I just read the "marijuana" thread, and boy am i feeling stoopid. or uneducated, anyway. Plus, I'm mortified because i just f/o that james is a) hot looking and b) from so cal, which i dissed in some other thread ... sigh. thank g-d he's happily married, anyway, or i'd obsess about that . oh yeah, so am i ... ANYWAY.

what kind of education / degrees are you guys touting? i went to rutgers and got a ba in communication, but as you can see from my posts, i learned very very little. then i went to the GTU in berkeley and got a masters in theology (roman catholic). that and $2.60 will get me a latte, 'round here ... anyway. I think I learned more from travelling than anything else.

What educated you most? and what do you / did you study?

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2001

Answers

Well, like you said Deidre, travelling taught me the most - especially when you have no money. I got a BA in Communication from Slippery Rock (yes, Virginia, there is such a school) and I'm working on a totally useless masters right now from Carnegie Mellon.

I really really hate being an adult

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2001

I have a Master's degree in classics, and started a PhD at an Ivy League school which shall remain nameless. I left it partly because I was burnt out, and partly because I was having a hard time knuckling under to the Ivy League expectations. Even though I'm not technically using my degrees in my work, I don't consider them a waste as some people do (and are not shy about telling me) - they were invaluable to me. In some ways, though, I think leaving school and completely shattering the world I had built for myself taught me a lot more than any formal education.

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2001

My undergrad degree is in Social Science; my graduate degree in Education (Curriculum Development and Interdisciplinary Studies) and have I have CEU's and various hours/credits in the somewhat unrelated field of business management and marketing. While I am no longer in the classroom (could not afford to live and be a teacher without holding three jobs), I guess you could say I am NOT using my degrees, however, I find I am always using principles of research, communication/writing, presentation. While "book learning" can sometimes be elitist or appear to separate you from the "real" world, I think most of us are pretty adept at integrating what we have learned and applying it to whatever it is we do. I strongly advocate education in all forms - experience, internships, travel, trying and failing/trying and succeeding, and, of course, reading, reading, reading. While I am still paying off a student loan from 1984 (sigh), I still say education is a terrific investment in yourself. Also, every time I finally (and, usually, wearily) earned a piece of paper from a college, I vowed to never go back to class again... but, in some fashion, I always do - workshops, seminars, online learning, extension courses... who wants to stop learning? Now, more than ever, there are a lot terrific resources out there.

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2001

I used to think having a degree would be "IT" - job security, knowledge, etc. Reminds me of a postcard I saw a few years back: "ADULT REALIZATION #354 - No one cares about your major or GPA." The changing economy would attest to this as we see people with graduate degrees whipping up lattes.

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2001

I have a BA and an MFA and while I admit that the degrees have opened doors for me that would otherwise have stayed shut, my real education has come from personal, voracious reading...my three tours in Vietnam, and travelling widely in Asia, Mexico, Canada and the U.S. I taught college for three years (it sucked big-time) and I never would have got that position without the degrees...however. I own my own magazine and I would have accomplished that, regardless. It took grit, cojones, the willingness to fail and risk all and the ability to endure ridicule in the beginning and the degree didn't help. The world is divided into two kinds of people: those who can do it and those who can't. I went to grad school with people who hold low end jobs unrelated to their field of study because that's all they can handle. I had an excellent GPA but I soon learned that high grades in college only prove you're good at going to college. I also know people who have what can be considered "good jobs" due to the prestige and money involved and they hate what they do every minute. Sad. The best words of advice I ever got were: "Find out what it is you love to do...and then discover a way to make money at it." Never stop learning. When you're ripe...rotten is the next stage. Strive to be in a state of constantly "becoming."

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2001

You know, I really do think it is mostly about cojones ... or ovarios, in my case. I like having the degrees, because in our superficial world I find that they validate me in the public domain -- sad but true. The trap is if I allow them to validate me for my own damn self. Now that I am a f/t stay at home mom, I'm feeling like my education / intelligence is kind of fading away. I love this life, I don't mean to complain, but I feel like I'm losing fluency in the language of the public sector. Cojones, girl, cojones. (or, perhaps, corraggio! if you don't mind my changing languages mid-stream of consciousness.)

