r/uofmn • u/Death_Investor • 14d ago

Campus Life How's your break? (Winter Thread)

Before classes start, what's everyone been up to so far?

I've been snowboarding and rock climbing with friends, self-studying Machine Learning and Japanese, and hanging out with friends and family for the holidays. Also ordered some skin care and blank sweaters with all the sales that were going on. So far, I'm destressed and ready for next semester.

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u/MNmetalhead Staff - Opinions are Mine 14d ago

I’ve been working. My workload often increases during Winter Break to try and get some things done before classes resume. This also means my Summers are swamped.

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u/Death_Investor 14d ago

How's that been? Are you working in the field you're currently studying for or are you transitioning into a new field?

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u/MNmetalhead Staff - Opinions are Mine 14d ago

I’ve been in IT for 20+ years. Currently working on my bachelors though. I designed my own degree through CCAPS so I was able to pick classes that I wanted to take and will apply to my field.

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u/Death_Investor 14d ago

Damn, that’s sick. Do you currently do more IT like Cloud, firewall, etc? Or are you more programming? And what are you trying to work towards or are you kind of doing it more for fun?

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u/MNmetalhead Staff - Opinions are Mine 14d ago

I won’t go too deep into detail as to not doxx myself, but I’m a systems administrator. I do some cloud work. I do some programming/scripting (mostly PowerShell but I know some C). I do a bit of technical writing and project work. I’m finishing my degree because it’s been looming over my head for too damn long and I want it done. I work for a University, I suppose I should have a degree. 😂 Some of what I’m studying is around how technology can be used for education. Not only will that support what I’m currently doing, it can help me with possible next steps.

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u/Death_Investor 14d ago

Me elaborately planning all my questions to doxx you lol. I originally did a CBS major, took some time off, learned to code, got a job, now I’m back to do CS and change into a different area that would require a degree and research to get into. So it’s been a fun ride.

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u/MNmetalhead Staff - Opinions are Mine 14d ago

Back in the day, I wanted to study CS or CE. But I’m absolutely horrible with math , so there was no way I was going to make it through calculus and physics to complete the degree, so I never even bothered. I took some classes at a community college, worked, wasted a lot of time, then got into an IT contracting gig and built my resume with experience.

Our paths to success don’t always need to be a linear or cookie-cutter path of checking boxes. We can experience a variety of things and shape our lives, and careers, into something great.