Yaaargh!

[tinabina3]

I swear to gawd, if one more person tells me what a waste of a brilliant academic mind it is for me to leave grad school, I'm gonna go ape shit.

Yes, I am bloody good at this stuff. That doesn't mean I have to do it. Unlike many academics, I am competent in the real world, too.

Goddammit.

Comments

[lady_vanhelsing]

Well no offense, but what did you expect people to say? That was the image most of us got from you was that you were an academic, a member of MENSA and that you wanted to go on with your education...So when you dropped this bomb on us without explanation...what else is there to say. Its a standard answer of shock, we didnt expect from you.
You seem to be treating us like high school peers, writing biting comments that seemed to be aimed at us when it may not be the case, but thats how we feel. As friends we would have been there for you no matter what your decision, thats what friends do, but damn, we never once questioned your abilities outside academia and to lump us in with family who may not understand your ability to do well in BOTH worlds, is just unfair.

[tinabina3]

Umm, actually, this wasn't directed at you or any of the Paleo-Nerds at all. I'm sorry if you took offense to my post, and maybe I should have specified that I was referring to people up here at Purdue who have been making almost continual comments about what a waste I am, but if anything, all of my friends and family back home (especially the Paleo-Nerds) have been wonderfully supportive of my decision to leave grad school, even when they didn't have all the information about it (which, I'm sorry, would be impossible to do over LJ) which is why I gave my profuse thanks to everyone in an earlier post

[razzle]

I think it's probably a lot like politics. The most brilliant political minds don't want to deal with the nightmare of the political scene.

Some of the best academic minds would rather put bamboo under their fingernails than deal with The Academy.

[tinabina3]

Amen, sister!

Now what The Academy really needs is some folks to come along and subert the dominant paradigm (to use academese), turning the entire Ivory Tower upside down. I think the Paleo-Nerds are probably up to that challenge, no?

[holdfastdreams]

I have been there, and it can be a mixed feeling of "what am i doing here?" and "I am here for the end product." ..sigh, it's hard. trust me, it's a pain in the ass, from what i remember. it makes it all the harder to know that there is no cushy pay check at the end of the month, which is what keeps us from quiting our jobs in frustrating times. i imagine the purduers sometimes feel threatened, bc you quiting makes them question their own decisions and insecurities ("is all this purdue sacrifice worth it, after all"). i think it's important to take a neutral and objective stance in all of this, which is what you have done all along. keep us posted in your travels so we can stay connected to our tina :D

[tinabina3]

Thank you for your continuing love and support, my dear friend. I can't tell you how much it helps to talk about all my angst with someone who understands and has been there, too! I heart you!

[holdfastdreams]

I heart you!!!