- Oct 31, 2008
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I was thinking about something in my life that I would do differently if I could go back in time. I mean, there are a few things really but one in particular. I don't necessarily consider it a "regret" because I made some good friends doing it and it still got me to where I am today. But if I could redo anything I think I would choose not to go to college.
I went later in life. I was born in 87 so most of my friends and peers graduated between 2009-11. Because of the path my life took I started community college after high school in 2005 but spun my wheels pursuing the wrong career for almost 10 years. In 2014 the opportunity came to go back to school after taking some time off and a lot of things clicked when I realized what I wanted to pursue (media). I finished my general ed courses and transferred to a four year where I got my BA in Communication Design. Now it was a fun time, but I had to go into debt to do it. $30,000 to be exact. It'd probably be less but I foolishly borrowed $10K privately so I could rent an apartment close to campus and live on my own, rather than staying with my folks (which being 28 and freshly divorced felt weird at the time, that's how I justified it) and just buying a $120 parking permit.
So long story short, I had 5 years of broadcast experience before going back to school, and when I graduated I dove right back into the same scene, starting at the bottom of the totem pole again. Within a year I worked my way up to video editor of our morning show, and two years after that I was hired at a global network as a video editor for the evening news show.
Three months after I started there I was having a friendly conversation with my supervisor when he let me in on a secret: they didn't hire me because of my education or degree, they hired me because of my professional experience. They were impressed that I edited all the video for the morning show all by myself. So I reflected on that for a while and realized I could've gone a much quicker and cheaper route. I could've simply pursued a certification, or at most an AA, from community college for about $1-2K that I could've paid out of pocket, I would've been able to get the same job at the station I worked at after graduating, and likely would've achieved the same promotions and obtained the job I have now.
Now I'm still dealing with $30K in debt for a degree that honestly doesn't have much value to me when my industry prefers experience. I also had to shovel a lot of crap taking extra "required" classes for stupid subjects that weren't related to my major.
That's what I'd change. Do you guys feel the same way about anything in your life? Not necessarily "regret" but just something you'd do differently if you had a chance to "edit" that season of your life?
I went later in life. I was born in 87 so most of my friends and peers graduated between 2009-11. Because of the path my life took I started community college after high school in 2005 but spun my wheels pursuing the wrong career for almost 10 years. In 2014 the opportunity came to go back to school after taking some time off and a lot of things clicked when I realized what I wanted to pursue (media). I finished my general ed courses and transferred to a four year where I got my BA in Communication Design. Now it was a fun time, but I had to go into debt to do it. $30,000 to be exact. It'd probably be less but I foolishly borrowed $10K privately so I could rent an apartment close to campus and live on my own, rather than staying with my folks (which being 28 and freshly divorced felt weird at the time, that's how I justified it) and just buying a $120 parking permit.
So long story short, I had 5 years of broadcast experience before going back to school, and when I graduated I dove right back into the same scene, starting at the bottom of the totem pole again. Within a year I worked my way up to video editor of our morning show, and two years after that I was hired at a global network as a video editor for the evening news show.
Three months after I started there I was having a friendly conversation with my supervisor when he let me in on a secret: they didn't hire me because of my education or degree, they hired me because of my professional experience. They were impressed that I edited all the video for the morning show all by myself. So I reflected on that for a while and realized I could've gone a much quicker and cheaper route. I could've simply pursued a certification, or at most an AA, from community college for about $1-2K that I could've paid out of pocket, I would've been able to get the same job at the station I worked at after graduating, and likely would've achieved the same promotions and obtained the job I have now.
Now I'm still dealing with $30K in debt for a degree that honestly doesn't have much value to me when my industry prefers experience. I also had to shovel a lot of crap taking extra "required" classes for stupid subjects that weren't related to my major.
That's what I'd change. Do you guys feel the same way about anything in your life? Not necessarily "regret" but just something you'd do differently if you had a chance to "edit" that season of your life?
