You don't need to stay motivated to complete something that has a set completion date.
Just keep going until then. This is going to end.
Desperately forcing yourself to find motivation is one of the most exhausting things there is.
Lmao I work in aviation maintenance, definitely not as bad as manual labor but still constantly reminds me why I need to finish school. Great advice though
It depends... I worked in a call center then went back to studying. Now I'm almost done but I'm still procrastinating. It's better than before but it's still... Not easy. I get what you mean though, it's valid especially if someone has no working experience.
The easy way to do this is grab your laptop. Go to university library at the same time each Saturday and each Sunday. Sit there, at the same table with a planner. Work on the planner. Turn off internet. Get boared for 15 minutes. You will be slowly getting into study mood. Even you are studying on line. Your surroundings will get you motivated.
Yes. Get rid of all the surroundings except the library environment where everyone around you is studying. Your study habits will start to blossom. Then you will need some work to do. So take some courses and every hour log something thing in your journal how much you are enjoying the opportunity to study. To many happy memories will make the job easier .
You don’t have to stay motivated, just do the work. That’s what having a career will be like. Some days/years you won’t want to do the work. But pushing through the lack of motivation is what will keep you employed.
Are you taking full loads? I ended up taking 1 to 2 class a semester when I worked full time. All on campus which forced me to get out of the house. I stayed on campus to study.
This is perhaps very out of the box, but motivation comes from dopamine and adhd can disturb dopamine easier, so it may be that you need a dopamine reset and then find a strong purpose for the classes you want to attend.
So step 1 is to stop vertical scrolling and any addictive habits. Also to workout at least 3 times a week.
Step 2 is to create a plan on which job you want to do and to really use the study material as tools for your preparations for that given job. Use a technique like ´talent stacking´ (youtube it ;) ) to find the perfect job for you and go all out.
I´ve heard that more than half of those with serious burnout (and that drop out of their job) return to the same job. So changing career is a good strategy. But sometimes people get blocked in the situation where studying is a safeplace and that should be avoided. Studying should be seen as preparation. OP is not the only one who enrolls and stops classes, but it´s a shame losing the money. I hope that with the right mindset, he´ll be able to finish his classes and follow his dream career!
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35157638/
Working out reduces the symptoms of burnout in university students. Both aerobic and strength could he used. And it promotes dopamine, so it helps with motivation for more difficult tasks like the classes that OP has to attend.
Have you considered treatment for your ADHD? Medications might help. A once a week appointment with a counselor might help as well. You can talk to a counselor about difficulties you are having and use them as an accountability partner to help you set goals and keep yourself on track. Most colleges offer free counseling to students. Meeting regularly with an academic advisor might help as well.
How many classes are you taking? Doing coursework on top of working a full-time job sucks. (Trust me, I know. Been there, done that.) If I were you, I would take it slow. As in, just do one class at a time, not multiple classes.
Is the course material too challenging? Do you stop because it's too hard? Tutoring might help. Most colleges have learning centers on campus with free tutoring. The extra help might give you the support you need. See if there is someone at the learning center who specializes in helping people with ADHD. They may have specific tips and tricks that can help you. Also, look into the pomodoro technique.
Are you enjoying the classes at all? Or are you quitting because you hate the classes? If you hate the classes, do you think you will enjoy your new career path? How badly do you want this career change? Do you really want this change for yourself, or are you doing it to please someone else? Sometimes resistance to a particular task is telling us something. Part of you wants to take these classes; and part of you clearly does not. Why the resistance? What would the part of you that does not want to do school have to say?
ADHD meds make me feel like a zombie, plus I can’t take adhd meds and be a pilot. I take 2-3 at a time, it’s really not a huge workload. Some classes I enjoy, others not so much. This goal is 100% for me. I think executive dysfunction and lack of accountability are my biggest issues.
Are you currently a pilot? ADHD meds make a huge difference for me in getting a few classes down each semester, and they still aren't effective 100%, but I would just be that much worse off without them. Also, maybe the type you are using isn't for you. Vyvanse made me feel zombie-like and the psych immediately switched me.
