In my experience, working on the 22nd floor of some corporate skyscraper feels very differently from working from home, even if the work is the same. When WfH, it's much easier for me to detach from the company, and think of myself as a free agent that just happens to do some coding from home, while navigating the corporate meetings/politics game via Zoom or Teams. Not having to put up a face of a professional for 40 hours a week (even if it's in a supposedly "progressive" company, where people wear flipflops, play foosball for hours or lay around on hammocks while discussing somebody's vegan diet) is just a gamechanger. Just regaining control over my body, i.e. not having to sit in a chair for 8 hours (with breaks for coffee, lunch, bathroom, meetings, and foosball and other timewasting), but being able to say join a pointless call from bed if I'm not feeling 100%, is a big difference.
Making the most out of university
Re: Making the most out of university
Re: Making the most out of university
@zbigi:
Yes, that is what everybody who is encouraging me to buckle down and finish the program keeps telling me, but if I'm not happy writing pretend technical summaries for stakeholders while studying online, why would I be happy writing real ones while employed online? Also, I'm pretty sure this grad program is what is currently making me fat, unless it is the medication I am taking for my Crohn's. Of course, my cultural upbringing in alignment with Puritan Work Ethic also informs me that my happiness is not a good signal towards what I should be doing. Although, it is also the case that if I was thinner, I would superficially be signalling more work ethic. Maybe I will quit everything and attempt to walk the Appalachian Trail this spring, even if my Crohn's will necessitate much more shitting in the woods than normal.
Yes, that is what everybody who is encouraging me to buckle down and finish the program keeps telling me, but if I'm not happy writing pretend technical summaries for stakeholders while studying online, why would I be happy writing real ones while employed online? Also, I'm pretty sure this grad program is what is currently making me fat, unless it is the medication I am taking for my Crohn's. Of course, my cultural upbringing in alignment with Puritan Work Ethic also informs me that my happiness is not a good signal towards what I should be doing. Although, it is also the case that if I was thinner, I would superficially be signalling more work ethic. Maybe I will quit everything and attempt to walk the Appalachian Trail this spring, even if my Crohn's will necessitate much more shitting in the woods than normal.
Re: Making the most out of university
@7
The purpose of working from home as the DS would be getting good amounts of money. That's why everyone gets those tech and tech-adjacent jobs, right? So, if you want/need "easy money" or just a good money source for the future to fall back on if needed - then buckle down, finish the degree and get on the career ladder. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother if I were you.
As for the grad program making you more "well rounded", that may very well be. I'm now retired for over a year, but when I get into some more intense coding just for fun (I'm currently learning Direct3D 12, C++20 and other related works of Satan), my otherwise relatively healthy eating habits are obliterated after just 3 or 4 days.
The purpose of working from home as the DS would be getting good amounts of money. That's why everyone gets those tech and tech-adjacent jobs, right? So, if you want/need "easy money" or just a good money source for the future to fall back on if needed - then buckle down, finish the degree and get on the career ladder. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother if I were you.
As for the grad program making you more "well rounded", that may very well be. I'm now retired for over a year, but when I get into some more intense coding just for fun (I'm currently learning Direct3D 12, C++20 and other related works of Satan), my otherwise relatively healthy eating habits are obliterated after just 3 or 4 days.
Re: Making the most out of university
@zbigi:
I am going to reply in my journal to avoid further hijack of this thread.
I am going to reply in my journal to avoid further hijack of this thread.
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grundomatic
- Posts: 425
- Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:04 am
Re: Making the most out of university
Wow, absolute gems of advice in this thread. Though it looks like OP has already done an student exchange, I'll still say that study abroad changed my life, to the detriment of an achiever career. It essentially led me to double down on socializing/exploring (60/40), and all but destroyed the small fraction of achiever that was present in me. Damned if I didn't end up in sales first, then eventually teaching. What's really funny is the reactions of the achievers when they mistake my exploring for achieving. Not so funny when I forget myself what it is I actually want to be doing.
Anyhow, OP, read then reread this thread, follow the links, and think about it. It could save you large amounts of frustration, no matter what it is you want to do.
Anyhow, OP, read then reread this thread, follow the links, and think about it. It could save you large amounts of frustration, no matter what it is you want to do.
Re: Making the most out of university
Congratulations on the scholarship, keep us updated on how things are going:))
Re: Making the most out of university
How serious are you about working after graduation? If you need the job, then summer needs to be spent working an internship in your career choice. This means that this is not the time to hike the French Alps, or do the culture tour of Bohemia.
