Need Motivation

[Gr4vitas]

Well I'm about a month into college (first time here) and I'm majoring in computer engineering. Needless to say its a LOT of work, I find I'm doing

about 4-6 hours of homework every night. Often times I do homework from when I get home (about 5) to I go to bed at like 11 if I've got papers to write

or lab reports to do.

 

Anyway I'm just trying to keep motivated, at the start I was all gung-ho (like most people usually are) but as time goes by and work just piles up I

feel like im getting deflated. The work is just brutal, and I find my self doubting I can keep this up. But then I think how much I had to pay to go here

and I keep going. But that doesn't always help, what do you guys do to keep motivated when under huge workloads and stuff?

 

My biggest motivation would probably have to be my brother, he did the same degree and is now finishing his 4th year in it. He did really well (always has)

and got good grades (I was always the one that slacked in highschool and didn't do so well) so I'm trying to fill his shoes sort of and show my family I

too can not suck and get my work done. But sometimes all that just isn't enough.

 

Anyway just needed to talk about it lol. Let me know what you guys think. :thumbs-up:

Edited October 1, 2008 by Gr4vitas

[Queenz]

Well I don't know what to tell ya as this is my first year in college lol. Even though it's already hard. What really keeps me motivated is the fact that I know it will be 4 years of suffering in college but suffering for 4 years is better than suffering the rest of your life without a good job to support yourself cause you didn't go to college. Not to mention I won't be able to support my parents when they turn old and let them live a good life cause they can't be working forever. I need this to be able to support myself and later on my future family and my parents when they turn very old.

 

 

It may be hard right now but it will be alot harder if I don't stay in college and the same goes for you. With how bad the economy is right now and how hard it is to find jobs for people, college is a must

[LoArmistead]

I feel your pain. I was always used to playing games with friends at night after work during the summer, and I still do, but once school starts back there is no time for games. Just work, work, work. I'm currently in my senior year finishing up Accounting and Economics BSs, and it is grueling most of the time. I've found the best thing to do is to stay active. Allow at least 15-30 minutes a night for some form of exercise (elliptical trainer, jogging), and that gives you the energy to keep from getting bogged down. I've been going steady for almost four years and I know I still have the internship, the GMAT, the MBA, and then the CPA to worry about. But I'm looking forward to it! Aside from exercise and the satisfcation that comes from knowing that you are doing your best, the key to staying motivated is to love what you are doing. If my English professor my freshman year asked me to write a 10 page paper, I was pissed, but when I get to write a 30 page labor economics paper, I am completely psyched because I get to do research and expound on something that I love. Be passionate and you'll do well.

 

Good luck! :thumbs-up:

[Gr4vitas]

Well I don't know what to tell ya as this is my first year in college lol. Even though it's already hard. What really keeps me motivated is the fact that I know it will be 4 years of suffering in college but suffering for 4 years is better than suffering the rest of your life without a good job to support yourself cause you didn't go to college. Not to mention I won't be able to support my parents when they turn old and let them live a good life cause they can't be working forever. I need this to be able to support myself and later on my future family and my parents when they turn very old.

 

 

It may be hard right now but it will be alot harder if I don't stay in college and the same goes for you. With how bad the economy is right now and how hard it is to find jobs for people, college is a must

 

 

I feel your pain. I was always used to playing games with friends at night after work during the summer, and I still do, but once school starts back there is no time for games. Just work, work, work. I'm currently in my senior year finishing up Accounting and Economics BSs, and it is grueling most of the time. I've found the best thing to do is to stay active. Allow at least 15-30 minutes a night for some form of exercise (elliptical trainer, jogging), and that gives you the energy to keep from getting bogged down. I've been going steady for almost four years and I know I still have the internship, the GMAT, the MBA, and then the CPA to worry about. But I'm looking forward to it! Aside from exercise and the satisfcation that comes from knowing that you are doing your best, the key to staying motivated is to love what you are doing. If my English professor my freshman year asked me to write a 10 page paper, I was pissed, but when I get to write a 30 page labor economics paper, I am completely psyched because I get to do research and expound on something that I love. Be passionate and you'll do well.

 

Good luck! :thumbs-up:

 

 

Thanks for the advice guys, really helps. I feel like I'm behind on stuff but I'm not its weird. I think I may set my standards too high or something and then get down when I do poorly or am not 100% on top of all the work and stuff. I think that could a be a bit of the problem. I also feel like with all the homework I can't really focus on the important stuff like a few of my classes that are really important for my degree, I'd like to sit down and parouse through my book for that class some and just do a little bit of study but with all the homework I feel like I really can't. I dunno maybe I just need to relax a little bit and just keep trucking getting the work done.

