Take a break from school?

[MarkL444]

Im in a bit of a dilema and have decided to turn to my fellow ootiots for help.

Right now Im debating taking the upcoming semester off from school (which starts monday). Mainly, I dont know what major I want to pursue. It's my fourth year of college and I have chenged my major a few times. I started as Computer Engineering, then changed to Business Management, then Accounting, then Finance. Over the summer I decided that I didnt want a business degree anymore. I had no idea what I wanted to do and decided to just take some random Fall classes that interested me, as I still had some room for random university credits. Over the past couple months, Ive toyed with the thought of getting a degree in history. Thing is, while it sorta seems like a decent idea right now, I could very easily see myself changing to something else again.

So Im considering taking a semester off to try to figure out what I want to do. Another thing that might make me do this is money (this issue is far less relevant than the first). I rely on poker for about 70% of my expenses and my Parent the other 30%. During the last semester, school took up so much of my time that I was unable to play enough poker, and money started to become a little tight towards the end. I know the same thing is going to happen next semester. If i take it off, I expect to be able to make enough money between now and the start of next fall to steady myself financially. (pay off my previous student loans, make some investments, and have enough saved so that I dont have to worry whether or not Im playing enough hands every week).

Those are the two main reasons Im considering this. I in now way intend to quit school permanently.

My questions for you guys:

Does this seem like a good idea?

Have any of you taken breaks from school?

Do you regret it?

**What issues were there with taking a break? (i.e. Health insurance- i know nothing about, feel free to shed some light on that.)

I guess thats it. Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated, as I sorta have to decide on this soon.

THANKS

mark

[ThaSaltCracka]

how close are you to graduating?

[MarkL444]

[ QUOTE ]
how close are you to graduating?

[/ QUOTE ]

I have all of my general university stuff completely done. I guess it depends on what I do, different majors have different requirements. I dont like taking more than 12-14 credits/semester, just because Im lazy. I could get a biz degree that I dont really want in 2-3 semesters. Anything else probably 4-5.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

It's hard to get back into it after a break. I had a semi-bad case of senioritis towards the end of my undergrad degree. I graduated in December, took an internship in January, and started grad school the next fall. It's hard to come back to school after a summer break, but coming back after 8 or 9 months was very tough for me to get back into it. I have no idea how some people do it when they take years off. Your situation is a bit different, though, and your hand may be a bit forced. If you're 4 years into college and you don't know what you want to do, then maybe it's time to really evaluate what the hell's going on. Maybe your problem is that you're going to an inferior school (sorry - I went to UM, so I had to get at least a weak shot in there). Money forces the issue and if you can really make enough cash in one semester to do all that you say, then that sounds pretty good.

I guess I'm not giving a real good answer, but it seems that maybe a semester off is right for you. There's not much use in wasting the time and money on something you don't even know is in the right direction. I've just never seen anybody actually do well when they've done this.

[ThaSaltCracka]

[ QUOTE ]
I could get a biz degree that I dont really want in 2-3 semesters. Anything else probably 4-5.

[/ QUOTE ] hmm... so basically 2 years for a degree you want. Why not take a semester off? It will be hard to come back though.

[MarkL444]

Thanks for the advice. Do you know anything about health insurance? Im 21 and dont smoke, if that matters.

[IndieMatty]

I'd say suck it up (no offense) and get some sort of business degree. You can get any job you want with that.

[IndieMatty]

Mark,

I've been there. No one really wants a business degree. But if you don't have any other passions, it's really the best compromise.

By passions I mean, like if you want to direct movies/studio engineer/study russian literature...everything else you can get where you want with any degreee, so choose the quickest.

[MarkL444]

[ QUOTE ]
I'd say suck it up (no offense) and get some sort of business degree. You can get any job you want with that.

[/ QUOTE ]

You cant get any job with that. You really think its worth spending a year and a half of my time (and money)on a degree I dont want, that will likely force me to get a job that I dont want?

[beerbandit]

i dont think its bad to take a break

especially if you are debating which major you are going for --- that could be very costly

im on a break from school also -- i have one semesters left, 15 credits, i changed my major also -- i currently have 131 credits but no major finished

if you plan on going back i see no harm in taking a break ---


cheers

[Shajen]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'd say suck it up (no offense) and get some sort of business degree. You can get any job you want with that.