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2001

It took me 5 years to get my BFA because I was working and wanted to stick around the States a bit longer. I learned a lot from University, I really loved it because it was my choice to be there. School was generally not my cup of tea for various reasons, not having any parental guidance in matters of education is probably the main one. I would love to go back and get more qualified, but that would be like pissing money down the drain, what with a sprog on the way, and frankly, I'm 31, and having another degree would not help me in my field of work (in this country). Oh well, I'll just keep reading like the maniac I am.

-- Anonymous, February 19, 2001

I have a BS in agricultural engineering from the University of Georgia. So you can see how that helps me every day in my current job as database manager with an advertising agency.

Actually, in a strange way, it does. I know something about statistics, and logical thinking, and how to plan ahead.

I think the thing that taught me more was the fact that I had to work my tail off to get through school. Just having a job was a breeze compared to trying to work as much as I did, party as much as I did, and trying to get through a fairly rigorous course of study. Maybe that's why today I never seem to have a spare minute -- there's always another responsibility I end up taking on.

-- Anonymous, February 19, 2001

I have an B.A. in English and an MLIS (which is Masters in Library and Information Science). When I was in grad school about every 3rd person I'd meet who found out what I was studying said to me, "You have to go to school for that??" Now, sadly, I'd have to say I agree with the sentiment.

-- Anonymous, February 19, 2001

I earned a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in English from Southeastern Louisiana University. I graduated cum laude. I did so well in the Psych courses that all my friends taking those courses and the entire Psych department were freaked when I told them I wasn't going to go for a Master's degree. I had entered college thinking I wanted a computer science degree. When that wasn't working out, I decided to go with what interested me the most, and that was Psych. I got what I wanted, which was my undergrad degree, but I was sick of school by the end of it. So I struck out into the world with NO marketable skills and no desire to work in the profession of my degree. It's ironic that I have spent the last 11 years in computer/information systems. :-)

Some people go straight from high school into the real world and everything's fine. Others make it through some college and then decide the real world is for them and they're fine, too. I needed every second of my college life to make the leap to the real world. My degree is nice and I haven't really used it, but the things I learned in college about work and study and society and so on (and even just the sheer free time to go deep in some subjects, such as music) made my college years absolutely worth every minute and every penny.

I thank my parents for the well rounded education from all aspects of life I got while growing up, especially the depths to which we explored the humanities. I'm glad I went to college and I'm glad I did what I did and studied what I studied. Since then, no Master's program has appealed to me, but I am a voracious reader, mostly of non-fiction from any and all sources but I also have some favorite fiction authors. Most of what I study these days is anything related to information systems, primarily for my career, the world of design from graphics to film to manufacturing and useability, and writings on wisdom, philosophy, morals, ethics and thinking. And I read whatever Gwen writes as soon as I can. :-)

-- Anonymous, February 19, 2001

I've taken only a few college classes, although I work for a university. I have been through clerical school (aka. office management program) and real estate school.

After we get the man through college (3 semesters to go!) and get him into a job that can support us both, I will be taking the time off to go to school full time. If my plans come to fruition, I should have a nice degree by the time I'm 35. But who knows? I've been in no hurry up to now to get the degree, and I would really like to breed within the next 5 years, so it's all flexible.

-- Anonymous, February 19, 2001

I have a BA in Speech Communication, which is the closest thing available to a degree in common sense. I make great use of it by yakkin' on the phone all day.

-- Anonymous, February 19, 2001

Hmm, it seems I'm one of those people Bubba mentioned who get out of grad school and get low-end jobs because it's all they can handle... but it's all good. One of the best lessons I learned in academia was how much I truly despised stress/pressure - the jobs I do might not always challenge me intellectually, but they leave lots of time for the things that do challenge me and which I love to do. I have time for my hobbies, I have time for my friends and family, and I sleep like a baby every night. And when former professors/fellow students tell me how I'm wasting my life, I warmly invite them to kiss my ass.

