Graduation.....

[Needssome]

I'm currently working on coding a study on people's thoughts on graduating from university and I was wondering how people who are currently in university/college view graduation. Is it something positive for you? Does it scare you? Do you view it as the point where you become an adult or is it just another day in your life? Do you worry you won't be able to get a job and will be bogged down by responsibility? Or, do you think it will be the ultimate freedom, you'll be able to get a good job and start making money and most importantly MOVE OUT of your parents' house for good? Conversely, for all of those people who have graduated did your life afterwards live up to your expectations? Is is better or worse than you thought it would be? I'm curious to know what REALLY happens when you leave the place you've been for most of your life (aka school) and have to start a new.....Any takers?

By the way, if you want to know more about the study, don't ask me! I'm coding the data so I have to be blind to the professor's hypothesis.

 

[medjay]

To me graduation is the time when the college acknowledges all the money you spent and gives you your reciept . . . Whoops! I meant, your diploma!

 

[SexyLilTerp23]

I'm 20 years old. I'm a junior @ University of Maryland College Park (I seem to be on the 5-6 year plan here instead of 4)...the one thing that scares me the most though, is the thought of graduating, because that is when i will be faced with the real world. everyone always says that college is your first real taste of the real world, but i still feel that i'm being spoon-fed everything and at this point i still have my parents who i know i can rely on as long as i am in school, they are my safety net. When I graduate, I will have none of this. I mean, right now I'm in school, I work, I make my own money, I live on campus so I have all the freedom I could want BUT if anything goes wrong I also know I can call them up and ask mommy and daddy for help, my parents have always told me that once I graduate, I'm on my own and they can't be there for me 24/7 in case something goes wrong...SCARY, SCARY THOUGHT!...I also look at my friends who just graduated, and with the job market the way it is right now, i think my best bet is to stay in school as long as I can. Although some have gone off to grad school, those who didn't are going crazy looking for jobs. It's getting harder and harder these days and I'm afraid of graduating and not finding a job and not being able to make it on my own...Maybe I should have listened to my parents advice and gone off the become a doctor like my father...at least that sector is a bit more secure...with Arthur Anderson, Merrill Lynch, Enron and now WorldCom in such a big mess, I have no idea what I'm going to do! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

 

[Needssome]

I completely understand, I'm so scared as to what my future holds after school. I'm looking forward to no longer needing my parents' financial support. I hate that I have to take it right now even though I work and I have scholarships. I'm planning on going to grad school but my parents' financial support ends when I graduate with my first degree. Right now they don't mind helping me out where they can because they'd prefer that I concentrate on getting good grades, which I need to get into a good grad school. Only problem is, the better the grad the more expensive it is which means I need more scholarships. Then when you look at the job market, there isn't exactly too much you can do with a PhD in Social Psychology other than become a prof which is my intention.....I can only hope that universities continue to expand so I can get a job some where!

 

[medjay]

When I graduated from college, the only job I could find was paying $6.50 an hour. I know folks with bachelor degrees who work at Target.

The most important things I learned while I was in college was how to do laundy, cook and stay on top of bills when on a tight budget. These things are way more useful than anything I learned in my General Education courses.

I thought about going back for a graduate degree but I realized I just couldn't take it anymore. It was time to get out of the school environment and start living, for better or for worse.

 

[DannyBoyUK]

I missed my graduation ceremony

Then again I missed most of my final year lectures !

 

[prostitute]

Never needed a degree for my job

 

[SINthysist]

I can't help you much. I went to college after I had established myself in my field (something you could do in the early days of computing). I did not even attend graduation.

Hell, I rarely attended class.

They don't print the GPA and it's only useful when you have nothing else to offer...

 

[massiffe]

Never needed a degree for my job

So what qualifications did you need !?>!?!

 

[SINthysist]

DUH