Home General Discussion

A studenty type of crunch-time (bitch bitch whinge)

(Yeah, I'm whining. Sorry :( )

I've got three days before I have to hand my dissertation and all the rest of my work (all 15 gigabytes of assorted essays and music, I kid you not) in to my university, and I'm nearly done, but I feel like crying it's been that much work.

I'm technically not procrastinating while I write this, as I'm waiting for my work to do the audio equivalent of compiling, but good God I am tired. And frustrated. And generally fucked off.

Just... Wow. The amount of work that you have to do just to prove that you've dropped money into an education. I've done manual labour before that wasn't nearly this stressful or tiring.

I can imagine this is what crunch-time at a studio feels like. A massive concrete necklace and a constant intravenous supply of caffeinated beverages, am I right?

It'll all be ok, I'm confident of that, but I feel terrible.

Anyone else going through similar/better/(godforbid)worse? Good stories? Horror stories?

Replies

  • Nysuatro
    Same thing @ school here. For me the biggest problem was the social contact that was not there. I always had to work and think about work. When working for a year like 60 to 70 houres the week, i felt completly empty at the last month.
    BUt now that I have recovered, I feel a lot stronger then before and can't wait for the next year to do better and better.
  • SHEPEIRO
    Offline / Send Message
    SHEPEIRO polycounter lvl 17
    shut the fuck up and get back to work, i went to the gym at 5:30 and had a sauna and a jaccuzi cos 9 hours work was too hard. hope that makes you feel better

    ps dont worry it will be over soon then the drinking can start in ernest
  • Krypteia
    Let me first confess that I am procrastinator - so I'm no stranger to all nighters.

    I just graduated in May with my Bachelor's, and by the time my final portfolio review rolled around (counting the 8 hours or so we spent sitting in a room listening to people talk and teachers critique) I had stayed up for probably around 36 hours straight (I think it was the longest consecutive amount of time I had stayed up).

    Sitting and listening for 8 hours is not easy at that point. :-) I would get up and leave the room for a bit and lay down on the couch outside in the hall for a few minutes (maybe dozing off for a little bit) and then come back in.

    I ended up still having to change some things and finish up in order to get my signatures to graduate (after sleep) but thankfully I've finished.

    Hang in there! :-)
  • Muzzoid
    Offline / Send Message
    Muzzoid polycounter lvl 10
    heh yeah.

    I cant wait to get out of college so i can work on one thing...
    Its not so much the amount of work thats fucking me its the fact that there is 4 different things that i have to work on simoultaneiously and add that to work.

    Im at a stage where if i work on one thing i feel guilty for not working on the others as it seems no matter how much i work im always behind :(.

    Man 6 months at it will be over... hopefully.
  • aesir
    Offline / Send Message
    aesir polycounter lvl 18
    No, it wont be over. Your hardest days at school are still better than work. bwhaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaahahahahahahahahahhaha


    also, shep, I am jealuuuuss


    (i member bak wen i wuz n skool. no sleep. c-ing sun rise. bwap)
  • Steviant
    Cheers for the support (and the wake up calls :) ) guys. I'm actually feeling a bit better about the whole thing now, got a lot more work done in the last couple hours than I have in a while. All the coffee seems to be doing some good.

    Muzz: Thats a lot of what I'm feeling right now. Plus the idea of being paid to do this is rather better than paying to do it :).
  • Richard Kain
    Offline / Send Message
    Richard Kain polycounter lvl 18
    Yeah, I always kind of liked school. Especially if I was doing school work on something I was actually interested in. I could be writing essays about that sort of thing for hours on end and not get bored.

    About a year and a half ago, I worked for 49 hours straight with no breaks. (didn't even break for meals, just noshed granola bars at my desk) During the daylight hours, I would have the client whose project I was working on come in, look over my shoulder while I worked, and swear at me for how long this was taking, and how he shouldn't have to pay for this. The whole point of this miserable marathon stretch was that the client had decided he didn't like the content management system we had ALREADY gotten working with his site, and I had to re-code the entire site in standard HTML, with all the same basic features, in time to meet a release date.

    This is obviously a worst-case scenario example. But it actually happened at a salaried job I had. HAD. I'm mildly grateful to be working at an hourly position that pays better, and pays overtime.

