Secondary Education

I have a degree in Communications (Media). I worked for a newspaper for a couple of years, and when i realized it didn't fullfill me at all (and that it wasn't what i really wanted) i quitted.

Now i'm working at my dad's company (it has nothing to do with my career AT ALL). It's boring, but i have to pay my bills.

I stopped writing because i thought it had no sense, since my country has no a cinema industry. But now i've changed my mind, and i'm writing again.

At least in my case, i think it's a balance: i need a job to afford my real passion.

I have a degree in english lit and it doesn't teach you to write. It teaches you to analyze other people's writing and examine it with critical analysis that has nothing to with how it was written in the first place. I am hard-pressed to think of a career that would require you to have a degree in lit other than teaching other people how to analyze lit.

I think it's great that you are going back to school, i loved english lit. but it didn't teach me to write. it taught me to read. Journalism would be more applicable to getting jobs in the writing field, in my humble opinion.

I am a finishing carpenter. I got my degree in english lit, went to school again and got trained as a legal secretary, worked some crappy office jobs and fell into the carpentry.

My sister has a degree in archeology with an emphasis on anthropology. She's the manager of a Lenscrafters and extremely good at her job.

Some thirty years ago my mom got a degree in Biology. (She was pre-med but backed out prior to med school.) She then worked as a keyliner for years, then went into computers. When she went to college, computers took up a whole room. She started with databases and programming, but she loves the visual interface that came about with Windows. (My folks were beta testers for Chicago... aka Windows 95). Then she went into computer training, starting with doing it through the local community ed. She started a computer shop with my brother and dad, which went under when teh economy soured and computers became 'disposable'. She makes good money doing mostly online computer courses. Nothing in her list of jobs or careers had anything to do with biology.

Me-- I went to school to be a high school english and history teacher. I teach at an alternative school, but I would love a front-end computer tech position. I actually love troubleshooting computers and all the tech positions I've ever seen pay better than my meager, hourly position. (Don't get me wrong, I love the kids I work with, but I also love paying my bills without going hungry. ;-)

My husband is a History and Philosophy double-major. He works at one of the big-box home improvement stores.

A degree, from what many have told me, shows that the old dog can learn new tricks-- you are trainable and you will finish something you start. These are good things to have. It's much better to get a degree in something that interests you than not-- it's a lot of wasted money if you don't care for the subject/ dont' put the work into it. You never know where you might end up. Of course, I beleive that a lowpaying beloved job is much better than a high paying soul-sucking job.

Besides-- it's your time and money. Hopefully your friend isn't just dismissing your idea because she's feeling like she should do more with her life... some friends will never tell for fear of losing face. Enjoy your course of study!

WittyWordsmith said:

The courses I'm planning on taking are in Advanced Composition, Short Story Writing, Novel Writing, Academic Writing, and A Study in Poetry (among many other literature and religion courses.) I hope that somewhere in there I learn how to sharpen my skills.

Click to expand...

in that case, carry on. they had hardly any writing courses at my university despite having a highly-thought of writer as one of their professors. I spent four years analyzing other people's stuff and learning how to write essays.

I got a degree as a computer engineer (software/hardware).

I write software for a defense company.

I'm now working on my master's in computer engineering, and contemplating my PhD

I graduated from art school.

Don't let anyone tell you that an Arts degree is useless. Studies have proved that graduates from Arts are more more effective problem solvers than graduates from other disciplines.

I have a degree in English Lit, which I followed up with a Graduate Diploma in Computer Science (three years of undergraduate study squashed into one year).

The English Lit degree taught me to think for myself and get on with things without having my hand held every step of the way. Doing Comp Sci after that was just like being back at school: no research in the library required - just getting a tutor to help me when I got stuck.

English Lit: 9 contact hours, full-time, each week. 30+ hours in the library doing research and writing essays.

Comp Sci: 35 contact hours, full time, each week. 20+ hours in the lab with 'classmates' and tutors present for some of that time.

