geekhack
geekhack Community => Off Topic => Topic started by: C5Allroad on Mon, 17 November 2014, 16:58:38
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Like I know you have to get a job and pay for crap...
But I would feel lacking. Like I don't have to get up for anything other than a job. And I won't really have any sort of goals other than make money. Like in school, I see it as earning skills. You want as many skills as possible. 3.5 skills is good. But 4.0 skills is better.
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Life is after college.
Your goals change, from grades and scores to income and family.
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Sorry to break it to you, but that's it. You just get a job, so you can pay your rent/mortgage and food, etc. Repeat for ~45 years. Then maybe you can retire, if you have invested in some type of retirement fund. Maybe get married and have kids along the way.
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Like I know you have to get a job and pay for crap...
But I would feel lacking. Like I don't have to get up for anything other than a job. And I won't really have any sort of goals other than make money. Like in school, I see it as earning skills. You want as many skills as possible. 3.5 skills is good. But 4.0 skills is better.
Relationships, Travel, House, and Family! :D
Life sooner or later will become repetitive and seem like a dead end
unless none of these interests you just make money and go crazy? vegas?
I still have a long way till I finish school..
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Hahahhaahaha...
hrrm......
It really depends on how much sex you have IN college, and whether or not you're bored with it...
If you still like sex -after-college-... then that pursuit will carry you for the next 10 or so years..
@ age 30-35+... generally self awareness kicks in assuming you're financially settled, and you will begin to question existence more so than pursue mere gratification..
This all comes down to having enough sex such that it's no longer a novelty....
now, if you ask.. Tp4 what's after sex...
Nope ... that's it, you've experienced the epitome of what your brain can interpret as GOOD..
The alternative that exceed Sex, is Cocaine (think, sex-overclocked).
---We knows where this ends..
Now, onto having children.. generally, because of the sex, you're gonna have kids, but if you manage to hold off kids all the way until self-awareness.. you'd see that kids are not really the answer to fill that void of unknown knowledge of the universe..
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debt
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debt
This is not really an issue.. file bankruptcy and move.. it's not a serious problem in the United States..
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debt
This is not really an issue.. file bankruptcy and move.. it's not a serious problem in the United States..
So wait... all I have to do is take out large amounts of student loans, go to school for 8+ years, and then file for bankruptcy?
Free school, yeah?
I mean **** it, 8 years of education would be worth 7 years of bad credit.
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debt
This is not really an issue.. file bankruptcy and move.. it's not a serious problem in the United States..
So wait... all I have to do is take out large amounts of student loans, go to school for 8+ years, and then file for bankruptcy?
Free school, yeah?
I mean **** it, 8 years of education would be worth 7 years of bad credit.
Listening to him is like taking advice from someone with mercury poisoning.
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debt
This is not really an issue.. file bankruptcy and move.. it's not a serious problem in the United States..
So wait... all I have to do is take out large amounts of student loans, go to school for 8+ years, and then file for bankruptcy?
Free school, yeah?
I mean **** it, 8 years of education would be worth 7 years of bad credit.
yep you just need to depend on someone else for credit related items.
for example parents.
Doctors and dentists do this all the time.
Also people who go to medical or grad school.
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debt
This is not really an issue.. file bankruptcy and move.. it's not a serious problem in the United States..
So wait... all I have to do is take out large amounts of student loans, go to school for 8+ years, and then file for bankruptcy?
Free school, yeah?
I mean **** it, 8 years of education would be worth 7 years of bad credit.
yep you just need to depend on someone else for credit related items.
for example parents.
Doctors and dentists do this all the time.
Also people who go to medical or grad school.
ah.. no.. student loan is the ONE loan that doesn't easily go away with bankruptcy..
i mean.. you can... yes.. but the process isn't that easy.
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More money less fun (unless unemployed ) .
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More money less fun (unless unemployed ) .
Also less friends, and less dating.
But more responsibility, yet you care less about it because you can rationalize stress better.
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debt
This is not really an issue.. file bankruptcy and move.. it's not a serious problem in the United States..
So wait... all I have to do is take out large amounts of student loans, go to school for 8+ years, and then file for bankruptcy?
Free school, yeah?
I mean **** it, 8 years of education would be worth 7 years of bad credit.
yep you just need to depend on someone else for credit related items.
for example parents.
Doctors and dentists do this all the time.
Also people who go to medical or grad school.
ah.. no.. student loan is the ONE loan that doesn't go away with bankruptcy..
Way to ruin my good mood tp... I was finally gonna go back to school.
But **** it, I don't need school. Our education system is ****ed anyway. You go to school for 4-8 years (12 for med school?) and all you get at the end is a diploma and a ****-ton of knowledge you could have obtained for $1.50 in late taxes at the public library (if you don't know the origin of that quote, you should be ashamed).
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debt
This is not really an issue.. file bankruptcy and move.. it's not a serious problem in the United States..
So wait... all I have to do is take out large amounts of student loans, go to school for 8+ years, and then file for bankruptcy?
Free school, yeah?
I mean **** it, 8 years of education would be worth 7 years of bad credit.
yep you just need to depend on someone else for credit related items.
for example parents.
Doctors and dentists do this all the time.
Also people who go to medical or grad school.
ah.. no.. student loan is the ONE loan that doesn't go away with bankruptcy..
Way to ruin my good mood tp... I was finally gonna go back to school.
But **** it, I don't need school. Our education system is ****ed anyway. You go to school for 4-8 years (12 for med school?) and all you get at the end is a diploma and a ****-ton of knowledge you could have obtained for $1.50 in late taxes at the public library (if you don't know the origin of that quote, you should be ashamed).
dude u CAN get rid of it through bankruptcy.. it's just complicated, because you need to prove a very abstract situation.. "undue hardship" ..
LOL
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"undue hardship"
^story of my life
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"undue hardship"
^story of my life
You live in 'Murica.. how hard can it possibly be...
Few months ago.. I was at a Chinese kelp drying flat... in some of these places, migrant workers got paid with Food..
