Life

[James]

Turns out that not only did I finish my graduate degree, I finished it with straight As.

Everyone knows 2:1 or the local equivalent is correct score. Anything above that is excessively showy and really something of a faux pas. I hope you'll remember this in future.

(Translation: I'm resentful of people who succeed more than me. Congratulations, though!)

[aurelius]

How can i got links through this forum ?

[Scrobbs]

How can i got links through this forum ?

You have to first complete all of the things.

[Twig]

Ungh. I failed a course and now have to remain in school a semester longer. I'm over the initial depressing shock that left me dryheaving in an Apple Store (this didn't actually happen, unfortunately), but it still sucks.

Blehhhh.

I mean, it's my fault, and I know it. I made a mistake, mixed up my priorities, focused too much on finding a job, not enough on schoolwork, among other things. Shit happens. Time to move on. BUT IT STILL SUCKS.

BLEHHHH.

On the plus side, I've a couple avenues opening up for potential jobs, and I could definitely handle a fulltime job and one class. Plus, I could finally financially support myself for the first time ever, instead of relying on loans and the 'rents helping me out. I mean, sure I've had internships before, but they didn't pay enough to LIVE on. I'm so sick of having to ask my parents for help. It's the worst. And failing this course didn't help that much. Ahhh! So close to reaching that point of financial independence - the only aspect I've been missing for years now - and it just slipped further away. Just a little longer.

It is hard to remain optimistic under such circumstances. I'm trying.

[Armchair General]

Don't beat yourself up Twig, anyone who has done a number of exams has failed the odd one or part of one. It's best to see these events as something to spur you on to do better next time, you said yourself that your focus was on other things so that'll be why, not because you're not cut out for that kind of stuff.

I know from bitter experience it's a kick in the teeth, but chin up my man, you have to taste the bitter to appreciate the sweet :tup:

[Roderick]

Is that your professional medical opinion, doctor? Twig, you better listen, son!

In other news, I've moved to Germany, in with the ol' parents. Looking for work. But it's really pretty nice to be here, actually. I get along with my parents splendidly and there's so much ROOM and PEACE & QUIET and COUNTRYSIDE here, I love it. I eat delicious homecooked meals every day. I'm just across the Dutch border in a hamlet called Pfalzdorf. Today I bought a German gaming mag to brush up my language skills and installed Windows and that was pretty much it. Lovely.

Edited May 4, 2012 by Rodi

[toblix]

lol have fun not killing kids and everyone has green blood

[Scrobbs]

I like Germany. The wife is half German, so of course the in-laws are there, but the country itself is pretty nice. Hope everything goes well for ya! They live in Cologne, which is close-ish. If you're interested, and can be bothered, next time I'm over there will let you know and you could come over to Cologne.

[Roderick]

Not a bad idea! If you're visiting in the summer, make it a point to visit the Gamescom at the end of August. It's an overwhelming, but fun, event. I'm a regular, so we could meet up.

[Raff]

I just handed in the last piece of work for my degree. I also have paid work experience and a paid internship (not many of those in this country) up to early August, so am fortunate not to have immediate job terror.

Also, a disproportionate number of the loveliest people in my life are German/half-German.

[Scrobbs]

Not a bad idea! If you're visiting in the summer, make it a point to visit the Gamescom at the end of August. It's an overwhelming, but fun, event. I'm a regular, so we could meet up.

I suspect it might be November, due to the campsite (we shut end Oct). Gamescom looks like a good thing, but I've used up most of my weekend credits this year, by going to Leeds to see friends, a woodcarving weekend and forthcoming Beatherder festival, leaving my wife in charge on her own. I felt guilty and bought her tickets to Soundwave in Croatia, as she's always wanted to go. August is a busy time of year too.

[castorp]

Oh, Germany, I know that country. One could even say I am there right now. Rodi (Or anyone else, for that matter. You all seem nice [enough].), if you happen to find yourself east of The Wall you should visit certain places - I could show you around Halle or Leipzig.

[Twig]

RAGE DOUBLEPOST

[Twig]

Don't beat yourself up Twig, anyone who has done a number of exams has failed the odd one or part of one. It's best to see these events as something to spur you on to do better next time, you said yourself that your focus was on other things so that'll be why, not because you're not cut out for that kind of stuff.

I know from bitter experience it's a kick in the teeth, but chin up my man, you have to taste the bitter to appreciate the sweet :tup:

YOU SAY THAT

BUT

I just found out that one of the major reasons I had such a low grade was that I fucking forgot to submit the final paper with the final project. (It's a project class: Physics Simulation). The paper is worth 15% of the grade. I had it DONE, I just fucking forgot to fucking submit it with the engine. THAT IS THE STUPIDEST

GODDAMN

Fucking hell, I really hope he takes it at this point. I don't know what to do if he doesn't. I have a lot of respect for the professor right now, because he spent a lot of time helping me out near the end, despite my being weeks behind, but if he doesn't accept this paper late I might go ballistic.

[Roderick]

Ouch Twig, that's a mess. I hope he accepts the paper. Do I sense you may still pass if he accepts?

Castorp: I am about as far away from 'the wall' in Germany as you could possibly get. BUT, if I find myself heading east, I'll bear it in mind.

Scrobbs: That's fine. We can meet up pretty much whenever, should I remain in Germany for that long (pending on job offers &c).

Aforementioned German magazine came with a DVD bearing the full version of Torchlight. I'm now playing Torchlight. In German. The town is still called Torchlight. Pronounced like a German trying to speak English.

