I'm majoring in history and minoring in journalism, and for some reason I'm always getting asked; "What are you going to do with a degree in that". WTF DO YOU THINK I'M GOING TO DO WITH IT?!?
i hear ya im doing history, with a minor in english and classics and i get the same thing. its fecking annoying.
The prevalining notion is that the purpose of higher education is to get a job. Your approach of learning for the love of the subject is an echo of the old idea of a liberal education. Our lives and our passions do not need to revolve around our jobs. Keep on keeping on!
I don't know, what are you going to do with it? Personally, I'm majoring in anthropology & religious studies... I'm going to go to grad school & hide from the "real" world for as long as I can!
I'm going to teach HS while I'm going to grad school. Then, I'd like to work writing/producing/directing documentaries, especially on the Holocaust. I'm a musician, also...so I'd like that to be involved somehow too.
I used to get that a lot as well...the thing is, what's anyone going to do with anything, how should one answer this question, all you can really say is what you are going to do next.
yeah i play football so most of my freinds are big jocks and i tell them i want a degree in forestry or somthing that i can do like land consv. in and there like why
They may be asking out of genuine interest and concern. I got my BA in English so I got it a lot, too. I always poo-pooed the question, but then I spent my first year out of school looking for a "real" job and I didn't find shit! I managed a restaurant. Sad thing was that most of the other people working there had degrees, too. Quite a few of them even had advanced degrees. I eventually went back for my Master's, which I'm about to finish. I agree that education is about more than getting a job - but it's still a good idea to have a plan. Good luck!
Quote: Seamonster, do you have a degree and are you working in that field? Curious. I've got a BA in Anthropology/Archaeology and a BA in Geography I used to work as a contract archaeologist, got tired of it and the pay i also worked in public health mapping and surveying accident sites for a super long research study, so I have used both....but now i work in business project mgmt.....got tired of being told to go back to school, I don't want to at all! those scientifi fields nearly require it to get anywhere. business-its only about results really, kind of refreshing
People don't realize how much you can do with a degree. Shit, half the time thats really all you need for some of these jobs. Of couse, there are some courses you could take that would get you a little more well-rounded, but when you have a degree in say english, you could really do anything. You could teach, write for a paper or magazine, work for an advertizing(sp) company, anything really.
The ultimate answer to this question is, "Whatever I want to!" or maybe "Whatever I can!" I think it's fun to ask people in business administration or computer tech this question. The look on their faces is priceless.
Are they saying "What are your plans" kind of tone, or "What in the hell can you do with THAT" kind of tone? Depends on how the question was intonated on how I'd respond. Perhaps, though, you are just taking things to personally. Are you worried about what you'll do with it? Peace & Light
I know exactly how you feel. I get the same thing when I tell people that I'm double majoring in environmental studies and political science. I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to figure it out, but that might just be me...
I have a BA in history. I had majored in education for most of my college time, but I was frustrated with the way standardized testing was forcing schools to teach in the same box. I felt that was killing the imaginations of students and teachers. So, I majored in history. I did a stint working for the National Park Service. I was an archival specialist. Then I was a homemaker. Now, I work for a nonprofit. I enjoy it mostly, but I am again fighting against standardized testing. I would love to work in museums again, but as long as the economy is slow, funding for historical projects is relagated to the backburner. Maybe, someday, history will be important to those whe hand out funds.
i hear it a lot too. especially with half the people i talk (and am related to) to not knowing what anthropology is. hang in there.
