BootsnAll Travel Community

OK, I am in the middle of a potentially life changing dilemma - and I really need some words of advice from you guys.

It boils down to this; To travel, or not to travel. But of course it's not that simple - here's the deal:

After college I took a year out to basically have a laugh, see my time as a young lad off with a bang, and be as unstressed as possible. It worked. I had a great time, basically getting trashed most nights, working as a porter - a job so unstressful and enjoyable it's untrue, and having as much fun as poss. The gap year ended, punctuated with a two week clubbing holiday in ibiza. Perfect.

Now I'm at university, and it's here I first started seriously thinking about travel, and pretty soon it became my 'thing to do' after uni, no doubt in my mind. But I'm finding I'm just sinking into the same crappy routine here; sitting around getting high, going down town and getting drunk, doing essays, reading books, going clubbing once every term for a super special treat. It's all BS, just stress and me coping with it by getting off my t*ts at every possible moment.

I'll be honest, even doing the minimal work as I am at the moment, I can get a degree here with little sweat. It'll be stressful though, and, I'm wondering, pointless(?) We've all heard the tales of people with degrees never getting jobs, or just ending up in the same job as they were in before uni.

My question, to all willing to offer advice, is this.
Should I wait out the three years, get my degree, then go travelling. Or should I just bail now, with a little under £2k I've saved, and see the world, for as long as possible.

It's five in the morning here, and this question is what's kept me up, it's really bugging me.

hey burn_away -

i got one more year to go until i graduate uni. it would have been 3/4 of a year, but i chose to take a break next quarter to travel, seeing as how i'm not sure when i'll be able to travel after i graduate (since i might be busy working a full time job for a while to pay off loans and whatnot).

on the other hand, i would stay in school and finish the degree, while taking a quarter or two off every year to travel (just enough to satisfy my travelling-bug for a little whiel). if anything, the way i look at it is that having a more advanced degree will increase your chances of finding a job in another country and thus increasing your time abroad even more.

good luck!

Get your degree.

Even though plenty of complete dumbshits boast BA degrees, I have had to struggle to prove that I am employable. I cannot even get interviews most of the time because I only have three years of college. I know that I smarter than the average bear; it makes no difference.

The HR departments wanna see that four-year degree.

You're young and have plenty of time ahead of you. Finish your degree. Then go RTW. In the meantime, you can use your summer vacation times to do some traveling.

I felt the same way in University, but I have to agree with Joe..... Get the piece of paper and travel during your summers off.... I finished in five years and got to spend two summers in Switzerland and a summer in Germany. You can make it happen if you want it bad enough.

I agree, finish the degree... and perhaps use the time to your advantage. Maybe you can take a few courses on different places you are interested in traveling to so when you do get around to your RTW, those places will mean more to you.

I have a degree, in something supposedly useful (mechanical engineering) but I'm still having a hell of a time finding a job, but that might be because I've evaded any career path for the last 5 yrs. But, if you aren't going to get a degree, get into a trade. Plumbers, carpenters, electricians, and the likes all seem to live well around where I live!

PC

Do the degree... I'm currently in third year university, and it's a struggle. But, you say that you have three years to go? Why not go on an exchange?
If I wasn't going on an exchange this term, I don't know how I would have remained sane during the past year... but as it is, I'm heading off to university in Seoul, South Korea and am paying approximately the same as I would were I living in Halifax right now. The housing and food is cheaper, and the $1400 plane ticket will balance that out. The only thing is, I will be spending more money once I am over there, to travel and explore the country.

After I'm done university, I have no idea what I'm up to. I decided that if I took time off to travel with the intention of going back to do my degree, it would just get harder and harder.

Your routine, though, sounds the same as mine while I'm in Hali (except the getting high bit). I tried to get over that by doing a bit of exploring, things one wouldn't normally do while at school. I found out which museums had free nights when, went to talks for the community (at museums, community centres, etc.), checked out new pubs/bars that normally weren't on the student radar... I could spend an entire sunny day down on the waterfront, browsing through the expensive touristy boutiques and watching the traffic in the harbour.

getting a degree is something that will open doors for you, and I reccomend you finish.(I'm in the same boat - back in school and hating it with 2 more years to go and the travel bug itching bad)

HOWEVER...you're in Europe - there is no reason for staying home to study. Take advantage of an Erasmus program and go to Spain, or Italy or Holland or wherever you like and study there for a year. It may not be as far away as you'd like to go, but it beats the same old grind.

If it turns out that you just end up in the same situation, unmotivated and partying without a cause, maybe a volunteer program somewhere more remote during the summer would provide the motivation you need - nothing like feeling you are making a difference in someone's life to make you feel good about your own life.

