justanotherlostgrrl

Thanks. I don't know how to refashion myself other than look into underground alternative economic arrangements, or maybe look into a PhD at some point. I'm drowining debt and feel like grad school didn't help me if I'm unemployed a year out of it. I can't begin to understand what to do next around refashioning; I likely will be dead within a decade because I'm a statistic waiting to happen: older, disabled women with no retirement or savings because of the economy and job loss because she's a 'bitch', apparently. The American dream was always a fantasy - the question is when will we start to count up the bodies on the sidelines and recognize the cause.

Thanks - It's something to look into. I currently don't have insurance so everything is dependent on getting insurance, and seeing how I can sign up for services at that point once I have work. I have a diagnosis for ADHD but the major diagnosis that would possibly trigger in for any kind of VR - autism - is a harder process. I have to get the diagnosis for autism first, and that's rarely covered. It's quite the Catch22. Juggling a job hunt/unemployment and trying to get a diagnosis is a real challenge. I feel like I could manage the structure of grad school, but doing all of this on my own is devastating.

That's on my list of things to do; that's the thing that nobody talks about when you're unemployed, that you're so terrified of poverty you let everything slide as you're busy emailing and meeting and applying. I need to see multiple doctors but have no insurance; am also looking into back up plans (skills bootcamps, possibly relocating to a cheaper part of the country) if financial ruin is on the road ahead. Today's soul crushing moment: Finds job, applies to job, recruiter calls back half hour later, finds out that not a real job because they don't have funding, finds same job ad on company Web site, company is large multibilliondollar corporation. I'm giving up on my field. If I could afford to, I'd throw the towel in and just work in a cafe somewhere. I am old and tired at this point, and it's obvious that with a disability and age, that nobody in this economy is going to give me a chance anymore. The saddest part? That's not depression taking, it's realism.

I will probably end up being in a consulting role but my last role with an external client just knocked the wind out of me. I really want to move to more of an 'in-house' role but those are hard to get into from my experience. That's funny - you do actually capture a lot of work I've done. I aim to be informative, memorable and help with productive conversations around hard to address issues (my thesis was on stigma on a sensitive issue) but I see now how the market for people like me is just increasingly narrow. If you reach a certain age and don't have certain leadership experiences, I feel like everyone's just going to discriminate against you.

I signed up for the one that pays off a lot every month, with the hopes I can find something sooner rather than later - I hope to find a job in the government or non-profit to get into the 10 years of forgiveness, but with non-profits the rates of pay are rarely up to for profit, and I've given up trying to get into local government. I've applied, but can't seem to get in - it's who you know. I'm going to look into if I can renegotiate how much to pay. I'm terrified of looking at my bank account, to be honest.

Dream job: 1.,2, 3, 4: designer Am I qualified? Yup, lots of experience and now a Masters. Can I find work? Not to save my life. Nobody told me that when I graduated in my 40s with a degree that this was a massive mistake. I deeply regret the choices I've now made.

MFA degree in design so somewhat fluffy, as it turns out. In answer to your questions: Where are you employed? Not employed - I was laid off (graduated less than a year ago) and suspect grad school has only marginally made a difference in employability. How much are you earning? I got a bit of a bump in salary and could get more seniority in job titles in my field, but I don't know if the 2 years was worth it - certainly not if you're an older student. I had experience before I went so that may have been responsible for a better title. Do you have any regrets? Yes. I should have done grad school earlier earlier; while I liked the school, I should have picked another program. It was wildly overpromised (scholarships? yea right) and a poor alumni network, and by the time I wanted to leave it was too late. It was an interesting two years, and I learned a LOT but I'm not sure I can recommend grad school to people outside of clear situations (i.e. you need a MLS to be a librarian, PhD to be a teacher). For the arts, considering the debt, oh hell no. I feel somewhat ripped off by my experience. Nobody has said, 'we must hire you because you went to school!'. They treat my dedication and sweat in what I did as a 'eh, so what'. Are you in a lot of educational debt? Ridiculous sum of over 100K that will take me 15 years to pay of. It's a financial noose - I'll never have kids or a house or a vacation, basically, never be able to pay down interest. I thought it would be worth it, but now? I'm not so sure. Disappointing, to say the least.

Favoritism is rampant, and nothing would surprise me.

I didn't. I barely coped. I'm considering a PhD but I don't know if I can handle the stres. I also feel like life outside of academia is too difficult for me to cope with, so I'm in a catch 22. Something has to change, though.

Do people have advice on how to gear the content of a poster when the audience is an industry conference? I'm taking part in a student competition that showcases my MFA thesis, and it will be a design association. A lot of the poster presentations research I'm seeing is geared towards presenting at an academic conference - would people say there is any different criteria to think about? The judges have provided us with criteria of what they're looking for, but I would LOVE anyone's experiences and tips here. Please send me a direct message in the next week or so if you get a chance. Thank you!

I understand how you feel with a lot of this, like the program not having the benefits and general buyer's remorse. I'm very disappointed in this my second and final year - it will be over in less than a month and it's clear now something is wrong with the program. Know that you're not alone

Cannot wait to escape the kindergartners in my program. Not only do I have buyer's remorse about the program, almost everyone in my program is annoying the hell out of me. There's about 3 people I can deal with, but the rest of them are (and I hate this term, but it fits so well) such special snowflakes, and I am going to celebrate never having to see anyone of them again. I like the faculty, like the work we've done, but these students embarrass me. Too much groupwork with people I would never have chosen to spend time with otherwise.

