Stuck in Second Year and I Can't Get out It

obit11 on 05/11/2018 - 11:53

Okay this could be a long story so I'll do a short dot point version and a longer version

Short Version:

  1. 8 subjects to go. However I can't seem to get any further.
  2. I'm always fatigued, can't get motivated/am disinterested.
  3. Work 25-30 hours a week, Share a house and pay rent/bills. (ie. work and live out of home).
  4. I'm at the point where I don't know if it's worth continuing or if i'm just being a b***h and need to pull my finger out. I feel like the latter but that doesn't assist in my motivation/disinterest.
  5. What have other's done in similar situations?
Long Version:

So basically, early on in my education I could rely on natural ability to get through. This was fine until it got hard. Year 10 onward saw a dwindle in my marks and perhaps my knowledge. I guess revision/homework/studying wasn't something I did or rather knew how to do. Got a rotten Atar (which I probably deserved). However I managed to get into university. Initially, I was doing a double degree, Science and Business. Following the completion of my first year, I changed universities and degrees. I was successful at the first university, passed 8 subjects. I wasn't working that year. I guess I was motivated to a point with it being the first year. Not so much success the second/current university. At the current university, I tried to overextend myself with time initially. From there, it hasn't been so swell. I try to do three subjects a semester and do 25 hours a week work. 25 hours allows me to pay the bills and buy food and buy stuff I don't need on the occasion. In the last three years, I've passed 8 out of the 14 subjects I've completed (I feel like i'll fail a further 2 this semester). So at this point, I have 8 to go. 5 second year, 3 3rd year subjects. A few years ago, the Department of Education decided I could be a future teacher and invested in me as such. So I would need to do a Master's of Teaching following this. I can't imagine they'd be too pleased with my results. Anyway, I daily find myself fatigued. I'm more interested in sport or browsing OzBargain than doing my assignments or reading a textbook. I leave my assignments to the last minute. I generally get good marks for those however I then proceed to go terribly in exams. So I find it difficult to learn the theory and then retain it. Practical's I tend to go fine in.

Should I call it a day? Should I persist? Do I need time away from education? Am I doing the wrong thing? I'll be 22 next year. So I'm young. But what else would I do? What have other's done? If I persist, what should I do to improve? Thanks guys.

Education & Work

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 05/11/2018 - 12:03
    +1

    If you are a slacker, embrace it. I need the pressure of a deadline to focus. Don't be an unnecessary stresser though.

    • [Deactivated] on 05/11/2018 - 19:19

      I was a slacker and if I embraced it… well, I can just imagine queuing up in a discount pharmacy for anti-depressants, Kleenex and home brand lotion.

      Now I buy the name brand stuff.

  • psyren89 on 05/11/2018 - 12:05
    +1

    It sounds incredibly obvious, but you can either reduce your work hours or reduce your uni workload.

    It's good that you've considered simply working harder ("pulling your finger out"), but in this case, smartly managing your time/energy is the better option.

  • vietbargain on 05/11/2018 - 12:21

    can't get motivated/am disinterested.

    cut your losses with the study, do something that you actually want to do.

    • HighAndDry on 05/11/2018 - 12:50
      +1

      This isn't a "cut your losses" situation. Normally, a degree takes 3 years. Right now for OP, getting the degree will only take 1 year - the other two are gone and they can't get them back anyway.

  • burtie on 05/11/2018 - 12:47

    I was in a similar situation to you. I pushed ahead, graduated with a dual Arts/early childhood education degree and received pretty average final grades. I couldn’t face being a teacher and have ended up with a fairly dead end public service job instead.

    Ten years on, and I now feel like I could face study and be more motivated and clear with what I want to achieve. Unfortunately, I already have a considerable HECS debt so going back for more isn’t exactly an attractive option. In hindsight, I wish I had deferred uni until I was in a better space. Having said all that, my husband pushed ahead with his study and is now very happy with his career so everyone is different!

    Maybe you could find full time work for six months then see how you feel after that?

    • mskeggs on 05/11/2018 - 17:53

      Why let HECS debt hold you back? You only pay it if you earn, and you would be happier in a not-dead end job.
      That said, why study at uni at all? Since you have a degree, there are better options to get a good job.

  • HighAndDry on 05/11/2018 - 12:47
    +2

    You're already 2/3 the way through (assuming it's a 3 year degree). Tough it out - getting that piece of paper, so long as it's not an Barista Arts Degree, will be worth it.