-- Anonymous, February 19, 2001

One of the biggest regrets in my life was that I didn't get a chance to go to college(right out of high school anyway) and find out what was available in the bussiness world. I'm not a proponent of how college is run now but I can see where it could be fun and educational. A very bad thing happened around the time I wanted to go to college and then I got married. I have tons of college credits(units) but lack the requisite classes like english, history, psyc, polypsy, ect. I've got lots of engineering math and lots of science with hydraulics, biological process studies, management and environmental law classes but nothing to get a degree with. Plus I'm too damn laz----laid back. And I have lots and lots of woodshop class units. Say... I could get a degree in woodshop right? After I retire I may go back and take the courses necassary to get a degree of some kind. I'd love to be a high school/ Jr college science teacher. Gosh Mr. Wizard. What makes sodium explode when we put it in the toilets here at school? Gee whiz Mr.Chester. What makes it get so big when we peek into the girls locker room? Anyway. I may do that. I know a guy that I went to school with that got his masters in herpetology and now sells chemicals to farmers in the Islands. Strange. I also know a guy that retired in his forties with no college whatsoever. He sold real estate. I also know some guys that never worked at all. They were rich after a couple trips to Mexico. Good bussinessmen I guess. I also know this one girl that was really good at remembering names and she has made quite a bit of money just rmembering who she went out on a date with. She's really good looking too. james

-- Anonymous, February 19, 2001

Living and working on a college campus and being completely surrounded by grad students and post docs, I'm learning things about the college experience that I don't think the students themselves recognize just yet.

Besides the well rounded education, besides the social skills and exposure to new viewpoints and lifestyles, and besides the independence learned by being on your own in a new place, I'm beginning to believe that the most valuble part of having the degree is that it proves endurance. Every single grad student that I know is either in the throes of or past the point in which they decide that their thesis holds absolutely zero interest for them any longer, and they want to either quit or change majors (sometimes again). But the ones who stick with it and force themselves to be swallowed by research that bores them to tears, those that earn their doctorate, are really showing a maturity that they will be paid big bucks for out in the real world. And being who I am, and having had such an incredibly difficult time breaking the 20k salary marker, I literally beg them not to give up.

I'm starting to understand the value of a degree, and I really want one now. And I have no idea if I have the willpower to go all the way.

-- Anonymous, February 19, 2001

I attended College of the Redwoods and Humboldt State Univ., majored in journalism and reached my senior year. My mom dropped me off at C/R and took off, galavanting around the country. I was forced out of the dorms for non-payment and started earning a living as a motel maid, eventually working up to innsitter at bed & breakfast inns. I was frequently without food, sometimes without a place to stay, and even on food stamps for a time. It was all very difficult, but I managed to keep plodding along, and even managed to find time to enjoy myself & my friends. Then, like James, I had a very bad thing happen and I just couldn't take it anymore. My mom had returned to a "normal" life in L.A. and I moved in with her to finish my degree with some help. No sooner did I arrive than both my mom and her husband lost their jobs. So, I got a job...and met my husband, and was married and with child within 18 months.

I have taken a few courses since then, but just don't have the time or desire to finish that damn degree. It really pisses me off that I busted my ass for 6+ years only to walk away from academia empty- handed. I work as an executive assistant and can't believe this is where I have ended up. But I can't figure out what else I would rather do. I really like what Bubba says about "...do what you love" but what if you can't figure out what the hell that is? Should I worry about finishing a degree, any degree, if I don't know what I would do with it? Is it worth completing just for the sake of completion? I've certainly learned a lot over the years...about human nature, survival, and politics. But I do feel I've paid for the lack of a degree, and have limited my future.

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2001

i went to hgih schol and leerned to red

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2001

Well Floosie, that's alot more than alot of people. Maybe it's time to take a course or two at JC. Old pervs like smart young girls. James

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2001

My undergraduate degree was in Medical Technology with a Chemistry minor and I ended up doing diagnostic lab work in *the* Medical Center for Federal Prisoners. I loved the work, but the management sucked big time. I ran tests and collected data for a nation-wide study. When I told my boss I'd like to talk to the people in charge of the study because I had some questions and ideas, the pig told me to "just do the work, don't think". It was then I realized a need to further my education. Being freshly divorced was another good reason to get out of town. So off I went and 8 years later (with a small stint locked in a mental health facility for going over the edge) I graduated with a Ph.D. in molecular biology. I was fortunate to do a postdoc at a prestigeous place. People get blown away when they find out I have a Ph.D. because I don't look or act the part. I despise pretention. I think college teaches you a lot about diversity. Classes were not easy for me and I worked really hard. But the fun was in meeting people from a huge variety of ethics backgrounds with different life experieces and values.

