I screwed up. What next? *Super long, you probably shouldn't read*

[why]

If anything, humanities majors have such a stigma that I think employers would rather hire someone with a degree completely outside the field than someone with a humanities degree.

What statistics are you using for undergrad philosophy degree holders and their job prospects? They seem to be completely at odds with reality.

 

[imatlas]



If anything, humanities majors have such a stigma that I think employers would rather hire someone with a degree completely outside the field than someone with a humanities degree.

What statistics are you using for undergrad philosophy degree holders and their job prospects? They seem to be completely at odds with reality.

They do? What statistics are you basing your opinion on?

 

[yjeezle]

I was a humanities major and I think I'm damn good at my job (not humanities related).

I'd say go for it ur you need to network more/harder to get a job

 

[NorCal]



I studied philophy. but when I went to school I already knew that I had a reasonable skil set that made me employable, and I thought I would enjoy philosophy. if I were chosing again, I wouldn't choose philosophy

As did I. Even I did it again I would either add the med. pre-recs to my course of study, stay the course but add Classics as well, or add some hard science/computer science. I think Phil was great and it does teach useful skills and is a LOT harder than it gets credit for. I went into Law though, which is one of the few things that it dovetails well into.

OP, maybe you should look into what you want to earn a living doing and then go to school for that, rather than the other way around.

 

[NorCal]



Exactly, the world has changed. Especially the value of an undergrad.

True, which in some ways means you can choose a silly undergrad degree if you know you are going to go to grad school anyway. Medicine, MBA, Law, finance are all fileds that a Phil. degree could funnel you into IF you chose the right course of undergrad study. eg. took math, some science, lots of stat and logic/computer science which in some departments is included in the phil. dept.

 

[idfnl]

God bro, you could have summarized that a bit.

Its simple: you take a risk to live your dream and most likely fail but could get really lucky and hit it OR you get smart, build your life with some deliberation and patience and make moves in a way that you'll eventually build some wealth and be independent.

Oh, ya, or you can be a lazy kloptloper and half ass it so your annual income always = your age (50yr old earning 50k and so on). If that is your plan you might as well shoot for the starts cuz that or 7-11 clerk is pretty much the same.

You want to be a dreamer, great, but be just as prepared to be a perpetual studio apartment loser. Dreaming is fine man, but remember this: whatever you want to hit it big with (poker, acting, pro sports, etc) there is a mountain of talent at the top and even if you are just as talented you'll still be among a crowded field of others without enough to go around.

 

[plei89]

You probably should really sell your clothing collection... At least the surplus if you haven't done that already.

 

[why]



They do? What statistics are you basing your opinion on?

Observation. Humanities degrees ostensibly carry a stigma not limited to this forum, and because humanities graduates have almost no quantitative knowledge or specific skills they simply can't do much for many companies, let alone do something better than other applicants.

 

[idfnl]



Observation. Humanities degrees ostensibly carry a stigma not limited to this forum, and because humanities graduates have almost no quantitative knowledge or specific skills they simply can't do much for many companies, let alone do something better than other applicants.

Beyond a select group of sciences and the engineering tracks, what degrees really do? A "business" degree? So you know how to do business now?

 

[FLMountainMan]



Thanks. I didn't do well in school because the value of education was never instilled upon me by my parents. My father was a high school dropout and my mother went to a technical school, and neither of them every really discussed college or the importance of getting good grades. I was told not to bring home F's or else I'd get ****** kicked, and that was about it when it came to education in my house.

No, you didn't do well in school because you didn't focus. You're in your mid-twenties now, stop blaming **** on your parents. It may be true, but it doesn't change the fact.

Anyway, you're really not in a bad spot at all. You have savings, a relatively small amount of credit card debt, and I'm assuming that you take standardized tests pretty well. I was in almost exactly your position at age 23. 2.4 GPA, 99% test scores, in CC debt, late bloomer with the ladies, and possessor of a scattered array of community college credits. Buckle down, get serious, and you'll be fine. Seriously. Get a job you can do full-time while going to school 12 hours a semester (your post indicates you can handle this with no problem), major in an easy "serious" field like management or marketing, go to grad school, keep plugging away. You're getting a late start, but you can make up time pretty quickly.

And this sounds cynical, but you don't go to college to learn about things you like. That's a luxury of those with wealthy families or boring interests.

 

[Nereis]



Beyond a select group of sciences and the engineering tracks, what degrees really do? A "business" degree? So you know how to do business now?

I'd argue that a business major with enough hard math/statistics courses and a history of entrepreneurship/extracurriculars would know quite a bit about the business world, if only because they've been living and breathing business for half a decade and evidently have a passion for it. It's harder to sell yourself as an English Lit major unless you are just plain smart.

 

[idfnl]



I'd argue that a business major with enough hard math/statistics courses and a history of entrepreneurship/extracurriculars would know quite a bit about the business world, if only because they've been living and breathing business for half a decade and evidently have a passion for it. It's harder to sell yourself as an English Lit major unless you are just plain smart.

IMO, unless you are learning a specific skill college education prices have rendered them much less useful than in the past. The $ you have to spend takes forever to pay back now so the increased income is squeezed out. Advanced degrees are a dime a dozen and even a phd doesnt carry the same weight anymore.

For me, I always want someone on my team with experience over education.

 

[violethour1951]

sell some of your clothes & hit up a full time job (even if, as you mention, there's no upward mobility) to pay off at least part of the debt, in the short term it will help you with the mental pressure.

 

[globetrotter]



I'm sort of in that boat right now; I have employable skills, a record of producing results, references, etc and I think I'd enjoy the program. Why wouldn't you choose philosophy today?

well, no, I don't mean to be at all insulting, but I had real, sellable skills. I read your post carefully, I don't think that you do.

as to why I wouldn't chose philosophy - I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I didn't really like the people I studies with - they were all a bunch of arogant twats who all thought that they would be the next great philosopher. I did learn a lot of stuff, but I would probably do it differently now.

 

[globetrotter]



No, you didn't do well in school because you didn't focus. You're in your mid-twenties now, stop blaming **** on your parents. It may be true, but it doesn't change the fact.
Anyway, you're really not in a bad spot at all. You have savings, a relatively small amount of credit card debt, and I'm assuming that you take standardized tests pretty well. I was in almost exactly your position at age 23. 2.4 GPA, 99% test scores, in CC debt, late bloomer with the ladies, and possessor of a scattered array of community college credits. Buckle down, get serious, and you'll be fine. Seriously. Get a job you can do full-time while going to school 12 hours a semester (your post indicates you can handle this with no problem), major in an easy "serious" field like management or marketing, go to grad school, keep plugging away. You're getting a late start, but you can make up time pretty quickly.
And this sounds cynical, but you don't go to college to learn about things you like. That's a luxury of those with wealthy families or boring interests.

this is good advice