University after leaving the Watchtower? (page 2)

breakfast of champions

SBC - iTunes U is great, isn't it!? Thats what really got me interested in going to school (where I am writing from right now!) I am married, but don't have kids, I am only "mentally out", work full time, and am taking advantage of my employers tuition assistance plan. I figure I'll just start chipping away at a degree, and see how it goes. My main criteria was I want to do something that I AM INTERESTED IN without consideration of how much I will make in a second/future career. The money will come when it comes. Do what you WANT to do and DON'T SETTLE!

Band on the Run

Khan Academy is superb. For decades, I've been reading books and articles on central banking. I never had a clear idea, only an approximation. After I saw him on Charlie Rose, I visited the site. W/in fifteen minutes, I understood.

I am a Manhattan person, more than 40 years. Illness forced me into temporary exile in an exurb of Philly. I know what you mean about a one note town and you're an outsider. The vocabulary words peope use expand dramatically when I visit Philly. People talk about ideas. There is common base of basic knowledge. Everyone knows Waiitng for Godot, literary references, classical composers, the NYT, WSJ, and Vanity Fair. My entire body relaxes in the city.

If I were in NY now, I would have so many more resources available to me. If you count access to film, cultural institutions, arts, etc. into the calculation, my Manhattan apt was a great bargain $ for $. Yes, my rent is less here but I don't even have a miniscule of what was freely accessible in NY. People network better in cities.

I'd rather live in a decent studio in Manhattan than a multibedroom house here.

SweetBabyCheezits

BOTR, I understand what you mean. It's amazing how much one's perspective changes when he realizes he was being denied real knowledge, eh?

FTS, yours is an awesome experience of continuing education. Keep it up and report back when you get your MA and PhD!

JT, congrats on your accomplishments! I really appreciate you telling me the good, the bad, and the ugly, too. I don't want to go into this wearing rose-colored glasses. Right now, time is my biggest concern while my kids are so young. You've given me something to think about.

Dr.Steve, that's an incredible feat. It must be a helluva feeling, eh? I'm fairly ignorant when it comes to the time/work required for a graduate program, but right now I'd like to earn a BS in psychology with goal of becoming a research psychologist maybe after our kids are grown. I'm probably romanticizing the idea (visualising Zimbardo & Milgram) but my experience being raised and DF'd by JWs has led me here.

diamondiiz

I was recruited when I was 17 and still in school so I fucked over my best years of life to the cult including school. Now that I'm out, I'm taking first year of Business Admin after which I would like to continue towards an Accounting Degree. I'm taking it through distance learning which gives me flexibility while I take care of by 2 year old daughter. I haven't given up too much to do this at this point but it would have been so much nicer to have done college when I was younger. Who wants to start a new career at 40 by choice?

SweetBabyCheezits

BoC, that's awesome that you can use your employer's tuition assistance. And I'm right there with you - it would be great to start down a career path because I'm genuinely interested in that particular subject, not because it was slightly more appealing than A or C.

Diamond: ...it would have been so much nicer to have done college when I was younger. Who wants to start a new career at 40 by choice?

Amen to that!

sooner7nc

raised by devout JWs (Thank God)
skipped university after high school due to Watchtower propaganda
got married and had one or more kids
woke up later and left the WT
decided to invest in a real university education
not made of time or money

41 years old and am a couple of semesters away from starting RN school. Currently have a 3.3 GPA after 5 or 6 years of on again and off again local JUCO. Going to get the ADN then the BSN and hopefully the MSN.

Jadeen

raised by devout JWs
skipped university after high school due to WT propaganda
woke up later and left the WT
got married and had one or more kids
decided to invest in a real university education
not made of time or money

What was your overall goal? (Education for the intrinsic value of knowledge alone, career opportunities, satisfaction of obtaining a degree, etc...)

-I wanted a more reliable job where I wouldn't have to worry about layoffs in slow season. Plus the satisfaction of having a degree- several of my teachers in high school were really disappointed when they found out I wasn't going to college. I had the brains, just didn't have the chance with my upbringing. Plus, I got tired of how some people looked down on me for not going to college.

What major and level of degree were/are you seeking?

-Bachelor's degree.

Did you get the degree you wanted? Or are you still working on it?

-It's in the medical field- lots of opportunities with baby boomers getting older. I'll be finished this May.

Were you able to balance time with family, work, and school without going crazy?

-I managed to save a bunch of money by working OT. When I got laid off, I got a little assistance with schooling, so I could concentrate on school and not work. I was doing 18 credit semesters (12 is considered fulltime), so I'll be graduating a year earlier than planned. My husband was really supportive and we don't have kids, so that was not as stressful.

What sacrifices did you have to make, if any? Was it worth it?

-I really cut back on buying things. Magazine subscriptions, clothing, going out. Christmas break I patched a bunch of jeans, instead of buying new ones. Shop for deals at the grocery store. I bought textbooks from the students ahead of me to save big bucks. Scrimped and saved. I think it'll be worth it- be able to get a better job, make more money, and help people.

Band on the Run

Most people mention the increased earnings. I do like money! Perhaps we are drawn to education because we can appreciate how valuable it is precisely b/c we were denied. The atmosphere is very heady and seductive after the KH crowd. When I look back at an elite education, I learned the most from being exposed to my fellow students. Something much more important than actual knowledge of facts is involved. Being encouraged to think! I never took it for granted. Also, I worked very hard before school. While my fellow students were griping about not being in ecstasy every moment, I knew how fortunate we were compared to most people in the world.

Sulla

raised by devout JWs

Father routinely gives talks at the district convention and is a substitute CO. Sister is a Circuit Overseeress. I think that counts.

skipped university after high school due to WT propaganda

Propaganda and the clear assertion that, if I decided on college, it would be after I was kicked out of the house, not to return.

got married and had one or more kids

Yup.

woke up later and left the WT

At about the same time as the kid.

decided to invest in a real university education
not made of time or money

Yup to both. I think the overall goal was to provide for the family in a way that matched my skills and was less life-threatening than window cleaning. I know, a JW who washes windows, didn't see that coming.

Got a master's degree in economics and have been working in a couple different industries for a while. My wife also got her bachelor's degree in a separate field (turns out, girls don't like math) (I kid). In some ways it was easier for me, since I have a real interest in my field, while she was a bit more pragmatic in her choice of major.

Balancing life with school was not particularly easy, we drove shitty cars and lived in a shitty apartment for years. I had to take tough work as an undergrad, but scored a fellowship and was able to teach some freshman classes in grad school. I would still urge a careful examination of yourself for graduate school: my field was extremely difficult for me at that level with a family. Married students had much lower Ph.D. rates than the single ones, which is mostly a function of the gonzo single-mindedness that was expected.

It isn't obvious that the investment in graduate school paid off in cash, it was several years spent in school while everybody else was advancing in their careers during the '90s. That said, I would have needed a graduate degree at some point and it isn't obvious that the opportunity cost would have been less on that track. Might have set me back a year or two, but not more than that, I think.

Just some thoughts. Good luck.

Broken Promises

raised by devout JWs
skipped university after high school due to WT propaganda
got married and had one or more kids
woke up later and left the WT
decided to invest in a real university education
not made of time or money

The above applies to me. I am about to start my foray into further education by starting a diploma course in February. I'm nervous about how I'll go but I really want to do it.

@fulltimestudent, you have a PM.

University after leaving the Watchtower?

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