[/ QUOTE ]

You cant get any job with that. You really think its worth spending a year and a half of my time (and money)on a degree I dont want, that will likely force me to get a job that I dont want?

[/ QUOTE ]

Dude, as an fyi, unless the field you are going into is extremely difficult to get into, *any* degree will suffice. I work with a guy (I'm in I/T) who has a degree in Forestry.

It helps, but mainly the people in charge only care about the degree as it pertains to your ability to show commitment and discipline in getting through school.

that being said, I kinda think if you take time off you may never finish. Figure out what you enjoy doing and move forward in that career. (I need to take that advice myself)

[MarkL444]

[ QUOTE ]
m on a break from school also

[/ QUOTE ]

what negatives has it had?

[Boris]

In most cases an undergrad degree doesn't mean chit anyways. Who cares what your major is? Just get the damn thing done. After that you can take time off or whatever. If you really find something that interests you after a few years from school then you can go back to grad school.

My experience:
I took 3 years off between my sophomore and Junior years. It was without a doubt the best 3 years of my life but I do believe it hurt me a bit in terms of earning potential. I partially made up for this my getting an MS in one year.

[MarkL444]

I was under the impression that I have health insurance now because I am a full time student, but that if I take the semester off Ill have to pay for it. Is this correct?

[ThaSaltCracka]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'd say suck it up (no offense) and get some sort of business degree. You can get any job you want with that.

[/ QUOTE ]

You cant get any job with that. You really think its worth spending a year and a half of my time (and money)on a degree I dont want, that will likely force me to get a job that I dont want?

[/ QUOTE ] No its not worth it. Get a degree in whatever intrests you. I have friends that got a Business degree from UW and the were basically SOL in regards to finding jobs.

As for health insurance, Sponger asked the same question a few months ago. If I am not mistaken, you should still be on your parents plan until you are either done with school or you turn 23(and still live with them). I don't think taking a semester off will matter, as they are not likely to notice. I took a quarter off twice and my parents health insurance didn't notice.

Also, why not take one class? That way you are still in school, you can still play lots of poker, and still work torwards your degree? Believe me man, there is a reason I have been going to CC for three years, so I know what your dealing with.

[snowbank]

You really think its worth spending a year and a half of my time (and money)on a degree I dont want, that will likely force me to get a job that I dont want?

N0. Figure out what you want to do. I will be graduating next semester with 2 degrees, neither of which I plan on using. I would like to start and run businesses. If I could do it over again, I would have went to an Entreprenuerial Institute for like a year or two and some business training programs or whatever they have out there. I would have learned a lot more, and wouldn't have spent money towards an education that at times I feel was a waste of money. Don't do a major because someone says, just do it so you can get a job. That's what people do who want to just make their way through life. Find out what you want, and then pursue it.

[ThaSaltCracka]

[ QUOTE ]
I was under the impression that I have health insurance now because I am a full time student, but that if I take the semester off Ill have to pay for it. Is this correct?

[/ QUOTE ]are you a hypocondriac(sp)? whats the worry?

[Boris]

At your age you shouldn't worry about health insurance. If you get super fcked up and have to go the hospital you just declare bankruptcy. What exactly do you do that will require health insurance? I assume that your mostly gonna play poker all day. Even on the off chance that you sprain an ankle playing Ultimate it is still cheaper not to have the health insurance. This advice was given to my by an insurance agent when I was 21 years old skiing 100 days a year.

[MarkL444]

yeah youre probably right, i dont know why that was such an issue in my mind. i do pretty much just sit here all day /images/graemlins/frown.gif

[Michael Davis]

If you're going to take only a semester off just gamble that you won't get something horrible and live without health insurance. Also, if this insurance is covered by one of your parents' policies, the insurer will likely have no idea that you're not in school as the proof has already been submitted to them.

-Michael

[IndieMatty]

Name a job you couldn't get with a business degree. Unless you are looking to be a doctor or a sound engineer...

[IndieMatty]

My point is, most people, never figure out what they "want to do" until many years out of college, at which point a degree in that field doesn't mean [censored]. Just get the degree part over with.

