How do you stay motivated to work hard?

[webmaster]

bch gave the best advice possible, and is something I have been using since entering the navy 13 years ago. You are going to have hurdle after hurdle to get to the Wings of Gold. Alot of stuff in life takes hard work, and I am not bashing or belittling any other careers or professions, but you won't find many other professions that constantly test you, your knowledge, your leadership, and your abilities. When you are facing it from the perspective of college, the path itself can be daunting. Focusing on each hurdle in turn is how you realize those final goals. Everyone goes through those periods of demotivation, and thats when you need to recharge those batteries, and keep pressing on. Not everything will go 100% your way, whether its grades, selecting your aircraft of choice, or that touch and go you thought you would squeek in (but pranged instead), take each of those curveballs in stride.

Enishi, I have to side with Ben with regards to needing motivation for going through Naval Aviation. Do a self assessment on where you stand, are you having fun with your current major, or is it just painful? Could you honestly be doing more (laziness creeping in), or are you really getting overwhelmed? As for that stress, you need an outlet.... sports, or whatever. Sounds like you have gotten into a rut, and you need to get out of it.

oh well, two cents from the peanut gallery....

 

[Enishi1983]

first of all, i'm asking for an advice as a person and a student, although i wish (someday) to earn the wings. i've been trying to play lacrosse, but yes, i guess it's very overwhelming. because maryland had a lot of snow the first few weeks of school, my chemistry teacher just dropped 7 labs for us to do, and he hasn't explained anything since the beginning of school. none of us has yet to complete all of the labs. my physics teacher, though he's bright, admitted to us the first day school that he became a teacher to screw around with students.

that being said, i wish to know some of your schedules out there. though i'd like to hear more from students, i'd also like to hear what all you grown-ups in real world has to say.

 

[Doc33]

Destined Aviator

Keep this in mind, you are in your FRESHMAN year. This is the year where most people either do terrible in class and even drop college after realizing that Pizza Hut was not that bad, tips included. As the other posts recommend and it looks as if you're doing it, find time for yourself and something that motivates you. It may be difficult for you to see the light at the end of the tunnel because you have 3-4 years left of school but if flying is what you want, keep that as your motivator (along with cougar, merlin, maverick and goose) and in order to even get in, your GPA must be at least a 3.3. Do great now, do well later.

 

[nittany03]

Agreed. I got a 2.66 my freshman 1st semester, squeaked by with a C in calculus after getting a 38 percent on the my very first midterm in college. Explaining that to my freshman advisor, a LCDR, really sucked. Ended up graduating with a 3.34 GPA after getting my act together. Albeit that included transferring out of engineering, but I got my degree and commission. It can be done. STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, and then take a break, but don't take a break without STUDYING!

College can be a slap in the face at first when no one else is holding your hand anymore. It sounds like the transition has been a little hard. Your major should be what you want to do with your life if aviation doesn't pan out. Seriously reevaluate what you want to study and then go from there. Try to get together with someone acing the class and study with them. Sometimes it's easier to study with friends than sit around and brood about how hard something is. A little outside perspective sometimes goes a long way.

As for your teachers, don't let them screw you. Ask them or a TA for help. If you have a problem with a prof, talk to them honestly about it. If that doesn't solve it, take it to the department head or dean if you feel you're getting screwed. If you do this, though, be sure you're giving your best already and it's them that's letting you down. Don't complain about the prof if you're not giving your fair share.

Looking back, one of the biggest things I learned was that no one was going to look after me and I couldn't just skate by and expect an A. There are tons of resources out there to help you succeed. Go out and use them, don't just sit around worrying how screwed you are. You'll feel better when you're doing something to fix the problem. If you want the wings, don't look too far ahead or you'll trip over your own two feet. Only worry about what you can control. That's my two cents. Good luck.

 

[bch]

I'm not trying to bust you here, but if you're having motivational problems then Naval Aviation may not be the best career choice for you. Sure, school is hard and people get burned out. I realize that. But you've got some time to figure out what you want in life. Once you know what you want to do and set a goal, getting there becomes second nature. You will do anything it takes - it's called being passionate. At least that's how it was for me.

Just work hard in school, PT to stay in shape, and do some extracurricular activities like team sports or other leadership-oriented stuff. They look at the "whole person," so if one particular part of your application isn't outstanding, it can be made up by another part. For example, I heard that someone from my recruiting district got an OCS date with a 2.9 GPA or something. Just do your best - that's all that anyone can ask. And, as someone posted above, DON'T FORGET TO HAVE FUN. You'll regret it later if you don't take some time for yourself.

Good luck,
BEN

Hey man, you might not want to tell people that they may not have what it takes to become a naval aviator, seeing as how you are still a college student. You in fact do not know what it takes to succeed in flight school yet.

As far as him being able to make it seeing as how he is getting burned out now.... I burned out big time in college... had a semester with a 1.9 gpa, almost lost my scholarship... That experience has made me a better student, and therefore helped me to do better in flight school.

 

[squeeze]

Hey man, you might not want to tell people that they may not have what it takes to become a naval aviator, seeing as how you are still a college student. You in fact do not know what it takes to succeed in flight school yet.

As far as him being able to make it seeing as how he is getting burned out now.... I burned out big time in college... had a semester with a 1.9 gpa, almost lost my scholarship... That experience has made me a better student, and therefore helped me to do better in flight school.

HAHAHAHA
OWNED!

I'll see your 1.9 semester and raise you a 1.7

ps- say hey to everyone over there for me

 

[ben]

Hey man, you might not want to tell people that they may not have what it takes to become a naval aviator, seeing as how you are still a college student. You in fact do not know what it takes to succeed in flight school yet.

