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| Thread: I gave up on PhD plans... |  This thread is pages long: 1 2 · NEXT» |
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Doomforge
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posted November 27, 2011 12:41 PM |
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I gave up on PhD plans...
This wasn't exactly an easy decision, but all in all, I decided to drop the whole "education" stuff. I want to finish my Master's degree, and then, GTFO.
I had plans for becoming a lecturer once, impressed by - mainly - their low hours per week count (only 12 per week). I thought "once I prepare materials for the students and make a good series of slideshows in Powerpoint, I'm pretty much done, and I work 12 hours per week where others work 40). However, as time went by and I kept studying, I noticed that it's really hard to "know" anything when you don't really care for your course. I picture that it would be extremely difficult of me to prevail because of the sheer amount of knowledge I would have to gain before I could actually be able to procrastinate. In all honesty, I don't know much about Telematics. Blame me or the education system, or both, but I really don't. I feel a really dumb guy there, and it's not that because it's hard, but because it's presented in such an abysmal, extremely boring way, I just want to end it and be done with it forever.
It kinda saddens me that I will be "blessed" by spending my statistical 66% of the day either at "work" or going back from/to work, but on the other hand, doing something I'm totally horrible at (and what bores me to oblivion, in addition) just to be able to procrastinate after 20 years... naaah.
So, any ideas on what to do now? @_@
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Darkshadow
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Cerise Princess
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posted November 27, 2011 12:46 PM |
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Welcome to the dropout club bro 
Ideas? Well, what do YOU want to do? It seems kinda silly to think we know what you want better than you do yourself 
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JoonasTo
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What if Elvin was female?
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posted November 27, 2011 12:48 PM |
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Excellent choice man!
Doing a doctorate requires a certain mindset which includes wicked interest in constant studying. Something you obviously don't have. It would have been pure torture to you.
Weren't in engineering or something?
I'd say go work somewhere for a few years and set up a consulting firm.
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Doomforge
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posted November 27, 2011 01:03 PM |
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Quote:
Ideas? Well, what do YOU want to do? It seems kinda silly to think we know what you want better than you do yourself
Thing is, I really have no idea  I had a plan to continue studying, but I see clearly it's not for me. So I don't know what to do at the moment.
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mvassilev
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posted November 27, 2011 01:04 PM |
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Maybe if you weren't studying something as mind-numbingly boring as telematics. It sounds almost as bad as accounting.
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alcibiades
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of Gold Dragons
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posted November 27, 2011 01:08 PM |
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First of all, as a teacher, I have to tell you that it's not as easy a job as it may look from the outside. No, you don't just have time off all that time you don't spend in class, and yes, it takes a lot of work to get to know all that stuff well enough to actually be a good teacher.
Secondly, I have to add that I was in a very similar situation, I also half-heartedly applied for a Ph.D., got a rejection and was actually pretty happy with that, because of that settled things (I subsequently got a Ph.D. offer from another source, but turned it down, as I had decided to move on to something else). I've never regretted not continuing my studies, sometimes it's surprising how nice it is to get out and do something new.
Thirdly, don't regret having a 9-5 job. It may seem like a lot of time spend at work, but the good thing is you're actually off work when you're not there. I work as a high-school teacher, and yes, I'm only at work between 12 and 20 hours each week (in class at least), but I always have stuff that needs to be prepared, papers I need to grade, etc. Point is that while my in-class hours may seem attractive, I'm never really off work - there's always something that I ought to do, even when I'm at home. That can be pretty demanding, actually.
As for what to do - I'd say, get a job - just about any job, as things are these days I reckon. And then take it from there - if it turns out you like it - cool. If you don't - get some experience, and then move on.
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Doomforge
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posted November 27, 2011 01:15 PM |
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thanks for your input Alci. I guess that a university teacher needs even more time for preparations, and after all, he needs to be a man of science. Well, sort of, on our universities they are required to do some scientific work (even if it's a joke i.e. making "articles" that are rephrased articles already written by Americans, lol) and that takes even more time.
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Maybe if you weren't studying something as mind-numbingly boring as telematics. It sounds almost as bad as accounting.
If only I knew how crappy it is earlier.