By far, I found the Arts degree was more rewarding and enjoyable. Others would no doubt say the opposite.

The outcome? I became a technical author, marrying my writing skills with my newly acquired IT skills. I eventually since moved into a production editor role after some journalism exposure.

Apart from studying English literature during my Arts degree, I did loads of linguistics subjects and I found them really useful for my writing in general, and had I wanted to become a language researcher, the subject matter would have been invaluable.

A college education serves many purposes, only one of which is preparation for a specific career. In theory, the variety of basic education courses in the first two years is supposed to create well-rounded individuals who can approach the various challenges of active citizenry as educated, informed, and concerned individuals faced with the variety of contemporary and historical issues of societal and global importance. The advanced specialization in the last two years is supposed to develop critical thinking skills and develop one's ability to gain an intuitive appreciation of the specific area of study. These represent an intellectual growth that is frequently lost in the tidal wave of learning specific facts and techniques, but which is drawn upon throughout one's adult life regardless of the specific career. The whole degree program is designed to develop good communication skills, solid study habits, self-confidence (through accomplishment), self-reliance (through meeting the various deadlines and test dates), the ability to follow orders, and the ability to work with others. It is designed to place a person in a social situation of diversity of background, attitude, and behavior and give a gounding in critical discussion and investigation. Best of all, it is supposed to help an individual develop his/her own personal creativity and provide opportunities to have that creativity gain acceptance and critique. It is an opportunity for personal intellectual growth (regardless of field). And it is an opportunity to develop interpersonal skills in and outside of the classroom. Most important, it allows an individual to learn a great deal about him/herself--information that is important in the real world, like reacting to authority, cooperative action, independence, reactions to deadlines, ability to handle stressful situations, ability to handle distractions while working toward goals, personal goal setting (and ability to meet those goals), and a whole group of other things like that.

Is it any wonder that any individual who takes fullest advantage of all of these opportunities has job skills that translate across the entire spectrum of career opportunities whether the occupation is directly in line with a college major or not? Is it any surprise that a college education is seen as a distinct advantage (sometimes an absolute requirement) for entry into so many occupations?

Including the various majors that do provide a direct career path, a college education opens one's mind in a way that a lifetime of worldly experience does, but it does so leaving that same lifetime of experience waiting at the doorstep, now framed in an enriched background of appreciation and knowledge.

Can one get all of the things listed above from personal life-experiences? Absolutely, but not usually in four or five years. Do some people squander their college education opportunities and come out no better (intellectually) than those who do not go to college? Absolutely. There will be people who squander life opportunities as well. Will a person with a college education have a greater lifetime earning potential than a person without a degree? On an individual level, there will be people who are incredibly successful who don't have a degree and people who are total flops with a diploma in the trunk of the car that doubles as their apartment. But check out the statistics in any study of average salaries for college graduates versus high school graduates.

April Hollands said:

Don't let anyone tell you that an Arts degree is useless. Studies have proved that graduates from Arts are more more effective problem solvers than graduates from other disciplines.

Click to expand...

Do you have references for this statement, because it doesn't seem accurate to me. What studies have demonstrated this? I'm not suggesting that "Arts degrees" are of lesser benefit than other degrees, I'm questioning whether Arts degrees are superior to other degrees in developing problem solving abilities. And I'm perfectly willing to accept your contention with citations of proper studies.

Damn, I knew someone would ask me. I remember it was mentioned on the BBC website in around 2004 or 2005, but not I don't have them.

I'm not saying that an Arts degree is superior at all. I am saying that a read about some studies/a study(?) that showed that in general, Arts graduates had better problem-solving skills than graduates from other discipline, which the study said was a result of the learning methods used in an Arts degree.

I'm not trying to prove anything: just trying to be supportive towards someone who asked for advice. I'm happy to back down on this because it just doesn't mean that much to me to convince the rest of the world.

I went to community college and got an associate of the arts degree for the mere reason that I had no idea what to do after graduating. I knew the degree would serve no purpose, I just had nothing better to do. I'm disabled now, so, no job related to writing or anything else.

