Is Gen X now the new 'forgotten generation"? No really you hear all the time about 'Boomers and Millennials but...

[Estil | 1,265]

10 minutes ago, Hammerfestus said:

Yeah.  As a guy who studied linguistics because it was what I enjoyed (which your advice was the common adage circa 2002) I can assure you it is not good advice.  

You still got your degree didn't you?  It's better than trying to do a major that you're not cut out for just because of its possible earning potential...and then end up with no degree at all.  I knew right from the start I would deeply regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't earn my UK degrees...even if I ended up in some six figure kind of deal by dropping out or not going.

No I ultimately did not end up in some college level job or whatever...but I still consider earning those degrees to be my proudest achievement...shoot if it weren't for its cost I'd be tempted very much to go for a third BA in geography (another subject i like)...though their general studies (then called University Studies) went though at least one complete major overall so I don't know if the ones I did would even "count" now....I'm hoping all I'd need to do is the geography major requirements and that would be that.

But again you guys would probably think it'd be stupid to do something like that as essentially a "hobby", right?  

[Hammerfestus | 3,880]

4 minutes ago, Estil said:

You still got your degree didn't you?  It's better than trying to do a major that you're not cut out for just because of its possible earning potential...and then end up with no degree at all.  I knew right from the start I would deeply regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't earn my UK degrees...even if I ended up in some six figure kind of deal by dropping out or not going.

No I ultimately did not end up in some college level job or whatever...but I still consider earning those degrees to be my proudest achievement...shoot if it weren't for its cost I'd be tempted very much to go for a third BA in geography (another subject i like)...though their general studies (then called University Studies) went though at least one complete major overall so I don't know if the ones I did would even "count" now....I'm hoping all I'd need to do is the geography major requirements and that would be that.

But again you guys would probably think it'd be stupid to do something like that as essentially a "hobby", right?  

Accumulating crushing debt and having employers look at you like you‘re from Jupiter when you tell them about your degree is one hell of a hobby.

[Estil | 1,265]

Luckily my debt wasn't all that much.

[Hammerfestus | 3,880]

12 minutes ago, ChickenTendas said:

So from what I understand it's better to go for a higher paying job than something you enjoy? Or is it 50/50?

Not what I’m saying.  What I’m saying are a lot of majors you might choose because you enjoy them really don’t have jobs associated with them at the Bachelor‘s level.  Once upon a time the paradigm was “just get a degree, no one works in the field they study anyways”.  Well that’s no longer true.  Hasn’t been true since at least the Great Recession.  So one day 30 years later you’ll find yourself working as the assistant night manager at Walmart waiting for the sweet release of death.

[Scrobins | 1,727]

I think it's a little more complicated than that. There is a trend that makes it necessary to have advanced degrees to distinguish yourself in some fields, but knowing which fields such a degree has currency in. For our grandparents' generation, getting a high school diploma is what opened doors; for our parents it was a college degree. The problem isn't that a psych degree has no value, but that for people who want to pursue a career in that field, a college-level degree in pysch is insufficient; grad school is necessary.

[Deadeye | 1,596]

There is also plenty of non-college routes that can taken.  Welding, is in a lot of demand and pays well.

[Estil | 1,265]

As for any thoughts of going for a master's degree, unfortunately I only made a 2.57 GPA (due in large part to working almost six hours a night and all day Saturday plus I had undiganosed Asperger's at the time (I didn't know I had it or my other mental/emotional issues until 2006; three years too late!!) which made it really hard to concentrate/focus)...and UK's graduate school/masters degrees (and most everywhere else I know, including the requirements for my wife's masters degree program ten years ago) expect you to make at least a B in every course.  Still I do have one history class and two political science classes in the 500s (that might count as graduate credit) for which I did earn a B...so possibly I may have a bit of a head start?

I mean the idea of that or the third bachelors just sounds so appealing sometimes...but I'm pretty sure I'm out of luck as far as any financial aid goes   So I guess that's that  

[doner24 | 1,197]

12 hours ago, Scrobins said:

I think it's a little more complicated than that. There is a trend that makes it necessary to have advanced degrees to distinguish yourself in some fields, but knowing which fields such a degree has currency in. For our grandparents' generation, getting a high school diploma is what opened doors; for our parents it was a college degree. The problem isn't that a psych degree has no value, but that for people who want to pursue a career in that field, a college-level degree in pysch is insufficient; grad school is necessary.

The future is in plastics.