    Worst comes to worst, you can see if converting your last year to part-time, and using the rest of your time to pursue either other studies, or more work but in a field you enjoy, will make it more palatable and/or give you more direction.

    Don't just drop it without having another set of plans in place. If you've got nothing better to do, keep going with this.

    • Hybroid on 05/11/2018 - 12:52
      +1

      ^ So much this. It’s a temporary phase, work hard to give you the best possible chance at future prospects. Don’t regret it later.

      • HighAndDry on 05/11/2018 - 12:58
        +4

        Just to clarify for OP: The part about the Arts degree is a joke. An Arts Degree is still far better, especially depending on the major, than having no degree at all. For a lot of jobs, you'll be trained in all the important stuff on-the-job: the Degree just shows them you're capable of learning, being self-motivated, disciplined.

  • toniyellow on 05/11/2018 - 12:53
    +3

    You’re probably at the end of semester at the moment, just entering exams? Unless you are 100% done with exams, get off the internet, now is not the time to have this existential crisis. Postpone it to the day you are finished.

    You are procrastinating by writing this here now and it is not helpful. Some part of you is secretly hoping someone will post an answer that will give you an excuse to give up now, and not have to study over the next ~3 weeks. That’s dumb. The most helpful thing would be to do as well as you possibly can, which will leave you with the most options open to decide what to do.

    Go see a psychologist at the university, to discuss your tiredness and lack of motivation
    Go to any exam study skills workshops on at your uni.

    Don’t do anything else unrelated to exams. Log out of ozbargain, get an extension for chrome to block any social media, any website you typically use for procrastination, and study.

  • dane45 on 05/11/2018 - 13:01
    +2

    At the most basic level, it sounds like you're not coping with your current workload. It would be worth investigating a reduced load at uni, or even deferring. If it's an option you might even want to consider moving back in with your parents so that you can save on rent and reduce the amount that you have to work.

    You talk about about lacking motivation and constantly feeling fatigued, which could be symptomatic of something else. Working hard and getting things done is great, but if there's something deeper at play it might not be as simple as "pulling your finger out". It might be worth talking to your uni's doctors about a mental health plan so you can chat to a psychologist about what's been going on in your life lately. They can help you with strategies to cope with your workload and stay focused.

    It's also worth taking the time to think about your end goal here. Is being a teacher something you want to do?

  • TheBilly on 05/11/2018 - 13:17

    I was in a similar situation to you. Except I was working 7am to 5pm 6 days a week and doing 10 subjects in a year. Pulled my finger out.

  • DarthAntz on 05/11/2018 - 13:32

    pull your finger out.
    write a list of goals and make it your primary focus, reading it everyday.
    more reading.
    improve your diet, less breads, sugar and beer, more fruit, vegetables and dont over eat. this will fix fatigue.
    and do a 15 minute short run/walk at the same time everyday to boost your mood and feel capable.
    cut off your distractions (not ozbargain)

    Finish what you started

  • skinner on 05/11/2018 - 13:40
    -1

    Assuming you need to work the 25 hours to live I would quit now.

    Considering how many subjects you've failed I can't see anyone offering you a job with the Science/Business degree. If you do the teaching master's as well that will be more work with normal subjects plus work experience placements. With your current fail rate it's going to take another 3 years to get qualified minimum. You said "education dept invested money in me…I would need to do master's in teaching" so I would question if you even want to be a teacher, that seems likely if you are disinterested in the subjects.

    I would defer at the end of the semester, take a year off and figure out what you want to do first of all. Find a full-time job that will either help you save some money over the next year or that would work towards something that might actually interest you in the future. If you decide you want to go back and finish the degree you would at least have a bit more money behind you and can hopefully reduce your other work while you study.

  • Strahany on 05/11/2018 - 13:50

    This is a point in time where you need to decide if you want to work hard enough. I went through a course with 30 contact hours per week whilst working 20-30 hours. For a period of about 6 weeks during particular semester, I was working just under 40 hours due to staffing issues.

    For a stretch of about 2 years or so, I was either at uni or work 7 days a week (some days both) and had to find a way to fit in the extensive work required of this course; this was before considering any social activities of any kind. The only time I got days off was during semester breaks, where I’d uptick to 32-40 hours per week work and get 2/3 days off at most, before returning to the semester for 3 months of 0 days off.

