How do you get by with a useless college degree?

[JTE83]

I was watching TV one day, and somehow I saw a man state that he's basically unemployable with his Philosophy degree! I wonder what kind of jobs he gets and how much he gets paid! And what about student loan payback?

Other nearly useless degrees --
political science (if you don't go into government)
biology (if you don't get a nursing or other degree to go with it)
asian studies (what would you use this for?)
what others?

Do you yourself or if you know others with useless degrees - can you give us feedback on how you / they get by?

 

[DiabloScott]

I was watching TV one day, and somehow I saw a man state that he's basically unemployable with his Philosophy degree! I wonder what kind of jobs he gets and how much he gets paid! And what about student loan payback?

Other nearly useless degrees --
political science (if you don't go into government)
biology (if you don't get a nursing or other degree to go with it)
asian studies (what would you use this for?)
what others?

Do you yourself or if you know others with useless degrees - can you give us feedback on how you / they get by?

My wife's degree is in anthropology. No job, good wife and mom. If my degree were in anthro I'd look to marry an engineer too.

 

[benkoostra]

Classics.


****ing useless.

 

[Bob Ross]

I've got a masters degree in music composition. Anyone wanna buy a song?

 

[Pendejo]

Ph.D. in philosophy, M.S. physics. Taught university philosophy for five years, then went into marketing, then into software development, and now I'm a humor writer and stand-up comic. That's how you do it!

 

[Powerful Pete]

Political science man here.

I make more than a decent living in the United Nations family.

It is all what you make of it, I guess. That, the good fortune of being in the right place at the right moment...

I believe that first university degrees are becoming less important... no one I work with has less than one ' relatively technical' masters degree...

 

[arbie]

i'm a sports science degree man. great subject, but not the greatest for getting a high-paid job. i just started a new job in banking, and they're happy with anyone with a degree... whatever it's in. luckily!

 

[sogood]

Every degree can have a job associated with it, sometimes you need to take it from a different angle. Otherwise, the education in thought process will stand you up for any challenge in life.

 

[alienator]

Every degree can have a job associated with it, sometimes you need to take it from a different angle. Otherwise, the education in thought process will stand you up for any challenge in life.

+1.

 

[PartisanRanger]

Ha, I'm two years into getting a degree in Politics. I live in the DC Metro area, so I'm thinking a job at a lobbying or otherwise government-related firm would suit me. In any case, the concentration of one's college degree is becoming less and less relevant (particularly in the liberal arts) and I'm not particularly worried.

 

[riverfever]

Bachelors in education (Special Education). I work but I don't make much. I'll be starting my masters this fall in school counseling. That'll help out.

 

[mcr2c384]

Useless? What bull! Do people like you ever stop to think about other meanings of success than wealth? I'm a Philosophy and Psychology Double major. One degree by your standards is useless and the other so many people have them that they are useless until you have a Doctorate. HMMM. Did it ever cross your mind that I'm earning these degrees to further myself intellectually not financially? I feel that I'm of better use to others in the pursuit of knowledge than in the pursuit of wealth. If I wanted to hate the rest of my life I would and could have majored in Accounting or Business and been a part of the Corporate slave state that America has become, slave to the dollar! or I could use what I've learned to free myself from the Burdens of the more "successful". I'm not niave, I have my money that I owe, and enjoy the things that I have, but I do not let the "stuff" that I "have" or the money that I "have" become a yardstick of success. If this ever becomes the case for me I will look back on my life as a trite and meaningless existence. So ********! with your uselessness and ignorance!

 

[snaps10]

plant science (emphasis in ipm) and ag business. i own an insurance agency.

 

[lwedge]

Ha, I'm two years into getting a degree in Politics. I live in the DC Metro area, so I'm thinking a job at a lobbying or otherwise government-related firm would suit me. In any case, the concentration of one's college degree is becoming less and less relevant (particularly in the liberal arts) and I'm not particularly worried.

