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The 4 year plan . . . Or Not

I’m writing this article from the serenity of my office. I’m 23 and a software test engineer for a company that develops software and reference material for CPA firms… and I’m STILL not done with college.

It all started in the fall of 1998. I was fresh out of high school, and anticipating the beginning of my college life at the University of North Texas. It was your quintessential college move-in experience: Parents making me look like a complete tool by helping me move in, taking pictures of my roommate, his family, and me… the whole 9 yards.

A week before classes started I was moved in and ready for school. As a freshman, during the first week a few fraternities tried to suck me in by offering me free stuff and promising kick ass parties throughout college.
 

I went to a few parties, but I’m not one to join an organization I have to pay for. I took 18 hours (full load) my first semester (majored in graphic design) and came out with a 2.5 or so GPA. It wasn’t great, but it was a start. The next semester, I partied a little more, nothing too crazy, and managed to up my GPA to around 2.8.

The next year, I’m not sure what the hell happened inside my head, but I lost all motivation whatsoever. Maybe it was the fact that I was required to draw a manly naked French woman and some hairy naked fat guy for art class, who knows. All I know is the motivation… it just left. I had no interest in drawing unless it was on a computer so most of my art classes that year I failed. I managed to get all F’s that year, and one A. What was the A? Web authoring. Something I already knew how to do.

Anyway, I ended up on Academic Suspension from the University. Knowing I had failed wasn’t agony. Telling my parents and trying to explain how I felt was agony.

So, I got a credit card (young and dumb), moved in with my girlfriend at the time, and began trying to look for a job so I could pay off the 2 years of college loans I accumulated. It took me a few months, but I found a job doing some MS Word to HTML conversion for $10/hr. The crappy thing about this deal was I was employed through a staffing agency. That meant no insurance, and less pay than I deserved.

Lucky for me, I proved myself with the company and a year later, was eligible to be hired as a permanent employee. My boss at the time found an entry-level position for me testing software and I’m still here after 3 rounds of layoffs that cut our department in half.

After being here 3 years now, I’ve realized that a degree is still a necessary goal for me, so I’ve taken advantage of my company’s tuition reimbursement and now I’m going to school for FREE. I’m still paying off my student loans for my past college experience ($56/month isn’t bad), but I’m glad to have started classes again, this time majoring in Business/E-business Administration.

Am I happy? Yes. I probably could have done better, but I also could’ve done a hell of a lot worse.

Am I proud of the path I took? Yes. Do whatever you can to find a job/internship that interests you while you’re in college, and it’ll make life easier after college.

So, to sum up… I think the 4-year plan is a myth these days. Take your time, milk the system, and thank me later.

-Jason P.

Written By Jason P.
Rights To Text Purchased By Paul & Party Pursuit