Into this link. Only the strong will not lose any IQ points by reading it.
Synopsis: Freelance journalist speaks to Arts majors attending UC Riverside. They complain about how in debt they are because of their undergraduate degrees and how much more their debt will grow if they continue on to graduates studies.
When asked if they know of anyone who attended UC Riverside as an undergrad and is now working and earning an income, they all answer in the affirmative. These now employed former students they knew went through Science degree programs and are making “a lot of money”.
It is later added that those people “all hate their jobs”.
These Arts students then go on to complain some more about how in debt they are and how there are so few job prospects in their fields.
To which I have only this to add: A wise man once said that if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. But mostly because there are no jobs in that field.
Welcome to adulthood, idealists.
Let’s dust for prints…
Monique is majoring in ‘creative writing’. Vicente is an ‘undocumented student’ (read: illegal alien) majoring in English. Marisa, creative writing. Geez, about the only one with a clue is Esteban (linguistics major), who admits he wants to write, but will also work as a translator or interpreter.
I understand the whole ‘money can’t buy happiness’ vibe here, but happiness won’t buy bread and car parts either.
That, and the idealists think they should be able to find a job that they’ll enjoy. But they never see the trade-offs that life offers up, like doing what you enjoy may not pay you, and that getting a job that pays you may not be the most enjoyable job.
Your Monique or Marissa could get a job in technical writing, if someone would clue them in on classes they need to take to accomplish this.
Oy, talk about a group of idiots – the comments are also fairly illustrative of the entitlement mindset that so virulently infects these institutes of “learning”. If I didn’t know where I was reading, I’d say they were writing some Onion-worthy snark! Some tidbits:
I really can’t disagree with any of those, which are presented as Terrible Things those darn libertarian meanies say.
HAHAHAHAHA!!! Because those STEM folks are just as important “to society” as a B.S. in left-handed underwater basket weaving feminist minority studies.
On the plus side, eventually they will be slapped in the face by the wet salmon of reality. I hope.
“Follow your Dreams” might be some of the worst advice, ever.
What I tell ’em, is that you might not get to do what you love for a living. But, you can take steps to not do something you utterly loathe, either.
Find the happy medium, and make the rest of your life, outside of work, something to cherish, love and enjoy.
Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX
One benefit of working a job you are not terribly happy with, but where you make tons of money, is that if you are frugal, you can save up a substantial nugget, then take an extended leave of absence and go do something to recharge your spiritual batteries.
Maybe that accounting degree isn’t as fulfilling as the creative writing degree, but the writer who makes bank as an accountant can, in a short amount of time, take some time to write the Great American Novel (or they can write something people will actually pay money to read, but to each his own).
See: Larry Corriea…
Or alternately, you can bide your time, work on your skills, and look for a job that maybe you won’t LOVE, but you’ll at least be able to like.
Like my mama used to say…the world needs ditch diggers too.
There are plenty of jobs for arts majors. It just bothers them to think they’re in advertising.