Basically I have been asking myseslf that question for the past couple of days. Just to fill you in on the background I'm in the last semester of my college career, I hope to graduate with a degree in electrical engineering from purdue in december, and the only class i have left is my senior group project.
Their are three other people in my group, one of them is great at what he does, but has no people skills. Another guy is ok at what he does, and the last person is a flat out moron. We divided up the blocks for the project (an autonomous robot that searches for LED towers that blink at a certain frequency, and reports telemetry to a pc) and I took the second hardest block for myself in addition to writing the proposal. Also I did the morons work for him too. Oh and in my group pretty much every one hates every one else , the moron and I dont get along but aside from that im friends with the other two people.
Fast foward a few weeks latter and 1 of my 3 things is working, the other 2 non working blocks cost 100 bucks and take three days to fabricate. So far ive droped about $450 on parts and boards (in addition to all the time i spent on things), but at least the work i did for the guy who doesnt know jack is working out. So basically I'm going to fail this class. Which sucks because I am 4 credits shy of graduating and I'm going to have to retake this class, and then an additional 2 classes( one builds on the other so you cannot take them at the same time, basically I'll be in school for another year and a half).
So what should I do, I cant ask my parents to pay for a year and a half more of school.... heck i dont even know what to tell them when i have to tell them that im not graduating. I'm freaking out here, and i feel like i am out of options. I'm seriously considering enlisting in the Air force or some other branch of the service or something... well either that or playing in traffic...... at night..... in dark clothes.
So basicaly im stuck and cant think of anything that qualifies as a good next move, so does any one have any ideas on how i should proceede here, or knew of any one who was in a situation remotly like mine? I'm obsessing over this and im pretty sure that i wont be able to make a rational decision (im kind of impulsive that way) Because as of right now I am officially out of ideas any anything any one can come up with is better then what i have right now.
Quote from: Dirty Waters on October 25, 2005, 01:08:21 AM
I'm freaking out here, and i feel like i am out of options. I'm seriously considering enlisting in the Air force or some other branch of the service or something... well either that or playing in traffic...... at night..... in dark clothes.
You're better off playing in traffic, I'm getting out of the Navy after 9 years of service and the day of my release can't come fast enough.
Quote from: Dirty Waters on October 25, 2005, 01:08:21 AM
I'm obsessing over this and im pretty sure that i wont be able to make a rational decision (im kind of impulsive that way) Because as of right now I am officially out of ideas any anything any one can come up with is better then what i have right now.
Are you OCD? Well I am...or used to be. I sort of cured myself. Anyways, there is NOTHING in life worth stressing this much about - NOTHING. First off tell your parents straight up that you farged up and are willing to do whatever it takes to correct the problem...even if they don't offer to pay for the extra year of school, at least you'll of gained their respect and shown that you're a grown up.
Second, take out a student loan. You can defer payments for 5 years after you graduate and you get 30 years to pay it off.
Always remember to ask yourself this: What Would Chris Knight do?
Lazlo Hollyfeld: Well, how'd you do?
Chris Knight: "How'd I do?" I passed, but I failed! Yeah!
Lazlo Hollyfeld: Well, then I'm happy and sad for you.
Chris Knight: Thank you.
Have you talked with the professor? Or your academic advisor?
Hell, paying for another year is a no-brainer, especially if your parents have been footing the bill. And don't give up. Consider the amount of time and money that's already been invested, and at least have the patience to complete it. Once you get the sheepskin, and you decide you don't want to do it, then figure out something. At that point, at least, you'll have something to show for all your hard work.
Marry rich.
There are some things you can do.
First, you need to get with your professor. Get a meeting with him/her and be prepared with everything you've mentioned here. Have a report of all expenses printed up, with receipts attached (and bring a photocopy that you can leave behind.) Write up a letter explaining your situation to leave with the professor as well. Spend some time on it so it reads better than this post. Then see what happens. If the professor has no interest in your claim, go to the dean. Try the same tactic. Investigate what recourse you may have to an appeal on the grade.
If all that fails, take a deep breath and chill. So you spend another year and a half in school. That's alright. You're young, you've got time on your side. Find a way to finish. You've got to keep showing up until it's done.
Well, there's the pep talk.
Don't forget to beat the moron's ass for farging things up. Or at least let the air out of his tires and farg his girlfriend.
I agree with everyone else here.
Take your concerns to the professor immediately. If he/she isn't cooperative, take it to his/her boss (department chair).
