WBP: What comes next? · 12:22pm Dec 1st, 2017
You might notice this wasn't published Wednesday. That's because that's when I got my university results, and I've had to spend the last three days dealing with the implications of them. I've finally sat down to write this.
So, this year I was pursuing my second degree in journalism because, you know, I need a stable adult job and it's writing and I get paid minimum wage for being a student in Australia. All good things.
Australian universities work on a GPA system of between 0-7. Why 7? Fuck you, I guess. 4's a pass, 5's a credit, 6 is a distinction, 7 is high distinction and only accomplished by madmen. I'm a madman, so I figured I'd be a shoo-in. I was only doing first year courses, first year communications, writing and journalism courses.
My GPA last semester was 3.33. University is absolutely not for me, it turns out. My last degree was largely practical assessment, where I excelled... not so much here.[1]
So I have no job skills, really. What you take for granted as a job skill; being able to wake up on time, being able to wake up at the sameish time every day, being allowed to drive, not being agoraphobic? All those things I lack. I'm going to have to be self-employed. So that begs the question;
Anyway.[2] I have no options, and no possibility of a safety net where I pursue writing as a hobby until I 'make it'. I'm officially a full time, 8 hours a day professional speculative writer, focusing on commissions where possible.
No clue what that means about my pony fiction; I'm going to need a non-professional outlet at times, I adore the practice and audience here too much, and let's be honest; It can't be any less than it was while I was bombing university, which totally ate all motivation I had anyway.
I'm going to be honest; this year I was disgustingly complacent. I was always passively 'doing university', and I was never seriously challenged or pushed, but I still had to put so much mental energy into not failing, because I'm a square peg in high educations' round hole. Shocker, that one. I didn't read, I didn't write, I had to spend so much time 'recharging' mentally from the task of existing.
Now that the safety net I was trying to build is now apparently flaming acid spikes...
I start Monday.
[1]In my defense, one class I failed because it was entirely group assessment, and the person I was paired up with didn't really speak English. Or understand the course.[3]
The other class I failed was because they didn't put a wordcount on the assignment, and I was used to finals for my last piece-of-paper. I wrote 7,200 words for a 1,000 word assignment, and got a penalty for every 10% I went over. I think I managed to get -600% on it. I emailed a shorter version to my professor before the deadline but, oh, hey, look at this, it wasn't on the official electronic submission program, which doesn't accept resubmission,sooooooooo
[2] AS I WROTE THIS, IT TURNS OUT ONE OF MY FAILS ([3] this one) WAS A CLERICAL ERROR, AND I'M RETROACTIVELY STILL IN GOOD STANDING WITH NO ACADEMIC PENALTIES.
I'M STILL DROPPING OUT BECAUSE I AM NOT DOING ANOTHER FOUR YEARS OF THIS BULLSHIT IT'S JUST NOW AN HONOURABLE DISCHARGE.
Did... did you just use an inverted footnote?
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I find them to be deeply erotic.
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I... Do too now
Wait, so, You technically passed but because they already wrote you down as not passing due to a clerical error you didn't?
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Retroactively never failed, but already made my decision to drop out.
Now's your chance to make your name in the furry porn market.
I dropped out of the educational system too. Having someone talk at me for hours is a total waste of time because I'm the type that learns by doing and making lots of mistakes. In most classes I'd have been better off going straight to the exercises and only consulting with the teacher when I couldn't figure something out myself. The current system just isn't setup like that.
In retrospect that worthless piece of paper that is a diploma has cost me quite a bit of potential income and not having it has limited my options with certain employers. That being said, I still don't regret my decision and if I had the choice I would have dropped out much sooner.
It goes against my every instinct as a teacher to not at least attempt to tell you to give it another go. It sounds like you got dealt some really bullshit cards with predictable results, and it was a shit semester where you barely scraped by because of that. A lot of people, myself included, had to take a semester off after a shit experience like that. I encourage you to consider this a break, and take full advantage of the fact that you CAN go back to defer enrollment for a semester or even a full year.
But, since you're on a break, why the hell not make a go of things? See, you get to have your cake and eat it, too, in this situation! Huzzah!
Kate winslet dropped out of school at 16
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imgs.xkcd.com/comics/survivorship_bias.png
Hail, fellow dropout! I stuck it out until I was a semester short of graduating, has a complete nervous breakdown, and bailed out to start a fursuit/plush sewing company. Or in other words I'm an absolute lunatic. But sometimes the insane works out. I've managed to make ends meet doing it for more than a decade now. Certain kinds of luck factored into that, and I couldn't have taken the necessary time off to have a kid if my SO hadn't been able to step in and support us both, but then I wouldn't have been having the kid at all without him, so, you know, that worked.
I'm saying that even though some people may tell you you're crazy, I don't think you are at all, I've been there, done that, and it came out pretty okay.
Also, as far as what this means for your horsewords, have you considered pony story commissions? I'm making a small but useful side income from that myself. And yes, I get some that aren't porn.
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There are some professions and careers where you cant possibly succeed without a degree. I dont percieve writing to be one of them, though youve probably done more research into that than I have.
Do they have Reader's Digest in australia? Those guys are thirsty for short stories from aspiring writeres to publish in their short story contests. And they're just legit enough that you can cite them in your resume once they publish yours!
Honorably discharged (oh woops Australia Honourably discharged which my spell check hates) is that actually a thing in Australian universities? In the USA you would just be a college drop out which does not sound as nice.
I have no idea how to respond to this post. That sucks, but it sucked less right at the end, but maybe it wasn't bad to begin with because you realized school wasn't for you but there's also a lot of fear for an uncertain future ... um ...
Congratulations ... I guess?
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how do you add blog posts to a group's bookshelves
I don't know how much the degree would be worth, but being paid to be a student is a pretty sweet deal.