!!!

[tracy_loo_who]

Today I took my epic prelim exam, passed it, and promptly decided to quit graduate school! *beams*

I mean, tentatively, I'm going to stay and do this grad school thing for another six weeks or so, cause I'm only six credits short of a Master's degree (who knew?) so hopefully I can get that over with this summer, but then after that I shall be done with this school shit forever. Fuck trying to get a PhD, no more waffling back and forth like a pathetic waffley thing.

Holy shit. School is basically all I've ever known, and now I have no idea what to do with my life. Which is kind of terrifying but mostly awesome.

Oh god, but before I start panicking, hahahha, what should I do with my life? I guess the most logical option would be to look for some kind of neuroengineering industry job, but I kind of want to try something completely unrelated to my degree, just for shits'n'giggles. I mean, I'm only 22, I can afford to make a few mistakes, right? So, what do you guys do with your lives? Do you like it?

Omg. \O/\O/\O/

Comments

[waxbean.livejournal.com]

congrats on your ENORMOUS and EXCITING decision! And on being an inch away from a Masters. Industry jobs sound good -- what's there not to like about a contained 9-5 M-F with a decent salary and benefits?

I got my PhD. It took 9 years post-BA to do. I don't even want to talk about my student loan. Now I have a great academic job. But it's not a 9-5 M-F. I try my best to keep it contained to those hours, though.

I like to live my life without regrets. I met my husband in grad school. Now we have two awesome kids. And I do like my job.

but... grad school was tough. And I probably would have made more money at a more satisfying job had I not stuck around for a PhD.

[tracy.livejournal.com]

:D :D Thank you!

Hmm, a steady 9-5 job seems lovely and reassuring, but I'm afraid I'll get bored or stuck or something? Hahha not that I've ever had a 9-5 job, except during internships, so who knows, maybe I'd love it.

9 years! Goddamn. I do remember when you finally got it, though, that was quite exciting and made me think "hey, if she can do it, maybe I can too!" But I've been here for a year and I've given it a shot and it's just not my thing. :)

♥!

[littlestclouds.livejournal.com]

Congratulations to all of it! :D

[tracy.livejournal.com]

*g* Thank you! :D :D

[goth-clark.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on passing! I say have fun while you can.

[tracy.livejournal.com]

Exactly what I'm trying to do! *g* Thanks!

[darkmagess.livejournal.com]

Not having school anymore is a scary thing. I even knew what I wanted to do, and it was still scary.

I have been pursuing publishing jobs since graduating in 03 with a BA. It has been extremely hit or miss, and I'm unemployed a lot of the time. I take temp jobs when I can get them. Nothing is more soul-crushing than being unemployed.

I can give you the standard advice, which is basically this: Find something you like doing and do that. If you don't know what you like doing, you could always do temp work and find out. Or at least find out what you hate doing and try to avoid making that your life's endeavor. When I ask my mom what she *wants* to do for a job, she has no idea. She can't even answer the question. That, I think, is a sad thing, not even having an inkling as to what might make you happy.

Most important, I think, might be identifying the things you would regret not doing/trying. If you have a degree in neuroscience but really really want to be a dog groomer and make pups pretty all day, then train to be a dog groomer. If you hate it, you've still got a degree in neuroscience. And it's much harder to just drop everything and try something like that once you've got set bills to pay and things you're responsible for.

Sometimes people make their hobbies into their careers. Sometimes they don't want to ruin their hobbies by turning them into work. Depends on the person.

[tracy.livejournal.com]

I wasn't ready for the real world a year ago, fresh out of college, but I'm ready now!

Uh oh, suddenly I'm afraid of being unemployed, though. :( But all the folks I graduated with found jobs, I think, surely I can too, I hope!

Temp work sounds like fun, but I don't even know what kind of temp work I'd want to do! *laughs* So far I think the idea I like best is consulting, but hell if I know what a consultant actually does..

Identifying the things I'd regret not trying is good advice! Hmm. I shall have to think on that, thank you! ♥

[reveria.livejournal.com]

well, I started a media/computing course, then realised it was the wrong fucking choice, quit after 4 semesters (yes, srsly. I was 2 semesters away from graduating, but I couldn't stand a day more of it). then bagged an internship at a pre-school and been a happy camper since.

