Education Question

[Phil_314]

Hi everyone,

Simple questions, does anyone here have a B.A., and if yes what are you doing nowadays? Continued Education to another program, retail/ service/ clerical work, teaching or something actually related to what you studied? I'm considering the kinds of transferable skills that one can acquire from a degree in this area.

For everyone else [esp. the B.A. criticizers] let's try to keep from trashing this education route and keep it a positive discussion .

[Jägermeister]

I'm stopping my pursuit of my BA (Criminology) after this semester.

Unfortunately I'm just too far off the grades I needed to get into the post-graduate field I wanted into, and from all accounts a simple BA in Crim is effectively useless.

[goalie13]

I only have a simple diploma and a certificate, No B.A. But my wife has a B.A. in Criminology and a B.A. in Education. She's currently a full-time teacher.

With the Crim degree, she never actually worked in that field. But actually having a degree certainly did help her get a couple of unrelated jobs along the way.

[Dogbyte]

I don't have that exact degree but probably have the classes for it. I have a couple degrees and I'm not working in my field exactly. I found that getting a degree, unless Engineering or such doesn't necessarily transfer one to one into a specific job but rather University initially taught me to think critically in all areas, learn on my own, organize, and adapt to all situations. If you are struggling to find your niche I would recommend using those skills to get yourself into any challenging job that requires secondary schooling. From that point, you can narrow down what you want, show employers that you belong, and create the necessary skill set that allows you to level jump into new positions and new fields of interest. Don't look to hit the home run all at once, and don't downplay a position because you originally had imagined better. Despite what most of us think when we start school the reality is you usually don't just get into a great job right away but progress as a worker into something better.

Typically you are looking at social work, organizations, service companies, just about any business can use a competent person with a degree since 90% of the knowledge is learned on the job. Getting your foot in the door somewhere is a good first step. At that point you may consider re-education of some sort.

[Fanuck]

I have a B.A. and a B.Sc. and am part-way done my masters, I like to think I have many transferrable skills related to both my degrees and my experience in my field of work. I make a decent wage in a reasonable job, but my brother has a red-seal apprenticeship and makes more than me even without doing any overtime in his field and has a LOT of transferrable skills related to his job.

My friend in the HR field (works for a headhunting internet business based out of the US, but is global in it's reach) keeps telling me that the trends in education are often 5-10 years behind the actual demand in the workforce. For example, 10 years ago BC needed a LOT of tradespersons but the government/educational institutions were slow to react to this demand by almost 5 years. I don't know how true this actually is because I don't follow the trends that carefully now that I've been employed in the same job/field for quite some time (I should follow it more closely though because you never know these days:), but nevertheless, you'd be wise to look down the road not only to what transferrable skills you'll need after completing your education but also to what skills will the workforce require 5 years from now?

Also, don't underestimate quality vs. quantity in your career/job/education thought process. By that I mean now that I've been working for a while in my profession, I know a lot of people who make a LOT of money but are simply not happy people - hence the quality(do your love your job and make average wage) vs. quantity(hate the job but it pays a lot) debate.

People these days will go through multiple careers in a working life so the fact you are thinking about transferrable skills at this stage, I'd say you're on the right track already.

Good luck to you.

[Offensive Threat]

Do not study what interests you. Find a real career path that interests you and study what is needed to reasonably get you on to it. Too many people get a degree then look to see what kind of jobs they can get. They are doing it backwards.

Or if you just want a high paying job thats waiting for you when you graduate try clinical pharmacist. I know a clinical chemotherapy pharmacist who makes insane money and she keeps getting job offers all the time.

[GLASSJAW]

this is really the wrong place to ask that sort of question, since CDC is a pretty conservative (er traditional?) with ambition and education. around here it is viewed as a means to an end rather than a rewarding or fulfilling intellectual experience. and that's totally cool. but you're just going to find people who view education as a ticket to a job and nothing more

as someone who has exorbitant number of years in liberal arts studies, i have one piece of advice that will make your experience valuable: work and/or volunteer during your time at school. too many students float through their coursework, graduate, then say now what? If you volunteer on campus, or you work off campus, you'll be able to really hone in on your interests better. you can find what sort of work does or doesn't appeal to you. working with people? working with computers? working in research? blah blah. and these things are all super important because it will give you focus and direction when you graduate

that said, i don't know a single person who i graduated my BA with who is unemployed. whether they're working in education, or in kitchens (i know a few chefs), banking, government, or whatever. everyone seems to have a job. as a soon-to-be-finished MA student, i already know i have a handful of jobs to chase down that are directly related to my interests that will allow my to chase 'dreams' on the side.

but if you just float through your degree without really using it to reflect on YOUR interests, then you'll come out just as you entered, career-wise.

beyond that, though, a liberal arts education can literally change you as a person. there are extremely valuable elements to this sort of education that will make you a feel like a more enriched, better person

disagree with OT completely. study what you love if you want to, just make sure you really apply yourself and think about how you can realistically utilize those interests into something tangible

[KansasCanuck]

BA in education. Worked as a substitute for two years and unemployed for 6 months now. I got a lot of debt and am over qualified for crappy jobs and under qualified for good jobs.

