Hello all!
This is my second year of Community College classes, and quite frankly…I can’t seem to tread water. I took on full time loads both times, and find myself drowning in balancing work with school, and personal life is a bit of a joke. The sad thing is, I can’t even get passed a math class designed for introductory algebra. Compared to others, my workload might seem like a joke, but I just can’t wrap my head around any of it. I might even be bagging on an Academic Suspension…From a community college. I’m starting to think that maybe the student route isn’t for me, I don’t think it has been since high school(When they got fed up with my Algebra issue and just let me take Business Math instead…). I kind of want to just get IT certified and move one with my life. I’d rather tinker on a faulty hard-drive or fix a corrupted file than find the X of Y’s A coordinate. I’m good with computers, but I know you need some kind of big fancy paper saying you’re qualified to work on them.
At this point, I’m just looking for an opinion other than my mother’s and hoping it isn’t ‘Try harder’ or ‘See the tutor more’. Did I mention I saw a tutor and still fail to grasp some of the concepts?
Thanks all,
SirMrBones.
It could go either way. If you prefer tinkering and fixing and are good at this, then perhaps you need to find a trade and get schooled in that. However you can’t ignore competent reading, writing and math. If you are lacking in these academic areas, you are in trouble. Even if you want to fix cars, fix plumbing, take down trees…, you need basic academic competency. You may need to visit the Learning Center to make sure your academic skills are what you will need as an adult and employee.
Now, you may well be disinterested in school after a bad experience. Ever heard of cutting off your nose to spite your face? To learn, you must pay attention, listen, think, ask questions, complete assignments etc. to learn. I am amazed by the lack of curiosity some students display or a staggering amount of blah attitude. Put down the cell phone in class and remain awake in class. I suspect you can not leave class without learning something useful and even interesting.
Have I ever been bored in class because of blah teaching? Sure! However, I am responsible for my learning regardless of content or problem teachers or environment. We do not go to school for entertainment or to
make social judgments about others. I may not have learned much in a class, but know why I think that. Rejoice, you probably will not need to read SIlas Marner. There are both up and down sides to everything, but you, and I, can always take advantage of opportunities. So, what do you want to be and how will you get there?
Going to disagree with the above post a bit. There are plenty of people that go to class, sit attentively, do their work, and still struggle with school. For some people, working with things with their hands or on a computer or in some other form makes more sense than academics, just because of whatever way their brain is wired.
That doesn’t mean the OP isn’t learning in their classes, but the grades are still going to be a problem in terms of how your approach a career.
Getting IT certification sounds like a great move, especially since it likely can be done at the same time. If you can’t pass an algebra class, I would shift away from taking courses in that area, and focus on any that you are doing better in / enjoy more.
Once you get the certifications, look for any low-level entry positions in IT while still taking classes. Note, many IT jobs these days are much more complex than the basics of old, so it may be harder to find what you’re looking for, but they are there.
Good luck!