    The worst school work doens't even come close to the worst work-work.
  • IEatApples
    Just about to start my Honors year, so will have a lot to look forward too in terms of stress I guess. Fun times.
  • crazyfingers
    Offline / Send Message
    crazyfingers polycounter lvl 10
    In the same boat dude. Ups and downs, strikes and gutters. If you can get through moments like this you'll probably make it in the end, that simple. Gotta stop looking at the long term and pull things into the short term for just a bit.
  • ebagg
    Offline / Send Message
    ebagg polycounter lvl 17
    Complaining about no free time and lack of sleep? Try being a parent.
  • killingpeople
    Offline / Send Message
    killingpeople polycounter lvl 18
    you think that's bad, i could only stay at the pool for 2 hours yesterday because i started to get a sun burn and ran out of beer.
  • crazyfingers
    Offline / Send Message
    crazyfingers polycounter lvl 10
    ebagg wrote: »
    Complaining about no free time and lack of sleep? Try being a parent.

    In the same boat dude
  • rolfness
    Offline / Send Message
    rolfness polycounter lvl 18
    student days are easy no matter how hard you think you got it.. its going to get a whole lot worse.. hahahahah

    Just wait till you have to deal with
    Lazy lying assholes that work for you
    Annoying clients
    Fee grinding lawyers
    projects that dont stick to budget
    Bieng assraped on tax

    And finally..
    ebagg wrote: »
    Complaining about no free time and lack of sleep? Try being a parent.
  • glynnsmith
    Offline / Send Message
    glynnsmith polycounter lvl 17
    Yeah. Being a parent must suck. Children are such a curse! :(

    Steviant, dude. Uni crunch is way better than real life crunch. Get ready for finishing uni and wondering wtf you're gonna do next ;)
  • Muzzoid
    Offline / Send Message
    Muzzoid polycounter lvl 10
    What about working at a studio that expects more work than can possibly be done in the time frame to a good standard of quality while being a full time student? Cause thats my current boat...
  • System
    Offline / Send Message
    System admin
    Wait what? Students have it hard? I was such a doss student and i had no problems passing with 1-2day all nighters... hell, i managed to research and write my dissertation in 4days and still got 65% (im still shocked about that, hence the post).

    I do wonder what a proper (i.e. non games art and design) degree is like though, I have more respect for people who have shit loads of assignments and what not to get on with.

    Richard - that sounds fucking rough, quite why you got verbal while doing that i dont know T_T
  • Mark Dygert
    glynnsmith wrote: »
    Yeah. Being a parent must suck. Children are such a curse! :(
    Are you joking? They're a blast. Sure I spend less time in front of the computer working on personal projects when I'm home but seriously my daughter is way more fun than grinding out the same stuff I do all day.

    It's an awesome change of pace to go home and lose myself in her world. I'm just sad that some day she's going to grow up and think acting that way is beneath her. I'll probably miss the blanket forts, trips to the desert (sandy soccer field by our house), trips to the forest (small patch of trees) and I'm sure I'll miss the robot (ant) hunts too.

    When she stops and stares at something it makes me take notice of it too. I get to absorb a bunch of ref while I'm out and about. If its watching other people run and play with their kids, or environmental stuff, its all stuff I normally wouldn't soak up.

    Seriously I wouldn't trade that for more screen time. Seeing those little AH-HA moments and watching her see things for the first time is wild beyond belief. The zoo, holy crap it blows her mind which blows mine.

    Kids are only a drag if you look at them that way. They pick up on it and become more of a drag the more you treat them that way. You get out what you put in, just like everything else.

    /off soapbox
  • glynnsmith
    Offline / Send Message
    glynnsmith polycounter lvl 17
    Vig wrote: »
    Are you joking? They're a blast. Sure I spend less time in front of the computer working on personal projects when I'm home but seriously my daughter is way more fun than grinding out the same stuff I do all day.

    It's an awesome change of pace to go home and lose myself in her world. I'm just sad that some day she's going to grow up and think acting that way is beneath her. I'll probably miss the blanket forts, trips to the desert (sandy soccer field by our house), trips to the forest (small patch of trees) and I'm sure I'll miss the robot (ant/bugs) hunts too.

    But seriously I wouldn't trade that for all the computer time. Seeing those little AH-HA moments and watching her see things for the first time is wild beyond belief.