[MarkL444]

[ QUOTE ]
Name a job you couldn't get with a business degree. Unless you are looking to be a doctor or a sound engineer...

[/ QUOTE ]

If I HAD to guess what Ill be doing in 10 years, it teaching. (nothing businessy)

[IndieMatty]

You don't need a degree in "education" to teach. Especially in large cities that need teachers or Private Schools. They pay you and then send you to grad school.


(My whole family is teaching, and ultimately something I will do---Business Ethics on the College Level)

[AncientPC]

I'm in same situation as you, I have like 90 hours worth of general crap and no major (just kinda hopped around from CS, journalism, economics, Asian studies, etc). I've taken pretty much all of 2004 off to chill out.

However I'm planning to get back into school this summer, the time off has helped me realise where I want to be in 5 - 10 years and now I know what I need to do to get there.

It's really hard to get back into school though, despite everyone telling you to get a degree. Just take time off if you need it, and come back to school when you're ready.

[MarkL444]

a lot of people have expressed concern that it is difficult to go back when you stop, which i understand. a good friend of mine stopped school early with intentions of going back and has been out for a couple years. i just dont feel this is the case with me. i have no job that i would get "attached" to, i just play poker. also, i love school, learning, and being a student. it would be very hard for me to NOT go back.

also, i have already signed a lease for next year, so ill be here. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[beerbandit]

not many that cant be overcome

i know it will be a little difficult for me to get back into going to class -- i never was a fan of that anyway -- also i dont have a degree yet and dont quite get the respect that i would with it -- some at work and some with my family --- i think that it wont be the same now either, when i actually graduate it wont be with many of the classmates that i worked with in most of my classes will not be in my graduating class


i miss a lot the soccial aspects of it -- most of my best friends are ones that were made there and i rarely see them now --- i dont get nearly as much booty now either

good luck with your decision

cheers

[NoChance]

I took a break after my 3rd year. During that time I decided to transfer to a tech school and finish up there. Most of my credits transferred and I only had two short semesters before I was done.

I don't regret it all. In fact, I feel this was the best decision for me. The tech school allowed for more personal attention rather than the large classes. I felt I learned much more in that environment.

Now that I have been out of school for tens year, I have a job unrelated to what I went to school for anyway. I find that when you look for your initial job, they always want to see that you have a degree but beyond that, it's all about experience. I got into my current job at an entry level because my sister worked there in another department. Since then, I have advanced through hard work and experience.

If I had it to do all over again, I would have skipped the 4-year college and went right into tech school.

Anyway, I think I got a little off topic there but taking a break ended up being a good thing for me.

[fnord_too]

I havent read the other replies.

Get your degree, BS is preferable to BA.

It does not matter if it is in what you want to work in or not, the important thing is to have the degree (from an employment standpoint). If you are going to pursue grad school, it also doesn't matter that much what your undergrad is in. You may have to take a few extra classes to fill in some holes, big deal.

You are in your senior year. If you really want to take a semester off, co-op some place where you think you may want to work after you graduate to see if you will like it.

Again, other than the degree being a BS or BA, the exact field is not really important when it comes to getting a job.

Also, you can always get a second degree (under grad or grad) at a later date.

[turnipmonster]

[ QUOTE ]
Name a job you couldn't get with a business degree. Unless you are looking to be a doctor or a sound engineer...

[/ QUOTE ]

I can name tons. programmer. structural engineer. pretty much any science job.

--turnipmonster

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

[ QUOTE ]
i have no job that i would get "attached" to

[/ QUOTE ]
The problem isn't necessarily that you get attached to something else. It's more like you get detached from school.

[IndieMatty]

Computer Programmers that I knew/know all went to business school. But that was in 2000, so when that stuff was all new.


Of course I know that architects and engineers and scientists don't get a B.S. In finance. But for someone with no direction as far as a career, business school is the best hedge as you can work anywhere from a non-profit/governement/teaching/advertising/media/design/retail field.

[snowbank]

My point is, most people, never figure out what they "want to do" until many years out of college, at which point a degree in that field doesn't mean [censored]. Just get the degree part over with.