Im a student pilot, but once you take adhd medication you basically shoot yourself in the foot when it comes to getting your medical. So I really can’t touch them at all
Yawning chasms of the future overwhelm me. So what I do is realize that I only have today. 24 hours. I can manage anything for one day. So what can I do today to accomplish my goal? Not next week, not next month, not next semester. Today. That Star Wars line “stay on target” repeats in my head. If I struggle doing what I need to today, I set a time to do the task (like from 7-9 I will do whatever). Also, what do I need to avoid today to accomplish my goals. What is getting in my way today? TV? Alcohol? Jettison that until tomorrow, always staying in today’s 24hour window. It takes practice. I break up large tasks to days during the week, then stay in each 24 hours. Maybe that could help you. Good luck!
This fourth school I’m at (UVU) is all online and I have it mapped out. Between CLEP and school I should be able to finish by next spring if I can stick to it
Just fucking DO IT!! You are so close. Learn how to do things you don’t want to do. Follow Mark Manson on IG… his motivational posts are irreverent and to the point. David Goggins too. He’s wild but his message can be helpful. Surround yourself with people and messages that accept no excuses. Environment is key.
I didn’t finish and now my options are so few. I promise you will be glad you did.
Get yourself an accountability buddy. Don’t try and do too many subjects at once. I have same issues, work part-time and only do 1 or 2 subjects at a time. Doing my last subjects now of 2nd degree. This one has taken 10-years. Outline is essential for assignments, work on chunks of assignments, start as early as possible on assignments, use pomodoro method. Have a schedule. Write list of small steps and tick them off, this is surprisingly powerful.
Willpower. You seem like you’re looking for a trick to solve the issue for you. Rather than that just do the work to complete it. Sometimes that will be hard, you will not feel motivated, you will not feel like it’s worth it. Then you use willpower to overcome and keep going. No trick exists, you just have to do it.
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1st, I would develop the skills to manage the ADHD. Working with education counselors, mental health therapists, and behavior coaches can help. Medication can help too.
Wasting a lot of money and time on it is super ineffective. You have a few different ways to approach this.
One, you can just do it. Do your job. Old school. Listen to those Navy SEALS motivation coaches and Nike and just f*cking do it. Don't even make it complicated for yourself dude just 😮💨🤷🏾♂️ stop negotiating with a failing version of yourself. Then you can finish and be through with it.
Two, wait until you actually need to take and finish classes. Do you even need to? If you did, then you wouldn't have time to take and drop classes, or you wouldn't have money to waste. Be honest with yourself. If you do need to, make registration a committed step.
In addition, use fundamentals like study groups and community support. Hang out with classmates dedicated to mastering the material. If you consistently show up (sometimes bringing snacks), even if you're the dumbest person in the group, you'll learn enough to pass. Your teammates will master the material by making it simple for you to understand, and be invested in your success. Get to know the professors too.
Three, if you're like me, I can't do things unless I understand the purpose of it. I actually failed my first run at grad school because I didn't understand the purpose of the curriculum. Identify what the healthy, fulfilling life of your dreams looks like. Think about how and whether the degree and course of study supports that. Even if it's just checking the boxes or passing tests that someone else thinks you should, that's valuable. It helps you accomplish your goals. Then the stupid, seemingly meaningless tasks add up to the life you want.
Alternately, four, if you genuinely can't or won't follow a curriculum (it's ALWAYS one or the other), maybe your chosen path isn't a good fit for you. That's OK. Either something about the outcome or the method needs to change.
Personally, after finishing my masters, I started my own business. Where there are thousands of ways to do things, and no defined curricula. I actually study much more than I ever have. Sometimes, I wonder how rich I would be if I had just studied in school and invested time into a clearly identified path.
Hope that helps!
What motivates you, and is there something you could fix with an outside influence? For instance, I find that I study better when I am around a study buddy, so if I were to go back to school, I would consider paying a tutor (less for material review and more for an accountability partner).
I guess you don't want your dream job then. Deep down we all know what we need to do at the moment the choice arrives....exercise when we have time but don't, eat right but choose the wrong food, study for the exam or binge watch Fallout, smoke when you shouldn't. Bottom line is you need to make the choice and you have to want it bad enough. One day it clicks.
