What you may read is a serious amount of ranting on my part that originated from a relatively innocent question regarding change in your life.
the question: "Describe a significant change event you experienced (going from high school to college, going from college to the workforce, changing jobs, etc.) How did you prepare for the change? What "fears" did you encounter and how did you overcome those fears? Knowing what you know now about the change, what would you do differently today that you didn`t do then? How can you apply these "should haves" to changes you`ll face in the future? Write at least 300 words."
I just started writing and I couldn't stop. Here was my response:
For those that read this, I did not edit it after I was done for the most part because I found it informative and useful to myself. It does apply to the topic at hand in a great deal but it also covers a lot more about myself and I get on a bit of a rant. I mean no disrespect to my professor, and I appologize if it comes of that way.
Well let's see, going from high school to college was mostly of change scenery, and probably study habit. I didn't really study much at all in high school. I don't really study tons now but I have had to adapt to how I learn. In college the pace is so much faster and realistically if you have several classes the require extensive reading I know most people can't keep up with them all and be able to work at the same time. So they do things like skimming or crunching shortly before exams. Where you looked over it before a bit sure, but you need a reminder to help you remember things to pass exams, and for most people that works really well. In college I think more then anything else I've learned is that your schedule must be like liquid to a degree. It needs to be able to change shape and adapt fairly readily if you want to get everything done, especially if you want to try and have free time.
I know I get a great deal less sleep then I used to. Now that I have a job and I'm a full time student I might average 4-6 hours of sleep, and on occasion only 2 or 3 hours, but you take a nap later in the day or just get the sleep when you can if you need more. I myself find I don't need sleep very often with the exception that I can tell easily that I've been without sleep. It usually involves a headache at the very least.
I was always afraid I wouldn't have a life in college and to be honest not having one just isn't an option. I don't need to party all the time or anything like that but I need what little free time I have. It's not unreasonable to have an hour or 2 of free time each day at the very least. I do find however, that although I can obtain that much a day generally I don't ever get it all in one go. My adhd makes it difficult to stay focused since I stopped taking Ritalin for it. So I do a little work then I surf the internet a little; getting very little done of either. Even right now I have to keep mentally telling myself not to get distracted as I write. I know this is what is good for my future and stuff but it's so hard to stay focused when I get distracted so easy and I'm so disinterested about this or most any class. I think part of it is that I dislike the whole basis of college and the way it works. All it is in my opinion is an expensive piece of paper that takes a very long time to get.
FOR THE MOST PART I haven't learned anything education wise that I didn't already know in high school except that teachers don't really teach you much anymore. Teachers for the most part don't pass off practical concepts they pass of theoretical ones through the use of books. SO, they'll have you read the book, regurgitate information, then they might try to clarify it so as to make sure you understand this mostly impractical information. Sure sometimes it's important to know but with exception to maybe medical fields; there is a good chance you know the majority of it. Even then any nurse in the field can tell you that working in the nursing field is very different from actually learning it, and there are many things that can't be taught. I guess I can kind of understand the thought process behind this. They software or equipment will change but the base concepts will stay the same in general, but you still need to know how to use the equipment in order to get the job done even if it's going to change later. It's much easier to learn the changes to the equipment. There are cases where the exact opposite is true as well and you about nothing but the equipment or the software and they don't teach you much theory but I find those examples few and far between. However is it so much to ask for a balance? Well with obvious exception of course to online courses; most of which you don't really need to know about equipment to learn anyway. This class is purely based on theory but it's supposed to be as it's online and it also makes sense considering this class is almost entirely based on concept not on equipment.
I myself had to drop a class I found incredibly difficult and frustrating this semester. It was on CGT animation. At the end of the class you were supposed to have a 20 second animation with sounds using a program called Autodesk 3DS Max. However, although I found the concepts ridiculously easy I couldn't keep up in the class because I couldn't learn Autodesk fast enough on my own and our professor little to nothing about the program. How is that practical?
Come to think of it I'm not sure why I needed this class. I really never wanted to be a supervisor or anything like that. I think it was required, but I'm getting off topic a bit again. I think if I could go back and tell a slightly younger version of me anything I'd tell him that in a couple years after he has his associate's in CGT; that he should either stop there and get a job or he should go after another degree. He should maybe go for something else he enjoys more just so he can get the bachelors his parents want him to get but he can do it in a field he'll not only enjoy more, but that could probably be considerably easier as well. Because right now, I feel kinda trapped into this program. I don't think it would be good to change now that I'm already started on my bachlors to start over and have my parents who are helping me continue to do so for another 4 years or however long it'd take. So I'll just do the best I can for now and hope it works out I suppose.