I'm more self-educated in what I'm interested in now. And I have to admit I'd be tempted by certain classes, not just in writing (because I know how to do that already and it seems most creative writing classes end up being about the teacher's opinion of what's good, not actual creative writing), but in subjects related to my interests and what I write about. I'd adore learning more about the native groups of this area and their languages and customs, for example. Though I'd learn better one on one rather than in a class environment which stresses grades and competition more than actual learning. (That, money, and transportation are the reasons I haven't taken further classes. But if I had a mentor, I'd love to learn further.)

I see nothing wrong with pursuing higher education, even if there's no immediate connection to one's work or if it isn't "absolutely necessary." Learning for the sheer love of doing so is often the best reason, and is often the way that we learn best. (I've forgotten all the stuff I didn't care to learn, but the stuff I wanted to learn, it's all still here!)

For my bachelor's degree, I majored in Business Administration and minored in English. I also completed 30 hours toward a Master's in English with an emphasis in Linguistics.

My jobs have been so varied. Jill of all trades, master of none. We move around constantly due to my husband's job, so a lot of times I take part time jobs or volunteer. Just having a degree of some sort has helped (I know from talking to interviewers) and even the work toward my Master's helped.

Unless you have a desire for a job where a specific degree is required or expected (medical, law, etc), then I think you should go for a degree in what interests you most.

WittyWordsmith, I think you should consider the example of my father. He wanted to be a musician. His parents thought that music was fine for a hobby, but not for a profession, and would not allow him to go to college to study music. Instead, they sent him to work for a relative who was a printer. He hated the job. Eventually he saved and borrowed enough money to go to Peabody Conservatory of Music and then to get an MFA in composition from University of Pennsylvania. He has worked the rest of his live as a musician and composer. Today, he is in his 90s and he is still composing music and getting it published. If he had remained a printer, chances are good that he would have become redundant and been out of a job years ago when the digital age no longer required typesetters. Plus, he would have spent his whole adult live doing something he hated. My point is that you should never judge the value of an education simply by its immediate financial utility. The real value of an education is learning how to learn, learning where to find and how to sort and organize information and being around other people who are curious and passionate about knowledge. Go for the degree. Once you get it, you will find some way to use doing something that fulfills you.

I can't think of any down side to pursuing anything that that you want, be it a degree or just the knowledge gained from studying. I'm one of those people who spent only a few years in the field of my degree.

Pursuing any degree organizes your life. It illustrates that you have the self discipline to complete something, to see something through to the end.

Your entire life doesn't have to revolve around a job. When people get old and know that their time on Earth as a living, breathing thing is going to end soon, the regrets they have about their life are that they never pursued something that they loved. They regret not learning the violin, learning to paint, pursuing their dream of being a professional tennis or baseball player, learning another language, spending more time with their family or traveling to a place they aways hoped to see.

They never say, "I wish I'd spent more time at the office."

Education - in addition to making life more interesting in general, and *you* more interesting specifically - can also help you do the things you love in life. I said this on another thread, but if you love your work, it will make a tremendous difference in how you live and enrich your life.

No education is ever a waste - all experience, especially of you are a writer - is grist for your wondrous mill.

My Bachelor's Degree is in Criminal Justice Management - it's often called "the police chief's degree" because it's the one many chiefs in small towns get. I never went into police work, instead joining the Army to do Counterintelligence work and then working in the defense contracting industry and now as a part-time investigator and consultant for several federal agencies. I have loved my career, and reveled in educational oppotunities (I learned to speak several languages - because I could!) and everything about it has helped me both as a writer & a painter.

Never stop wanting to learn, expanding your world and using your talents, interests and education to do meaningful and fulfilling work. It makes life so much better.

Education is the best investment that a woman can make in herself. Having a degree will provide you with more opportunities down the line.

I have an English degree and I've always said that I felt like had a real education when I was done. I could also think critically and express my thoughts in a coherent way. Businesses need people like that. One of the big consulting firms likes to hire people with humanities degrees because they think differently from MBAs, which leads to create problem solving.

