To study or not to study?

[dancingfox]

I would really like to go back to school and get my degree.
When I was younger and still going to school I felt held back in life because going to school was something society demanded of me. My parents weren’t very encouraging either, so I started working early in life. Back then, working was simply a means for getting by, to pay the bills and that would suffice for me.
Later on I started taking life in general more serious, so naturally, I started to look for a line of work that would really suit me. I made some progress along the path but right now in my early thirties, I feel a genuine hunger for education. Not just to find the right career, or a bigger paycheck and all that (though these things have become pretty important to me as well) but to finally find the right path for me in life. I have been wandering and dreaming long enough. It was great fun too ! But now I feel the need to do something constructive with my talents, before they might go to waste ^_^

After a couple of months of soul-searching I decided that a bachelor in psychology in evening school would suit me best. I explored other options; Weekend school is not an option in the region where I live. Take day classes as a ‘normal’ student and quit my job, or working / studying part-time is currently financially not an option for me and my partner.

So, as a fulltime working member of society I need to get all my priorities straight before I can commence my new goal. My reality would be:
Evening classes 4 days / 4 hours a week, after my 38 hours/week job. I would have to take the bus or train to get to the nearest city where I could take the classes. I don’t have a driver’s license, so that doesn’t work in my benefit either. That would mean 4 days a week, get up at 6 am, coming home around 11.30 pm. (Busses take ‘round and hour 15” to just get to the city, another 15” to get to my class in time…) I am trying to stay realistic here. I just don’t know if I could keep that up for 3 whole years?!

This September I start taking lessons for my driver’s license, of all goes to plan by this time next year I will have a car and be mobile. That would cut the trip from an hour and a half to 45 minutes. I am sorry in advance for the lengthy explanation folks, but I thought describing the background and circumstances would help getting a better insight in my question.

I asked: Will I be able to create the right circumstances for myself in order to start my degree in psychology in September next year?

Hex 52.1.6 to 36.
I could use some help with this one, because it is a bit of a loaded subject for me

I would really appreciate some input!

Thanks in advance
Johanna

 

[dancing white ferret]

Line 1 of 52 and the external hex 36 suggest to me that your view here is obscured. 52.1 is about stopping before starting, or maybe stilling yourself before going forward with your decision. Line 6 is about being free of worries of the world. I would read this as a need to quiet my mind and meditate for further insight. you are getting a little ahead of yourself is all and perhaps basing this decision on worries of the world. I find 52 a particularly frustrating hex to get... Usually for me it means I need to meditate so I can "hear" my spirit guides. They often have other ideas about how to deal with my concerns. Sometimes, a totally different route. I don't have any specific experience to share with you on 52.1 or 52.6, but I recently considered a similar exhausting work load involving a lot of commuting and long hours to go back to school and work full time. I feel for ya... It's a tough decision. I decided it wasn't for me. I just can't handle the energy demands. And I have a degree.... I wanted to get certified as a pharmacy tech. Can't find a job with a degree nowadays... This does suggest to me your current perspective on this subject is incomplete. But I wouldn't take this as a yes or no. Just a needs more info... Good luck to you, and I don't know where you live, but here in the states you are often better off to get certified in a profession. Costs less, more job demand, pays well etc... And shorter less demanding schooling. I have a degree, and if I could go back, I would trade it for certification as a pharmacy technician or a dental assistant. It's still hard work, but the pay off is in 1 to 2 years, 6 months sometimes if your state will accept online training courses.... and you can make a livable wage to support yourself right off, and if you want, continue your schooling with better income and the security of knowing you are qualified for a job in demand... Can probably make enough to live working part time as a pharmacy tech if you are careful. Something to consider... I say work on getting a better income in a field where there is demand, so you can support yourself before you set off to work on a long term goal. And most people I know with psych degrees who are actually using them also have a masters degree. And it's very competitive path from what I've heard. Really need to get straight A's to qualify for most post grad programs. I think.... Just know what you are getting into. I tried working full time one semester I was in school and I was near dead by the end of it. And the other semesters were not much less work. I was still working 25 to 32 hours a week, and my income doesn't reflect that now. And I'm not working is the sciences. Have you spoken to an advisor at a school of interest? I wish you luck on whatever you decide, and hope you find an easier way to make this happen

 

[anemos]

I asked: Will I be able to create the right circumstances for myself in order to start my degree in psychology in September next year?