I agree that many people don't know what they want to do until after college. At least from what I've heard(I'm still in college) I'm coming from a different point of view than the majority of people, trying to give him a different perspective. Most people(parents, grandparents, friends) think that getting a job is the way to go, and that working for someone else is what you should strive for. Mark, you may want to sit back and think about your interests, and maybe you could already do something to make a living, you just aren't thinking in the right state of mind. If you go to school, do it for yourself, don't do it because your parents say you need to so you can get any job.

[turnipmonster]

[ QUOTE ]
Computer Programmers that I knew/know all went to business school. But that was in 2000, so when that stuff was all new.

[/ QUOTE ]

what was new, programming? hardly. business school doesn't provide you with any of the skills necessary to obtain and perform in a real entry-level programming job, period.

--turnipmonster

[IndieMatty]

Ummm. You're wrong. First line of MY Resume....


Fordham, Class of 2000, College Of Business Administration, Dual Major/ Finance and Marketing. (Not even Info Tech)
Second line...

Consultant Level I )))Software, NY NY

More examples..My friend who was an Information Technology Major in the Fordham CBA has worked for Razorfish, and now is a big cog at Google. Also worked for CSC briefly and Scient.

You know that Business School has different majors like..

E-Commerce/Marketing/International Business Communications/Business Management..

It aint all Wall St. stuff.

[exist]

I didn't read though the rest of the posts, but I'd like to say to that it's a bad idea to go to college when you don't know what you want to study. I've been going to college almost continuously since I was 17. I'm 22 now and I'm just deciding on a major I'll stick with. It would have been a much better idea for me to take some time off and work for a year or so. Since you don't aren't sure what you want to do yet, go ahead and take the semester off, make some money and try to figure out what you would like to study.

[turnipmonster]

notice what I said, which was business school doesn't provide the skills necessary to be a programmer. so, I am curious how you learned how to program? most people who's resume looks like yours get hired by a big consulting company and then trained in basic programming, and most of them go on to write terrible code until they get put elsewhere /images/graemlins/smile.gif. most of them aren't very good programmers (not directed at you, I've just interviewed a lot of people whose resumes look like that).

if you learned how to code in business school, I'm obviously wrong. my guess is you did not. but you can color me shocked if you did.

--turnipmonster

[turnipmonster]

[ QUOTE ]

More examples..My friend who was an Information Technology Major in the Fordham CBA has worked for Razorfish, and now is a big cog at Google. Also worked for CSC briefly and Scient.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was careful to limit my remarks to programming specifically. your friend worked as a programmer all these places?

I've gotta say also that your perspective on this topic has to be severly clouded by graduating when you did (I graduated in 2000 as well). there were so many jobs in nyc then that everyone and their mother was getting hired as a "web developer" and many weren't even qualified for that.

how many business majors do you think IBM,microsoft,google hires as entry-level programmers? my guess is right around 0. when I said "real entry-level job" I was mainly talking about places like this, as opposed to places like PWC.

--turnipmonster

[IndieMatty]

No you're right. I was hired and trained. I wasn't bad, I just didn't like it.

but you wrote this:

[ QUOTE ]

what was new, programming? hardly. business school doesn't provide you with any of the skills necessary to obtain and perform in a real entry-level programming job, period.

--turnipmonster


[/ QUOTE ]


I was just proving, I obtained and kept (as long as I wanted it) job.

Anywhere here's Fordham's Business School's IS link...

web page (http://www.fordham.edu/Academics/Colleges__Graduate_S/Undergraduate_Colleg/College_of_Business_/Areas_of_Study/Information_Systems/MICS/Where_Can_You_Take_t_4726.html)

[turnipmonster]

I'm not trying to dis you or your degree, btw /images/graemlins/smile.gif. as I'm sure you know, programming is more of a trade, and you just have to have some sort of background in it to be able to do it well. lots of jobs in engineering are like that, a random degree isn't enough. but point taken, my initial statement was incorrect.

--turnipmonster

[IndieMatty]

As was mine. I understand where your coming from. I should have stated that I think a business degree hedges your bets. Everyone I Know who is out of work is a communications major/ english or history major. I don't know what they were expecting by not learning a marketable skill.