Not good food either.. a few steamed buns, and a very thin bone/veggie broth.
Children as young as 5 had to take care of the baby siblings.. they were all malnourished and very small for their age..
no one there went to school, because obviously the parents couldn't afford it..
You have INTERNET... you can READ and WRITE... that is not Undue hardship..
when we talk about bankruptcy.. we're talking about gaming the system.. it has nothing to do with the real sadness and disparity which greatly exists everywhere.
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"undue hardship"
^story of my life
You live in 'Murica.. how hard can it possibly be...
Few months ago.. I was at a Chinese kelp drying flat... in some of these places, migrant workers got paid with Food..
Not good food either.. a few steamed buns, and a very thin bone/veggie broth.
Children as young as 5 had to take care of the baby siblings.. they were all malnourished and very small for their age..
I'm exaggerating...
Although as far as the average American childhood is concerned, I definitely had a ****ty one.
Stepfathers are evil.
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"undue hardship"
^story of my life
You live in 'Murica.. how hard can it possibly be...
Few months ago.. I was at a Chinese kelp drying flat... in some of these places, migrant workers got paid with Food..
Not good food either.. a few steamed buns, and a very thin bone/veggie broth.
Children as young as 5 had to take care of the baby siblings.. they were all malnourished and very small for their age..
I'm exaggerating...
Although as far as the average American childhood is concerned, I definitely had a ****ty one.
Stepfathers are evil.
CLIB.. I'm not h8n'..
just trying to put into perspective.. that the -GOOD- Life is very very relative..
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"undue hardship"
^story of my life
You live in 'Murica.. how hard can it possibly be...
Few months ago.. I was at a Chinese kelp drying flat... in some of these places, migrant workers got paid with Food..
Not good food either.. a few steamed buns, and a very thin bone/veggie broth.
Children as young as 5 had to take care of the baby siblings.. they were all malnourished and very small for their age..
I'm exaggerating...
Although as far as the average American childhood is concerned, I definitely had a ****ty one.
Stepfathers are evil.
CLIB.. I'm not h8n'..
just trying to put into perspective.. that the -GOOD- Life is very very relative..
I can agree with that.
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Like in school, I see it as earning skills. You want as many skills as possible.
Same thing applies to jobs. You need to keep trying to get more job related skills or doing impressive things to put on your resume so you can do it again later for more money hopefully.
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Like in school, I see it as earning skills. You want as many skills as possible.
Same thing applies to jobs. You need to keep trying to get more job related skills or doing impressive things to put on your resume so you can do it again later for more money hopefully.
But this is where I have a certain issue with the education system...
There is a huge difference between knowledge, experience, and intelligence, of which the education system only addresses the one, being knowledge.
But having knowledge does not mean one knows how to use it. That is where experience comes in. Something that cannot be taught, only learned for yourself.
And then intelligence... well, that you're either born with, or you have to make up for it by having more knowledge and experience.
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Like in school, I see it as earning skills. You want as many skills as possible.
Same thing applies to jobs. You need to keep trying to get more job related skills or doing impressive things to put on your resume so you can do it again later for more money hopefully.
But this is where I have a certain issue with the education system...
There is a huge difference between knowledge, experience, and intelligence, of which the education system only addresses the one, being knowledge.
But having knowledge does not mean one knows how to use it. That is where experience comes in. Something that cannot be taught, only learned for yourself.
And then intelligence... well, that you're either born with, or you have to make up for it by having more knowledge and experience.
You're getting into super-many vague definitions here..
Not sure it's helpful unless you're more specific..
(http://emoticoner.com/files/emoticons/onion-head/woa-onion-head-emoticon.gif?1292862526)
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Make the most of your school years, they are ****ing ace and I wish I could redo my last 5 years or so of schooling.
As for life after education, I see a job as just being the funding for my life. I work when I have to, it's pretty chilled out, and I spend a hideous amount of money on stuff that pleases me.
I do still live with my parents at age 24, but I couldn't give a **** about that.
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If the discussion is experience vs a degree, experience will usually win out. Those 4 years someone spends in school could be 4 years starting from an entry level position, which means generally 2 more years before you hit that 6 years experience threshold where you can apply to almost any mid-high level position in your field. With a degree it won't matter if you have no industry experience, in this economy you will still be hard-pressed to find anything better than entry level.
On the other hand you learn things in college you can't learn anywhere else without it being a harsh life lesson. College allows a cushy cushion into adulthood which used to also ensure a decent job. Unfortunately due to the economy there are just not enough good jobs for everyone, and employers will generelly err on the side of hands on professional experience over a piece of paper stating theoretical experience.
You might also hedge your bets that in 5 years time the economy will be better. If that were to be the case, spending that time getting an education would be far preferable to working a job you don't like to get ahead in the same duration.
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growing up stuff is scary and bad for me i shouldnt look at this
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Also... have LOTS of sex... you'll never have the opportunity to mate with SO MANY young women again unless you become super rich in the future..
This has to do with PRICE.. the cost increases exponentially as the female approaches age 30.. then drops exponentially..
College is the time to get in on the goods before the rate hike
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After school I imagine myself having more time to do things that I want. I guess that will depend what type of job I end up getting. What I want most is a job that doesn't make me wake up at 05:15 like I have to for school.
It makes me nervous to think too far off into the future, so I mainly focus on what I'm dealing with at the moment.
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Also... have LOTS of sex... you'll ever have the opportunity to mate with SO MANY young women again unless you become super rich in the future..
This has to do with PRICE.. the cost increases exponentially as the female approaches age 30.. then drops exponentially..
This is the time to get in on the goods before the rate hike
whatthe****didijustread.PNG
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Also... have LOTS of sex... you'll never have the opportunity to mate with SO MANY young women again unless you become super rich in the future..
This has to do with PRICE.. the cost increases exponentially as the female approaches age 30.. then drops exponentially..
