How do I make college worth it for myself?

[HunterIII]

Fuck bitches, get money.

Its not rocket science.

 

[Uchi Mata]

Junior year, you'll start taking upper division classes which are better. Also, either major in business management or you'll end up in sales, a job in which you'll be exploiting people. Or change your major to something more math/science oriented. Having that on your resume shows employers you didn't just go to college to have fun and get a piece of paper saying you went.

You clearly know nothing about professional selling. Exploitation is the last thing good salesmen are interested in.

As for you TS, what do you want to do? What interests you? You're not going to have much luck if you try to make some objective choice about what you should study. If you just want to earn money as fast as possible try to become an electrician or millwright or some other skilled trade. And it better be something you like better than teaching history, since the relatively small obstacle of having to learn some French seems to have killed that goal. Anything you choose to do will require you to overcome more than l'apprentissage du fran

 

[td82394]

You clearly know nothing about professional selling. Exploitation is the last thing good salesmen are interested in.

As for you TS, what do you want to do? What interests you? You're not going to have much luck if you try to make some objective choice about what you should study. If you just want to earn money as fast as possible try to become an electrician or millwright or some other skilled trade. And it better be something you like better than teaching history, since the relatively small obstacle of having to learn some French seems to have killed that goal. Anything you choose to do will require you to overcome more than l'apprentissage du fran

 

[td82394]

Also, seems like I'm getting a lot of responses pertaining to the experience of college? Like partying, having sex, all that good stuff. I mean, that's nice, and useful, but maybe I should've clarified by saying that I want to be able to at least be qualified for a good paying job. I don't necessarily care about the small sh*t as long as I know what I'll be doing is going to pay off in the end.

 

[NRFC]

Have you looked into any of the clubs and groups on campus?

As far as school work goes, I recommend going into something more scientific if you are so inclined. It will open plenty of doors and you don't seem dead set on a specific thing, so its a worthwhile pursuit regardless of where you end up in life.

This. And learn a skill that employers can use. Its simple.

I REALLY enjoyed myself in school. Went to a large state school and partied my ass off. Also worked hard too. I joined several groups and played every intramural sport there was. Even softball and water polo (which was harder than it looks) and I sucked. However, it was just fun as hell.

I also worked during school. Had a killer job at a video store (don't have those anymore) and we traded pornos with the Dominoes Pizza franchise next store which was awesome.

I did a couple of free internships for my major which sucked ass but were great on my resume.

Lastly, I even worked at the school radio station spinning music. So how can you NOT have a good time at college? You're doing something wrong.

All you have to do is not get kicked out of school and not get anyone pregnant... then pass. Its what you make it. Or maybe you should transfer to a school that doesn't suck and isnt boring. Sorry, all over the place here... but you get the idea.

 

[AznTrojan]

Yeah... I mean, I'm just trying to get some perspective on my life. If everybody came in here and told me I was a whiner, I'd be able to accept that and change my attitude.

It's not that I don't believe in hospitals or stuff like that, but I just wouldn't want to be a doctor because I feel like I would be miserable doing that just because that's how I would see my job. Plus, if I switch back to the college of arts and sciences, I have to take a foreign language class again and that class is actually what made me start questioning why I'm in college. Plus, science majors have a shit time of it in my opinion. I have to be enrolled in 15 hours because of my scholarship, and with a 1 hour lab that accompanies each class, I just couldn't do it. Then I have to make a 3.6 to get into medical school, which means I would have to bust my ass to get my GPA up from a 3.1... I just see a lot of problems with trying to do anything like that.

EDIT:

I like to think I was a positive person before going to college. I don't want to be cynical, but I feel like if I'm not cynical and always overanalyzing how something can go bad for me, I'm going to end up being used again.

holy shit.. you sound whiny as fuck.. you aren't the first person to be undecided on their major.. but you better figure out what you want to do soon and figure out how to get there with or without a degree

at least you know aren't cut out to go into the medical field..

 

[Possum Jenkins]

lol wut?

I had some sympathy in your OP but your family is right, you ARE a whiner

TS's posts kinda explain his miserable time at college.

 

[shunyata]

No. I don't believe in delaying the inevitable.

You don't believe in preventative healthcare? Exercise? That's like driving a car and not believing in oil changes and tire rotation.

Honestly the solution to your problem is to choose a major that does have a stable long term job market with strong demand for new grads.

Engineering and healthcare do fit those parameters.

This. And learn a skill that employers can use. Its simple.

I REALLY enjoyed myself in school. Went to a large state school and partied my ass off. Also worked hard too. I joined several groups However, it was just fun as hell.

You're doing something wrong.

All you have to do is not get kicked out of school and not get anyone pregnant... then pass. Its what you make it. Or maybe you should transfer to a school that doesn't suck and isnt boring. .

Same here. Had an amazing experience at a big state school for undergrad, then had the good fortune to go through grad school at a small specialized private school where everyone was really serious but still knew how to chill when we weren't actively treating our patients.

I ended up on the student council in grad school which at one point led to me and a few friends sitting in the dean's office taking tequila shots with him right after lunch on his birthday (the tequila was a gift).

