Send to a Friend

dxs's avatar

I need advice on talking with my parents again...

Asked by dxs (15160points) October 15th, 2015

And this time, I have to address the issue full on.

It’s about school. I hate it. I started hating it quite a while ago, but thought I’d stick it out, but now I’m just fed up.
I’m sick of it…the environment, the professors, the classes, everything. I really really want to teach, but the process of getting there is not something I’m fit for. One of my ed classes requires too much reading and writing for me to handle (i.e. I have to read a 150 page book from Thursday to Tuesday and it takes me like an hour just to read 9 pages). I figure it can only get harder from here. I really don’t think my mind is fit for anything academic. My grades have been very good for the first couple of years up until recently. I got As in all my classes except for English 101. Now, I think I’m going to fail two of my classes. I have one lifeline (a Withdrawal) that I can use on one of them, which I think will be the ed course with a ton of reading. But, I just can’t get through my computer science class (the professor is a stuck-up jerk and getting help is difficult because of the circumstances I’m in). Also, I’m behind in Physics. So now with the threat of my GPA falling, the scholarships and grants I have are in jeopardy. If I don’t have the money, I certainly won’t be able to continue and won’t want to get involved with more loans. The ed professor emailed me today talking about how I’m behind and wanted to meet with me, but I didn’t know how to respond because I didn’t want to talk to her about it although she seems like a nice lady.

As far as the establishment, I think it’s ridiculous as well. It all feels so fake. I feel like I’m being treated as a consumer and they’re trying to sell something to me on a “university market.” They keep raising prices (though it may seem like they aren’t) and put up ads like this which I think is such a fucked up view of higher education.

I have given quite a lot of thought about what I can do with my life. Maybe I just need a break from school for now. Maybe not. I have a good amount of college credits already. I’ve taken math classes beyond Calculus, so I thought about tutoring. I’d love doing that, especially since it’s very close to being a teacher. I have a part-time job working fast food and although I don’t mind the job, I don’t want to be doing this for my whole life. I love the idea of being self-employed. I think it’s best for me since I really can’t deal with the bogus hierarchal structure that most businesses are set up with.

On the other hand, I feel like I’m taking a privilege I have for granted. That is, I’m given the skills and ability to pursue a tertiary education, and now I’m just throwing it away while there are just so many other people who would do so much just to get this opportunity.
But then people also say that college isn’t for everyone. Even my parents say that. Yet, they’re the ones who are pressuring me to get a degree. They and the rest of my family act like it’s something we all do without questioning…like it’s assumed that’s what I do. Actually, pretty much everyone who I have talked to about leaving school have kept telling me to stay in, but I may be too naïve or just stubborn to understand. It doesn’t seem like anyone gave me worthwhile words of wisdom. My roommate gave me the most convincing perspective by explaining how his life went by not pursuing his degree (he has a masters). He recommended me to stay in school because I have a specific plan of action in an area with high demand. He said if I didn’t know what I was going to do and was getting something like a Fine Arts degree (his bachelor’s), then he’d have a different opinion on the matter.
I really don’t connect to my parents or anyone else in my family on any level. They’re really only there for financial support, and I’m so lucky to have them for this. If I stop going to school, I think I’ll need some of their money for a time since at least one of my grants will turn into a loan. So I want to stay on their good side. I don’t live with them. I talk to them about once a month each. I call my aunt much more often. I’m much closer to her for irrelevant reasons but she won’t be a good person to go to about this.

I think there’s too much fluff above. Basically, I want to leave school but can’t find a way to explain this to my parents, so please help me with this. Thanks!

Using Fluther

or

Using Email

Separate multiple emails with commas.
We’ll only use these emails for this message.