Working, but not going to graduate, advice ..wanted

LegacyUser

Hi All.

I'm 23.
I am/was studying Computer Science, successfully, until now.
If all went well with my final year project, I'd be graduating with a 1.1.

It hasn't. It was the 2011/2012 year that I was scheduled to graduate.
I chose a very unsuitable FYP and stuck my heels in cowardly instead of trying to change it.
My father, the sole financial support for my mother and I, suffered a mild heart attack and had to stop working, meaning financially I was in serious trouble.

I spiralled headlong into a depression that I've struggled with for 10 years, and every day got worse as the FYP deadline got closer.

So I started going to counselling. Which helped. For a while.
And the FYP was I-Graded, meaning I wasn't going to be capped when I repeated the project.
But either way, I wasn't graduating, and I needed a source of income.

So I applied for programming jobs anyway, mainly internships.
During my first interview (first as of me knowing I wasn't graduating), I explained what had happened and ultimately got the job anyway, what is basically a graduate role, I'm a full time Junior Java Developer.

It's a good job, they're a good company and I have financial security. It's not perfect. I live alone, see friends and family one or two weekends out of the month.

I realised soon after starting work that I likely would not be able to work and do an FYP in the evenings, between energy levels and managing an apartment by myself.
So when registration to do the course came around, I didn't apply.

But in mid September I learned via the post that I had been auto registered as part of my I-Grade and the decision was "final". So I tried, but... as expected I've ended up with little work on it done and it being due at the end of March.

With work being super busy for a few weeks now, I .. have little no confidence in me getting it done, and the attached report written.
It has been really dark having my continued failure hang over me.

I'm lucky to have a wonderful girlfriend. So lucky, she's amazing. And good, supportive friends.. they're just far away.

I'm working towards Oracle Programmer Certification as a personal goal, but will it, 3+ years of great University grades, and full time work experience make up for not having a completed degree?

Have I screwed my career?
Nevermind the fact that this isn't where I've been studying for the past 10 years to end up.

My career dreams were to end up in games development, not traditional software development.

Any thoughts appreciated.

tldr: Working as full time Junior Java Developer (Graduate roll) but not going to graduate. How screwed is my future?

LegacyUser

Hi,

Sorry if i'm missing something, but what are the main reasons that you can't do this part time?

Diziet

Have you talked to the college? What did they say?

looksee

My daughter was in a very similar situation. She got through. Could you take a week holiday (explain why you want it) from work and - hopefully supported by your girlfriend - put in a solid week writing the report?

You are in a much better situation than a lot of people, don't let everything fall through from lack of confidence. Don't worry about the long term situation - games development - at the moment either, do what you have to do and get through this year. Good luck.

Furious_George

Listen im sorry for the unfortunate situation you found yourself in but you are just going to have to forget the excuses and get it done. it doesnt have to be great but it has to pass and thats it. Get onto your supervisor and explain that you want to get an fyp in that will pass and just knuckle down and do it.

Im sorry if this sounds harsh or unsympathetic but i know people working full time jobs and studying for law qualifications late at night every evening with no end in sight for another year. You have a month and a half and you can get a huge amount done in that time evenings and weekends. Dont throw away a degree as it will hold back your future career. It sounds like you need a good kick up the arse to get going.

Overheal

For something that important explain the position to your employer.

Worst case scenario, I would be prepared to step away from the job and take out a loan to cover life through March.

We aren't talking about a huge commitment here, just six weeks. You have gone too far to let 6 weeks stand in the way.

emuhead

First off - contact your supervisor. You need them to know the circumstances. It could be that you could get some kind of extension or extra help.

Then, just get stuck in. This is in your hands. Find out the bare minimum you need to get as a grade for this to get your degree. This will make your goal more tangible. It sounds like you've built this up in your head. We've all done it.

It's going to be hard, but what's harder, getting down to it and having a stressful month and a half or regretting not finishing your degree?

Talk to the college - I don't know which one it is but I work in one, and trust me, you are not the first person in these circumstances. College / university might seem impersonal but staff generally want to help students and are human. It's also in their best interests to have high student retention (everybody finishing courses they've registered for).

I would urge you to start working and start talking!

Dave0301

This might sound harsh but, you are just gonna have to stop making excuses and do it.

You have time to come on to boards and post about how little time you have to do it? I know FYPs are tough but it doesn't have to be brilliant; anything over 40 and you are graduating. You are not working 7 days a week surely? Spend either a Sunday or Saturday a week working 9-5 on it. It will make a huge difference.

You are too focused on failure and seem to have accepted it. Why just give up? I know you mentioned depression; I would encourage you to continue to seek counselling regarding this. Also let your college know about it. Fill out extenuating circumstance form.

The time frame you have to scrap together a project worth 40 percent is very achievable.

tony81

Suck it up. I think your worst excuse is "managing an apartment by myself"!

You're just going to have to do your final project even if it means just getting a 40% in it. If you're on track for a first, you'll probably end up with a 2.1 for a slightly sucky final project. But that just reflects your ability at the present time.. don't worry about it, if you're good at your job they're not going to fire you and in IT experience is thought a lot higher of than grades.