    So what you’re proposing doing isn’t impossible. Some people need to put more work or less work into a given course for the same mark, and people have varying work ethics. You’ve just got to decide how hard you’re preparing to work, and whether you’re really struggling for time or if you’re not prioritising things correctly.

    You need to ask yourself if you need this degree for your career, or if you’re happy to cut uni and take up a different venture. If it turns out that you need this course, then just do it; there’s no point whining about how bad it is and wasting several years when you’re going to have to do it eventually. Putting it off won’t make it any better and, in fact, I’ve known many people who seem similar to yourself, and they took time off but never ended up returning, and just worked retail because they liked the concept of earning a full time wage and not taking their work home with them. So there’s a risk of becoming complacent, and you may or may not have the motivation to break out of that phase if you fall into it.

  • vinni9284 on 05/11/2018 - 14:08

    1 - Speak to your course Coordinator and see what they can do for you; Provide sound advice, course curriculum changes etc. I'm sure you're not the only student that has been in this predicament.
    2 - Another option is to drop the amount of subjects you can do for the semester. Hence that will lower your stress level and you can concentrate on minimal subjects, and get better results. However it will take you longer to finish .. but you have finished
    3 - You can defer your course and take a break. Hard to return IMO once you left
    4 - Once you drop the amount of subject, and you relax, you can ramp it up until you finish.

    You're nearly there …

    IMO … "I am nearly finished my Uni Degree" is not a Degree … it is incomplete, and with the competition out there, Grad positions etc … it will be harder to get into your profession as applications are now becoming more automated/plastic.

    If this is the course you really want to complete, then I strongly advise you to complete and not wait.
    As you know, everything is going up and up .. and the cost of the same subject will be $500 more next year and so on. ….

    Once, you get out of Uni, the chances of return is very low and it will be hard to get back into it.

    See what you can do about managing your time, work and studies.

    Good luck

    Cheers

  • Gronk on 05/11/2018 - 14:14

    Having studied part time while working full time for the last 6 years, it's fair to say I can relate to the situation you're in now - exam stress is real right now.

    You really need to get a handle on your motivation because that will filter through into other areas of your life.

    You've already mentioned a couple of bad habits which affect your ability to succeed, as much as this is one of those 'easier said than done' things, you need to take control and stop giving in to those urges because as you're no doubt aware they don't lead to a good place.

    I had a similar crisis of faith to yourself about 2 years ago because my role changed in such a way that the degree was no longer going to be of much benefit to me when I finished, but I'd completed 2 (of 3) years so figured I should just see it through. I'll admit since then it has become a bit more difficult to motivate myself to push through difficult material, but I do it because I'm paying for this out of my own back pocket - ~$2,500 per unit.

    It's understandable if you feel as though you're bashing your head against a brick wall with the number of subjects you've failed, but personally I think you'll regret it if you back out at this stage, unless you're absolutely convinced you don't want to do this any longer.

    Just out of interest - how many units are you taking per semester?

  • rave75 on 05/11/2018 - 17:18
    +1

    So..you have no motivation then find that motivation? You study in the field that you want to work. Think hard and find what do you want to be? You mentioned there is an "opportunity" in teaching. Do you like to teach in the future or not?

    25 hours a week + full time studying is nothing really. Don't be lazy.

  • sahh on 05/11/2018 - 19:33

    This semester is not over until final exams which is worth heaps of marks! Agree with previous comments about getting the degree over and done with… your marks/pass rate may look bad now but after a few jobs no one cares what your marks were. Heck they’d barely care which uni you graduated from.

  • Tasmaniac on 05/11/2018 - 21:18

    You could study some units via distance before study starts again next year. If you've got any electives or breadth units left then choose something easy.

  • TheRealCher on 06/11/2018 - 08:52

    Uni teacher here. What are your motivations, values and purposes in doing study? (MVP)
    By having those clear, you can decide what and how you go forward. What's driving you to be a teacher? Are you passionate about it and what yr learning?
    Other issues follow: planning yr time so you reward your uni activity with fun activities. Linking yr assignments to that sense of meaning in yr life. Also eating well and keeping healthy.
    If those things are all in line, you might like to look at mode. Are you studying online when you need more face to face engagement? Are you like me when I was studying online teaching and being angry that they wanted me to listen to a two year old recording of an in class tutorial, watch a PowerPoint with 5 slides, read 50 pages a week, and do weekly quizzes and they called that teaching?

  • Icecold5000 on 07/11/2018 - 03:38

    Weakness is a choice.Thanks for playing.

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