Hex 52.1.6 to 36.

Hi Joanna

From here , I could read it as yes, admist those restriction/difficulties you still can shine. , with self discipline and dedication to your goal, is doable. Its not easy and requires a looooots of sacrifices yet if you really want it you will make it. Mountain is a bit stubborn but also strong and steady. So if Yi's answers to your question , whether is doable or not, I see it as a supporting respond.

56.1 confuses me a bit. Maybe its your anxiety whether you can make it or not or maybe the specific Uni. I'm not sure in which direction you think to utilize this degree so make sure this uni's program and your needs go together. There are two kinds of Barchelors and in general some are more practical, while others focus more on the preparation for an MA. I understand that timetable and proximity are important but there are also online options or hybrid /low residency ones . If you thinking of an MA, DWF is right. A high grade is what most of the Uni's ask. Make sure if the program is what will help you to fulfill your dream work and make sure that if life is good to you and things become easier you can transfer your credits.

Its a fascinating subject !!! hope next fall you'll manage to be a student and enjoy it

 

[Trojina]

[I asked: Will I be able to create the right circumstances for myself in order to start my degree in psychology in September next year?

Hex 52.1.6 to 36

.

To me this really isn't an 'all systems go' answer. I think you may need to rethink. It's a strange answer...it has lines 1 and 6 moving and so the yang line change pattern is 27, yin change pattern is 28.

To me this indicates you move beyond this idea. You have this need for education but what it asks of you at this point is just too much (change pattern 28). I have a pet theory for lines 1 and 6, that the thing in question is like an episode, all eaten in one go...next please. The relating hexagram in this pattern I feel 'busts through' the primary. So I think the possibility for being hurt in some way (hex 36) messes up your equilibrium with this plan. When I say 'hurt' I don't mean literally but perhaps a part of you wants to shy away from this, to do your own thing ? If there is a part of you that wants to shy away then don't force it. There are many ways to be educated apart from getting degrees.


I really wouldn't want to put you off and if you really want this I hope I haven't dampened your enthusiasm...but 52.1.6>36 actually does not say to me that you will be ready by September next year. I mean if I apply that answer to your question directly I cannot see it as a 'yes'. Maybe there is some more thinking to do about what this means for you ?

How much do you know about what the degree entails ?

I think DWF has some good points having been there herself.

I wonder if you might not prefer to take amore secluded unsusual route to learning. Here we have 'Open University ' where you can work at home and have weekend courses and so on....but apart from that perhaps part of you may not like that environment ? Hex 36 makes me say that, and hex 52 makes me wonder if you are more someone who needs to go their own way. I mean because it is an inward looking hexagram where you pay no heed to others standards etc.

 

[Trojina]

FWIW my very first thought on seeing 52.1.6>36 was 'look after yourself now' rather than build up for an event next year.

I think your planning all sounds very wise BTW, and I did a degree as an adult and found it very rewarding so I don't like putting dampeners on here.....and yet I feel this answer asks you not to push yourself too much and to take care to allow yourself to find your own pace. Finding a pace that suits you is important here I think. You know yourself best what pace you can sustain.....I'm wondering if you need to be more honest with yourself about your needs, wants, who you are. You need time to be you is what this answer says to me.

