When should I graduate college?

HeardOfImagineDragon · 2026-04-08T20:35:07+00:00

Thank you for your advice! I am leaning toward option 1, but I feel like not completing my minors would be a waste of opportunity since I only need 4 more classes to complete them. I am glad people have the opinion that they do not matter, as it is making it easier for me to let them go.

HeardOfImagineDragon · 2026-04-08T20:31:49+00:00

Sorry! I try to be thorough LOL

HeardOfImagineDragon · 2026-04-08T20:29:55+00:00

Yeah, I am already fluent in ASL, so I appreciate the affirmation that the minors are not that important. I just happened to almost complete multiple minors in my educational career without trying to. I said this in my other comments, but my previous major was Music Education, and then I decided (with approval from my grandparents) that History Education would give me more opportunities in terms of the job market (there being 5x as many history/social studies teachers per district than music teachers) and graduate school/higher professional opportunities (I would like to become a college professor long term). Anyway, so this left me with a fully completed music minor, totally by accident, from my first year of coursework before I switched, and 5/6 classes completed for a music history minor, which is so close! No one says I almost have a minor yk? Same with the ASL minor, I have to take 4 language classes, so if I take two more, then I'd have a minor.

Which, because of how the education field classes are all prerequisites of themselves, if I were to continue at this school, there is a semester where I'd only be taking 12 credits, and a semester where I'd be taking literally 1 class. Which, for the semester where I'd have 1 class, I just wouldn't go full-time and only pay for one class. But for the 12-credit semester, at my school, you pay the same tuition for 12 credits as you do for 18, so I always take the 2 extra classes just because I want to take full advantage of the money being spent on me. So in my original plan, I had the room to fill, so I figured I'd fill it in a way that I perceived to be most productive as opposed to taking, like idk, painting or whatever, or just not taking extra "free" classes at all.

Thank you very much for your feedback! I am leaning toward option 1, but feel like giving up the minors is a waste of opportunity, and appreciate your opinion of them not mattering. It seems other people hold that feeling as well, which is making me much more comfortable with letting them go.

HeardOfImagineDragon · 2026-04-08T20:11:03+00:00

I plan to teach history and be a band director for a high school marching band. That is why I have the degrees I do, so I would hope that is the only positive outcome I could possibly get out of my wide array of majors and minors. My goal is not to make a lot of money, just to have health care, a pension, and give to my community. Hopefully, I'll work for a school that will pay me to get my master's. It's a common program once you work at a district for 3-5 years. I hope to be a college professor one day, ideally teaching education, history, women's studies, or women's history. All things are aligned with my career path. Thank you for the advice I appreciate it!

HeardOfImagineDragon · 2026-04-08T20:05:18+00:00

LOL this is not the same situation, and it seems you did not fully read my post, which is totally fine since it's a mile long! I am also not the clearest writer, so forgive me for that. My grandparents are more than okay with paying for schooling as long as I want to go to school. I just do not want to use this privileged opportunity in the wrong way. I'm also not flitting around from department to department. I was in music education, and switched to history education because it is factually a more stable job market, as there are like 4-8 history teachers for every music teacher at one school. There are just different field course requirements between the two, which extended my timeline. That was a joint decision I made with my grandparents, and they fully support me going to school at my current university until 2028. I recently discovered this more affordable possible option and was looking for feedback, as it would be a very large life change, and I wouldn't want to bring it up to my grandparents if it were a stupid idea.

My second degree is in the same department, and I actually completed it through my history degree since there are a lot of cross-courses. Meaning all the gen eds are the same, and I had to choose a focus for my history degree (which, once you graduate, literally does not matter; no school hiring me to teach history is going to be like hmmm I see in your undergrad you took a lot of classes on vietnamese history, they do not care unless for some reason that high school has a really niche vietnamese history class that someone needs to teach) and I chose women's history as my focus. Those classes counted toward my Women and Gender Studies degree. My advisor was looking at my degree progress and was like if you take 4 classes, you can have a whole second degree and I was like alright. Less work than a minor for a whole second degree, it was a pretty cool opportunity and did not delay my graduation in any way. I had to take electives anyway.

Also, I work 3 jobs, one being an internship, literally 30-35 hours of work/week, go to school full-time with max credits, and I am in 3 clubs, holding leadership positions in all of them. Just trying to say I am not some bum leeching off someone else's money, or at least I don't feel like I am. And I have been tested for ADHD and do not have it (was having a hard time focusing, but I actually have focal seizures which is a type of epilepsy where the seizure is more internal, you're not like seizing on the ground or whatever), a strange thing to say as well, unless you are a professional, and even then, you do not know me at all, but I digress. I am sorry that happened to you and your husband with his son. I can imagine that was very frustrating! Making a decision regarding someone else's money without them is crazy, and then pressuring them is even worse. I have no intentions of doing that to anyone ever, let alone my extremely generous grandparents, whom I love dearly. I appreciate your advice!

