Death Is Lighter Than A Feather, Duty Heavier Than A Mountain

So I'm in school. Still. 32 years old, and I'm still in school. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be in school until I die. So thats like another 8-10 years. There's only one problem.

I hate it.

I really fucking hate it.

But sadly enough, its better than any of my other options.

I had a year off between finishing my undergrad and starting grad school, and I got a job that paid badly, treated us badly, and had no room for advancement. And because I have a meaningless piece of paper for a BA, thats about the best I can expect.

Not only do I have a "Liberal Arts" degree, but my BA is actually MORE useless than any of your standard BAs. If you get your usual BA, you know, English, History, that kind of thing, you always know that you can go to Teacher's College and get a nice cushy teaching position.

Which I would love.

The only thing I enjoy about my program right now is being a TA. Not because of the power (although that is pretty cool), but because I feel like I am doing something. Granted, all I'm really doing is leading a bunch of young people down the same useless path I just finished, but its still something. If I could go to Teacher's College, I'd be there in a second. But my BA, besides having a fake word in it (Technoculture is not a fucking word), is also not considered a teachable subject. So the most I'd be able to do is teach like K-3 or something like that. Maybe not even Kindergarten.

So really, I can't do much.

Every day I go to school, I seriously consider just going to the office and quitting. Some days, the only thing that stops me is a sense of duty. I don't want to abandon my professor or my fellow TAs with a bunch of extra work that they weren't expecting. I don't want to let my family down. I don't want to let down the few people who believed in me.

But at the same time, I just want to leave. This place has some posted positions that I may be able to get. And its like a fucking dream job for me. Seriously, getting paid to watch wrestling, boxing and MMA? Throw in porn and horror movies, and thats pretty much my DVD collection.

I'm going to have to think seriously about this.

And, in honour of this weekend's UWO Fall Preview Day, I just want to make this Public Service Announcement.

Kids, if you're thinking about going to the Media, Information & Technoculture program at UWO, think carefully. It won't leave you many options when you graduate. If you want to get a job, you're likely going to have to go to college AFTER finishing university. Your degree alone won't be enough to help you. Make sure you have parents who have connections who can help you find a job. And don't make waves when you're at school, cause those fuckers will blacklist you faster than Joe McCarthy.

I'm not saying DON'T do it. I'm just saying think very carefully. If you're not sure what you want to do with your life when you graduate, go for one of the more traditional programs. The program, however innovative and trendy, is not worth the risk.