Jessica Said:

Is there a desk in your child's room?

We Answered:

YES!

Philip Said:

what are some non-desk jobs?

We Answered:

Since you like kids, you might want to consider being a teacher. Since you are also good at geometry, you might think about being a math teacher. There are lots of parts of the country where math teachers are highly in demand, and they will often pay part of your college if you agree to go back there and teach. In lots of schools, they really need bilingual teachers, so with the combination of Spanish and geometry, you would probably be able to make a lot of money, AND do what you love!!

Best wishes to you!!

Francisco Said:

Need to create study space for the kids, got optioins?

We Answered:

If you cannot afford to buy a desk and since you do not want them at the dining room table how about this idea.Get a container and keep it fillled with school supplies(like paper.pencils,scissors,etc.)Keep this container in your bedroom and have the kids come get it when time to do their work.Or have two containers labeled with their names on them and have them keep it under their beds or in your room.So that way they can sit on their bed or in their floor and just slide the supplies back under their beds when done.As for the little one who keeps messing with the older kids supplies.Make him stop and punish him when he does it.It doesnt matter if they do not have a desk but as long as they have somewhere to go and can stay focused.

Jennie Said:

I don't want to study anymore, and I don't know why... please help?

We Answered:

I teach organic chemistry and as such i meet alot of kids like yourself every semester. Alot of students feel the insatiable pull of medical school because of the money and the prestige, but I feel as though 90% don't understand what it is to be a doctor.

My sister went to medical school for that reason and just finished her residency, but still asks herself (and the people around her) if being a doctor was the right thing. Though the money is tantalizing, you also have to understand the commitment that money comes with. 3 years out of medical school shes making $45,000 a year and is still $100,000+ in debt (and this is even with the fact that the navy paid her medical school tuition.) Medical school is devastatingly expensive because not only do you pay at least $25,000 a year in tuition (and thats for a low end school), you can't earn any money in those 4 years and have to take more loans to pay for yourself. This makes it so you can't truly start your life until you are minimum 26 (at which time you have to go through 3-4 years of low pay residency). I'm not trying to say that you will constantly be in debt, and most doctors can pay off that debt within 5-10 years (depending on how much they stretch their payments out), but I just want to take the piss out of the fallacy that doctors are rolling in dollars just because they went to medical school. Once you're able to pay your debt off, you'll have a high earning job and be able to get a job almost anywhere in the country, but the amount of input you have to make for that kind of outcome is no small feat.

Money aside, it is a serious lifestyle commitment too. You spend 4 years in college, 4 years in medical school, 3+ years in residency, and then you have a job that demands long hours, often unsteady, and often spontaneous hours during the day/night. Most doctors are on call even during their days off from the hospital. As an intern, you'll work 60-80 hours some weeks and spend several nights a week sleeping in a bunk at the hospital while you're on call. In your off time, you'll be expected to keep up with current academic literature in medical research journals so as to stay fresh on the latest techniques in medicine. The further along you advance as a doctor, the more steady your lifestyle becomes, but it is a fast hard life for what may seem like forever.

so I realize that I make it sound like the worst thing in the world and they couldn't pay you enough money to work that way, but for the people that can truly enjoy the profession, it requires a sense of accomplishment that comes from something other than your paycheck. you don't have to 'make your passion your profession' because anything you turn into a profession will eventually lose its flavor and become more of a chore than a pleasure, but you do have to get a sense of accomplishment from the job you perform. If you work in a hospital and feel as though you're there because they told you they'd pay, you'll probably turn into a drone waiting for 5 o'clock to roll around so you get back to something you actually like. You need to want to do it because helping people and overcoming the challenge of medicine gives you a mental moral boost that something else just can't do. it probably sounds a bit cheesy put that way, but you have to truly thrive on the feeling of working hard to make someone other people feel better, either mentally or physically.

I'll tell you something most people definitely don't do is get a job that is directly pertinent to the field they studied in college. most employers don't say "did you learn how to use our company software while you were in college?" they are more interested that you have the necessary motivation and drive to accomplish a mentally tasking challenge like college. what i mean here is that you still have plenty of time to decide whether or not you think med school is right for you and if you decide against it after having gotten a degree in biochemistry or the likes, you won't have wasted 4 years of your life pursuing a useless goal. spend some time talking to doctors, find out what they like or hate about their jobs, find out what they wish they would have done differently, find out how they get by day to day and see if you are compatible with their outlook. you can also get some first hand experience working in hospitals to learn whats its like to be in the environment.

as for your burning out now, is your emotional pain worth the incessant drive? more importantly, do you have the ability to put it down if its not? I knew (and still know) plenty of people that complain day in and day out about all the work they have to do to get what they perceive as the appropriate goal, but when it comes down to it, they can't stop stressing themselves because stopping is even more stressful. you seem to have this same problem, but i dont know that I'd be a good source to tell you how to relax. I've personally never felt that incessant need to constantly move despite my mental health.

just so you know where I'm coming from on this topic, I too once thought I'd like to go to medical school for that same reason of 'money, respect, babes, and power', but when after I graduated from college, I just couldn't see myself living that life (it helped having a sister to pave the way ahead of time for me ;) I ended up in graduate school instead with the intention to teach. despite the lower pay, the freedom to do what I want in my life is well worth the decrease in pay it affords me. plus i found that in graduate school that i love to teach far more than I enjoy working for the money.

hope you can find some wisdom here and some solace in your own life. and make sure you don't give up because some people on the internet told you to! you need to investigate, find out if the bang is worth the buck. good luck.

Dale Said:

I want to dispose my used furniture to make room for new furniture for my kids. Can u suggest something?

We Answered:

Either try and sell it on Craigslist or donate it to a thrift store, preferably one who's profits go to a charity instead of money wanting Value Village. If you know someone with kids who would like your furniture, you could also offer it to them.

Vernon Said:

Other people's opinions? This girl I work with seems really full of her?

We Answered:

You need to let Miss P. know that you are just as important to the class as she is, and you refuse to take any disrespect from or anyone else in the class-room. Sometimes it doesn't pay to be the nice one.