arts degrees, or are going to a liberal arts school (Language is a liberal art :smallannoyed:), and your comment seems to be directly degrading their life choice. In fact, you seem to be referring the OP away from getting a liberal arts degree because you think it would be hard for her to get a job.

[Keld Denar]

To quote Avenue Q: "What do you do with a BA in English?"

Not saying that all Lib Art majors are unemployable for anything other than operating an expresso machine, but I can tell you that most people I know who are successful who have Lib Arts degrees attribute their success to things other than the actual degree itself. Either networking, amazing talents, social standing/influence, advanced degrees, etc. Contrast that with people who have business or engineering degrees.

Some things just tend to be in a higher demand.

[Xyk]

Money isn't everything. And that's why a liberal arts degree is worthwhile. Being well-versed in humanities and whatnot is valuable in itself. To understand the arts and how people work, etc. is one of the best investments to happiness one can get.

[For'Ninniach]

Have we defined what a Liberal Arts Degree is? Cause I don't now...

[unosarta]

To the Wikipedia! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_arts_college)

That is more for a liberal arts college, not a degree, though.

[Sneak]

Liberal arts. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_arts) Literature, languages, philosophy, history, mathematics, and science.

It is true that an engineering or business degree would be more beneficial than a liberal arts degree if you want to go into one of those fields, obviously. But if, say, you want to go to medical school, having an engineering degree won't hep you. To be fair, having a science degree in and of itself wouldn't help you get into medical school either, but the classes you would have taken as a requirement for your science major would likely be required for admission to medical school.

Your college major doesn't necessarily dictate your career path, however. Hell, one of the math teachers at my school got an English degree in college.

EDIT: A handy guide on how to use your liberal arts degree. (http://www.careerbuilder.com/Article/CB-417-Getting-Hired-What-Can-I-Do-With-a-Liberal-Arts-Degree/)

EDIT2: And another. (http://www.quintcareers.com/marketing_liberal-arts_degrees.html)

Also, I think a range of employers value one's possession of a liberal arts degree simply as a symbol of a broader college education, regardless of what the degree is in. In contrast, degrees in specialized technical fields can be more beneficial, but only for positions in those specialized technical fields.

[Vaynor]

If you're worried about your high school grades, a community college is the way to go. I slacked off a lot in high school, and barely managed to pull through with a 3.1 (weighted :smalleek:) GPA. This was enough to get me into a public school (in California, our public school system is actually good) but it was close, despite my high SAT scores. I'm not sure how it works where you live, but my local community college has guaranteed acceptance to the public school of your choice, provided you maintain a specified GPA for your two years there (usually very low, 2.7 or so). Schools like Berkeley or UCLA don't have this, but they're still much easier to get into from a community college. Another benefit of going to a community college first is obviously the cost, but your grades from high school will be almost (if not entirely, depending on your state's system) irrelevant. You get a second chance to improve your grades. Transfer acceptance is also, in general, much more lax in their standards compared to freshman admission.

I wouldn't sweat it, really. As I stated above, your high school grades will help if you want to go straight to university, and you should obviously try your best, but if your GPA is lower than you'd like it isn't the end of the world. Even without community college, there are a lot of great schools that accept lower GPA's.

[ForzaFiori]

To quote Avenue Q: "What do you do with a BA in English?"

A Liberal Arts Degree (including English) has several uses. You can teach: At the K-12 and tech/community college level with a bachelors (sometimes requires a teaching certificate for k-12, not applicable in all states), at a 4-year university with a masters or PhD. You can use it to pursue many higher education options. Med school, Law school, or even a degree in an unrelated subject. The Liberal arts degree shows future employers that you know how to organize yourself and your works. A Bachelors in English, and a masters in Computer Programming, for instance, is actually more valuable to most employers than a Bachelors and masters in Computer Programming, because it shows that you have a great ability to communicate, since most liberal arts degrees require huge amounts of essays and presentations.

Sorry for the large paragraph, but as a Liberal Arts Major (History for me rather than english though), I feel that the options should be shown. Personally, I plan on teaching after I get a Bachelors, possibly getting a masters and then teaching. Definitely at a collegiate level, since you have to have an actual teaching degree in SC to teach k-12

[THAC0]

(sometimes requires a teaching certificate for k-12, not applicable in all states)

Sometimes? :smallconfused: As far as I know, teaching K-12 public schools ALWAYS requires a teaching certificate which is NOT the same as an education degree.

I have no idea where I will be in a year, or heck, in six months. Nor is there much I can do about it, as it's dependent upon my husband's career/choices/decisions. It's pretty frustrating, since the odds are that it will not be what I want, but hey.

[Kislath]

I went to community college for two years, simply because it was local and cheap. After that I went to a university.

What did I discover?

