Change of plans for uni this semester (maybe this year)
So, I was originally enrolled in all my units internally, but things still don't look as financially sound as I'd like going into the next semester so I've flipped and actually changed my enrolment to be external.
This meant dropping 'Media Relations' which I was looking forward to as it's internal only, in favour of the core unit I was going to do next year 'Contemporary Cultures and the Small Screen', also probably better to do it sooner rather than later given I don't know which units will be affected by my degree closing.
Blurb on 'Contemporary Cultures and the Small Screen':
This unit examines the contemporary cultures related to viewing the small screen. It looks at the history of TV from a cultural studies approach, its rise to dominance of broadcast TV and the current changes which are displacing it. Students will examine cultural and gendered aspects of TV viewing, including the role of the domestic setting of the viewer, and the social and economic forces that shape TV culture. Topics include reality TV, network TV, community TV, and broadcasting politics.
I opted for external in order to give myself the maximum amount of flexibility as far as hours etc goes. I also did so understanding that it might mean that I end up working full time again, simply because finding ongoing and lasting part time work has been pants for the past eighteen months.
I cannot go about things the way I did last year doing some external, some internal and trying to work part time. I managed it, I made it work and it was something of a marathon last-Ju-standing type thing. But I did it. I'm proud of myself. But I'm not going to opt to do it that way again.
I cannot possibly see how working full time and studying full time can be more stressful than what I went through last year. I just can't. I spent most weeks last year doing upward of 70 if not 80 hours of 'work'. Work here is defined as, study, looking for work, scrounging enough hours of paid work in whatever job I had that month, and desperately trying to make ends meet and support the family. It's a multi-part time equation with multiple stress factors. This new option is a two part time equation, with two specific stress factors.
It will also have the additional benefit, where I'll be paid for 30-40 hours of that work a week. How quaint :P
So... that's where I am at. I'm a little sad, a little disappointed as I love studying internally. I've revelled in it and would switch again in a heartbeat if I thought that I could rely on how things were going to work less stressfully than last year. Going external is the only way I can think of to do that.
Other factors including really considering whether I was okay with not being able to afford to go to Swancon *at all*, letting another anniversary with K go by without doing much of anything to celebrate it, not to mention a whole host of other financial related stuff that I'd love to get off my plate.
I don't mind studying externally, I am reassured that I have the discipline for it, plus I also know a fair few people who also do study work during the day, so I am looking forward to study dates, depending on this work thing.
Also, if I can manage to only work part time, I'll jump at the chance... I just don't feel like it's likely to eventuate.
Thinking about this whole process recently has assisted in my 2011 theme becoming clear to me, but I shall blog about that in another post :)
This entry was originally posted at http://transcendancing.dreamwidth.org/800889.html
This meant dropping 'Media Relations' which I was looking forward to as it's internal only, in favour of the core unit I was going to do next year 'Contemporary Cultures and the Small Screen', also probably better to do it sooner rather than later given I don't know which units will be affected by my degree closing.
Blurb on 'Contemporary Cultures and the Small Screen':
This unit examines the contemporary cultures related to viewing the small screen. It looks at the history of TV from a cultural studies approach, its rise to dominance of broadcast TV and the current changes which are displacing it. Students will examine cultural and gendered aspects of TV viewing, including the role of the domestic setting of the viewer, and the social and economic forces that shape TV culture. Topics include reality TV, network TV, community TV, and broadcasting politics.
I opted for external in order to give myself the maximum amount of flexibility as far as hours etc goes. I also did so understanding that it might mean that I end up working full time again, simply because finding ongoing and lasting part time work has been pants for the past eighteen months.
I cannot go about things the way I did last year doing some external, some internal and trying to work part time. I managed it, I made it work and it was something of a marathon last-Ju-standing type thing. But I did it. I'm proud of myself. But I'm not going to opt to do it that way again.
I cannot possibly see how working full time and studying full time can be more stressful than what I went through last year. I just can't. I spent most weeks last year doing upward of 70 if not 80 hours of 'work'. Work here is defined as, study, looking for work, scrounging enough hours of paid work in whatever job I had that month, and desperately trying to make ends meet and support the family. It's a multi-part time equation with multiple stress factors. This new option is a two part time equation, with two specific stress factors.
It will also have the additional benefit, where I'll be paid for 30-40 hours of that work a week. How quaint :P
So... that's where I am at. I'm a little sad, a little disappointed as I love studying internally. I've revelled in it and would switch again in a heartbeat if I thought that I could rely on how things were going to work less stressfully than last year. Going external is the only way I can think of to do that.
Other factors including really considering whether I was okay with not being able to afford to go to Swancon *at all*, letting another anniversary with K go by without doing much of anything to celebrate it, not to mention a whole host of other financial related stuff that I'd love to get off my plate.
I don't mind studying externally, I am reassured that I have the discipline for it, plus I also know a fair few people who also do study work during the day, so I am looking forward to study dates, depending on this work thing.
Also, if I can manage to only work part time, I'll jump at the chance... I just don't feel like it's likely to eventuate.
Thinking about this whole process recently has assisted in my 2011 theme becoming clear to me, but I shall blog about that in another post :)
This entry was originally posted at http://transcendancing.dreamwidth.org/800889.html