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Zenofex
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posted November 27, 2011 01:32 PM |
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It doesn't really matter what you'll start as long as you like it (or at least don't hate it). Strict plans rarely survive intact for more than a few years so better decide what kind of human you want to be after X time and take it from there, the rest is details which are pretty situational. As long as you're happy with your achievements, everything is as it should be. I'm an International Relations Master, I like most of the things which I've learned in the university but my impression about most of the lecturers is for brain-dead parrots and doctrinaires which ultimately made my decision to stop at this point much easier. Now I'm working in the networking field (yeah, it has nothing to do with humanitarian sciences) which I found to be much more entertaining than expected, keep my old interests alive and I'm fine with what I do.
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del_diablo
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posted November 27, 2011 01:52 PM |
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Not a science major becoming a sort of engineer? Nothing of value was lost.
Well, I am glad that you figured out this before it was later.
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Duke_Falcon
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posted November 27, 2011 02:29 PM |
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Your choice so we respect it.
But if I were you I'll go for that PhD!
I will do so, as for myself...
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Tsar-Ivor
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posted November 27, 2011 02:44 PM |
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If your career is something that you love, then it can hardly be considered as 'work'. Do what you love and you will prevail.  .
Mind you, if you do not yet know what it is that you love, then you should investigate. I dare-say the time investment is worth it.
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"No laughs were had. There is only shame and sadness." Jenny
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Corribus
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The Abyss Staring Back at You
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posted November 27, 2011 03:39 PM |
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General rule of thumb is that for every 1 hour of lecture you have to give, it's 4 hours of preparation.
So 12 hour work week isn't really a 12 hour work week. 
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I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask them where they're goin', and hook up with them later. -Mitch Hedberg
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DagothGares
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posted November 27, 2011 03:46 PM |
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Quote:
General rule of thumb is that for every 1 hour of lecture you have to give, it's 4 hours of preparation.
So 12 hour work week isn't really a 12 hour work week.
Meh, my Russian professor gives the same course every year.
In fact, in all of Belgium they pretty much all use her course and explain what's in it. I could teach first year slavists with almost no preparation.
EDIT: I'll be the first to admit my field of study requires a hell of a lot less insight than any strongly scientific field of study, with the exception of a distinct few areas (verbs of movement and aspects).
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Doomforge
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posted November 27, 2011 04:35 PM |
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Meh, my Russian professor gives the same course every year.
Since my father works at a college, I know that environment "from the inside". Most of the professors follow the same pattern over the years:
1. make a set of powerpoint presentations
2. make a set of questions for exams
3. repeat those for 40 years, adding something if there's a discovery
After they have gained sufficient knowledge about stuff, they just quit pursuing that branch of science.
Most of them just keeps parroting what they have prepared 20 years ago endlessly, while spending most of their enthusiasm towards their private businesses (like, private expertises, online shops, montage of different systems for a lot of money).
They don't work too much. A few of my father's friends go to work once per week (and have, say, 10 hours of labs that day).
Again, it's mainly the hours/week that drew me to that occupation in the first place. But... they are not doing things right. They are slacking, procrastinating, they don't care. The effect? Polish Universities are around 500th place in the world, the students know nothing at all, and we're just brainlessly parroting some outdated material without any comprehension at all, just to forget all a month after a passed exam.
If I wanted to procrastinate, I'd actually support the very same crappy system I'm so pissed about today. That's hypocrisy.
If I, however, intended to be a good professor, I'd have to dedicate my life towards it. And I don't like it, neither logistics, nor "academic life". So...
lose-lose.
That's when I say "screw it all".
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MacMasterMC
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posted March 19, 2012 11:50 AM |
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There is an earlier comment I will echo, since it is so true.
There is much to be said for a standard 9-5.
Far too many places you can work these days, and especially depending on where in the world/how your nation where you reside in is doing economically seek to take even what was/is a 9-5 and turn it into an on call kind of thing. Even fast food is bad about this these days.
That being said, a job where you can work, and when you are not there, simply not really think about at all besides when you next need to show up, are quite valuable in the lack of time monopolization which way too many jobs these days require.
It seems to me that most people don't really appreciate this kind of a job anymore, and that really is to the detriment of society at large.
It will never be sufficiently justified to me in areas aside from necessity (electricity plants, various things to keep water flowing, life sustaining types of industries) that you need to focus on the job at all times. A proper perspective requires understanding the importance of family, not a work is more important than anything routine.