On the other hand, actual uni time is not the time to work for money. This is the time to learn social skills - such as how to dance, attend guest lectures, work on physical fitness, and join a club dedicated to your major
Whatever you do, don't stay in your room all day
On the other hand, actual uni time is not the time to work for money. This is the time to learn social skills - such as how to dance, attend guest lectures, work on physical fitness, and join a club dedicated to your major
Whatever you do, don't stay in your room all day
Re: Making the most out of university
Focus on developing skills more than memorizing content: critical thinking, speaking, writing. Go to your writing center/tutor weekly or better yet, see if you can become a writing tutor yourself (you'll learn far more about writing this way).
Don't get black out drunk thinking that's the way to be social <-- a terrible way to condition yourself for your upcoming 20s. Control yourself. No one will notice you're not black out drunk or even sober (because they are drunk). Being sober and confident is sexy as fuck. Don't start using crutches when you don't need them.
Go to the uni library everyday to work on your studies. Notice who is also there every day. Become friends with those people even if they are not in your field of study. They will still like to have fun, but they're the interesting ones. This group of people gets special treatment at school and mingling with them enables you to take classes outside of your major/focus. Depending on your class size, professors will talk about you to other profs if you really show up and engage. This is a huge "cheatcode" for academic success. I was able to go straight to "300 level" classes outside of my major, skipping prereqs, because I was excited to show up every day. This behavior is obvious to professors because it's so rare. IME, it was something like 98/2 ratio of people not caring at all vs people stoked for class.
Go to office hours with your professors. This is free "advanced" coaching. They are smarter than you in X so take advantage, it means the world to them (because professors actually just want to work with students who give a shit).
Do fun creative projects outside of class. Create clubs and learn to organize casual events (chess club, naturalism society, blood drives on religious holidays etc). "48 Hour" projects were my favorites because it mimics the natural rhythm of insane university life: no sleep and cramming on a deadline (I did 48 hour film festivals every year).
Focus on developing friendships with folks from the sex/gender/whatever you're attracted to so you can get over the pedestaling of the unknown.
People who say "university is the best time of your life" are foolish and have lived boring lives. Run away from those people.
Tactical advice: go to your library 3 days before XYZ paper is due and force yourself to stay until you're done with the first draft of your paper. Bring food and drinks and headphones. Do not allow yourself to leave until you do the work, even if you just sit there for an hour doing nothing; you'll get bored enough to just get the work over with -- the hardest part is getting yourself into flow. Go to the a productivity dungeon. It's so much less stressful to do school this way. Kick procrastination's ass early in life.
Don't get black out drunk thinking that's the way to be social <-- a terrible way to condition yourself for your upcoming 20s. Control yourself. No one will notice you're not black out drunk or even sober (because they are drunk). Being sober and confident is sexy as fuck. Don't start using crutches when you don't need them.
Go to the uni library everyday to work on your studies. Notice who is also there every day. Become friends with those people even if they are not in your field of study. They will still like to have fun, but they're the interesting ones. This group of people gets special treatment at school and mingling with them enables you to take classes outside of your major/focus. Depending on your class size, professors will talk about you to other profs if you really show up and engage. This is a huge "cheatcode" for academic success. I was able to go straight to "300 level" classes outside of my major, skipping prereqs, because I was excited to show up every day. This behavior is obvious to professors because it's so rare. IME, it was something like 98/2 ratio of people not caring at all vs people stoked for class.
Go to office hours with your professors. This is free "advanced" coaching. They are smarter than you in X so take advantage, it means the world to them (because professors actually just want to work with students who give a shit).
Do fun creative projects outside of class. Create clubs and learn to organize casual events (chess club, naturalism society, blood drives on religious holidays etc). "48 Hour" projects were my favorites because it mimics the natural rhythm of insane university life: no sleep and cramming on a deadline (I did 48 hour film festivals every year).
Focus on developing friendships with folks from the sex/gender/whatever you're attracted to so you can get over the pedestaling of the unknown.
People who say "university is the best time of your life" are foolish and have lived boring lives. Run away from those people.
Tactical advice: go to your library 3 days before XYZ paper is due and force yourself to stay until you're done with the first draft of your paper. Bring food and drinks and headphones. Do not allow yourself to leave until you do the work, even if you just sit there for an hour doing nothing; you'll get bored enough to just get the work over with -- the hardest part is getting yourself into flow. Go to the a productivity dungeon. It's so much less stressful to do school this way. Kick procrastination's ass early in life.