College drop-outs?

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KatyaNoir
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College drop-outs?

Post by KatyaNoir » Tue Feb 21, 2012 7:32 pm

I've recently had to leave university for health reasons, and since I couldn't find a similar topic thought i'd start one up.
So has anyone here had to leave university for some reason, and been stuck for what to do after?

It's difficult for me to get back on my feet after having left, because being ill I find I often have to limit what I can do. So i'm interested in your stories, what did you do to get yourself back out there? I've thought about volunteering, but it seems most of the volunteering websites want previous experience. If all else fails Oxfam may be my calling. But i'd like to know how you dealt with it? Or if you didn't go to uni/college at all, what did you do instead?

:D

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Miss Liberty
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Re: College drop-outs?

Post by Miss Liberty » Thu Feb 23, 2012 9:31 pm

I dropped out of community college at 22 to move from Spring Hill FL to Orlando, FL. It was a good and bad decision. It was good because I am happier here and have made a life for myself, but bad in the fact that it delayed me finishing my education for 10+ years.

I worked a few retail jobs, and then got in with an eye doctors office as a receptionist. Over the next four years I gained enough on the job training to become an unlicensed optician, and that got me by for quite some time. The hours were long, and I worked almost every weekend, so when I got engaged I left the business and took up my current office job.

2 years ago I finally went back and finished my associates, and I will be baring down on the Bachelor soon. I am glad I went back for my education as I feel I have hit a glass ceiling without it. I am sorry I waited so long to complete it, but at least I gained a vocational and medical skill in the meantime, and can fall back on that really at any time.

KatyaNoir
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Re: College drop-outs?

Post by KatyaNoir » Fri Feb 24, 2012 7:42 pm

I'm glad it's sort of worked out well for you now, congrats! Did it make it harder to go back to education after such a large gap though?
I can't help feeling like i've made a good/bad decision too, but it's annoying I really had no choice and that my health failed me. I didn't enjoy the university I was at, the atmosphere or the people very much so I feel it's good that i've gotten away from it and also given myself space to really think about it, but bad because i've now got a reasonably large debt and nothing to show for it.
I think I felt a lot of pressure at school to go to university, and the kids that decided to go into work were often left by the wayside. But I guess the downside of that is you don't always have completely concrete ambitions, so you pick a course and a university because it almost feels like that's the right thing to do, the nature of things because that's what everyone else does. I'm glad now i've been able to really think about what I wanted from that, and realised I don't want it as much as I thought I did.

When you moved and got a few jobs, did you have a lot of experience of working beforehand?
Ideally i'd like to volunteer for charities and I keep wondering if this is legitimate experience to go onto a job. Since I have no experience it really feels like a black hole of hopelessness for getting myself into a job.
Although one day i'd really like to study again, i'll hopefully spend more serious time weighing it up next time.

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Sharaya
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Re: College drop-outs?

Post by Sharaya » Wed Mar 07, 2012 1:59 am

I was into my second semester of Cosmetology when I got a heart infection and had to stay in the hospital for a week or so, they told me I could come back the next semester instead. I love cosmetology but I really didn't care for the atmosphere. Most of the girls were pretty catty and I didn't like the idea of working with snots and snarky customers with a big fake smile on my face all day every day so I thought Id try to do what I REALLY wanted to do, Be a zoologist/cryptozoologist. But not to down myself or anything, I'm just not book smart enough for that I realized. And it's really sad and hard for me but I accept it. I'm naturally good at cosmetology so I guess that's what I'm stuck with. And knowing about animals doesn't really make much money either. lol. But this past year after i moved to the city and enrolled in a different college with my husband it turns out I don't have enough credits to get financial aid because the semester before that our apt caught fire and we were left homeless for a few weeks. living separately with our parents, I had to drop my classes because of it and in turn lost my financial aid. So for now I'm being a housewife, cooking, cleaning and working on my own various projects and crafts. I plan on going back to cosmetology though after my husband is done with school and we can gather up enough money to pay for my classes. And that's pretty much my story. Unfortunate but it could be worse!

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Miss Liberty
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Re: College drop-outs?

Post by Miss Liberty » Thu Mar 15, 2012 1:50 am

In some ways the delay hurt, but it was easier in others. I think I appreciated my classes more going back in my 30's. I was more focused and doing well meant more, since I knew what I was paying for my education and I was a bit more mature. In my early twenties, I really was distracted and just phoning it in.

It was hard to hit a rhythm with schoolwork at first, and balancing school, work, and running my own household (my now ex husband was not very helpful by that point.) I also regretted the time wasted, and how I will be looking at almost 40 before I have a bachelor. So, there is a give and take there.

As far as work experience before moving, I had waited tables and then started with the Goodwill. I had worked my way up to third tier management before moving to Orlando, so I did have a little experience under my belt before leaving for the city.

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