Also - remember, you can always take the class over again if it doesn't work out during this term. I know it's a zesty prospect but I had to do exactly that in a small business management course. I got stuck with three morons who had no interest in completing the tasks at hand and I had a professor who had no interest in helping me resolve the situation. I took it to the chairman and he resolved it by allowing me to drop the class and re-enrole during the next semester with a different professor. They even gave me a break on the tuition too.
Good luck.
Oh and do yourself a favor..don't join the farging military. Let someone else do George W. Bush's killing.
Whatever you do, finish school. Your skill set will only pay if you have the piece of paper. It is absolutely worth the effort.
And be up-front with your parents, no excuses, just explain the situation. Any reasonable parent will accept this and move on.
BTW: I'm curious, how could you only be four credits shy of graduation yet still need to take two classes more after this one to graduate?
That doesn't compute.
Am I the only person that paid his way through college by himself? ???
I borrowed incredible amounts of money, and worked between 20 and 30 hours the whole time (at a real job, not a federally subsidized, study-while-you-work job.) But my mom borrowed money, too. So I can't say I paid for it myself.
Its the last time that they are offering the course. They are modifying it so that you have to take the one semester group project (which im doing now) and then after that you have to do a two semester indivual project.
Quote from: BigEd76 on October 25, 2005, 09:59:12 AM
Am I the only person that paid his way through college by himself? ???
being the oldest of 5 kids, i payed a bunch of it myself (mostly loans). and i'll still be paying for another 8 or 9 years or so ;)
The best move I ever made in life was enlisting in the USAF. The second best move I ever made was getting out 10 years later. The experience, plus my degree I earned while in the military (working 40 to 50 hours a week, so blahh to Dio's part time working ;) ) helped me get my job today. I wouldn't trade that experience for the world.
That said, stay in school and get your degree. Doing it the hard way, which is taking 2 to 4 classes per semester, is NOT the path you want to take. Basically, I put my professional life on hold for 10 years. Fess up to the folks, be a man, and stay in school. Five years from now, you'll be glad you took the high road.
I agree with taking this up with your professor/school counselors/dean etc.
Not graduating and bailing out would be the worst thing to do IMO. Whats another year or so if you have already come this far? With an electrical engineering degree you should be making some nice dough in the future and you will have no problem paying off any type of school loans. The short term future may suck a bit, but think long term. In a couple years you will be damn glad you got the degree while watching the birds on a big screen tv... instead of listening to the birds on a radio while you scrub toilets on a boat. ;)
Quote from: Diomedes on October 25, 2005, 09:04:24 AM
There are some things you can do.
First, you need to get with your professor. Get a meeting with him/her and be prepared with everything you've mentioned here. Have a report of all expenses printed up, with receipts attached (and bring a photocopy that you can leave behind.) Write up a letter explaining your situation to leave with the professor as well. Spend some time on it so it reads better than this post. Then see what happens. If the professor has no interest in your claim, go to the dean. Try the same tactic. Investigate what recourse you may have to an appeal on the grade.
If all that fails, take a deep breath and chill. So you spend another year and a half in school. That's alright. You're young, you've got time on your side. Find a way to finish. You've got to keep showing up until it's done.
Well, there's the pep talk.
Don't forget to beat the moron's ass for farging things up. Or at least let the air out of his tires and farg his girlfriend.
Great advice, especially the part about shagging that one guy's girlfriend.
Quote from: Diomedes on October 25, 2005, 09:11:20 AM
Oh and do yourself a favor..don't join the farging military. Let someone else do George W. Bush's killing.
Hey jerky. Do I make your job harder? Bite me hippie. :P
Quote from: BigEd76 on October 25, 2005, 09:59:12 AM
Am I the only person that paid his way through college by himself? ???
I paid for it myself. With loans and working up to 50 hours a week while carrying 18 credits. Felt like I was paying off those loans forever, too.
Meh, I cheated. Had well-timed deaths in the family. :P
Quote from: MadMarchHare on October 25, 2005, 11:21:12 AM
Meh, I cheated. Had well-timed deaths in the family. :P
It's ok for me to laugh at that, right?
Stay in school. Do everything you can to try and save this semester. If it doesn't work out, I'd do what you have to do to finish school. While I don't regret the military and what it did for me, your in a different place. Too close to bail out now.
Cool!! The Concrete Board Advice Column. Surpisingly good advised from "bad ole" Eagle fans. I think there could be a market for this... really!! :yay
Quote from: Sgt PSN on October 25, 2005, 11:22:47 AM
Quote from: MadMarchHare on October 25, 2005, 11:21:12 AM
Meh, I cheated. Had well-timed deaths in the family. :P
It's ok for me to laugh at that, right?
If anyone asks tell them it's a coping mechanism and mention you're in the military.
