Here lately I have really started second-guessing my latest plan as far as school goes. Let me give you a quick background which leads up to where I am today.
I graduated high school in 2001 and didn’t do much of anything for the next two years (besides website stuff). At that time I never planned to go to college and really didn’t have much of an idea what I wanted to do with my life. I enrolled at the University of Mississippi in the fall of 2003 as a computer science major. Truth be known, one of the main reasons I decided to enroll was to follow my girlfriend who was enrolling at the same time… that, and just get away from a home life that was less than stellar.
Things went well from the beginning, although it became clear that computer science wasn’t what I thought it was. Computer science = programming 24/7. I had taken a few programming classes in high school but nothing major, so I decided to stick with it and see how things would play out.
Two years later I found myself in my junior year and I was in serious trouble. Computer science simply wasn’t for me. I’d come to hate programming with a passion; it just didn’t “click” with me and seriously gave me a headache. Oh, and the math requirements for that major… yeah, not going to happen. Math isn’t one of my strong subjects to begin with. I took Calculus 1 twice and failed both times. I was done with computer science.
I tried “management information systems” for a semester but found it was more difficult than computer science. I hit the course catalog once again and stumbled upon journalism. I am not sure why I never thought about journalism before, but right away I knew I had found something.
Think about it for a moment: my main reason in selecting computer science was because, well, it was computer-related and I thought it might help me with my tech site. Well clearly that didn’t happen. Writing is a key ingredient in running a successful review site, so it just made since that journalism was the thing for me. I took the first two intro courses in the spring of 2006 and absolutely loved it!
Now, a new problem arose. Would I still be able to graduate “on time”, which is May of this year. Simply put, no. I was so far behind that it was impossible to cover all the ground I had lost wasting my time with computer science, but I was determined to get as close as possible. I took three classes last summer and had a full schedule in the fall. I had to change my graduation date to December 2007 and all was looking bright… well, sorta.
Completing the requirements for the major in journalism wouldn’t be a problem. What is a problem, however, is my foreign language and minor requirements. I am required to have two classes at the 200 level or above in a foreign language. I am in my first Spanish class this semester. The plan is to take Spanish 102 and 201 over the summer and finish up with 202 in the fall to complete the requirements. Not a big deal, just a lot of work. The real problem is my minor, which would be computer science since I had already taken four of the six required courses. I am taking C++ programming this semester and wow, I couldn’t be more lost. Everyone else in the class seems to be chugging along without issue, while I struggled and ultimately failed to get my first assignment completed. I can tell you right now, I will not be able to pass this class… much less the one after it.
So, I’m pretty much at a deciding point here…
First, the bad stuff. A) I have wasted four years of my life and will not have a diploma to show for it. B) I spent a ton of money on school these four years; I won’t get that back. C) I have wasted a ton of valuable time; time that I could have spent on other projects in my life. D) I could change my minor and still graduate, but that would take another year at the least. E) My eligibility for financial aid and other scholarships ends this semester, so if I was to continue, it would all be at full cost to me. News flash: I’m not rich.
Now, for the good things. A) I can quit worrying with school and focus my full attention on running OCIA.net. I am pleased with where the site is heading now and only wish I had more time to invest in it. Did I mention I absolutely love running the site? It is my dream job and I don’t see myself doing anything else in the near future. I planned to run the site full time after graduation anyway. So, with that said, B) getting a degree will do me no good. To me, it will just be a piece of paper that says “Hey I know what I am doing and I spent a lot of money to prove it to you with this piece of paper”. I will never use a journalism degree; I have no desire to work for a newspaper, magazine or television station. C) Sure I won’t get a diploma, and I have wasted time and money… but maybe not as much as it seems. Think about it… I have still learned the same amount from college, with out without a degree. Also, I have had a place to live the past four years. I have no clue where I would be living if I hadn’t come to school.
So here I am… left with this decision. That decision gets easier as each day passes… I realize I can’t get a minor in computer science; that’s probably the biggest thing holding me back. And yes, I already know its completely stupid to get “so close” then quit… but seriously, what would you do? Please feel free to comment…
