did you go to college? before/during/after wts? what is your profession?

by nowisee 40 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  95stormfront

  Well I realized that if I waited on "the sock puppet" any longer that my life was going to go absolutely nowhere.

  When I decided that I was going back to school my JW wife had a hissy fit, screaming, slamming doors, invoking the name of their sock puppet god, telling me that my decision was a total waste of time. I ignored her and went anyway. When I started to no longer respond to her efforts to stop me I started getting elder visits, coming over my house a pair at a time every other weekend telling me that I was wasting my time and that that time would be better spent in the field "so close to the end". Basically, all of them including my wife, spraying me with liquid guilt for not pursueing "theocratic activities". It was tough, but I held my ground. One elder even implied that I'd never make any more money than what I was making at the time.

  Graduated and got a job in the computer feild. Currently working in the IT department of a educational institution responsible for network connectivity between a handful of buildings with some 3000 nodes. In the years since I've graduated, I've quadrupled my income and the naysaying wife enjoys the freedom of not having to work.

  And yes....I throw it all up in her and her JW relatives faces every chance I get.

  People talk about the best revenge is living well and happy without them..... The elders once dropped by my house one day when I was slipping into my new two seater sports car on my way to a new hobby that I finally had the money for...flying. When I sheepishly told them where I was going and how well my job and life was going they both were green with envy. You could see it all over their faces.
• 

  larc

  After high school, I worked a year and saved as much money as I could. My JW friends were buying nice cars, which I thought was a bad use of money. At the end of the first year out of high school, I talked my JW mother in letting me go to college. I paid my tuition and books. My parents stopped charging me room and board, which they had done as soon as I started to work. I majored in chemistry. As someone wrote, technical areas are more palitable to the JWs, if you go to college. When I told my friends of my decision, they said Armageddon would come before I would graduate. My former friends are grand parents now. After two years of college, I had serious doubts about the religion, so I pioneered to counteract these doubts. Of course that didn't work and a year and half later I went back to college part time, while working full time. I switched my major to psychology, and many years later I obtained a PhD in Organizational Psychology, with a minor in Clinical Psych. I am now retired. My last job of 16 years was as a college professor. Before that I was the Director of Training and Education in the manufacturing division of a major corporation.
• 

  Francois

  BLONDIE BABY! I knew we were kindred spirits! I went to journalism school during my incarceration as a JW. I have a B.S. Journalism, and I've been employed in some form of communication ever since - that would be just over thirty years.

  Since you asked (yuk, yuk), may I offer you a smidgen of advice? If you want to maximize the amount of money you can make as a journalist, put your emphasis on technical writing. That's where you will make the most money the fastest. It takes forever to work your way up the ladder in news type journalism.

  To give you an example. A person with a degree in journalism and no experience who wanted to get into technical writing could likely look forward to hiring on somewhere in the high twenties or low thirties. After five years of progressively more complex technical writing, you could switch to contract technical writing and expect to begin at around thirty dollars an hour (that's just over $60,000.00 a year). I was a contract technical writer in Atlanta from 1985 until 2002. My highest rate during that period was $52.00 an hour. The drawback to contract technical writing is that you have to pay your own benefits, and health insurance is pretty steep, unless you can find an organization where you can be part of a group policy. Also, you must pay all your social security "contribution"

  However, if you incorporate as a subchapter S corporation, you can pay yourself a reasonable amount, say $24,000.00 a year, pay social securitiy on that amount, and other expenses based on that annual income. Then you pay yourself the balance as distribution of profits to the company owners (you) and be taxed at a completely different rate, and NO social security payments are due on distribution of profits.

  A caveat. Right now in this economy, technical writing - and all other forms of employment - is a tough area to get employment. But that's true across the board. You should always have something else simmering on the back burner. Something like writing books, magazine articles, short stories, etc. Anything to enhance your income in case the bottom falls out of the economy like it has now. High tech is not a pretty place right now, but who's to say it will be in that shape by the time you graduate? And you can always go to your local paper with a bunch of human interest feature-type stories you've already written and show them what you can do. Don't just show up with no examples, whether they've been published or not.