This is the time to get in on the goods before the rate hike
whatthe****didijustread.PNG
in college.. the girl is exploring her options, and trialing her basket in a crowded market (full of other girls with the exact same product)..
once you leave that college.. the market is NOT so crowded because of isolated locals.. so price hikes.. (smaller limited friend groups, social settings)
PM me if this doesn't clarify the economics for you.
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Like I know you have to get a job and pay for crap...
But I would feel lacking. Like I don't have to get up for anything other than a job. And I won't really have any sort of goals other than make money. Like in school, I see it as earning skills. You want as many skills as possible. 3.5 skills is good. But 4.0 skills is better.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pessimism
You have plenty to learn after school. You get to make a lasting impact on the world. Your legacy at 22 is pretty much nonexistent.
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Like I know you have to get a job and pay for crap...
But I would feel lacking. Like I don't have to get up for anything other than a job. And I won't really have any sort of goals other than make money. Like in school, I see it as earning skills. You want as many skills as possible. 3.5 skills is good. But 4.0 skills is better.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pessimism
You have plenty to learn after school. You get to make a lasting impact on the world. Your legacy at 22 is pretty much nonexistent.
I've always felt like our 40's is when human beings peak their professional stride.
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Ugh, I'm gonna try and put off all this "responsibility" as long as possible
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Also, more money for keyboards. :cool:
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There are a lot of generalizations and pessimism in this thread. My experience is not based off a generalization and is specific only to myself, but I share it as a counter example to what I'm seeing here. Disclaimer: I've been out of school for (only) six months.
For me, high school was a joke. I never did my homework. I don't even know why I took my backpack home - probably only to pretend like I was doing work. I did all my homework in my free periods at school or in the breaks between classes. I fell really far behind in my work and only barely passed a few classes. I didn't really care. All I cared about was getting a reduced rate on my car insurance. Other than that, there wasn't much point. Homework didn't teach me anything.
College was much better. I was finally learning things that mattered to me, in an environment that felt supportive. And since I *wanted* to learn the subject matter, I was actually trying - and it was fun! Who knew that electronics were so fun?! Then I took a chemistry class that wasn't taught by the devil and that opened my eyes to a whole new world of learning potential, so I transferred and changed majors. Turns out I picked a really time-intensive major. :| The remainder of my college career was spent doing one of three things: being in class, studying/homework, and sleeping. It was ****ing awful. I wanted nothing more than to just be done.
Right after my junior year of college I took a co-op (7 month internship) in my field and it was amazing! All that work started to pay off. I had a really fun job and had free time (no homework)! What a nice change. Then I had to go back to school for another year and a half. :( I did not want to go back at all. But that glimpse into the working world made me want to finish and get back to that place.
Now that I'm graduated, it's everything I hoped it would be. I have infinitely more free time than I did in school. Unfortunately, I have a boat load of debt, but that's something I'm working to bring down. But I've been exceedingly lucky, don't get me wrong. I'm not under the impression that I didn't luck out, that the world isn't a cruel place, or that I could have just as easily found myself in a worse situation if things didn't play out as they did. I didn't write this whole thing up to brag. I'm just sharing a different kind of story. You *can* have fun in and enjoy the real world.
Now we'll just have to see how my perspective changes as the years go on. :))
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There are a lot of generalizations and pessimism in this thread. My experience is not based off a generalization and is specific only to myself, but I share it as a counter example to what I'm seeing here. Disclaimer: I've been out of school for (only) six months.
For me, high school was a joke. I never did my homework. I don't even know why I took my backpack home - probably only to pretend like I was doing work. I did all my homework in my free periods at school or in the breaks between classes. I fell really far behind in my work and only barely passed a few classes. I didn't really care. All I cared about was getting a reduced rate on my car insurance. Other than that, there wasn't much point. Homework didn't teach me anything.
College was much better. I was finally learning things that mattered to me, in an environment that felt supportive. And since I *wanted* to learn the subject matter, I was actually trying - and it was fun! Who knew that electronics were so fun?! Then I took a chemistry class that wasn't taught by the devil and that opened my eyes to a whole new world of learning potential, so I transferred and changed majors. Turns out I picked a really time-intensive major. :| The remainder of my college career was spent doing one of three things: being in class, studying/homework, and sleeping. It was ****ing awful. I wanted nothing more than to just be done.
Right after my junior year of college I took a co-op (7 month internship) in my field and it was amazing! All that work started to pay off. I had a really fun job and had free time (no homework)! What a nice change. Then I had to go back to school for another year and a half. :( I did not want to go back at all. But that glimpse into the working world made me want to finish and get back to that place.
Now that I'm graduated, it's everything I hoped it would be. I have infinitely more free time than I did in school. Unfortunately, I have a boat load of debt, but that's something I'm working to bring down. But I've been exceedingly lucky, don't get me wrong. I'm not under the impression that I didn't luck out, that the world isn't a cruel place, or that I could have just as easily found myself in a worse situation if things didn't play out as they did. I didn't write this whole thing up to brag. I'm just sharing a different kind of story. You *can* have fun in and enjoy the real world.
Now we'll just have to see how my perspective changes as the years go on. :))
typical White Privilege response :rolleyes:
<3 you hoff
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There are a lot of generalizations and pessimism in this thread. My experience is not based off a generalization and is specific only to myself, but I share it as a counter example to what I'm seeing here. Disclaimer: I've been out of school for (only) six months.
For me, high school was a joke. I never did my homework. I don't even know why I took my backpack home - probably only to pretend like I was doing work. I did all my homework in my free periods at school or in the breaks between classes. I fell really far behind in my work and only barely passed a few classes. I didn't really care. All I cared about was getting a reduced rate on my car insurance. Other than that, there wasn't much point. Homework didn't teach me anything.
College was much better. I was finally learning things that mattered to me, in an environment that felt supportive. And since I *wanted* to learn the subject matter, I was actually trying - and it was fun! Who knew that electronics were so fun?! Then I took a chemistry class that wasn't taught by the devil and that opened my eyes to a whole new world of learning potential, so I transferred and changed majors. Turns out I picked a really time-intensive major. :| The remainder of my college career was spent doing one of three things: being in class, studying/homework, and sleeping. It was ****ing awful. I wanted nothing more than to just be done.
