B2S

Today I feel like the little girl in the new Staples commercial... depressed and deceived. Damn that Alice Cooper - he promised us ALL that school was out forever. Damn him all to hell.

 

*sigh* Ok, so here's my reality. I have been in school WAAAAAAY too long. I've been working full time since I was 15 years old and going to school when I can. Basically, there was a point in September - December 1995 where I was solely a full time student and it was hands-down the best point in my educational career. I had a full course load, going to school 5 days a week. It was awesome. I know, I am lame, but that is cool to me. Anyhow, since then I have basically worked 40 hours a week or more and gone to school at night or on certain days (when I used to have the flexibility to work weekends), which doesn't allow me a lot of time for classes Typically I take 2 classes per semester, except for the times when I took lab classes, which are more like 3 classes anyway. This past year, with the California budget cuts, my school has reduced classes by something crazy like 35% and most of the cuts came from the night course offerings. This affects me a lot, because now all of the classes that I need to take to fulfill my degree requirements (to test for my R.N. and be a nurse) are only offered during the days, and there is usually only one section of each. Meaning, that every semester only 25 students can be accommodated. I've been studying every pertinent thing to my education, even though it isn't necessarily on my course list. In the process, I have literally taken EVERY class from the psychology catalog, a handful of english classes, a boat load of the sciences, almost all the anatomy classes, neurodiagnostics, respiratory care, biology coming out of my ears, cognitive rehabilitation... I even am a state certified EMT. What does this mean for my future? Diddly squat.

 

I basically come out looking like a complete loser who has been in college for NINE years with no degree.

 

Everyone asks me why I don't just take student loans and go to school full time and finish (approx. 1 year). The problem is that student loans aren't enough... they cover your education expenses, which at the Community College level are minimal. I pay around $100 per class and $100 for books. So for $200 a year, I can't justify taking student loans for tens of thousands of dollars that I would need to pay rent, bills, car payment, etc. I'm better off moving slow and staying out of debt.

 

Oy. What a life... this semester, I am taking only one class. Thursday nights 5pm - 8pm : Cardiac Anatomy

 

and for those of you who asked "what do you want to be if/when you grow up?" : if I could be anything I wanted, I'd be a doctor, specializing in neurology. For now, I'd like to be a skilled nurse working in a neuropsych ward (mostly recoup'ing brain injury patients) and then in a few years decide if I want to take on med. school. If I was taking my pick, I'd attend UC Irvine