Having said that you sound perfectly clear about what you want in your post so maybe I have gone off at a tangent

 

[dancing white ferret]

I hope I didn't seem like a downer... Not my intention. I am also happy for my education, and I enjoyed school. I just wish looking back I had become qualified for a good job first instead of going straight to college. If I had, I would be in a position to go further with my education. I had wanted to go for a masters for sure and maybe even a doctorate. And I would have if I could have, but I'm not a rich woman. My only regret is being in debt for an education, in the words of Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting, "that I could have got for a $1.50 in late fees at the public library." .... If I had spent more time planning, who knows? And you don't need a university to use your gifts. Or even to develop them... Probably why my academic degree isn't makin' me much more, if any more, than the person with life and job experience, and maybe a membership to the public library. They learned the same as me on their own! So if you decide yes, but make sure you get some marketable skills as well, and if not, I think you will still be able to do what you want somehow. Best wishes

 

[dancingfox]

Sorry for the late reaction, but I have been mulling this over and over, and I have to take my time to write all of this down English instead of Dutch

An obscured view, yes. There still is an awful lot to be said for different options... Right now my path really isn't clear to me.
The truth is, money would be tight and it is only recently that my finances started to clear up again. I've lived with only the bare necessities for years, that's probably why I am so anxious about this study - work business. But that is also the reason why I want this so bad. I feel like I missed out on some opportunities that I should have taken when I was younger. I really do want to explore this opportunity in earnest, because for the first time since I started working this would actually be an option.
Meditation has been the key for me through some of the hardships I experienced in recent years, it has added a dept, ability to love and a general richness to my life that I can't describe in a few words. I make an effort to practice my meditation daily but lately it has been extra difficult because my inner dialogue is making overtime what whit all the changes that have been going on in my life lately. Yes, a quiet mind so I can start listening to my inner voice again is definitely what I need right now, if want to make the right decision.
I live in Belgium, so getting certified like in the States is not an option for as far as I know. About all the hard work involved, believe me, I am being as realistic as I possibly can be about the sacrifices involved. That's why I have my doubts about this being my best option. I guess my reading reflects that.
Thanks for sharing your experience with me Ferret!

 

[dancingfox]

Hi Anemos

Make sure if the program is what will help you to fulfill your dream work

I think the main reason why I want to get a degree in Psychology is because of my own professional experience; I have several years experience as a recruiter and right now I am working in the social sector in a customer service job for which I am over-qualified. Don't get me wrong, I love working here, but without a degree I can forget about the career opportunities that some of the colleagues with a degree are getting offered. My boss told me the truth flat out when I started working her, without a degree, no nothing :S

I see the opinions on this reading seem to vary a bit, but still, all these different view point all amount to the same answer for me. I still have time to decide, so before I jump into this undertaking I need to inquire as much as possible on the subject. Maybe I am focusing to hard on getting my belated degree?

 

[anemos]

I don't get you wrong and in a way its good you say and feel that you are over-qualified for it makes you seek to advance. And yes.... there are some companies or specific job positions that doors won't open without a degree.

i have been in your place, working 5O+ h/week and being a full time student too without any external financial or other support apart my own means. I found the program and school I liked a lot yet didn't enrolled because i was too apprehensive. Time , money and studying in a foreign language seemed too much. But after missing the dates to enrolled somehow regret it so I took the decision to enroll for the spring semester and my goal was to test whether i could do it or not. So I had a sort term goal- one semester. Things went pretty well - it was not easy but doable, so I decided to continue. The program was flexible i.e. you could take as many course you wanted each semester so that was a bit of calming because if for any reason I could't be able to be full time I still could continue. There were a lots of thing I had to sacrifice and seeing that attempt as a total amount of money needed, a total of hour i needed to have free for the rest of 4 years was fearful , to put it mildly... so i choose to see it as one semester and another semester and another semester and at the same time focus on my goal- to finish the degree.

I'm doing that again, same or in some respects worse conditions but I know that it is doable, so thing is what i read in Yi's answer to, that you can do it... whether it would be that school you are thinking or major/ minor psych degree It doesn't matter much now. You will do your research and decide what is best for you.

I found it a wonderful reading and if i were you I would carry in in my pocket along the way.

have a nice journey !!!

