After Schooling...

[rockstarrem]

So, what are your plans after you finish schooling? And, if you have graduated high school or college/uni/other schooling, what have you done? Do you think your decision was good, bad, etc? Why?

I'll post mine after a few people post, wanna get a discussion rolling first .

[MrLlamaLlama]

I was always a pretty good student, really. Then when I hit puberty I sorta rebelled and went all 'f*** it' .Pretty much got nothing outta my GCSE's (exams which control your life when you're 15, 16) and then regretted it for an absolute age. It was coming up to the end of summer, and everyone I knew had found jobs, further study, or murdered their Grandparents for inheritance to tide them over. I hadn't, so I just threw myself into the local college to see what I could do... anything with computers being the fallback plan. Found out I could study Graphic Design, and voila. That was the master plan.

Less than half a year later and I'd settled back into the same mentality. I'd get up, shower, get dressed, walk to the bus stop, watch the bus go past, walk back home and get in bed. Come 4 oclock I'd get up, go see the GF and walk back home at around 6 with my parents none the wiser. The perfect crime. Then my conscience caught up with me, so I officially backed out of studying, got myself a job and earnt myself some cash until the next academic year rolled around. THEN I got my ass in gear. 3 Years of studying later and I'm on my way to a degree in something I love with people I love beside me.

TlDr: If you've got the brains, it's worth going the full 9 yards with your education. If you don't, there's plenty of things out there you can still do, love and be good at. Not a reason to get complacent or lazy, or to screw yourself over... but if you really want it, you should find it.

[Chris]

I was a pretty smart kid (still am actually. Ha!) throughout primary school, once I started secondary school things went a bit downhill. Started getting really lazy with my school work, did fairly well in my GCSE's but I could have done much better if I'd tried. Anxiety played a part in this. But that's another story.

For my Higher Education I went on to Sixth Form (rather than college) to do my A levels. Once again I did about average, could have done so much better, but it was enough to get into university and that's what I was there for.

Actually I wasn't. I was not interested in getting a job though, and I figured what the hell, might as well actually go to uni, could come out with a degree and much better job prospects. So I went to Staffordshire University to study Web Development, a bit of a lazy option since I was already heavily into web design and development prior to going to uni. And you know, it's not a particularly great uni, and I don't enjoy the course either.

It's extremely generalised and covers way too many areas of web dev - it is like they build us up as students to graduate as a "Jack of all trades, master of none" - this is not good. They should have a few select areas where we should be allowed to specialise.

That said, I'm in my final year now, and in a few months I'll be due to graduate. Once again with a fairly low/average level degree since I've been lazy. But, it might not be all that valuable to me anyway...

I'm optimistic about my life after uni. A few friends/contacts I've made while at uni may prove to be extremely good for me. In the past year I've got myself into developing iOS apps and have released one already. We have a pretty large scale app on the way too. Additionally, I'm busy with the re-development of a social network for filmmakers, one with great potential and lots going for it - the competition doesn't even come close to what we have to offer. The app and the website go hand in hand, so the popularity of one should lead to the popularity of the other. So things could work out pretty well for me.

So my advice from my experiences in my 22 years of life so far? Doing well at school will indeed help you, but it might not be necessary. Find something you're good at, and hopefully passionate about too, and just keep working at it. You can doss around in school, but not after that, so don't become lazy.

TL;DR - No, read my whole post if you want to know. If I wrote a tl;dr it would make my post worthless.

[Nate10]

I excelled in elementary/primary school getting principal list or honor roll each semester it was able to be awarded but then I hit junior high. Right from the start at 6th grade there was a drop in my motivation. I think it stemmed from my older best friends robbing my house right before junior high. It killed the concept of trust for me, and though anxiety related issues didn't kick until a few years later in life, I'm sure anxiety issues were boiling up at least subconsciously.

Anyway, yeah, so the lack of motivation resulted in flunking virtually anything through junior high but I aced every test and because of still passing tests without having to study in middle school, I created this illusion that I wouldn't ever have to study for anything! Sweet! Obviously though that is not the case though for the average person, and because of that illusion I still didn't study my first two years of high school. My illusion DID hold truth for a while but at the end of my sophomore year, I was credit deficient. I also had pretty severe breathing related anxiety issues from food allergies, but they also more or less rooted from psychosomatic related issues and that made school pretty rough my freshman year. Like Chris pointed out, that's another story.

I'm currently in my junior year of high school, and am not credit deficient anymore. I'm switching to a different school next year(better atmosphere there)and am enrolling in their AAI program which is an art program. I'll be taking the class that specializes in music probably, and if not, photography because I'm into film photography. Everyone in AAI has the same English class too so it'll be a fun senior year because I know a lot of people at the school I'll be switching to. Not sure yet what my plans are for college/uni yet but it is in the vague plan I have regarding my future. I'm passionate about a few things... just not sure what I should take the risk of pursuing.

