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On December 09 2009 14:00 nAi.PrOtOsS wrote:
Well I have been trying a lot harder this year and doing a lot better but the major problem is that my mom doesnt see a reason for me to go into a science program, because there are supposedly no jobs available in that area. I am just wondering if she is right or not?
Is she going to be working your job for you? Or are you? You could be w/e you want, as long as you aspire to be the best at it you will do well in life. You could end up being a hot dog vender.... but if you do well in that field you make money too. It really just depends on how well you apply yourself to what you want to achieve and figuring out the best way to make money out of it.
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this blog really made me think about how fortunate I am to be in college right now.
sorry to hear about your problems, dude. I don't know you, so it's probably be wrong to judge, but i hope you manage to get everything on track asap!
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Braavos36401 Posts
i don't know how high school works in canada, but in the US, if you're scoring below 80% in high school, you're average at best. depending on your high school's academic strength, its very likely you're below average among college applicants in general and should be applying to mainly large state schools / community colleges.
i mean, if your friends are all scoring 90% or higher and you're scoring below 80%, you really shouldn't have applied to the same schools as them. if you're worried about them making fun of you, just don't tell them you applied to the lesser schools. in the US you always apply to at least one safety school (one you know you will get into).
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Since you fucked up your grades (you can only blame yourself), you will have to pay by studying whatever your parents want you to study no matter how much you hate it. Any kind of college degree is better than no degree. You will get nowhere in life by just graduating from high school.
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I recommend HVAC engineering studies (or building engineering). Mainly work are done using computers, not by hand. Why? Global warming gives new jobs to these areas as low energy housing are needed.
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Hey man, whatever you do, just don't give up. I'm not too familiar with Canada, but do what you have to get into college/university. From what i hear from your post, you dont seem like a dumb person.
You admitted that it was your own fault, and thats not something that everyone can do. Just work harder, and never give up on college/university,despite what your parents say.
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science is good when it comes to pre med pre dent pre pharm imo. otherwise you could teach or do research...
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On December 09 2009 14:05 BabyRhino wrote:
science degree is useless unless its a graduate degree
your mom is right.
the only difference between a chemistry and physics bachelor major is which company you will be filling papers at.
Pretty much correct, only masters degrees in most sciences are useless too.
If you're in it for the science, either you're going to spin off and try to find an interesting job straight off the bachelors (which is very, very hard to get), or you're going straight to PhD.
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On December 09 2009 14:00 nAi.PrOtOsS wrote:
Well I have been trying a lot harder this year and doing a lot better but the major problem is that my mom doesnt see a reason for me to go into a science program, because there are supposedly no jobs available in that area. I am just wondering if she is right or not?
You should be able to tell if she's right or not. We aren't your mom's sons .
Does she work at all? If not - she doesn't know what the hell she's talking about
Does she work in science? If not - she doesn't know what the hell she's talking about.
Does she work in the same field that you are considering? If not - she doesn't know what the hell she's talking about.
Has she changed jobs in that field recently and searched for nationwide listings of said jobs? If not - she doesn't know what the hell she's talking about.
I've been blindly taking my parents advice for 3 years after high school and it is my biggest regret atm, because it becomes more evident they didn't know wtf they were talking about and know barely anything beyond the scope of their jobs.
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Why didn't you apply to a community college after getting rejected from all your other schools. They'll literally take anybody, and you can end up getting real life experience instead of repeating the 12th grade.
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you can get a coding job with a b.s in comp sci... I guess with physics its different though
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On December 09 2009 13:45 nAi.PrOtOsS wrote:Show nested quote +On December 09 2009 13:24 FragKrag wrote:
It's really your fault that you didn't apply to a university that you would have 90% + chance of getting into and being satisfied there. Not sure what you were thinking :| Yea it was my fault for applying to schools that were out of my reach. But to be fair I also based my applications off of my first semester mid term average. I also atribute the decision to not apply to schools which I had a 90+% chance of getting into, to my friends to some degree. (scapegoat? lol maybe) My friends for the most part maintained 90+% averages with ease and continually laughed at people who were considering lower end schools. I guess it made me consider myself an elitist, and I thought it was below me to apply to any of the lesser schools that they always made fun of. Obviously this ideal was completely shit on when I didn't get in anywhere, and it makes me feel fucking retarded looking back on it. I know I was a fucking idiot, and I still may be but at least I admit it. And that is the first step, right?
Yea, I had the same mindset. I remember telling my friend that I would never go to (insert name of school I'm in right now) when I first found out that I got in. Surprise, surprise.
Stuff like this is always ends up being a nice, swift kick to the ego, but at least we can all get something out of it.
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What schools are you hoping to get into this year?
I agree with many that you fucked up, but you seem to be aware of that so that's good. Obviously we get a somewhat biased opinion from you as well. That being said, I think your parents are being overly controlling, saying you should not go to university, at least not into physical sciences or whatever. If you are really interested in continuing your learning, I would definitely consider going to univ, since as someone pointed out, university degree is becoming a job standard. I would also encourage you to consider pursuing what you are interested in as opposed to the computers you were complaining about. Four years is a long time, and you don't want to drop out or hate your life for that time.
