No.5085
I'm going back to school in a few weeks after having been shut in my room for probably 5 years. I dropped out of high school a while back, and even before then my parents took me out of elementary school in favor of homeschooling, since then I've had trouble and barely kept up. I've taken online classes for most of it, but I'm being encouraged to go out and actually attend classes, most because I do want more opportunities out of the house, and my computer is busted.
I'll be taking a high school equivalency thing first before actual college, but the thing is, I have no idea what to expect. I haven't interacted with anyone my own age in real life since I started being homeschooled, so I have no social skills. Additionally, I lack confidence in my own skills and have always struggled. I slacked off a lot and now I'm so behind. I've been trying to study but I don't have experience with a lot of this. Nobody is really helping me, and I can't help but think that, since this is just high school, college will be harder and leave me more drained and depressed than ever before.
No one has even told me what to expect. It's like they just keep dancing around the issue whenever I ask how bad it will be, which isn't helping my anxiety. And I keep stressing out over how much this'll cut into my time and what to do with my life, and hours and weeks and homework and getting high grades. I don't want to just waste any of my time here, but I guess I have to do this if I want to be a functioning member of society and get money. But I just wish someone would help me.
Is it really as bad as I'm thinking? If So, how do I hold out these next few years wasting my life on things I won't ever need to really know without breaking down and killing myself?
No.5086
First you should establish some goals outside of, "become a functioning member of society". While, yes, that's what the point is supposed to be, you'll have an easier time going forward if you get more specific. What do you actually like and how do you translate that into emplyomen?
When it comes to school work itself, self-study is king. Whatever you learn in class is just supplementary. You don't get shit out of it unless you spend your own time going through the material. Study by reading the textbook and taking your own notes. Don't skim, absorb. Then go over your notes regularly and try to find a way of applying what you learned to stuff like practice problems and tests.
When it comes to root memorization, I liked to just take a piece a paper and write what I needed to memorize over and over again until I got it. Do this regularly and you'll commit that information to your long term memory. You should be spending a lot of your time at your desk. You need a designated work space. Getting a hobby like reading or something can help keep you from being overwhelmed, just make sure you cut down on your screen time as much as possible. I'm not fucking around. If you really have to, ask your parents to make sure you don't spend more time browsing than studying. Keep that in mind.
When it coms to socialization, don't sweat it. As long as you can do group work and get what you need out of other people without pissing them off you should be fine. Good luck.
No.5092
I am socially inept so I cant help you there but from my experience in college, time management was the biggest factor for me. Make sure you set aside enough time to get all of your work done. Start out by setting aside a few hours and see how that goes, eventually you can get into a groove and figure out how much time is necessary. when you can accurately manage your time to make sure you don't miss out on any work then you can worry about time for yourself, which is also very important. I don't think I would've made it through if I never had time to myself to keep myself sane.
No.5368
Not OP + sorry for necro but I didn't think a new thread would be necessary, when do you think it's too late to go back to school? I'm talking college.
No.5369
>>5368There is no such thing as "too late", I've read news articles of people in their nineties receiving degrees. Most classrooms in public state/province colleges are mixed in ages ranging from 17 to 50. It's only the private colleges that really have a consistent demographic of young people.
No.5370
Any update, OP? How are things going? Hope all is well.
>>5368I'm in my 20s and in college still. Studying computer science and it's really fun. I love making apps and websites now. As long as you have realistic goals, it's never too late.
No.5373
>>5370>computer scienceOof, have fun getting interviewed by Rahul. That field's been getting more fucked since y2k, anon.
source: my seasoned cousin who's in between jobs and does consultation calls to get by
No.5375
>>5373Anecdotal evidence. I know plenty of people who got good careers as software developers. Don't try to discourage people. I think this board should be about encouraging each other to do well, not telling people that they're going to fail.
No.5380
>>5375Anecdotal evidence has value when it comes from an insider. My cousin knows plenty of people in the same situation. Maybe software developers have it better for now than in banks and other type of firms that need an IT department. Companies are certainly looking into outsourcing development though, even if that's not widely implemented right now. I'm not sure how much upward mobility that has anyway. Unrealistic optimism isn't that useful either. I'll ask my cousin about developers.
No.5394
>>5380Yeah, he said software developers are also having a harder time, but the biggest issue is getting hired into a senior position. Indians work for less and companies are eager to abuse the work visa system. I don't know what your friends are doing or what their background is, but these problems certainly exist and are getting worse.
No.5404
>>5370>>5373Only the low-tier companies outsource their work to India via HCL/infosys/etc. Most of this work is braindead enterprise CRUD stuff anyway. Startups and reputed firms that need quality devs usually shy away from outsourcing, though that doesn't mean they still don't abuse the visa system. Also most of the people in the field nowadays are asians, and the bar keeps getting higher as more as more people enter the field.
Computer Science is still a fun and practical degree though, and at least for the next ~5 years or so it won't be *impossible* to get a job. I'd suggest not specializing in machine learning though since that bubble is probably going to pop soon.