As far as him being able to make it seeing as how he is getting burned out now.... I burned out big time in college... had a semester with a 1.9 gpa, almost lost my scholarship... That experience has made me a better student, and therefore helped me to do better in flight school.

Quite true. I misspoke and I apologize. What I meant was that if someone isn't motivated enough to put up a good effort for their application then maybe a career in the military isn't their best choice. My experience in school started out with no direction - I had no idea what I wanted to do after college. I ended up getting myself into a program and deciding that while the money I would potentially make after college would be great, I just didn't enjoy it. So I ended up changing majors. Having to change my major really got me thinking about what I want in life. Long, long story made short, I decided that I wanted to pursue a career in Naval Aviation. Once I made that decision things just began to get a lot easier. I wasn't sitting around my classes thinking "how will I ever use this in the real world?". Instead, I was thinking that the better I did in class, the better I would look to the Navy application boards. So in short, I became motivated. Luckily I didn't have to bring my grades way up so I applied soon after I made the decision to pursue the Navy.

I wasn't trying to sound like the seasoned pilot with all the answers. My point was that once you decide what you want in life, be that Naval Aviation or anything else, reaching your goal to succeed becomes your focus. You will do whatever it takes to get what you want. At least that's how it worked for me, I realize that other people are different and may see things in another light. DestinedAvaiator and Enishi - don't take my post for more that it's worth.

bch - I know I am still in college. However, I also know the emotions I felt when I started looking into choosing a career. Once I decided what I wanted, I set out to get it no matter what. I went into things with the mindset that I would put my best effort into the application, and if my best effort was rejected, fine. But I sure as heck wasn't going to apply for a competitive program like BDCP without giving it 100%. That's what I was trying to get across in my post - why pursue something that you know will be difficult if you're not willing to give it your all? I stand by the intent of my post but I admit that I should have chosen different words to communicate that intent.

This may sound like a cop-out, but I think you might understand me better in a real conversation as opposed to the internet.

 

[DestinedAviator]

Wow, thanks a lot for all of your advice everyone. I'm back from my spring break now and it's my first day back. I really do feel a lot more motivated now and I'll keep you posted on how I'm doing!!

 

[bch]

Allright.... Here is the deal...
Just becuase one get's burned out does not mean they are not giving 100%... Infact it probably means that they were giving 100% for WAY TOO LONG without taking a break.

I love flight training, look forward to everyday I get to fly, but let me tell you... when you are on your 5th day of 0530 briefs followed by 2hr flights followed by a debrief followed by a night of studying... YOU WILL START TO BURN OUT. That does not mean that there is something wrong with you or that you are not motivated enough, it is simply your body and mind saying.." I need a freaking break." You take friday and saturday and have a good time, not studying and by sunday you are ready to go again...

I am not trying to put anyone down, but telling someone they may not be cut out for a career field that you yourself are not in yet either is not right. That is like me saying you are not cut out for BDCP, I was NROTC and have no clue about how BDCP works.... nough said...

Squeeze, hope Krock is as fun as here.... you know half naked ladies on the beach, 2for1 beers on the beach, bamboo's... what am I talking about, you are in the middle of no where LOL

 

[NeoCortex]

I don't know about API/Primary/Advanced, but my sugestion for college is find at least 1 cute girl in your class. Get to be friends with her.... Gives you a reason to get out of bed and go to class. I don't care how smart you are, you WILL do better if you go to class!!

 

[Kulderas]

For bch and squeeze - how did you guys get your GPAs up enough to get accepted to OCS after those bad semesters? I am having a heck of a time getting mine to a 3.0 and my lowest semester was around ~2.4. I have a D+ on my transcript now in Calc and contemplating retaking it to raise my GPA. But I posted this in another thread and was told that the military will still include the D+ when they calculate my GPA. So now I'm wondering if it is even worth taking over. Thanks for any info/advice.

Josh

 

[Enishi1983]

yeah, i'm actually in my first sophomore year you could say. by the way, it's nothing to be proud, but when i was in college program, i got a 1.56 and came back home. i'm trying to see to it that i follow some of your advices... trying to enroll myself in lifeguard school right now to get myself going again. i wish to swim like a fish that i was. and thanx for telling me the truth to some of you. i guess tough criticism can be a remedy sometimes.

 

[bch]

I was on a NROTC scholarship... 3 C's and a C-, just got better grades the rest of college. I guess you could say that was one good thing about NROTC... I already was accepted into the navy, never went to OCS.... Squeeze was NROTC as well.

 

[squeeze]

I was on a NROTC scholarship... 3 C's and a C-, just got better grades the rest of college. I guess you could say that was one good thing about NROTC... I already was accepted into the navy, never went to OCS.... Squeeze was NROTC as well.

Ya, but I went to OCS...you know, the Marine Corps actually makes us do stuff and all.

I had a 2.8 after my freshman year, then had my stellar 1.7 semester the fall of my soph year. Anyhow, I just worked to get it above a 2.5 so I could pickup a scholarship. Changing majors helped a little too. You'd be surprised how going from ASE -> ME -> CS -> Undec. -> History can affect your gpa But even after something like 5 semesters of 3.4+ gpa's, I could never really recover from the earlier hit and graduated with a 2.8 or somesuch.

 

[Kulderas]

Thanks...what do you guys think about me retaking that class? Is it worth it? I know it's really holding down my GPA and I hate seeing it on my DAPR. I haven't made up my mind if I am going to apply to the Navy or Marines yet(can you apply to both at one time?), but I keep hearing that you aren't competitive for Navy OCS unless you have a 3.3+. Pretty depressing that my immaturity a couple years ago(and high school for that matter) is stopping me from raising my GPA. Arrgghh...and my classes don't seem to be getting any easier...ggggrrrrr....GAAAHHHHH.....

Josh