Now then that's the end of it. I knew I'd been kinda stressed lately but jeez...lol kinda want nuts on that question.
the question: "Describe a significant change event you experienced (going from high school to college, going from college to the workforce, changing jobs, etc.) How did you prepare for the change? What "fears" did you encounter and how did you overcome those fears? Knowing what you know now about the change, what would you do differently today that you didn`t do then? How can you apply these "should haves" to changes you`ll face in the future? Write at least 300 words."
I just started writing and I couldn't stop. Here was my response:
For those that read this, I did not edit it after I was done for the most part because I found it informative and useful to myself. It does apply to the topic at hand in a great deal but it also covers a lot more about myself and I get on a bit of a rant. I mean no disrespect to my professor, and I appologize if it comes of that way.
Well let's see, going from high school to college was mostly of change scenery, and probably study habit. I didn't really study much at all in high school. I don't really study tons now but I have had to adapt to how I learn. In college the pace is so much faster and realistically if you have several classes the require extensive reading I know most people can't keep up with them all and be able to work at the same time. So they do things like skimming or crunching shortly before exams. Where you looked over it before a bit sure, but you need a reminder to help you remember things to pass exams, and for most people that works really well. In college I think more then anything else I've learned is that your schedule must be like liquid to a degree. It needs to be able to change shape and adapt fairly readily if you want to get everything done, especially if you want to try and have free time.
I know I get a great deal less sleep then I used to. Now that I have a job and I'm a full time student I might average 4-6 hours of sleep, and on occasion only 2 or 3 hours, but you take a nap later in the day or just get the sleep when you can if you need more. I myself find I don't need sleep very often with the exception that I can tell easily that I've been without sleep. It usually involves a headache at the very least.
I was always afraid I wouldn't have a life in college and to be honest not having one just isn't an option. I don't need to party all the time or anything like that but I need what little free time I have. It's not unreasonable to have an hour or 2 of free time each day at the very least. I do find however, that although I can obtain that much a day generally I don't ever get it all in one go. My adhd makes it difficult to stay focused since I stopped taking Ritalin for it. So I do a little work then I surf the internet a little; getting very little done of either. Even right now I have to keep mentally telling myself not to get distracted as I write. I know this is what is good for my future and stuff but it's so hard to stay focused when I get distracted so easy and I'm so disinterested about this or most any class. I think part of it is that I dislike the whole basis of college and the way it works. All it is in my opinion is an expensive piece of paper that takes a very long time to get.
FOR THE MOST PART I haven't learned anything education wise that I didn't already know in high school except that teachers don't really teach you much anymore. Teachers for the most part don't pass off practical concepts they pass of theoretical ones through the use of books. SO, they'll have you read the book, regurgitate information, then they might try to clarify it so as to make sure you understand this mostly impractical information. Sure sometimes it's important to know but with exception to maybe medical fields; there is a good chance you know the majority of it. Even then any nurse in the field can tell you that working in the nursing field is very different from actually learning it, and there are many things that can't be taught. I guess I can kind of understand the thought process behind this. They software or equipment will change but the base concepts will stay the same in general, but you still need to know how to use the equipment in order to get the job done even if it's going to change later. It's much easier to learn the changes to the equipment. There are cases where the exact opposite is true as well and you about nothing but the equipment or the software and they don't teach you much theory but I find those examples few and far between. However is it so much to ask for a balance? Well with obvious exception of course to online courses; most of which you don't really need to know about equipment to learn anyway. This class is purely based on theory but it's supposed to be as it's online and it also makes sense considering this class is almost entirely based on concept not on equipment.
I myself had to drop a class I found incredibly difficult and frustrating this semester. It was on CGT animation. At the end of the class you were supposed to have a 20 second animation with sounds using a program called Autodesk 3DS Max. However, although I found the concepts ridiculously easy I couldn't keep up in the class because I couldn't learn Autodesk fast enough on my own and our professor little to nothing about the program. How is that practical?
Come to think of it I'm not sure why I needed this class. I really never wanted to be a supervisor or anything like that. I think it was required, but I'm getting off topic a bit again. I think if I could go back and tell a slightly younger version of me anything I'd tell him that in a couple years after he has his associate's in CGT; that he should either stop there and get a job or he should go after another degree. He should maybe go for something else he enjoys more just so he can get the bachelors his parents want him to get but he can do it in a field he'll not only enjoy more, but that could probably be considerably easier as well. Because right now, I feel kinda trapped into this program. I don't think it would be good to change now that I'm already started on my bachlors to start over and have my parents who are helping me continue to do so for another 4 years or however long it'd take. So I'll just do the best I can for now and hope it works out I suppose.
Now then that's the end of it. I knew I'd been kinda stressed lately but jeez...lol kinda want nuts on that question.