Quote:
Originally Posted by
novahobbies http:///t/387854/i-got-the-bug/100#post_3431068
I just had to stick my nose in here when I read this. Krista, some of what you just wrote sound like pages taken verbatim out of my life's book. I'm going to offer some advice -- it's purely my observation, so feel free to tell me to shove it if you don't like it.
You're in school full time and working your tuckus off as well. Yep. Sounds familiar. You're worried about losing your GPA and not focusing on school because of your job requirements. Sounds VERY familiar. You're going to drop your classes, for this semester only. Uh-huh. Been there, done that, sang that tune. Here's a thought. Do you love what you do? Is your 60+ hour a week job something that is worth dropping the classes for? Or, is there a possibility that the classes you're taking will lead you to a job that's better...the HR job you mentioned, for instance?
These questions really are leading somewhere, I promise. If you're in the job you love, and you don't need the school to get the HR opportunity, then the hard question is this: why are you in school? Don't get me wrong -- I'm 100% in support of college education, but I also know that some people are going into debt for thousands of dollars for what they discover was no reason whatsoever. (No, I don't mean me.)
If, on the other hand, you need the school to further your position, then is there a way of cutting back on the workload so you can focus on the school more?
I only offer this because I know firsthand. Dropping a semester may sound benign, but it's deceptively easy for that semester to turn into two...or three....and for some people, a goal they wanted to accomplish gets dropped on the wayside before they realize it even happened. I'm not your dad, so I won't say "do this, do that..." but I am a guy who almost didn't go back to school after he dropped a semester so he could, as he thought, focus on work for a few months. It took YEARS to get back to a point where I was in the right mindset for school.
Speaking of your dad, I'm so glad to hear that you're going to try to reconnect. I wish I had been more proactive about connecting with my dad when I had the chance, and it's a regret I will carry with me for a long time, I'm sure. My father developed bipolar disorder in his fifties, and pushed everyone away and did a lot of really rotten things....we had some few opportunities to reconnect when he was diagnosed and under treatment, but it never seemed to be a good time. I felt tormented and furious at the way he'd treated everyone, and I can look back now and see how I would let those feelings take over and get in the way of any notions I had of "making it right." He passed away unexpectedly, and that chance to get together disappeared in the blink of an eye. It's a regret that I would not wish on anyone. If you can put your feelings aside, and try to make a new connection with him, then I wish you all the luck and strength in the world. I very much hope you can.
Nova, I truly appreciate the advice and I am definitely taking it all in. As for dropping my classes, I know all to well that taking a semester off leads to taking off 9 years. I did that when i was in college the first time. Honestly, the reason why I went back to school was to just get my bachelor's degree in business management. I do not want my lack of a degree to stand in the way of me getting a promotion. I work in a retail store and I hope to get out of the store within the next 5 years and work in the field as either a DM, in loss prevention, or as a training manager. A bachelor's degree would give me an edge over my competition. The sixty hour weeks are just through the holidays. In January, I will be working 4 day work weeks. I figure January will be the right time for me to go back to school.
