reply to post by Reaper2137
Disclaimer: Confessions of a Real-Life College Dropout, subtitle, Loser i.e. Beck's song.
Thanks for your reply, and I trust you will have success in fulfillment in your career and life.
Now this will be a big lengthy, but it is necessary, and it will be personal, but it is a personal story from a person, so what can I say?
I started college classes back in high school, remember AP? I scored 28 on my ACT, not monumental, but one point higher than our valedictorian, a
friend I respected. I scored 129 on an early IQ test, not bad for a girl, although my brother tested 130 or 131.
He was in line for
valedictorian at his school, but was expelled after being falsely accused of something minor, but overreacting to the accusation/expulsion by throwing
a football through a window at the school. The expulsion was made permanent.
He was disgusted, and never forgave the education system for not believing in him, or giving him a second chance, or understanding, especially since
he was valedictorian. Still hasn't gotten his GED.
I started school right after high school, eventually went to Auburn, a main school here in AL, and was derailed by the craziness of peers who were not
in college and didn't care at all about education, but only mischief, and family, who left the logistics of school up to me, since I was intelligent,
and they had no money to offer, I was to do it on my own, emotionally as well as financially.
Thank God for student loans, but it took a while for me to understand all that, and have the nerve to take on such massive debt, which I was raised to
avoid, and pay off quickly. But it was the only way, so I did it, eventually.
Shortly afterward, I had to leave my school because of threats made because I told my family about my "friend" and his criminal exploits, since I
was shocked about it. Otherwise, I still don't think I could have kept quiet, I mean, this guy came from a good family, but robbed a bank!
I thought it was temporary insanity, but that is because I was young, and didn't believe a person could just like doing wrong. Not a guy like him.
(I laugh at my idealism, but I still have some, and I am glad).
Obviously, I went to another town, people went to jail, and he actually got probation, but meanwhile, his accomplice was taped threatening my life.
That is why I had to go to another town, away from my beloved Auburn, where I did well, worked in my field, and had a bright future and great friends,
some for life.
Starting back, I went to community college, then was date-raped. I kept my son, and tried to believe I could still finish, even one class at a
time.
Quickly I noticed some correlation between payment structures and due-dates for bills and other daily necessities,as some others have noticed how
costs and wages are obviously related to keep people poor, but I didn't believed that, I was young and strong and believed I should just work
harder. Love for the boy really fueled my fire.
Fortunately (ironically, folks), e.coli entered my life through a surgical error, after a PC decision to get my tubes tied, as they say. I had had a
love child and believed this was a responsible decision to keep from overpopulating the world, and being one more unmarried mom, even though I had bad
instincts about the surgery. Argh.
Only through being almost completely disabled was I put in touch with the whole student loan option, and returned to school full time and finished
four years of a five year degree in Art, along with some engineering and honors courses in English and history.
I gave up physical custody of my daughter to her dad, shared legal custody, and believed that was the responsible thing to do, since he had his
degree in music already when I met him, and had a dad with his own law firm. Obviously they were better off than me, so after a long and exhausting
battle, I was counseled to let her go to him at age three, and finish school. Then go back and try to regain physical custody, since he stopped my
visitation, derailed my attention from school constantly, and made the pressure increase on my poor son. His normal mistakes were considered possible
evidence for future proceedings, and this was right in the middle of my education and my son's.
Then Social Services entered my little life, and I left school to handle a lot of things. To end the madness, I took a plea to a crime I did not
commit (spanking = Child abuse), and said to hell with my future without my children. Through this time, I could not concentrate on school at all, but
was terrified about how or if I could work again, though I had been told I was disabled for life. It sure felt like it. The pain in my abdomen was
tremendous and made worse by stress, eating, breathing, you name it. Ironically, through my school, I worked for the Justice Department, because of my
journalism background, editing Counter-terrorism training manuals for First Responders.
LOL. Irony, yes.
I have never been able to return to school again, and moved back to the town where my daughter and her dad live. His dad sent him to law school a few
years ago, and I work as a server/trainer at a restaurant.
My first solo art show opens here downtown in a couple of weeks, and is the third I have been involved in recently. He never plays gigs or does
anything musically, just to add that. He became a corporate lawyer.
My daughter thinks I don't care about her since I can't/won't go through the court process again to see her, but have encouraged her to reach out
to me, since we live only a few miles apart now.
It cost me a lot I won't go into, mainly the option to finish school in my college town, but I did get my son back. He does love me and he does have
a conscience.
But with my degree, I could be a much stronger mom in so many ways.
Only two semesters left, and no kids to raise now, so I could finish, right? I found out that with interest, I have maxed out my loans, and must pay
for the rest myself. I guess that is fair.
It will take a while but I plan to do it.
All this just to say, my story is actually more common than you may have seen at your stage of the game, but as my ceramics professor always said,
"Life gets complex."
Give it time.
Within reach?
Doesn't seem like it to me. My home just got foreclosed, and the equity I put into it with restoring antique rooms and fireplaces was my school
money. Four years of work down the drain because of my husband, who refused to go to college, and thought he knew everything because he has a decent
job. He mismanaged our finances, egotistically refused to include me or anyone, and lost our home.
Within reach.
Hmm. Trying to believe it, maybe you understand better now.