Did anyone else not jump right into college after High School?

[illusion88]

After I graduated High School I went a Community College. I didn't do so well, dropped out of most of my classes with Ws (withdrawl). I did this for a few seminsters before I got tired of wasting my money.

I want to return to school in the fall, but I am still undecided on what I want to graduate with. I would be attending a different CC (Salt Lake City Community) if I stay here. I'll have to pay out of state which makes me apprehensive, because let's face it, you don't make alot of money with hardly any skills and no college education. If I end up dropping out or nearly dropping out it will just be abother waste of my money and time again.

I always had trouble with time managment and study habits. I tried to work too much while taking on a full load. Maybe next time I'll only attend classes part time. At my previous school I could get a scholarship (got it once!) for getting a 2.5 or whatever and completing 12.0 units in a seminster. I was always under the unit ammount at the end. SLCC doesn't have anything like that, so I won't have to worry about it.

I suppose what I can do is take out a student loan (I haven't yet) to pay for classes and books, then I only have to work part time to support myself (assuming I have something saved up). I just worry that the same thing will happen because I don't really have a goal for school. I just hate living pay check to pay check.

CLIFFS:
Sob story.

 

[FoBoT]

boot camp helped me with "time management and study habits", have you considered 2-6 years in the military to give you a boost?

 

[AUMM]

I'd say the first thing is to figure out exactly what it is you want to do and where you want to end up. Once you have decided on some goals go from there and see what needs to be done.

 

[James3shin]

I should have. I was not ready and serious about my education when I entered college. I paid the price, now I'm on my way.

 

[plastick]

I have a similar situation... except I am blinded by the obvioius insanity of life. I mean, first of all we are all going to die, so why even join this rat race and waste all your time and energy trying to make the most of this society's systems? The odds are against you. But I suppose that is a too negative view to have, some might say.

Just seek God and his plans for you. If you dont believe, then just find what makes you happy and do it until you die.

 

[OVerLoRDI]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
boot camp helped me with "time management and study habits", have you considered 2-6 years in the military to give you a boost?

I've considered the military for that reason as well. I am lazy and unmotivated and I feel the Military will likely whip me into shape and definitely make me less lazy and a better person.

 

[plastick]

Originally posted by: OVerLoRDI

Hey... r u into SC ?

 

[dainthomas]

Originally posted by: OVerLoRDI

Originally posted by: FoBoT
boot camp helped me with "time management and study habits", have you considered 2-6 years in the military to give you a boost?

I've considered the military for that reason as well. I am lazy and unmotivated and I feel the Military will likely whip me into shape and definitely make me less lazy and a better person.

Worked for me. They specialize in dealing with "motivational issues".

 

[FoBoT]

Originally posted by: OVerLoRDI

Originally posted by: FoBoT
boot camp helped me with "time management and study habits", have you considered 2-6 years in the military to give you a boost?

I've considered the military for that reason as well. I am lazy and unmotivated and I feel the Military will likely whip me into shape and definitely make me less lazy and a better person.

i went to 3 different colleges after high school and could not get motivated.
i was in NROTC and had a full scholarship, but no motivation and failing calculus 3 times didn't help

so i enlisted in the Navy and learned a lot , Navy schools taught me or motivated me into having discipline and helped me transition from HS to the "Real world"

i went to night school before getting out of the Navy and got my B.S. degree, ten years after HS

it isn't for everybody, but it worked out well for me, i am happy i spent 9 yrs 9 months in the Navy

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
boot camp helped me with "time management and study habits", have you considered 2-6 years in the military to give you a boost?

that might be a good solution

 

[jimbob200521]

Nope, I went straight from HS to a full time job.

 

[aswedc]

Don't waste any more money taking semester based classes until you've proven you'll do the work to keep up with it.

The solution to get back on track? Independent study. The class waits for you. Not doing an assignment in a certain time frame won't lower your grade. It'll just delay your progress.

http://is.lsu.edu/courselist.asp?nid=102&Level=CO&Online=0

These are real classes for real college credit from LSU.

 

[azazyel]

Not sure if this helps but I was pretty much in college for 8 years just getting my Bachelors. I went from State school to CC because I didn't know what I wanted to do. My advice would be to start taking classes that seem interesting to you. Don't worry about what you need to get one cert or another just take a class and learn. Also, don't worry about grades worry about learning. I think too many people go to college with grades in mind instead of actually expanding their minds. You're paying for an education, not meaningless letters on a piece of paper.

Also, if you do go back to the CC take advantage of what there is there. Using the labs, the writing workshops and math tutors. You're already paying for it so USE IT!

 

[Canai]

I took two years off and am now rocking the grades. Just wait until you feel comfortable going back. You'll know when.