So yea, sciences don't always have the best job prospects, but still science>>>then humanities/languages/etc. I have no clue what you personally are interested in doing since you don't really clarify that. I mean science background allows you to pursue somewhat diverse job prospects. You can also minor in something else if you are worried. Hmm, why not minor in computers lol? Anyways, sort of need more info on what YOU want to do with your life in terms of jobs, I'm also curious on what types of schools you are applying to. Lastly, what sort of study habits do you have now? Are you doing bad because you aren't studying enough, or because you are having serious trouble with material. If its the latter university could be tough. If its the former, do you plan to improve studying habits at univ, or carry on as you are? Below average/mediocre science degree isn't the greatest.
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Science degrees are completely useless because they don't get you a job right after you get the degree. You have to continue your education into other faculties, like medicine. Most people who take science generally have a specific area they want to go into.
Highschool in Canada is a joke...in my school in B.C. at least.
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An undergraduate science degree is ... close to useless. With it, you can a) work as a technician (30-50k a year maybe?) where your contract expires every few years when grants run out or b) find a job in the government where you don't even use your science degree but instead do a lot of paperwork/menial tasks (but the pay is better and more stable).
It's kind of sad that the above statement isn't even really THAT sarcastic. I used to be in Science, biochem to be exact, and I researched a LOT of job opportunities in my later years. Frankly, it's slim pickings for a bachelor's degree. A master's degree is also useless - you just start off the tech tree at a slightly higher wage. Getting a PhD -> Post-Doc means you can run your own lab and enjoy all the fun that comes with it - like discovering new mechanisms, planning your own experiments. Yes, it is very rewarding but you have to have a very strong personality. You need to be able to deal with the ups and downs of writing grants, getting rejected for grants, troubleshooting a PoS mass spec machine for 6 months, getting rejected by Nature over and over etc.
In all honesty, I just wanted to tell you the truth. I don't remember much from my degree - by 4th year I was learning specific mechanisms involving specific proteins of a pathway I will never look at again. However, I learned how to THINK critically. It's a nice benefit and I enjoyed my time. So... choose science if a) you can pull 90s and get into a professional school or b) you absolutely love research. Otherwise, I would go for engineering, which is applied SCIENCE with job prospects. Business is also good and I think there are college degrees with good career paths.
P.S. Actually, do you know what a life in science entails? I think that was a major problem with most of my classmates - noone really knew what they were getting themselves into! People just thought 'oh, I liked chemistry in high school. It must be the same in University/job!" WRONG  Do some research on what is likely to be one of the biggest choices you'll make in your life.
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I am confused by all the people saying science degrees are useless. Which degrees are better please? I'm not trying to be inflammatory. Have the people saying this been through life and seen how it works? Otherwise I wouldn't count your advice too highly just out common sense.
It depends on what you define as success in doing something with the sciences. There are plenty of moderately interesting if not cutting edge things you can do with a masters degree, in a range of pay scales, private/public, research/applied, education/industry. If you are not picky about where your career goes, lots of government jobs are the kind of places where if you do good work you will rise through the ranks. If you want a sexy day job you'll need a PhD or a lot of luck. If you want a high paying job, better credentials helps but it's more about finding a way to sell your skills, which may only use science at arms length. If you just like chemistry, and don't care that much about high pay or high profile, there are PLENTY of things to do.
My parents are forensic scientists who started a long time ago basically creating the professions that are sensationalized cliches now on tv. Now they are high ranking administrators overseeing the ballooning of the field. There is such a high demand for entry level technician positions in biotech right now. Basically every state in the US has local / state government labs that are hiring buckets of people with standard qualifications in chemistry, biology, biochem, molecular biology... sometimes not even a masters is needed. They go on to do very interesting, non-grudge work. This is anecdotal I know, but if you look in the right fields you can get a start without ridiculous amounts of grooming.
If you like science, you should pursue it. Also, buckle down and get your shit together, and just do what your parents say until you can go your own way. GO TO COLLEGE. Have you thought about going to a community college and transferring somewhere? (Does that work in Canada...??) Don't worry about where you go, much of university is what you make of it, or rather, most people at good (not elite) schools don't even get the actual value of it.
edit: while I was writing xusneb said some good things. It's hard to give you transparent advice because there are things you can't really grasp until you get your hands on them by advancing. Critical thinking is what you get payed for as a scientist in the real world. If you like solving problems, pursue science.
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Philadelphia, PA10406 Posts
On December 09 2009 13:22 Chill wrote:
I've heard this story 100 times and in the end it boils down to you spinning the story to sound like a victim.
I can say with almost 100% certainty that you fucked up your marks and now your parents are justifiably pulling you by the hand to ensure you don't completely fuck up.
The first step is getting your life under control, whatever that means to you. Don't fight it, just accept it and get your shit together. Starting now.
Chill is completely right. I'm skeptical of your story from the get-go, because I've seen enough of this "parents don't get me" stuff... when I was 14. It's time to grow up, and take responsibility for yourself.
You probably missed an opportunity to do that last year. Don't miss this one.
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Looking for info to fix problems is a great way to accumulate knowledge. Thats how I learned to be tech savy. 
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1. acquire loan
2. pay for own education
3. make money
4. rub money on face
wait you went back to highschool after graduating? wat
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EPT
