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Albulbul
Joined: 08 Feb 2003
Posts: 364
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 Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2004 11:50 am Post subject: |
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So we are seeing a return to the days when people in the Raj would append "BA, Calcutta,(failed)" to their names ?
You want a letter saying you have NOT completed your first degree ? |
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shmooj
Joined: 11 Sep 2003
Posts: 1758
Location: Seoul, ROK
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| Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2004 2:30 pm Post subject: |
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| Albulbul wrote: |
So we are seeing a return to the days when people in the Raj would append "BA, Calcutta,(failed)" to their names ?
You want a letter saying you have NOT completed your first degree ? |
Don't need to go that far back. My dad was hiring in Africa in the mid 80s and he would often get even certificates that had that small word in brackets after it. Sometimes he would show me them and they would mystify me. I mean, what is the point.
And what is the OP's point in getting a cert that says you didn't have the staying power to finish your first degree.
I hated my course at uni with a passion and it was only the social life that kept me sane there. Honestly. I hated it so much that I didn't even bother to go and see if I had passed it in the end. A friend told me I had over coffee.
But boy am I glad I stuck it out and finally got it. Been there, done that, next... |
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justcolleen
Joined: 07 Jan 2004
Posts: 654
Location: Egypt, baby!
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| Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2004 1:10 am Post subject: |
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| nomadic wrote: |
| Perseverance can take one just as far as formal education, and the 'hard work' along the way can be, as others have mentioned, incredibly rewarding.) |
I disagree. If sheer perserverance were rewarded in any way at all, I would surely be Goddess of the Entire Universe by now. Instead my life has been a series of unrewarding schmuck jobs.
I have eleven weeks in a classroom before I complete my B.A., at 41 years old. I cannot tell you how many times I've had conversations with traditional students, in which they question if it's all worth it. My response? Every time they look at me, the oldest student in every single classroom I enter, they should see the reason to stay in school and complete their curriculum.
Colleen |
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nomadic
Joined: 14 Feb 2004
Posts: 118
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| Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2004 2:32 am Post subject: |
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| I disagree. If sheer perserverance were rewarded in any way at all, I would surely be Goddess of the Entire Universe by now. Instead my life has been a series of unrewarding schmuck jobs. |
There is a subtle difference between saying 'perseverance can take one just as far' and perseverance does take one just as far', and that's what makes all the difference, unfortunately. Perhaps it would be better if life were indeed fair, but that is simply not the case.
In your case, going through school at this point in your life is admirable and noteworthy, but ultimately we all have different ways of measuring what is important to us. For me, the principle of going back to school simply to obtain a formal declaration that I know what I say I know would infuriate me and be so contrary to my character as to make me unhappy.
(And before that sounds incredibly pretentious, I'd like to point out that my area of expertise is what I had originally entered school for. So, in that regard, it would very much be exactly as I said: a formal declaration. If I do return, it will be because of an interest in other areas, and I have no doubt that degree could end up being useful!)
I guess maybe I should credit my ability to get by with a combination of perseverance, which is useful in it's own right, and (just as importantly!) .. sheer luck. Earning a degree might add to one's chances of obtaining a really great job, but ultimately it comes down to many factors, including luck.
All that said, I'm glad it's working out for you! Good luck with your remaining weeks of classes, and I hope the experience on the whole takes you where you want to go.  |
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nomadic
Joined: 14 Feb 2004
Posts: 118
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| Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2004 2:42 am Post subject: |
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| would it be remotely benficial if I got an official letter from my university University College London saying that I had successfully completed 2 years of a BA and that I was taking a leave of abscence for a couple of years? |
In short: I have no idea.
On the one hand, just having a University's name on your resume might be decent, and with a somewhat progressive-thinking boss, if your reasons are sound, that could conceivably reflect well on you.
... But I wouldn't bet on that being the case. In fact, I'd happily bet against it, since bosses like that are fairly rare.
The only advice I can give you is to remember that you're writing a resume of sorts: flaunt whatever is going to reflect best upon you. If you end up speaking with someone and they ask about your education, be honest. Worst case is you don't get that job, but you still have your integrity.
Either way, let us know how it goes, though, and good luck! |
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rj
Joined: 29 Mar 2004
Posts: 159
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| Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2004 2:45 am Post subject: |
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| As important as I think education is, I know too many people with degrees that are of no use to them to feel it is right for everyone. I know plenty of people with "useful" degrees that are in careers that have absolutely nothing to do with what they studied. I also know several people who didn't get degrees but ended up in well-paying jobs that they love. I think it just depends on what you want to do and whether or not a degree will help you get there. I'm not a fan of college for everyone though, particularly not right out of high school. If you have no idea what you want to do with life and have no interest in college, you are just wasting money by going because it is expected or because that is what everyone else is doing. |
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justcolleen
Joined: 07 Jan 2004
Posts: 654
Location: Egypt, baby!
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| Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2004 10:42 pm Post subject: |
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For me, the lack of a degree was (and until the middle of August still is) the gaping hole in my resume for a long, long time.
Then we moved to Iowa to be closer to family. I decided I would not be buried in that po-dunk town. College became my escape plan. Of course that's not the right reason, but we all have to do what we have to do, for whatever the reason may be.
Initially, I studied computer science and mathematics. I was in the middle of yet another math class last summer. One day I took a look around me, at all of my potential co-workers, and decided what I was doing was not going to get me any closer to what I really wanted to do -- travel. Poof! By that evening, I had registered for a full load of English classes. I have no regrets.
I think it's a matter of what you really want. If you're happy where you're at, there's no reason to change what you're doing. It's often only when you're considering change that it matters much.
Colleen |
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