My company is currently and will be hiring engineers of all fields. I can get you a job, but not the degree.
im agreeing with everybody here. just try to relax, assess the situation, see your professor, be formal, not an emotional wreck when you meet with the professor. if you can't get out of it, just do it over again. gets loans. your that close to finishing. joining the military would be stupid, if its only for the reason to pay for school. your almost done. you won't finish that year and a half for another 4 or more if you join the military. good luck :yay
Quote from: BigEd76 on October 25, 2005, 09:59:12 AM
Am I the only person that paid his way through college by himself? ???
nope, i'm in the same boat, and managed to do it without any loans too.
Quote from: mussa on October 25, 2005, 12:14:38 PMyou won't finish that year and a half for another 4 or more if you join the military.
Especially not if you die in farging Iraq.
Quote from: Diomedes on October 25, 2005, 09:11:20 AM
Oh and do yourself a favor..don't join the farging military. Let someone else do George W. Bush's killing.
My take is pretty much the same, but for very different reasons. :evil
Quote from: mussa on October 25, 2005, 12:14:38 PM
you won't finish that year and a half for another 4 or more if you join the military. good luck :yay
By no means am I thinking he should join the Air Force as he mentioned but I just want to point out that it is totally possible to complete 1.5 years of school while serving 4 years in the military. People do it every day......especially in the Air Force.
The war in Iraq is a ground war. There is very little need for the Air Force in the middle eastern theater. When's the last time you heard of an airman getting killed in Iraq? Nothing recent that I can think of and not too often either. The vast majority of the deaths are soldiers and Marines.
Also, the Air Force is all about quality of life. In terms of getting an education I don't think there's a better service to go into besides the AF. You didn't hear that from me though. :paranoid
Again, I am not saying he should join the service. I think he should try and stick it out. However, if he's exhausted all other avenues then the AF wouldn't be a bad choice. But that's the only branch I'd even consider if I were him. And you still didn't hear that from me.
Quote from: BigEd76 on October 25, 2005, 09:59:12 AM
Am I the only person that paid his way through college by himself? ???
In a way, I wish I had. my father planned way in advance for it, and he footed the bill. There was definitely a time when I didn't appreciate it, and I wasted a lot of time and money. He was pissed, but he kept on paying for it because I promised to straighten up. In hindsight, I wasn't very bright when I was getting my education.
Quote from: Sgt PSN on October 25, 2005, 12:38:22 PM
The war in Iraq is a ground war. There is very little need for the Air Force in the middle eastern theater. When's the last time you heard of an airman getting killed in Iraq? Nothing recent that I can think of and not too often either. The vast majority of the deaths are soldiers and Marines.
What's the joke about the Air Force? They're the only branch of the military where the officers go to fight and the rest sit back and watch?
Quote from: General_Failure on October 25, 2005, 12:40:10 PM
Quote from: Sgt PSN on October 25, 2005, 12:38:22 PM
The war in Iraq is a ground war. There is very little need for the Air Force in the middle eastern theater. When's the last time you heard of an airman getting killed in Iraq? Nothing recent that I can think of and not too often either. The vast majority of the deaths are soldiers and Marines.
What's the joke about the Air Force? They're the only branch of the military where the officers go to fight and the rest sit back and watch?
Yeah, something like that. Unless you're a pilot (in which case you have to be an officer) then you pretty much have zero chance of seeing any type of combat.
Quote from: General_Failure on October 25, 2005, 12:40:10 PM
Quote from: Sgt PSN on October 25, 2005, 12:38:22 PM
The war in Iraq is a ground war. There is very little need for the Air Force in the middle eastern theater. When's the last time you heard of an airman getting killed in Iraq? Nothing recent that I can think of and not too often either. The vast majority of the deaths are soldiers and Marines.
What's the joke about the Air Force? They're the only branch of the military where the officers go to fight and the rest sit back and watch?
That's no joke... that's one of the reasons I joined!!
Having collected mega amounts of perdiem on airforce bases all over the Pacific, you could do a lot worse. The saying goes that the airforce builds a base by spending all the money on Barracks, food, and entertainment for the troops, then runs out of money. Then they go begging congress for more money to actually put in the mission critical stuff. All the other armed forces stupidly build the important stuff first and then have to beg congress for money to build housing and shtein. That's why these bases have housing that is one step above a trailer park in some places....
Quote from: Phanatic on October 25, 2005, 11:40:29 AM
Cool!! The Concrete Board Advice Column. Surpisingly good advised from "bad ole" Eagle fans. I think there could be a market for this... really!! :yay
....I have this rash....
