What did you study? And is it related to the job you do now?

non-vocational education is the way to go. At least initially.

explain

Maths = ability to do complex Galois theory = ability to do VAT returns.
Philosophy = ability to bullshit = ability to run a bar.

explain

start off with non-vocational education, to teach you about the world and broaden your horizons and make you think about stuff in a general sense.

After graduating you can then think about doing some kind of focused course which will actually gain you employment.

But, then, who wants to be a copy editor?

my reasoning really is that at age 17 you don't want to start doing something monster vocational like medicine when you are an unformed person, and then find ten years later that you actuall hate it.

This advice might be less applicable in countries like the USA where college education is less focused.

I suppose they did kinda prepare me for being a pop star, back when I still pretended I could do that for a living.

useless.

it is surprisingly unrelated

I do customer account management type things in corporate insurance. So definitely not (though I like to pretend the fact that I studied formal logic makes me better at problem solving than other people in my work. Though really it's just because I'm not thick.)

I do get called upon to sort out computer type things in the office, but that usually just involves telling someone how to do calculations on Excel.

I hope Maria is happy.

Of course, I'm not earning anything right now. Quite the opposite. But I love this and I'm never going back to the "real world" again.

*returns to Xanadu (aka the AVID suite)*

Is there anyone who studied something they wanted to do and ended up in that job?
I studied something I wanted to do, and ended up in a job I wanted to do, does that count?

i don't think my undergrad english degree was totally useless -- where i went, the english professors did care helping students develop their writing skills and i think i benefitted therefrom. though it did hurt in law school, since legal writing is a different animal than regular academic writing and law school writing instructors seem to prefer their students to be "tabula rasa." interestingly, haven't really put the poli. sci. degree to any use (except on ILX haw haw haw) -- it wasn't until i took Legislation in law school that i properly learned about how bills become law, etc. (and i STRONGLY urge any future law-school people hear to take a class on Legislation, which is criminally not required where i went).

if i had to do it over, i might have stuck it out with accounting (i was originally a poli sci/accounting major) and would have tried to do better in economics, since those classes would be extremely practical for what i do for a living.

What, you never saw Schoolhouse Rock?

For the first 6 years out of college I was a web designer/programmer. I never studied this in school and didn't plan on doing it since the field didn't exist when I started school.

Now, I'm a middle school English teacher. The English major really has nothing to do with this job since pedagogy is a completely different area of study and that's what my job mainly involves.

BTW, I didn't go to school to prepare for a job so wasn't too concerned about if my degree was preparing me for a certain career. If you are well-educated and well-rounded you will find jobs that suit you.

actually, i should clarify. i knew the basics of federal lawmaking. but some of the finer points, or more esoteric bits and pieces -- like committees in the various houses, joint committees, reconciliation bills, procedural rules of the various houses -- i didn't know (or had forgotten) till i took the legislation class.

besides, my favorite schoolhouse rocks were "conjunction junction" and "lolly lolly lolly get yer adverbs here"!

Studying anything teaches you a process. It is the process that is useful in jobs, I think.

Am I the only one with a BA in ART HISTORY

that thought it would be a good idea to

become a POLICE OFFICER???

So yes, although I don't use my languages all that much. Having said that, I will be translating 2 abstracts tomorrow. Fun!

>>What?
Am I the only one with a BA in ART HISTORY

that thought it would be a good idea to

become a POLICE OFFICER???

-- BurmaKitty (burmakitt...), February 25th, 2003.<<

..don't know, really, but it isn't surprising from someone totally immersed in the life of a bunch of second rate hack scrods.

In real life, I'm a college English instructor, but right now I work for an NGO in Jamaica. I thought I'd wanna work in media after I decided that academia was hell on wheels, but then I did an internship at a magazine and I realized that I suck at pitching stories so I got a job at a publishing company (though I still wish I could do that journalism thing). I then realized that I suck at pitching books (unless they are esoteric things I love but noone will buy) and I like hanging out and talking about books with people who are 18-28ish. Hence the teaching. I also do freelance copy editing for various magazines...

I thought I wanted to do development work and here I am...I suppose my education is relevant in that I'm doing a lot of writing and editing...but I think the ability to reflect is probably the best thing I learned--or improved--in grad school (and after reflection realized that graduate English aint so cool) and its hella useful here. Maybe one day I'll go back to school and do cultural studies...maybe...

And just when you think you know a single damn thing, you DIE!

That's my cheerful thought for today. Hope it inspired you lots.