College, Young'Uns, and Ugly Reality Redux
Wolfie read back over his post from Sunday, and sent me a bit more. He had thought he'd do it as a comment, but I'm glad he didn't! It's long, but thorough and worth reading.
For my adoptive brother-in-spirit, thanks!
Wolfie here. Cedar was sitting very hard on the urge to snark at that there shindig. She didn't for the sake of my niece. Me being the "official crazy adopted uncle"? [and no, I don't quite know why my nieces and nephew think I'm crazy. ] Well, being Uncle Wolfie I felt no such constraints and probably wouldn't have, had I been there with Cedar. Which might have gotten me in hot water with my niece but it wouldn't be the first time I get in trouble with my loved ones and after almost 50 yrs on this rock I can tell you there is no such thing as a LAST time I'll be in trouble with a loved one. shrug Not til the meat wagon carries my corpse to the morgue anyway.
Now... addendum for those professors that are actually worth their salt and actually, give. a. shit! And actually try to prepare their students for reality vs the fluffy headed BULLSHIT that many liberal and social arts profs try and force feed the new graduates and soon to be college students, like my niece. The Ginja Ninja. grumbles at the confused looks over the nick name Oh for fuck sake! I'll explain it ONCE. Cedar is a redhead, my nieces and nephew? Redheads. Figure it out. Where was I? YEah I know not all of you are fluffy marshmallow, unicorn fart pushing, feeble brained morons. A fair number are though. Some schools seem to be full of nothing but, UC Berkley, aka Bezerkley is one of the latter for my money. For those of you that do try and prepare your kids for reality without pushing your personal political propaganda and agendas down their throats? BRAVO! Well done! You have my thanks for doing your best to push your students towards rational logical thought and not 'muh feelz trump everything" mentalities.
Addendum for the shell shocked kiddos. There ARE solutions young uns. It just depends on how hard you're willing to work. How much are you willing to sacrifice. I mentioned it in part in my response to those of you who are going for STEM and business, etc degrees. If you aren't among those trying to lock down a part time job, change that status now. It means you'll also possibly have to sacrifice and be in school longer, because you'll have to cut back on your course hours to earn the money you need to do what you want with your schooling and living arrangements. It SUCKS...but it's reality and there it is. Another solution if you live near the school and your parents are willing to keep putting up with you, is to stay at home, work, go to school and commute to and from every day. Another brought up by another friend of Cedar's in conversation with her, myself and others is...Instead of going straight to a 4yr college? Start your course work at a community college for a year or two before transferring to your University of Choice. Community college is a lot cheaper and will allow you to pile on your initial basic class work and a steady job to save up money for the transfer later. In doing so you might find a major you want to get into more in the interim and have it not hurt you as badly to make the switch. Especially if the course work you do in CC for your second major choice, corresponds with what your first choice in major was. Follow me Ptolemy? Gooood.
As for the fluffy headed, marshmallows, rainbows and unicorn farts nonsense that some try to push? I have a solution for that too young 'uns if you aren't too deep into the unicorn farts to find your way out. I'll note that now they are starting to push the unicorn farts early. I've seen it in friends kids pushed as early as grade school.
1. DONT take everything your teachers tell you in the historical and socio-political vein as goddamn gospel just because they are your teachers.
2. READ everything you can get your nimble little fingers on. and I mean actual BOOKS, not just stuff you read on the internetz. You think I'm being a nasty cynical bastard in what I said in my OP and now this addendum? Kids I was this way BEFORE I graduated high school. I was reading college level early. somewhere around 6th grade [Cedar's note: slowpoke. I tested reading college level in fourth grade :D ]. Meaning I was ahead of the bulk of my peers. I read a lot of the usual stuff. spy thrillers, fantasy, sci fi, murder mysteries...but I also flat out absorbed a shit ton of history. Waaay more than they teach you in school or in your text books. Text books some of you will never get beyond. Either because you just don't care enough or were told, and believe that you don't need anything beyond what you're teachers are giving you. Either of which possibilities I find sad and disheartening. Oh well if you're in the 'just don't care enough' category...have fun being the zombies in the upcoming zombie apocalypse.
3. Financially this is going to be the Time of Suck, for years to come. Unless you're supremely lucky. Don't let it get you down, it's just reality biting you in the ass. Own it, partition it off as a learning experience and work your ass off.
3a. There are a metric fuckton of grants out there lads and lasses. Find ones you are actually qualified for and apply for ALL of those you qualify for, to help you in your financial needs for school. You might succeed in getting some, most, or even none; but you lose absolutely NOTHING but some time in filling out the paperwork, by trying.
I've got more bouncing around my head but my thought train got derailed. This however should do ya. Laterz!