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an expectant feel to the air...
...a figure takes shape...
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OhforfSake
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posted March 19, 2012 04:13 PM |
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Hey Mac. Good to see you again. I guess I missed this thread the first time around.
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I had plans for becoming a lecturer once, impressed by - mainly - their low hours per week count (only 12 per week).
Well there's your first problem.
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However, as time went by and I kept studying, I noticed that it's really hard to "know" anything when you don't really care for your course. I picture that it would be extremely difficult of me to prevail because of the sheer amount of knowledge I would have to gain before I could actually be able to procrastinate.
There's your second and third problem.
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I feel a really dumb guy there, and it's not that because it's hard, but because it's presented in such an abysmal, extremely boring way, I just want to end it and be done with it forever.
Welcome to an experience most students silently shares.
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It kinda saddens me that I will be "blessed" by spending my statistical 66% of the day either at "work" or going back from/to work, but on the other hand, doing something I'm totally horrible at (and what bores me to oblivion, in addition) just to be able to procrastinate after 20 years... naaah.
And there's your general problem. Life doesn't work like that.
First of all, time passes no matter what we do. It doesn't matter much to you know if you bored your socks off at public school 10 years ago.
Secondly, you'll only be able to sustain a non-drone job type, if you can be creative, because there'll be no book with all the answers. A lot of time, you'll even have to come to terms with failure, but not failure in the same way you'll know from being a student, where failure is solely due to procastinating. However to be creative enough to be considering worthy for the employers money, you'll have to feel good about where you work. That's one of the main reasons there's such a huge focus on happy workers. However to be happy about your job kind of excludes the whole fear of the 66% of your life spend in absolute forced boredom.
Yeah it sucks to be "forced" to stay at one particular place or be available for someone, at the first look, but in practice, your employer in non-drone jobs doesn't really care how you get your job done. As long as you get it done and better than the competition. It often means that the better workers also are those with most freedom and both of these qualities attracts more candidates for job in the same company, which means even more freedom around the job.
So yeah, you still have a basic task. But I find it in the end it doesn't become much different from the task of eating. You're forced to do it, in the end, but it's freaking enjoyable and something you'd not want to miss, if you actually had a choice.
That's one reason why an education can be so important, because it can help you avoid the drone-jobs.
I mean, let's look at each of the problems solely. You wanted to be a lecturer due to more free-time. So how will you spend the free time? However you damn please, in other words with your interests. But whatever your interests may be, there's most likely a market for it. So you review games in your free time, there are people who make money of reviewing and play tasting others games. Heck you might know what needs to improved and you could probably make quite a decent game yourself. But some goes even more crazy, like those who becomes so good at the game, that they win money prizes and can live through that. But of course all of these leads to obligations and I have the impression it's not the forced 2/3 of your life in boredom you dislike. I think you dislike the idea of obligation. That you've agreed to do something, that other people have expectations to you, heck that even you, yourself have these expectations to you.
If that's true, then you were doomed to fail from the start.
This was about the first and basicly third problem. You want to minimize the amount of time where you're obligated to someone or something, so you can procastinate, i.e. spend your time as you please.
About the second problem, which is also partly the third, it reminds me of a friend of mine. He told me math was all about rote learning. That looks an awful lot like the precedure you're describing. It's typically not about having a certain amount of knowledge, but understanding. Technically you can argument for why they're the same, but the point is not that you've the knowledge, the point is you can apply the needed knowledge. It's useless to know that a spider has 8 legs and an ant 6 legs, if you're trying to find out how much the height level changes when you drop down different rocks into a pool of water. You need to be able to know what you want to find out and be able to administrate a method of doing so. That's typically all there is to it. What studies gives you are often a basis of the understanding needed to tacke a problem and non-obvious method for evaluating the problem on different levels. These tools are incredibly great and something humanity have worked out over decades, but it's not just a bunch of knowledge, which you need to memorize. It's techniques, which are important to be able to apply and if you really care about the subject in question, you'll most likely completely automatic due to the positive emotions associated with the given task, be able to figure out exactly what to do and how to do it.
Had you merely applied rote learning, you'd most likely have a vague idea of something which needs to be done and maybe you'd get a result you'd hardly understand. Why? Because you wouldn't actually realise the basis that generates the knowledge, which you memorized in the first place.