 

[dancingfox]

When I say 'hurt' I don't mean literally but perhaps a part of you wants to shy away from this, to do your own thing ? If there is a part of you that wants to shy away then don't force it. There are many ways to be educated apart from getting degrees.

That's a tender spot right there Part of me is certainly frightened, I have a classic case of performance anxiety :bag: I have been through some confronting stuff the 4 last years or so, and I realize I must confront my fears in order to get past these blockages. I mentioned going for my drivers license? This will be my second serious try, I tend to freeze up when I sit behind the wheel so I am so not looking forward to this 'trial'. But I know I have to see this through.
Maybe that's what hex 36 is al about?

I am considering open uni now as well, thx for the tip Trojan! A part of me would just like to have to whole package, you know, go to school and be a student in a group... So you do have a point there. I have to admit I feel a bit daunted with the prospect of sacrificing so much in circumstances that are far from ideal.

FWIW my very first thought on seeing 52.1.6>36 was 'look after yourself now' rather than build up for an event next year.

That's why I decided to think at least a year ahead, to give myself the time I need to build a stable environment and to work on my inner self as well. I feel the need to set some goals because if I don't I will get frustrated, I can feel the unrest within myself and the need to go out and DO something constructive with myself, to help make a difference.

Finding a pace that suits you is important here I think. You know yourself best what pace you can sustain.....I'm wondering if you need to be more honest with yourself about your needs, wants, who you are. You need time to be you is what this answer says to me.

Yeah, I am still looking for the right pace, I am working on that through meditation, DWF mentioned something about the need to find stillness... Maybe I can find the right focus through meditation.

It's just hard to go for stillness sometimes, especially if you had to accept stillness through necessary limitation like I did these last few years. My heart just wants to fly and make it all happen, right now

Thank you Trojan, you gave my a lot to consider. Will keep everyone posted on my further adventures as a girl with a goal

 

[Trojina]

I have been through some confronting stuff the 4 last years or so, and I realize I must confront my fears in order to get past these blockages.

That idea, that you must confront your fears is something that I felt the reading may be saying 'well actually no you don't have to confront them full on in this particular way'...OR it may be simply showing a picture of you not being ready in a years time to confront them....OR just not ready now but you did ask about next year.

Don't force yourself too much, I mean you have to have respect for your own nature, your own natural tendencies. I hope you will get to do the course/a course you want, but I hope not in a such a way that it is much at odds with your inclinations and nature and circumstances and so on.

Actually learning to drive is in itself quite a big deal out on those busy roads :hide: Having a full time job and learning to drive in a year is a fair amount to do.

 

[syrix]

How about just getting any degree that could be of use in your job. One that will help you climb up the ladder but does not ask for so much effort. Do you have online universities? Can you do any bachelors degree online and afterwards enroll into one year masters in a " real university'?
The amount of effort your plan requires is huge

 

[dancingfox]

That's exactly what I am considering now Syrix. It was kinda difficult to let go of my original plan but I am starting to see the advantages of Open Uni, studying at my own pace, online, from home. Looking into the details right now actually.

 

[dancingfox]

I felt the reading may be saying 'well actually no you don't have to confront them full on in this particular way'

I think now that maybe on a certain level I already had decided not to go for that particular option. I think that by asking the Yi, I was hoping for an objective answer that would help me show the whole picture, because I was really seriously biting into that one option. In am a Scorpio, goes to show I guess^^

This year will certainly be all about learning how to drive, I am already getting nervous writing about it In the mean time I will have a whole year to start planning and exploring all my different options;

As you suggested Trojan, maybe it's not the degree I want so bad. I can't even properly explain why want so much to study again. It's just that I want to create a more fulfilling life for myself, with room to grow in.

 

[syrix]

That's great, that you can earn a degree at open uni. I'm from Croatia and I cannot earn a degree from there , but only go for some of lectures. At least it was like that a year ago.
Good luck I hope you'll manage to find something that will suit you.