The Chat Thread

[ibanezmonster]

It's the kind of low pressure, low time commitment thing that works well for workaholics like... you!

That's a good point!

[Mirror Image]

Yep.
Do you work 40 hours a week? I'm averaging about 55-60/week with work/school, though Fall isn't looking too good... it looks like another 70/week.  So that means likely another semester (like last spring) where I spent my little amount of free time trying to escape reality by gaming. I don't even see how a relationship would work when I'm screaming in my head, "I want to escape the world!!!!" in my head constantly and not enjoying time spent with a date.

Yeah, I work 40 hrs. as a retail slave, but I'm hoping to go back to school this fall. I would like to do something with music, but realistically I'll probably choose a degree in law or something in the medical field. You know, something that makes money.

[ibanezmonster]

Yeah, I work 40 hrs. as a retail slave, but I'm hoping to go back to school this fall. I would like to do something with music, but realistically I'll probably choose a degree in law or something in the medical field. You know, something that makes money.

Dang... law or medical? You really wanna have no free time for the rest of your life?

[Mirror Image]

Dang... law or medical? You really wanna have no free time for the rest of your life?

Well, I wouldn't be working when I'm in school. I'm either going to be in school or working full-time not both.

[ibanezmonster]

Well, I wouldn't be working when I'm in school. I'm either going to be in school or working full-time not both.

Sounds like a ton of debt, then.
Just find something good in those fields. Don't be a lawyer or doctor, though. You'll have a Ferrari and no time to drive it or listen to music.

[Mirror Image]

Sounds like a ton of debt, then.
Just find something good in those fields. Don't be a lawyer or doctor, though. You'll have a Ferrari and no time to drive it or listen to music.

Oh goodness no. I wouldn't be a doctor or lawyer. Way too much schooling and, yes, debt. I wouldn't mind becoming a paralegal or something along those lines.

[EigenUser]

Yeah, I work 40 hrs. as a retail slave, but I'm hoping to go back to school this fall. I would like to do something with music, but realistically I'll probably choose a degree in law or something in the medical field. You know, something that makes money.

My personal reasoning was that I can always have music as a hobby, degree or not. In fact, I think that a degree in music would have made it less enjoyable because all of the studying/reading/writing/listening/playing would become chores, I fear. But, who knows?

If you don't mind my asking MI, what did you study when you were in school? And Greg, what do you study?

[ibanezmonster]

My personal reasoning was that I can always have music as a hobby, degree or not. In fact, I think that a degree in music would have made it less enjoyable because all of the studying/reading/writing/listening/playing would become chores, I fear. But, who knows?

If you don't mind my asking MI, what did you study when you were in school? And Greg, what do you study?

I'm studying computer programming.
I didn't major in music or languages in college because good luck making a living off of those degrees.

[EigenUser]

I'm studying computer programming.
I didn't major in music or languages in college because good luck making a living off of those degrees.

Cool! I suck at programming. I studied mechanical engineering and we had to use MATLAB (I know... most computer scientists say that it isn't real programming ). I just graduated and I will be returning to graduate school this coming Fall. Lots more MATLAB!

[Karl Henning]

I didn't major in music or languages in college because good luck making a living off of those degrees.

Not to say that you ought at all to have done otherwise . . . but I studied music in college, because it was what I wished to study, what I wished to know more of.  Some of us find it worthwhile to pursue a course of study, even if we do not expect that field to be where one earns one's living.

[ibanezmonster]

Not to say that you ought at all to have done otherwise . . . but I studied music in college, because it was what I wished to study, what I wished to know more of.  Some of us find it worthwhile to pursue a course of study, even if we do not expect that field to be where one earns one's living.

Nothing wrong at all with that, but personally I'm more interested in being able to wake up in the morning and actually feel glad to be alive on days that I have to work a full day (and also being able to afford to move out of my parents' house).

[Henk]

Anyone using the quick-reply option?

[Karl Henning]

Anyone using the quick-reply option?

On Tapatalk? It's never worked for me.

[Karl Henning]

Nothing wrong at all with that, but personally I'm more interested in being able to wake up in the morning and actually feel glad to be alive on days that I have to work a full day (and also being able to afford to move out of my parents' house).

Feeling glad to be alive is the good thing!

[Henk]

On Tapatalk? It's never worked for me.

No, on these boards, below in screen.

[ibanezmonster]

Feeling glad to be alive is the good thing!

It is... better to feel that way most days than just the "weekend" (or however one's schedule is).

[Karl Henning]

test for Henk

No, on these boards, below in screen.

[kishnevi]

another test for Henk

Greg,  i suppose the most pungent way to illustrate the difference is that studying STEM will prepare you to make al iving;  studying humanities will prepare you to live. 

I suppose the best choice is to do as much of both as you can, not necessarily in a formal college setting.  (And in a way, Greg, that's what you're doing.)

necessary disclosure;  BA in English (literature) Emory University 1980  JD Florida State University 1983   
I did practice as a lawyer for several years, until I decided the money I was making was not really all the great,  the hours were killing all my free time (10 hour days usually,  not counting the commute, and the only actual free day I had was Sunday), and I didn't really like most of the lawyers I met.  So I quit, explored teaching,  ended up in retail sales--no glamor, but no killing workload and in the end almost as much of an income as when I was a lawyer; I maintain an inactive membership in the Florida Bar.

[Mirror Image]

If you don't mind my asking MI, what did you study when you were in school?

Women. Oh, you mean college. I didn't finish college. I took a few classes and then work got the better of me and now I'm stuck as a retail slave making alright money now, but, trust me, going back to school has crossed my mind on numerous occasions.

[ibanezmonster]

I suppose the best choice is to do as much of both as you can, not necessarily in a formal college setting.  (And in a way, Greg, that's what you're doing.)

True... also I do have to take some Humanities classes, too, which I consider to be pretty fun stuff.

necessary disclosure;  BA in English (literature) Emory University 1980  JD Florida State University 1983   
I did practice as a lawyer for several years, until I decided the money I was making was not really all the great,  the hours were killing all my free time (10 hour days usually,  not counting the commute, and the only actual free day I had was Sunday)

Wait... only working 60 hours a week? I thought lawyers typically work 80+?...
Sounds like my schedule now, 60 (or close to) hours a week, one free day each week if I schedule it right... 60 isn't really that bad if you can manage to cut back on sleep.  But if you didn't like it much, that's way too many hours...

Here's two bad ones: yesterday I overheard a lady, looked 50-60 years old (would it be bad if I noted she unsurprisingly had a southern accent? lol) who was talking about someone, sounded like a husband or son or some family member. She said that he works two full-time jobs and has a business that he's running. Also, he has a family. So that left me wondering how much it sucks for his kids, because they might have really nice things, but never get to see their dad. How could you if his schedule sounds like 100+ hours a week?

A guy I worked with who worked as, I think it was a Network Administrator, told me how he used to average about 90 hours a week. One week he worked over 110 hours. A lot of that were stupid corporate meetings which he got tired of, so he quit the profession lol.

Those hours would never work with me, but it might for some people... I have a friend that basically only plays video games in his free time. Dude looks like Michael Jordan (and is only a few inches shorter), so you might think he'd be somewhat athletic but he doesn't even likes sports and doesn't even play them as a hobby, but sits at home on his computer all day.  He's a huge Final Fantasy fan, like me... (In fact, I'm getting on his server on FF14 in case he makes a return to the game). He's trying to make his own game, too, so he might be fine if games are his focus 90 hours a week. People with other hobbies, like me... not so much. We would have teamed up to work on his game, too, but I ended up deciding not to go into the games industry because the hours are like the above-mentioned.