Falcon2001 Posted June 23, 2005 Report Share Posted June 23, 2005 Alright, ladies and gentlemen. I'm having what appears to be a midlife crisis, but then again, I'm only 19, so hopefully I'll live longer than 38. Right now, I'm debating with myself if I'm really in the right field. I'm currently studying network communications and management at DeVry University, which (according to my uncle, who used to hire from the california campus) has a reputation for putting out students with solid technical knowledge, although the stigma of 'technical university' still lingers over the campus. A little information about my current school - it's got about 3000 students including the weekend and night students, and runs three semesters a term. Tuition is going to run me around $56,000 or so by the end of my bachelors, which is Network Communications Management. However, many of those students are either online students affiliated with our campus, night students, or weekend students. The word that describes it best is 'professional'. I can be quite professional. However, I'm not happy, and I'm actually downright depressed. I work two jobs, about 11 hours a day, 13 if you include lunch break and travel time, and it's my break between semesters right now. If I'm going to transfer I'm going to have to do it soon, so I'm having to think about it quickly. I grew up with two great goals in mind. Goal one was to earn money, and goal two was to be creative, and unfortunately as many of you here already know, those two don't always work together. I'm also a cautious man by nature, and that throws even more of a hex into the grid, so I'm pretty wary. I wanted to study sociology or music, and I have 7 years of band under my belt as well as a strong urge to write. I love writing, I just don't have any time anymore. DeVry has taught me how to stay organized, but it has also taught me that I need a social life, and this university is not about social lives, it's about professionalism and expecations. On top of that, and complicating the whole thing, is an issue of love. A friend of mine that I love dearly goes to Western, and I'm wondering whether a large part of my urge to leave stems from some misplaced chemical imbalance instead of from a real need for happiness. Western, incidentally, is known for being a university with excellent degrees in liberal arts, as well as a fairly good sociology program. What are your thoughts on the matter? There's more to this story, but I'm on shift in five minutes, so I've gotta get ready for work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katzaniel Posted June 23, 2005 Report Share Posted June 23, 2005 How much time have you put into your current degree? How much left? How much time involved in getting a degree from Western? And how far away is Western from your current location? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falcon2001 Posted June 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2005 (edited) Devry is three semesters a year, and I have just finished my third semester. I'd have to move to go to western, but hopefully I'll have taken at least enough general education classes that will transfer to make it to my sophomore year. Edited June 23, 2005 by Falcon2001 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reverie Posted June 23, 2005 Report Share Posted June 23, 2005 (edited) which ever dream sings more true to your nature... follow that one. Have a gander at my reasoning throughout my dilemas: decisions, decisions posts... One the thoughts running through my head when I finally decided to leave the Military went something like this: You have to take your risks while you're young enough to recover from them. And I'm 27. In other words, your 19. You have PLENTY of up time left. rev... Edited June 23, 2005 by reverie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ayshela Posted June 26, 2005 Report Share Posted June 26, 2005 Hey, Western! You'd be close enough we could harass you on a regular basis, right? Though i'm not sure if that qualifies as incentive, or deterrent... *snicker* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~O~ Posted June 27, 2005 Report Share Posted June 27, 2005 (edited) which ever dream sings more true to your nature... follow that one. Have a gander at my reasoning throughout my dilemas: decisions, decisions posts... One the thoughts running through my head when I finally decided to leave the Military went something like this: You have to take your risks while you're young enough to recover from them. And I'm 27. In other words, your 19. You have PLENTY of up time left. rev... That was part of my thinking going INTO the military at 24. Even if the military and I "click", I can spend 20 years and retire at 44... which is still plenty young enough to take the safer career of academic, especially when backed by a military retirement.~O~ Falcon... you say you want to make money. How much? My parents are missionaries, and raised four kids on $25k a year. We didn't have much softness, or even trips to McDonalds, when I was younger. And I had to provide the majority of my own financing to get through college. But they did it. ~O~ Since even a teacher (or a liberal arts major) can plan to make $25k, you should have no problem living. Raising a family will take some planning. But... if you're willing to give up a *few* things, you can live very comfortably off even a "small" income. ~O~ So I repeat: How much money do you want? Start looking at exact numbers. How often do you want to buy a car? Do you want a new car or a used one? What's rent like where you plan to live? Do you know how to cook, or will you eat all your meals out? What will your entertainment budget look like? Go to movies, or rent videos? Buy new videogames, or read books from the library? Make up a budget for the lifestyle you plan to live, and figure out what type of income will support that. Don't forget to include some calculations for retirement savings. Edited June 27, 2005 by ~O~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katzaniel Posted June 27, 2005 Report Share Posted June 27, 2005 Oh... Falcon... the underlying question in "How far away is it?" was not "Would you have to move?" but "How often would you be able to visit this 'friend' of yours if you didn't move?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Celes Crusader Posted June 27, 2005 Report Share Posted June 27, 2005 Listen to your gut feeling, the one that tingles and makes you do things that you really wish for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falcon2001 Posted June 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2005 In the end, I decided to stay at DeVry, ignoring my gut feeling. I suppose I'm extremely cautious, and if I still feel this way in 1.8 years I'll continue my education at western, getting my bachelor in sociology or music then after I can get a job with this one. Death of a dream, I suppose, but that's what growing up is about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Posted June 30, 2005 Report Share Posted June 30, 2005 No, No, No, Growing up is the realization of a dream. A man or woman (or an animal?) is nothing with a dream. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quincunx Posted June 30, 2005 Report Share Posted June 30, 2005 A complete degree will be worth a lot more than a partial one, especially to stitch together your checkered past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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