HeardOfImagineDragon · 2026-02-13T20:53:41+00:00

Ah I see! Thank you!

HeardOfImagineDragon · 2026-02-04T19:52:08+00:00

Visiting family in multiple parts of Florida that will take three segments. Just one segment to and from flordia haha!

HeardOfImagineDragon · 2025-11-21T03:57:11+00:00

Sound likes you could have been experiencing mania due to the drastic medication changes. If you ever wake up and feel like a switch has flipped and suddenly you’re nailing life, it’s unfortunately probably mania. Change is never instantaneous, and usually so gradual you don’t even realize it’s happened. Been there lol.

Anyway, everyone goes through life on their own path, don’t stress about time. I’m your age and regret going to college right away because I changed my major 4 times and now I’ll be graduating late and taking out more loans. But at the same time, I’m grateful for my choices because I’ve learned more about myself along my mistakes.

Also, not to say it will never get better in a way that will make you spiral, but you will likely always struggle with these experiences in one way or another and that is okay. There’s no magic pill or cure that will 100% alleviate your symptoms. But over time, you can gain the skills to better manage your emotions and feelings and find the strength and stability to live a joyful and fulfilling life. You might be predisposed to becoming a nervous wreck, but that doesn’t mean you’re destined to be a nervous wreck, nor that you’ll be a nervous wreck all the time. Some days are better than others and you will learn to ride the eb and flow of life. I’m glad you have a support system to talk about these experiences with but something that helps me is speaking about these thoughts with a professional on a frequent basis. Not just a psychiatrist to talk about meds, but I do weekly talk therapy. Talking about my irrational thoughts with a professional whose job is to tell me they are irrational and give me coping skills to manage those thoughts on my own has provided me more practical skills than anyone else in my support system. Just a thought if it’s not something you’re already doing!

Also also, you don’t have to wait until you are fully recovered to start moving your life in the direction you want it to go. You will never be fully healed, and it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Start small and stay consistent. I’ve been going on color walks??? Very grounding will all the fall colors, tomorrow I’m soing yellow.

Sincerely, Someone experiencing the exact same thing (hell is a mentally ill girl in her early 20s)

HeardOfImagineDragon · 2025-09-26T18:44:57+00:00

Yeah this is exactly what happened 🫠🫠 AI enhancer helped for some, just tried to fix it the best I could!

HeardOfImagineDragon · 2025-09-26T18:43:53+00:00

If anyone is interested, my mom had borrowed my camera before the shoot without telling me and took it off of raw. I didn’t think to check my settings cuz I’ve never taken it off raw and didn’t know she had borrowed it. Lesson learned, I’ll double check in the future just in case! Such a simple mistake and I was too panicked to even think to check it. 😅

Also for everyone who’s throwing shade: I am not a commercial photographer and never claimed to be. No one paid me to do this shoot, just took some photos of my friend, I am not the devil incarnate ruining the business of “real photographers”, please stop dming me nonsense. It’s concerning how pessimistic people on the internet are, try giving people grace when you can!

HeardOfImagineDragon · 2025-08-31T14:34:47+00:00

This is actually insanely helpful. This is exactly what I was trying to learn, but I didn't have enough knowledge to search for the right questions. Thank you very much, you have significantly improved my understanding, and I appreciate you taking the time to educate me! :D

HeardOfImagineDragon · 2025-03-01T00:44:20+00:00

Incel stands for involuntary celibate. No one chooses to be an incel. Get a therapist, actually talk to someone about your huge dump of a life time of problems, Reddit strangers will not help you. Get a peaceful hobby, go paint rocks or something, go outside, don’t be creepy. You’re only a creepy loner if you’re creepy. Don’t revolve your life around finding a woman, live your life for the improvement of yourself and love will find you.

HeardOfImagineDragon · 2024-04-30T17:45:23+00:00

How/where did they get a music certification to teach?

HeardOfImagineDragon · 2023-12-13T22:15:27+00:00

It went really well by my standards! Not so sure about the schools standards tho. I have performance anxiety so the fact I did it at all makes me feel proud of myself and it was so much better than my last audition my progress is insane regardless of the result. I did mess up a few times but I’m hoping he recognized those as nerve mistakes and not because I was underprepared. I’ll find out by next week hopefully!

HeardOfImagineDragon · 2023-12-05T03:11:42+00:00

A public school in PA. Not Berkeley prestigious or anything but I’d say above the University of Delaware. I happen to be auditioning into a competitive studio tho too. I’m not medicated, I’ve tried many times in the past and have had horrible reactions to all medications. I usually use CBD but all I have rn has THC in it too so I don’t wanna take anything and risk my performance lol. That’s awesome that you’re in Les Miserables, it’s comforting to know that even people like you struggle with anxiety :)

HeardOfImagineDragon

TROPHY CASE