uni rut

[gertie]

HELP, i need somebody (s) Help, not just anybody (s) help, you know i need someone(s) h.e.l.p.
okay the situation is as follows:
i am currently half way through a bachelor of media, yay for me right? WRONG! I am studying majors in journalism and multimedia with a minor in design, after coming half way i realise that I adore the multimedia stuff and despise the journalism crap. I would love to switch into a bachelor of multimedia but i am presented with two problems, the first is that I'm not sure if I have the smarts to succeed in multimedia, the second is that making the switch would mean an extra two years and I would have to re-locate myself to a different city.
Unfortunately my studies in journalism have left me unable to make decisions on my own (thinking for myself and all that jazz) I would greatly appreciate any input/assistance.... criticism...
the floor is open

[dwarfthrower]

Which city from -> to?

[BtrFly]

do it, if you are unhappy, then do it. you never know until you try :)

[gertie]

Which city from -> to?
i'll tell you, but you must promise not to laugh...

I study in Lismore (from Canberra originally so anywhere else seems like a great place to live by comparison) I'll have to move to Coffs Harbour.

[tomsyman]

how long to go in your current degree? There's no point giving up if you are nearly there. Even if you never use it it will look good on your CV that you have 2 degrees.

[dwarfthrower]

Coffs Harbour is nice... Quite possible Russel Crowe won't be back there for some time too ;)

I say go for it.

[Vardsy]

Always good to have the journo shit to fall back on

With journalism and multimedia under your belt in a couple of years you could score an attractive salary and bonuses being a full-time journalist and designer for Zgeek.

Either that or your cardboard sign will be well designed and unbiased

[linkway]

Really mate i would just do what you want. I was doing straight business for a year and boy it was ordinary. I decided to switch to do a double degree, of law and business. I hadn't enjoyed any study so far, until i got to law, i am loving it although it is quite hard. One thing you shouldn't be doing is doubting your smarts, because if you want to do something and your willing to work hard enough, your bound to succeed.

Really think carefully about the choices your making, and dont not to mulitmedia just because its easier to stay with journalism. Remember that your career will last at least 30 years, and although you can always change, it is quite difficult to give up regular work to go and study again.

Anyway that is my 5 cents on your situation, good luck with it all. By the way coffs is a beautiful place, some nice surf beaches i believe.

[The Cunt]

You adore the multimedia stuff BUT you're not sure if you have the smarts to succeed in it.

Your studies in journalism have left you unable to make decisions on your own.

Howsabout you consider a career in social welfare.

[Solo man]

I think that it would be useful to finish the journalism degree. Firstly the qualifications gained will be useful in whatever field you work and, as stated above, would look good in your CV. You could become a multimedia journalist!
Then you could think about doing the multimedia at Coffs.

[gertie]

all good points, thanks people.
I have one and a half years (including three journalism units) to go, so it is nearly over. I admit that the idea of having an attractive journalism major on my cv was my initial reason for taking the subject, although, i didn't realise it would involve so much pissing around and kissing the anus of lecturers as practice for the editors to come... silly me!

[linkway]

Hahaha.. you'll love that ball and chain :)

[gertie]

yay! i started this thread, its quarter to one by my clock and i'm pissed, left the bar coz it was shite, and for some reason decided to have a rant here... i rather like ranting, and here seemed the ideal location as ranting to myself seemed a bit idiotic, and ranting to a random internet (almost) cult seemed choice.
so here goes....
I have three days left before my 21st birthday and i was at the local bar (which, for the record, bites balls) and this skanky old mullet sporting, flannel wearing C-hunt was giving me the eye, and it dawned on me that right at this precise moment i am destined to become one of those blue mascara wearing, peroxide white saggy titted old biddies that sit in shit-hole bars glaring at people like the current me thinking about how much potential i have right now and how i am wasting it fucking around in skanky pubs being oggled by fuck witted old bogans... which got me thinking... maybe i should just bite the bullet, get tied down to some boring as fuck grey suited, public servant or the like and start up a nasty prescription drug habit whilst working some meaningless fart-arse job in real estate, raising children, living in suburbia and walking the dogs on saturday... OR just face up to the harsh reality of my life, realise that i really enjoy taking mind altering substances, stop drinking piss and take a few years off from life, getting rooted of an evening and working retail or some such occupation during daylight... woah... bit pissed... but i'll post this anyway as i can check it in the morn and remember that i talk a lot of shite when intoxicated... even in this early hour of the evening.

[Davo_Dinkum]

You're clock's fucked, it's 10 mintes slow.

[gertie]

rectified... thanks

[King_Crud]

i did the escape thing, it was called backpacking. LIved in London for two years, took too many drugs, drank too much beer, slept with too many women. Absolutely loved it. If you're feeling like a break go over for a couple of years, have some fund, come back and finish your degree, then grow up.

[gertie]

i did the escape thing, it was called backpacking. LIved in London for two years, took too many drugs, drank too much beer, slept with too many women. Absolutely loved it. If you're feeling like a break go over for a couple of years, have some fund, come back and finish your degree, then grow up.
:) you know.. i think thats the best suggestion i've heard all year!