I feel like I'm reading about my program - so know that you're not alone. I've gotten little direction and am completely lost, to be honest. Many in my cohort feel the same way, and quite honestly, I'm not sure what can be done other than course reviews. My problem is that this advisor is also the 'manager' of our program, so it will largely fall on deaf ears. No advice other than 'hang in there'.

Oh my lord - yes, relate to this thread. There's another older students thread, but would love to talk with others. I'm 1.5 years into my master's and there's light at the end of the tunnel, but I would say almost 90% of my stress is working with younger students. Definitely will be watching this with interest - maybe people will contribute again after the term ends

Quo Vadis 5 day at a glance with the hours in each day plus Google Calendar are both life savers. Now if only they helped each other out

It's a small group of three, and the other person who isn't the source of stress and I have spoken about the problematic person - but they also agree with the problematic person on some of what they've said, so I'm kind of in a rough spot. I'm going to keep monitoring it... sorry for kvetching, and appreciate the words!

I'm not sure. I've been very tempted to speak to the professors about this person, but suspect the professors won't be able to do anything, and I can't kick someone out or work solo, unfortunately. It's just such a crap shoot, because some groups are fine to work with, and others are unbearable. We'll see, I guess :/

Well said. Honestly, I'd love to find common ground but I don't want to do drinking based activities, and it's difficult to find anything common with some folks in my program. Someone took off over the weekend when we were supposed to work on an assignment, and I don't see anything in common with people who prioritize taking a mini vacation to go skiing out of state. They put more things as priorities than school, and I can't relate. I'm not talking about legitimate explanations like work or family commitments, either. I'm feeling exhausted by my program and questioning already why I'm doing this - and dealing with immaturity is not something I have time for.

I'm trying to be Zen and just concentrate on my own thing, but it's becoming difficult, and my patience is wearing thin thanks to doing school and a job hunt at the same time. I have one class where one of the students feels he's in a separate class with the professor, and will interrupt the professor while teaching to say such fascinating bits like, "wow, huh... so I never thought of that before" extremely loudly. He talks over the teacher constantly - today I told him, 'be quiet, I can't hear the instructions and I'd like to hear this, please' - and that shut him up quickly. The other big trend I'm noticing is people who don't read the assignments, don't know when they're done, and actively work to just do their own assignment even when the professor has describe what's required. Both of these examples are from people who are in their 20s, and in one case I have to work with the people (the 'what, we have an assignment' thing) and I've never felt as old as I do now in this school. I'm going to stick with this degree because I don't have a choice, but I'm really questioning why I'm doing this program at all - why I though grad school would be right. I'm feeling too old and tired for this.

appreciate the advice. I will need every cent I can get, and am panicking on how to make it all work. The information interviewing is something I'll need to do. Right now I feel overwhelmed with schoolwork and a job hunt, and trying not to sound desperate about the money situation when interviewing - and also trying to recharge my internal batteries. As an introvert, this has been a real struggle for me, and feel like I would be surviving this far better if I wasn't so shy and needing to recharge. I have to have faith it'll all work it.

Any older students trying to find work over the summer and finding there are few internships geared towards grad students - that most say undergrads? I'm trying to find some kind of work over the summer and just don't know how I'm going to be able to make it. Not that I'd be thrilled to be making $12 an hour, but need to find something, and I'm disappointed with the lack of career resource the school has. They have a few career fairs, but worrying about finding work AND school at the same time is upsetting.

Trying to figure out how to find work over the summer when the default is unpaid internships. I was so anxious about getting into school that I didn't consider how difficult it would be in the periods like summer - and how difficult it is to get a company to hire someone for 2-3 months. Really panicking here on what to do financially.

Seconding this advice. Try to get into the master's degree instead - especially if you're aiming for a PhD. Certificates are a good suggestion as well if you're thinking of teaching. You can also speak with the administrator of your program and see if you can sit in on some of the classes as a prospective student - I've had that happen in my program all the time and it can really help you decide. Also speaking to the to the program administrator to address any concerns about that long gap will help. Honestly with that GPA and having an RA under your belt and professional experience will matter more than any gaps. I returned after 15 years and didn't have contacts from my undergrad but was able to make it into my program because I had the work experience, portfolio and a statement of work that showed my committment. It's mostly that they want to see you you have a mature, responsible mindset for work - and that GPA and RA work shows it. Also kudos on postcolonial literary theory Definitely do grad school - I'm an older student and it's a hell of a lot of work, but worth it. Feel free to PM me - there's also an Older Students thread in the forum.

Need to vent about the lack of scholarships in my area - both geographically and in subject matter, and none of my circumstances like being an older student, having a learning disability or getting a good GPA after my first semester help me with any kind of scholarships. I just came back from doing a day of research at a local library that had access to lots of scholarship info, and it's depressing to see you qualify for nothing. Everything is geared towards undergrad, or your struggles that you do have don't get recognized. I'm not asking for a free ride - just some opportunities for some kind of help, but there is nothing, and I'm reluctant to even put any more effort looking. It's hunting for part time work for me, and I'm frustrated beyond all belief.

Welcome! See if you can speak to people at the programs - they'll try and sell you on the program, but it can't hurt to speak with people. Don't second guess yourself - ever. Also think about combining online and real world classes and seeing how flexible your program is. It's definitely a tough road - going back as an older student hasn't been easy. I had a professor email me and mention 'as a mature student' and I was sad that I'm the Token Old Fogey - at the same time, though, the experience really can be worth it, and for some fields, like organizational psychology I would imagine it's really a classroom thing to be able to study it well. The loans are daunting, but at a certain point go for it and believe in yourself. What made you second guess the degree you're interested in? Is it the topic, or believing in yourself? Because you can do it. Have faith you can, and you will.