    Kids are only a drag if you look at them that way. They pick up on it and become more of a drag the more you treat them that way. You get out what you put in, just like everything else.

    /off soapbox
    Woo. The first bit of my post you caught onto was in reply to the people comparing their kids to crunch-time in this thread. I know it wasn't their intended message, but I thought it sounded sucky enough to highlight.
  • Farfarer
    Heh, uni crunch was uber shit. I had 3 freelance projects and 2 massive uni projects all to be done inside of the christmas month, then at the end of the year, 5 projects due in inside of a 2 week span. Spent the last two months pulling all-nighters every other night and the last week we slept twice.

    Coffee is your saviour.

    Well... coffee, and good planning (but then the only planning you should be doing at uni is working out where to get your next drink or where you want the cue-ball to end up after this shot).

    That said, now I'm working, I've yet to crunch as hard as I did at uni, so I guess it's good practice.
  • Steviant
    Well, it's good to know it's not just me then :)

    It's all coming together now, and it would probably have all been finished today if I'd actually slept last night (which I couldn't, not because I was working, just insomnia) and I wasn't a zombie today, but meh. It'll still be in a day early (giving yourself fake deadlines really seems to work) and it all sounds/looks/is brilliant.

    Coffee and hard work pays off, it seems :D
  • ebagg
    Offline / Send Message
    ebagg polycounter lvl 17
    glynnsmith wrote: »
    Woo. The first bit of my post you caught onto was in reply to the people comparing their kids to crunch-time in this thread. I know it wasn't their intended message, but I thought it sounded sucky enough to highlight.

    HAHAA. On the opposite end of Vig's glowing recommendation, I give you exhibit A:

    [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_Q41xpULHA[/ame]

    An ad which I am reminded of occasionally when my kiddo decides to unleash his terrible twos. Is my kid a curse and no fun or rewarding to raise? No. Is my kid probably a lot more of a handful than Vig's because young boys tend to be more energetic, rough and tumble, and daredevil-esque in their activities than girls? Maybe, or maybe Vig is just highlighting the fun times. My point is, no matter what way you slant it, being a parent is a lot of work, a lot of time dedicated, with an uncontrollable schedule, and one of the craziest 'clients' you'll ever encounter.

    Am I jaded a tad? Sure. Do I love my son and have a ton of fun with him? Most definitely. :D

    Point is, in response to the thread starter, the crunch times college throw at you are to prepare you for the crunch times life throws at you, whether its hitting a hard deadline at a job, parenting, etc and how to get your way out from the mountain of work in front of you. Grit your teeth, work hard, solve problems and when you come out on top, or even if you fail sometimes, if you learn from it, you'll be a better person. Venting on an internet forum should always result in you getting smacked upside the head with a dose of "hey that's life" reality lessons.

    /soapbox.
  • Mark Dygert
    Girls are just easier overall. My nephews prove it. I especially lucked out because she gravitates to things I like.
    "Want to watch Cinderella or Cars?" "Cars."
    "Tinker Bell or Incredibles?" "krab-ells"
    "Barbie or dad's Legos?" "Legos."
    "Want to put dads light saber down?" "no."
    "Want to stop jumping off the couch? "no."

    She still has her moments and there have been more than a few occasions we've had to march her beat red little face out of the store or restaurant so its not all puppies and ice cream. There have been plenty of times I've told her that her kids will drive before she ever does.

    But holy hell is she fun when she's happy.

    For me what's making the terrible twos easier to deal with, is not to view it at as a power struggle when they flip out. But to view it that they're overwhelmed and unable to communicate it.

    I'm sure every kid is different and boys are probably harder to deal with, I know my nephews where tougher at this time than Layne is. But the more fun time I put in with her the easier she is to manage on the down times.

    It's not something anyone should rush into and some people should avoid them at all costs. Especially if you see them as taking away your quality of life instead of adding to it.

    But it bugs me when people portray them as evil little boat anchors. They can be sure, but there's a lot that parents can do to avoid that...
  • LEViATHAN
    Offline / Send Message
    LEViATHAN polycounter lvl 11
    Vig wrote: »
    But it bugs me when people portray them as evil little boat anchors. They can be sure, but there's a lot that parents can do to avoid that...

    Hook to the jaw works well. :thumbup:
  • Muzzoid
    Offline / Send Message
    Muzzoid polycounter lvl 10
    Yeah i was a little confused by the parenting argument.

