Ask HN: Is my college education worth my time?

Re:Ask HN: Is my college education worth my time? by JocoProductions on Monday October 12, 2009 @01:19PM (#877188)

Its just hard because I have to do 2 years of general education classes. I would love to enroll in upper division classes but there are so many limitations going against me that it looks like it is impossible. Also the fact that were in a budget crisis makes it even harder for me to enroll in any of the classes that I would like to take.

I will try my hand at a couple projects in the near future. I am surrounded by my peers, and some of the smartest people that can complement my skill set and I plan to take full advantage of that. I haven't been here long but I am also going to go out in search of clubs and organizations with interests the same as my own. Who knows maybe I'll even found my own.

It looks like it comes down to time. I have to give it time to start taking classes that relate to my career. Right now it feels like a continuation of high school, but I can see that further down the line that will change. I guess its just frustrating going through this mundane cycle of freshman college life. Maybe its the perfect time to start my side project.

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Re:Ask HN: Is my college education worth my time? by HeyLaughingBoy on Monday October 12, 2009 @05:51PM (#877740)

Its just hard because I have to do 2 years of general education classes.

You get results out of everything in proportion to what you put in. Take the general education classes and make them as interesting as you can. Learn as much as you can. Not everything must be specialization in your major.

Anecdote: when I was an Undergraduate EE one of my classmates complained to my English lit professor about all the "stupid humanities classes" we were required to take. Prof thought for a second and then said, "there are two good reasons for this. First, most of you are engineering students and you need to learn that not all problems can be solved through technology or at all. Studying literature is an excellent way to understand this. Second, when you're an engineer in industry and you walk up to that cute young lady at a cocktail party, you probably want to have something more interesting to talk to her about than circuitry and electronics."

Twenty years or so since graduation and I still agree with him on both counts!

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Re:Ask HN: Is my college education worth my time? by mbrubeck on Monday October 12, 2009 @01:34PM (#877224)

Don't feel like you have to go through channels. Just figure out what you want, and then ask for it. Like if there's a really interesting class, show up to lecture and ask the professor directly if you can sit in the back and listen without enrolling. Or chat with grad students and see if they or their advisors need extra help (programmers, assistants, gofers) for their research. Starting your own club is a great idea too. Like I said, expect rejection. Persistence pays off, and you'll never get what you want if you don't ask for it. (Of course there's an important meta-lesson here that will be even more useful once you get out of school.)

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Re:Ask HN: Is my college education worth my time? by JocoProductions on Monday October 12, 2009 @01:56PM (#877276)

This is great advice. I'm going to take advantage of any/all available resources and opportunities. I know they're out there I guess its just hard to find them. I am going to talk to my academic adviser and see how I would go about taking these more interesting upper division courses. I know I'm not a typical college student; I know what I want to do and I will break this mundane cycle that my peers are in to pursue it. Pushing the limits is in no way going to hurt me, it can only help.

Thanks mbrubeck and HN!

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