Back to School? advice needed

juno75

Hi all,

I am in my late twenties working in th I.T. field at a low-medium level. I've been at it now for 2 years ish and my current contract runs out in Febuary.
I.T. is cool enough but I am finding myself left a bit cold by it.
For the first time though I can see how my carerr will progress and although I am on CRAP money right now , with an MCP or two next year it should start paying off ( a little more experianced/qualified...)
Now that its going to start paying off it's starting to dawn on me that I may not wanna do this for the rest of my life.
I am maybe starting to find it very shallow and unfullfilling but I know if I stick at it for a few more years then I will be a lot more comfertable than I am now-financially.
But what good is a pile of cash if resent your work everyday?
confused.
So the last year or so I have read up on lots of different subjects that intrest me- Politcs/History/Physcology/Philosophy etc etc.
I have now fallen in love with Philosophy big time and has really sorted my head out with regard to looking at life (go get a philosophy book peeps!)
The other factor is I f*ucked around at school/college and did not achive anything that I was capeable of ( had a ball
tho )
Methinks I want a degree for my self. Me muvva got hers last year at 49 and that left a big impression as she had NO education being working class Irish back in the 50's/60 's.
A degree in IT is a no brainer as I may as well stay working because experiance is more relevant and education wise you do little courses in your own time.
So keep going in the diredtion I am going in, get minted but risk being intecually and spiritually unfullfulled
OR
Go back to college next year and do something (physcology/physcology/ a humanity of some sort?)
I dunno what kinda career I can get with the above courses but I think my brain wud be more content.
Or am I a muppet to be considering changeing my life agian after finally getting steady after years of sh!t work...

Also I hear you need to be on the dole for 6 months before you are elagble for college- that cant be true!!!???

Opinions would be appricated

Miguel_Sanchez

If you're not happy then definitely do something about it. You're only in your twenties (that's young by anyone's standards).

I have a friend who worked in Insurance for years and then at 29 decided to head back to college and study Film. He's having a great time.

juno75

I have a friend who worked in Insurance for years and then at 29 decided to head back to college and study Film. He's having a great time.

Im 28 ( and two thirds:p ) so the above has cheered me up, thanks Jeff

Emboss

I don't think it's ever too late to go back to college especially now your *slightly* older you have a much better idea of what you would like to study, I think it's alot easier to complete such a task when you have a genuine interest in what you're doing, I have considered returning myself like yourself I'm in an IT about 2 years but the difference is I love my job (hate the wages) but it's something I love doing, it doesn't even feel like work.

What about doing the course by night and continuing working by day, it would be a shame to start a course and give up on it because you had feck all money to do the things you love, or an open uni course? (Don’t know alot about them) or maybe make an appointment with a career guidance dude, see what options you have.

juno75

mmmm, I'm thinking about night courses/open uni etc and working
but I think it has to be one or the other.
If I am working all day at this job and then evenings in a class somewhere I think something would give somewhere!
Like you said its a shame to give up somethink befor u finish it.
I really like the idea of being in full time education though, my focus would be 100% on the tasks at hand.

career guidance dude may be a genius idea,nice one!

I suppose it all comes down to wot makes you happy, I thought computers did,god, life is never simple eh?!

Trebor

i would say you best bet is to do a part time degree and as the money in your job is quite good or wiil be? then why not ask them to cut down your hours and take a pay cut so that you can have the best of both worlds.

i know people who have done a 4 year degree in philosophy and they enjoyed it but they are now looking at doing something else as there are few jobs.

BuffyBot

I would recommend the Open University to anyone working full-time. It's a lot more flexible as it's not class based. They also have a fair few Philosophy courses. The material is good quality and there is as little or as much support as you need

On the downside it can be more expensive to do when living in Ireland. Check out the website for prices and courses www.open.ac.uk or if it;s specifically philosopy go to Philosophy courses

I see that Oscail also do philosophy. I don't know much about them though or how they work..someone else here might have an idea

m1ke

If you're in the Dublin area you should give UCD's modular Arts degree a look. It's geared towards people in your situation, who also have to hold down jobs. I think it's like 2 nights a week 3 hours a night over 4 years, with good quality staff and courses the same as the regular one.

delop

Juno, When I read your post, I thought I had written it myself! :-) I was and still am thinking the same thoughts you are. I too work in the IT industry, L10n enough to wear down any man...

Does this sound familar: When you were a teenager, your hobby was computers, you may have had a talent for it, but not to the nerd extent, you had plenty of hobbies outside computers. When it came to CAO time, the advice you got was get into computers, you seem to have a talent, plenty of jobs and plenty of money. A good 'secure' future, whatever that means... You then got to college to study maybe a cert or diploma in computers, but the attitude was that this is just somethign you had to get through, didnt really learn anything in any detail, and just go through... well thats me actually, and now I find Im in the same situation at work, A job some people might actually like and a pay cheque that allows loads of drinking and a good standard of living...

Well what I tried doing was Night courses, First of all Griffith College, Failed to even make the effort to turn up mostly, Kicked myself in the arse, for being stupid, then Tried it again next year, but the same problem, just not interested enough, and working 8 hrs a day and a soul killing job to spen 3 hrs at night in college tyrying to stay awake... well you can guess what happened.

So finally I tried Open University, a different problem but same result...

I have decided my problem was that Im too concerned with 'Security' and never really sat down and tried to figure out what I woudl actually be interested in. In my ming if I quit work and started doing something in college that I would actually be interested in and went in with the intention of eating up everyting that was put in fromt of me, that I might actually learn something, be interested in my job and even if it payed a lot less, I might be a happier person

And I think being off work to study fulltime will give you an oppertunity to settle, calm and noodle about what your are doing instead of busting your ass day and night.
Its that just naive? I hope not...
you have to be extremely motivated to go to night college, and I just dont think im that kinda person..

Anyway dont the best results come from the biggest risks?

juno75

Hi Delop, cheers

You you hit the nail on the head, I have managed to study and
do a few computer certs in my own time after work but I know exactly what you mean - it can be a pretty grueling to bang
into books about computers after a day of looking at them.

I dunno, it was a string intrest from me youth and its good to
have an intrest that pays. Lately though the money/prospects seem to have dipped in IT. My bit anyway:mad:

In the medium to long term a change is seffinatly coming.
Computers are cool but i dont fancy spending my life doing it, I m
not knocking the job ,just not my thing.

Compromise - I gonna work the rest of my year and fullfill my contract ( so the CV still looks intact)
and the in first quater of 2004 get me arse on a plane back to Aisia or India for a few months and try sort it out in me head a bit.

I suppose its defining moments and points in your life where
the feeling comes from your gut and forces you to make
changes.

Im gonna make it up as I go along for now and not do what I did before- get frustrated and angry cause my life is not how I want it to be.
Bide my time, hatch a plan and execute my escape- to where I dunno yet :ninja:

Best of luck mate

dendenz

http://www.daycourses.com