[Offensive Threat]

BA in education. Worked as a substitute for two years and unemployed for 6 months now. I got a lot of debt and am over qualified for crappy jobs and under qualified for good jobs.

Took my sisters friend over 7 years as a substitute and teaching ESL to finally get on full time at a high school. Thats a very long time but seems to be the norm now. Too many grads for too few teaching jobs. She still does the ESL evenings and still has a lot of student loan debt. If your goal in education is to become a teacher you have to understand you will never be making big bucks. It can be extremely rewarding in other ways though.

It worked out well as a substitute in one way though. She originally wanted to teach younger children, grades 1 through 5 type thing but found she was more of a babysitter there and it was with high school kids she felt she was really teaching and making a difference.

[Fanuck]

Don't want to derail the OP's thread, but there are a lot of teacher's on this forum (just check the BC Teacher's strike thread from a few months ago).

So to KansasCanuck, I sympathize with you. Your chosen profession IMO is one of THE most important that exist - yes even more important than doctors/firemen,police...etc....because without good educators no other important jobs would exist.

Anyway, from my understanding in education you are screwed if you think you're getting a job in the Vancouver area and forget about Victoria, Kelowna, Kamloops, (rest of the Okanagan)....basically anywhere it is considered nice to live.

But if you were to go North, you'd likely find a job I'm thinking. My old university roommate is a teacher and he says that where he works (Prince George) there aren't enough subs (you'd get a lot of sub work) and by the end of the year there are no subs because all of them have gotten jobs by then. Yeah, I know it is a sacrifice (moving to get a job), but it may be what is necessary if you want to work. Also, if you go to a place like the Yukon/NWT - there are a LOT of increased benefits (and pay) for teachers since it is more difficult to recruit to those places (again, coming from my old roommate anyways).

Regardless, good luck to you - your job is important and I know for certain teacher's don't hear that enough.

[dalredane]

Have a B.A.

Am I working in the field I studied - No

Did it help open doors - In some cases yes, in others no...there are thousands of people churned out each year with a B.A.

My advice echoes what others have said here....work with what you enjoy doing. Find out the education or courses you need to do so.

IMO the universities are a business just like any other, they don't give a rat's ass how many B. Ed degrees or B.A.s they churn out...it is up to you to research what industries there is a shortage of people.

Add to that the fact that skilled trades are currently a more viable option especially if you want to make lots of money and have more opportunities to apprentice or do co-op work. My plumber struggled for 5 years now makes over 120k a year... whereas once I got out with my B.A.,,,,,most jobs now want a Masters or Doctorate.

[Remy]

Do not study what interests you. Find a real career path that interests you and study what is needed to reasonably get you on to it. Too many people get a degree then look to see what kind of jobs they can get. They are doing it backwards.

Or if you just want a high paying job thats waiting for you when you graduate try clinical pharmacist. I know a clinical chemotherapy pharmacist who makes insane money and she keeps getting job offers all the time.

Couldn't disagree with you more. I'm sorry, but life is not all about your job or career, that's a very sad way to look at it. Of course it's important to consider your career and plan for it, but imagine everything that would be lost if we all took your approach and went through the system like cattle being herded into the slaughterhouse. I mean, why even have university then, let's just have strict job training programs. Hell, they could be funded by various employers even!

You never know what can come of studying what you love. Maybe it's not the clearest of paths, and maybe there's some risk involved, but damn man, that's actually an okay thing. I'll tell you this, I got a BA in English long before I knew what career options it would give me, and I've certainly had some struggles determining the right path to take. But there's not a single day where I regret the time I spent studying what I absolutely love. I'm a better person for it. Not saying you need higher education to be a better person, don't get me wrong, but it was the right thing for me and it was well suited to who I was at the time, and who I've become since then as a direct result.

It's not backwards at all. What you're proposing is backwards. I think it's very sad that our society and culture undervalue learning and education so grotesquely. It seems like we value the paycheque that comes with the job more than anything else, as if that's the only thing that has merit. I could have gone straight to Alberta and worked on an oil rig after high school. I'd have a house by now (years ago, probably), and certainly a nicer vehicle. But I'd also have a job that I hate. That's the path you'd send people down with your lousy advice.

My god man, life is about more than your job! Education, in any area, should be highly valued and it's never a waste. I don't care if you study ancient basket weaving, it still makes you a deeper, more interesting individual. There are so many intangible benefits that come from it as well that help in areas that aren't so easily quantifiable.

I could go on and on but it's already more of a rant than I intended as it is.

TL;DR - You make me sad.

[g_bassi13]

As a person who wasted far to much of my time in a program dedicated to churning out people to a specific profession, and whilst in it finding out that is not what I want to do in my life, I have to agree with Glassjaw.

Education does have to be viewed as an ends to a mean to an extent, but you should really be looking to gain more from it. Cast a wide net, with a variety of subjects, and see what catches hold of you.