 

[KaChow]

I just started college this semester at my local CC. I graduated from high school in 1988. I worked full-time until 1997 and joined the military when I was 26. I got out in 2002 and have been working as a government IT contractor ever since.

I've always had terrible study and note taking habits. I still do, but I'm motivated to get a degree so that certainly helps.

Joining the military has its perks: the GI Bill, motivation ,responsibility, and credit towards college depending on what you are going for. My 5.5 years in the military was worth 20 credit hours of college courses.

 

[SonnyDaze]

Originally posted by: FoBoT

Originally posted by: OVerLoRDI

Originally posted by: FoBoT
boot camp helped me with "time management and study habits", have you considered 2-6 years in the military to give you a boost?

I've considered the military for that reason as well. I am lazy and unmotivated and I feel the Military will likely whip me into shape and definitely make me less lazy and a better person.

i went to 3 different colleges after high school and could not get motivated.
i was in NROTC and had a full scholarship, but no motivation and failing calculus 3 times didn't help

so i enlisted in the Navy and learned a lot , Navy schools taught me or motivated me into having discipline and helped me transition from HS to the "Real world"

i went to night school before getting out of the Navy and got my B.S. degree, ten years after HS

it isn't for everybody, but it worked out well for me, i am happy i spent 9 yrs 9 months in the Navy

FoBoT brings up some good points about the military and education. The military can give you direction on the motivational and goal setting issues and at the same time offer you some good educational opportunites. You could possibly walk away with a skill, a degree and maybe some cash depending on your financial skills. But like he said, it'ts not for everyone so you need to figure that one out yourself.

Though I was able to land a decent Civil Service job after retiring from the military, I still kick myself in the ass for not taking advantage of the educational opportunites.

 

[illusion88]

Originally posted by: azazyel
Not sure if this helps but I was pretty much in college for 8 years just getting my Bachelors. I went from State school to CC because I didn't know what I wanted to do. My advice would be to start taking classes that seem interesting to you. Don't worry about what you need to get one cert or another just take a class and learn. Also, don't worry about grades worry about learning. I think too many people go to college with grades in mind instead of actually expanding their minds. You're paying for an education, not meaningless letters on a piece of paper.

Also, if you do go back to the CC take advantage of what there is there. Using the labs, the writing workshops and math tutors. You're already paying for it so USE IT!

I hadn't thought of doing that. I have always taken classes that were related to graduating the CC and then transfering (things like math, english, etc. etc. etc)

 

[Jeff7]

I went to a community college for Cisco Networking. I finished everything except the internship - the IT sector was crashing at that time, along with the NASDAQ, so companies were busy laying off everyone possible, with no openings for interns. I missed my CCNA certification by one question, and figured "screw it." I didn't care for programming routers. I don't care for programming at all, really. So I worked for nearly three years, 2.5 of which was working nightshift at Walmart doing just about anything. Stocking shelves, pulling pallets of freight, using the forklift outside, using the cherry picker/scissor-lift to do work at the ceiling or on high shelves, or any number of other odd jobs the managers might have had. But I did get sick of that after awhile, sick of the mindless grunt work.
So I'm at a university now, for mechanical engineering technology. Unfortunately, most of the work strikes me as mindless too, stuff that a computer could calculate. Loads of formulas to memorize, and ways of applying them. The only "challenge" is motivating myself to slog through the work.
Hopefully it'll lead to a job that has decent pay. Hey, if I have to have a job I don't really like, I might as well get paid well for it.

 

[cjmtfd102401]

I graduated May of 2003, took 2 summer courses June of 2003 and went every spring and fall semester up to 2005. I got burned out, I want to go back but I work full time now, and don't know what to major in.

 

[shadow9d9]

I couldn't wait to go to college so I could live among my peers, scout girls for a wife, get out on my own, be away from my parents. I would never have gone to a community college.

I went to college, found my future wife, moved in with 3 girls in an apartment in 3rd year, got a dog, then a cat, then a second dog, made tons of friends and graduated in 3 years unfortunately. But those were the best 3 years!

Still married and still close friends with my best friend even though we live about 7 states away... we go on vacation together each year. Got a second cat now too. 2 cats, 2 dogs, married, and trying for a kid.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I took the summer off.

How long do you have to live in the state to qualify as a resident?

 

[SZLiao214]

I had the summer then the university started for me. I regret not going to community college for 1-2 years though. It would have saved a lot of money.

 

[jadinolf]

I went into the Air Force for 4 years prior to college.

The GI bill didn't pay much back then but it sure helped.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

US Army for 3yrs prior to college for me.

Senior year of HS took 6-weeks so I joined up and shipped out in January.

 

[JS80]

you must be really lazy because i know plenty of idiots who graduated from ucla and usc