Right after my junior year of college I took a co-op (7 month internship) in my field and it was amazing! All that work started to pay off. I had a really fun job and had free time (no homework)! What a nice change. Then I had to go back to school for another year and a half. :( I did not want to go back at all. But that glimpse into the working world made me want to finish and get back to that place.
Now that I'm graduated, it's everything I hoped it would be. I have infinitely more free time than I did in school. Unfortunately, I have a boat load of debt, but that's something I'm working to bring down. But I've been exceedingly lucky, don't get me wrong. I'm not under the impression that I didn't luck out, that the world isn't a cruel place, or that I could have just as easily found myself in a worse situation if things didn't play out as they did. I didn't write this whole thing up to brag. I'm just sharing a different kind of story. You *can* have fun in and enjoy the real world.
Now we'll just have to see how my perspective changes as the years go on. :))
I'm going to use this as an opportunity to expand on my stuff to back up the Hoff.
I managed to get into a grammar school at 11, and basically set me up for whatever I wanted. I got to 14 and decided I wanted to join the army. This basically put me in a position where I didn't need to do well in school. I discovered PC games and spent all my time playing Runescape and ****.
So my grades at age 16 sucked and I wasn't allowed to stay on at my school. My next two years were spent at a normal school to get my A Levels and did absolutely zero studying. Nothing. Unsurprisingly my grades sucked again. But I didn't care, I was joining the army and didn't need no grades. I wasn't going to go to University, I didn't want the debt and I wanted to go and blow some stuff up. I did a year of work before joining the army which was pretty cool, gave me a bit of experience, but it wasn't any basis to form a career on.
I spent four years in the army and it was probably the worst four years of my life. I gained no qualifications, met some ****ing awful people, and hated 90% of it. I made some great friends though, and they are the only good things I took away from my time working for Her Majesty.
I left about a year ago, and since then I've had another job working in IT, something I had absolutely no training for. I might as well have been sat at home for the last 5 years with my fingers up my ass.
TL;DR - Do well in school, don't jump into things, but the US Military has a lot better aftercare than the British.
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I didn't really mean to sound pessimistic, but maybe I was just in a mood. Anyway, the point of life is to live it. We live in an age where many people have the opportunity to live a life of the mind, rather than simply meeting their basic needs to sustain their life.
I was near the top of my graduating class in high school. Like Hoff, I never did homework outside of school. I aced all my classes without really trying. When I got to college, I had lots of fun, but neglected to do any real work in the beginning. I became jaded, and switched majors several times, before eventually deciding not to complete my degree.
All my life, I have found that I have a facility with computers and their associated networks. So I taught myself, and found employment in that capacity. What can I say? It pays the bills.
The most satisfying time of my life was probably when I was in the military, working as a cryptologic linguist. The nature of that work is classified, so I can't really go into it here, but it certainly made me feel that I was contributing to something larger than myself. I felt I was making a difference in some capacity. If you can find something like that in your life, you will be blessed with the satisfaction of a job well done.
In my other employment throughout my life, I basically have felt that I was mostly just contributing to someone at the top making money. But such is the nature of Western society.
Now my primary focus is on my family. Trying to raise my kids to be well adjusted members of society one day. And I try to have a little fun in there, once in a while. I have my hobbies, and my wife and I like to travel when we can (which isn't often). But as you get older, you start to appreciate the finer details of life, and find enjoyment in the small things. When you are young, you think you can conquer the world, as you get a bit of experience, you think maybe you can still change it, but when you reach a certain age, you just hope that maybe something you have done might have an impact, if only in the lives of a few people. :)
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The worlds your oyster or something like that.
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after university, my life peaked its awesomeness.
(http://cs625121.vk.me/v625121871/cdc6/Q2FjH_0Wjuw.jpg)
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Recently spotted this on Reddit. Pretty much nailed it...
The only reason I stay alive is I can't help wondering - what the **** is it that people have in their heads that says
"All I do is get up, go and sit in a box to work all day for a pittance and make someone else lots of money, go home to a different box and do more work to keep the box tidy, then sleep and start over.... and this is fine for me to do for the rest of my life".
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Recently spotted this on Reddit. Pretty much nailed it...
The only reason I stay alive is I can't help wondering - what the **** is it that people have in their heads that says
"All I do is get up, go and sit in a box to work all day for a pittance and make someone else lots of money, go home to a different box and do more work to keep the box tidy, then sleep and start over.... and this is fine for me to do for the rest of my life".
you are soon to find the answer for this question.
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What hapens after college?
If you're like me, you started college as an engineering student in a top 5 engineering program then changed majors and graduated with a liberal arts degree. Then you spend 2 years working freelance and work as a barista for extra income. Then you go to law school because "that's all your liberal arts degree is good for" (or so they say). You do well enough in law school to land great summer positions (that other law students would kill for), then land a job that most law students dream of. But the catch is you don't want to be a lawyer and you hate working as an attorney so you go through a quarter life crisis. Your solution is to quit and go back to school to get a degree in CS in the hopes that you can be a software engineer one day.
Story of my life
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Grad school is after college. Potentially do not recommend.
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Ugh, I'm gonna try and put off all this "responsibility" as long as possible
What's that?
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I have three books to recommend here. All the posters so far are giving pretty useless advice IMO, but that’s inevitable given the constraints of a tiny comment box.
1) Finite and Infinite Games, by James Carse
2) The Wisdom of the Sands (original French title: Citadelle), by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (also recommended is his book Wind, Sand, and Stars [Terre des Hommes])
3) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Pirsig
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I have three books to recommend here. All the posters so far are giving pretty useless advice IMO, but that’s inevitable given the constraints of a tiny comment box.
