Motivation for Study

[Outcast]

Hi Guys,

Sometime ago I posted that I was going to undertake a significant career change that involved 4 years of university study to become a school teacher. To give it some background, I'm 46yrs old, I recently separated from the Navy after a very successful career of almost 28yrs but, had had enough of being absent from home & pretty much feeling in a rut. Wanted a new challenge & a new direction.

Well, I took the first steps, enrolled in a Bachelor of Education @ JCU & commenced my first year of study in Feb of this year. This week I have been on my first practical experience at a local primary school & that has been fantastic. I've really enjoyed the experience & it has certainly cemented the idea that I like teaching kids & that I can probably do a good job of it.

My dilemma is this though:

I find the actual university work somewhat tedious; the readings are quite dry & boring, the lectures vary between interesting & dead boring, the tutorials are generally pretty good but, I find the work required to actually do the assignments particularly tedious (especially the research).

The upshot is, I find plenty of reasons to procrastinate & struggle to get motivated to do readings & actually start the assignments.

So, please help me out here; for those that have either made late career changes that involved long periods of study or those who are just studying as mature age students, what keeps you motivated to do the work?

Thanks Guys... I'm on the edge of withdrawing & looking for work or, getting my poop together & getting on with it... just keen to see how other people who might have faced this issue themselves got through it & got on with it.

[PeteyD]

That's uni. Part of the aspect of getting a degree is proving you can fight through the tedium to get to the good parts. There will be subjects you enjoy and subjects you hate. I found going to the crappy part of town and looking at how people that were not able to get an education live helps.

[Ashes]

I can't help you sorry. Started working after 3 years of a 4 years course and didn't get the last year finished until just before the 10 year cut off...

[Peppas]

I went to uni for 5 years, then got a job as a trainee which had another 5 years of study with exams at the end for qualifications. i've been to alot of lectures and stuff that have been boring as crap and I've generally just tuned them out. I also contemplated quitting my job a few times and finding something that didn't require any study.

Now I'm on the other side of that and have finished everything. It's good, and was a huge relief, but in my profession you are still expected to study and maintain knowledge and be up to date with new developments and stuff. It's tough because lets face it, scientific papers do not make for exciting reading but it's part of the job.

I guess I was similar to you the whole way through. Absolutely hated all the study and additional work on top of real work. My motivation was finishing it all and getting qualified and a pay rise. If teaching is what you really want to do, I'm sure that will be motivation enough in the end to get through all the study and uni, as boring as it is. My advice to you - figure out how you study/read/research the best and do it that way, and have lots of breaks. Even if it's a short walk from the study into the kitchen and back again. Anything to break up the boredom. I used to hit 10 chips in the living room and then go back to the books. Dunno if it helped my studying or my chipping but it kept me somewhat sane and less wanting to smash my head against the wall.

Anyways, quit your whinging, try doing a physics degree at uni and then come back and tell me that your teaching degree is boring! :)

[timah!]

I can't help much on the motivation front - I am struggling big time this semester.

As for some sneaky advice though - if the readings don't match up to your assessment work - "prioritise your time accordingly". There's no marks for doing all the readings ;)

[Ashes]

Uni is about beer and young women; not studying or learning stuff ;)

[Daves]

That's uni. Part of the aspect of getting a degree is proving you can fight through the tedium to get to the good parts. There will be subjects you enjoy and subjects you hate. I found going to the crappy part of town and looking at how people that were not able to get an education live helps.


I can't help much on the motivation front - I am struggling big time this semester.

As for some sneaky advice though - if the readings don't match up to your assessment work - "prioritise your time accordingly". There's no marks for doing all the readings ;)

As above, that is uni in a nutshell, lots of dry stuff mixed in amongst the odd gem or epithany.

Do a speed reading course of some type, even the basics of one will get you skimming looking for meaty content.

Find some study buddies, at the very least you can collectively share the study load, reading, notes etc. And be sounding boards on whether you are on the right track, prioritising your efforts appropriately etc.

Understand what you need to do to pass or get your marks at the level you are targeting. Some work is worth much more than others in the final results, know what to put the max effort into, and what you can cruise a little easier with.

[Yossarian]

Play a shitload of golf all semester.

Take crystal meth for the last two weeks and learn everything, the crushing realisation that your own folly, laziness and general aimless study methods have come back to destroy you will provided you with extra fuel to not only pass but excel.

[Yossarian]

PS

Everyone finds the work tedious except for exceptionally strange people that really are doing exactly what they were born for.

[Yossarian]

PPS

I was joking about the meth. Caffeine works fine. If you enjoyed the prac nut out the theory.

[3Puttpete]

Nobody gets to Pattaya without a week of exercises first.

Its pretty simple really: Is the destination worth the crap you have to wade through need to get there?

And as much as I enjoy a hasty decision, after 28 years, I'd probably give it a bit longer to get used to the new thing.

[popper81]

In all honesty, Yoss has nailed it....

[Dotty]

Just pretend that you are on double secret probation. :)

I've done tertiary education, when universities were free and later at a private institute. Motivation to study was easy, after writing a cheque for a thousand dollars.

[Outcast]

Thanks Guys,

I appreciate some of the tips.. they were what I was after; trying to put some of the negative shite in my head to bed.... I intend to keep going this semester & then re-evaluate if I am on the right path to my destination. There is another way to achieve this which is via a different degree (say history) & then one year Grad Dip Ed... same overall length but, a different road to get there.

I will re-read some of the tips & just knuckle down.. haven't failed anything before in life & don't intend to start now. Results for my first assignments have been encouraging so, clearly I have some level of aptitude for this stuff... They let me loose on a class today... it was cool & I managed not to screw it or them up :-)

[idgolfguy]

In your first prac, you still have to do lesson plans. Make sure your supervising teacher reviews them so you know what to expect.

[IanO]

I have done this on two occasions, 1st 2 years part time followed by 2 years full time to get a BBus Mgt then 2 years part time to get an MBA.

I am a project manager by trade so fairly structured. I created a spreadsheet which detailed Uni time, study time, chores time (lawns, gardens, etc) then to keep motivated I did a couple of things:
1. Find a like minded individual to study with, review assignments, etc
2. Set specific goals with specific rewards. (Ie. complete assignment 1 week before due - half a day playing golf when I should be studying)
3. Arranged my holiday times to ensure that I got completely refreshed. Got assignments and study out of the way as fast as possible then had complete downtime. 2 days before start of classes did a review of reading for the first week)
4) Find a physical representative of your end game and place it in full view so that you can look at it when you are feeling demotivated.

LAST THING - If the end game is worth it (you seem to be really motivated by the teaching) stick with it no matter what. Uni is a pain, understand that and deal with it!

[Outcast]

Thanks Ian,

Very, very helpful advice

Cheers

OC

[razaar]

Becoming a teacher also involves mixing exclusively with other teachers and talking only teacher talk. Going to parties with two stubbies and drinking 12. Being a totally boring prick ( to anybody who is not a teacher). Playing at the end of the field in the mid week 9-hole comp (with other teachers) and sharing in the nearest the pins. :)

[Ashes]

Best advice I can give you OC is to not hook up with any PHD or Masters students.

[Lobsta]

Study is for suckers. Just wing it. That's pretty much how I got through uni.