For the past 3 years i’ve (a) not managed to crash going to and from college (b) not dropped out (c) managed to pass 36 different subjects (35 knock outs, 1 rematch) 😉
Stayin’ Alive
All of those things are an achievement. Over the 3 years, i’ve seen about 7 accidents going to and from college. Haven’t seen them happening, but seen the scrunched up cars and carnage. No fatalities to the best of my knowledge though.
Why am i starting off a college post about driving? Because driving is what i do before & after college, about 2 hours in total. Get that wrong and i’m dead. I knew it was the single greatest risk to me not getting a degree. By simply protecting myself and keeping myself alive and well, i believed 100% i’d complete and get a degree. And that’s exactly what i’ve done.
The Early Days
I blogged regularly about college in my first month, back in september 2007.
- http://www.smemon.com/back-to-school-time/
- http://www.smemon.com/college-tomorrow/
- http://www.smemon.com/my-first-day-in-college/
- http://www.smemon.com/hows-college-going/
Early Observations
Here’s a few quotes from those blog posts back in 2007….
Another key factor is ignoring what lecturers say.. most of it is crap. Padded, industry language which makes things sound more difficult than they are.. it’s a skill to know when a lecturer is saying something important, and when they’re just waffling on for the sake of it..
Probably the most important skill you can learn in college. Knowing what’s useful and what’s not. Amazing how i picked up on that so quickly 🙂
I’ve yet to come across any DKIT’ers with blogs or websites of their own so that’s a concern
Loads of bebo profiles though which tells you where the priorities lie
That’s changed since i’ve started. I know at least 5 people in my own year that now have blogs or sites online of some description. Plus there are more on twitter & facebook has taken over from bebo and exploded. Overall though, the college itself still has a really poor online presence and relationship with potential students. It was poor back in 2007, it’s still poor today.
If i find it tough going, i won’t be afraid to say it, but you won’t find me dropping out if the going gets tough.
Typifies my attitude really… if i fail, i’ll keep going back until i pass, quitting isn’t an option.
I hate the long breaks though, such a waste of time.. i might take the laptop in if my timetable stays like that… make a few blog posts or browse about on the wi-fi… speaking of wi-fi, it’s great to have an n95 with built in wi-fi.. it means i can check/send email literally everywhere i go on campus
I WISH! Yes there was wifi, when it worked. It’s finally being upgraded over the summer so should be sorted out for next year but it’s too late. Should have been solved earlier. No forgiveness. The gaps between classes can be a killer and most people just leave / go home which then means you lose out on class time… it’s a problem and a dilemma for students. It’s not nice hanging around, especially if you’ve no wifi.
The Work
Do you think this looks easy?
Thought not. That’s 3 years of college work right there. And you need to get about 40% of that in to your head to get any sort of degree. It’s not easy, but you shouldn’t be intimidated by that either. 90% of it is rubbish which already exists online anyway.
Maths, programming, physchology, networking, communication, databases, hardware, multimedia… just a few examples of what i’ve studied over the years. A wide range of subjects. Looks good, but the more subjects thrown at you, the more subjects you’re not gonna like. It’s impossible to like or enjoy all 36 subjects.
So if you’re not a ‘grin and bear it’ kind of person or don’t have that streak in you, you probably won’t last beyond the first year or first semester. You just have to tell yourself all subjects are equal… if you find one easy, stop working on it and focus on passing your poor subjects. I would argue that makes you more unhappy and kills your enthusiasm, but it has to be done. This is a results based business… all subjects must be passed so you simply take from the rich, give to the poor. Robin Hood tactics. You can’t neglect any and if you fail one, you fail them all and don’t get your degree.
Unfair? Yes. It stifles your productivity in my view and punishes those that are extremely gifted in one area but extremely under gifted in others. But they’re the rules. That’s what you sign up for. No sympathy. No mercy. The results are all that matter and you really can’t forget that even though it sounds, and it is, ruthless.
The Future
My mission when i first started out was to get a degree in IT management. I’m 75% there. In order to get in to IT management, i needed to complete a degree in Computer Applications & Support, which i’ve now done.
I’ve just completed an ‘ordinary degree’ or ‘level 7’. That’s taken 3 years to achieve. A ‘level 8’ or honours degree will take just one more year, so it’s worth doing. It’s another step up the ladder plus anything that has the word ‘management’ in it always looks good.
I mentioned before i’ll also be venturing in to mobile applications this summer and next year, as part of that IT management degree. That’s something i’m looking forward to. We’ll also be in a brand new building with brand new equipment starting this September. Hopefully a new beginning…
So it would be foolish to leave now and not spend another year in the education cement mixer. Hopefully, this will be my last year as the next step after an honors degree would be a masters which is just overkill for me at this very moment in time.
Beyond next year, i could stab Ireland in the back, do a runner with my new found education and go abroad but somehow i can’t see that happening. I’m happy here, and i’d be even happier if i could find & work at a job i love.