school stuff
It came to my attention about a week ago that I can graduate in December if I can manage to pull off a field project this fall (which I failed to do over the summer). So I've contacted all the professors I can think of in the geology department, asking for help coming up with a project. One's on sabbatical, and I heard back from two more today, both saying they don't have time to help me. One was my adviser, and he also basically said that he can't advise me at the moment. Both of them suggested I talk to the newbie professor who's teaching one of my classes. He's never taught before, and just moved here from Florida. What I need is someone who knows the area and can help me come up with someplace to map or analyze. The professor they're steering me towards knows much, much less about Vermont geology than I do.
I'm in two classes this semester. One is a class I flaked out of the semester my brother was in chemotherapy, so I've sort of taken it before. However, unlike last time, it's full of cliquey kids four or five years younger than me and is taught by the aforementioned newbie professor. The other class is an advanced course on GIS, which is an actual marketable skill, and is being taught at the grad level. It looks incredibly challenging and interesting, and knowing the ins and outs of GIS software is something that might actually get me a job someday. Though the little tailspin of depression I went into after getting the emails from geology professors today has caused me to miss the second class (I'm going to use the time to go to the UVM shrink instead). If I'm going to do a field project, I need to drop one of the two classes, but I'm not sure which to drop-- the easy geology course or the tough GIS course. That question is moot, of course, unless I can find someone who's willing to help me with the field project.
I'd like to talk this through with someone, but all the people I know who might be helpful are either insanely busy right now or have already told me they won't help. If don't resolve this in the next week or so, it looks like I'll be stuck in school for another year. Which, since I'm already a washed-up has-been loser who can't graduate, is unlikely to be a good thing.
I'm in two classes this semester. One is a class I flaked out of the semester my brother was in chemotherapy, so I've sort of taken it before. However, unlike last time, it's full of cliquey kids four or five years younger than me and is taught by the aforementioned newbie professor. The other class is an advanced course on GIS, which is an actual marketable skill, and is being taught at the grad level. It looks incredibly challenging and interesting, and knowing the ins and outs of GIS software is something that might actually get me a job someday. Though the little tailspin of depression I went into after getting the emails from geology professors today has caused me to miss the second class (I'm going to use the time to go to the UVM shrink instead). If I'm going to do a field project, I need to drop one of the two classes, but I'm not sure which to drop-- the easy geology course or the tough GIS course. That question is moot, of course, unless I can find someone who's willing to help me with the field project.
I'd like to talk this through with someone, but all the people I know who might be helpful are either insanely busy right now or have already told me they won't help. If don't resolve this in the next week or so, it looks like I'll be stuck in school for another year. Which, since I'm already a washed-up has-been loser who can't graduate, is unlikely to be a good thing.