    Im a young guy so i am not even thinking about that at any stage, but whenever ive had to look after somones kid, i found that it did vary greatly in how easy it was depending on the child. But then again i have never looked after really young kids.


    With this student stuff im sure none of us are trying to imply that we have it harder than dudes in industry, but you must admit that it can be a time of really high stress.
    Also just like some kids are easy to look after and others hard, unis and colleges differ greatly as well as peoples experiences with them.

    I personally dont have an issue so much with the amount of work but trying to learn 3-4 subjects and put them into practice on completly different projects is what takes it out of me. Its a case of where if i want to do a job on one that im proud of the others have to suffer. At least when you are at work you get to focus on one thing, which makes the work alot easier to deal with.
    Now add on a job that expects you to do as much work part time as the guys working full time and you can see where the source of my annoyance comes from. I just want to be ahead of the game for once, not draging behind on a rope.

    Another thing dudes, if somone is having a really stressed with thier work, the last thing you want to tell them is that it will only get worse and saying you have it worse is just a form of oneup manship.

    Yeah sure crunch time is an absolute bitch, but how much of the year are you actually in crunch time?
  • Mark Dygert
    LEViATHAN wrote: »
    Hook to the jaw works well. :thumbup:
    Especially the sweeties kid in EBagg's example. Like my dad would say "hard to cry through a fat lip and a broken jaw, huh Nancy?" =P
  • ebagg
    Offline / Send Message
    ebagg polycounter lvl 17
    Muzz wrote: »
    Another thing dudes, if somone is having a really stressed with thier work, the last thing you want to tell them is that it will only get worse and saying you have it worse is just a form of oneup manship.

    If your biggest problem in life is finals time in college, your life is pretty nice. Everyone gets those busy times in life, you work hard and overcome them, but what are people supposed to tell ya if you complain? Pick up your helmet and keep goin soldier, that's life and it isn't getting any easier by itself, you just learn to handle it better! (or you don't learn to handle it better and become a senile loser that nobody likes.)
  • Nysuatro
    Just talking about it and camplaining about it is a way to live with it.
  • boyluya
    Offline / Send Message
    boyluya polycounter lvl 10
    School-related problems are stereotypes IMO.. There's so much more in life than those..
  • Steviant
    One of the things that I do rather enjoy about this thread is that many people automatically assume that because it's "School", that makes whatever problems suffered irrelevant. Take "School" out of it and I've still been working on an albums worth of material (11 songs) in 11 different styles, 8 of which were written entirely by me, all of which were produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by me, I played several different instruments and sang on several tracks, and I've done all the artwork too.

    Bring "School" back into this and I've also done a research project, a dissertation and 3 other essays.

    All of this in the last month and a half (yes, I could have started earlier, yes, thats my own fault, but still).

    And, if I say so myself, it's all pretty good, too, now it's finished.

    So yeah, I think I rather earned my right to vent :)

    Next week I start an internship, however, so I'll have a reference point when it comes to the differences between working in that industry and studying for it. After that, I might eat my words about how hard this experience was :D.
  • ImSlightlyBored
    Offline / Send Message
    ImSlightlyBored polycounter lvl 13
    mandatory post about how I wrote my dissertation in one night, and managed to get a first on it.

    I have honestly found pro studio work a little nicer than being a student. It comes down to doing what you enjoy (games) and getting paid for it, as opposed to doing something that's been crunched hard in to you and then paying for doing so.

    But it is hard no matter what. There is no sweet release!
  • vik
    Offline / Send Message
    vik polycounter lvl 13
    ..yeah schools suck they make you work..
    blahblahblah
    also, posting on the internetz while on holiday=fail :thumbdown:
  • ImSlightlyBored
    Offline / Send Message
    ImSlightlyBored polycounter lvl 13
    haha, that's not my point. I've had to do my fair share of crunch already, and you know we do a lot of work. Talking of which, get back to it.

    There probably is alot more to be done now than in school (no doubt, actually) but school was also a lot less social, it was pretty much just working on your own, locked in a room, solitary. And I prefer the work at work...

    PS
    I'm just back in london for a few hours before training it to my girlfriends family for the rest of the week, I'm not online in Barcelona, that'd be epic fail.
Sign In or Register to comment.