The glamortisation of college vs. first years working in the 'real world'

[law12345]

What is it about tv shows or movies revealing bratty rich prep students using such articulate words and living such lavish lives on their parents/loaned savings accounts?.....why is college life so cruisy and carefree (yes some study and finding ones self is involved) compared to the first 2 or more years of any entry-level job?....one has to pay their dues, begin at the bottom of the scrap heap and often rich social lives' are replaced by stress confusion and great(er) growing pains...
the only tv shows that I have seen which glamorise work-life are CSI ( full of proffessionals who can act so cool and confident in detective work as they are given a script), shoot-em-ups, where the bad guy/gal doesn't have to abide by any office politics beyond the gun, or crap shows like Ugly Betty where the underdog shines...sure there are a few others like The Hills or The City which make the life of Laguna Beach seem a distant memory...

I don't know about other people here but the first 3 years of my working life have been pretty darn difficult-I've chopped and changed at least 5 times, have had moments of elation and feelings of working it to stress, tears and pain...and even now I'm not sure what I want to be doing or even what I'm meant to be doing...

All in all the transition for me from school to UNI to working has been a bit of a bitch and the free-thinker and individualistic uni student has evaporated into a savage rat just trying to survive and make a decent life out of this life that has appeared before me...

working life seems to have taken away my internal locus of control and now when not appeasing people I have to eat or get eaten!
Maybe the entrepreneur inside of me is still waiting to get out or maybe I just wasn't a team player in my youth...or maybe I'm playing a different game altogether :/!

well would like to hear other people's stories about college/university and it's portrayel and or early years of working life...

 

[ThaiDie4]

^ I'm sorry to hear that your jobs have been so stressful!!

Honestly, my college expierence has been pretty cool so far.
Work hard, play hard
The only thing that sucks is that I've gotten sick a lot more.

I'm super excited to graduate and start work though (as a counselor).

 

[moonyham]

I left school at 15 and started working within a few months.. went through a couple dif jobs then landed on ice skating rink maintenance and did that for about 7 months.. it was pretty cool imo but working just plain sucks and you have no time to do anything... THATS why theres no shows about it because working SUCKS and its BORING and generally people who work only do cool/fun stuff on the weekend. Its easier to make a show about college kids cause then it makes sense they are fucking some hot chick in the middle of the day or selling some drugs or what ever cause they can just say 'i dont have class atm' or what ever. Youll notice that the only shows about work-life are based around.. work... like CSI and cop shows but those are like, the only 'exciting' jobs so thats why those are the only kind of shows like that.

 

[cilosyb]

Work is demanding and relentlessly necessary for most of us. That's what motivates me to go to school and work hard there, because I figure it is a legitimate shot at working in some capacity that will not suck the life out of me. I don't know exactly what I do want to do, but I know for sure what I don't, and that is bust my ass for peanuts day after day with no reward in sight. I don't intend to be picky when I do begin working; I embrace that we all have to pay our dues before anything gets easier, but that if we work hard enough, things will move in our favor.

And if all that turns out to be lofty idealism, I have a great plan to smuggle drugs

 

[Cyc]

well said, cilosyb.

Perhaps school is portrayed in such a rosy light because well, school is pretty damn fun. I could probably go to school forever and just keep upgrading my degrees. I have no want for riches or anything, so that's probably what I'll do. I thoroughly enjoy learning new things and school is a great place for that.

My dream job is having a PHD by the time I'm 40 and teaching for the remainder of my years, while also taking part-time classes.

Think of all I'll have to offer when I retire. I could travel and write books! Life would be fantastic.

 

[law12345]

well said, cilosyb.

Perhaps school is portrayed in such a rosy light because well, school is pretty damn fun. I could probably go to school forever and just keep upgrading my degrees. I have no want for riches or anything, so that's probably what I'll do. I thoroughly enjoy learning new things and school is a great place for that.

My dream job is having a PHD by the time I'm 40 and teaching for the remainder of my years, while also taking part-time classes.

Think of all I'll have to offer when I retire. I could travel and write books! Life would be fantastic.

Oh yea. I think you have hoop dreams!
Who's going to fund your studies and put a roof over your head until then? Don't rely on a government pension plan either when you're older the state budget deficits will be in in 20+years 8)

 

[wizekrak]

I find University way more stressful than work. I work a career type job during my summers between classes and have far more free time than I do during the year when I am in class. With work you put in your 8 hours and the day is done. With school the work never stops. I suppose how stressful you find University has a lot to do with the program you are in and what kind of grades you are trying to achieve.

 

[toastedpanda]

Well I started working as a laborer straight out of high school, living out of hotels and working 60 feet in the air on a ice blasted scaffold in the middle of winter. Its not glamerous, but its good money and is how im going to pay for school. The real glamour is in getting what you have through hard work and dedication, and staying focused when shit gets bad, and it will at least occasionally.

 

[Mehm]

It ALL depends on your situation. If you worked full time through school and paid for it entirely. I'm sure having a degree and no more school is a lot better than the opposite. As for me, my working life and school life are about sixes in terms of difficulty and education.