1) Finite and Infinite Games, by James Carse
2) The Wisdom of the Sands (original French title: Citadelle), by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (also recommended is his book Wind, Sand, and Stars [Terre des Hommes]
3) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Pirsig
He didn't really ask for advice, he asked for experiences. Sooo :P
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I have three books to recommend here. All the posters so far are giving pretty useless advice IMO, but that�s inevitable given the constraints of a tiny comment box.
1) Finite and Infinite Games, by James Carse
2) The Wisdom of the Sands (original French title: Citadelle), by Antoine de Saint-Exup�ry (also recommended is his book Wind, Sand, and Stars [Terre des Hommes]
3) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Pirsig
He didn't really ask for advice, he asked for experiences. Sooo :P
Well the thought was during a college fair during school.
But, I will look into the books lol.
Mostly looking for experience lol. Junior year is really about which colleges to apply for, SAT scorces, and GPA.
And it's all almost overwhelming.
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HUNTERANGEL121:
In short, life is what you make of it, and its meaning is the meaning you attach to it.
Up until now people have probably been telling you what to do, how to live, what to think about, what to value.
If you want, you can continue to cede control over your life to other people; go with the flow, try to copy what other people seem to do; adopt whatever career path seems easiest and most natural; try to learn to develop relationships (as a friend, a lover, a disciple, a mentor) with people who seem socially acceptable within your circle of acquaintances; apply yourself to working hard on whatever your job tells you to work hard on; set your ethical standards and boundaries based on the prevailing order around you; work to build your reputation and status.
(The biggest attraction of every religion is this ceding of control: by following a particular practice with a group of other followers, you gain structure, and can adopt the meaning that the religious organization or text has already decided on. This allows you to avoid worrying about them, at least delaying such consideration to some time in the indefinite future.)
Many people (perhaps most) decide to live like this, or feel forced to by circumstance. Along the way, it is still possible to take pleasure in small things, to live to help other people, or to hedonistically throw yourself at whatever seems most exciting. Or alternately it is of course possible to rage against the world, or sink into apathetic depression.
There is nothing inherently wrong with living any particular way: indeed, none of us is far enough outside the game to give you a real answer about what this whole life thing is about or what you should do. I personally don’t think such an answer from outside is possible. The answers have to come from your own introspection and conviction.
Personally, I think it is important for every human to take the time, from time to time, to (a) consider what he or she is doing, and the purposes it serves, and to (b) try to empathize with all the other people around, consider their thoughts, goals, values, and actions, and to try to construct a generous and open minded interpretation of their reasons for acting the way they do. (Very occasionally no generous interpretation is possible, but in my opinion it’s always worth trying.)
All the best luck.
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I have three books to recommend here. All the posters so far are giving pretty useless advice IMO, but that�s inevitable given the constraints of a tiny comment box.
1) Finite and Infinite Games, by James Carse
2) The Wisdom of the Sands (original French title: Citadelle), by Antoine de Saint-Exup�ry (also recommended is his book Wind, Sand, and Stars [Terre des Hommes]
3) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Pirsig
He didn't really ask for advice, he asked for experiences. Sooo :P
I had way more sex in high school than in college. Whoever says things get easier with the opposite sex after high school is full of poopy. Then you start getting laid again once you leave college.
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I guess the whole sex thing depends on how seriously you take college? :p
but it shouldn't be the focus regardless.
hell, I don't know if I think working has given me any less free time than working?
if you don't plan to start a family early and whatnot, working shouldn't hinder you from doing fun things if you balance it out. weekends are kinda free too, usually. depending on your work of course. and where you work.
just try to stay in good health and shape, and it shouldn't be that much of a problem. you'll just have a different schedule and adapt to that.
I don't really know if this will apply to everyone but I've worked and studied back and forth, and I definitely haven't had more free time when studying.
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I guess the whole sex thing depends on how seriously you take college? :p
but it shouldn't be the focus regardless.
That said, college is the only time in your life that you will be surrounded by so many willing, attractive, young members of the other sex!
Keeping on top of your studies should be your priority but it should not take too much of your time. You will have ample free time to do what you want and chasing skirts is definitely a choice you will have!
On a more serious note, 18-25 are some of the most important formative years you will have. Only you can decide how to spend those years but they will have a bearing on your later years in some way shape or form. I don't mean you need to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life (I still haven't), but these are identity forming years that will shape who you are as a person.
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Keeping on top of your studies should be your priority but it should not take too much of your time. You will have ample free time to do what you want
Just gonna add that that really depends on what you're studying...
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Keeping on top of your studies should be your priority but it should not take too much of your time. You will have ample free time to do what you want
Just gonna add that that really depends on what you're studying...
2nd
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Keeping on top of your studies should be your priority but it should not take too much of your time. You will have ample free time to do what you want
Just gonna add that that really depends on what you're studying...
Well yeah, I'd say med school and law school are things that WILL take all of your time but those are after college (in the US anyway).
I had plenty of free time in one of the top ECE programs in the world for a couple semesters (still had time to join a top raiding guild during WoW's heyday) and when I changed majors to liberal arts, I pretty much never studied.
Your mileage may vary.
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Your mileage may vary.
Boom. Sums up the thread nice. :)
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Your mileage may vary.
Boom. Sums up the thread nice. :)
The man of mystery just approved (part of) my post! :thumb:
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I guess the whole sex thing depends on how seriously you take college? :p
but it shouldn't be the focus regardless.
That said, college is the only time in your life that you will be surrounded by so many willing, attractive, young members of the other sex!
especially if you are studying in a small institute of theoretical physics.
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Hahahhaahaha...
hrrm......
It really depends on how much sex you have IN college, and whether or not you're bored with it...
If you still like sex -after-college-... then that pursuit will carry you for the next 10 or so years..
@ age 30-35+... generally self awareness kicks in assuming you're financially settled, and you will begin to question existence more so than pursue mere gratification..
This all comes down to having enough sex such that it's no longer a novelty....
now, if you ask.. Tp4 what's after sex...