So I'm certain you're smart guy. One needs to be so, to be able to get a bachelor without caring for the subject. However I think your perception does not match very well with reality and maybe you need to get out there and experience what is really waiting for you out there, so when you go back to your studies, you feel a lot more motivated.
I mean, I understand how it is to freaking fear what is on the other side. I've done so from every step I took, kindergarten -> public school, public school -> high school, etc. It's so nice and easy to hide in your current position. Thinking forward and seeing yourself in a sucky position and then thinking back on how awesome you've it now and be glad about it. It's not typical and it's opposite of what most youngsters do. Most youngsters, especially at a very young age, will be all "I wanna be a grown up, so I can do whatever I want and go to bed when I want and poo in whatever I wnat". These people will most likely get a shock when they grow up and sadly every type of society preparation is aimed at these people, because they're the norm. I think you and I are different, doom. At least I don't want to be older, if I could choose, I would want the freedom of when I were 4-5 years old. No work, no school, no expectation and long and good life ahead, everyone you love is still alive, etc.
But the thing is, neither of those world views are correct. When you go from one instance to another, there'll always be people there who just want the best out the situation as possible. These will be tremendous company, because like you, they've to be there, so you're in the same boat. But that is only school, when you get past school and have to get a job, you'll realise that now, unlike with school, people at every level will care about you in some way or another. Why? Because now they care about what you can do for them, in stead of merely being there for you. If you care for them likewise, because they can enhance your work as well and together you can make something you find meaningful, interesting and worthwhile, then you'll realise that where you had a lot of useless freedom as a kid, you know have a lot of meaningful responsibility as an adult. Mostly towards yourself and it's what one in principle always wanted to use their free time for.
It does of course suck, if you find yourself forced to do some kind of manual labor you never wanted to do at a place where you're easily exchangeable and where you no one cares about you. But that's a nightmare scenario only a low percentage goes through and if someone with a high education ends up in a job like that, it means the majority of the population would be entirely out of jobs. A society would not be able to function like that, so in other words, it's not gonna happen, if you don't allow it to happen.
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MacMasterMC
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posted March 19, 2012 04:28 PM |
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Thanks for the WB Ohfor.
Couldn't really add to that...
Someone needs to QP Ohfor for the above. I am very impressed Ohfor.
Let's hope this is how you post now, I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
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...a shimmer in the woods, with
an expectant feel to the air...
...a figure takes shape...
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Doomforge
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posted March 19, 2012 04:47 PM |
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Interesting post, Offs. I'd prefer a different age tho: 15yo or such. In that age you're mature enough not to be completely dependent on parents, but young enough to still have every important decision ahead of you. Great time, I miss it badly.
Mostly because most decisions I've taken turned out horribly wrong.
As for me... well, things looked easy when I was typing that, but I'm currently halfway through Masters' course, and to be honest I'm still in that black pit of "what the hell should I do next?".
I still consider PhD something that can save my butt from unemployment, if things go south...
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We reached to the stars and everything is now ours
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MacMasterMC
Known Hero
Resurrected Loreweaver
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posted March 19, 2012 04:57 PM |
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Just don't forget this Doom: Everything in life is up to us.
This can be both terrifying and heartening.
It's incredibly scary to think that everything is up to you. It seems almost too much burden, and it even cripples some people, myself included in the past. It can be hard to face that reality, knowing that success or failure rests on you. Even as a man whose faith actively sees him through each day, that can be quite daunting.
But the beauty of the other side is stunning in its jaw dropping simplicity and magnificence. When we seek to do any given thing in this life, we make the choices. Whichever way we choose to be led, we can be able to understand and determine the best way to move forward. And we can learn from our mistakes! In many ways, life is like the ultimate video game. Except the consequences are real, but then so are the amazing wonders we get to experience in life! As we own our actions and their consequences, it is dazzlingly freeing once you do.
There are no limits to your success but your own fears.
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...a shimmer in the woods, with
an expectant feel to the air...
...a figure takes shape...
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Drakon-Deus
Undefeatable Hero
Qapla'
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posted March 19, 2012 04:58 PM |
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Well, best of luck whatever you pursue Doom.
I'll soon come face to face with having to make a decision in my future career, time flies...
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