As for my choices so far, yeah, I am a little bummed with how some things went. I know I caused a lot of stress for my parents, but at the same time I'm glad how I've matured and learned the things I have learned. If things went differently, I may have turned out differently. As far as study habits go, I definitely don't condone procrastinating like it's nobody's business. Do well, especially in the younger stages, habits are tough to grow out of. So do well in school. Life isn't all work though. "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

[rockstarrem]

Your situation is very similar to mine, Nate10. I'm glad you have woken up earlier than I did. It seems you have, at least.

I used to skip school a LOT. In fact, I have probably skipped well over a year all together in high school. When I did go to school, I could not concentrate. I was too concerned with my appearance (not just stuff about being ugly, etc, I mean how I acted) that I just could NOT, by any means, concentrate. I talked to absolutely no one. When someone talked to me I got really fucking nervous and responded in a very stupid fashion.

This particular case happened after a significant event in my life. Anyway, less than a year later and I'm back to normal (whatever that means) and I can function normally again. In fact, I'm functioning better than I ever have. It all really came from self acceptance I believe. Once you get that down, what the fuck can go wrong on your side?

So, my plan after high school is to attend Boston University's Center For Digital Imaging and Arts. I will be taking a dual certification course focused on Web Design and Web Development. I am more than satisfied with the instructors and course material (you can look at the material and instructors backgrounds on their website) and I am extremely excited to start this program to say the least.

My dream is coming true. I have done shit to deserve this, really. All I need is a high school diploma and a year and a half of a certificate program to be making an average of $92,000. That shit is fucking nuts.

I am no longer doing any sort of recreational drugs (marijuana was a big problem for me) to keep my mind clean. I'll probably drink once in a while, but I don't see it being a big issue. My life has really fucking turned around in a short period of time.

I really want to hear more peoples experiences! This shit fascinates me.

[Ivan]

I guess I'll start from the beggining.

Primary was awesome, I had great grades, lots of friends and lots of time to fool around, shit was simple.

Then came the fifth grade and shit was still easy and simple, 6th grade was the same pretty much. After that it all got fucked up, my motivation was zero, I couldn't really connect to other people and I thought to myself things couldn't really get any worse, I only studied the absolute minimum so that I could pass each year and now that I look back I know how much I wasted.

Despite knowing that, I kept doing the same in the 10th grade. In a new school with all of my friends( the few I had) gone, I really had a tough time. I didn't study, I didn't socialize much, I didn't do much of anything. I just couldn't accept who I really am, I was pissed at everyting but I didn't react, I was just sort of numb, I dunno). I still struggle with that, It's hard for me to accept some things and to show my feelings. And I have to show them to get better.

Now I'm in the 11th grade and I fucked up the first period of school, skipped a lot of classes, didn't study, did some tests actualy stoned but despite everything, I'm better now. Some things got worse but others got better. I don't know when I'll finally stop fooling around and do shit properly, I need something to motivate me, something to reach out to.

I'm trying to find that reason for doing shit right now, but it's hard figuring it out. Because of that my future is uncertain but when I find it I'll do everyting to grab that dream. That's my plan. A not very well thought out plan but it's a fucking plan.

[Nate10]

Your situation is very similar to mine, Nate10. I'm glad you have woken up earlier than I did. It seems you have, at least.

Yeah I've definitely shook off some illusions but I wouldn't of minded to wake up earlier. Before high school I was blissfully ignorant and like you once anxiety started playing a roll in my life I didn't interact with people anymore. Won't go into the specifics of that right now but things eventually started smoothening out, started dating a chick and ultimately her and my introduction into philosophy and zen made me wake up and calm down.

I did recently start smoking marijuana again, after quitting for 3 years. Part of my anxiety was from smoke in general and I just couldn't smoke anymore but yeah, I'm back to smoking. I drink occasionally, but really only at parties or when I'm with a tight group of friends relaxing. I also am interested in psychedelic drugs and have done a couple but already know I'll only be doing a couple of them a handful of times throughout my life. It's not for everyone for sure and is a serious thing that should be researched and whatnot, but I don't see what I do negatively effecting me or holding me back.

Also, I looked at that Uni's website you linked, looks pretty cool man. How long have you known you want to pursue web design and to go there?

