One of you younguns fetch me my walker!
I'm only 27, but this past week, I've been feeling old. Why? This is my first week going back to school to pick up my associates in engineering. I dropped out of university in '99 and haven't been back since. Youth: it's all around you!
I went to the bookstore on Tuesday to get my books and get my picture ID printed. I was called "sir" at least three times by the student workers. On the plus side, I could see that I got a lot more respect than the kids. More time, more patience, more customer service. I even got the occasional nod of approval.
I then putzed around for an hour or two waiting for my first class to start; there wasn't much point in taking the 25 minute drive home. I walked around, looking at notices on the walls, that type of thing. They have a Linux club starting; I may need to check that out once I get used to my workload.
Finally on Tuesday I went to my first class: Introduction to logic. Yeah, it sounds like a BS class, but it was that or nothing. I tried to get into Chemistry, but they were way over booked. I got there about fifteen minutes early and watched people walk into the room, looking for people to "relate" to. That in and of itself is a sign of the improvement in my maturity over the past eight years. I didn't care who my classmates were before, I wanted to do the work and get out.
Anyway, as I watched these people file in, they looked pretty typical... bimbo and stupid boyfriend that looks like he should be way below her, a couple of bigger sized nerds that reminded me of my best friend in high school, a pretty boy, a jock, and a few people who are just there because they're not ready for the real world yet. Then a guy walks in. He looks maybe a couple years older than me, starting to bald a bit, stocky, wearing a plaid jacket with a furry lining (like you might see on a farm), and wearing a long sleeved shirt under a striped polo. He looked like he had a clue, and might be someone good to pair off with for class projects and such.
Turns out, he would be a great person to do that with - he was the teacher! How's that for making you feel old? The person in the room you could most picture going out for a drink with after work is your teacher! My wife just laughed at me when I told her that...
My Wednesday Calc class was a bit better; there was another guy taking the class after a long break from school. The teacher earned points with me when I found out he has two sheep and twenty chickens. Homesteaders rock!
You know, I believe that attitude is the most important attribute to success in school. In high school I did well because I tried harder than everyone else (which wasn't hard...). In college, however, trying harder wasn't enough. To succeed, you really had to stay on top of things and be disciplined. This time, I'm ready for that (I think).
I went to the bookstore on Tuesday to get my books and get my picture ID printed. I was called "sir" at least three times by the student workers. On the plus side, I could see that I got a lot more respect than the kids. More time, more patience, more customer service. I even got the occasional nod of approval.
I then putzed around for an hour or two waiting for my first class to start; there wasn't much point in taking the 25 minute drive home. I walked around, looking at notices on the walls, that type of thing. They have a Linux club starting; I may need to check that out once I get used to my workload.
Finally on Tuesday I went to my first class: Introduction to logic. Yeah, it sounds like a BS class, but it was that or nothing. I tried to get into Chemistry, but they were way over booked. I got there about fifteen minutes early and watched people walk into the room, looking for people to "relate" to. That in and of itself is a sign of the improvement in my maturity over the past eight years. I didn't care who my classmates were before, I wanted to do the work and get out.
Anyway, as I watched these people file in, they looked pretty typical... bimbo and stupid boyfriend that looks like he should be way below her, a couple of bigger sized nerds that reminded me of my best friend in high school, a pretty boy, a jock, and a few people who are just there because they're not ready for the real world yet. Then a guy walks in. He looks maybe a couple years older than me, starting to bald a bit, stocky, wearing a plaid jacket with a furry lining (like you might see on a farm), and wearing a long sleeved shirt under a striped polo. He looked like he had a clue, and might be someone good to pair off with for class projects and such.
Turns out, he would be a great person to do that with - he was the teacher! How's that for making you feel old? The person in the room you could most picture going out for a drink with after work is your teacher! My wife just laughed at me when I told her that...
My Wednesday Calc class was a bit better; there was another guy taking the class after a long break from school. The teacher earned points with me when I found out he has two sheep and twenty chickens. Homesteaders rock!
You know, I believe that attitude is the most important attribute to success in school. In high school I did well because I tried harder than everyone else (which wasn't hard...). In college, however, trying harder wasn't enough. To succeed, you really had to stay on top of things and be disciplined. This time, I'm ready for that (I think).
posted by knight_308 at 09:53
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