cavernio (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} cavernio) wrote,@ 2007-11-14 15:15:00 |
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plan? learning
I have no excuse for not updating, especially since I've had plenty of stuff going on in my life, lotsa ideas floating around in my head, and for at least a few months, tons of time.
As many people know now, I've begun another undergraduate degree, this time in Computer Science. It was a very spur-of-the-momeny decision, (I barely made the deadline) encited by my lack of a) a job (I quit the co-op job. It was driving me nuts, and also paid a pittance) b) available jobs that I actually wanted and c) thoughts about the glamourous job of becoming a prof.
So, I had basically decided that I needed to go back to school, but I didn't have an idea as to a degree. CS seemed the most practical one, where I could easily get a decent job I'd likely like, that would also give me some useful skills/knowledge for cognitive psychology, if I so chose to go down that path.
So here I am, exams a couple weeks away, me feeling stressed and overworked, yet ultimately happy with my decision.
That said, I recently had a proposal from Prof. Voyer, the professor who hired me on some grant money to help him with research, that I apply to do a PhD with him. He also said I might have problems getting into the program because of my low GPA for my psyc degree, which is the only reason I've not applied here or elsewhere for a masters, but I've so far gotten excellent grades this term, so maybe they'll help. But, he ultimately wanted me as a student.
Part of me thinks I'm stupid to not jump on this. Another part of me thinks that through my CS degree, I may want to get into a slightly different field of research, one which ultimately seems like it'd more useful/productive. (There's so much guesswork and theory, and so little concrete support for anything in psychology, even cognitive psychology.) When I mentioned my plans to fully finish my CS degree, Voyer mentioned something about cognitive psychologists with CS degrees currently being in high demand, and he said something about him never being able to get who he wants to work with him.
On a slight downside, it looks like the funding that's paying me won't be renewed for next year, so I'll be out of a job. However, I was thinking it'd be hard to juggle 15 hrs/week of (sometimes) very brain-intensive work on top of a full set of 2nd and 3rd year courses. I also might be able to be a TA or something in the CS dept.
Deadlines for applications for the PhD are looming for next fall right now. Plus I'd have to write GRE's (why is it that anyone I know who's been to grad school didn't have to write these things?? Stupid psychologists.)
Onto other news, I'm moving out of my parents house in the next couple of days. I was going to hold out until after christmas, but not anymore. I think I detest my parents 90% of the time. I'd like to say that moving out will cool things down for me, but I'm not sure it will. I've begun holding grudges ever since highschool against each of them for various reasons. They're utterly dumbfounded by this, and its clear that whenever I explain why, they just think I'm overly emotional, am on the 'wrong' side of an argument, am being childish, am acting crazy, etc. In any case, I don't mean to rant about this.
My new home for at least the next month or so is the same house Aiden lives in. I'm renting a room on the top floor that has 2 cats and hopefully no fleas.
I have no excuse for not updating, especially since I've had plenty of stuff going on in my life, lotsa ideas floating around in my head, and for at least a few months, tons of time.
As many people know now, I've begun another undergraduate degree, this time in Computer Science. It was a very spur-of-the-momeny decision, (I barely made the deadline) encited by my lack of a) a job (I quit the co-op job. It was driving me nuts, and also paid a pittance) b) available jobs that I actually wanted and c) thoughts about the glamourous job of becoming a prof.
So, I had basically decided that I needed to go back to school, but I didn't have an idea as to a degree. CS seemed the most practical one, where I could easily get a decent job I'd likely like, that would also give me some useful skills/knowledge for cognitive psychology, if I so chose to go down that path.
So here I am, exams a couple weeks away, me feeling stressed and overworked, yet ultimately happy with my decision.
That said, I recently had a proposal from Prof. Voyer, the professor who hired me on some grant money to help him with research, that I apply to do a PhD with him. He also said I might have problems getting into the program because of my low GPA for my psyc degree, which is the only reason I've not applied here or elsewhere for a masters, but I've so far gotten excellent grades this term, so maybe they'll help. But, he ultimately wanted me as a student.
Part of me thinks I'm stupid to not jump on this. Another part of me thinks that through my CS degree, I may want to get into a slightly different field of research, one which ultimately seems like it'd more useful/productive. (There's so much guesswork and theory, and so little concrete support for anything in psychology, even cognitive psychology.) When I mentioned my plans to fully finish my CS degree, Voyer mentioned something about cognitive psychologists with CS degrees currently being in high demand, and he said something about him never being able to get who he wants to work with him.
On a slight downside, it looks like the funding that's paying me won't be renewed for next year, so I'll be out of a job. However, I was thinking it'd be hard to juggle 15 hrs/week of (sometimes) very brain-intensive work on top of a full set of 2nd and 3rd year courses. I also might be able to be a TA or something in the CS dept.
Deadlines for applications for the PhD are looming for next fall right now. Plus I'd have to write GRE's (why is it that anyone I know who's been to grad school didn't have to write these things?? Stupid psychologists.)
Onto other news, I'm moving out of my parents house in the next couple of days. I was going to hold out until after christmas, but not anymore. I think I detest my parents 90% of the time. I'd like to say that moving out will cool things down for me, but I'm not sure it will. I've begun holding grudges ever since highschool against each of them for various reasons. They're utterly dumbfounded by this, and its clear that whenever I explain why, they just think I'm overly emotional, am on the 'wrong' side of an argument, am being childish, am acting crazy, etc. In any case, I don't mean to rant about this.
My new home for at least the next month or so is the same house Aiden lives in. I'm renting a room on the top floor that has 2 cats and hopefully no fleas.
