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Originally Posted by Lonny
Yes, 28 years later.

But there are plenty of almost worthless degrees available.

In some cases though, employers really don't care what you graduated with as long as you finished something. Lots of starters, not as many finishers.


Years ago, I picked up a short work stint through Manpower (temp employment agency). The outfit (ad agency) needed a bunch of young people (simple labor) to help set up their client's (Cummins) display at the Farm Progress Show. The first day there were a strong dozen or so, to get panels put in place, a tent erected, etc. The second day they needed fewer and I was surprised when the boss asked me and 3 or 4 others to come back. At the end of the day he told us he wanted one fellow to work for the duration of the show, to keep the displays clean, change light bulbs etc., the rest were done. He asked if I would do it. (Getting paid to change light bulbs? Heck yes!) He ended up giving me some great advice; told me why he had singled me out from the bunch that started. He saw I showed up on time - a bit earlier than asked; I knew how to work (the pick and shovel weren't strangers or enemies), and then he gave me some advice about college. He said they hired graduates, not necessarily that they had a specific degree, but that they had proved that they knew how to deal with hurdles, deadlines, and stress. He told me that they needed to train whomever they hired anyway.

I've always remembered that. The 'paper' you have often means less than the fact that you have it. There's a bunch of other stuff that's often as or more important. I ended up getting a teaching degree that provided a good career in rural Alaska. I never did get paid for the best education I had because I learned so much more after I got my degree than I did before (and I didn't take classes just to pad my income - yeah, foolish I suppose).


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Originally Posted by Obi_Wan
Yes and no. I got my BS in biology. Really useless unless you add something to it.
What? You didn't want to sell pharmaceuticals? laugh


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BS in Civil Engineering. Worked in construction management until the economy tanked around 2007 so I fell back on my civil degree and have worked for DOT and now a local municipality as their street and stormwater manager. I'm glad I decided upon Civil as it really opens up a lot of job possibilities.

Lots of friends with history, psychology, communications, etc degrees that don't work in a related field



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Originally Posted by Jim in Idaho
Bachelor of Science in Forest Management, Utah State U. Never worked a day in that field.

They were cranking out foresters like there was no tomorrow, so when I graduated there were no jobs and what few there were paid bupkus. I could have had a job making minimum wage driving around Nevada counting jojobe plants for some synthetic fuels research. People with a Masters degree were planting trees, that's a summer job for high school kids.

Took the last of my GI bill (the old one) and went to 6 months of vocational school to be a computer programmer. Have worked in that field for 34 years now and it has been an enjoyable time and allowed me to make a decent living.

A classmate of mine also graduated with a BS in Forestry but couldn't find work either. He went back to school to become an electrical contractor and last I heard was very successful at it.


Similar story for me with a wildlife mgt BS. Minimum wage jobs, preferential hiring of women and minorities to meet quotas, masters degrees barely making 20k. I was the first one in my family to go to college so precious little career advice. Complete waste of 4 years.

Later got an AS in Respiratory therapy and was working at two hospitals before I even graduated and am still in the field 15 years later. Trade schools rule. If you want to go the traditional route, either plan on at least a masters or better yet a doctorate. A bachelors degree by itself isn't worth using for butt wipe when you consider the huge cost plus 4 to 5 years of lost income while you are in school.


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I graduated in 1973 from Kansas State. I was fortunate to land a job with a large ag related corporation. I worked for them 39 years and retired at 61.
Part of my career was sort of related to my degree, but for the most part my responsibilities were not related to my degree.


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Yes I would have changed my major. Did an associates in CJ and my body has been wearing out. Want to get into the medical field (RN) but no time or money to do such things. May get a bachelors in something but undecided which to go for?

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Interesting topic.

We all went to college but the only one of us who's working in the area of their degree is my youngest sister. Masters in Education from Clemson (Go Tigers) and she's a very accomplished teacher. I sure hope she's able to continue.

Oh wait nephew graduated Citadel and he's now the doorman at the Charleston Marriott and chasing WS Panic concerts. So maybe him as well. grin

My major was in religion (they gave me free tuition in exchange for soccer and track) up until I became employee 192 at a very small company called Microsoft. So NO I did not become a minister. Shocker huh?? But then again I attended just about every college in Charleston. laugh




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I've got a small handful of degrees but never worked in the field per se until the last three years of my working life.


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I work in the field of one of my degrees. They are all somewhat related and have complemented each other well in my career.

Scholarships and coop/interships saved me a lot of money on education. The ability to work in the field your studying while working a degree is priceless.

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Quote
Similar story for me with a wildlife mgt BS. Minimum wage jobs, preferential hiring of women and minorities to meet quotas, masters degrees barely making 20k.