@ Ivan - I know what you mean about how the past may of made your future possibly limited or uncertain. Things always will be uncertain though. Things change and things will surprise you. What's important is to act, accept, and move on. And hey, with what you just posted, obviously you've got a good head on your shoulders. Ultimately, enjoy life. Whether you're religious, an atheist, nihilistic, or whatever, it's important to know you could be wrong. But who cares(on a personal level. I won't get into whether religion is detrimental or not to society). Just try to be an alright dude on a day to day basis and enjoy life.

Edited January 16, 2011 by Nate10

[rockstarrem]

Your situation is very similar to mine, Nate10. I'm glad you have woken up earlier than I did. It seems you have, at least.

Yeah I've definitely shook off some illusions but I wouldn't of minded to wake up earlier. Before high school I was blissfully ignorant and like you once anxiety started playing a roll in my life I didn't interact with people anymore. Won't go into the specifics of that right now but things eventually started smoothening out, started dating a chick and ultimately her and my introduction into philosophy and zen made me wake up and calm down.

I did recently start smoking marijuana again, after quitting for 3 years. Part of my anxiety was from smoke in general and I just couldn't smoke anymore but yeah, I'm back to smoking. I drink occasionally, but really only at parties or when I'm with a tight group of friends relaxing. I also am interested in psychedelic drugs and have done a couple but already know I'll only be doing a couple of them a handful of times throughout my life. It's not for everyone for sure and is a serious thing that should be researched and whatnot, but I don't see what I do negatively effecting me or holding me back.

Also, I looked at that Uni's website you linked, looks pretty cool man. How long have you known you want to pursue web design and to go there?

I don't know dude, honestly, drugs are bad lol. Altering the chemicals in your brain like that just cannot be good for your brain. It's really just logical. I mean, especially at our age. Our frontal lobe is exploding, and if it's not already exploding for you it should start soon.

I started wanting to be a web designer/developer since I was 12, then when I was 13 I wanted to be a guitarist in the world's greatest band etc etc etc etc. But yeah, I mean, I've always fucking loved doing it. It's so fun for me. So, I guess you could say I knew since I was 12 but wasn't definite until now. I love feeling definite about shit . Well, most shit...

[Nate10]

I should of explained further, rephrased or something but I do agree with you to a degree. Drugs, are bad, and like you said, it's just fucking logic that we really don't need to do it. What it does to us, is not beneficial. We need to keep in mind though that if you run each day at 11 am, after a while you grow accustomed to it. Do it long enough and suddenly stop, and you cab experience withdrawals. I'm not saying cross country runners are the equivalent of meth addicts but everything can become a negative addiction. So I think it's kind of a pick your own poison sort of deal. Things make us happy, but in at least one way they aren't good for us.

On the subject of kids(meaning really young)doing drugs... I don't condone it whatsoever. Like rockstarrem pointed out, even at his and my age it can be crippling(not literally.... usually).

Fun fact: Our brain even gives us a high when we dismiss anything that someone says when it is against our own opinion. It's that feeling when you say, "HAHA!" in your head when you hear someone say something that, to you, is utterly stupid. Yeah, we're naturally close minded dicks(be an open minded person though, and that'll stop).

[rockstarrem]

More fun facts, please!

But really, running is a lot healthier than doing drugs, you obviously know that. I'd much rather be addicted to running than be addicted to meth.

[Nate10]

Haha, I've read too many educational/comedic articles as you can tell!

But yeah, of course running is healthier. It was only an example though, which could be substituted with sex, eating, etc. Even gaming. Still though, drugs more or less are going to be the more harmful thing in the end. Which brings me to what I should of brought up earlier:

"What the king does in HIS castle, is his own deal" saying. Or at least my mom and dad say that lol. I use the argument for really anything. In this case, if some dude is smoking a little pot and maintaining a mere 5 x 5 grow operation to support his family, let him be. Chances are, he's not exactly the culprit behind global warning, and frankly, he's not harming anyone. But, shit varies, and that harmless pothead is not always the case at hand because sometimes people ARE being harmed. Take for instance the Mexican cartel in California. My county is dealing with that bullshit as we speak, and I'm sick and tired of it.

Anywho, I'm getting sidetracked. In the end yeah drugs aren't needed, but humans don't need to be living breathing robots. If you need to hit your bong every now and then, feel welcome to. Need to take a drag off a cig? Feel welcome to. Long day of work you say? Make yourself a warm cocktail. Moderation is key though and It'd just be nice if the Earth didn't need to deal with the discovery of cocaine and heroin and stuff.

[rockstarrem]

My point wasn't to say whatever someone does under their own roof is their business, my point was just this: drugs are bad for you. They unnaturally change the chemicals in your brain.

Anyway -- it relates to this topic somewhat because people just graduating high school are most likely doing drugs.