What I personally did was take a step back, and rather than force the issue again, looked into something that I got a lot out of. For me, that was learning about history. Not just learning about it, but teaching others about what I know, and how it lends a perspective to so many different things. So my goal is to now become a history teacher.

I've come across so many people that have just pivoted on life, and taken it in control to where they personally want it to go now. These are people that had already gained degrees, diplomas, certifications in fields they thought they were interested in before, or thought they would find money in. None of them found the satisfaction they were looking for, when they picked their jobs and worked backwards from there. People with business degrees, LPN nurses, biomedical researchers, engineers and others. Now moved on to things like psychiatry, engineering, history, and the such.

You'll find it harder to succeed, if you're just forcing yourself to do something you know your hearts not in. Wasted my time learning that the hard way. Now I'm having the time of my life.

[RonMexico]

Yeah, I know it is a sacrifice (moving to get a job), but it may be what is necessary if you want to work.

This is the best piece of advice in this thread to me. No one says you have to work in the lower mainland. I know, many of you who grew up here cannot fathom leaving to work in a smaller town that isn't here or the Okanagan but there are real opportunities in the north. Heck you could own a house with a big yard without having to buy a million dollar tear down!

[Offensive Threat]

Couldn't disagree with you more. I'm sorry, but life is not all about your job or career, that's a very sad way to look at it. Of course it's important to consider your career and plan for it, but imagine everything that would be lost if we all took your approach and went through the system like cattle being herded into the slaughterhouse. I mean, why even have university then, let's just have strict job training programs. Hell, they could be funded by various employers even!

You never know what can come of studying what you love. Maybe it's not the clearest of paths, and maybe there's some risk involved, but damn man, that's actually an okay thing. I'll tell you this, I got a BA in English long before I knew what career options it would give me, and I've certainly had some struggles determining the right path to take. But there's not a single day where I regret the time I spent studying what I absolutely love. I'm a better person for it. Not saying you need higher education to be a better person, don't get me wrong, but it was the right thing for me and it was well suited to who I was at the time, and who I've become since then as a direct result.

It's not backwards at all. What you're proposing is backwards. I think it's very sad that our society and culture undervalue learning and education so grotesquely. It seems like we value the paycheque that comes with the job more than anything else, as if that's the only thing that has merit. I could have gone straight to Alberta and worked on an oil rig after high school. I'd have a house by now (years ago, probably), and certainly a nicer vehicle. But I'd also have a job that I hate. That's the path you'd send people down with your lousy advice.

My god man, life is about more than your job! Education, in any area, should be highly valued and it's never a waste. I don't care if you study ancient basket weaving, it still makes you a deeper, more interesting individual. There are so many intangible benefits that come from it as well that help in areas that aren't so easily quantifiable.

I could go on and on but it's already more of a rant than I intended as it is.

TL;DR - You make me sad.

I said people should look to find what they want to do in life and then study to reach that goal. A career that you enjoy over just enjoying the next 4 years in school. Im sorry you misunderstood my post. You make me sad.

[KansasCanuck]

I sent out over 100 applications over a three year period for every social studies job that became available in the state of Kansas and the state of Nebraska(where I went to school) from the big cities to schools with 50 kids in grade 8-12. The market is oversaturated and a bachelors degree is the new equivalent of a high school diploma, if you want a really good job you need a graduate degree.

[Remy]

I said people should look to find what they want to do in life and then study to reach that goal. A career that you enjoy over just enjoying the next 4 years in school. Im sorry you misunderstood my post. You make me sad.

You literally said "Do not study what interests you." You then said "Find a career path that interests you." So I think it's fair to say that basing my post off your idea that the job is the ultimate goal, which is what I did, was a fair criticism on my part. To you, the job comes first. I happen to think that's a sad way to look at things. So don't try to make it out like I misunderstood your post, I didn't. You clearly stated that an "interesting career path" is more important than "studying what interests you." Like I said in my original reply, I think it's unfortunate that our society is overly career-centric, at the expense of exploring and innovating. Great ideas and opportunities get shut down out of fear that you might not pull in $100k/year after you graduate, pardon my hyperbole.

Education "off the beaten path" is important even if it's just for retention of certain knowledge that might otherwise be lost. That benefits our culture, our society, and future generations. Which is to say nothing of the personal benefits that arise from studying what interests you, like personal fulfilment. I'm not advocating that you have to work at McDonald's to accomplish this, you don't. But like others have stated, you at least gain critical thinking skills from almost any higher education program, and you can adapt that to a great many different jobs or careers. So I don't think it's "backwards" to start with studying what you love and then seeing what work can spring from that.

[KoreanHockeyFan]

Learn what you enjoy learning and work/volunteer during your time as a student.

[inane]

Travel.

[Jester13]

I'm taking political science and professional writing. I'm now working for a non-profit ocean education organization as well as creating my own company at the same time.

My advice to you is to study what interests you, but do not wait for others to provide a job for you; instead, go out and create one yourself.

"Wishers wish and doers do."