Quote from: BigEd76 on October 25, 2005, 09:59:12 AM
Am I the only person that paid his way through college by himself? ???
I paid my own way. Unfortunately, i'll be paying off loans till the day i die.
Quote from: BigEd76 on October 25, 2005, 09:59:12 AM
Am I the only person that paid his way through college by himself? ???
I paid my own way, Ed.
Unlike other folks on the board here, I would have gladly accepted help, though. Working and going to school sucks because the social aspect of the experience suffers. At least it did for me.
Quote from: Jerome99RIP on October 25, 2005, 03:27:26 PM
Quote from: BigEd76 on October 25, 2005, 09:59:12 AM
Am I the only person that paid his way through college by himself? ???
I paid my own way, Ed.
Unlike other folks on the board here, I would have gladly accepted help, though. Working and going to school sucks because the social aspect of the experience suffers. At least it did for me.
I found that buying hookers in the Philippines was a great substitute for missing the social aspect of a 'real' college! :yay
Quote from: Susquehanna Birder on October 25, 2005, 07:25:59 AM
Have you talked with the professor? Or your academic advisor?
Hell, paying for another year is a no-brainer, especially if your parents have been footing the bill. And don't give up. Consider the amount of time and money that's already been invested, and at least have the patience to complete it. Once you get the sheepskin, and you decide you don't want to do it, then figure out something. At that point, at least, you'll have something to show for all your hard work.
Ditto ;)
Quote from: hbionic on October 25, 2005, 03:14:29 PM
Quote from: Phanatic on October 25, 2005, 11:40:29 AM
Cool!! The Concrete Board Advice Column. Surpisingly good advised from "bad ole" Eagle fans. I think there could be a market for this... really!! :yay
....I have this rash....
The bottom just fell out of this business plan... :boom
Quote from: hbionic on October 25, 2005, 03:14:29 PM
Quote from: Phanatic on October 25, 2005, 11:40:29 AM
Cool!! The Concrete Board Advice Column. Surpisingly good advised from "bad ole" Eagle fans. I think there could be a market for this... really!! :yay
....I have this rash....
How many guys have you passed it on to?
Quote from: Sgt PSN on October 25, 2005, 06:09:02 PM
Quote from: hbionic on October 25, 2005, 03:14:29 PM
Quote from: Phanatic on October 25, 2005, 11:40:29 AM
Cool!! The Concrete Board Advice Column. Surpisingly good advised from "bad ole" Eagle fans. I think there could be a market for this... really!! :yay
....I have this rash....
How many guys have you passed it on to?
Unless you've pressed your chin against other guys...just you.
Once upon a time I was an electrical engineer in my last semester who failed a course that I needed to graduate... the school either let me slide or simply didn't notice I was missing the credits. I never raised the issue with the school because of the possibility of the latter. I didn't know I had successfully graduated until they handed me a diploma.
I had already decided long before that electrical engineering was not for me and spent my last couple years at college just going through the motions in a half-assed manner. After graduation, I took out huge loans and changed my career path completely. Since then I've been successful and am pretty happy with where I am today.
The two things I would suggest to you are
1) Calm the hell down. Your situation really isn't that bad. If you need some extra time at school, you can always get loans at reduced rates. A lot of people work during school or take out student loans (I did both); you've had it pretty easy if your parents have been paying your whole way. Your degree will be worth many times any loan you take out so don't be afraid of taking on a little debt.
From a broader perspective, unless you've been filled with a desire to do a certain job your whole life, your career will not be the end-all or be-all of your existence. Very likely, there are many jobs you'd be happy doing (or none!), and a bumpy path might be what it takes to wind up making a change for the better. There's no harm or shame at trying quite a few different jobs at this point in your life. You're not locked into a pathway for eternity.
2) Ask yourself how much you really want to be an electrical engineer. If the answer is a lot, tell your professor and the career people at Purdue your situation, and you might find your problem isn't nearly as insurmountable as you thought. Professors seem to be especially understanding when you are working in a group and one guy is just dogging it.
If this situation is just making you think more generally about your future, don't feel you're locked into being an electrical engineer. Electrical engineers end up in jobs from banking to programming to managerial positions. Don't feel trapped.
As far as the 'get an education while on Active Duty' talk its not impossible as long as you're not part of a deployable unit. I only took one college course my first 4 years in the Navy (which were all on a ship), next 3 years I knocked out my Associate's degree -- because Shore Duty is the shtein. :yay Good thing is the Navy flipped the bill for the classes I was taking while on Active, when I'm out I'll have the G.I. Bill at my disposal.