[tracy.livejournal.com]

Hahha alas, I cannot deal with kids. But maybe something similarly 180-ish would also work for me, who knows?

[timbitsu.livejournal.com]

Yay, congrats on passing and on the decision. =D

You'll love being out of school. =D It's much less stressful! You should definitely think about what you like doing and try finding a job that fits. It's better to consider these options now while you're young rather than waiting till you're 40. =P

[tracy.livejournal.com]

Hee, thanks, love. :D :D

Being unemployed is probably also stressful, though! *laughs* Though, yes, hopefully I get things figured out before I'm 40, meep. Maybe I'll wing it for a few years and if I can't find anything awesome, I'll find something degree-related and stick with it. I know it's something I wouldn't hate, at least.

[tracy.livejournal.com]

I've given up on getting a PhD forever, it's just not worth it.

Ick, good luck on your exams!

Oooh, overseas where? In the US, by any chance? But hah, yes, I'd love to work somewhere where I'd have tons of time to surf the net. *g*

I dunno, I dunno, I love food too! :(

[shadowcat15.livejournal.com]

Congrats on the degree (once you get it, I mean).

[tracy.livejournal.com]

Hee, thank you so much! :D :D

[prongsy.livejournal.com]

Dude, it took me four years of undergraduate and two years after to come to any sort of idea on what I'd want to do. My English degree was only because I needed some sort of degree and it was shiny and fun (I got to read HP for a grade!). That you even had the forethought to pursue a Masters so soon after your BS, I find that impressive... even if you never use it again. It shows more direction than I've ever had.

But more power to you on getting out, seeing the world. It sucks, but you'll learn that in time. ^_~

[tracy.livejournal.com]

LOL, I think you give me too much credit.. personally I feel like it was less "direction and forethought" and more "terrified of the real world" but I think I'm finally ready, now!

Alas, I hope I find something that doesn't suck too much!

[tracy.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :D Yeah, I definitely think you're right, there's seriously no better time than now to just wing it and see what's out there, especially with nothing to drag me down at the moment.

[drusillas-rain.livejournal.com]

When I first started working full-time, I found temping helped me not only see a variety of different jobs, but also helped me see different environments and work cultures. To me this has been almost more important the work/job itself.

[tracy.livejournal.com]

I really like the sound of temping, but I don't even know what sorts of temporary jobs to look for! Heh, hopefully I'll come by something, though. :)

[ibroketuesday.livejournal.com]

Bitch, don't quite before your Master's. That's all I'm gonna say.

Actually that was a lie. Yeah! You're 22! You can fuck around and experiment and try things as much as you want. Do something crazy! If you want to pursue your PhD, there's always time for that later. I think it only took my mom three years to get hers.

[tracy.livejournal.com]

Pshh, I said I wasn't going to so I won't! I'd been considering it before, when I thought I'd still have to do this for another year, but to suddenly find out I'm only 6 credits short? That degree's gonna be my bitch.

I'm pretty sure I'm not going to go back, hah. But that's okay with me. Now to figure out how to move to Denver or San Fran or Vancouver without hurting my parents' feelings..

[themadfish.livejournal.com]

Woohoo! Grats. You're only 22. Just have fun!

[tracy.livejournal.com]

*g* I hope to have SO much fun! \o/

[tahu.livejournal.com]

Oh man, congratulations! :D

That's gotta' be pretty daunting, finishing up school. I guess you've always got a path to follow and after school it's just a big expanse of nothing, huh. Or, rather, everything and you don't know where to start.

Good luck, wherever you decide to go. :O

[tracy.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :D :D

It was much more daunting to me last year, fresh out of college, which is a big part of why I went to grad school in the first place. But now I just want out, so the real world thing doesn't seem quite so daunting anymore, I guess. Even though, as you say, I have no idea where to start. Hah. Something will come to me, I hope?

[taurenova.livejournal.com]

Wow. That's a big decision - I'm proud of you for making it. God knows I probably wouldn't be able to do the same in your situation.

