Speaking of college - I wouldn't have a degree were it not for JW's and regular pioneering

[xero]

It might sound odd, but the constraints of time, pay, and motivation were what got me to get my degree.

Before I started to study, I was working full time at TI as a computer operator (got lucky, I was working construction, cleaning carpets, delivering beauty supplies and working at Taco Bell and delivering newpapers and an opportunity came up at TI and I got in learned it all there).

I was taking classes on/off at the University, but not really going anywhere w/it. I didn't get diagnosed as having ADD until later as an adult. I just thought everyone was so slow, spoke so slow that I couldn't concentrate on what they were saying because they took so much time to say so little, so I'd space out in school or read and got good grades just because I was apparently "smart". But, unmotivated.

After I became a JW, I wanted to pioneer, but I was married and even though my wife worked, there was no way I was going to have her support me, so I began looking for work anywhere where I could get a flexible schedule. I was slated to go work the swing shift, which would mean I could go to class in the morning (I was taking 1 class at a time), then meet for field service at noon. Then work. But then I'd miss meetings. No. Can't do that. Then there were layoffs. I think I mailed about 600 copies of my resume to every place in the area that had the word "computer" or anything computer-sounding in the business name.

I got a job as a production control clerk (get it w/a schedule from 6 AM to 2 PM!) Yay!...So I signed up to regular pioneer, got accepted. I went out right after work and long weekends and evenings.

But I wanted my wife to be able to pioneer too, so I began thinking about what I could do to get paid more. The barrier wasn't my coding ability, computer admin skills or the like - simply that I didn't have a degree. Then I remember years ago reading this book by John Bear on nontraditional college degrees. There was a program through "The University of the State of New York" (now called Excelsior) which then would give you 30 hours of college credit if you could score high enough on a subject GRE. So...I thought, nothing ventured, nothing gained, lets see ...I got the course catalog, the degree requirements and the lot and studied the whole thing. It turns out that IF I got all my tests done BEFORE I registered, I wouldn't have to pay an exorbitant cost-per-credit-hour for the hours gotten via testing. So I decided on three subject GRE's and some CLEPS. I got the ARCO book on the GRE for psychology, studied it, took the prep tests in the book and it looked like I was ready. I registered for the test, went down to the University where it was proctored and a month later I got the response - YAY I scored in the top 8% of those who took the test that year! (cha-ching 30 hours). So I did the same w/Education and Sociology, took the CLEPs and essentially got 100 hours of college credit in three months. That w/other CLEPS taken before I'd enrolled (Spanish), I'd really only taken a handful of courses on campus.

That's when I had the University and ETS send my transcripts along w/my enrollment and prospective degree attempt to The University of the State of New York, for $175. They responded in about two months and said CONGRATS! Send in $375 for your completion and graduation!.

Then my current employer instead of saying constantly Xero, you're so smart, you should finish your degree, or If you WERE so smart you'd finish your degree was saying "Wow. All that coding you did really was good! This degree proves it!" (paraphrased for sarcasm).

All this done while I was pioneering and because I wanted my wife to join me.

So I eventually got a different job, w/ a more difficult schedule, but I was still able to pioneer and my wife was able to quit her job and pioneer as well.

None of this would have happened if it weren't for JWs.

[Patiently waiting for Truth]

16 hours ago, xero said:

None of this would have happened if it weren't for JWs.

Now we know why he worships the JW Org. 

[Matthew9969]

I'm sure you would've been able to do college if you weren't a jw, millions of people do it all the time. But it is interesting to see again the religion is being given the credit and not Jehovah.

[xero]

2 minutes ago, Matthew9969 said:

I'm sure you would've been able to do college if you weren't a jw, millions of people do it all the time. But it is interesting to see again the religion is being given the credit and not Jehovah.

I wouldn't have done it because I wouldn't have had the motivation. Some people are stupid enough and mentally dull enough to sit through lectures IF they either get stupidly in debt or their parents pay for it. I wasn't stupid enough in any of these ways to do that.

I remember listening to one lecture and afterwards realized the professor could have said all that he said in less than five minutes. Instead it was an hour of painfully slow stupid meandering.

[Matthew9969]

18 hours ago, xero said:

I wouldn't have done it because I wouldn't have had the motivation. Some people are stupid enough and mentally dull enough to sit through lectures IF they either get stupidly in debt or their parents pay for it. I wasn't stupid enough in any of these ways to do that.

I remember listening to one lecture and afterwards realized the professor could have said all that he said in less than five minutes. Instead it was an hour of painfully slow stupid meandering.

I agree, some professors get paid way to much to be bags of air.