Sections of this topic
It was a while there and I couldn’t speak–so upset was I that countless, thoughtless bloggers were telling us the Worst and Best Degrees–and we’re already feeling an uncertain future. I’m calm now.
Okay, I’m back and re-posting. I had to go count, name all the Presidents, then all the State Capitols until I stopped being irrational and breaking things. Not really, but just thinking about the subject that I became (how do you make swear words without swear words?) so I displaced myself from this thoughtless social media society for a bit. I couldn’t look at the screen.
I actually had things to do, but with not one, but three of the worst degrees one can have, I am worth even less in this economy. I don’t know if I can go on, but I’ll try.
So, there’s good news and bad news. NOT. Just the bad news the bright bloggers tell us. Do a quick search and stand far enough from the screen so you aren’t hit by the wave of depression and self-loathing, but you will learn something very important: compare yourself to everyone else in the world–especially those working in the field they went to college for–and you’ll feel the emotion the blogger felt. If you can only imagine…
You got the hits! Lots of them! Shock value. You are probably a blogger so you didn’t get paid a lot–if any–but you gain self-esteem as you took away others who take you seriously. We got the bloggers though; as far as I know there is no degree in blogging, yet. Close, probably social media. Hope they teach ethics in that program.
So, what to do. Besides the asinine act of telling an audience in an economic downturn, that their credentials may be pretty worthless, what’s wrong with it. It is a free country. I’m a big proponent of free speech. Remember, 1929? I doubt it, but you know where I’m going with this.
In this age of instant knowledge, in a time when the Internet gets more credence than it is probably due, you don’t tell people it’s just going to get worse for you. Don’t go back to school. Don’t try to do what you love because that is what will make you happy and probably successful.
Instead run out the door and get one of those degrees from the people who want you to hear, “we can get you the degree that will get you a job.” They’ll even help you with financial aid. What they aren’t telling you, is that you are being compared with others from schools with bigger names, and you had best be at the top of your class, and, oh, you need to fit the company profile.
Education for its own sake is great. I don’t care what kind of degree you have as long as you can work with others of varying degrees of sophistication, culture and education. You see–that is the work force. Improve yourself. Listen to what is needed around you. Make yourself useful and you will be who other people want working for them.
Yes, I have the lowest possible degrees to find a job–and at a masters level, too. English, Theatre and Social Psychology. All that means is that I have a big mouth. Forbes actually ran a blog, looking at the best and worst of masters degrees. To be honest, I was afraid to look, but then I don’t think of who I am as my degree and my value to an employer.
My education helped me become who I am, develop a character, and live in this world. And, there are different kinds of education; I was educated before I ever went to school. Some good, some not-so-good, but that doesn’t mean we don’t learn how to be good, productive people. Blogs are small words on a broad world-sized canvas. We give a smattering of what’s going on in our brain. Hopefully, the idiots are identified by you and eliminated from your brains. I just try to make sure people know that is what I am doing, too. I think, sometimes, not everyone gets it or they see it in a different way. I like to write. I like to express ideas. Thanks to my “pointless” education and plenty of life experience after and before that, but it is who I am and I wouldn’t be anyone else for any amount of money. I’d be tempted. Might be a nice life for a while, but happiness is eternal.
To my theatre friends #3 on the list I saw: you already know what it is to do what you love, to wait on tables until you get your turn on stage. Don’t let these idiots tell you the kind of degree you need to get a job. Especially in acting. The bloggers will surely tell you all you have to do is memorize lines and other people called directors will tell you where to go. Just so this audience knows, theatre taught me more about life than any other degree I have–even psychology–because it is who we are inside that counts.
Well, the Cave Man is back from Cave seclusion, feeling better now that I let it out. If bloggers didn’t know this before I hope they know it now: BLOGGING COMES WITH RESPONSIBILITY. Can’t handle it, get an education–any on the list will do regardless of ranking.
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For more resources about training, see the Training library.
Check out my book and buy it this time, The Cave Man Guide to Training and Development, and if I have the a minimal of sales–say 200 copies–I’ll come out with another book in three months. Happy Training.