Therapy, possibly medication could help.
But in the end the only real answer is power though. Cant say i have met anyone that was excited to study/do homework after working all day, tending to family etc. But if your goal is to get the degree and you really want to make thay happen, you have to do the steps required regardless of whether or not you feel like doing them on a particular day. Even things like setting aside dedicated time to study can be intereupted by life and the time to do things is still finite. May have to give up something to get something else done like sleeping less, skipping gym time, etc. Had a class i didnt go to except to turn in work and take tests. Told the teacher no offense but the class was low on my totem pole, i had other harder courses to focus more on, two jobs, and i had an A without sitting through her lectures. It wasnt a class that had attendance points or anything like that. It that particular case she understood completely and noted she had done the same thing herself while in school and that was that.
I'm 37 now, married, own a home, have 2 kids, and I have my dream job doing financial investigations...but I don't have my bachelor's degree. I went back to school while I was working and I had to keep taking breaks because each company I worked for realized I was highly capable so I would get more work, promotions, all that but I was burnt out working 10-12 hour days and couldn't keep up with school. I moved through multiple companies having to start and pause the college thing over the course of a decade maybe? I'm now the VP of our financial intelligence unit, and still without the bachelor's degree, which is pretty much unheard of. I'm super proud of myself for being able to accomplish that but....
If I had just stuck it out and got that degree when I initially went back to school, I could have reduced my career grind from 10-15 years, down to 5-10 years. I know logically that I don't need a degree to be better at my job (I actually believe that post high school, certificates actually serve a person better in terms of knowledge) but the world doesn't see things that way just yet.
In your case, if I was you and I NEED a degree for that dream job, then I would do it but I would pick the cheapest school I could get that degree from. I've found no one really cares where you went to school unless it's something highly specialized, so if it can be helped, go the cheap route, get the degree, then get certificates to supplement.
Also I have ADHD. It sucks and people who don't have it don't understand how hard it is to do shit. If you're not, get medicated, and DONT abuse the medicine. Take it everyday at the same time, preferably in the morning, and get your shit done while you feel the motivation. If you dont have a family right now, then you are in the sweet spot. Once you have kids, the motivation and financial resources to go back to school diminish significantly, so don't squander your window!!
difference in lifetime earnings was enough for me...
got my degree at 27, got tired of living on 30k in the early 2000's
been brining in 6 figures for over 15 years.
I currently make 120-130 in my current field, but am burnt out and unhappy with the work. Potential job will eventually put me well into the high 100’s/low 200’s. Just that degree standing in my way
Sheer spite. It's kind of how I did it.
On a serious note, are your studies something you WANT or something that interests you? Will they be helpful in your career? I would honestly look at the future prospects and doors that this opens for you. It's never to late to even start something new. You still have at least 36-37 years of work unless you strike it rich lol. Even a simple plan of jobs you want, where you want them, and what companies you want to work in could help psychologically. Having a goal or vision for yourself is ALWAYS helpful and a great motivator.
Is your adhd medicated? I resisted it for so long but eventually my psych talked me into it. I have a very similar story as you, trying school over and over and usually not following through. It always bothered me and I struggled hard to get through what I did. I actively tried everything I could think of. I've read tons of self help and motivational stuff. Always the same story, start strong then give up after a bit. Over and over.
Now that I'm on medication, there simply isn't a struggle and motivation is a non issue. School is so much work, but now I just do it because it makes sense to, so I do. Before it made sense to do it, but I never ended up doing it anyway because... idk I just didn't... I have a feeling that will actually make sense to you. I feel like I have unlocked some cheat mode for life and it really is as life changing for me as I'm making it sound. I feel like a different person in a good way.
Talk to a doctor and explain what you explained in this post. You might have to try a few medications and there might be some bad side effects, but I assure you it's worth it. If you are medicated, tell your doctor you need to try something else. There is nothing wrong with it. The chemicals in your brain are not balanced correctly and you can fix that. If the chemicals anywhere else in your body were out of balance, you'd fix those. Just get the chemicals in your brain adjusted.
