Comments on: Back to school? http://jonsmith.greykitty.net/2008/04/13/back-to-school/ l1br4r14n 2.0 ~ http://jonsmith.greykitty.net Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:25:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Jonathan http://jonsmith.greykitty.net/2008/04/13/back-to-school/#comment-31135 Jonathan Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:43:08 +0000 http://jonsmith.greykitty.net/2008/04/13/back-to-school/#comment-31135 Thanks, Will. What you say makes sense. I already have a job doing what I enjoy so any classes I take now are optional and mostly for my intellectual stimulation - anything else is a bonus. Thanks, Will. What you say makes sense. I already have a job doing what I enjoy so any classes I take now are optional and mostly for my intellectual stimulation - anything else is a bonus.

]]> By: willkurt http://jonsmith.greykitty.net/2008/04/13/back-to-school/#comment-31132 willkurt Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:26:35 +0000 http://jonsmith.greykitty.net/2008/04/13/back-to-school/#comment-31132 Hi Jonathan, I responded briefly on twitter, but this probably deserves some more depth. After I got my MLIS I swore I would never, ever go back to school. After just one semester off I figured I would take one class purely for fun. It was a programming course and I had no CS background. The requirements for an MS in CS seemed at the time to be way too much for me to do, so I didn't even entertain the idea that I would get another degree. Well after one semester I fell in love with CS and will be completing my 5th course this semester, and actually am at the point where I could seriously consider applying for a grad program. The key to education at this point is that it should be fun. I was working full-time and taking 2 classes a semester for my MLIS and I really did not enjoy school, but I put myself through all that work because I wanted to get out of doing para-pro work right away. Now that I'm taking 1 class at a time, and doing it because I love doing it, it is purely an enjoyable experience. I already have a job doing want I want, and each class I take gives me more options. Maybe I'll get another degree and maybe not. It seems you (like me) have a lot of interests but don't know exactly where you want to go, so for now just follow the most fun path, keep learning what you love (esp. if the education is free) and when you come to a wall where you need another degree or whatever you'll be flexible enough overcome it without much effort. I've met so many people who have gotten Ph.Ds later in life or totally changed their field that I realized there is absolutely no rush, and no reason to jump into a specific program. You just need time for intellectual play and experimentation, and I believe in the long run you'll figure out which direction you ultimately want to move in. Hope that helps, and feel free to email me if you have any questions! --Will Hi Jonathan,
I responded briefly on twitter, but this probably deserves some more depth. After I got my MLIS I swore I would never, ever go back to school. After just one semester off I figured I would take one class purely for fun. It was a programming course and I had no CS background. The requirements for an MS in CS seemed at the time to be way too much for me to do, so I didn’t even entertain the idea that I would get another degree. Well after one semester I fell in love with CS and will be completing my 5th course this semester, and actually am at the point where I could seriously consider applying for a grad program.

The key to education at this point is that it should be fun. I was working full-time and taking 2 classes a semester for my MLIS and I really did not enjoy school, but I put myself through all that work because I wanted to get out of doing para-pro work right away. Now that I’m taking 1 class at a time, and doing it because I love doing it, it is purely an enjoyable experience. I already have a job doing want I want, and each class I take gives me more options. Maybe I’ll get another degree and maybe not.

It seems you (like me) have a lot of interests but don’t know exactly where you want to go, so for now just follow the most fun path, keep learning what you love (esp. if the education is free) and when you come to a wall where you need another degree or whatever you’ll be flexible enough overcome it without much effort. I’ve met so many people who have gotten Ph.Ds later in life or totally changed their field that I realized there is absolutely no rush, and no reason to jump into a specific program. You just need time for intellectual play and experimentation, and I believe in the long run you’ll figure out which direction you ultimately want to move in. Hope that helps, and feel free to email me if you have any questions!
–Will

]]>