What do you do for a living?

[AllPurposeAtheist]

Unemployed reborn pothead here. Praise Jebus!  8-)

I say reborn because I had quit smoking pot for about 20 years and saw my life in a downward spiral till I was enlightened at the barrel of a bong..  :-D

[Youssuf Ramadan]

Unemployed reborn pothead here. Praise Jebus!  8-)

I say reborn because I had quit smoking pot for about 20 years and saw my life in a downward spiral till I was enlightened at the barrel of a bong..  :-D

Hallelujah to that, sir!  8-)

[Colanth]

Trying to get a degree in Philosophy

I can teach you all you'll need to know once you get that degree.  Keep practicing this in front of a mirror until you get it down pat:

"Would you like fries with that?"

Make sure you enunciate clearly, because the communications systems you'll be using are pretty bad.

[Shiranu]

Looking for any sort of job a high school grad can get, but atm unemployed.

More kind to myself, I am a full time student. Either English, Anthropology or History major... Anthro/History my preferred but English the more practical. Also taking education classes incase I would want to go into professing.

[Sargon The Grape]

Trying to get a degree in Philosophy

I can teach you all you'll need to know once you get that degree.  Keep practicing this in front of a mirror until you get it down pat:

"Would you like fries with that?"

Make sure you enunciate clearly, because the communications systems you'll be using are pretty bad.

No Colanth, he's getting a degree in philosophy. He's going to say, "Why do you want fries with that?"

[Youssuf Ramadan]

Trying to get a degree in Philosophy

I can teach you all you'll need to know once you get that degree.  Keep practicing this in front of a mirror until you get it down pat:

"Would you like fries with that?"

Make sure you enunciate clearly, because the communications systems you'll be using are pretty bad.

I think you could apply that to many degrees.  I know shitloads of people with degrees, but I don't know that many who use them for their careers.  That includes me. Disappointments abound for the unwary graduate!
However I think there is nothing wrong with doing a degree purely out of interest.

[surly74]

However I think there is nothing wrong with doing a degree purely out of interest.

sure there is, if you are paying for it. You shouldn't be going to college for purely out of interest. it should be to setup a career. Especially when you are spending 10's of thousands of  dollars for it.

here's a quick test, if you had to pay for all four years up front would you still study that same major? Would someone still go into Philosophy or take engineering?

I can take all kids of free courses online from many different universities, the courses being any that suit my interest and they don't cost me a cent. Why would people handcuff themselves for the basis of "interest"?

[Fidel_Castronaut]

Trying to get a degree in Philosophy

I can teach you all you'll need to know once you get that degree.  Keep practicing this in front of a mirror until you get it down pat:

"Would you like fries with that?"

Make sure you enunciate clearly, because the communications systems you'll be using are pretty bad.

I think you could apply that to many degrees.  I know shitloads of people with degrees, but I don't know that many who use them for their careers.  That includes me. Disappointments abound for the unwary graduate!
However I think there is nothing wrong with doing a degree purely out of interest.

Depends entirely on what you want to get out of academia.

You can study classics at Oxford (I nearly did) and still get an awesome job in the civil service earning hundreds of thousands. But that's more about who you know not what you know.

Academia, at its heart, is about thinking and learning. But gone are the days when that was all it was. Now it's seen as a career path milestone, which for me, defeats the object of it entirely in Most fields (aside from applied fields like science/engineering etc).

The mentality of 'you must go to university to get a good job' is a lie perpetuated from an increasingly privatized higher education sector, at least here in England.

[GSOgymrat]

I have worked as a mental health counselor for over 20 years primarily in psychiatric hospitals and community mental health clinics. I currently work for a hospital system and provide crisis assessments and counseling in emergency departments and a behavioral health hospital.  I see people of every age who present with a wide variety problems: suicide attempts, substance abuse, psychosis, relationship issues, anxiety, OCD, PTSD... I never know what the shift will bring and it is never boring. I love my job although it can be stressful at times.

[Youssuf Ramadan]

However I think there is nothing wrong with doing a degree purely out of interest.

 sure there is, if you are paying for it. You shouldn't be going to college for purely out of interest. it should be to setup a career. Especially when you are spending 10's of thousands of  dollars for it.

Why not?  That's just your opinion, and that's fine.  Other people think differently and that's fine too.  If you are paying for it, then you can study whatever you feel like studying as far as I am concerned.  If the taxpayer, or another body was paying for your studies then yes, there might well be a responsibility to the payer.  I don't think anyone else should have the right to dictate what another person should study, given that they themselves are paying for it.  It's part of freedom.  There's no law that states a person's career should be based on their degree.  Sure, many of them are, but many are also not.

here's a quick test, if you had to pay for all four years up front would you still study that same major? Would someone still go into Philosophy or take engineering?

I don't know where you're from, mate, but here in Britain the student largely pays their own fees and pays back the loan afterwards.  Philosophy courses are still full, as are many other degrees which may not have an obvious career path.
  I know six people who have maths degrees - 3 of them now teach mathematics as they didn't know what else to do with it - they were interested in maths so that's the degree they did - they had no prior inclination to teach.  One has her own business teaching people how to use computers, one works for the council's health department, and one retrained as an electrician.  None of them regret the time and money spent.

I can take all kids of free courses online from many different universities, the courses being any that suit my interest and they don't cost me a cent. Why would people handcuff themselves for the basis of "interest"?

Depth of study, plus the opportunity to meet people with similar interests face to face and broaden their interests.

Also, university should be more than the sum of its parts.  It is an experience in meeting people from all sort of backgrounds.  I did a teaching degree and I now work in engineering.  I wouldn't change a thing.  :)

[Jmpty]

However I think there is nothing wrong with doing a degree purely out of interest.

sure there is, if you are paying for it. You shouldn't be going to college for purely out of interest. it should be to setup a career. Especially when you are spending 10's of thousands of  dollars for it.

here's a quick test, if you had to pay for all four years up front would you still study that same major? Would someone still go into Philosophy or take engineering?

I can take all kids of free courses online from many different universities, the courses being any that suit my interest and they don't cost me a cent. Why would people handcuff themselves for the basis of "interest"?

Aaaaaaand this post is a great example of what's wrong with the worlds mindset on learning and education.

[Jmpty]

I'm a semi-retired father of 3 young kids, who's married to a business professor. I still play for pay, but usually from home, recording only. I was a touring guitarist for about 15 years. No more road for me.

[Mermaid]

Trying to get a degree in Philosophy

I can teach you all you'll need to know once you get that degree.  Keep practicing this in front of a mirror until you get it down pat:

"Would you like fries with that?"

Make sure you enunciate clearly, because the communications systems you'll be using are pretty bad.

No Colanth, he's getting a degree in philosophy. He's going to say, "Why do you want fries with that?"

That is the funniest fucking thing I've read all day.

[Mermaid]

I have worked as a mental health counselor for over 20 years primarily in psychiatric hospitals and community mental health clinics. I currently work for a hospital system and provide crisis assessments and counseling in emergency departments and a behavioral health hospital.  I see people of every age who present with a wide variety problems: suicide attempts, substance abuse, psychosis, relationship issues, anxiety, OCD, PTSD... I never know what the shift will bring and it is never boring. I love my job although it can be stressful at times.

"at times"?

I don't know how you do it. I am glad, however, that there are people like you in the world who do what you do because I could not handle that for five minutes.

[MrsSassyPants]

I have really enjoyed reading all your posts!!  Thank you for your participation and insight!  Keep posting!