Community college was considerably more difficult and worthwhile. They try harder. It taught me HOW to be a college student, which High School neglects to teach. Once I had all the basic stuff out of the way, I only had to concentrate on my major courses. I made all A's in those courses, and made only one single "B" at the big school ( advanced molecular genetics GRRRR! ) for a GPA of 3.95. Uni was a breeze after community college.

Play to your strengths. Avoid math as much as possible in order to keep your grades up as long as possible, and then transferring to uni will be a lot easier. Take a lot of courses in drama and stagecraft if that sort of thing interests you. If you want to make a lot of money, and hair/makeup is your forte', then move to Hollywood and work in a high-end salon with celebrity clients.

[thorgrim29]

I'm finishing my Bachelor's degree in management accounting next august, then I've got 10 months of full time MBA, afterwards I get a job and, if all goes well sometimes in the fall of 2013 I can sign things Thorgrim, CMA MBA. I'd like to get a job in cost evaluation or as a consultant. On a more personal level I'd like to find someone. That's pretty much it....

On your problem: Find something you want to do and allows you to live the life you want money-wise, and get the education needed for that. There are tons of tests you can pass with professionals that can help you figure out what you'd like.

[Malfunctioned]

At the moment I'm a college student. I should be leaving this year to head to college but instead I'm gonna work for a year so I can get some money first. I want to go study somewhere in America but I doubt I'll get enough money to do that.

In about 5 years? I want to be a lot closer to being published and hopefully have the ability to focus enough to write a full-size novel instead of numerous short stories.

In 10? Hopefully (and incredibly unlikely) I want to be a published author and hopefully in a long-term relationship.

15? I've got no idea, but hopefully an extension on the 10 year plan.


So yeah, my plan is pretty much 'Get better at writing, find someone I want to be with, get published and repeat steps 1 and 3'. I hope it works. :smallsmile:

[Moff Chumley]

Here's where I stand.

I know exactly what I want to do. Sound Recording Technology. I have a big ol' database with all of the schools that offer it, and I have the ten that I wanna apply to marked out. And I have no gorram idea how I'm gonna get into any of them. My GPA is averaging at 3.00, and since SRT is generally in a school of music, I have to audition to get into seven of the ten schools. I can play rock, sort of. Music schools want jazz or usually classical musicians. I am not one of those things. Furthermore, we have no money. But not enough no money to qualify for actual financial aid. So I have no idea how that's gonna work.

On the other hand, I got a 2120 (out of 2400. It's a damn good grade) on SATs as a sophomore without studying. :smallcool:

After college? I have no idea. I don't really want to think about it, honestly. I still have no idea what specific proffesion I want to persue, and I don't know what's gonna be avaliable.

[For'Ninniach]

OH.
I thought it was a specific degree.

[Moff Chumley]

Never mind. :smallsigh:

[Serpentine]

Liberal arts. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_arts) Literature, languages, philosophy, history, mathematics, and science.At least in Australia, science and mathematics are generally distinct to the Arts. Except that at my uni they've stupidly combined them in the one Faculty of Humanities; stupid because they work COMPLETELY differently: from the class types to teaching style to marking methods to requirements to honours and PhD set-ups and requirements to... Just so stupid :smallannoyed:

[Sneak]

When you say "the Arts," I'm assuming you mean liberal arts. Because the arts and liberal arts are two pretty different things.

The reason that everything can be grouped together is that "liberal arts" is basically just a broad heading used to distinguish between vocational training and other education. Getting a degree in engineering or business is training you for a profession in engineering or business, while, in contrast, any liberal arts degree is learning more or less solely for the sake of learning. While said learning may lead one towards certain career choices, the education one receives to obtain the degree isn't specifically training one for any specific career.

EDIT: And I may be wrong, Moff, but I believe For'Ninniach was commenting on the definition of a liberal arts degree.

[Serpentine]

Not sure, but the Faculty of Arts covers philosophy, theatre, archaeology (sort of), psychology (sort of), history, literature, gender studies, music, painting sculpture etc (though that's not really offered at my uni so far as I know), religion, sociology and so on.
The Faculty of Science is... sciences. Mathematics, biology, chemistry, archaeology (sort of), psychology (sort of), physics, etc.
It's only recently that they've been combined into the Faculty of Humanities (see above re. stupid), but they're still in practice completely distinct - they just have one person in charge of both.

[Moff Chumley]

EDIT: And I may be wrong, Moff, but I believe For'Ninniach was commenting on the definition of a liberal arts degree.

Probably. Has been a long day. :smallsigh:

[Elfin]

you sound like me in my senior year...

anywho i have one year left in meckanik school and afterwards i'm going to do one of three things

apply for a 4 year college
join the air force
GTHO this state


The second one is not a good option.
Really.

[THAC0]

The second one is not a good option.
Really.

That depends on a lot of things.

[Recaiden]

Well, I don't particularly plan to die, but it's almost certainly going to happen.

