Education and you!

[Exia91]

Now, I know this is a site about "Escapism". Escaping from real life into a world where we can become one with ourselves again, regaining our calm selves. Atleast we hope, until you end up at the final boss and constantly wipe! Sadly for you, I'm here to drag you back into the world you are desperately trying to escape from.

Today during Lecture, I overheard some people talking about people who decided to quit University; because they thought it was too difficult for them, it wasn't what 'they had hoped it to be', or whatever reason you can imagine to quit school/education.

Now, there was one girl who walked up to those people, and told them something that lingers in my head ever since. Some one who quit, because his/her parents said so... Now, I heard the entire conversation, so I do know what is going on (indirectly): The person chose to quit Uni, because the parents saw no future in it, jobwise, incomewise, and happinesswise (Is that even a word?!) The subject we are talking about is English.

Isn't it your own choice to chose your subject? I mean, I did and I do not regret it the slightest bit, even though my parents are against it ( for the same reasons as stated above ). Why is the choice of education always related to money and income? "You should become a doctor and earn a lot of money. you should study Economics and rack up some great end-of-the-year bonusses! Become a lawyer and earn tons of money, just by dressing up strange!"

[TL;DR]
Do you go to Uni - if not, what else you do? Did you choose your education/subject correct right away, or did you make a little detour? Why did you quit - own choice or pressure by others? Were you pressured by your parents into the 'money-making' subjects?

 

[BonsaiK]

I went to Uni but I got a job in the real world first, so I could get into Uni as a mature-age student. My school grades would never have gotten me in.

My sole parent living at that time liked my choice but was worried about the career implications and possible lack of earning potential. She was right, but I have no regrets.

I didn't quit, I stuck it through and then did grad studies.

 

[Jumping_Over_Fences]

College is expensive and you want to make the money that you put into it to be worth it in the end.

I graduated with a BA in English. My parents never pressured me into a subject that would make money (they went to school for education). I wish I chose a subject that was better compensated. I would love to have money.

 

[Wadders]

Yeah I go to Uni and I went right after 6th form because I wanted to get all my education out of the way with (as opposed to taking a gap year), and as far as I can tell my parents supported that descision, and still do.

I do history, so I'm aware getting a job might be tricky when I finish, but I'd rather spend 3 years of my life studying something that interests me and thatI enjoy, rather than something that might get me a job but I will hate.

 

[Exia91]

I do history, so I'm aware getting a job might be tricky when I finish, but I'd rather spend 3 years of my life studying something that interests me and thatI enjoy, rather than something that might get me a job but I will hate.

I studied one year Economics at Uni. I did finish the year, but for the reason you describe here, I decided to switch to something I throughly Enjoy, which is English.

College is expensive and you want to make the money that you put into it to be worth it in the end.

I graduated with a BA in English. My parents never pressured me into a subject that would make money (they went to school for education). I wish I chose a subject that was better compensated. I would love to have money.

So, you are unhappy with your choice of BA English? What kind of job do you have? Why do you think money would make you more happy?

 

[CoL0sS]

Well I do go to Uni, occasionally work and government pays my tuition. I finished all of my first year courses and am doing pretty fine. But did I choose well.... I honestly don't know. There really isn't much variety in universities here and studying abroad is really expensive. My uni is poorly organized, professors lack in enthusiasm ,are generally uninspiring,and pretty much make their own rules. Also knowledge I gain isn't very useful (except for programming). Doesn't really help that I still don't have it all figured out, and that job prospects are bleak (for everyone, not only ppl in this field). For the past several weeks I've been entertaining the thought of "freezing" my year and getting a job, so I can save enough money to study abroad, but will most likely finish this before doing anything that drastic.

 

[tharglet]

I wish I chose a subject that was better compensated. I would love to have money.

Well, maybe fortunately or unfortunately, it doesn't always pan out that way. I've heard of people doing this (taking a course for the eventual payoff) and then end up either burnt out fast, or jobless and realising that it's not always a great idea.

 

[Jumping_Over_Fences]

College is expensive and you want to make the money that you put into it to be worth it in the end.

