this post was submitted on 04 Jun 2024
59 points (92.8% liked)

Ask Lemmy

26890 readers
2193 users here now

A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions

Please don't post about US Politics. If you need to do this, try !politicaldiscussion@lemmy.world


Rules: (interactive)


1) Be nice and; have funDoxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, and toxicity are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them


2) All posts must end with a '?'This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?


3) No spamPlease do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.


4) NSFW is okay, within reasonJust remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either !asklemmyafterdark@lemmy.world or !asklemmynsfw@lemmynsfw.com. NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].


5) This is not a support community.
It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions. If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email info@lemmy.world. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.


Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.

Partnered Communities:

Tech Support

No Stupid Questions

You Should Know

Reddit

Jokes

Ask Ouija


Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Lemmy, I have completed tens of modules across several different universities. I have been course-hopping for long enough that I’d have a bachelors degree by now had I found and stayed on a course that suited me. I can’t be asked to commit to one and study it for yet another 3 years before I get a degree*. Yet I feel like all of the effort that I have expended up to this point will go unacknowledged, just because it was spread across several unis and doesn’t fall into any of their pre-defined study plans. I am a person driven by short bouts of intense curiosity of the type that dives down Wikipedia rabbitholes**. I want to do a highly qualified job but am failing to fit in to the rigid framework that academia sets you. I have several Master’s theses that I’d start researching tomorrow if the system let me. Yet without so much as a bachelor’s I might as well go work in a supermarket. How do I move on from here?

*Perhaps it’s also because I’m now in my early 20s and finally want to have some time to explore.
**I am a logical thinker and predominantly interested in STEM topics.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] RGB3x3@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Where do you live? If the US, (but look into it if not) check out Western Governor's University. The format might be exactly what you're looking for.

They have one or two assignments per class and let you take those assignments as quickly as you want. So you could finish a course in 3 days if you want (which is exactly what I did several times). I got through my Bachelor's in 1 year, and my Master's in 1 month. Literally 1 month. And each degree had included industry certifications. I was able to do it so fast because I could hyper focus on the content, not have to sit in lectures all day, and take the test when I knew I could pass. It was perfect for me.

What nobody seems to say is that what the degree is in doesn't matter that much and nobody cares where it's from. It's mostly a checkbox for hiring.

People are suggesting to take a year off. I disagree because you sound like me. Taking a year off meant I didn't go back for 8 years. Took me almost a decade just to get a Bachelor's.

If WGU is not an option for you, stick it out with one program and just get it done. It'll suck much less now than later. And trust me when I say I know how hard it is now. Don't worry about what the degree is in, don't worry about how long it takes while you're in it, just get it done now because you'll regret not doing it if you wait too long.

[–] SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Ooh this sounds perfect for me. I'll have a look if something similar exists over in my country. Was yours an online course? (It sounds like it would suit the format). Yeah I feel like if I went on hiatus now I would settle in a job/place I wouldn't want to leave but be stuck with limited prospects. I might sign up for a bachelors in coding (which I can already do) just to tick the box and devote all my remaining effort to extracurriculars/internships in the fields I'm interested in.

[–] RGB3x3@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago

Yeah, entirely online. It was absolutely perfect for me, so hopefully something exists near you. I don't know if WGU takes international students, but look into it because it's asynchronous, so you don't need to worry about timezones.

https://www.wgu.edu/admissions/international-transfer-credit.html

Anyway, good luck out there! Commit fully to something because that regret later sucks.