Almost there. Not motivated. At all.

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by gbrogan, Jul 9, 2011.

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  1. gbrogan

    gbrogan Member

    Please don't view this post as a "please feel sorry for me" type thing because it isn't. I almost wish it was. I just have no feeling whatsoever and need to spill my guts here.

    I have ONE course left at Aspen for my Masters. One. Uno. I have not enrolled in it yet because I am very nerve wracked and ready to just walk away from it. Here's why:

    1 - The final exam
    Before I enrolled, I emailed the president at the time, Jerry Alley, and asked if I could take the final exam locally in a high school's library if those librarians said they would proctor the exam. He said he was sure they could work that out. Of course, he was TWO presidents ago, so I'm filled with anxiety about that issue. The two testing centers in my area are either in a bad area or not accessible to me with my insane work schedule.

    2 - The Capstone
    I have no idea what to do. The advice that I've been given online and elsewhere is to find something I'm passionate about and study it. Well, I'm not passionate about anything. I did the coursework, threw myself into it, absorbed it and completed what I have so far because I had to. There was no "OMG I LOVE this course" stuff going on there. It was just "Okay, next..."

    I have many projects to do at my job that might be suitable for the Capstone but there is no guidance whatsoever on this anywhere. It's as if I have to write a paper on something and that's that. I don't know if you can document your progress through a large technology project and have that be okay.

    If it's a written paper on a subject that I'm passionate about then I'm in real trouble here. If I just stopped now, and walked away from the whole thing I just wouldn't care. I can't figure out where this is coming from but it's there and it's driving me insane.
     
  2. Garp

    Garp Well-Known Member

    I think anyone who has studied has felt what you feel, especially at the graduate or doctoral level. The best advice I can give and it is the one that has been given time and time again to doctoral students is to....persist. Put one foot in front of the other until you are done. Do not focus far ahead, simply on what you are doing that semester and take a step at a time to deal with whatever obstacles are there. Doing it that way, you will find yourself finished.

    It is often tenacity more than anything else that gets people to the end of these programs. This is just a small part of your life and you are close so don't give up and force the system to work.

    PS Call Aspen and force them to give you the guidance you need. Make notes about who you spoke to, etc. If they refuse or goof around on providing guidance on your Capstone, file a complaint with their accreditor but have specifics (dates, who you spoke to and so on).
     
  3. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    As Garp said, this is normal. I felt it with my PhD and recently with the MBA. I almost walked away during the last class with on two assignments left - I just didn't care anymore. Just do it. If there is nothing you are passionate about, what could help you in your career as a capstone? What get you "put up with" and do? Contact the school as tell them you need to understand what is expected.

    Have you asked if you could take the final exam locally in a high school's library? That might still be fine.
     
  4. Shawn Ambrose

    Shawn Ambrose New Member

    I'll second Randall's comments. There was a point during my data collection where I didn't care and just wanted to walk away from the entire thing. It's normal. Push through :)

    Shawn
     
  5. gbrogan

    gbrogan Member

    Thank you for these postings. I am feeling so much better hearing that this is normal. I thought I was losing it for just having this "I don't care...." attitude. I had no idea where it came from and why I had such a horrible throw-it-all-away-and-be-fine-with-it thing going on.
     
  6. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    :buttkick:
     
  7. imalcolm

    imalcolm New Member

    I know what you're feeling. I came very close to giving up on my Master's thesis.

    Thanks to this forum, I made the decision not to quit, and I put out the effort to get it done. Now I am glad it is over with!

    Challenge yourself to finish. Good luck!
     
  8. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Do you have any specific goal for your degree? Can it wait? If it can, then why not take a semester (or two!) off to pump yourself back up for it, make the appropriate arrangements, and get the dang thing done already? :yup: The great thing about a degree is, once it is done, IT IS DONE, and it is yours for life!
     
  9. dlcurious

    dlcurious Member

    My captsone project was performed with a group of 3 other people and I was still at the point that you are feeling. One thing I did was go ahead and add the credential to my resume, and when in doubt I'd pull it up, decide I wanted it more than not, and then suck it up and do what I needed to for that week. Good luck, you've got this.
     
  10. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    My experience has been that when you start to get that "burnout" feeling it's because your life has gotten out of balance. There's nothing wrong with your schoolwork or your goals. You just need to balance off all your hard work by having some fun. Plan some fun time (whatever that means to you) and then make it a priority. You'll soon find you're more interested in rejoining your academic goals. (tomorrow is the last day of my vacation. i'll be at the beach. believe me, it helps.)
     
  11. Scot

    Scot New Member

    It's like your job

    I know this thread is a little aged, but I feel it's a relavant topic, and I wanted to reply.

    Running down in the end of a program is a common problem, having nothing to do with degrees and school. It's part of life. You are at the end and you just want it to be over.

    It's just like being at work. Sometimes you have long and tedious jobs that you just don't want to do, but you do it because you want or need to keep your job and/or you want to be recognized as reliable and trust worthy and valuable. You keep plugging away at those tediuos tasks at work don't you?

    It's the same thing. The value of a degree isn't only what you have learned, it also demonstrates you have what it takes to get through the rigor of completing it. The higher the degree the more independantly you have to deal with that rigor and your degree is a credential that you not only learned this or that, but also is a credential in tenacity and patience and 'get 'er done'-ness.

    Scot
     
  12. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    I echo the "it's normal" sentiments. There is a real possibility for let-down as the program concludes, just as one risks slowing down at the end of a marathon or bicycle race. So don't pile guilt on top of an already heavy load.

    Hmmm...perhaps this doctor requires a dose of his own medicine. Yeah, that's the ticket. Gotta go....
     
  13. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    I'm 3 weeks away from my EdS degree and I'm feeling exactly what you are saying. I'm just going through the motions and I just want it to be over.
     
  14. rmm0484

    rmm0484 Member

    Surf D -

    "You can do it"

    [Rob Schneider's typical line in an Adam Sandler movie]

    Here are three Ted Heiks' dancing bananas - one for every week left!

    :banana: :banana: :banana:
     
  15. 03310151

    03310151 Active Member

    3 weeks? Man knuckle down and GET THAT SHIT DONE!!!!!

    Then you can enjoy yourself, your family, and hopefully some nice weather.

    KNOCK IT OUT!!!!!
     
  16. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    Stop whining and do it!
     
  17. friendorfoe

    friendorfoe Active Member

    I know how you feel. The last two courses of my MBA program at Ashford were supposed to be a "delight" since it was in the subject matter I had been passionate about (leadership). The trouble was by the time I got there I was so burnt out and overwhelmed I just didn't care anymore. College isn't about smarts, it's about getting it done...stick to it like a marathon runner who finished the race on auto pilot. By the time it's over the thrill is gone and there is just exhaustion. This is why I consider burnout to be so dangerous to students and advise frequent breaks. Maybe you just need a semester off, but whatever you do, don't walk away. You will live to regret it if you do.
     
  18. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    Thanks for that. I will not walk away because I'm so close, but you are absolutely right; the joy is gone. It will feel awesome when I post my "I'm done" thread on July 6. The joy will be back then, I'm imagine.
     
  19. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    That just make me feel all warm and fuzzy. LOL Yea, no problem getting it done. Just feeling numb. After this one is done, I'm taking the rest of the summer off from studies, so that should rejuvenate me somewhat.
     
  20. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    Just as everybody is saying, just do it. If you drop out, and later you want to have a Master degree. Then you have to start all over again. Maybe you should take your time to complete it; I don't think you need to rush it.
     

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