It would seem silly for anyone here to recommend playing MMOs, but I will put some light towards something you may not have thought about. Having nothing in common with your co-workers has to do a lot with having a non-technical position (no offense), every social interaction is dropped down to the lowest common denominator (I eat and drink too, we have so much in common!!!).
Going to college was one of the greatest socially beneficial experiences in my life, I finally found people who shared interests with me and that I could talk to about those topics seriously, something I had not had my entire life. And I think you may find the same, that the community you miss online does exist in the real world, and its an exciting possibility that there are similar thinking individuals out there who have common interests, but often it takes going to a central establishment like college to find those people.
The downside of finding these people was that they often reinforced my own video gaming tendencies, so after 2 years of college I was back to playing MMOs and my grades suffered. I eventually finished, and now have an awesome job, but more importantly I found some friends for life. Wish I had paid more attention in school, but maybe being more mature as you are now you can hold strong!!!
"They essentially want to say 'Correlation proves Causation' when it's just not true." - Sovrath
I love how everyone is telling you to go to college while not even asking what you want to go to college for. Most people fail to leave out once you finish with most degrees you end up stuck in some cubicle getting paid crap. With tons of debt that makes you poor for years to come. Every single friend I have owes a ton of money anywhere from 20k-80k and does not even work in the field of their degree. One of my friends didn't even finish his degree, walked on stage for his family and never went back. He has been one class away from having his degree for 2 years. Never bother to finish because the degree is worthless (as far as his work goes). He got a high paying job without it just based on skills. People will tell you this is rare but it is not.
So the first thing first is figure out what degree you want and will you be able to deal with whatever debt you end up stuck with. This is forever debt. Good news is that you are over 24 so college can be close to free. But you might not be able to work so you will have to take loans to live. Go to your community college and ask what money you can get. BTW you wont be able to go directly to a university because you only have a GED. Or highly unlikely..Oh and stay the hell away from ITT tech and U of P...
Also, don't be pressured by people to live a certain way. Live a way that makes you happy. America kinda forces this mold on people and if you don't meet it then you are a loser. Don't fall for that.. If a simple low income life with work on the side makes you happy then that is great!! People really need to drop the notion that one needs to suffer to live. It is silly.. I suggest you listen to Allan watts on the subject of work. Especially in a modern society.
The thing is, I'm 25 years old now, and I really want to go to college, but I know there's little chance of being able to work 35+ hours a week, attend college, AND play an MMO.
Should I accept that MMO's are a part of me and it's worth sacrificing other opportunities for? Should I try and balance all three? Or maybe I'm just scared of going to school and using MMO's as a crutch to attempt to get out of it for the time being?
If you were my son I'd tell you that you are 25, you might think you know the world but you don't and that throwing away schooling that could make your life a far more interesting and enriching experience for video games is not a good answer.
You say you did't have a social life because you were home schooled. I get that. But maybe it's time you started learning how to be social instead of just saying "well, this is the way it is and there is nothing that can be done about it".
I used to be incredibly shy, couldn't speak in a group of strangers. I changed that. Theater helped me a lot, I made friends and it gave me something larger to focus on. It let me be "me" in a social setting with like minded individuals and I became an extrovert (though some would say omnivert).
MMO's are always going to be there in one form or another. But life needs to be lived in the moment and there are so many amazing things that trump video games when taken in the "right light" that you should go out there and find which of those things are going to "light your light".
And heck, maybe you should study video game development if you are of that bent.
Don't be scared of college. It's an amazing experience provided you set yourself up with a major you like and a school that fits who you are.
edit: or look at the trades. They make good money, everyone I know in a trade has retired early and they are good honest work. Just find something that engages "you".
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
I managed to juggle gaming, social life, 35 hours of work and 40 hours of university back when I was studying. If it gets too much for you just ditch the gaming. You don't need to spend 30 hours a week playing to enjoy a MMO.
Being realistic here, you are just going to be sacrificing some TV / movie downtime. Not anything else. If you are sacrificing things other than leisure then yeah, you have a problem.