[Nate10]

My point wasn't to say whatever someone does under their own roof is their business, my point was just this: drugs are bad for you. They unnaturally change the chemicals in your brain.

Anyway -- it relates to this topic somewhat because people just graduating high school are most likely doing drugs.

And I agree with you. I was only trying to justify the use of drugs.

I didn't mean to make is sound like our conversation was getting sidetracked, but what I was trying to prove was offtopic(like you pointed out saying that you were only talking about the fact they are bad for you).

-----

Huh, 12? Damn. I didn't really get into that sorta stuff until the last year. Probably even less. Any help on getting started with web development and design? Because I am interested in it. Just not really sure where to get started. Same with coding in general. I really want to get familiar with the stuff.

Edited January 16, 2011 by Nate10

[rockstarrem]

Huh, 12? Damn. I didn't really get into that sorta stuff until the last year. Probably even less. Any help on getting started with web development and design? Because I am interested in it. Just not really sure where to get started. Same with coding in general. I really want to get familiar with the stuff.

Yeah haha, my interest started around 11, then I started learning at 12. My brain wasn't developed at the time so I wasn't really learning much besides basic HTML (PHP looked fucking crazy to me), but I can learn at a much faster pace now.

If you're interested in web development, first of all I just started a new site in the format of a book (an incomplete book, which is extremely obvious once you see the site) but I will be posting pretty much every day. You can PM me if you would like the link, I will put it in my signature once I make a few more posts.

I also want to recommend a great author and friend of mine: Jason Gilmore. His writing style is a lot like mine and he knows his shit. I recommend his book Beginning PHP and MySQL, Fourth Edition, it's amazing. Absolutely amazing.

If you want to learn more or anything just PM me. I'm really not at all an expert right now but I'm learning extremely fast and I'm happy to help. As long as you have a passion for doing it, I can probably help you.

[MrLlamaLlama]

The thing I find with recreational drugs is... the key is keeping them recreational.

I've used marajuana before, and I'd say I still do. But I'm not a 'user' per se. For example, I could go out with some friends to a house party or w/e and if the mood feels right, light up. But if the situation doesn't call for it, or if it's going to make people uncomfortable, then there's no need. I went to visit my friend in uni late last year and will admit, I spent 3 straight days baked. But I know I could walk out of there and never do it again in my life. I have a weird view on dependency like that. I think the brain is more powerful than we give it credit for, and if you channel stuff inside your head hard enough, you can fight addiction, etc. But you have to want it.

Same with academic procrastination. I've read up a little bit on this, as some people believe it's linked to anger, etc...which I've also had problems with. I hate being angry though, it's friggin' stupid. I hate who I become when I'm angry, so do my family, so does my girlfriend, and it's fro those reasons I started to give myself a kick up the ass.

Anywho, I'm getting sidetracked. In the end yeah drugs aren't needed, but humans don't need to be living breathing robots. If you need to hit your bong every now and then, feel welcome to. Need to take a drag off a cig? Feel welcome to. Long day of work you say? Make yourself a warm cocktail.

I like this.

[The Bossman]

From Primary through Secondary, College and Uni, I never did get amazing grades, but my grades were good enough to get me a degree from Thames Valley in Photography. Right now I'm in a temp job on just under £9 an hour, which is very decent pay. Let me start further back near the beginning though.

I guess in primary school, I made quite a few friends, still in contact with a lot of them. My grades were actually pretty good, and I used to excel at English and spelling, as well as mental arithmatic. Think I always used to finish 1st in those occasional small tests you do at primary. Entering secondary, about 15 of my friends from primary came to the same school I went to, although it was an all boys school and therefore haven't had much interaction with females so far, not even in terms of communication. Oh how things have changed - I'm the only male in a group of about 15 people right now in my job lol. Anyway. My grades were good for the first few years, things dropped away a little in year 9 and 10, but when I got to choose my subjects, my grades shot up again, and I realised I began to excel in the art subjects, which included photography. I became close friends with my teacher there in the last few years at secondary school, who moved to Holland back in 2007. He really helped me a lot, and made me believe that I could do very well in the art media industry.

Once I moved to Uni on my photography degree, almost everything changed. I knew absolutely no-one there and became a bit of a loner for the first year. The grades were very good for my subject, got a B in most of the coursework and did very well. Particularly enjoyed the darkroom work, which I find incredibly easy to do and almost always end up with perfect developed photos. I got to know the people a lot more in year 2, and began going out with them sociably. The grades lowered a little because there were even more assignments and written work to be done, explaining your processes, which was tricky and resulted in a lot of late nights. I got through though after retaking a few of the assignments, and entered year 3. It was the most important year because usually you have to do a thesis containing at least 15000 or 20000 words, but thankfully I only had to do about 8000, for some reason. The grades were disappointing at the end, but I worked bloody hard and am pleased I did it.