I graduated with a BA in English. My parents never pressured me into a subject that would make money (they went to school for education). I wish I chose a subject that was better compensated. I would love to have money.

So, you are unhappy with your choice of BA English? What kind of job do you have? Why do you think money would make you more happy?

Right now I am a part time English instructor at a local community college. It sounds nice, but the pay is crap, I have a full time schedule with part time pay, and I get the classes no one else wants to teach. Don't get me wrong, I would rather do this than go back and work collections again, but I just wish I was better compensated.

I know that money would make me happy because every single problem that I have right now (and trust me there are tons) could easily be solved by having a lot of money. Seriously, money would totally buy my happiness.

 

[EmzOLV]

Do you go to Uni - if not, what else you do? Did you choose your education/subject correct right away, or did you make a little detour? Why did you quit - own choice or pressure by others? Were you pressured by your parents into the 'money-making' subjects?

I did go to Uni and I actually loved it. It was probably the first time to get loads of new mates after my friends from college moved to different places!
I did a BA (Hons) in Music Industry Management and Live Production which was pretty interesting except for the economics and marketing subjects. I also know that regardless of whether I went to uni for this course or not the only way I got a job in the music industry was to work ridiculously hard in my own time and get work experience.

My mum didn't care what I did as long as I went to Uni - my brother had already flunked out and that put a lot of pressure on me. But it was totally worth it and I wanted to go, aside from nerves.

I did avoid it for one year, and saved up some money by working on my year off. I sometimes wonder what friends I would have had if I had not left it a year!

 

[tharglet]

My parents wanted me to go to uni, and fortunately that was my wish too. They tried to slightly dissuade me from doing the course I chose, to check I wasn't wanting to do it, just because my brother was already doing it.
When I had the interview for my first job, the interviewer asked if I did the course because I wanted to, or because someone asked me to.
Then again, with programming, if you dislike it, it's one of those areas where it's gonna burn you out quickly.

At one point, I did think about quittin' uni as my life wasn't great, and the lectures at that point were sucky, but I'm glad I stuck it out, even if I don't go into education again.

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

I'm at uni right now and, despite having some issues with one of my modules, am absolutely loving it. Not just as an education but as an experience and for life lessons.

And English is a fantastic degree to get jobs with (it's what I'm doing), I thought that I would be basically unemployable, but since starting the graduate job hunt early this month I've found that employers don't want people with specialised degrees and vocational programmes, they want people who have a broad range of experiences and are malleable, which English shows I can be.

While I wouldn't put down someone who didn't want to go because I do also believe that university is not for everyone the same way that going straight into work is not for everyone, my slightly biased view is that it probably does help more in the long-run to go through a full university education, at least in Britain.

While it's all well and good to quote lists of people who quite university and become famous billionaires, it's worth remembering that they did that decades ago. The system has changed and a university education has become a lot more important than it used to be even ten years back.

Besides, there's lot of drinking and chicks (or guys if you're a girl or gay), what's not to love?

 

[Yureina]

Graduated with a BA in History/Political Science earlier this year. Been unemployed and introspective since I got out, and so now am considering going back for a Masters in History. Whee...

As for my experience, I didn't like it. I spent my time in university playing WoW, procrastinating on assignments to the extreme, and probably reading less than 1/10th of the assigned material. All of that and I still walked away with a 3.5 GPA. Translation? University was way too easy for me, and so I got little out of the experience in an academic sense because all I was doing was doing assignments and occasionally learning some interesting stuff. I was so disillusioned by the experience that I didn't bother going to my own graduation ceremony. Meaning... University was so uninteresting and unimportant to me that I did not find a reason to go out and celebrate the fact that I had gotten a degree. It didn't seem special to me at all.

Socially... I went to a commuter campus. In other words there was no social experience there. That's before you factor in that I am extremely introverted and rarely ever try to talk to anyone in the real world.