An MMORPG can give you pleasure, which by nature is short term...A challenging career will provide you happiness, which by nature is long term. My problem and I suspect many others, don't have the strength to make the sacrifices/compromises to ignore the "pleasure" for the gain of "happiness".
You can play MMO's casually and still have fun without sacrificing anything. I've been doing it for a long time. I have a wife, a kid, two cats, a job, and I have a lot of other hobbies I participate in. I played MMO's (FFXI) when I was in military training, and they don't give you a ton of free time. You just gotta learn to manage your time. Make sure you take care of everything that is a priority first, like your studies, then spend a little time doing something you enjoy. Some days you may not get to play at all. Some days you may get a couple hours, but at least you'll still get to do something you really enjoy.
Don't know where you're going to school, but there's usually tons of opportunities to meet fellow geeks. Meet-ups, tech talks, local tournies, arcades, etc. Just get out there and find people who share your passion. It's important.
Common sense would dictate no. If you're struggling against this mentally, that alone should be a clue.
"The simple is the seal of the true and beauty is the splendor of truth" -Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar Authored 139 missions in VendettaOnline and 6 tracks in Distance
On that note you sound like you have made some very grown up decisions on you life path. I commend you for that it can be hard to do. As a parent of two teens just out of High school I see that struggle with what to do with your life every day.
Like I tell my two, you need to be happy and listen to what you want, don't follow someone else and have the balls to make a change in your life. Nothing worse than regret.
If you can manage the money there is nothing wrong with keeping an MMO up and going for your down times and holidays etc... If it starts to keep you from real life though step back and think.
Moderation my friend, Moderation.
Good luck with your future and may the gaming gods look kindly on you.
I appreciate the replies guys, and you helped me make up my mind.
I know what's best for me, and I know I need to go to school. As much as I long for the times of being 17 and carefree on my games, I'm not 17 anymore and the guilt alone would kill me if I trade off college for MMO's. If I could freeze time and not age for another five years, I would probably play like a mad man for a year or two and join a guild, RP, PvP, raid.. But it's not worth the trade off, or time invested in the end.
In reality, I PvP'ed, did dungeons, and enough grinding to last a life time. The only thing I really regret is I never got to RP more. It was the one activity I never did much. Perhaps I'll just find a forum or some such so I can finally give it go without time sink of the MMO's them selves.
Again, thanks guys. If even other MMO's are telling me that they don't think it's worth it, then I know it's time to move on. As much as I love MMO's, I know I'll kick myself so hard when I'm in my 30's if I'm still stuck in a retail job because I chose a MMOing over education. I'll play my single player games here and there which I can moderate when I get the gaming itch, but I think I'm closing the MMO chapter at least until I'm done with school if not for good.
Guess I won't be coming to these forums much anymore.
Take care all.
Corden, just one point that I think is important ...
You don't have to make your life something that you hate. There is a difference between looking at the span of your life and knowing that some sort of career/job/vocation is important, knowing that you need to pay for living expenses, health costs, retirement, etc and fitting your life into a mold that you don't want such as "having to have a family" or having to make 6 figures at a job you despise" or "having to live in an area you really hate.
I had a teacher once tell me "don't let knowledge create ghosts in your closet". He said this becasue I was concerned that delving too deeply into a subject's "nitty gritty" would take the "magic out of it, the mystery out of it". And he was right, the more I knew the more free I was.
Figure out how to be happy and self sufficient but don't fit your life into someone else's idea of life.
If a trade is what you need then do a trade. If you reeeeaaaaalllly feel compelled to get that Ph.D. then do it but don't do it because you feel that it's the only way. It's not.
Be realistic about your school debt. If you get a degree that will set you back hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars and that degree is "history" and you plan on being a school teacher then maybe a different school might be in order.
It sucks having loads of debt, working your ass off and then turning over the majority of your paycheck to the loan collectors without making a dent in that debt.
Do your research. It's ok to start at a smaller school that won't saddle you with debt and if you want to branch out then do that with your masters or beyond. Or don't do that at all.
See the life you want and make that life happen. Work backwards from the end result and create your plan in that manner.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
Well you could do what i did, but i do not advise it.
