End of the Semester Tiredness --- Push Through!

[thadthrasher 1,692]

It seems like it was just yesterday that I was watching YouTube videos about NHL21 and I saw an ad for VHL. I remember it being right around my 27th birthday, and I was pumped to try something new. It's been 2 months now, but it seems like it's been so much longer than that. It's weird, I feel like I've been in this league for so long, but I've only just begun to scratch the surface. However, life outside of VHL has been flying by. I can hardly believe that Christmas is in 7 days. What better way for me to ring in Christmas than the end of another semester of school. Today is that day, yet I still have much to do.

 

I've been earning my Master's Degree over the last 3 years, and I won't finish until May of 2022. It's a 96 credit Master's Degree, where most others are 32 credit Master's Degrees. It's a lot of work, and takes up most of my time. Over the last 3 years I have had a relatively easy time with school, but as you can imagine this year has been so very different. I find myself ending this current semester and feeling incredibly drained, which is normal. However, in the past when I've felt drained I've known that I would bounce back quickly after a break. This year though, I'm not having that feeling. Maybe it's because this will be the conclusion of my 15th semester in higher education and I'm growing tired of school, or maybe it's something else. I'm not sure. What I do know is that most of my ambition to finish is depleted, and all I will want to do after I hit that final "submit" button is sleep, but I can't do that either.

 

We each have things going on in life that are causing us to feel drained. Whether it be work, school, health issues, family struggles...the list is endless. But, what encourages me is that there have been so many people before me that have struggled in the same way that I currently am, and they persevered through it. Many of them have helped me along the way. So, my hope is that while you may be feeling stressed, tired, broken, or beaten that you can look ahead to something good. Keep your head up, take a deep breath, and push through. 

 

We've got this!

[Crstats23 327]

Keep grinding my friend I know what your going through as, I’m currently finishing my bachelors degree 5 years after high school and it doesn’t matter how long it takes you, as long as you get it done 

[thadthrasher 1,692]

4 minutes ago, Crstats23 said:

5 years after high school

I'm coming up on 9 years out of high school and it feels just like yesterday that I was starting my senior year

 

[Gustav 6,092]

I just finished up the semester and it was a long one. There were times over the past few months where I've hated myself, thought I wasn't good enough, you know the drill. There was even a point where I gave up on attempting a test and didn't even finish it (thankfully, the lowest two in that class were dropped). I spent a good part of the semester genuinely believing that there was not a single person in my school life who gave a shit about me until I started interacting with a couple profs a bit more and realized just how much they do to keep things running. But here I am, I'm done, and I should have some good grades to show for it. 

 

For anyone who still has stuff to deal with...it's not long before you're out. Take care of yourself and do what's best for you to learn what you can. 

 

I watched a TED talk once where the speaker's main point was, and I will quote, "give yourself the emotional permission to do things today that will give you more time tomorrow." I've tried to live by that ever since--putting yourself in the mindset of "can I get away with not doing this" is super mentally harmful and it's responsible for probably 80% of the mental stress that I personally have undergone in college. Stay true to yourself and realize that you're not in this for the grades, you're in this for you. Good luck!

[thadthrasher 1,692]

4 minutes ago, GustavMattias said:

Stay true to yourself and realize that you're not in this for the grades, you're in this for you.

All of what you said was well said, but this right here is the truth. My wife was hyper focused on getting AMAZING grades in college. She missed out on valuable time with others and amazing opportunities so that she could study the subject she already knew perfectly well. Now, she works a job where they didn't even care how well she did in class, they wanted her to have a great attitude and a willingness to learn and think outside of the box.

My undergrad was just a step for me to get where I am now. Now that I study things I love and enjoy my classes they aren't much of a thing where I need to get "good grades" but something that helps me grow into an overall better person. Although, I do have good grades 

[Ledge 1,131]

So this year, I'm in grade 8. So one year before high school. I was put into a class for the most advanced math students in my grade, a ninth grade math class. I was the worst in my class, and for the first time in my life I got a mark lower than a 70. What really bugs me though is that I get 90s in all my other classes, and math seems to elude me. My average is still around 90, but this has been a blow to my confidence for sure. The last test I wrote in math, I got an 85, so that's encouraging, but I think the lesson I learned here is that this early in your life, you can take on some challenges. I really have nothing to lose right now, and I'm trying a whole bunch of new stuff. Like the VHL. 

About hockey. I actually play hockey, rep hockey. It's an awesome sport, but I'm AA, which is the second level down in my age group, so I don't think I'm going to be making millions in the NHL someday. However, I recently discovered the world of hockey management(like GMing and scouting and shit) and I love it. So I figured I would let my playing career get me as far as it could, and then try to find somewhere to keep my management dream going. I know someone who goes to Brock University, and takes a sports management course there. That friend also is a scout for the Oshawa Generals in the OHL. My goal right now is to get my grades into a good place so I can take that course at Brock, and hopefully play some hockey on the way there. I've heard that a lot of good GMs are scouts before they get into GMing, and lots of NHL GMs are hella old. So this might be a pipe dream, but the least I can do is try. 

 

Alright, thanks for listening to me rant. It's nice to be able to tell people about this, and good luck to everyone else battling through school, because there are a lot of us out there.

[thadthrasher 1,692]

@Ledge_and_Dairy you've got some mighty big goals for yourself, and that's great! I'm glad for you, and wish you great luck and success my dude!

[BOOM 8,401]