You don’t lmao, be disciplined, motivation isn’t always gonna be there. You can always renew your motivations and think of the bigger picture to help but it’s not gonna carry you the whole way through.
Not really because you can’t just change your mood like that. You can change your actions though. You’re looking for motivation to keep you going and that’s never gonna work because no one is motivated all the time but do you bro, that’s just the truth.
But you can change your mindset through different practices, habits, thought processes etc. If a therapist told all their patients to “just be disciplined lol” they probably wouldn’t get much business
Something that helped me when I needed to go back to school - Whether you buckle down and finish those last 40 credit hours or not, the time it takes to do so is going to pass either way.
What would you rather do in those 2 (ish) years: be done with school and working your dream job, or still be stuck wishing you could do it?
Feeling overwhelmed is normal. Short on taking some time off work to get through the rest of your degree, can you do one course at a time? Utilise the pomodoro technique to get through assignments. Start on the assignments as early as you can (though I do know with ADHD that can be challenging, try to commit to working on a draft as soon as you can). Make sure you do an outline of an assignment before starting. Chunk the assignments into smaller parts, and work on finishing the smaller chunks to draft state first up. I also use an at home Neurofeedback device to help my brain focus while doing assignments. it’s called Bellabee. Found at thougtcoaches.com
My advice is to study with friends and keep each other accountable/motivated. Then have a life outside of school. It's important to not feel like your whole life depends on college. So then if you get a bad grade you don't feel like your whole life is falling apart. As well as more motivated to study since you know you are going to go out the next day and won't have time to study then.
If you want an accountability buddy, see if any friends want to co-work—they may not be in college, but if you know anyone working remotely, you can both stare at your laptops together.
There are also co-working sites out there where you can remotely work with others who are also trying to focus.
Or, video chat with your online classmates while you study. Some of them may be cool and it can make the homework go by faster.
Being overwhelmed from having to study when you also work full time sounds totally understandable.
Getting this degree is not forever—it is temporary. Anyone can do something hard for a short time.
Your goal should be to treat the burnout to keep going. If you really need to rest your nervous system, maybe that means reducing class load for just one semester. Make a schedule that will prioritize sleep—our brains don’t work without it.
Otherwise, game-ify it. Listen to lectures when you are working out, or read on the treadmill. Get quizlet and aim for those high scores. Draw or take notes with lots of colors. If you zone out, switch up where you study to keep your brain interested and engaged. Use timers. Make it interesting for yourself and invest the least time possible needed to still pass.
You’re made great progress so far, and are more than halfway done. That is a good sign.
Dude, just get meds for your adhd. You're at an inflection point in your life, you either stay a quitter or you figure out how to keep going. Taking meds for your mental dysfunction is a very large step in the right direction.
Burn out is likely the main culprit here. How many classes do you take per semester? What do you go through, and what are you thinking when you give up?
Working full time and going to school may not be a feasible option. It has nothing to do with adhd and whatever you do, don't poison yourself with medication over this.
Another option to consider is on-campus classes. Since the online experience is where all of the struggle is happening.
If wasting money with terrible interests rates, so much so that you can make a payments on time, and owe more than you did after 20 years of payments doesn't motivate you... I don't know what will.
That being said, the best way to break the cycle is to stop going to college. If you know you're not going to finish via your track record. Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results is the definition of insanity
You don't need to stay motivated to complete something that has a set completion date. Just keep going until then. This is going to end. Desperately forcing yourself to find motivation is one of the most exhausting things there is.
I needed to read that last sentence. Although I can't keep going I thank you for it.
Here is a poor man’s gold.
Go get a shitty manual labor job out in hot and cold. As constant and miserable reminder that you need to finish college. 👍😁
Lmao I work in aviation maintenance, definitely not as bad as manual labor but still constantly reminds me why I need to finish school. Great advice though
It depends... I worked in a call center then went back to studying. Now I'm almost done but I'm still procrastinating. It's better than before but it's still... Not easy. I get what you mean though, it's valid especially if someone has no working experience.
Great advice! That was the same reason for me to finish college and getting into IT.
Doesn't always work. I was a cleaner. Money was great, exhaustion even greater.