As for me? I'm the worst person in the world to give life advice: I have a menial job that I hate but I'm too lazy to find something better, I have no university education and can't rely on that, I have a dream of being a published writer but I haven't put any effort into completing something.

I guess I can just echo what countless people have said down the years: find something you're good at, something that makes you happy, and do that. I have faith that you can do that.

And I'll always be around for chat and whatnot. I hear I'm an excellent sounding board.

[tracy.livejournal.com]

:D Thanks, love. ♥

Aww, I think you'll get out of that slump someday. You kind of have to, right?

I wish it were easier to find something! Job searching seems quite daunting, but I dunno, it's not something I've actually done before, so who knows? But thank you for your faith, and for being around! Ilu.

[coffeejunkii.livejournal.com]

haha, well, of course i'm doing the whole academia thing, so no exciting advice from me! but i think you're right to quit if your heart isn't in it. a phd isn't something you can get through if that's not something you're passionate about. i had moments of doubts about continuing, but then i'd read a great book or went to a great talk and realized that yes, this is what i want to do :D

[tracy.livejournal.com]

Best of luck to you, then! *\o/* I'm glad it's what you really want to do. Actually I kind of wish it was what I want to do, but it isn't, and I think I've suspected since long before I even started applying, but I figured I'd give it a shot anyway. Now I'm sure it isn't what I want. :)

[n-isfor-neville.livejournal.com]

I'm 26 and still don't know what I want to do, so you don't want my advice. All I know is that I'm done with school. :)

[tracy.livejournal.com]

*g* That's good enough for me at the moment, seriously.

[acromantular.livejournal.com]

Yay! I'm all for dropping out of grad school! Congrats for actually managing to stick around long enough to get the Masters - I wasn't so patient. ;)

My suggestion would be to look for some neat biotech job in a city you want an excuse to explore. *cough* San Francisco *cough* and Boston are pretty good choices - lots of biotech, and great places to be when you're in your 20's.

The cool thing about a biotech job is that you don't take your work home with you in the same way you do as a student, and they pay you enough that you can do all the fun things you skipped while being a student! You can also migrate into other areas not directly within your previous subject of study. Send me email; we can talk. I might have some useful contacts or suggestions.

That said, I needed to decompress after dropping out, so did some free interning at an aquarium. In retrospect, I wish I'd instead done a month of intensive traveling then gone straight into biotech - while the internship was fun, I really could have used an honest-to-god break from thinking about anything serious. Anyway, as said, drop me email.

[tracy.livejournal.com]

Hah, glad to see I'm not the only one around here who's quit! XD

Actually San Fran is in my list of top three! Right up there with Denver and Vancouver. So I'd definitely love to talk about this, omg thank you so much! Will email in a bit. ♥

Traveling is in the plans too, if I can work everything out. Ideally I'll be done with my MS in August and then hopefully I can spend the next four months traveling and doing whatever I see fit (who knows, maybe I'll even try to make it to Burning Man), and then maybe I'll settle into a job in January? Hahha not that anything ever goes according to plan, but it's nice to think about!

[mordyn4]

I do think this was a good decision, Tracy. You were unhappy. You didn't want it. And motivation is the key to an academic career. It doesn't matter how smart you are, and it doesn't matter how high everyone's expectations are around you. You can always go back if you want to.

Hey, you passed!! LOL. Well, enjoy the next few weeks. What city do you think you'd like to live in?

[tracy.livejournal.com]

Thanks, love. ♥ Although hahh, I'm pretty sure I won't be going back. *g*

I'd love to live in San Fran, Denver, or Vancouver.. or if I can't find a job in any of those places my friend/ex/whatever wants me to go be his roommate in Colorado Springs, lol, and I'm pretty sure I could find a job there, so I guess it's an option.

advice from the elders

[laceymcbain.livejournal.com]

Congrats on being so close to the Master's at 22! The great thing is you've got so much room ahead of you, and there are far more opportunities out there within the sciences than in the arts. I work for a non-profit organization that works with writers and I love that. Doesn't pay well, but honestly, between my job and my husband's we're fine, and after three degrees (B.A, B.Ed, M.A.) and being certain I didn't want to teach for a living, it's more important to me to do something I like and that I feel good about at the end of the day.

