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Alchemy · January 12th, 2008, 01:51

Yep, you need to get the degree...however you go about it is fine, as long as you get one.

Personally, I don't have one, and I'm often embarassed by that fact. I had a pretty bad experience in college, I went for 3 years, scraped by with my grades, and struggled to find something I enjoyed studying. I think it is important to go into college with something specific in mind that you would like to accomplish academically. I wandered around aimlessly from major to major. Also, like most, I was still a teenager. I lacked the maturity and self discpiline (and perhaps the intellectual capacity) to get the job done in most of the classes I attempted. Those instructors/professors were there to challenge you, not help you, and I wasn't up to the challenge. I definitely bit off more than I could chew with the academic "prestige" of the institution I chose to attend. That university chewed me up and spit me out, did nothing for my social life, and was overall a pretty miserable experience. Ultimately I used aviation as an outlet for my frustration at school. I flew every chance I got and worked at the FBO after school. I eventually earned my CFI and instruted summers and part time during my jr. year. I got a job offer from a regional at age 21 just prior to my senior year and I took it, abandoning my studies.

I'm not posting this story to garner sympathy, and I acknowledge that college is not 100% fun for anybody. There is a lot of hard work and struggling involved for just about anyone who earns a serious degree from an institution with a good reputation. Some people deal with those challenges better than others. I failed miserably, and it's one of the big regrets I have in my life.

I'm still taking classes and trying wrap up a bachelor's degree, but progress is slow and it's not easy to take classes and hold down a full time job, which is why I have a lot of respect for Kellwolf for pulling that off (one of the only people I know that has done it).

January 12th, 2008, 01:51	#74
Alchemy Old Skool Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Austin, TX, USA Posts: 1,800	Re: Don't need a degree eh? Yep, you need to get the degree...however you go about it is fine, as long as you get one. Personally, I don't have one, and I'm often embarassed by that fact. I had a pretty bad experience in college, I went for 3 years, scraped by with my grades, and struggled to find something I enjoyed studying. I think it is important to go into college with something specific in mind that you would like to accomplish academically. I wandered around aimlessly from major to major. Also, like most, I was still a teenager. I lacked the maturity and self discpiline (and perhaps the intellectual capacity) to get the job done in most of the classes I attempted. Those instructors/professors were there to challenge you, not help you, and I wasn't up to the challenge. I definitely bit off more than I could chew with the academic "prestige" of the institution I chose to attend. That university chewed me up and spit me out, did nothing for my social life, and was overall a pretty miserable experience. Ultimately I used aviation as an outlet for my frustration at school. I flew every chance I got and worked at the FBO after school. I eventually earned my CFI and instruted summers and part time during my jr. year. I got a job offer from a regional at age 21 just prior to my senior year and I took it, abandoning my studies. I'm not posting this story to garner sympathy, and I acknowledge that college is not 100% fun for anybody. There is a lot of hard work and struggling involved for just about anyone who earns a serious degree from an institution with a good reputation. Some people deal with those challenges better than others. I failed miserably, and it's one of the big regrets I have in my life. I'm still taking classes and trying wrap up a bachelor's degree, but progress is slow and it's not easy to take classes and hold down a full time job, which is why I have a lot of respect for Kellwolf for pulling that off (one of the only people I know that has done it).