-- Anonymous, February 21, 2001

Admin people always spoil everything, huh? I really enjoyed my students when I taught college, but the administrators were slime. The only reason I didn't eventually kill one of those cocksuckers is because they weren't worth spending the rest of my life in jail.

-- Anonymous, February 21, 2001

I'm a college drop-out. (Woo hoo! UT!) If I've learned anything, I've learned it from reading. And PBS.

I meet a lot of people with Master's (Masters'?) degrees who don't seem to be too intelligent, and sometimes that annoys me. Then again, I probably don't seem too ambitious or hard-working to those people, so I guess it's best that I keep my judgments to myself.

-- Anonymous, February 21, 2001

From The Book of Poisonous Quotes

The advantage of a classical education is that it enables you to despise the wealth, which it prevents you from achieving. Russell Green

-- Anonymous, February 21, 2001

Gwenz...are I one of the dim-bulb materz degree peeples whom you be referring to?

-- Anonymous, February 21, 2001

Gwen, you're not the only one who's met a lot of stupid people with Master's degrees. My Dad continually comments on the fact that the most inept, lazy people he works with have Master's degrees; it's baffling.

Also, I know a few people who brag endlessly about their Ivy League educations -- they're invariably very, very dim.

-- Anonymous, February 21, 2001

I've met some real duds as well. Read my post above on college degrees. You can either do it...or you can't.

-- Anonymous, February 21, 2001

No, Bubba. I meant people that I had actually met.

-- Anonymous, February 21, 2001

I have a Masters' Degree. I'm prouder of earning that than anything else I've done professionally. Mostly because I really hated undergraduate school and graduated from that with the lowest possible average required. Grad school was better for me. More focused.

-- Anonymous, February 21, 2001

I taught a lab for medical students. If you want to get really scared about health care, do that. I'm clueless as to what their admission criteria were. A small handful were actually very bright, compassionate and had great common sense. The rest were frightening. The lowest GPA in the class still gets called Dr. and they're taught arrogance and God personification starting in year one. Sorry Fruitbat, I keep slamming MDs. But I feel you really have to be a strong self-advocate these days. I've found really great Drs. now, but I have so many personal horror tales from "the brillant and the best". Yea, right.

-- Anonymous, February 22, 2001

It's OK Vick, slam away. I don't know what people want from doctors--omnipotence? To be always serious and on-the-ball, even in an anatomy-lab type situation? And we are often quite a bit different around patients than in a colleague-only situation, which is common of many professions.

At the end of the day, you're right, we are all called Doctor. Even the last in the class spends a minimun of 11 years training (4 yr. college+4 yr. medical school+3 years is the shortest residency, ie general pediatrics, general internal medicine, family practice)and jumped through a lot of hoops to get there. (The year I applied to medical school the stats were something like 45,000 applicants for 5,000 spots nationally.) I'll bet he/she is not at stoopid as you make them out to be.

They are some arrogant jerks in medicine, as in every field. Some people get that way when they are given power of any kind.

But I think a lot of doctors are just really proud of what they've done with their lives too. It's hard as hell to get into a good medical school and then to get through it. Whereas it's really quite easy to criticize people who've chosen to do tough things, for what? being right 85% of the time instead of 100%?

I love, love, love my job. I worked my ass off since I was *14* years old to get it. My harshest critic will always be myself, because I want to be the best, smartest doctor I can be. I think the vast majority of my colleagues feel this way, even if it is not apparent to the outside obsever, or else they wouldn't be where they are--the competition is too fierce.

So like I said, slam away.

-- Anonymous, February 27, 2001