I was an avid DAoC player, but i lived on my own and went to community college (took transfer courses with intention of going to a 4 year). I had to work to survive, but i worked with my friends and got into the whole fast food, apartment dweller lifestyle and kinda forgot i had college.
Couple of years later i got my GF knocked up and i was saddled with a kid approaching. My best friend was kind of in the same boat but he could not handle the situation. On my 21st birthday he commited suicide, left me a long recording (yes on tape) explaining how he could not handle the life he chose to live.
Was one of the worst days of my life.
I slipped into a deep depression, and tried to find solace in MMO's. i tried to lose my self in anonymity of an online universe, in the process i walled myself off from my girlfriend who was now 8 months pregnant.
1 month later my son is born, it was amazing how my perspective on this world changed. My Girlfriend told me to get my shit together or get out of her life so she could find someone else to raise her son with. I could have gone deeper into depression, and i am sure others might have, but it was my wake-up call.
I got a job at Wally world, moved my way up to head of loss prevention, and helped my wife finish college.
While taking care of my kid there were moments where i went back to my one and only hobby, MMO's and in this community i found others who experienced simmilar things. But i learned that i had to keep things in perspective, i used a timer and made a point to only play for certain set times.
I am happily married, i have 2 kids, i live in Barrow Alaska (don't ask its an even longer story), and i play MMO's to pass the time while my wife does her grading and my kids talk on there phones.
MMO's will be apart of my life now, i enjoy the friends i make in them, and i like the gameplay in most. OP, i think you just need to find that balance in your life, completely not doing one or the other will make you unhappy either way you choose it, try to find that special balance between the 2 and stick with it, in the end you will be happier if you made it work.
TLDR: My life sucked for a bit then got better, but i played MMO's for a good portion of it and don't regret it.
I appreciate the replies guys, and you helped me make up my mind.
I know what's best for me, and I know I need to go to school. As much as I long for the times of being 17 and carefree on my games, I'm not 17 anymore and the guilt alone would kill me if I trade off college for MMO's. If I could freeze time and not age for another five years, I would probably play like a mad man for a year or two and join a guild, RP, PvP, raid.. But it's not worth the trade off, or time invested in the end.
In reality, I PvP'ed, did dungeons, and enough grinding to last a life time. The only thing I really regret is I never got to RP more. It was the one activity I never did much. Perhaps I'll just find a forum or some such so I can finally give it go without time sink of the MMO's them selves.
Again, thanks guys. If even other MMO's are telling me that they don't think it's worth it, then I know it's time to move on. As much as I love MMO's, I know I'll kick myself so hard when I'm in my 30's if I'm still stuck in a retail job because I chose a MMOing over education. I'll play my single player games here and there which I can moderate when I get the gaming itch, but I think I'm closing the MMO chapter at least until I'm done with school if not for good.
Guess I won't be coming to these forums much anymore.
Take care all.
Corden, just one point that I think is important ...
You don't have to make your life something that you hate. There is a difference between looking at the span of your life and knowing that some sort of career/job/vocation is important, knowing that you need to pay for living expenses, health costs, retirement, etc and fitting your life into a mold that you don't want such as "having to have a family" or having to make 6 figures at a job you despise" or "having to live in an area you really hate.
I had a teacher once tell me "don't let knowledge create ghosts in your closet". He said this becasue I was concerned that delving too deeply into a subject's "nitty gritty" would take the "magic out of it, the mystery out of it". And he was right, the more I knew the more free I was.
Figure out how to be happy and self sufficient but don't fit your life into someone else's idea of life.
If a trade is what you need then do a trade. If you reeeeaaaaalllly feel compelled to get that Ph.D. then do it but don't do it because you feel that it's the only way. It's not.
Be realistic about your school debt. If you get a degree that will set you back hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars and that degree is "history" and you plan on being a school teacher then maybe a different school might be in order.
It sucks having loads of debt, working your ass off and then turning over the majority of your paycheck to the loan collectors without making a dent in that debt.
Do your research. It's ok to start at a smaller school that won't saddle you with debt and if you want to branch out then do that with your masters or beyond. Or don't do that at all.
