The School Thread

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philgar
O'Jeezer
Posts: 54
Joined: Thu Jul 12, 2012 7:37 pm

Re: The School Thread

Post by philgar »

Educatrix wrote:The full-time job coupled with school is difficult; I was essentially doing that while student teaching, and it wasn't easy. The Master's level work is interesting; it seems simultaneously more difficult (coursework's more rigorous) and easier (it's your specialty).

I grumble about grading papers, but I enjoy the teaching part of it all. If I knew I could get a job at the end - and that I wouldn't end up in a mountain of debt for the rest of my life - I'd for sure go back for my doctorate. I'm totally a geek that way.

I personally found grad courses easier than undergrad ones. Mostly they took away the busy work (if you can't learn it without busy work, grad school isn't for you), and focus on projects, and accomplishing real things. At least, that's how it is in engineering.

As far as going for a doctorate goes... that's a completely different story. I don't recommend it unless you're a masochist, but my last year or so of grad school was COMPLETE AND UTTER HELL. The lowest point of my life when I questioned my own value. Of course now barely a year out of school, and I'm at the high point moving on with a good job, just bought a house, have a dog, am engaged etc... life can change really really quick after school is done apparently, who'd have thunk it.

anyhow, phd school is just a painful prospect. Even when you're funded it's pretty miserable. the first few years are pretty great. Taking classes isn't too bad, although I remember being so excited when I was done with them and could focus on my research. And for research, I found it extremely exciting in the beginning, but then... it sets in that what you're doing doesn't really mean much. You are performing countless experiments "for science's sake", even when you know what the results will be. You just have to plod through it. Spending weeks editing a paper to get it "just right", Writing to stroke the ego of people who might review it. It's all a game, and it's rigged, and it's expected that you'll put everything into it, and burn yourself out.


Sorry for the rambling there, but I really did get soured on grad school in my last year...

Phil

Educatrix
Caged Rat
Posts: 98
Joined: Sun Aug 26, 2012 10:55 pm

Re: The School Thread

Post by Educatrix »

I've heard that about the doctoral experience; perhaps I should be glad that my masochistic tendencies will be thwarted by having neither the time nor the money to delve into it. Adjuncting plus my full-time gig is keeping me above water, both monetarily & terms of job-satisfaction.

Coming up on the third week of the semester with my college students; I should be grading the first batch of essays right now, but.... Yeah. At least I've done comments for most of them, right? That's something....

Oh, fine - I'll go grade now. Maybe.

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