By the way, what are you studying? Is part of the problem that you are simply in the wrong line of work? It's not too late to find your passion and make furniture, if that's where the problem lies.

Welcome to the boat! I did the same thing as you, except I officially took a leave of absence from the university I was attending after one semester. Granted, I hated it there, attending there was the worst decision I could have made. But with all my time off, you know what I'm doing? Taking courses at a local community college. Why? Because I want to travel. Now that doesn't make a tone of sense, but here's my explanation.
I want to be able to spend my life abroad as much as possible. I feel right at home when I'm not at home, and feel distant when I'm in my house. But no matter how I look at it, I'm going to need to get a job abroad at some point to be able to pay for more travel. In other parts of the world, a BA or if you feel like it, an MA is a ticket to work, that is if you don't care about working a dead end job teaching English to kids in Korea for a couple years at a time. While the four years of college will be the toughest, it'll pay for itself in the end by letting you go farther and longer.

Don't forget that you can always study abroad. I just posted about this in the student travel section. Some colleges let you get you Associates degree abroad, and then come back and recieve your BA when you complete your major work. You might look into something like that.

Best of luck.

I dicked around a bit before getting serious and I've always regretted it. Mind you I didn't spend my time doing anything worthy as travel, but that's beside the point.

Get your degree and then worry about travel.

Hey, cheers for the rapid responses!

I'm doing an English degree, the degree's okay I suppose, some really good bits, some not so good bits.

I think I'll be looking into travelling over the summer, and studying abroad for a year.

Nice one guys n gals! Thanks for the help!

I think the degree is important, but it doesn't mean you need to finish it now. As long as you make a promise to yourself that you'll get your degree unless something better and more lucrative (not just ending up broke on a beach in Greece, for example) comes along. I left the university for 2.5 years, and every one of my friends and family members said I wouldn't go back. I did, and I finished my degree. It helped that I was dying to go back.

If you had one more semester (or even one more year) left, I'd say stick it out. But 3 years is a hefty chunk of time. You can always go back next year and work on getting a degree you'll never use :-)

I can relate to thoughts keeping you up. I was up until 3 a.m. last night reading Work Your Way Around The World (Susan Griffith) and I could not stop thinking about leaving everything behind and seeking a life abroad, even for only 6 months. Ever since these thoughts have settled in, I find it hard to focus on anything else. If nothing else, I'm planning a trip to Asia this summer. Maybe a short trip with help curb the wanderlust. Think that might apply to you? If so, maybe you could just stick it out and take small trips during the summers to keep you from getting too antsy? Others have a good point: maybe you can study abroad for a year. It sounds like you're getting burnt out at home and you need a challenge.

Oh, and some employers react positively when you say you've taken time off to travel.

Good luck!

1)get your degree
2)make sure ALL debts are paid off
3)leave forever or until you want/need to find a job

Is there an echo in here? I guess I'll be a part of it...

Finish the degree. You'll be glad you did. Leaving school and then coming back makes it 100 times more difficult to finish. It's okay to be a college-student stoner, but not so acceptable to be a drop-out and a stoner.

You want to travel? Get hooked up with an exchange program or a study abroad trip. Do side trips to hold you over.

You'll notice a common theme among the more seasoned travelers on this board, they have their ducks lined up. They have degrees and jobs that they take advantage of to fund their travels. When they aren't traveling, they have something to fall back on to support their habit.

Study abroad was my favorite part of college. You can do exactly what you're doing now in a new, fun place

best of luck!

quote:

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Originally posted by mina olen:
Study abroad was my favorite part of college. You can do exactly what you're doing now in a new, fun place

best of luck!

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Same here! In fact, if it weren't for Study abroad, I'd be a corporate wasteland monkey. I'd never left the country before my studies, and now I'm hooked.

i'd say get yr degree (as fast as you can stand it) and then travel. plus, if you go after graduation, you'll (depending on yr fam & friends) get some graduation $$$$ which will help elongate yr trip!

I'd say get the degree too. I've been travelling and working abroad since I graduated a couple of years ago and I feel more secure with my BA under my belt, it does open doors, or at least gives you promise of opening doors.

Dave Prine: that book is my bible, every time I read it I develop a new life plan

Hey neet,

Yeah, it's a great read so far. Very inspiring, and I haven't even gotten to the meaty part yet. I hear about it everywhere, and almost figured it was over-hyped. But it really is a great resouce. Hey, if nothing else, it's galvanized me into considering a life abroad (as opposed to a short trip here and there). Something I haven't thought about in years.

Of course, being on the forum helps--talking with fellow travelers has a similar effect.