makingmusic476 said:
How many people actually end up using the degree they worked so hard for in college?
Out of my extended family and a number of family friends, the only people I know of that are now employed in their original field of study are teachers, doctors, and nurses. Other than that, they all do random crap. Take my dad for example. He has a music degree, but has been programming for 30 years. Or one of our family friends, who got an engineering degree, designed 2-3 buildings, then went on to do clerical work for the Corps of Engineers. He works around engineers now, but his current job did not require his degree whatsoever. Or my sister, who has a business degree but ended running the entertainment program at a nursing home.
Then there are my two uncles that opened businesses, one a mechanic shop and one an electronics repair shop. Or another friend of the family that worked his way through the electrical field from the ground up and now owns his own electrical biz. He started as a mere apprentice (and I was an apprentice under him for a few months back after Katrina), and is now a master electrician with two other master electricians working under him. These guys don't even have degrees.
And then there's Gnizmo from this very site. He decided to get a degree in psychology. It's practically impossible to do something with a psychology degree unless you have a masters, so now he works the front desk at a detox center.
My dad and I share the same philosophy: Just a get a degree. Most places only care that you have a degree of some form, and what field the degree in matters little. After you get the degree, it's just a matter of finding something you enjoy and trying your best to make a living at it. Sometimes, even the degree isn't necessary. My aunt got her GED years after dropping out of high school, and currently loves being a fire fighter.
Straying from this long history of my family and friends and returning to the topic at hand, the current economic climate is certainly decreasing the number of available jobs in most (if not all) industries, but chances are you weren't going to use your degree anyway. Just sayin'.
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I have a BA in Communications - Print Journalism - and have been in my field since my senior year - if you count my two internships. I have considered putting some weight behind my small biz, but never left my main field of focus.
My sisters have degrees in Spanish and French, and have been teachers of both languages, and English, for several years.
After newspapers, I will prolly go into teaching or the tech sector, but likely land in PR management.
@ OP: Love your thread title! Thanks for the props!