Nope ... that's it, you've experienced the epitome of what your brain can interpret as GOOD..
The alternative that exceed Sex, is Cocaine (think, sex-overclocked).
---We knows where this ends..
Now, onto having children.. generally, because of the sex, you're gonna have kids, but if you manage to hold off kids all the way until self-awareness.. you'd see that kids are not really the answer to fill that void of unknown knowledge of the universe..
TL;Dr After college is cocaine
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Hahahhaahaha...
hrrm......
It really depends on how much sex you have IN college, and whether or not you're bored with it...
If you still like sex -after-college-... then that pursuit will carry you for the next 10 or so years..
@ age 30-35+... generally self awareness kicks in assuming you're financially settled, and you will begin to question existence more so than pursue mere gratification..
This all comes down to having enough sex such that it's no longer a novelty....
now, if you ask.. Tp4 what's after sex...
Nope ... that's it, you've experienced the epitome of what your brain can interpret as GOOD..
The alternative that exceed Sex, is Cocaine (think, sex-overclocked).
---We knows where this ends..
Now, onto having children.. generally, because of the sex, you're gonna have kids, but if you manage to hold off kids all the way until self-awareness.. you'd see that kids are not really the answer to fill that void of unknown knowledge of the universe..
TL;Dr After college is cocaine
The issue with cocaine is.. it's just so much better than everything else..
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I guess the whole sex thing depends on how seriously you take college? :p
but it shouldn't be the focus regardless.
That said, college is the only time in your life that you will be surrounded by so many willing, attractive, young members of the other sex!
especially if you are studying in a small institute of theoretical physics.
It helps that the school I studied at is a huge Big 10 school (I think this gives away where I studied but there are enough of us grads that I still retain anonymity I think). Though our theoretical physics program isn't the best, our engineering physics program is ranked first in the nation -_-
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I actually enjoy working more than I enjoyed studying.
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Hahahhaahaha...
hrrm......
It really depends on how much sex you have IN college, and whether or not you're bored with it...
If you still like sex -after-college-... then that pursuit will carry you for the next 10 or so years..
@ age 30-35+... generally self awareness kicks in assuming you're financially settled, and you will begin to question existence more so than pursue mere gratification..
This all comes down to having enough sex such that it's no longer a novelty....
now, if you ask.. Tp4 what's after sex...
Nope ... that's it, you've experienced the epitome of what your brain can interpret as GOOD..
The alternative that exceed Sex, is Cocaine (think, sex-overclocked).
---We knows where this ends..
Now, onto having children.. generally, because of the sex, you're gonna have kids, but if you manage to hold off kids all the way until self-awareness.. you'd see that kids are not really the answer to fill that void of unknown knowledge of the universe..
TL;Dr After college is cocaine
The issue with cocaine is.. it's just so much better than everything else..
cocaine isn't anything special
it just smells good
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Hahahhaahaha...
hrrm......
It really depends on how much sex you have IN college, and whether or not you're bored with it...
If you still like sex -after-college-... then that pursuit will carry you for the next 10 or so years..
@ age 30-35+... generally self awareness kicks in assuming you're financially settled, and you will begin to question existence more so than pursue mere gratification..
This all comes down to having enough sex such that it's no longer a novelty....
now, if you ask.. Tp4 what's after sex...
Nope ... that's it, you've experienced the epitome of what your brain can interpret as GOOD..
The alternative that exceed Sex, is Cocaine (think, sex-overclocked).
---We knows where this ends..
Now, onto having children.. generally, because of the sex, you're gonna have kids, but if you manage to hold off kids all the way until self-awareness.. you'd see that kids are not really the answer to fill that void of unknown knowledge of the universe..
TL;Dr After college is cocaine
The issue with cocaine is.. it's just so much better than everything else..
cocaine isn't anything special
it just smells good
Tell us, what does it smell like?
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Hahahhaahaha...
hrrm......
It really depends on how much sex you have IN college, and whether or not you're bored with it...
If you still like sex -after-college-... then that pursuit will carry you for the next 10 or so years..
@ age 30-35+... generally self awareness kicks in assuming you're financially settled, and you will begin to question existence more so than pursue mere gratification..
This all comes down to having enough sex such that it's no longer a novelty....
now, if you ask.. Tp4 what's after sex...
Nope ... that's it, you've experienced the epitome of what your brain can interpret as GOOD..
The alternative that exceed Sex, is Cocaine (think, sex-overclocked).
---We knows where this ends..
Now, onto having children.. generally, because of the sex, you're gonna have kids, but if you manage to hold off kids all the way until self-awareness.. you'd see that kids are not really the answer to fill that void of unknown knowledge of the universe..
TL;Dr After college is cocaine
The issue with cocaine is.. it's just so much better than everything else..
cocaine isn't anything special
it just smells good
Tell us, what does it smell like?
stop to savor the scent of cocaine ? i don't think so...
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...I studied at is a huge Big 10 school (I think this gives away where I studied but there are enough of us grads that I still retain anonymity I think).
Go Boilermakers!
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...I studied at is a huge Big 10 school (I think this gives away where I studied but there are enough of us grads that I still retain anonymity I think).
Go Boilermakers!
Nope. The other Big Ten school nearby ^-^
(although I almost went to Purdue on a full scholarship for undergrad)
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...I studied at is a huge Big 10 school (I think this gives away where I studied but there are enough of us grads that I still retain anonymity I think).
Go Boilermakers!
Nope. The other Big Ten school nearby ^-^
(although I almost went to Purdue on a full scholarship for undergrad)
I know which one it is. :P And assuming I'm right, I toured there. :) Nice campus. :thumb:
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...I studied at is a huge Big 10 school (I think this gives away where I studied but there are enough of us grads that I still retain anonymity I think).
Go Boilermakers!
Nope. The other Big Ten school nearby ^-^
(although I almost went to Purdue on a full scholarship for undergrad)
I know which one it is. :P And assuming I'm right, I toured there. :) Nice campus. :thumb:
;D ;D
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_O_ T_ _ E_T_ R_?