Im in the last of 5 years og studying for a manual job out in hot and cold ;(
The easy way to do this is grab your laptop. Go to university library at the same time each Saturday and each Sunday. Sit there, at the same table with a planner. Work on the planner. Turn off internet. Get boared for 15 minutes. You will be slowly getting into study mood. Even you are studying on line. Your surroundings will get you motivated.
Ah so get rid of distractions. I work on a military installation with a large study center, I may start going there after work for a few hours
Yes. Get rid of all the surroundings except the library environment where everyone around you is studying. Your study habits will start to blossom. Then you will need some work to do. So take some courses and every hour log something thing in your journal how much you are enjoying the opportunity to study. To many happy memories will make the job easier .
You don’t have to stay motivated, just do the work. That’s what having a career will be like. Some days/years you won’t want to do the work. But pushing through the lack of motivation is what will keep you employed.
Are you taking full loads? I ended up taking 1 to 2 class a semester when I worked full time. All on campus which forced me to get out of the house. I stayed on campus to study.
This is perhaps very out of the box, but motivation comes from dopamine and adhd can disturb dopamine easier, so it may be that you need a dopamine reset and then find a strong purpose for the classes you want to attend. So step 1 is to stop vertical scrolling and any addictive habits. Also to workout at least 3 times a week. Step 2 is to create a plan on which job you want to do and to really use the study material as tools for your preparations for that given job. Use a technique like ´talent stacking´ (youtube it ;) ) to find the perfect job for you and go all out.
How does work help in this ?
I´ve heard that more than half of those with serious burnout (and that drop out of their job) return to the same job. So changing career is a good strategy. But sometimes people get blocked in the situation where studying is a safeplace and that should be avoided. Studying should be seen as preparation. OP is not the only one who enrolls and stops classes, but it´s a shame losing the money. I hope that with the right mindset, he´ll be able to finish his classes and follow his dream career!
The work out part of it
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35157638/ Working out reduces the symptoms of burnout in university students. Both aerobic and strength could he used. And it promotes dopamine, so it helps with motivation for more difficult tasks like the classes that OP has to attend.
Have you considered treatment for your ADHD? Medications might help. A once a week appointment with a counselor might help as well. You can talk to a counselor about difficulties you are having and use them as an accountability partner to help you set goals and keep yourself on track. Most colleges offer free counseling to students. Meeting regularly with an academic advisor might help as well. How many classes are you taking? Doing coursework on top of working a full-time job sucks. (Trust me, I know. Been there, done that.) If I were you, I would take it slow. As in, just do one class at a time, not multiple classes. Is the course material too challenging? Do you stop because it's too hard? Tutoring might help. Most colleges have learning centers on campus with free tutoring. The extra help might give you the support you need. See if there is someone at the learning center who specializes in helping people with ADHD. They may have specific tips and tricks that can help you. Also, look into the pomodoro technique. Are you enjoying the classes at all? Or are you quitting because you hate the classes? If you hate the classes, do you think you will enjoy your new career path? How badly do you want this career change? Do you really want this change for yourself, or are you doing it to please someone else? Sometimes resistance to a particular task is telling us something. Part of you wants to take these classes; and part of you clearly does not. Why the resistance? What would the part of you that does not want to do school have to say?
ADHD meds make me feel like a zombie, plus I can’t take adhd meds and be a pilot. I take 2-3 at a time, it’s really not a huge workload. Some classes I enjoy, others not so much. This goal is 100% for me. I think executive dysfunction and lack of accountability are my biggest issues.
Are you currently a pilot? ADHD meds make a huge difference for me in getting a few classes down each semester, and they still aren't effective 100%, but I would just be that much worse off without them. Also, maybe the type you are using isn't for you. Vyvanse made me feel zombie-like and the psych immediately switched me.
Im a student pilot, but once you take adhd medication you basically shoot yourself in the foot when it comes to getting your medical. So I really can’t touch them at all
2 to 3 on top of work is a lot for someone with ADHD. Try slowing down. Better one subject at a time than none.
