Today I became a drop-out!!!! YEAH!!

[SCW]

I decided today that I've had it with grad school. I've got a great job that isn't closely related to my grad degree and I've become more and more dissatisfied with grad school the longer I've been in it, so today I called it quits.

Now I can work some real hours, move on with life and not be hamstrung by a bunch of sniveling professors who couldn't exist in the "real" world anyway. I'm only disappointed I bought into the stupid sheet of paper as long as I did.

sure feels good being free. I think I'll go hunting and fishing this weekend. :D

[shortxjdoug]

i dropped on tuesday, but im undergrad, and am going back next semester but at UT back home were people will hire me and i will actually have a meager income during school. Not being able to work sucked bigtime and i can't afford not working either

[DrMoab]

You should help out on some more roofs. :D

[SCW]

Make sure you go back, undergrad degree was the best thing I've ever done (outside of my marriage). Grad school is a waste of time, money and (considerable) effort.

[SCW]

You should help out on some more roofs. :D

How's yours? Finished before the snow this morning? I can't believe how sick I got this week, missed 1 1/2 days of work and I'm still dragging my a$$.

[shortxjdoug]

Make sure you go back, undergrad degree was the best thing I've ever done (outside of my marriage). Grad school is a waste of time, money and (considerable) effort.

already got accepted back to UT this week :D

[SCW]

You guys are dumm, but the world needs ditch diggers too :D

What field? I'm in civil engineering. I worked with a bunch of post hole diggers at Los Alamos last year and they gave me a bunch of pressure to get a PhD but after working in the consulting world for a year I really don't see the point of it, or even a masters. I can get a lot further in my life's ambitions by using my time and efforts elsewhere. I'm really sick of school. And research. And professors. And administration. And graduate commitiees. And my thesis.

[Root Moose]

I often wonder about you guys that go on to do masters and phds.

My engineering degree was almost the end of me... That was enough schooling, thank you very much.

[Ramsey]

mine will be in history, i think it would be stupid to not go beyond a bachelors

[Menzenski]

i think it would be stupid to not go beyond a bachelors
Same here. I'm almost done with my associate's now. Next year I plan to transfer into a combined bachelor's/master's degree program.

[Ramsey]

I'm 3 years in and not even half way :D After screwing off those 3years I finally have a goal and a major, hope to make up for some of that lost time.

[SCW]

Ah- your both early in your college careers. That explains a lot :D

I'm 3 classes from being done with my grad degree and I don't see any point of finishing. From my perspective it's a waste of time, but I mentioned that. In civil engineering everyone hangs their hat on the PE license and little emphasis is placed on grad degrees. The degree might get you a little more pay and slight prefference when looking for a job, but after a few years you are prety well either working for someone else and paid to your worth, or working for yourself and the degree is toilet paper.

Good luck with your grand plans!!

[Root Moose]

Depends on what you are doing I guess. I did mech eng with heavy emphasis on fluid dynamics and gas turbines. To get a job doing that stuff at the design/research level you pretty much have to have at least a masters.

I gave up in disgust. I made better money in IT as a consultant after university than most of the grad students did. Life's not fair I guess, just make sure you are on the side of the "fairness" that you are happy with. :)

[WTF]

Ah- your both early in your college careers. That explains a lot :D

I'm 3 classes from being done with my grad degree and I don't see any point of finishing. From my perspective it's a waste of time, but I mentioned that. In civil engineering everyone hangs their hat on the PE license and little emphasis is placed on grad degrees. The degree might get you a little more pay and slight prefference when looking for a job, but after a few years you are prety well either working for someone else and paid to your worth, or working for yourself and the degree is toilet paper.

Good luck with your grand plans!!

3 classes?! I realize that may not quantify the countless hours still to be spent on your thesis, but if you've made this much of an investment already it might be worth considering finishing, if nothing else for peace-of-mind in job security. The Job market (in my neck of the woods anyways) is becoming more competitive as more grads emerge.

Maybe it's just shellshock from my former life in I.T. (read daily fear of outsourcing) that got me into this thought pattern. But when it comes down to the choice guy with the advanced degree versus the undergrad degree on the chopping block, all things being relatively equal, who keeps their job??

Just trying to provide food for thought...

If you firmly believe it was the right choce for you, Congratulations on your newfound freedom from academia! :cheers:

[karstic]

Ah- your both early in your college careers. That explains a lot :D

I'm 3 classes from being done with my grad degree and I don't see any point of finishing. From my perspective it's a waste of time, but I mentioned that. In civil engineering everyone hangs their hat on the PE license and little emphasis is placed on grad degrees. The degree might get you a little more pay and slight prefference when looking for a job, but after a few years you are prety well either working for someone else and paid to your worth, or working for yourself and the degree is toilet paper.

Good luck with your grand plans!!

Do you have your PE yet? Do you realize that there is talk in some circles to require a Masters to get your PE?

3 classes? Suck it up and finish.

[Ramsey]

Do you have your PE yet? Do you realize that there is talk in some circles to require a Masters to get your PE?

3 classes? Suck it up and finish.
amen to that, you can see the finish line, now go ahead and get your ass across it

[red_01_xj]

Yea Im 2.5 years into my major and wont be done for at least another 2 but there are already freshmen in the same classes Im taking...wow it kinda makes you feel like a loser, but one who has had a lot of fun along the way

[XJ Dreamin']

Good luck. I dropped out of the grad program as well. I just was not cut out for research - I couldn't keep my focus narrow enough. Turns out that works great for resource management where the focus is constantly shifting around political concerns. Still - If someone would pay me our current family total income, plus tuition, books, etc. - I'd go back in a heartbeat. It was fun. Especially the Cork 'n' Dart Pub on Friday nights.