![]() 11/20/2014 at 02:34 • Filed to: None | ![]() | ![]() |
I'm in college engineering. I shouldn't have to do all the work on my project myself. What's the project? Designing and delivering a hydroponics system to a business down in Haiti. Tonight I spend 6 hours in our engineering building on the computer doing an entire semester's worth of research on hydroponics all by myself because I have an 18 page paper due Friday that is about what my team has done this semester in addition to a packet full of analyzed and compiled research. It would certainly help the paper if my team did what I asked them to do. But no, they couldn't do that. I may be a freshman (the others are upperclassmen) but I'm still in charge of the entire project, I shouldn't have to do everything and carry your asses through your last year.
This has been one of the worst weeks I've had yet. I'm running on no sleep, I'm mentally ruined from my first failure on an exam ever (meaning I'll have to take summer courses instead of working), I haven't seen the girlfriend in a month, I have three papers due this week, a video to shoot, I've had work, five long after class meetings, it's like 15 degrees out and windy as hell, I just fell from my bike (again) and damaged my wrist (again), and I'm being pushed to the limit by those around me. My life right now is a combination of being pissed off, stressed out, lonely, and tired. I just want some alone time to just relax, but heaven forbid Bandit has time to relax or be alone. This whole "I become depressed in the winter" thing combined with the stresses of school and life are killing me and I just want this to be over.
![]() 11/20/2014 at 02:39 |
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you too?
its almost dec. then its a few exams, then you get a few weeks to yourself....hold on man.
![]() 11/20/2014 at 02:42 |
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I felt really stressed at college last year. I did 90% of the work and I found the next morning on presentation day that my group screwed up my hours of work just before we got to presenting, and it didn't matter talking to the profs, it did not change my mark.
![]() 11/20/2014 at 02:43 |
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They're not helping you on the project? Fuck 'em. Put only your name on the project, ship it. You give credit where it's due, and handling a project solo is impressive on a resume because it meant you handled all aspects and are capable in any part of the process.
School is a tougher one, since school should take precedence over work, but work opens better opportunities after school is done :/
And screw fields and farms, why is it ALWAYS SO WINDY?? (DEKALB LIFE)
![]() 11/20/2014 at 02:44 |
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Yeah, go us. It doesn't help I've had major exams three weeks in a row now.
![]() 11/20/2014 at 02:46 |
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I've had similar happen to me, one of my team-members just got up and explained to my prof why the project I'm leading is a large waste of time and resources. Needless to say we had a nice, long, and very passive aggressive chat after that.
![]() 11/20/2014 at 02:47 |
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no it doesnt...
I have an english test tmw, a exam worth 20% of my vectors the day after, 3 labs, a CNC project, a design project and a calc assignment due next week.
then its studying for various exams and knocking them down for 2 and a half weeks. then its home for me when I can drive again! (no car here)
![]() 11/20/2014 at 02:48 |
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The thing is... this project will probably take 3 years to complete so I need people to help out. It certainly doesn't help that the buildings on campus are pretty much in a grid pattern so you basically create wind tunnels everywhere.
![]() 11/20/2014 at 02:49 |
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Good luck to you sir! I can't wait to go home (even though I'm like 10 miles away), I desperately need to get in my car, drive, and be alone.
![]() 11/20/2014 at 02:50 |
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yea, I dont have a car for university, and living in thunder bay, i'm basicly in my dorm all day other then classes.
believe me, it sucks.
![]() 11/20/2014 at 02:51 |
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Damn it's cold up there. You have it worse than I do!
![]() 11/20/2014 at 02:53 |
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no car = automatic suckage.
you have ANY idea how depressing to have a great chase/fast driving dream, and walk up to a beige (literally) ceiling and remember you have no car? it broke me the first time.
![]() 11/20/2014 at 02:59 |
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Yes, I know that feeling well (sadly).
![]() 11/20/2014 at 03:01 |
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I always had the chance to work with competent people on every project I've had to work on so far. Then again we're a small promo (we're 150 my year), so that helps I think.
2015's going to be something else though as I'm going abroad.
![]() 11/20/2014 at 03:08 |
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Whoa, that is no bueno. Sit those guys down and talk with them. Do not, and I repeat, do not let them get away with this. Do not go solo. Talk to the professor and whatever TAs are in charge and get them involved if you must.
Be aggressive if you must, because it is not worth screwing yourself over for these dickwads.
