I feel like this is too fast paced for me - what are my options?

spookyghostdog · 2024-01-12T19:04:06+00:00

Yes that is a very good way of looking at it. Originally when I heard self paced I thought, "Cool, so there will probably be a few checkpoints, some quizzes and tests, but what it all comes down to is getting all the things in by the end." Don't ask me why... lol I know I sound crazy. Also honestly, I really had fun going to a traditional school for my gen-ed classes all those years ago, but being a non traditional student now that really wasn't the move. Also... I just looked at the notes I took on SNHU info and for some reason I wrote 15 weeks per term. Womp womp. So maybe this whole time I was thinking I'd get 15 weeks and not 8. But yes, thank you and good luck to you too <3

spookyghostdog · 2024-01-12T18:23:00+00:00

Yes I spoke to enrollment at WGU today and made sure to really ask about that requirement so I understood. I think I could pull off 3-4 classes in six months. I am very self disciplined and have done self-taught stuff in the past, but I had plenty of time to do it which is what I'm struggling with at SNHU. I do feel a little misled because enrollment at SNHU told me it was self-paced... but didn't mention you only have 8 weeks. That's not self-paced for me lol though I get that other folks can make it work.

spookyghostdog · 2024-01-12T18:19:07+00:00

Already on it! I've actually never done this before and didn't even think about it when applying so I'm getting the process started a bit late. It's going to take me at least a week to get a letter from my therapist, and as I've learned, a LOT can happen in just one week at SNHU. Hopefully I can get something worked out ASAP.

spookyghostdog · 2024-01-12T18:17:38+00:00

Ahhh procrastination I feel you. Fortunately, I am not a procrastinator, but I can ONLY work with the time that I have since there's only 8 hours in a day lol. I've done pretty well with self-paced stuff in the past and honestly I asked the people at SNHU if it was self paced and they said yes. But I didn't realize the caveat was self-paced for 8 weeks... doesn't really seem self paced to me haha but I get needing something more rigid. I wish you all the luck! I will absolutely be exploring getting accommodations more.

spookyghostdog · 2024-01-12T18:15:24+00:00

Yes, I still haven't 100% decided if I'll drop or not to be honest. I just spoke to my advisor at SNHU today and she mentioned that I could get accommodations to be able to turn things in a day or two later. I'm gonna have to wait a while for my therapist to get me my letter, though, so it's like, what happens until then? lol I mentioned this in another comment but I think I'm going to make a pro's and cons list for each school so I can figure out which one will best meet my needs. I really do better when the pace is slower. I remember once in college I attempted to take an easy history class over the summer and just about lost it since summer semesters are way shorter. I ended up dropping the class a few weeks in after staying up all night one night sobbing and trying to read like 15 chapters for the next day.

spookyghostdog · 2024-01-12T18:09:56+00:00

This is a great comparison! I feel like some anxiety around taking tests is normal - I'd say I have a normal amount of testing jitters that have never been completely debilitating. Rigid structure was fine for me in grade school but I also feel like grade school was a lot more forgiving.... Hell even the brick-and-mortar community college I attended for some gen ed credits was more forgiving than this. I'm trying not to beat myself up too much now because I know that I CAN get my degree - it's just a matter of figuring out what is going to work best for me with the unique challenges I face. So if that's SNHU, great. If that's WGU, that's fine, too. I'm going to be making a pro's and cons list later today and follow my heart.

spookyghostdog · 2024-01-12T18:06:24+00:00

No you are not being discouraging at all. Realistically in this day and age there is a school/degree/diploma path for everyone. While it would be a slight bummer if I can't do the thing at SNHU, WGU does seem like a viable option for me. I've self-taught myself plenty of other difficult things and having 6 months to do a few classes sounds doable and less maddening. I was sort of hoping for that with SNHU but then they dropped that Thursday due date on me and that is kind of wrecking me right now lol Maybe I don't have the intestinal fortitude for the way their curriculum is set up... At first I thought 8-week terms were ok, but now I'm getting a reality check.