LegacyUser

1. Speak to your supervisor immediately about the situation.
2. Organise time off work to start working on this project.

You have come too far with your degree to let it slip away at this stage. I honestly think you would be mad not to get this report completed. Other employers might not be so willing to take you on without the piece of paper.

Sleepy

Just to add to what everyone else said: talk to your boss as well. It's quite possible the company will be prepared to give you some paid or unpaid study leave to get it completed.

LegacyUser

Hi.

I'm 38 now and have been working in IT since 1996, and I'm the you in the future.

I attended college full time for two years and then at the end of second year I left and got a job. I carried on with the degree full time in third-year and for the first half of fourth year. In october of my 4th year I moved from the testing dept. of my company to the development team and starting life as a full time coder. The learning curve was steep, and added to that I'd been recently been diagnosed with a life-long illness which made it difficult, but not impossible, to go to college at night. When I got into my FYP, the work, the illness and just trying to have a life meant that I was really overwhelmed and I figured I'd take a year off college and go back and finish the degree when i was more settled in my job, and when the illness was easier to manage, and when I was more used to living on my own...

The next year, I had a great summer and frankly didn't feel like like giving up two evenings a week and every saturday, so I put it off another year.

The year after that, I was in a relationship and wanted to enjoy it, so I put it off another year. The next year, I didn't want to have to pay, the year after that, I wanted to travel.

And so here I am. I have nearly 20 years experience in IT and I'm trying to move jobs. Every job listing has a degree in the requirements. Some have "or equiv. experience" but I'm competing against people who have both. For the jobs I do get interviews for, they ask me why I don't have a degree, and frankly it's embarrassing. I'm far more technical than some of the people I work with, but they have more options than me because they have a degree and I don't - even if some of them have arts degrees.

Having a degree doesn't just say "You know your stuff" - even if I had my degree, it wouldn't be relevant anymore. Having a degree says "this guy can work towards a goal and achieve it".
I now have two small children and I'm faced with the very realistic probability of having to spend the next four years spending two nights a week and all day saturdays away from my kids, and spending money that I'd rather spend on them to get something I should have got years ago.

Please - take my advice. Take a couple of weeks off, get the head down, and just get it done.

LegacyUser

Sorry to sound harsh, but I believe if you really really want something you will find a way to make it work and you'll cut out all the excuses. We can all choose to be a victim of circumstances or we can choose to want better for ourselves.

LegacyUser

When I got to my final year of university I found myself doing a subject I hated but was stuck with. I was fed up of studying and my grades weren’t the best. Nevertheless I stuck it out and got a mediocre degree. That piece of paper has proved to be both relevant and irrelevant. It’s relevant in that I can tick the box that says I have a degree. It tells interviewers that I was intelligent enough to go to university and graduate. After that it becomes irrelevant because of what I have done in my working life since then. That’s when I can start to do justice to myself. My working life has been considerably better than my academic life if you know what I mean. If you don’t bother putting in the effort to finish out your degree, you are effectively throwing away all the years you studied at college. What’s the point in going if you don’t get a qualification? It means you’ve got nothing to show for those years.

When I was in my late twenties I went back to college again for a part time course. After being out of full time education it was really hard. You really do get used to having free evenings and not having to worry about studying. Now one of my friends is doing a part-time degree and she is finding it even tougher because she has a family. My advice to any young person who’s at college is to get as many of the qualifications they want before they start working full time. Going back afterwards is not easy.

If you jack it all in at this stage, you’re making a decision you will live to regret. That degree will open doors for you in the future. It will help you when you’re job-hunting. It will help you get onto other courses which are more relevant to what you want. It will also mean that you are not on the back foot when it comes to competing with people who did graduate.

Along with everyone else on this thread, I implore you to do what you can to get your degree. My heart goes out to MeTooBro and the predicament he finds himself in. If you are not careful that will be you too. Stop making excuses and do what you have to do to pass. Then you can start taking steps to get yourself into the career you want.

tony81

thephysician wrote: »

When I got to my final year of university I found myself doing a subject I hated but was stuck with. I was fed up of studying and my grades weren’t the best. Nevertheless I stuck it out and got a mediocre degree.
...
When I was in my late twenties I went back to college again for a part time course. After being out of full time education it was really hard.

My experience, first time round in college straight after the leaving I got a fair degree (2.1), however at non-award stages my results were in the 40s and 50s. I did a masters and got a 2.2. I felt pretty useless with both qualifications actually. My first job paid lower than my part-time jobs through college. The masters disappointed me and my results were average.

Over the next 10 years however my degrees:
Got me my first job.
Got me subsequent jobs.
Got me exemptions from professional exams.
Allowed me to do a 1 year level 8 h.dip in which I got first class honours.
Would possibly have been required if I wanted to emigrate to certain countries which require a degree as part of a skilled profession, as well as meet a points requirement for residency (didnt need this option - but a nice option to have!)

Most people with degrees take them for granted but unless you are known in your industry as having a wealth of experience, or have qualifications which are better than a degree, you'll have difficulty ticking that box when applying for new jobs or promotions.