  I would be very happy to do a "brain dump" on what I know about the field of journalism. Just write to me at [email protected], and I'll help you out as much as I can.

  francois
• 

  asleif_dufansdottir

  Hubby and I both went to college after. Both graduated (He summa cum laude w/ 4.0) this past year. Both going to grad school this fall for PhDs.
• 

  termite 35

  Hi Nowisee;

  I had a place to study Art at college when I left school; but could'nt take it as I had to look after my mother.

  I worked in a bank for a long time ( but nearly died of boredom ) and then later as a gardener and garden designer which is fantastic, though I always painted and exhibited.

  I finally went back to college when I realised Armageddon was'nt coming and I the elders stopped breathing down my neck and am now studying for my Art degree in Fine Art/ Sculpure.

  I'm still gardening and designing when im not at college and love both parts to my week.

  We also have a business renovating listed buildings , which we squeeze in at weekends. I hate to be bored.

  Life is great when you're out as you can finally realise all your goals .

  I wonder how many witnesses would love to get stuck into something worthwhile but are held back because of the attitude of the society.

  I remember being told only 2 years ago by the woman I studied with that it was'nt important that her daughter went into the 6th form or went on to higher education as she was a GIRL and would probably get married and that it was her husbands duty to support her She was very scathing at my reaction and that was the turning point for me as I had never actually heard anyone in the society dismiss education on the grounds of sex before and did'nt realise how many thought that way.

  what was the situation with you and college etc?
• 

  Carmel

  Every month or so someone asks the same question...why do you want to know and what will you do with the info? If you're writing a book or doing research, can I have a copy? If not leave me out of the statistical data...

  thanks...

  Professor Carmel
• 

  Mystery

  I think they ask the question because all of us havent been here as long as others. I am sure a lot of questions are re-ask due to new x-JW's finding the site. I hope I am free to ask any quesiton I want. I have only been here about 3 weeks and I am sure I will ask a question that has already been ask.
  
  Personally I went to college after fading. I have a degree in Laser Electro Optic & Bio-Medical Instrumentation specializing in Laser Technology. I also obtained by BS in Business. I began my own business in August. I will see if I have what it takes to make it.
• 

  Kenneson

  I attended a Catholic college after I left JW's.; have a B.A. in history. Since 1989 I have managed a Soup Kitchen (occupies my mornings). In the afternoons (as a diversion), for the past 10 years, I have been a volunteer researcher at the State Library. I create files on anything pertaining to Tallahassee and Leon County, Florida. Some of my information has been catalogued as reference works.
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  nowisee

  thanks for defending me, mystery. oh, this has already happened to me before, i seem to bring up subjects that have already been covered in the past. well i have been here only a month.

  dear prof. carmel -- no i'm not doing a book and i will do nothing in particular with the information. i am simply curious. in the short time i have been here i have just been so impressed with the intelligence and in depth thought of some of the posters, my curiosity got the better of me. it also seems that people like to answer these questions about themselves - i know i enjoy it when someone shows an interest in me.

  unfortunately i did not go to college. sometimes it is intimidating for one like me who has not had formal education to interact with those who have. it is hard not to feel inferior and at somewhat of a disadvantage.

  i grew up a child of 2 jw parents who both had come through the depression - not poverty stricken, but by no means well off. my father was sexist - told me that girls didn't need an education, that i would get married and have babies and that was that. my religion told me that higher education would corrupt my mind and pull me away from god and lead to my destruction, and that was that.

  so i did marry very young and we pioneered, living on very little money. when i finally found the will to leave my husband and jws it was all i could do to support myself - i had no savings and no support from any other source but myself. keeping my life together was my full-time occupation.

  when i miraculously found the will and the means l2 years later to attend a trade school i had no support from anywhere. well anyway, i don't want a pity party.....many posters here have endured much more than i have. suffice it to say that it is a large regret that i did not go to college.

  in the last few days some other posters on the forum have implied that some of my comments have been idiotic and moronic. as i write this im tearing up - i suppose this question sprang from my own feelings of inferiority. does that give you your answer?
• 

  jimbob

  This has always been my sore spot being a JayDubb. I could never go to college because this system is ending, so why bother. Now that I'm out, I've gotten my associate's degree, and I start on my bachelor's this fall. I just got hired by a great financial institution because of my schooling, and they will help with any further tuition. So I'm pretty excited right now. Meantime, the rest of my family and in-laws that are still in JDubbya world, are still struggling because of no education......of course they continue to say it's Satan testing them for being faithful........ Go figure!