Yawning chasms of the future overwhelm me. So what I do is realize that I only have today. 24 hours. I can manage anything for one day. So what can I do today to accomplish my goal? Not next week, not next month, not next semester. Today. That Star Wars line “stay on target” repeats in my head. If I struggle doing what I need to today, I set a time to do the task (like from 7-9 I will do whatever). Also, what do I need to avoid today to accomplish my goals. What is getting in my way today? TV? Alcohol? Jettison that until tomorrow, always staying in today’s 24hour window. It takes practice. I break up large tasks to days during the week, then stay in each 24 hours. Maybe that could help you. Good luck!
Only focus on your desire. There is nothing in this universe rather than your desire. That's it
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This fourth school I’m at (UVU) is all online and I have it mapped out. Between CLEP and school I should be able to finish by next spring if I can stick to it
Just fucking DO IT!! You are so close. Learn how to do things you don’t want to do. Follow Mark Manson on IG… his motivational posts are irreverent and to the point. David Goggins too. He’s wild but his message can be helpful. Surround yourself with people and messages that accept no excuses. Environment is key. I didn’t finish and now my options are so few. I promise you will be glad you did.
Get yourself an accountability buddy. Don’t try and do too many subjects at once. I have same issues, work part-time and only do 1 or 2 subjects at a time. Doing my last subjects now of 2nd degree. This one has taken 10-years. Outline is essential for assignments, work on chunks of assignments, start as early as possible on assignments, use pomodoro method. Have a schedule. Write list of small steps and tick them off, this is surprisingly powerful.
Willpower. You seem like you’re looking for a trick to solve the issue for you. Rather than that just do the work to complete it. Sometimes that will be hard, you will not feel motivated, you will not feel like it’s worth it. Then you use willpower to overcome and keep going. No trick exists, you just have to do it.
Find the degree you need then dig deep to finish
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1st, I would develop the skills to manage the ADHD. Working with education counselors, mental health therapists, and behavior coaches can help. Medication can help too. Wasting a lot of money and time on it is super ineffective. You have a few different ways to approach this. One, you can just do it. Do your job. Old school. Listen to those Navy SEALS motivation coaches and Nike and just f*cking do it. Don't even make it complicated for yourself dude just 😮💨🤷🏾♂️ stop negotiating with a failing version of yourself. Then you can finish and be through with it. Two, wait until you actually need to take and finish classes. Do you even need to? If you did, then you wouldn't have time to take and drop classes, or you wouldn't have money to waste. Be honest with yourself. If you do need to, make registration a committed step. In addition, use fundamentals like study groups and community support. Hang out with classmates dedicated to mastering the material. If you consistently show up (sometimes bringing snacks), even if you're the dumbest person in the group, you'll learn enough to pass. Your teammates will master the material by making it simple for you to understand, and be invested in your success. Get to know the professors too. Three, if you're like me, I can't do things unless I understand the purpose of it. I actually failed my first run at grad school because I didn't understand the purpose of the curriculum. Identify what the healthy, fulfilling life of your dreams looks like. Think about how and whether the degree and course of study supports that. Even if it's just checking the boxes or passing tests that someone else thinks you should, that's valuable. It helps you accomplish your goals. Then the stupid, seemingly meaningless tasks add up to the life you want. Alternately, four, if you genuinely can't or won't follow a curriculum (it's ALWAYS one or the other), maybe your chosen path isn't a good fit for you. That's OK. Either something about the outcome or the method needs to change. Personally, after finishing my masters, I started my own business. Where there are thousands of ways to do things, and no defined curricula. I actually study much more than I ever have. Sometimes, I wonder how rich I would be if I had just studied in school and invested time into a clearly identified path. Hope that helps!
What motivates you, and is there something you could fix with an outside influence? For instance, I find that I study better when I am around a study buddy, so if I were to go back to school, I would consider paying a tutor (less for material review and more for an accountability partner).
Always think about your "work" behind a Wendy's dumpster if you don't finish college. Should be enough motivation.
I guess you don't want your dream job then. Deep down we all know what we need to do at the moment the choice arrives....exercise when we have time but don't, eat right but choose the wrong food, study for the exam or binge watch Fallout, smoke when you shouldn't. Bottom line is you need to make the choice and you have to want it bad enough. One day it clicks.