[label]

Yeah come to England, its where you'll find the wasters and dossers...

Beer, women and cheap digs beats joining the rat race quiet so quickly.

[Up_All_Night]

I say finish what you're doing, then if you like multimedia, go and do a course somewhere after, and you'll get half of it done as exemptions most likely if you've already been doing multimedia.
Im currently doing Multimedia and Marketing, and i dont know what i want to do, i do better at multimedia, but i couldnt see myself doing it as a job. Marketing, i enjoy some aspects but the uni stuff.. ahh it gets so shitty doing things which seem so pointless. But i figure get it done, if i want to go into either and need better qualifications thann a half half degree, go and do the other half somewhere.

[Tigress]

I agree with Up All Night - finish your first degree and then decide what you want to do. Even if you never use your first degree, just get it finished...you never know if you will change your mind half way through the multimedia degree too!

I changed my mind two thirds of the way through my psychology degree, but I finished it and decided to do my Masters of Business Marketing, which means I have a degree in both, rather than starting again to do a marketing degree at an undergraduate level. It saves you time and gives you added motivation. It's hard to get motivated when you realise that you have now added another two years to your degree.

Good luck...

[rbranson]

Bottom line is, always do what you like.

You can beat yourself silly doing things that are uninspiring just for the sake of appearances.

If you don't like journalism, then ditch it, cut your losses and move on. What matters in the end, is not how ornamental journalism might look on your CV, but whether your studies will lead to a job you like.

I wouldn't worry about how smart the others are or appear to be in any given faculty -- it usually evens out.

Being smart only helps you to get to a certain point. Working harder than others, and being more practical, often provides you with the edge you need to succeed. Too many so-called smart people are not driven simply because things come easy to them or they're just too theoretical.

They might be smart in a uni setting, but in the job market, a lot of them fall flat on their face.

Don't sell yourself short.

[Up_All_Night]

The benefit of finishing it might be greater than the losses. I mean he's gotta decide if he can finish it and what he wants.
I am speaking as someone who has quit a uni degree to do another one, but that was after 1 semester and staying, the losses far outweighted the benefits.

[rbranson]

You also have to consider that she is only 21 -- the perceived loss from switching into another program, would, in my view, be offset by her doing what she really likes. And when you have a chance to do what you like and it leads to potential employment, you are amongst the lucky few.

You can always add more degrees to a CV but that's not what guarantees success, or employment.

The other option if you still want to salvage anything from your journalism degree, is to see if your uni would allow you to turn the time you have spent so far, into a Minor in Journalism (and if not, how many more credits you might need to get there). You may only have to invest one other semester rather than a full year and a half, allowing you the best of both worlds.

[ms edeity]

Gorgeous, you'll make the right decision for you because you're a smartie well beyond your years. You have all the time in the world and as I've been displaying (cause I choose to assert there is a point) - there's no time limit on knowing what you really want. I think you need time off - defer, come see us and forget the skanky pubs. We'll show you some over priced pubs with yuppie wanker types who'll oggle you pretty much in the same way (but they won't have mullets). And to be honest I am surprised you were doing a journo major - not because you can't at all - but you're incredibly gifted as an artist and journalism is alot different. Take time off.

[rbranson]

I happened on this article and thought it would make for great reading, in light of the varied advice offered here. I hope it gives you additional impetus for the decision you ultimately make. I have highlited some portions I found interesting, however, the whole text is worth reading, as it provides perspective from someone who has done a lot and seen at lot, while only 33.



Stanford Report, June 14, 2005
'You've got to find what you love,' Jobs says


This is the text of the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005.

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, its likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I retuned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.

This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope its the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505

[rascuache]

What an Awesome speech from someone who i usually consider to be a tool.

My story is, half way through my degree in 2002 i got disallusioned, i was in my 3rd year, I'd been dumped by a boyfriend, the degree was getting hard and the job i had dropped full time study to work at was beginning to get stale. I was going to quit. It didnt get easier, i kept staggering through the rest of it cause i thought at the time, ive only got a year and a half left. Of course i went travelling through europe a year later in stead of sitting exams so that prolonged it another year but when i finally finished and graduated i remembered that time of not being sure and was so glad i kept going.

In all honesty, your first degree doesnt dictate what you will do with your life, alot of people endup working in fields that having nothing to do with your degree. University is supposed to be about opening up your mind and teaching yourself how to learn, because really learning is a lifelong thing. Soon as you finish you'll find you have to learn a whole lot more and hopefully you'll always be up for that.

The other thing you have to think of is exactly how much of a challenge will you put yourself through to achieve this degree. I mean i did info Science and alot of it was Wank, Business and human resources especially, then the maths and software engineering was really hard aswell. But you push yourself a little harder and you get through it, eventually and if it gets too hard you just ask a fuckload of questions. Question everything if you are finding it hard.

/me thinks of the current shit situation she's landed herself in at work
(taking over system administrator job from someone who did it for 5 years with only 2 and a half days handover....i'm running with scissors blindfolded at the moment....Fancy putting a Mac user in charge of a floor full of NT 4 machines....i'm fucked!)