If you can afford to take a break and travel a bit, I'd do that. It's something I never really got to do when I was younger, and I wish I had.

Re: advice from the elders

[tracy.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :D Yeah, I'm definitely counting on there still being lots of jobs in the sciences despite the job market being what it is, so hopefully it won't all turn out to be a delusion, heh.

Actually I've seriously started considering just taking four months off after I graduate to travel. If I can manage my expenses and have a job lined up for, say, January, this is definitely something I'll have to do!

[lily-firebolt.livejournal.com]

I applaud you. I was only finishing my BA at 22!

I definitely support you doing something unrelated to clear your mind of so much studying!

[tracy.livejournal.com]

*g* Thank you so much! We'll see, we'll see, actually I quite like my field so even if I don't pick something unrelated, I could probably still be happy about that. :)

[elvisglasses5.livejournal.com]

Congrats, Tracy! On both passing the exam and coming to a decision. That is the best feeling, isn't it? I'll just echo what other people have said: do something fun, live somewhere fun, and/or go travel. Do it NOW, especially if you can swing it financially, b/c once you get into the working world, esp. if you find a career you are dedicated to and need to climb the ladder, you will find it harder to step away to go do "non-career-path" things. And if you decide later that you want that PhD, grad school isn't going anywhere. In fact, I bet you'd enjoy it more after 10 years out in the working world.

This is my experience, as an unmarried, working woman: When I graduated school, I was a couple of years behind my friends b/c I took some time off during college (for non-fun reasons) -- so although what I *really* wanted to do was to go teach English in Nepal, I signed myself up for a corporate job (in Boston -- awesome town!) and got to work "catching up" with my friends. Sure, I was being responsible, and my parents were happy. Sure, I had a great job that I enjoyed and paid the bills. But time passed, I moved on to another career (and across the country) and so on and so on. . . and now I am 36 and have STILL never been to Nepal. Know what I'm saying?

And, as I mentioned to you in an earlier post, I am going back to school now for a Masters and perhaps a PhD later. But that's very different: I've had a dozen years out of school, and for much of that time I had zero interest in ever going back. Now, I love it. (Of course, I'm not full time yet and am still working, so I'm not living on ramen noodles, yet...) So, bottom line is have fun, follow your passion(s) wherever they lead, and know that your mind will still be there if you ever decide to pursue further study (PhD) in the future. 22 is awfully young to expect yourself to have your whole live charted out. There are many adventures in the cracks and crevices you can't even see right now. Enjoy it! And good luck wrapping up your masters. Can't wait to see what your next step is. : )

P.S.. I've lived in both Boston and San Fran, in addition to Portland (and other places). All are solid choices for fun in your 20s! Of course, there are some OTHER incentives for a move to Vancouver, I'm sure. ; )

[tracy.livejournal.com]

*grin* Thank you so much! It really is awesome, I feel lighter than I have all year. \o/

Yeah, I'm definitely thinking it'll be a good idea to travel for a few months before I settle into a job, and I'm pretty sure I can swing it financially if I budget and plan right. There's no excuse not to, and there's never been a more perfect time for it, as you say, since there's absolutely nothing dragging me down, so whee!

Aww, I do hope you make it to Nepal someday, though, you owe yourself that much!

Right now I'm thinking "no way am I ever going back to school" since I've done school non-stop since I was five or something, but who knows, maybe a decade down the line I'll change my mind too, just like you have. In any case, I really wish you the best of luck with your studies! (And better you than me, heh.)

*G* All of those places sound lovely, and I will definitely apply for jobs in all of those places! Man, that's pretty exciting, to be able to move wherever I want. *_*

[lizajaneok.livejournal.com]

Wow! Congratulations on passing the epic exam, making the huge life decision and being weeks away from a master's degree!! Very impressive for 22!