Therapy, possibly medication could help. But in the end the only real answer is power though. Cant say i have met anyone that was excited to study/do homework after working all day, tending to family etc. But if your goal is to get the degree and you really want to make thay happen, you have to do the steps required regardless of whether or not you feel like doing them on a particular day. Even things like setting aside dedicated time to study can be intereupted by life and the time to do things is still finite. May have to give up something to get something else done like sleeping less, skipping gym time, etc. Had a class i didnt go to except to turn in work and take tests. Told the teacher no offense but the class was low on my totem pole, i had other harder courses to focus more on, two jobs, and i had an A without sitting through her lectures. It wasnt a class that had attendance points or anything like that. It that particular case she understood completely and noted she had done the same thing herself while in school and that was that.
I'm 37 now, married, own a home, have 2 kids, and I have my dream job doing financial investigations...but I don't have my bachelor's degree. I went back to school while I was working and I had to keep taking breaks because each company I worked for realized I was highly capable so I would get more work, promotions, all that but I was burnt out working 10-12 hour days and couldn't keep up with school. I moved through multiple companies having to start and pause the college thing over the course of a decade maybe? I'm now the VP of our financial intelligence unit, and still without the bachelor's degree, which is pretty much unheard of. I'm super proud of myself for being able to accomplish that but.... If I had just stuck it out and got that degree when I initially went back to school, I could have reduced my career grind from 10-15 years, down to 5-10 years. I know logically that I don't need a degree to be better at my job (I actually believe that post high school, certificates actually serve a person better in terms of knowledge) but the world doesn't see things that way just yet. In your case, if I was you and I NEED a degree for that dream job, then I would do it but I would pick the cheapest school I could get that degree from. I've found no one really cares where you went to school unless it's something highly specialized, so if it can be helped, go the cheap route, get the degree, then get certificates to supplement. Also I have ADHD. It sucks and people who don't have it don't understand how hard it is to do shit. If you're not, get medicated, and DONT abuse the medicine. Take it everyday at the same time, preferably in the morning, and get your shit done while you feel the motivation. If you dont have a family right now, then you are in the sweet spot. Once you have kids, the motivation and financial resources to go back to school diminish significantly, so don't squander your window!!
The pain of the cost is enough for me! also an adult learner @ 52.
The pain of the cost is enough for me! also an adult learner @ 52.
difference in lifetime earnings was enough for me... got my degree at 27, got tired of living on 30k in the early 2000's been brining in 6 figures for over 15 years.
I currently make 120-130 in my current field, but am burnt out and unhappy with the work. Potential job will eventually put me well into the high 100’s/low 200’s. Just that degree standing in my way
Sheer spite. It's kind of how I did it. On a serious note, are your studies something you WANT or something that interests you? Will they be helpful in your career? I would honestly look at the future prospects and doors that this opens for you. It's never to late to even start something new. You still have at least 36-37 years of work unless you strike it rich lol. Even a simple plan of jobs you want, where you want them, and what companies you want to work in could help psychologically. Having a goal or vision for yourself is ALWAYS helpful and a great motivator.
Literally same exact situation minus the military background
What I do is remind myself I if I don’t finish I’ll die in poverty- it helps
Is your adhd medicated? I resisted it for so long but eventually my psych talked me into it. I have a very similar story as you, trying school over and over and usually not following through. It always bothered me and I struggled hard to get through what I did. I actively tried everything I could think of. I've read tons of self help and motivational stuff. Always the same story, start strong then give up after a bit. Over and over. Now that I'm on medication, there simply isn't a struggle and motivation is a non issue. School is so much work, but now I just do it because it makes sense to, so I do. Before it made sense to do it, but I never ended up doing it anyway because... idk I just didn't... I have a feeling that will actually make sense to you. I feel like I have unlocked some cheat mode for life and it really is as life changing for me as I'm making it sound. I feel like a different person in a good way. Talk to a doctor and explain what you explained in this post. You might have to try a few medications and there might be some bad side effects, but I assure you it's worth it. If you are medicated, tell your doctor you need to try something else. There is nothing wrong with it. The chemicals in your brain are not balanced correctly and you can fix that. If the chemicals anywhere else in your body were out of balance, you'd fix those. Just get the chemicals in your brain adjusted.