[miffy495]

YOU SAY THAT

BUT

I just found out that one of the major reasons I had such a low grade was that I fucking forgot to submit the final paper with the final project. (It's a project class: Physics Simulation). The paper is worth 15% of the grade. I had it DONE, I just fucking forgot to fucking submit it with the engine. THAT IS THE STUPIDEST

GODDAMN

Fucking hell, I really hope he takes it at this point. I don't know what to do if he doesn't. I have a lot of respect for the professor right now, because he spent a lot of time helping me out near the end, despite my being weeks behind, but if he doesn't accept this paper late I might go ballistic.

Man, that sucks. It sounds so much like something that I would do as well, so I hope that it goes well.

I just got a letter telling me that I passed my practicum, though that was never really a worry of mine. Apparently I'm totally suited to teaching the fifth grade. Rad. Plus, they want me back for helping around the class, so on Wednesday I'm heading back to the classroom for a field trip!

[Twig]

Well, good news is he accepted the paper. Bad news is he accepted it as late, so it's only worth 1/5 the credit it should be.

So, the paper is 15% of the final grade, as I said earlier. One fifth of that is 3%. Yes, that large of a chunk is missing just because I failed to include a goddamn PDF file in a goddamn ZIP file.

My new grade is 70.4%. I need a 73% to get a C, which is passing for Master's... even a C- is a failure. He won't give it to me. I just need two fifths of the credit, instead of one fifth. That is it. Three percent more.

And the worst part is I like him. I think I mentioned that he did a lot to help me out when some teachers would have left me in the dust for being so far behind. But why does he have to be like this? THIS ONE GRADE is between me and never having to take another class again. I feel like such shit for having forgotten to submit this thing. I think I was literally so excited at having gotten the physics engine to a good enough state to pass (as he'd previously informed me where I'd need to be) two hours prior to the time it was do that I forgot all about the paper. And that's going to screw me over.

[Scrobbs]

That's a real shitter. He's probably wrestled with his conscience too with regards your marking - but if he made an exception, he would have to do the same with everyone.

This isn't helping is it? Sorry.

[Twig]

I don't know if he knows I was supposed to graduate or not. I informed him in my latest groveling email. Haven't yet talked to him in person because he hasn't been around, and today was the graduation ceremony. I dunno if I would be able to talk to him face-to-face in a calm manner.

I know he's well within his rights to not make an exception, but BROKEN RECORD SO STUPID TO FAIL OVER THIS BROKEN RECORD.

Friends are telling me that I should try to go over his head, since the point difference is so small. I guess I will, just because I have nothing to lose, but it makes me feel kind of dirty. \:

[subbes]

Twig!

Do you have a Graduate Student Services or an advisor you can get involved with this? Having someone else on your side may really help.

(I had to get GSS involved when I hurt my arms and needed a professor to accept my Workers Comp paperwork as proof of my need for accommodation; having someone Official get involved really put a firework up the prof's bottom. (NOT LITERALLY.))

Edit: Oh, I see you say you feel guilty about going over his head. Well, if you have an advisor, that's not so much going over his head as it is getting one of his peers to weigh in for you. Maybe he could bump your grade by 3% pending your submitting a piece of makeup work over the summer, or do the official version of that by turning your C- into an Incomplete?

[Twig]

Yeah, I've decided I'm going to do just that - talk to my advisor. I know he is generally pretty lenient in his own classes. The material he teaches is hard, but he's not super strict about the grades. I dunno how much he can use that in a class someone else teaches, but... we'll see. At the very least, he'll tell me what I can and can't do, so I know for sure. And now I've got a whole weekend of waiting ahead of me before I can talk to him in person. D:

[Hermie]

Okay. So.

I'm about to finish my Bachelors degree (I hope), and I've been having a long distance relationship for 2 years with a girl that is from Brazil, but studying in Sweden (I'm in Norway, for the record). Her degree is also over (Masters), and she's having trouble finding employment due to the language barrier.

It's very tricky to get her to Norway if she doesn't have a job, even worse if I don't have one either. (Yes, even with marriage). In Sweden it's a little easier, given that I find a job.

However, in the last year I've made a lot of friends and connections, primarily through working with the student TV here, and quickly rising in the grades. Now I'm about to interview to be the head of a new project, a website that gathers all the student media. Very exciting stuff, especially since it's exactly the kind of job I want in the future, and would be way more useful than a stupid film theory degree.

I've long been hoping to find some way to get her here, and in that process, unconsciously stalling both options, but now I'm at a fork in the road. Her return ticket from last time she went from Brazil to Sweden expires in July, and we're both no closer to finding jobs both here and in Sweden.

Do I completely reboot my life and take some mediocre job in a country with less jobs, less pay, and with me not being to get any writing jobs due to the language, in order to be with the woman I love? Or do I let her go and stay with my friends, my colleagues, my city, my potential future, but losing the most important person in my life?

This is the hardest decision of my life. I thought grand, binary choices like this only happened in the movies.

[Roderick]

Wowsers Hermie, that's a conundrum. There won't be an easy answer for this. You could try writing the options down. That might not help you though. I'm all for drastic, grand changes in life, but moving to Brazil if you have little future over there might be pushing it. The thing is; work is so fundamentally important to having any kind of life that it might not be a choice at all to go there.

So, I gather that even with your new job it'll be next to impossible for her to settle in Sweden? I'd hesitate to enter Brazil without work, but you might be able to support the both of you in Sweden.

[subbes]

Maybe you could make it work long-distance as long as your long-distance has a finite ending point - e.g. 6 months or 12 months. That way you could parlay your first job in Norway into a second job in Brazil (or Sweden, I guess?) or at least save up enough cash during that time that once you move to Brazil you won't have to live in a favela while you search for jobs.

(Or she could search for jobs in Norway using your Norwegian address while being physically in Brazil.)

[Nachimir]

Sorry to hear that Hermie. It's an awful question you face, and the only people who can answer it are you and her.

It seems like the language barriers are the things to work at; careers and jobs are a lot more moveable these days.