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I'm going back to school! (maybe) and I'm employed again!

Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2005 6:52 pm
by BlackRider
Well sorta employed... I'm house sitting a 10,000 square foot mansion that was build in the '20s or '30s for $20 a night. I get to do this for all of February, half of April, most of May, and August through October. Scratch the last couple months if I go back to school. But all I have to do is show up at night, turn off the alarm, give the house a look over, flip some lights, and go to bed. So basically its free money.

Basically I took half of December as a mental holiday and lived off of my savings. Well now that's turned into half of January too. Finding a tolerable job is much more difficult than I had thought. $140/wk can go a long way. It will pay my car payments and my insurance too. Any day job I can find will then go almost entirely to my 'back to school' fund. (That and fixing my '85 MR2.)

As for school... I took a break from that back in the spring. My heart just wasn't in it and my grades were falling. So I just went back to work. I figured it was better to graduate eventually than to change programs six times and lost interest in what I was doing and ultimately not graduate. Time to find out how correct my theory was. I bet going back to school is going to be really hard this time around.

This time I am doing things different. I decided to risk burnout over boredom. So this time around I am going to double major. I am not settled on what but am considering mechanical engineering and aerospace engineering or possibly mathematics as a second major. Does anyone have any recommendations for a second major? (I wonder if the university will allow a further minor in something along the lines of music theory.) So I intend to challenge myself with as many classes as I can fit in my schedule.

To maintain my focus I will be living on campus and I will avoid holding a job during school quarters. (That's a part of what got me the last time was that I found myself preferring work to school, and I'd actually skip class to go to work instead.)

What do you guys think about me going back to school? I'm worried that I won't be able to get back in and that I'm wasting time and money. If I was sticking to the University of Cincinnati then I would be certain that could get registered (as I am technically still a UC student but have not enrolled in any courses for 3 quarters now). I am attempting to transfer to Ohio State University. That way I will be a bit further from the distractions of home but I can also be with some of my closest friends.

Nothings for sure yet. I am talking to some OSU councilers in a couple weeks and touring the campus. Hopefully then I can find the best way to get what I want out of college. I'm just worried because my grades were not so great when I quit school last time. So I'm going to have to talk face to face with some councilers and deans. Make a few friends in high places and maybe get a second chance a college.


I've been typing for a while and can't remember what I'm trying to say so I'll stop now and ask for any input, thoughts, or suggestions.


What do you guys think?

Thanks,
BR

Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2005 11:38 pm
by XMEN Gambit
I think these majors will kick your butt when you do jr and sr level classes. :) If not individually, than the combo. I certainly don't think you're stupid, but at any school worth its name will be loading you heavily at the upper levels even when just pursuing one. And you can survive a good butt-kicking, right? ;)

Though combining one of the engineering with math courses would actually be a good idea. You've got to take so much math anyway (the aerospace more than mechanical, probably) that it's likely just a handful of extra courses you could take care of with an extra semester. If I'd taken three more math classes I'd have a degree to go along with my B.S. in Comp Sci.

And, oddly enough, I hate learning math. :)