On the other end, I'm right now in college studying computer science and Spanish. I plan to get a part time job (soon as I can find one) while I'm there, because University's expensive here.
After that, I'm not sure. Probably into whatever job I can come up with and trying to rebuild my life, because after four years away studying there won't be a whole lot left.
I can't come up with anything too long term because there's nothing I want that I know how to get.

I would say something about not needing to go to college, but I haven't gotten a job without it, so...:smalltongue:

Good luck. Don't worry too much about what people say. Most of us don't know the truth of our own words.

[Mauve Shirt]

The second one is not a good option.
Really.

Why do you say that? It's not at all an easy way out, but I know several people who have had successful experiences with joining the air force to get their adult life started.

[Crow]

THIS, is a thread for discussion, and no spam. Kthanks.
I'm really conflicted as to what is gonna happen in my future.
And I wanna know what you guys wanna do in, oh. 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, etc. Just, what do you wanna do? What're your plans?

I REALLY wanna succeed. And I'm good at makeup, I'm good at hair, I'm good at tactile things, and I'm good at stage carp.
BUT, my school work, is next to carp.
Like.
I'm getting a C+ in Math. Like I always have. And colleges don't like low grades. I'm getting, as of now, a D+ in Chemistry, only because of my stupid, firetrucking teacher. I normally get A's and B's in Science. I'm getting a Nocredit in APUSH (Advanced Placement United States History) But besides that, I'm getting an A in German, an A in band, and an A in English.
God. Damn. Those of you who are out of college - can you give me some advice? Or just random useful advice on High School and how it pertains to College?

The thing is, I REALLY wanna go to College, because, I've been told my whole life, that the only way to succeed and have a happy life, with plenty of money to fall back on or whatever is to go to a four-year college. I mean, I can take that into account because my mom didn't finish her studies of Philosophy & Religious Theory at the U of M, and my dad got his GED, but didn't finish High School. And, tbh, their financial situations aren't that great right now, but I guess that depends on a lot of other things too; I guess all I'm trying to say is that I think that they could have done better if they finished and/or went to college and got a four-year degree.

Below, a little rant on 'DA SYSTEM'
I honestly hate this system; you go to preschool to get prepared for elementary school. You go to elementary school to get prepared for middle school. You go to middle school to get prepared for High School. You go to high school to get prepared for college. You go to college to get prepared for your job. You get a job to get prepared for retirement. You get retired because then you're ready to die.
Jesus.


I'm just, REALLY worried as to what is going to happen to my future. If I'm going to firetruck it up or not.

College is no guarantee of anything. I didn't go to college, am an expert in my field, and have made well over 100kUS the past 5 years. I did go to the Air Force though. A lot of my friends went to college, and quite frankly, they haven't gone anywhere. Most aren't even really using the degree. In fact, many (not all) college graduates are less "employment ready" than some high school dropouts I know.

Now hard work is a different story. With hard work, you can get anywhere. Like you, I didn't have fantastic grades through high school. I made honor roll once just to prove a point to my parents, but basically just skipped the homework and aced the tests for the rest of the 4 years. Ended up with a 1.9 GPA...yuck. But I've always been a hard worker, and that has carried me further than anything my college-educated peers have had. Not to say a college education is a bad thing.

Don't worry about the future too much. Make long term plans in broad strokes. But don't plan to do things just because someone else tells you that is what you are supposed to do. Plan for yourself. Have a plan, work hard at that plan.

[Elfin]

Why do you say that? It's not at all an easy way out, but I know several people who have had successful experiences with joining the air force to get their adult life started.

Well, I suppose I'm rather biased against war in general - but since there's a real chance of death in the military, I don't recommend it. Obviously, it works out well for some, but it's not something I'd risk (especially because it can, besides death, result in killing people). Of course, YMMV.

[AshDesert]

Well, I suppose I'm rather biased against war in general - but since there's a real chance of death in the military, I don't recommend it. Obviously, it works out well for some, but it's not something I'd risk (especially because it can, besides death, result in killing people). Of course, YMMV.

Not everyone in the military carries a gun around and shoots people. While it's true that living on a military base in a warzone carries a risk of being blown up, there are many professions in the military that carry no more risk than of injury or death than their civilian equivalents.

[Elfin]

Like I said, I suppose I'm just not a big fan of war and its professions. But it's probably best not to stray too far into stuff concerning the military, because, y'know, politics and stuff.

[Syka]

CC isn't the best decision in my life ever (that probably belongs to deciding to brave Labor Day traffic on a bus to get to a friend's wedding I almost didn't go to...where I met Oz), but it's the best educational decision I made. I was not mature enough to handle living on my own when I was 18 and balance school with that. CC gave me a chance to get a handle on what college work was like, while not uprooting my life, as well as balancing school, work, and being social. The education is just as good as what I got at the two universities I have attended, while allowing me the time to grow up.

It also allowed me contact with a much wider variety of people. My first university was mostly your typical 18-mid 20's school. CC exposed me to everyone from 16-60, and I loved working with the non-traditional students. It was really interesting.