Highlights in the last year were the degree show held in London, with our work exhibited. I sold one of my works for £40, which was pretty cool. The other highlight being the graduation, which was a very long but fun day. My feelings ranged from pure sickness whilst in my dads constantly stop-start-stop-start car, making me want to throw up because of all the fking red lights and traffic, to terror while waiting in the wings to collect my degree, to pure joy merely minutes after. The after party was great, and got the job I'm in now about 2 weeks after graduating, with the interview a week after graduating.

[Chris]

Huh, 12? Damn. I didn't really get into that sorta stuff until the last year. Probably even less. Any help on getting started with web development and design? Because I am interested in it. Just not really sure where to get started. Same with coding in general. I really want to get familiar with the stuff.

Start a new topic regarding this. In the next few days I'll post a lot of useful links/advice. I've been into this for over 8 years now so I "know my shit" as Dom puts it

[rockstarrem]

Where do you currently work The Bossman, and what do you do? Also wondering how old you are?

[The Bossman]

Where do you currently work The Bossman, and what do you do? Also wondering how old you are?

Kind of embarrassing, but I work at my mums school as an exams assistant. You get paid about £8.65 an hour to walk around the room and make sure no-one is cheating. You have to announce when there's 10 minutes left, tell everyone when the exam's over, clear up after, hand out and collect exam papers, and answer any requests made by a student, and other duties. It can get very boring when you keep looking at the clock, so I'm eagerly awaiting my Inception package ordered from the US, at least I can hold that spinning top in my pocket. Probably not a good idea to spin it on a table during an exam. As for my age, I'm 22 in March. Getting a full time job in this climate is tricky to say the least. Basically all the jobs are going to overseas people, or they choose not to hire and use what they've got to save cash.

You can expect to work about 12 hours a week if you're lucky. Most days you're not due in because the exams are small, eg only 1 person. Also, payment takes a while to receive when you're new at a school. I started in December, should receive the first few payments in late Feb/early March. If you've been at a school for ages, you'll get the cash whenever it's usually given, much much sooner. As for other applications, I applied at loads of photography shops, received no responses. Even when I went for a job at a supermarket, you had to complete a multiple question thing before you get interviewed, so I answered honestly and failed the test.

[Gerard]

I don't know dude, honestly, drugs are bad lol. Altering the chemicals in your brain like that just cannot be good for your brain. It's really just logical. I mean, especially at our age.

It's not just the fact that the drugs you're taking now are harmful in the quantities you're having them.

If you keep taking them for 20 years, of course it's going to have an overall effect on your brain, and it isn't going to make you happier or smarter. It's going to make you psychotic and paranoid.

Or if you get bored of weed and move up to more harmful drugs, there's a good chance every single time that you won't wake up again.

The reason that is most personal to me is that drugs are an expensive habit. So many people that I meet every single day are completely dependent on drugs. It's not a choice, they need their fix to survive.

Of course nobody is going to employ a drug addict, so you won't ever get a job. Even if you did, you'd be off your face all the time so there's no point going. So they get involved in crime, gangs, prostitution etc etc etc just to feed their addiction. There's pretty much no way back from that, and the rest of your life will be spent stealing money to pay for your drugs. Every single day. Until you die.

This is why I made the choice never to do drugs. Call me boring, but I'd rather miss out on a couple of hours of fun in return for actually having a life afterwards.

For those that don't know, I'm a police officer, so I see this shit every day I'm out.

[Ivan]

Well, I always saw myself doing drugs for most of my life, not like an addict but every now and then. I smoke weed about 3 or 4 times a week and I don't feel dependant on it. But when I grow up I'll start smoking less and just doing it rarely.

[Gerard]

But when I grow up I'll start smoking less and just doing it rarely.

Really, you reckon it's that easy? Why doesn't everyone do that then?

If it's so easy, why not stop now?

[Ivan]

I've smoked through an entire week then spent 2 weeks clean, I just don't feel addicted and I'm sure I'm not.

[rockstarrem]

That's what I said...

[Gerard]

I've smoked through an entire week then spent 2 weeks clean, I just don't feel addicted and I'm sure I'm not.

You went two weeks then started again? I've seen fat people make new years resolutions that last longer than that.

Not trying to be a dick, but addictions dont feel like addictions until you stop. The sign of it being an addiction is that you start again.

There's NO good reason to keep doing it, so just stop, whilst you still can. If it's not an addiction now, it will become one.