What is to be done with my unfinished degree??

Question

5 years ago, I had to leave my Bsc Computer science degree course standing due to some unforeseen circumstances, I had completed 1/2 of the 3 years I was supposed to be there. I can continue at the same point though in September 2007.

However, many years have passed and I feel I don't have the rhythm to get back in. These years have been the worst for me and also in the jobs I've done (Administrator etc not higher). I know deep inside that I can do something other than this, but I am really really stuck, I don’t want to go back to my degree, but then again, I have no where else to go in order to get out of ‘customer services’ or ‘sales’ etc. Can you tell me what I should do now? Maybe a total career change is in order?

Can I have your highest level as well please so that I can compare different answers, thanks a lot – anybody can answer.

Answer 1

go back to it - you're not happy where you are now so why carry on? you'll soon fall back in to the rhythm and meet new people and that'll help you get over or at least cope with the difficulty of the last few years. A degree is so valuable in so many ways - it'll help u get better jobs, better pay and also raise your self esteem - u think u cnat do it now - but imagine the sense of achivement when u graduate - and u will. Uni staff are there to help u. chat to your tutor if things get stressful. Dont forget - you're half way there already. maybe if you enrol again they'll let u go and sit in on some of the lectures as a refresher this year?

dont know what u mean by highest level - if its education then i have a BA, MSc and soon to have PhD (fingers crossed - almost there!!).... I'm a researcher and lecturer too. so i know the support i give to my students. we really are there to help. sadly the ones who really need it often dont come forward and we get too many that are plain lazy and just use lame/false excuses.

good luck hun.
x

Answer 2

My highest level is three, if you're talking about Yahoo! If education I'm a year from graduation, yet haven't attended school in like 10 years. I found a girl, got married, and then took a bunch of low paying data entry jobs to get by. When I wasn't doing that I was doing administrative support and other clerical work, I even did phone work, which was something I said that I would never do, but I was tricked into doing it thinking I was going out for a temporary position at GE. After that I did about 4 years doing relay, which is working with deaf/hard of hearing on the phone, which was fun, but didn't pay as much as I could have earned if I'd gotten into GE full time.

I'm still working on the phones, though now I'm technical support, and I ended up leaving Ohio for Virginia, which I'll probably stay at for a while until I'm comfortable enough to move up North again. It's really hard without a degree; though I technically have enough credit hours to get the degree, I don't have the right classes, and I'm really stuck. What you're saying about rhythm; I didn't have much of when I was in school, let alone now, as I basically kicked it for the 6 or so years I was in school and did enough just to continue getting financial aid and to stay enrolled.

Eventually I settled on something else, so though I'm still working with computers during the day, I'm writing and trying to make some money doing that. My old lady didn't graduate either, but she found other interests as well. Computers isn't for everybody, since I've been able to get the tech job I'm going to try to make the best of that, but I honestly did not have any interest in getting back into computers, for any reason. At this point I may want to think about getting certified, which is something I can afford (college is not), but at this point it's still like, taking one class at a time, if I ever do decide to go back.

You may want to consider perhaps taking up the arts and seeing if there is any way that you can apply your computer knowledge towards doing that. If you want to get back into computers, but don't want to finish school, you'll have to accept whatever low paying opportunities come your way, even if it is on a volunteer basis, just to get back into the grove of things and build up a relationship with others in the industry so that you can get a real job.

If you can finish your degree you may want to do it, even if it means settling for an Associates or whatever, because that has become the new GED, and a Bachelors is the new HS Diploma. You may also want to reassess what it is you are interested in; if Math is something you don't care for, as I certainly do not, then you may want to go for some other degree in computers, perhaps something in information services, or business, where you can focus more on networking and databases and less on programming. That is what I should have done.

Answer 3

I have an Associate degree in Business Management with honors. I went to college about 25 years after graduating from high school. I, too, was afraid I would not do well.
If you don't want to go back to your degree then maybe you could take an aptitude test and your local Division of Employment to help you to decide what you should do.
You may be suited for some kind of trade like auto mechanic or one of the building trades. I have a nephew that is a welder and you can take that type of training at a night school. He makes good money at doing that job. You may be able to even start your own business after you have worked for someone awhile. The trade jobs pay very well and I am sure it is a lot more than your current job pays.

Answer 4

I would suggest you have your grad program mail you official copies of your transcripts, so you can see what's on there. Then you'll know where you stand on that. Because some employers will ask to see your transcripts. If you list this program on your resume, you will be asked about it, and about why you did not finish. If you feel your answer would not reflect well on you, do not list this grad program on your resume. One typical answer you could use if they ask about the grad program was that it was not a fit for you. Then you must tell them why it was not a fit (and that's where you put your reason for your low grades, spun so it's read a bit more positively.) For example, you found that your interests were elsewhere. If you decide to list this grad program on your resume, you cannot imply that it's still in progress, or that you completed it. Instead, you simply state that you "attended" X university, and list the years you were there.

Answer 5

It seems to me that you are really lazy.
You didn't finish your degree.
You don't want to go back and get it.
You don't want to work in customer service or sales.

>>I have no where else to go
What does that mean?
Nowhere else you "want" to go?

What is it that do you want?

What am I supposed to do?
Magically tell you what you should do.

As far as I see it, you have 3 options.
1. Go back to school and get a degree before it is too late.
2. Work dilligently to find another line of work.
3. Keep working in Customer Service and Sales.

You will have to make a choice on your own career goals.

Answer 6

Dude, it is grown up time. You have two choices as far as I am concerned. Go and get a degree in anything or start buying lottery tickets! You will honestly get more personal bang for your buck from the degree, even if you win a lottery. If you don't want to finish in that field, see what you can do with your credits and go for the course work you want. Good luck.

Answer 7

i suggest you go to a career counseling center at a local school ,,,,, vocational, college, university,, it really doesnt matter, the process is all the same,,, to help you find out what you might be interested in. i am not sure exactly what type program you were in,,,,, 1/3 of a BS degree would basically only cover you basics, meaning the core subjects,,,, those can be applied towards any degree

I have a associates degree in social welfare,,, and credits towards my BS,,, i got confused along the way, currently do inventory work,,

Answer 8

Wish I could help you, but I, myself, have been unemployed for over 2 years now. Check out some of my rejections here:

http://www.lettersofrejection.com

Answer 9

My suggestion is to finish it. With a BS it opens up a lot of those for you no matter what you majored in.

Answer 10

go back 2 school 2 finsh it