See the life you want and make that life happen. Work backwards from the end result and create your plan in that manner.
Awesome advice.. Too many people were just blindly telling him to go to college just because everyone is doing it.
Awesome advice.. Too many people were just blindly telling him to go to college just because everyone is doing it.
While that is so, there are few careers that do not require a college degree.
Plus, going to college is not "blind" .. you have free choices of what to do there. In fact, i would also argue that college is a great, fun experience for many (at least for me).
Video game experiences are very narrow, compared to what you can do in college, assuming you have the will to explore.
Awesome advice.. Too many people were just blindly telling him to go to college just because everyone is doing it.
While that is so, there are few careers that do not require a college degree.
Plus, going to college is not "blind" .. you have free choices of what to do there. In fact, i would also argue that college is a great, fun experience for many (at least for me).
Video game experiences are very narrow, compared to what you can do in college, assuming you have the will to explore.
All I got from college was a lot of fun, a degree in a field I've never worked in, and a metric shit-ton of debt that took me a long time to pay off. I got way, way more out of 4 years in the military than I did with 4 years in college. College felt like a less annoying, slightly upgraded version of high school to me. Education in the traditional sense just isn't for everybody.
Awesome advice.. Too many people were just blindly telling him to go to college just because everyone is doing it.
While that is so, there are few careers that do not require a college degree.
Plus, going to college is not "blind" .. you have free choices of what to do there. In fact, i would also argue that college is a great, fun experience for many (at least for me).
Video game experiences are very narrow, compared to what you can do in college, assuming you have the will to explore.
There are a few people who don't need college. They just make things happen. But they are a small group.
Other that I am a strong believer in:
college
trade
your own business
no particular order of importance, just depends on who you are.
I know people who have not gone to college and ended up making their own business. usually started small they were smart, hired people, reinvested their money and made it happen/
I know one friend who is wildly successful in his field and he accidentally fell into making his own business. He has his college degree but not in what his business is. he was then hired as a professor and eventually headed the department in the college he was attending becasue he was so good at his business and ended up getting a lot of real world experience. He now heads another department at a major college. he still has his degree but his business brought him to his career.
If one has no idea, "some" sort of college education is better than no college education as most companies won't even look at your resume without that piece of paper.
Unless of course what you offer is a skill where you have shown great success. I know some programmers like this. My roommate is a computer help desk person at a major college and he fell into it by accident. His major was something completely different and he makes an excellent salary.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
Comments
It would seem silly for anyone here to recommend playing MMOs, but I will put some light towards something you may not have thought about. Having nothing in common with your co-workers has to do a lot with having a non-technical position (no offense), every social interaction is dropped down to the lowest common denominator (I eat and drink too, we have so much in common!!!).
Going to college was one of the greatest socially beneficial experiences in my life, I finally found people who shared interests with me and that I could talk to about those topics seriously, something I had not had my entire life. And I think you may find the same, that the community you miss online does exist in the real world, and its an exciting possibility that there are similar thinking individuals out there who have common interests, but often it takes going to a central establishment like college to find those people.
The downside of finding these people was that they often reinforced my own video gaming tendencies, so after 2 years of college I was back to playing MMOs and my grades suffered. I eventually finished, and now have an awesome job, but more importantly I found some friends for life. Wish I had paid more attention in school, but maybe being more mature as you are now you can hold strong!!!
"They essentially want to say 'Correlation proves Causation' when it's just not true." - Sovrath
I love how everyone is telling you to go to college while not even asking what you want to go to college for. Most people fail to leave out once you finish with most degrees you end up stuck in some cubicle getting paid crap. With tons of debt that makes you poor for years to come. Every single friend I have owes a ton of money anywhere from 20k-80k and does not even work in the field of their degree. One of my friends didn't even finish his degree, walked on stage for his family and never went back. He has been one class away from having his degree for 2 years. Never bother to finish because the degree is worthless (as far as his work goes). He got a high paying job without it just based on skills. People will tell you this is rare but it is not.