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_O_ T_ _ E_T_ R_?
That's my suspicion. ;)
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Am I the only one who worked far too hard in high school and college and now spend my time ballin outta control?
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Am I the only one who worked far too hard in high school and college and now spend my time ballin outta control?
Asian stereotype?
OT: Why is that word "stereotype?" Is there a monauraltype? :P
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Am I the only one who worked far too hard in high school and college and now spend my time ballin outta control?
Fixed that for me.
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Am I the only one who worked far too hard in high school and college and now spend my time ballin outta control?
Asian stereotype?
I could be Asian, and I could have NOT studied or worked hard at all, and I could NOT be ballin outta control.
Just saying. :eek:
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You can start pursuing things you desire if you haven't already. Problem is school doesn't teach you how live a life a peaceful contentment. Just teaches you how follow orders, or if you are really ambitious you'll start a business and be slightly unhappy to find out you know have to figure out how to run a business because school doesn't teach that either assuming you don't have a family business. Graduating is like reaching max level in a video game. After the max level you can start playing the actual game and start to realize the "leveling up" part feels more like a waste of time and all that matters is getting the best gear or being satisfied with your character. And of course looking at the beautiful scenery the devs made. :)
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HUNTERANGEL121:
In short, life is what you make of it, and its meaning is the meaning you attach to it.
Up until now people have probably been telling you what to do, how to live, what to think about, what to value.
If you want, you can continue to cede control over your life to other people; go with the flow, try to copy what other people seem to do; adopt whatever career path seems easiest and most natural; try to learn to develop relationships (as a friend, a lover, a disciple, a mentor) with people who seem socially acceptable within your circle of acquaintances; apply yourself to working hard on whatever your job tells you to work hard on; set your ethical standards and boundaries based on the prevailing order around you; work to build your reputation and status.
(The biggest attraction of every religion is this ceding of control: by following a particular practice with a group of other followers, you gain structure, and can adopt the meaning that the religious organization or text has already decided on. This allows you to avoid worrying about them, at least delaying such consideration to some time in the indefinite future.)
Many people (perhaps most) decide to live like this, or feel forced to by circumstance. Along the way, it is still possible to take pleasure in small things, to live to help other people, or to hedonistically throw yourself at whatever seems most exciting. Or alternately it is of course possible to rage against the world, or sink into apathetic depression.
There is nothing inherently wrong with living any particular way: indeed, none of us is far enough outside the game to give you a real answer about what this whole life thing is about or what you should do. I personally don’t think such an answer from outside is possible. The answers have to come from your own introspection and conviction.
Personally, I think it is important for every human to take the time, from time to time, to (a) consider what he or she is doing, and the purposes it serves, and to (b) try to empathize with all the other people around, consider their thoughts, goals, values, and actions, and to try to construct a generous and open minded interpretation of their reasons for acting the way they do. (Very occasionally no generous interpretation is possible, but in my opinion it’s always worth trying.)
All the best luck.
Come on, guys. Most the advice in this thread has been garbage or meant in jest, but I echo jacobolus has said. Those books also seem like fine recommendations.
The OP asked a good question about his future: what's life like after college? First of all, consider it a privilege to be able to live in a time and place that allows for the opportunity and leisure to attend college and determine your future, rather than simply fighting for survival.
Adding to what jacobolus said, the biggest element of life after college, to my experience and knowledge, is responsibility. It depends how much you are willing to take on, and for what. Are you willing to support yourself and take care of yourself? Maybe a family as well? Do you want someone else to determine your values for you? Do want to work for a company doing the tasks assigned to you or try to create something on your own? Do you want to make your own decisions and take responsibility for them, or have it determined for you? You can be responsible for creating your own meaning and purpose, or have someone else do it for you.
On a more lighthearted note, there is more than work. You can always continue learning, you can raise a family, you can live on your own, you can seek fulfillment from your work, or use a job as a way to pay for other things that give you fulfillment outside of work, you can try to become rich so you can buy lots of things and take extravagant trips or retire early. You can make a modest salary and live a simple life. You can travel constantly, or root yourself in one place. You can revel in the beauty of each day or always pine for something more, or do something in between. You can visualize your future, or shy away from any grand visions, living day-to-day. You can live in fear and hesitance, or make yourself uncomfortable by challenging yourself. But nobody says that you have to do anything.
Also, be prepared for boredom: http://lists.extropy.org/pipermail/paleopsych/2005-May/003252.html
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This thread is making me stress over school now...
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Come on, guys. Most the advice in this thread has been garbage or meant in jest, but I echo jacobolus has said. Those books also seem like fine recommendations.
The OP asked a good question about his future: what's life like after college? First of all, consider it a privilege to be able to live in a time and place that allows for the opportunity and leisure to attend college and determine your future, rather than simply fighting for survival.
Oh yeah?
I didn't really mean to sound pessimistic, but maybe I was just in a mood. Anyway, the point of life is to live it. We live in an age where many people have the opportunity to live a life of the mind, rather than simply meeting their basic needs to sustain their life.
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.
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A viscous cycle.
I'm going to go ahead and pretend that this wasn't a typo, but was instead a clever engineering joke. :))
What sort of consulting did you do? I'm not that interested in consulting, but it is feasibly something I could get in to, so I'm curious to hear more about that.
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I like beeing challenged in the daily work life, if i cant im switching jobs :) Im working as a consultant that suits me perfectly.
Have 1 kid that takes up most of my free time, when i get the oppurtunity to do something else i either hang out with my wife,play games or work on my private projects.
Have to teach my kid to code early, so he can finalize my projects :)
A viscous cycle.
I'm going to go ahead and pretend that this wasn't a typo, but was instead a clever engineering joke. :))
What sort of consulting did you do? I'm not that interested in consulting, but it is feasibly something I could get in to, so I'm curious to hear more about that.
circular dependencies. Good Shiet >_<
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Step 1: Find what you love doing.