[Queenz]

Just think of it this way. You see how your in the middle of wanting to do a new build and everything right? You have to hesitate about the prices and all that other stuff. But when you complete college and your financially successful you won't have to worry that much about what you spend money on (example:your build). I mean yeah you still have to watch your money but your financial success comes to you a little bit easier than what it would to someone without a college degree

 

You see where I am getting at

[Queenz]

Another thing to add is don't care about being better than your brother or proving something to your parents (although what parents think about their kids are important). Just do what makes you happy and do it at your own pace and what you can handle. Stressing yourself out like this is not healthy. Like Loarm said you have to love what you do

[Gr4vitas]

Just think of it this way. You see how your in the middle of wanting to do a new build and everything right? You have to hesitate about the prices and all that other stuff. But when you complete college and your financially successful you won't have to worry that much about what you spend money on (example:your build). I mean yeah you still have to watch your money but your financial success comes to you a little bit easier than what it would to someone without a college degree

 

You see where I am getting at

 

 

Lol yea I hear ya. Thats what I always tell my self "do it for your future and your career" and really that does keep me going. For example tonight I didn't really have as much work to do but I really didn't feel like doing anything I just wanted to relax and stuff but I told my self I just have to suck it up and get it done. It will all be worth it when I get out and I'm making good money.

 

I think I'm feeling a little down right now not only because of the amount of work but because I took a C++ quiz today and I did really bad on it. My professer does all the quizes online so thats where we take them. I went into it really confident and felt like I knew most of the answers but turns out I didn't do so great. I think its making me feel like I'm behind or just doing really bad in general. I think I need to just relax and realize that its just one quiz and just need to pay more attention in lecture next time and make sure I do better on the next one.

Edited October 1, 2008 by Gr4vitas

[LoArmistead]

Oh! Almost forgot. The best thing you can do to lighten the load throughout the year... Three words:

 

Sum mer school.

 

It's not just for idiots. Take care of some of your classes during the summer. Doing that can take your semester class load down from 15+ to 12 hours and make your life throughout the semester a lot easier.

[Queenz]

I have alot of stuff too. Since I still live with my parents and my college is out in long island which isn't too far from me I stay home. Pretty much for me it's get up at about 6 in the morning go off to school drive back to Queens at 1 go to work come back from work at 5 and manage to find the time to eat do the 5 1/2 hours of homework and usually have and manage to spend sometime with the family and then go to bed. It's pretty much the same everyday cause I go by a schedule, but doing it bying a schedule makes my life more efficient and helps me find more time to do things

[Gr4vitas]

I have alot of stuff too. Since I still live with my parents and my college is out in long island which isn't too far from me I stay home. Pretty much for me it's get up at about 6 in the morning go off to school drive back to Queens at 1 go to work come back from work at 5 and manage to find the time to eat do the 5 1/2 hours of homework and usually have and manage to spend sometime with the family and then go to bed. It's pretty much the same everyday cause I go by a schedule, but doing it buying a schedule makes my life more efficient and helps me find more time to do things

 

Yea thats a bit like what I do, I commute as well (my school is about 35 minutes away)

 

And @ Lo, yea I plan on trying to take at least 1 maybe two classes over the summer ( want to try to take a couple of the harder ones) so I can get them out of the way and reduce my work load a lot for the next year.

 

 

Edit: And yea I really want to do a new build but really I'm waiting on a job. I applied to a bunch of places around here and I'm hoping to hear back from them. Another thing that sort of adds on to the stress is I just got pulled over the other day for speeding (I know "dont speed noob" and I honestly really dont ever speed) but the one time I'm speeding to get past some slow people on the highway I get nabbed. Needless to say I have to go to court now and pay a possibly huge fine (officer said could be $600 and can even go up to $1200 if I fight it. and I could lose my license for 30 days) but anyway I've never even been pulled over before this (I've had my license about 2 and a half years) so it was really scary for me and its really adding a lot of stress.

 

So I'm essentually getting a job specifically because I know I'm paying a ticket soon but also because my funds I had saved from my last job were supposed to be saved for books for the first year untill I can get a job over the summer to make more money to pay for the books for the next year and so on. But that money is dwindling in gas fast and now this ticket. So I'm sort of forced to get a job. (kind of wanted one anyway wanted to have some money to spend. aka: new build biggrin.gif ) But anyway now I'm just ranting lol so I'll rap it up.

 

I know I'm just spouting junk right now lol but it feels good to tell some people about my stresses and such. Anyway hit me with advice if you've got it, really could use some pepping up.

Edited October 1, 2008 by Gr4vitas

[Queenz]

Ahh don't stress the ticket man! Yeah it's alot but people make mistakes, it's not like you can change the past. Hahaha now that you bring this up I got a ticket for my headlights. The police officer told me my headlights were illegally installed and said were blinding. WTTFF?? My headlights come stock with xenon headlights. Anyways I popped open the hood and wanted to prove it to him and he said forget it and left. I guess he didn't want to screw with hearing what I have to say lol muahahahaha. And ofcoarse tints but I get away with it too cause I only got a 5% tint

 

I know some of these things can really make your day but sometimes you can't do nothing about it.

[UkJenT]

I agree with Lo. Take summer classes as well. They sure lightened my load during the fall and spring. Plus, classes during the summer are shorter, but a bit more intense since your covering more material in a shorter amount of time. Also, i agree with Queen, you've got to do what makes you happy and don't feel like you have to be like your brother. You are you, not him, so be happy with that. Family is important, but you don't have to be anyone's shadow.