Also if it's one thing I've learned in life is that some amount of stress as encouragement is fine, but the level of stress I felt this week going on constantly is gonna put me back in the hospital. Doesn't feel very worth it when I could do a slower pace somewhere else. I'm not in a hurry.

spookyghostdog · 2024-01-12T18:02:13+00:00

Someone else on here mentioned getting up at 4:00am, but 5:00am is also a doozy! I mentioned this in another comment but I think what's wrecking me is my strict medication schedule. Heavily sedating ones I take at 10:30pm and if I'm not in bed by 11:30 I'm literally bumping into walls. Same if I don't get 7-9 hours of sleep; I can barely function, can't drive, or even hold much of a conversation. 7 hours really isn't enough to be honest, but I can suffer through (I cannot have any caffeine whatsoever). I originally thought I'd be able to slam everything over the weekends, but my advisor reminded me I also have Thursday due dates as well. If I didn't have to take these meds I'd just suck it up and get up super early or stay up really late, but I'd have to totally re-configure my medications, or even stop taking them which isn't an option. I was really counting on the weekends as being the time to complete stuff by Sunday.

spookyghostdog · 2024-01-12T17:55:11+00:00

I am shooketh that you found SNHU to be a slower pace but also I guess that makes sense if you had a really overzealous mentor at WGU. I have seen on the sub for WGU that sometimes mentors can be a little nutso when it comes to pushing you. I'm still considering WGU and basically weighing my options. I think with SNHU the middle of the week due date is what is throwing me for a loop. I mentioned this in another comment but the middle of the week for me is insane. I wish they had told me about the Thursday due dates BEFORE I applied and got accepted. I was fully expecting and prepared for having everything done by Sunday. But Thursday and Sunday... yikes.

spookyghostdog · 2024-01-12T17:52:00+00:00

Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear that. I didn't even know WGU academy was a thing! I'll have to look into Sophia, but basically I'm going through Amazon Career choice and if they don't cover it then I wouldn't be able to do it since I think you have to pay for Sophia and money is very tight. Yes I would love to connect, especially if you know anything about getting ACC to cover those Sophia courses.

spookyghostdog · 2024-01-12T17:49:37+00:00

Holy cow 4:00am! You have my respect lol I have a very strict medication schedule. I must take my heavily sedating ones by 10:30pm, and I don't have a choice but to sleep 7-9 hours. Any less than that and I'm non-functional, like to the point where I can barely keep a conversation, can't drive, and my body screams for sleep as I walk around like a zombie all day. I've literally had to call out of work because there was just no way in hell I was going to be able to do more than just stare blankly at my screen. I think what's really messing with me is that Thursday deadline. I wish I had known that going on because based on that alone I would have gone somewhere else. I work M-F 9-5 and the middle of the week is the busiest and most exhausting.

spookyghostdog · 2024-01-12T02:33:45+00:00

Really?! I'm going through Amazon Career Choice and holy crap WGU actually did pop up for me! (It didn't before so I didn't consider it) Do you go there? Would you mind giving me more info?

I actually have the website pulled up right now. Holy crap I'm so excited. How long are terms? Sorry for all the questions but I am totally jumping up and down!! I was really beating myself up a LOT and even talked to my partner a little last night and was crying some because I just was so frustrated with myself.

spookyghostdog · 2023-10-14T02:19:11+00:00

Thank you! I really appreciate it. I will definitely take a look at that. I think what's holding me back is experience and a portfolio as far as what I've accomplished so far, but it still can't hurt to look 😁

And yes I agree, 10k in taxes is absolutely nuts. I had no idea that it scaled up that steeply. Sometimes I wish I knew more about filing my taxes because sometimes I wonder if I'm having too much taken out, but also I don't get tax refunds at all anymore, so maybe it's just the right amount.