So the first thing first is figure out what degree you want and will you be able to deal with whatever debt you end up stuck with. This is forever debt. Good news is that you are over 24 so college can be close to free. But you might not be able to work so you will have to take loans to live. Go to your community college and ask what money you can get. BTW you wont be able to go directly to a university because you only have a GED. Or highly unlikely..Oh and stay the hell away from ITT tech and U of P...
Also, don't be pressured by people to live a certain way. Live a way that makes you happy. America kinda forces this mold on people and if you don't meet it then you are a loser. Don't fall for that.. If a simple low income life with work on the side makes you happy then that is great!! People really need to drop the notion that one needs to suffer to live. It is silly.. I suggest you listen to Allan watts on the subject of work. Especially in a modern society.
If you were my son I'd tell you that you are 25, you might think you know the world but you don't and that throwing away schooling that could make your life a far more interesting and enriching experience for video games is not a good answer.
You say you did't have a social life because you were home schooled. I get that. But maybe it's time you started learning how to be social instead of just saying "well, this is the way it is and there is nothing that can be done about it".
I used to be incredibly shy, couldn't speak in a group of strangers. I changed that. Theater helped me a lot, I made friends and it gave me something larger to focus on. It let me be "me" in a social setting with like minded individuals and I became an extrovert (though some would say omnivert).
MMO's are always going to be there in one form or another. But life needs to be lived in the moment and there are so many amazing things that trump video games when taken in the "right light" that you should go out there and find which of those things are going to "light your light".
And heck, maybe you should study video game development if you are of that bent.
Don't be scared of college. It's an amazing experience provided you set yourself up with a major you like and a school that fits who you are.
edit: or look at the trades. They make good money, everyone I know in a trade has retired early and they are good honest work. Just find something that engages "you".
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
I managed to juggle gaming, social life, 35 hours of work and 40 hours of university back when I was studying. If it gets too much for you just ditch the gaming. You don't need to spend 30 hours a week playing to enjoy a MMO.
Being realistic here, you are just going to be sacrificing some TV / movie downtime. Not anything else. If you are sacrificing things other than leisure then yeah, you have a problem.
You can play MMO's casually and still have fun without sacrificing anything. I've been doing it for a long time. I have a wife, a kid, two cats, a job, and I have a lot of other hobbies I participate in. I played MMO's (FFXI) when I was in military training, and they don't give you a ton of free time. You just gotta learn to manage your time. Make sure you take care of everything that is a priority first, like your studies, then spend a little time doing something you enjoy. Some days you may not get to play at all. Some days you may get a couple hours, but at least you'll still get to do something you really enjoy.
Don't know where you're going to school, but there's usually tons of opportunities to meet fellow geeks. Meet-ups, tech talks, local tournies, arcades, etc. Just get out there and find people who share your passion. It's important.
"The simple is the seal of the true and beauty is the splendor of truth" -Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
Authored 139 missions in Vendetta Online and 6 tracks in Distance
You need to do what makes you feel happy.
On that note you sound like you have made some very grown up decisions on you life path. I commend you for that it can be hard to do. As a parent of two teens just out of High school I see that struggle with what to do with your life every day.
Like I tell my two, you need to be happy and listen to what you want, don't follow someone else and have the balls to make a change in your life. Nothing worse than regret.
If you can manage the money there is nothing wrong with keeping an MMO up and going for your down times and holidays etc... If it starts to keep you from real life though step back and think.
Moderation my friend, Moderation.
Good luck with your future and may the gaming gods look kindly on you.
Mouley
Corden, just one point that I think is important ...
You don't have to make your life something that you hate. There is a difference between looking at the span of your life and knowing that some sort of career/job/vocation is important, knowing that you need to pay for living expenses, health costs, retirement, etc and fitting your life into a mold that you don't want such as "having to have a family" or having to make 6 figures at a job you despise" or "having to live in an area you really hate.
I had a teacher once tell me "don't let knowledge create ghosts in your closet". He said this becasue I was concerned that delving too deeply into a subject's "nitty gritty" would take the "magic out of it, the mystery out of it". And he was right, the more I knew the more free I was.