If your goal is education, in and of itself, by all means go back to school and get a literature degree.

I got a BAH in English Literature, worked in crappy retail and low-level gov't jobs for two years, and then I went back to college and got a diploma in Journalism. Journalism was far and away more practical, but I soon realized I wasn't cut out for the job. I couldn't stick a recording device in the face of grieving people and ask them personal questions; it's just not me.

I did, however, soon afterward and while working as an office administrator, land an entry-level job as a technical editor for a software company. Since then, I've worked as a technical editor and writer for numerous companies, both doing full-time and contract work. It's not exciting, but the pay is good and I've found out I'm actually quite good at it.

Best of luck in your decision.

I actually have a degree in public relations, but I've ended up making a career out of being a secretary (and receptionist, on occasion.) It's not quite as far out of the field as you'd think, because I end up dealing with a lot of outside customers and potential customers and vendors and, at this job, people coming in off the street for everything from employment applications to wanting to talk to someone regarding web hosting or a chocolate processing machine to mistaking us for a gynecologist's office. (Happened several times...) The principles of good communication are the same whether it's one on one or one to thousands.

I have a BA in political science. I never wanted to be a lawyer or a politician. I just wanted to know how government and politics worked. After graduation, I promptly got a job as an editor. (Always was good in English...)

nevada said:

I have a degree in english lit and it doesn't teach you to write. It teaches you to analyze other people's writing and examine it with critical analysis that has nothing to with how it was written in the first place. I am hard-pressed to think of a career that would require you to have a degree in lit other than teaching other people how to analyze lit.

Click to expand...

It depends what classes you take. Composition classes obviously teach you to write and are required for many degrees, including English Lit. Advanced Composition may be required for English Lit and, if not, would certainly count as an elective. Creative Writing classes also almost certainly would count as electives. Ditto journalism classes. Also, you do learn to write indirectly in many other classes that you would take as an Eng Lit major, simply because you have to write so many essays on the literary topics you're studying.

It's also possible to get specifically writing-oriented degrees from the English department--e.g. a BFA in creative writing or a BA in technical writing.

nevada said:

I think it's great that you are going back to school, i loved english lit. but it didn't teach me to write. it taught me to read. Journalism would be more applicable to getting jobs in the writing field, in my humble opinion.

Click to expand...

Journalism is a very, very specific kind of writing. Anyone who wanted to get an undergrad degree to improve their writing skills, I would warn them away from journalism for that reason. Taking a journalism class or two would be great, just to be exposed to that approach, but doing it exclusively isn't a great idea unless you actually want to be a journalist. For the OP, I would stick with English Lit, Creative Writing or Technical Writing. Maybe a dual major, Eng Lit + Creative or Technical Writing?

I have my undergrad and MA in a foreign language, and have worked as a professional translator. Also have an MFA in Creative Writing, which has actually helped get me some jobs (e.g. grantwriting--"hey, you're a writer, could you help us write this grant proposal?"), but was mainly for the purpose of focusing on and improving my fiction writing. The MFA is like my proof that I actually am a writer--it actually has helped in several professional situations, and since by definition it is a graduate degree in English, it even helped me get a job teaching English in France. But like I said, to me the main utility of it was really, really improving my fiction writing. For that reason I would do it all over again even if it had been no use at all professionally.

Now I'm a lawyer by day and a fiction writer by night. All my practice in fiction writing does come in handy as a lawyer--not because I'm writing fiction, haha, but because you have to tell stories in the law: you have to explain what happened to your client in a way that makes the judge sympathize with your client. I absolutely rock at writing what lawyers call "fact sections" (the part of legal documents where you explain what happened to your client), because I'm good at telling stories.

PS by the way, this thread is mistitled. "Secondary Education" is junior high and high school. Technically speaking, college and beyond is "Tertiary Education," but obviously no one calls it that. Instead, to distinguish it from primary and secondary ed, it's just called "higher education."