 

[td82394]

holy shit.. you sound whiny as fuck.. you aren't the first person to be undecided on their major.. but you better figure out what you want to do soon and figure out how to get there with or without a degree

at least you know aren't cut out to go into the medical field..

Fair enough.... I'm whiny and I should probably change that... do you have constructive advice as to figure out what I want to do?

You don't believe in preventative healthcare? Exercise? That's like driving a car and not believing in oil changes and tire rotation.

Honestly the solution to your problem is to choose a major that does have a stable long term job market with strong demand for new grads.

Engineering and healthcare do fit those parameters.

I've explained my position after that post in this thread. I'm not cut out to be a doctor to say the least. I'm also reluctant to change majors again anyway just because I don't want to stay here that long.

Do you think information systems is that kind of major?

 

[shunyata]

Fair enough.... I'm whiny... do you have constructive advice as to figure out what I want to do?

Google "college majors with high job market demand for new grads" then pick one you're actually interested in.

Carpe diem son.

 

[AznTrojan]

Fair enough.... I'm whiny... do you have constructive advice as to figure out what I want to do?

you need to figure out what you want to do..

as of now.. you want a high paying job but you don't want to earn a science or engineering degree.. if you aren't getting a STEM education or want to go to grad school.. then gtfo college and go learn a trade..

 

[td82394]

Google "college majors with high job market demand for new grads" then pick one you're actually interested in.

Carpe diem son.

Ok... did that. Says Data Analysts are going to be in high demand. An Information Systems major sounds like a good bet based on that, right>

 

[Bebop]

you sound like you're just making excuses to not do stuff. you think you already know what you'd be 'miserable' doing after having done nothing of relevance. you sound like the person who will be miserable with any job in due time. you might as well pick something you like and/or are good at. i recommend the latter cuz if you like it, you'll probably end up hating it.

 

[Bebop]

also, it's quite apparent that you don't play nice with others. you seem to just continually be running from everything: family, classes, professors, majors, whatever.

 

[drstrangelov]

Take a little you time, read the western canon, really engage with it, form your own opinion. Then, when you're done just walk around this world like you fucking own the place. Good things will follow.

 

[Uchi Mata]

I know, right? Like it doesn't seem that much harder than Spanish until you're already in the thick of it, learning the imparfait and all that other pretentious bullsh*t. I swear to God that class has made me xenophobic towards French people, not to mention the professor was a complete and utter piece of pretentious shit.

As of right now, I have absolutely no idea what I want to do. I used to like wrestling and MMA, but that dream died when I couldn't get a ride to the gym. I like playing video games I guess? Dungeons and dragons? I don't really have very many worthwhile interests.

If you really don't know what you want to do, save your money and get a job, take semester off. Working shit jobs is a fast way to get motivated, and maybe you'll end up doing something you'll take an interest in. Most young people are exposed to so little of the real career options out there (how many people who major in business even know WTF business people do all day?) that it's understandable that it's hard to figure out what you want to do. Having a degree is important for some jobs, others not so much. If you can get a job working construction for example it would expose you to what carpenters, plumbers, electricians, etc all do which are all good paying jobs not requiring a BA. If you work in an office you can see what people actually do who work in sales, IT, marketing, accounting, etc. You might be surprised what turns out to be interesting. And if you do end up going back to school it will be with a purpose.

 

[Uchi Mata]

Ok... did that. Says Data Analysts are going to be in high demand. An Information Systems major sounds like a good bet based on that, right>

I manage a data science/analyst group, and I can safely say that they are in very high demand. But it's more about the right mindset than specific training. I can teach you to code, how databases work, etc. What I can't teach you is curiousity and a willingness to engage deeply with data, really figure out where it came from and what it means to the business.

But knowing some SQL will never be a bad thing. Even better if you also know a little python or java.

 

[NRFC]

I manage a data science/analyst group, and I can safely say that they are in very high demand. But it's more about the right mindset than specific training. I can teach you to code, how databases work, etc. What I can't teach you is curiousity and a willingness to engage deeply with data, really figure out where it came from and what it means to the business.

But knowing some SQL will never be a bad thing. Even better if you also know a little python or java.

Good post.

Also don't be closed minded when it comes to Health care. There's other avenues in the field besides being a DR that will always be around (its like a consumable good that will always be needed no matter how the economy is at the time).

I'm in a city where Health Care is HUGE - Hospitals on every corner. I'm in on the IT side of it. So, you can take UM's advice and implement that into Health Care.

Especially with Obamacare and its implementation. We need PMs, Architects, IT Security Management, App Engineering, etc. Its pretty much the Wild West if you apply yourself.

 

[Jack Reacheround]

Ok... did that. Says Data Analysts are going to be in high demand. An Information Systems major sounds like a good bet based on that, right>

Economics. Information Systems teaches you about the devices that store the data, not how to analyze it.

 

[Uchi Mata]

Economics. Information Systems teaches you about the devices that store the data, not how to analyze it.

Economics won't teach you a damn thing that's useful about analyzing data in the real world, other than perhaps some statistical methods. IS would be much more useful. I'd hire a CS major over an econ major in a second as a data analyst. Now, if you get into econometrics at the post-grad level, you might be useful as a data scientist. But you'd still have a lot of catching up to do on the systems side.