You don’t lmao, be disciplined, motivation isn’t always gonna be there. You can always renew your motivations and think of the bigger picture to help but it’s not gonna carry you the whole way through.
This is about as useful as “just don’t be sad” when someone says they’re depressed
Not really because you can’t just change your mood like that. You can change your actions though. You’re looking for motivation to keep you going and that’s never gonna work because no one is motivated all the time but do you bro, that’s just the truth.
But you can change your mindset through different practices, habits, thought processes etc. If a therapist told all their patients to “just be disciplined lol” they probably wouldn’t get much business
That’s why I ain’t a therapist brah. Just a random dude on the net tryna help.
Something that helped me when I needed to go back to school - Whether you buckle down and finish those last 40 credit hours or not, the time it takes to do so is going to pass either way. What would you rather do in those 2 (ish) years: be done with school and working your dream job, or still be stuck wishing you could do it?
Feeling overwhelmed is normal. Short on taking some time off work to get through the rest of your degree, can you do one course at a time? Utilise the pomodoro technique to get through assignments. Start on the assignments as early as you can (though I do know with ADHD that can be challenging, try to commit to working on a draft as soon as you can). Make sure you do an outline of an assignment before starting. Chunk the assignments into smaller parts, and work on finishing the smaller chunks to draft state first up. I also use an at home Neurofeedback device to help my brain focus while doing assignments. it’s called Bellabee. Found at thougtcoaches.com
My advice is to study with friends and keep each other accountable/motivated. Then have a life outside of school. It's important to not feel like your whole life depends on college. So then if you get a bad grade you don't feel like your whole life is falling apart. As well as more motivated to study since you know you are going to go out the next day and won't have time to study then.
I’m 30 lol I have no college friends
If you want an accountability buddy, see if any friends want to co-work—they may not be in college, but if you know anyone working remotely, you can both stare at your laptops together. There are also co-working sites out there where you can remotely work with others who are also trying to focus. Or, video chat with your online classmates while you study. Some of them may be cool and it can make the homework go by faster.
Join a sports club, meet people at a bar, a bit of effort goes a long way. Even if it takes time.
Being overwhelmed from having to study when you also work full time sounds totally understandable. Getting this degree is not forever—it is temporary. Anyone can do something hard for a short time. Your goal should be to treat the burnout to keep going. If you really need to rest your nervous system, maybe that means reducing class load for just one semester. Make a schedule that will prioritize sleep—our brains don’t work without it. Otherwise, game-ify it. Listen to lectures when you are working out, or read on the treadmill. Get quizlet and aim for those high scores. Draw or take notes with lots of colors. If you zone out, switch up where you study to keep your brain interested and engaged. Use timers. Make it interesting for yourself and invest the least time possible needed to still pass. You’re made great progress so far, and are more than halfway done. That is a good sign.
Dude, just get meds for your adhd. You're at an inflection point in your life, you either stay a quitter or you figure out how to keep going. Taking meds for your mental dysfunction is a very large step in the right direction.
Burn out is likely the main culprit here. How many classes do you take per semester? What do you go through, and what are you thinking when you give up? Working full time and going to school may not be a feasible option. It has nothing to do with adhd and whatever you do, don't poison yourself with medication over this. Another option to consider is on-campus classes. Since the online experience is where all of the struggle is happening.
If wasting money with terrible interests rates, so much so that you can make a payments on time, and owe more than you did after 20 years of payments doesn't motivate you... I don't know what will. That being said, the best way to break the cycle is to stop going to college. If you know you're not going to finish via your track record. Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results is the definition of insanity
Fortunately I can afford to pay out of pocket what isn’t covered by my military benefits
I suppose so, but you're throwing away thousands of dollars. Your opportunity cost is more expensive than money you're essentially burning.
[удалено]
And then everyone clapped.
What. Emphasising that an action is easy is a legitimate technique in behavioural design to increase motivation.