Figure out how to be happy and self sufficient but don't fit your life into someone else's idea of life.
If a trade is what you need then do a trade. If you reeeeaaaaalllly feel compelled to get that Ph.D. then do it but don't do it because you feel that it's the only way. It's not.
Be realistic about your school debt. If you get a degree that will set you back hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars and that degree is "history" and you plan on being a school teacher then maybe a different school might be in order.
It sucks having loads of debt, working your ass off and then turning over the majority of your paycheck to the loan collectors without making a dent in that debt.
Do your research. It's ok to start at a smaller school that won't saddle you with debt and if you want to branch out then do that with your masters or beyond. Or don't do that at all.
See the life you want and make that life happen. Work backwards from the end result and create your plan in that manner.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
Heh,
Well you could do what i did, but i do not advise it.
I was an avid DAoC player, but i lived on my own and went to community college (took transfer courses with intention of going to a 4 year). I had to work to survive, but i worked with my friends and got into the whole fast food, apartment dweller lifestyle and kinda forgot i had college.
Couple of years later i got my GF knocked up and i was saddled with a kid approaching. My best friend was kind of in the same boat but he could not handle the situation. On my 21st birthday he commited suicide, left me a long recording (yes on tape) explaining how he could not handle the life he chose to live.
Was one of the worst days of my life.
I slipped into a deep depression, and tried to find solace in MMO's. i tried to lose my self in anonymity of an online universe, in the process i walled myself off from my girlfriend who was now 8 months pregnant.
1 month later my son is born, it was amazing how my perspective on this world changed. My Girlfriend told me to get my shit together or get out of her life so she could find someone else to raise her son with. I could have gone deeper into depression, and i am sure others might have, but it was my wake-up call.
I got a job at Wally world, moved my way up to head of loss prevention, and helped my wife finish college.
While taking care of my kid there were moments where i went back to my one and only hobby, MMO's and in this community i found others who experienced simmilar things. But i learned that i had to keep things in perspective, i used a timer and made a point to only play for certain set times.
I am happily married, i have 2 kids, i live in Barrow Alaska (don't ask its an even longer story), and i play MMO's to pass the time while my wife does her grading and my kids talk on there phones.
MMO's will be apart of my life now, i enjoy the friends i make in them, and i like the gameplay in most. OP, i think you just need to find that balance in your life, completely not doing one or the other will make you unhappy either way you choose it, try to find that special balance between the 2 and stick with it, in the end you will be happier if you made it work.
TLDR: My life sucked for a bit then got better, but i played MMO's for a good portion of it and don't regret it.
Lolipops !
Awesome advice.. Too many people were just blindly telling him to go to college just because everyone is doing it.
While that is so, there are few careers that do not require a college degree.
Plus, going to college is not "blind" .. you have free choices of what to do there. In fact, i would also argue that college is a great, fun experience for many (at least for me).
Video game experiences are very narrow, compared to what you can do in college, assuming you have the will to explore.
All I got from college was a lot of fun, a degree in a field I've never worked in, and a metric shit-ton of debt that took me a long time to pay off. I got way, way more out of 4 years in the military than I did with 4 years in college. College felt like a less annoying, slightly upgraded version of high school to me. Education in the traditional sense just isn't for everybody.
There are a few people who don't need college. They just make things happen. But they are a small group.
Other that I am a strong believer in:
college
trade
your own business
no particular order of importance, just depends on who you are.
I know people who have not gone to college and ended up making their own business. usually started small they were smart, hired people, reinvested their money and made it happen/
I know one friend who is wildly successful in his field and he accidentally fell into making his own business. He has his college degree but not in what his business is. he was then hired as a professor and eventually headed the department in the college he was attending becasue he was so good at his business and ended up getting a lot of real world experience. He now heads another department at a major college. he still has his degree but his business brought him to his career.
If one has no idea, "some" sort of college education is better than no college education as most companies won't even look at your resume without that piece of paper.
Unless of course what you offer is a skill where you have shown great success. I know some programmers like this. My roommate is a computer help desk person at a major college and he fell into it by accident. His major was something completely different and he makes an excellent salary.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo