Rob's Surf Report

Do I really have to go back to school?

No, not really.

Battling a Slime in Dragon Warrior for the NES
Battling a Slime in Dragon Warrior for the NES (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Once upon a time I used to go to school. I didn’t do so hot in high school – obviously – because I spent a lot of time skipping classes and not doing my homework. In fact i still have a lot of memories of skipping school with my friend Jordan to smoke cigarettes and play Dragon Warrior on my NES while Mom was at work.

After I graduated with a 1.833 I thought that I was done with school; I didn’t think it was my thing, that I would not succeed at it. And honestly, I thought college was financially out of reach. In the meantime, I completed two correspondence courses, one in computer repair and one in freelance writing. They were affordable enough.

Mathematics homework
Mathematics homework (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It wasn’t until about a decade later that I was dating this girl who was in college at the time for nursing. She went to Oakland University, and I helped her register for classes that semester; seeing the bill, I realized that college really wasn’t as expensive as I thought it was. So I bit. And I got hooked into it, because – well heck – I got good grades because I was actually doing my homework and going to school. I actually ended up doing all of that girl’s Algebra homework for her – not the last time I’ve done that for someone. Some semesters I flubbed royally, because of things going on in my life. But for the most part I was moving forward, working to succeed.

Homework
Homework (Photo credit: 19melissa68)

Fast forward to about five or six years later. I finally earned my Associate Degree in the arts, and I would have earned one in science as well, except for a dispute over a trigonometry course. I ultimately had to let my dream of a double major go. Then I started working toward my Bachelor of Science in Education – English education. Things were going great until I got this one job where all of a sudden I had to work all these hours that they didn’t tell me about when they hired me.

Fast forward to a year and two months later. I’ve decided to just give up the ghost on school. It’s kind of a scam anyway, when you consider that people are getting into the workforce without any education, they are overpaying for their education, the whole financial aid industry has become a gimmick for increasing the public’s indebtedness, and some schools are diploma mills. I needn’t mention that the one I was attending almost lost its accreditation for giving foreign students degrees that they did not deserve, and then the dean shot himself.

So I won’t. However, there were things I really enjoyed and miss about school, like learning new things and meeting new people (no really) and just the challenge and satisfaction of ENGLISH HOMEWORK. no, seriously, I love it.

That’s part of why I blog.

This post was prompted by today’s Daily Post prompt.

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18 comments

  2. I would still like to get my nursing degree. I have been to school twice for it but my brother continues to have health problems forcing me to drop out each time, and now he is in the last stages of his illness. Hopefully although I am older, I can still get it. I believe though that colleges and even tech schools are screwed up. Classes needed to be taken that have nothing to do with what we want to do. High rates and years of pay back. This will be what decides whether I go back or not, the years of pay backs at my senior years, is it worth it or not. i will let time tell me later when this chapter closes

    Reply

    • I was contemplating nursing too – I think unrelated classes are a scam, and the repayment can be daunting but if you do decide to go that route I believe nurses qualify for loan forgiveness after just ten years – it might be worth looking into! Thanks for reading, and I hope that no matter what you decide that you make the decision that makes you happy. 🙂

      Reply

  6. I loved Dragon Warrior.

    Going back to school is a little harsh. I’m going through that right now. The trouble is that I really need a specific kind of degree to do what I want – as in it’s actually illegal for me to do it if I don’t get the degree and pass an exam to certify me. Thank god my school has good job prospects.

    A lot of schools are real scams, though. Unless you’re going into a field that demands a degree and certification or you’re becoming an academic, it’s only really good for making social connections. It’s also good for learning, but I do that on my own time.

    Reply

  7. I really don’t see your problem. I sense you like kids–they’re really so much more honest. Second, you’ve been there. Last, the 3 best reasons for being a teacher: June, July, and August.
    p.s. The classes are mickeys. I took three simultaneously. The true education is student teaching.

    Reply

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