Same start, different finish. Once I got my BS in wildlife, I found about ABAWM (anybody but a white male). I couldn't imagine working in another field, so I just kept on with additional degrees in wildlife and doing what wildlife work I could find. Eventually the accumulation of experience coupled with a Piled Higher, Deeper degree, I got a permanent wildlife job. Bounced around agencies, but stayed in wildlife until I retired.

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Mine is in human resource training and development.

I do not use it on a daily basis, but it does get used when I teach adult students.

Like many, I too did it backwards, as I was teaching shooting long before I ever got the degree.

Doing it over again, if I was not going to carry a gun for a living, I would have not gone to a traditional college.

I would have gone to a tech school and learned how to run a mill, lathe, use EDM and CNC machines, and develop firearms related things.


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Originally Posted by Steelhead
Though I've always wanted to be a math teacher.


I always wanted to teach physics, but I don't understand all that junk in the books...

Last edited by shrapnel; 11/21/15.

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My bachelors is in Psychology and my Masters is in Psychology and Education. I wish I had stayed in a little longer and gotten certified in education, but I didn't although my first job when I got finished was teaching at a small college. Got both degrees in 4 years after I got out of the Marines. Most of my life I've been in sales, the last 29 in construction materials. That is a field all on it's on and takes a fair amount of education to keep up to date of what all is changing and what new products are being used. I can say my education opened doors for me so I have no problem with the time I spent getting it. If I had it to do over again I'd probably get more education and go that way.


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worked and paid for my undergraduate degree by working as a licensed radio announcer. the FCC, after a written test issued me a Third Class Radio Telephone License with a Broadcast endorsement.

after i got out of Uncle Sam's Army, they graciously agreed to pay for my MBA under the GI Bill of Rights. Worked for the same agency for the entire length of the full walk.

can't imagine ever having done anything else. well, wait, maybe i could have gone to electrician's vo-tech training right out of high school. but the local Baptist College lured me in. wink


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Originally Posted by Mackay_Sagebrush
Mine is in human resource training and development.

I do not use it on a daily basis, but it does get used when I teach adult students.

Like many, I too did it backwards, as I was teaching shooting long before I ever got the degree.

Doing it over again, if I was not going to carry a gun for a living, I would have not gone to a traditional college.

I would have gone to a tech school and learned how to run a mill, lathe, use EDM and CNC machines, and develop firearms related things.


If I could go back...
I would do the same. Though it was fun to know where the Battle of Guagamela was and post it on the SITMAP during Desert Shield (resulting in many, many pushups), my (formal)education never directly paid off. My children will be poor as a result of my juvenile decisions.


Me solum relinquatis


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I read someone in the teaching field say this the other day

We need to start asking kids what problems they want to solve instead of what job they want.

That thinking will drive their decision making for what school or vocation they want to go to and give them a "mission" in life at an early start.

I thought it was food for thought.


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Originally Posted by KFWA
I read someone in the teaching field say this the other day

We need to start asking kids what problems they want to solve instead of what job they want.

That thinking will drive their decision making for what school or vocation they want to go to and give them a "mission" in life at an early start.

I thought it was food for thought.


yeah, i can see that too. in an economy that's growing leaps & bounds, such as when new home & commercial construction is booming, it kinda makes sense to encourage "kids' to get construction based training.

when the economy is just hobbling along, replacement of retiring workers in the various trades, and some incremental new growth are the two main opportunities for new jobs, it would seem.

how best to absorb the many new high school graduates pouring into the workforce each year is a worthy challenge for all of us, because some of our kids, grandkids, neices, nephews, neighborhood kids probably fall into that category. and someday we'll want one of those kids to come along and purchase our house, when we move to florida to live on the beach.


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worked on heavy equipment in my early days, and was working on finishing a degree in diesel tech so I work in a bigger shop when I damaged my back. Switched to computer science, took almost seven years of night school to finish a BS (while working full time). That was 20 years ago and I'm still in the field. So I guess yes.

My backs still pretty messed up, so I guess it was a good choice since I would have never lasted turning wrenches.


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Originally Posted by jbmi
...a great guy working the counter, early 30's loves his job but has a degree in psychology, spent 4 years and some good money and never used it.

About the only thing a bachelor's degree in psychology is good for is to get an advanced degree in psychology.

Well, there is one other thing he could use it for. To get into law school.

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My parents spent umpteen thousand dollars so that I can now tell anyone who asks what the Latin binomial of Douglas fir is, or that "biloba" is the only species in the genus ginkgo. Quercus is the oak genus and aspirin (salicylic acid) comes from the bark of willow trees, genus Salix.

This information has helped me earn exactly $0.00 in the last 40 years but hey, thanks, Mom and Dad!

Btw, I enjoyed having sex with college girls, too! wink


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