Comments on: Is Your Education Useless?

By: guest

guest — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:16:24 +0000

This is a little late but I wanted to comment. My mother used to be an English professor, when we came to the U.S. she went to hairstyling school, worked at a barber shop for a few years, her clients followed her to the new place. She was good and quick and made good money that way. Anyway my mom is a U.S. citizen now, and I am too, and she retired in her late 50s. Which was just a couple of years ago.

A degree doesn’t have to be the end all be all that many people think it is. When I was 18 I went to college, I didn’t know what to major in, I thought about majoring in art history, but I had a total freak out about it. Especially when a professor discouraged me.

Anyway I decided to work for a few years, now I’m in my late 20s, and I wish that I hadn’t listened to her, I wish I had listened to my mom. My mom is always like “Just get any college degree, that’s what many companies look for first.” When I went back to college last year I was faced with the same issues that I was faced with when I was 18.

Not all of us are meant to become accountants, lawyers, doctors, nurses, physician assistants, or bankers. I knew that if I majored in accounting, finance, or health care that I wouldn’t last too long in those fields and quite frankly I think they’re quite boring and how could I finish a degree that I have no interest in? I took accounting 101 last year and withdrew twice from it because it was too boring. I couldn’t even do the hw because it bored me to tears.

Finally I’m an art history major with an entrepreneurship minor. The best advice I’ve heard is to find out what your passion is and find a way to make a living with it. The point of all this is to listen to yourself and do what you feel is right, don’t waste time like I did. There are writers, designers, musicians, and artists who make good money and there are those who are poor.

IMO if something is truly your passion then you will find a way to make a living with it. You’ll try different things, and you won’t give up.

By: Kathryn Lang

Kathryn Lang — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 04:44:54 +0000

Leisure services – all of those jobs that people do to serve people on leisure I focused on tourism and commercial recreation, but had others in my class that focused on working with the elderly or working in the corporate sector.

By: James

James — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 14:39:52 +0000

Like so many others who’ve already commented, I too have an English degree And when I started taking classes I never imagined I would wind up working as a copywriter for a web design company.

I think classes teach you far more than you realize at the time you’re in the class. Especially critical thinking and logic. You may not realize just how much you use these skills until years later.

By: Should You Go Back to School? | Men With Pens

Should You Go Back to School? | Men With Pens — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 05:01:30 +0000

[...] right. No one cares what degree you have. You’re a freelancer. People want to see your portfolio, your testimonials, [...]

By: Dean Smith

Dean Smith — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 02:43:04 +0000

Education whether a degree, or not, is the key to successful applications in the world of life. Formal education provides a set of tools as an enabler to conduct yourself whilst learning the tools of a particular trade. Informal education provides the same tools, if you choose to learn and hold onto the belief that you can achieve your goals. I have had three vastly different careers, now onto my fourth. I am fortunate. I use a set formula when establishing my new role, I then consider the product and work on whats ethical and go about achieving a working environment that utilizes my skills whilst learning the tasks of the current role.

By: Katharine Brooks

Katharine Brooks — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 14:36:07 +0000

This is a terrific post and I particularly enjoy all the interesting responses. Thanks to Tanner for reading/mentioning my book, “You Majored in What?” I hope it’s been helpful. My favorite question to ask alumni is “What was your favorite useless course” — by that I mean the class you thought was going to be worthless but you took it because you had to for whatever reason. The responses are amazing– people’s lives change sometimes as a function of one class. Many report changing majors, changing professions, learning something that becomes a lifelong hobby or fascination. It always pays to explore and learn– as the saying goes, “not all those who wander are lost.”
Thanks for this great post– I’m sure you helped people think differently about the value of their education.
.-= Katharine Brooks´s last blog ..Crush Your Dreams and Watch Them Take Off =-.

By: I left a keyword for a name

I left a keyword for a name — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:10:11 +0000

I plan on going overseas and making music for video game companies as well as teaching music (specifically guitar). There are a number of degrees I can get, but I don’t know which one I should go for.
.-= advanced seo services´s last blog ..Tool for internet marketing =-.

By: I left a keyword for a name

I left a keyword for a name — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 21:26:23 +0000

I think it is. I just graduated last year at 28 and 6 months later my salary went up 32%. I think employers are looking for people with experience and education. I suggest getting a job in your field while you’re going to school and you’ll stand out against the rest of the graduates when you’re finished. Good luck!
.-= cosmetic surgery for men´s last blog ..Health is the most important possession =-.

By: I Left a Keyword instead of a Real Name

I Left a Keyword instead of a Real Name — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 09:37:48 +0000

I recently completed an MBA. In all honesty I have thought it was completely worthless for the last 6 months. Then, as I started to read more and more posts on running your blog like a business, I started pulling back concepts from my MBA. I actually created my first quarterly marketing plan for my blog. I started looking at strategy and even using tools from my MBA to gain insights. So, I realized I probably have been using my education on subconscious level.
.-= condo finder´s last blog ..Top 3 reasons to buy a condo =-.

By: Rob Fleming - Freelance Writer for Hire

Rob Fleming - Freelance Writer for Hire — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 18:17:12 +0000

I sent 6 hard and long years earning my Degree in Performing Arts… I didn’t have the comfort of a scholarship, so i busted ass writing term papers, holding numerous low paying part time jobs and fixing computers on the side to make enough cash to pay for my education and living expenses.

After a few years doing stints as a session musician, touring, and other mundane events as a side player i lost the the drive to continue, but i was extremely fortunate as i had established some valuable contacts in the computer industry and in short time i had secured a decent paying job as a computer support technician for a Major law firm in Santa Monica, California. This new position also afforded me to the opportunity to get free training to attain Microsoft Certifications. My success was rapid and soon after earning multiple MS certs, i was rewarded with a substantial promotion in this prestigious law firm…The only downside in my eyes was the new dress code i was required to follow, so now i was reporting for work each day in a suit and tie.

My true artistic nature was cultivated in a relaxed non-formal atmosphere and i was most comfortable in jeans, tee shirts, and other ultra casual clothing. I resisted the urge to bail on this gig, and move on as i was happy with the financial rewards this position offered, and i knew that by creating a solid resume with this company that i would be able to write my own ticket elsewhere in the future.

I have always held a friendly appreciation for the written word, and i suppose i owe that to my artistic background as a once professional musician. As i continued working at the law firm in Santa Monica my working relationship with my supervisor grew, and soon i was writing technical reports and white papers that were used by our IT staff. Writing had taken on a new meaning to me, and i found myself writing more and really enjoying it. I was soon getting a rebellious itch brought on by the ultra conservative workplace environment i had spent so many waking hours in, and after dedicating 5 years to this company i decided to take off on my own and see if i could really do something with this new found love of writing.

So here it is almost 10 years later…. I have moved from the hustling masses of Southern California to a quiet rural home in Northern Michigan, and while my progress in cultivating a career in writing was slow at times, my dedication, determination and love helped me push on. Today i am quite busy writing for a number of regular clients and promoting myself as a freelance writer through my Blog, and what i have learned along the way is; by applying the same dedication, and determination i had while in college to everything else in my life rewards me with the fruits of freedom and reinforces the belief that with hard work anything is possible!

So to me my college Degree is more valuable than anything i could ever imagine!
.-= Rob Fleming – Freelance Writer for Hire´s last blog ..The Facts About SEO Vs. PPC Campaigns =-.