Throw in a little "Communications" and you got it made.

 

[Yojimbo_]

Useless? What bull! Do people like you ever stop to think about other meanings of success than wealth? I'm a Philosophy and Psychology Double major. One degree by your standards is useless and the other so many people have them that they are useless until you have a Doctorate. HMMM. Did it ever cross your mind that I'm earning these degrees to further myself intellectually not financially? I feel that I'm of better use to others in the pursuit of knowledge than in the pursuit of wealth. If I wanted to hate the rest of my life I would and could have majored in Accounting or Business and been a part of the Corporate slave state that America has become, slave to the dollar! or I could use what I've learned to free myself from the Burdens of the more "successful". I'm not niave, I have my money that I owe, and enjoy the things that I have, but I do not let the "stuff" that I "have" or the money that I "have" become a yardstick of success. If this ever becomes the case for me I will look back on my life as a trite and meaningless existence. So ********! with your uselessness and ignorance!

Yes, there are other measures to success than wealth, and if you've found yours, good for you.

On the other hand, I tend to measure success (in some part) as how one can contribute back to society for the time and money that has been invested in one's education. It costs taxpayers a considerable sum to educate someone, and since it is my taxes as well as yours, my preference is that you choose to become educated in a field in which you can get a job, get a salary, and pay enough taxes to justify my investment in you.

 

[alienator]

On the other hand, I tend to measure success (in some part) as how one can contribute back to society for the time and money that has been invested in one's education. It costs taxpayers a considerable sum to educate someone, and since it is my taxes as well as yours, my preference is that you choose to become educated in a field in which you can get a job, get a salary, and pay enough taxes to justify my investment in you.

How nice. I guess that means there are fields that aren't worthy of study. You should share with us your amazing ability to be able to read the future and see what sort of income someone is going to make based on what they studied in college.

I guess everyone should follow your lead, after all an education is only about how much money it'll earn, right?

 

[mcr2c384]

On the other hand, I tend to measure success (in some part) as how one can contribute back to society for the time and money that has been invested in one's education. It costs taxpayers a considerable sum to educate someone, and since it is my taxes as well as yours, my preference is that you choose to become educated in a field in which you can get a job, get a salary, and pay enough taxes to justify my investment in you.

Why is it assumed that the only way to contribute to society is monetarily? how about Improving society through better ethical standards in government and business for example. Maybe even going to go so far as to say for the improvement in the lives of the human beings that make up political and economic systems. I couldn't ascertain a better way to contibute to society than to actually make it better instead of dogmatically dumping millions down the drain trying to patch things (Wouldn't it be nice if you really got something worthwhile out of your investment in me?) but not necessarily trying to fix the problems. If patching things up is the only remedy that we have right now, then we sure as hell need to educate people in the fields, that quite literally provide the structure for all human systems (biology, chemistry, philosophy, psychology, ethics, music and arts, and etc.), in order to find solutions to these problems. Granted there is a need for Business and Commercial development, we need them to fulfill human wants and necessities! I clearly see the importance! But when too much dependence is placed on this aspect of society, and people don't take the time or worse yet don't know how to question motives of others or of themselves, it is doomed to make the same mistakes over and over.

 

[janiejones]

Everyone's worried about money - have I got enough, is my house big enough, is my bike carbon enough, I need that new Cervelo to ride to ride that 2kms to work, that will make my life better etc etc etc......

jello got it right

" give me a toot, I'll sell you my soul, pull my strings and I'll go far..."

we've got Little Johnny running the country over here cause everyone's worried about their mortgages.

knowledge is good.

 

[alienator]

Of course Jello got it right: the guy is a god.

 

[djrocker257]

I remember when I graduated in 1986, a woman was ahead of me in the graduation line getting a bachelor's in business. She told me her first bachelors was in Sociology in 1969. I asked why she went back to get a business degree. Her reply, " At first I was out to save the world. Now I am out to save myself." The sociology degree didn't do a thing for her.