Step 2: Do it for a living.
Step 3: If you ever stop loving it, repeat from Step 1.
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Come on, guys. Most the advice in this thread has been garbage or meant in jest, but I echo jacobolus has said. Those books also seem like fine recommendations.
The OP asked a good question about his future: what's life like after college? First of all, consider it a privilege to be able to live in a time and place that allows for the opportunity and leisure to attend college and determine your future, rather than simply fighting for survival.
Oh yeah?
I didn't really mean to sound pessimistic, but maybe I was just in a mood. Anyway, the point of life is to live it. We live in an age where many people have the opportunity to live a life of the mind, rather than simply meeting their basic needs to sustain their life.
I did not intend to ignore others that put some thought into their response or be too repetitive. Things get by me sometimes.
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Step 1: Find what you love doing.
Step 2: Do it for a living.
Step 3: If you ever stop loving it, repeat from Step 1.
If you want to get paid, should we consider the value of to others of the chosen activity? I always liked this little graphic:
[attach=1]
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After graduating college the first time I hired at a well paid engineering job at a well known aerospace co. Although the pay was terrific the job was not, it was not challenging me mentally. I got bored and fast, Mondays were horrible always counting down the days to Friday. Fridays we're counting the longest possible time before I had to go back to work on Monday. A viscous cycle. I was not happy living life, ineeded a change. At This point, I closed solitaire , minesweeper, gh, and Craigslist on my workstation and stated getting into programming, this was the best thing I ever done in my life. Went back to school on the current employers dime and now completing my senior year of a cs degree. I'm having a great time learning this new field! Coding is like a paint brush for geeks(grrrrr... and brogrammers that's another topic.. Don't get me started on those tools) Instead of working at Starbucks with an art degree, the cs degree is actually respected. Just last week I was offered a job at Amazon as an software dev engineer. I am ecstatic! Making close to 1.5x my wages as a mechanical eng. and I can bring my dog to work!
Bottom line,imho it all depends on how you carve your path in life and how many forks you allow in it, having college in that path is a great start!!
Sidenote: college ... In my experience is just a tool that shows future employees you have the ability to learn and memorize arbitrary cocepts at a certain level, not actual tools used in the work force, I've learned more attending YouTube university than I ever could have at university of Washington and they are rated 6th overall for their cs program.
SpaceX?
A few of my buddies from college work there.
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OP, yes after college comes work and you make money with it, but you gain skills as well. And you can strive to become better at your job.
But the hard part, for me, is finding the job best suited for you. You need a good balance between challenge, fun and income (this is in order of importance).
And life after college is so much more than only a job. If you want skills and challenges, try to balance a social life with a wife, kids, hobbies and that job you love so much.
I enjoyed college a lot, spend nights drinking in a bar, working in a bar, drinking while working in a bar. Spend nights of stoned gaming, stoned anime watching. And in the end I got a degree as well, fun times. But I wouldn't go back, I find the life after college challenging, but the key is figuring out what you want to accomplish and that was the hard part. It took me some years, but I have finally figured it out and I am planning my path accordingly.
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There is one answer that I think is the most exciting, and only 1 person has mentioned it: start your own business. Don't work for the man, become the man.
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There is one answer that I think is the most exciting, and only 1 person has mentioned it: start your own business. Don't work for the man, become the man.
I started my own business. It's called Hoffman Working Force. I "contract" with one company for an undetermined amount of time, and they pay me a flat rate to perform a wide range of duties. If I decide it's not for me, I can move on. :thumb:
Okay, that's super snarky. I don't mean it that way. :P But what I'm saying is that if you're working voluntarily, doing something you enjoy, it's really not bad. :) Plus, I don't have loads of stress that I can only suspect owning a business would bring with it.
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Sure, it's not for everyone. But it's an adventure. When you're a kid, you never really know what's around the corner. There are always new and exciting experiences. I think OP is dreading a "flatline" after college. Not to say your life is "flatlining," but if you go for a traditional career path, you take the good and the bad that comes with stability. The good is that you have relatively lower stress and a steady paycheck. The bad is that for the most part, you know exactly what you're signed up for and it's not going to change much. 'n'a mean?
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Sure, it's not for everyone. But it's an adventure. When you're a kid, you never really know what's around the corner. There are always new and exciting experiences. I think OP is dreading a "flatline" after college. Not to say your life is "flatlining," but if you go for a traditional career path, you take the good and the bad that comes with stability. The good is that you have relatively lower stress and a steady paycheck. The bad is that for the most part, you know exactly what you're signed up for and it's not going to change much. 'n'a mean?
Absolutely. :) I wasn't refuting that, I was just saying that working for "the man" isn't all that bad if you truly choose it instead of being forced into it.
In my field with my interests, I pretty much just can't do what I want without working for a big company. There's no way I could get the capital to play with expensive machines all day. :D It very well might be something I work toward, but starting at a regular company and getting experience is really great. :thumb:
Oh, and also, I'm currently working with two processes out of like ten that my company does. So if I want some other experience I can always move around and try new things. :)
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stuffed animals and aesthetics i hope
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This thread is making me stress over school now...
After the college presentation at school the other day is when I started thinking about all this. Lol.
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Sure, it's not for everyone. But it's an adventure. When you're a kid, you never really know what's around the corner. There are always new and exciting experiences. I think OP is dreading a "flatline" after college. Not to say your life is "flatlining," but if you go for a traditional career path, you take the good and the bad that comes with stability. The good is that you have relatively lower stress and a steady paycheck. The bad is that for the most part, you know exactly what you're signed up for and it's not going to change much. 'n'a mean?
There is one answer that I think is the most exciting, and only 1 person has mentioned it: start your own business. Don't work for the man, become the man.
If you're going to start a business, be prepared to fail and be challenged.
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This thread is making me stress over school now...
After the college presentation at school the other day is when I started thinking about all this. Lol.
Wait til you're done with school and need to find a job.
Save the stress for then，enjoy school while you still can.