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lila ([personal profile] lilamp) wrote2003-09-10 12:38 pm
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damn you grad school people

being back at a dayjob plus knowing so many people starting grad school is making me wistful about school again... except i already kind of tried that and decided i couldn't hack it now. although it wasn't until i was required to do actual work involving original thought that i started having trouble. what i really want to do is just be an eternal college freshman. two years ago when i was doing the sortofschoolthing i so loved just sitting outside in the sun at the library doing my portuguese homework and my linguistics reading. i didn't even really mind the syntax problem sets. i love just reading and learning stuff and doing silly busywork homework. my ideal life would be as a dilettante, taking intro level courses in everything and learning lots of languages and traveling half the year. is that so much to ask for? why can't someone make me magically independently wealthy...
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[identity profile] censorydep.livejournal.com 2003-09-10 07:51 pm (UTC)(link)
I have always said that if I ever won the lotto, I would probably become a perpetual student, studying a little bit of this and a little bit of that for the rest of my life. I can totally empathize!

[identity profile] jilflirt.livejournal.com 2003-09-10 11:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah yes, the life of the Victorian upper-middle class lady. I always aspired to that, myself. Accomplishments for no particular reason except they are creative or interesting. Nothing to do with making money...

However, I've discovered there is something to be said for learning to deal with the daily grind, too. It makes you stronger or something.

[identity profile] mersh.livejournal.com 2003-09-11 02:48 am (UTC)(link)
werd to that.

three cheers for dilettantism!

or as I like to euphemistically refer to it, "being a renaissance person"

[identity profile] pfloide.livejournal.com 2003-09-11 05:31 am (UTC)(link)
Sorry.

If it's any consolation, I find doing grad school can get ennervating for exactly the same reason: I want to learn a BUNCH of stuff, in LOTS of areas, and I just don't have time.

Reminds me of the John Brunner novel "Stand on Zanzibar", where the one character is a professional paid dilettante who's also a reservist spy: "We'll pay you to learn whatever you want, so long as you learn to speak THIS language, and a certain amount about THAT."

If anyone offers you such a job, however, turn it down immediately.
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