![]() 11/20/2014 at 03:08 |
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You'll make it, man. Engineering is tough but the payoff is worth it. I didn't make it and I still ended up in a career I love but the financial security definitively isn't there. Just keep working, take every thing about it seriously, and you'll make it.
![]() 11/20/2014 at 03:31 |
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Take a deep breath and hold it.......Don't let go until I say to...and when I do...you. will. be. relaxed....keep holding it......
![]() 11/20/2014 at 07:28 |
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As someone who has gotten through university and is in the consulting field:
Document the shit out of this.
There is a scheduled meeting, they dont show up, document it.
Email that does not get a reply? Document it.
The more documentation you have, the more persuasive your case to the prof, and its harder for the asshole to refute than your word against his.
I have to do this with clients on a more frequent basis than I would like to see. But most people in the world are *average*. So I have to suffer them.
![]() 11/20/2014 at 07:50 |
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I'm in architecture school. I know exactly how you feel.
![]() 11/20/2014 at 08:35 |
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more or less the same. Tonight is going to be a long one.
next semester...no school.
![]() 11/20/2014 at 09:33 |
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This is awful now, but pushing through is the sort of part that will help you get farther and be a success. Also stripping your group's names from the project.
![]() 11/20/2014 at 09:55 |
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At the end of my group projects, we had to write a paper about who did what in the group, and those papers would usually affect other peoples grades. Mostly if scheduling was an issue, we wouldnt hold that against each other, we'd just bullshit good things to help each other out. That was until I had a group fight with me tooth and nail for nearly two months of a semester. I slammed the two girls who made the project a complete disaster, and praised the one person doing his best to just get work done. In the end, I closed the paper by saying I learned who not to work with by recognizing either bitterness, jealosy, or a general lack of work ethic. That saved my grade, ruined someones perfect GPA, and helped someone else.
It's hard when you're in these situations, but do your best to take something away from them to learn from. Its not easy to 'rally the troops,' but you can do your best, and thats about it. I let people throw themselves under the bus, and I keep doing my own thing. My boss just got back from a trip yesterday, comes in and asks where my coworker is. I just shruggled while the office manager explained what he's been doing lately. I've told my boss many times I have no patience for it, but my boss has something to prove. I just have a job to do, and I want to keep it. I interviewed at a couple places over the summer that cant afford to hire me, so I do my job well and keep the place organized myself.
You'll make it through and do alright, I promise. Try to look at the bright side and know that in the long run, everything will work out.
![]() 11/20/2014 at 10:35 |
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*hits floor*
![]() 11/20/2014 at 10:37 |
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Ah yes, the proverbial group of deadbeats. Anyone worth talking to in the engineering field will tell you the same story from when they went to university (myself included). It's one of those fool me once, fool me twice twice scenarios. Things you will hopefully take away from this experience:
-Time management is key (especially if you are working part time to pay your way through school): Budget your hours daily (X hours for project A, Y hours for assignment B, etc...) and try your best to stick with the schedule, you'll figure out quickly what tasks will take longer than you might have anticipated
-Procrastination is the cause of much pain: For those projects that are due at the end of the semester, it's always easy to put them off until the end because you're busy with labs, and other assignments, but doing a little bit of ground work early on goes a long way.
-Networking is very helpful: Talk to people, find out who's got a good work ethic and try to stick with those people. When I was in school by the end of first year I had a core group of 3-4 people that I knew would be good to work with and we ended up working together on most of the projects. The bonus to this is that if you have the same partners for multiple projects it's much easier to manage the projects.
-Always allocate some "ME" time: It didn't matter how busy I was, I always left some time in my schedule for non-school stuff. Most of the time it would be an hour before I went to bed. I would just kick back, crack a beer, watch an episode of a TV, surf the net. I found that allowing myself some time everyday to decompress did wonders for stress and I was never lying in bed awake at night thinking about school work.
A small caveat: I'm not going to try and give you any advice about your personal life, but I will say that relationships require time and attention. If you find that it's time and attention that you don't have, unless you think this girl is "the one", doing the lone wolf thing for a couple years could be the right move. At the end of the day you have to remember that you're paying for the privilege to be there. Jeopardizing your success for a girl is irresponsible. There will be plenty of time for girls later. Focus on the task at hand.
![]() 11/20/2014 at 12:01 |
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See.... you're feeling better now...supposing you aren't dead from that.