[CS-FSLUG] Jobs / Prayer request

[Daniel Miller]

Nathan,

Speaking from past experience I would rather focus on studies, rather
than work.  I worked all throughout high-school and my grades suffered
enormously.  If I had a chance to do it all over I would have only
worked during the summer months, because in the end your education
pays off in a much bigger way.

It's better to be in a position to have the things that you want in
the future, rather than looking back on your school years wishing that
you would have done something different.

You are in my prayers,
Daniel

On Sat, 15 Jan 2005 01:24:36 -0500, Bradly McConnell
<bradly.mcconnell at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Fri, 14 Jan 2005 23:47:51 -0600, N. Thompson <n.thomp at sasktel.net> wrote:
> 
> First off, from past experience I would concentrate on school.  I
> think you need to evaluate these things that you want, and determine
> what you actually need.  Here's one scenario of what might happen if
> you do get a job.  First off, yes you will make some spending money,
> but it won't feel like enough, and you'll want to work more hours.
> Then comes a decline in grades and a lack of sleep.  Mind you these
> are from my personal experience, not necessarily what will happen in
> your case.  Now with the money you are making, let's say you want to
> purchase a new system or  a commercial development package.  So you
> buy it, and now between your school work and work, you have even less
> time to devote to hobbies.  So you purchased something you may not be
> able to use very much.  Now, how much did you really need what you
> bought?  The rest of my comments are inserted inline.
> > Hi
> >
> > I've got a confession to make, I know I should focus on my school work and
> > give it 100% but at the same time there are things that I really want that I
> > would like to have but can't afford; Because of this I've tried a few times
> > to get a job but have failed because I had no idea what to do after dropping
> > off my application/resume and I've never gotten any phone calls back.
> >
> > My school work takes up several hours a day, I've always been apprehensive
> > about getting a job because the other kids at school who have them never seem
> > to have their homework done, I don't want to believe that getting a job will
> > do the same to me but as it is some nights I spend hours finishing homework
> > while others I have no work to do and can't help but consider that I'd be
> > getting further if I had a job and was therefore earning some money during
> > that time.
> 
> Take their experiences as a lesson -  I think this is a fairly common
> occurance.  While it may not feel like it, you need to focus on the
> building blocks that are being taught in school.
> 
> > I would like to ask for some advice on what to do, please understand that I do
> > not want to drop the idea of getting a job nor do I want to delay but there
> > are a few reasons why I think I should reconsider. First several nights of
> > the week I wouldn't have time for it; I've heard from peers that the minimum
> > number of hours worked a day has to be three, that means that if I went to my
> > job immediately after school was over and did my three hours I still wouldn't
> > get home until some time after 7:00PM leaving me with very little time to
> > take a shower and get my homework done. Secondly I can only walk to where I'd
> > be working since even if I had my drivers license right now I still wouldn't
> > have a car to get there in.
> 
> Depending on where you live, transportation can definatly be a problem.
> 
> > I've considered options such as doing odd jobs but I have had no luck finding
> > any I could do, I have even browsed Rent-A-Coder but there I'm competing with
> > more experienced people that are frequently already willing to do the job for
> > a low price in order to avoid the job going to someone else. I have some
> > qualifications but not much, I was formerly familiar with Java but by now
> > most of it has slipped away, I know C++ to some extent but I've only been
> > using it for two years in between heavy shool work and I can't write any
> > graphical, network enabled, multi-threaded, etc... programs for profit since
> > I've only got a non-commercial Qt license in Windows and a GPL Qt License in
> > Linux. I've also considered the possibility of writing freelance games to
> > earn money but that in itself requires a substantial amount of cash and
> > experience of which I have neither so far.
> >
> > - Very good academic performance at school, if I remember correctly of the
> > grades I can recall I last had an average of 86% in math, 92% in history ,
> > 91% in Psychology and 95% in Christian Ethics, unfortunately I cannot recall
> > my mark in physics.
> 
> Now, do you really want those grades to suffer?  Not to be overly
> critical, but I would spend more time concentrating on the mathematics
> to bring the marks up.  If you plan on attending college, and
> especially in a Computer Science type program, you will need the math,
> and it's better to learn as much as you can before you start having to
> pay for the credit hours to relearn things (that's where I made a big
> mistake - I had to take college level algebra twice because I didn't
> dedicate myself to learning the basics of trig and geo in high school.
>  I accepted passing with a C, and figured I would be ok, since I
> didn't intend to go into a technical field)
> 
> > - I can only recall having three assignments in late this semester out of the
> > 100s of assignments I've gotten, showing that I'm quite dedicated to getting
> > my work done on time
> 
> Let's get that late number down to zero!!!  If that was a job, even
> one could cost you your position.
> 
> > I am hoping for suggestions from my fellow list members, I know another one of
> > my options is to scrap the idea of getting a job until later but I've tried
> > that and every time I think about something I would like to have but can't
> > afford I start thinking about getting a job again. I'm hoping to get some
> > advice that will help me find a job that will not interfere with my school
> > work or prevent me from reading my programming books for an hour or two
> > before bed. As it is the only such option would be a job in which can work
> > when I have the time, something which cannot be found in any of the local
> > stores or businesses that I know about.
> 
> Again, I wouldn't worry about work.  As long as your needs are being
> met, you should focus on your education.  That is worth more than the
> meager wages you will probably earn.  Chances are you probably won't
> find that "perfect" job that will allow you to do what you need to and
> what you want to.  It will probably be one or the other.
> >
> > If anyone has some suggestions as to what I might do, or would just like to
> > pray for me I would really appreciate it.
> >
> 
> I hope you are successful in what you decide to do, and know that our
> prayers are with you.
> 
> Brad
> 
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