As far as my parents go, its actually quite the opposite effect that you may expect. My mother thinks I could be a phenomenal History professor, but I don't see that as a life I want to pursue. Teachers don't get treated very well, don't get paid much, and have to sink in huge amounts of their own time into their work. My English Professor mother working 14+ hour days for wages that per hour are worse than minimum wage is the example in my mind.

 

[Marter]

I will be going to some sort of post-secondary institution. Likely a film program, if I don't lose that desire by the end of this year, that is.

 

[instantbenz]

I'm in college for graphic design which was my second choice after German. The mix isn't the most lucrative, but with marketing (even though such classes are simply learning vocabulary that pertains to situations and actions in business that are easily understandable) hopefully I can get a sweet gig at a design firm or something.

Until then I freelance illustrations and photography for minor fees. I do business cards, letterhead, logos, custom illustration (mostly video game related), wedding photography, wedding invites, and videography.

 

[Julianking93]

I do not go to uni or to any school currently and haven't even been to school since I was 14.

I've reiterated this story a few times here but in short, I left school because I was tortured every day at every school I went to and I had had enough of it, so I left. Plus, my grades were high enough that I could leave without feeling like I lost anything.

Right now, I study on my own. I'm what's called an autodidact in that I teach myself the things I want to know through reading and experience.

I do plan on going to uni in the future as I want a degree in psychology since that's what I want to do as a career (or at least part of what I want to do) but until then, I'll remain a proud self taught individual.

 

[Zykon TheLich]

Ok...went to uni to do geography and geology. Did it because they gave you all the forms to fill out at school. However, I wasn't quite finished partying yet and didn't really enjoy the geology part so I quit after a year. Mooched around in low waged job partying for a couple of years then got bored and did a BA in Geography because I like the field trips and outdoor work. After I finished that I went off partying for a while. A few years later I was getting bored with the daily grind of gardening work all day (turns out a bachelors degree insn't that great for getting a job in a rural area) and obliterating ones conciousness with heroin in the evenings...and morning, and afternoon, and decided to do a Masters degree. Chose Climate change and risk management. It was the hook that managed to get me off heroin, however as a course it was very science based, too much paleoclimatology etc and not enough energy management. Combine not finding the course so great and feeling less than healthy I dropped out in the second year (was a PT course).
A year and a bit later I now work seasonally for a very reputable concern. Money's not great but I enjoy the work and I get a long xmas (unpaid) holiday.
Parents aren't too worried about the £ thing, I think they are just grateful for small mercies.

 

[Chromatic Aberration]

Currently doing a Masters Degree in physics: I was always a scientist at heart so physics was a pretty obvious choice for me and, well, I'am loving it. Fortunately, physics has a high demand on the job-market so I will probably not have any problems of finding a good job.....
That said and considering the fact that I study in Germany (where I don't have to pay tuition fees at all) my parents where very supportive and continue to finance my studies.

As for subjects that have a bleak outlook in terms of jobs I still think that people who are genuinely interested in the subject should study it no matter what. They should be aware, however, that they have to (more than in other subjects) MAKE a demand for themselves: specialize in certain (rare) fields, try to get especially high grades, get scholarships, study abroad etc. Something to stand out of the crowd.
To study something you don't really like is generally not a good idea: you will loathe your studies and probably quit, which is always worse than having at least a degree in something you like.

Also, as much as I understand certain parents in wanting their children to "return their investment", it is not their place to decide what their child should do for the rest of its life. Some healthy concern is allowed but to favor their interests to the happiness of their child is just plain wrong.

 

[Latinidiot]

Because the worst thing a parent can imagine is an unhappy son/daughter, andpoverty is the easiest way to unhappiness.

 

[Mistermixmaster]

-snip-

Damn you OP, for dragging me back into reality! D: ... Well, staying on topic, I should probably go back to studying for my exam in Human Anatomy and Physiology that I got next week...

So yeah, I'm currently at a university, studying Radiography. (Something I chose myself, for many reasons.) My only gripe about choosing that, is that whenever anyone asks what I study and I reply with Radiography, they all seem to think it's a workfield in the media and/or radio... Makes me want to slap them across the face.