I have an MBA and I work as a grant writer for a Native American tribe. It's one in a list of jobs that I've had that are fairly similar (use similar skill sets). I've always been drawn to jobs that make me feel that I make a difference. I've never wanted nor pursued a job in a corporate setting. Most of my background has been either in higher education administration or local government.

I think a person has to find their true purpose in this life. I've heard some people refer to this as their dharma, their right or tue path. It's usually very simple and contains one to about three items. Mine is: to learn, to teach and to help. I've found that if everything I do, which takes up a good portion of my time, falls into one of those three categories, I'm generally pretty happy. At 22, you have time to think about the types of situations that really make you happy. What makes you glad to be alive/excited just to be participating/gives you a sense of purpose and accomplishment? What about it makes you feel that way? It's really good for you to know what motivates you. It will be handy to know later in life.

Also, don't worry about getting bored with the 9-5 thing. Depending on the career you choose, you could have much more flexible hours than you think. :)

In the meantime, I recommend a whopping break in between the school and job. My daughter taught English in France for 10 months. She was relatively poor but she got to live and travel in Europe and made friends from all over the world. If you can do something similar (I'm talking about a real life-altering dream experience), I highly recommend it.

Wrote a lot. Sorry. Just adore you, bb!! And am so proud of you!! Such a smart young woman. I know that whatever you choose to do, you will be successful. *hugs*

[tracy.livejournal.com]

Hee, thank you! :D :D

Wow, I think you're incredibly lucky to know and be able to articulate exactly what you want to do, that's not something that comes easily! I'll have to give some hard thought to my one to three things in the next few months/years, but hopefully someday I'll be as sure of them as you are of yours. ♥ I used to think I could be excited and motivated by doing research on brain-controlled prosthetic limbs or devices for amputees or folks who are paralyzed, that's why I came to grad school in the first place, but I'm not so sure of that anymore, clearly.

Actually I spent last summer traveling around China with my cousin and some friends we met there, and they did do that whole teaching-English thing. It was an incredible experience, like you said, so actually I do kind of want to take about four months off after I graduate to travel!

Thanks for all your lovely advice and inspiration, love, it means a lot to me! ♥

[kitsu84.livejournal.com]

I must say that I'm rather envious of you. It took me until I was 22 just to decide on exactly what I wanted to do with my life. Thankfully, my mother has been very supportive along the way. She never pushed me - not once. My father, on the other hand, is an entirely different story.

But, hey... Enough about me. This entry is about you. And, love, you have no idea just how proud I am of you right now. You're only 22 years old, and you're six - six credits away from a Master's Degree. That's incredible. ♥

[tracy.livejournal.com]

Just cause I quit grad school doesn't mean I have any idea what I want to do with my life, hahha, far from it! All I know is what I don't want to do with my life, I guess. Anyway, I love you, thank you for being so supportive! And I bet your dad will look back on his mistakes concerning you someday and see them for just that -- mistakes. ♥

[lena3.livejournal.com]

Yay! For getting your Master's and making some decisions...

However!! You won't be making mistakes. You will be making choices and life experiences which will all be good. If something doesn't work out, nothing is forever. Don't think you have to make all kinds of decisions that you are stuck with forever.

Travel, try new things, take some temp jobs...in my 20's I did a lot of that. And I still do travel, but now that I have a career, it's a little difficult.

I totally fell into my job. I had no clue when I took it that I would love it and have all the awesome opportunities that I have. I thought, well, I like the people, the job seems interesting...why not? Best decision I made.

You have time to try new things and some you'll love and some you'll hate, but you'll definitely know what you want. But you don't need to know this minute. Good luck!!

[tracy.livejournal.com]

Aww, yes, I guess it's best if I don't think of whatever I do next as mistakes, I suppose! Although I said that in more of a "yay I can do whatever I like now, which will be good even if they don't turn out to be the best choices" spirit than a "time to go do things I'll regret" spirit, heh. :)

Traveling, yes, I'm thinking I'll definitely need to do some of that first! \o/

It makes me so happy to see people be in love with their jobs! I don't think that's for me, but I'm really, really glad you love it so much.

Thank you for the advice and encouragement! ♥