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Taking a year off school (pg. 2)
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| dEsidEL |
| quote: | Originally posted by DigiNut
I'd agree with this. Take whatever courses you can and work. You *don't* want to lose the rhythm, because as we all know it can be very hard to pick up again (remember our conversations about "sloth mode"! :p)
Hauling off to Europe, tossing out your life savings, going deep into debt and doing nothing productive might sound like fun, but time is an investment and I think you'll find that a few extra courses and another year of work experience will be a lot more valuable to you in 2-3 years than slacking off in another country.
Graham, unless you've changed your outlook in the past year, I think you tend to respect other people who make the most productive use of their time possible. Take your cues from them, and spend the year finding ways to better yourself, not impoverish yourself. |
perhaps i forgot to mention that he should probably travel on what he can afford
... only person i know who's travelled on debt was DJ Kurfew ..
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| nadezhda |
| quote: | Originally posted by drgoodvibe
Work sucks, fulltime work sucks even more. DO it now, once you end up in the corporate world 2 weeks or 3 weeks of vacation will not ever be enough, not to mention blackout months, and a whole bunch of other garbage to contend with. |
this is so true. so much so that i am planning on taking another year off from real life again in the near future before i "settle down" or something.
1. i took a break between first year at the u of m and coming here to ryerson to take fashion. i worked full time to save to go live/work/travel in england that same year, and i completed my entrance portfolio for school.
2. honestly, i think i maybe would have waited to go to the uk until i was done uni and could have gotten a job in my field...and stayed there for the full 2 years (possibly longer). it would have been nice to have the money i saved up to go away for school. paying back student loans sucks.
3. it's not hard to be motivated to go back to school when you are studying something you love.
travel is an amazing, life-changing experience that i think everyone should have. but saving money, getting experience in your field is more practical. |
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| The Highroller |
| quote: | Originally posted by DigiNut
I'd agree with this. Take whatever courses you can and work. You *don't* want to lose the rhythm, because as we all know it can be very hard to pick up again (remember our conversations about "sloth mode"! :p)
Hauling off to Europe, tossing out your life savings, going deep into debt and doing nothing productive might sound like fun, but time is an investment and I think you'll find that a few extra courses and another year of work experience will be a lot more valuable to you in 2-3 years than slacking off in another country.
Graham, unless you've changed your outlook in the past year, I think you tend to respect other people who make the most productive use of their time possible. Take your cues from them, and spend the year finding ways to better yourself, not impoverish yourself. |
If I planned on going to Europe, I am a citizen of the EU, so even if I did go there, I could work in my field and gain contacts there. This would also prevent me from putting myself into a lot of debt. Another consideration is, if I live in Europe for a year, that would be 1 out of the 3 year residence requirement in order to get free university education. With that said, there are other places I would like to go equally as much as I would like to go to Europe.
I can only take 1 course that would go toward a minor next year. I've already done all the courses I possibly can. I've already looked into it. |
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| shanny |
If I were you I would audition for the WWE, I think you would make a great wrestler!
Super Graham!!!!
Seriously though, you have a good head on your shoulders, I would just make sure to be happy with yourself and what you are doing, and I wouldn't imagine you having too much of a hard time getting back into the groove next year.
Sucks to hear you have to do it at all though! |
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| rabbitjoker |
| You've probably already done this - but make sure you talk to an academic counselor to see if you can get some special status or exemption to take a few of the 3rd year classes. |
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| DigiNut |
Travelling on what you can afford or can't afford, it still has zero ROI.
I believe that the more you invest in your education and your own personal value, the less you will find that "work sucks" later on in life. Personally, my work does not suck, but it probably would if I'd taken bird courses in university and/or wasted a lot of time in general. Opportunities disappear as quickly as they appear - you have to seize them when they're available to you. |
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| Nikitha |
My year off was the best thing i have ever done...
i can't really say that i did anything spectacular.. because i didn't.. but i foud out alot about myself and matured tremondously all while spending a lot of time and having some of the most amazing and unforgetable times with one of my very best friends in the world (who also took that year off).. i honestly think the everyone should take some time off for themselves... its amazing how differently you look at the world and your life when you have nothing to keep you distracted....
and by the time school did roll around.. i' was totally geeked to start my program
Nikitha |
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| nadezhda |
| quote: | Originally posted by DigiNut
Travelling on what you can afford or can't afford, it still has zero ROI.
I believe that the more you invest in your education and your own personal value, the less you will find that "work sucks" later on in life. Personally, my work does not suck, but it probably would if I'd taken bird courses in university and/or wasted a lot of time in general. Opportunities disappear as quickly as they appear - you have to seize them when they're available to you. |
i don't agree with this, but to each their own. travel is an education in itself. although i wish i had gone later on, i would never give up that experience for anything at the time that it happened, because it changed me as a person.
work can still suck even if you work your ass off in school and do not waste time. if your company sucks and undervalues its employees, then work sucks. or rather, my job sucks, not work itself. but that's another issue altogether! |
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| rabbitjoker |
University/college is the last period of one's life when the main primary purpose is to "learn" and that's it.
Once you're out - the primary purpose is "accumulate" and it's next to impossible to get back into "learn" primary purpose mode.
If you have a once in an lifetime opportunity available to you - take a year off and go for it.
If there isn't a once in a lifetime opportunity waiting - stay in the "learn" mode. Keep your full time status by taking filler courses - things you don't need for your program but things you are just interested in, keep your brain sharp and maintain your school social circle.
I'm having to be brief here because I have to head out - but you get the point - if you want me to elaborate further let me know and I will when I return. |
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| The Highroller |
| quote: | Originally posted by rabbitjoker
If there isn't a once in a lifetime opportunity waiting - stay in the "learn" mode. Keep your full time status by taking filler courses - things you don't need for your program but things you are just interested in, keep your brain sharp and maintain your school social circle. |
I would take filler courses, but they're not very practical. They're not going to count towards my degree. I already have a bunch of courses from my first year, from when I was taking political science that aren't a requirement for my business degree, but can be used to get some credits. I am now at a point where there are only 2 courses I can take. Anything else I take won't count towards my diploma at all. I.e. they would be a waste of money. |
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| rabbitjoker |
UoT has to have 2 courses that you would be interested in. It's a big school. ;)
Learning new things - wasting money?
Meeting new friends - wasting money?
Keeping your "head in the learning game" for a year - wasting money? |
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| magikb |
| quote: | Originally posted by rabbitjoker
Once you're out - the primary purpose is "accumulate" and it's next to impossible to get back into "learn" primary purpose mode.
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I couldn't agree with you more!
For me personally, I dropped out of college for the main reason I decided the program I was taking (Law & Secutiry Admin) wasn't what I wanted to do. I was 20 at the time and didn't know what I wanted cuz Law was all I had ever wanted.. so I said I was going to take a year off and just work. Well work ended up landing me the job I am doing now and I haven't looked back. I would love to go back to school but unfortunately the courses I want to take are full-time and I don't have an option there, I have to continue to work full-time now and with only having that am looking now at other options including getting away from everything for a year and enjoying my time cuz I still don't know what I want to do, 7 years later. :conf:
So don't let taking a year off get you behind Graham, cuz it really is hard to go back for many different reasons! Just an idea; if you do travel over to Europe, take a course in one of their Universities or do something else that will still keep you in the learning state of mind and you can still have fun while you are at it. :) |
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