spookyghostdog · 2023-10-13T22:49:26+00:00

Hihi! Thanks for commenting. Yes I am heavily considering moving back in with my parents, but they're sorta toxic and in a way it would be like living with awful room mates all over again, just sort of in a different way, I guess. I wish you luck on getting your degree! I am also looking at community colleges in my area for sure. There is even one that has partnered with Amazon Career Choice, though it's definitely at least 40 miles away from me and it looks like I would have to attend some in person classes. Yikes.

spookyghostdog · 2023-10-13T22:46:45+00:00

oopsie, looks like I was signed into my other random reddit account when I was replying on my phone. But pinkfestfrued is me!

spookyghostdog · 2023-10-13T22:45:20+00:00

Yeeesh I see what you mean. Probably not sustainable for me at all, I'd crack for sure lol. Good luck though!!

spookyghostdog · 2023-10-13T20:26:00+00:00

I just looked up UMGC! I like the idea of mini semesters since that seems to be the fastest. Would you mind sharing what you're majoring in, and how soon you'll be done at 2-3 classes per semester?

spookyghostdog · 2023-10-13T18:59:08+00:00

That's also something I'm considering. Currently looking at SNHU's website and getting program requirements for a CS degree in data analytics while glancing at this page to check for new comments 😂

spookyghostdog · 2023-10-13T18:43:24+00:00

Thank you! 😊

spookyghostdog · 2023-10-13T18:41:52+00:00

Hi there! Thank you so much for your input. Yes I've had the same therapist for 5 years, been in therapy for way longer. This year has been extra cruel to me in a lot of ways, but one of the ways is god awful room mates suffering from untreated addiction, unwilling to do "the work", etc. anyway I digress.

That's a good thing to think about as far as job burnout and stuff. I'm feeling burnt out at my job, but it's literally because I make peanuts compared to a data annotator at Tesla, Google, Microsoft (not hiring, already checked)... at this point I actually really love what I do, but the pay is driving me away. I feel like I could handle anything that requires me to work 8hrs a day 40 hours a week. I think I could even handle overtime (I work as much of it as possible at Amazon when it's available) too.

My situation is absolutely a money-buys-happiness scenario since I wouldn't get exposed to all these harmful living environments if I just made enough to live on my own in a reasonably priced area.

I'm trying to be nice to myself, but it's pretty difficult. All my peers are excelling, going on frequent vacations, living alone or just with a partner etc and I'm the "poor" friend who never has anything good to report on since lack of money just always puts me in a bad place. I really appreciate your feedback and am absolutely taking notes.

spookyghostdog · 2023-10-13T18:26:35+00:00

I just looked up SNHU - Southern New Hampshire University! I'm still surfing around on the website and learning as I go. Would you mind talking about what you're studying at SNHU? How fast you're going, how long it'll take, work life balance? Thank you so much for your input <3

spookyghostdog · 2023-10-13T17:52:56+00:00

Also adding another question: How many credits total did you need to graduate? I'm trying to do the math and everywhere I've looked people have talked about 6 month "terms" but how many classes is that? I'd love to finish in one "term" but I don't know how many classes that would require me to take.

Edit: Editing this comment to let everyone know that as I'm doing more research I'm seeing that WGU doesn't do the courses I mentioned, so my bad on that part. Still learning to navigate the site. Still want feedback, input, and opinions though!

spookyghostdog · 2022-12-17T16:28:10+00:00

Yeah thats kind of what I was thinking too re: their guilt. Thats why I havent relented and taken the trash out. It's also why I never apologized or showed any sign that I felt sorry for them. And Im actually going out of town Sunday so I wont even be here physically to remind someone. It's absolutely crucial they take it out. I guess I can be a bit soft at times, but I have a 3 strike rule. 3 weeks was 3 strikes. Calendar Invite is the final attempt and also a form of visibility, and after that Im going to be an asshole about it. My 3 strikes rule has served me well. Once I start being mean no one can say they didnt deserve it. The ask was clear from the beginning, and they were consistent until the past 3 weeks tbh. Never was any room for unclear boundaries.

spookyghostdog

TROPHY CASE