Liberal Arts degrees

[april004]

I'm at the U of C in Hyde Park now. I love my job! I did once consider physical therapy but I actually like the training side of my job. Helping someone lose weight later who decides to compete in fitness comps like me or run a marathon. It's great.

Am I saving lives? No. Am I making people feel good? Yes. I still can't believe I get paid for it!

I don't blame you at all. I strongly considered nursing. I for a year I did the pre-reqs, earned my CNA, volunteered at a free clinic, shadowed several MSNs, and day 4 as a patient care tech I knew nursing wasn't for me.
Funny thing, I had people come out of the woodwork when I was considering it- 9 out of 10 saying how well it paid, especially for "only" an associate degree- and how you can go onto to being a practitioner (money and Independence in 3 years and online! whoo hooo!) but maybe 1 in 10 told me what was great about the job :ack: I won't bash, but it's a good fit for a certain kind of personality. Within that year I searched high and low for alternatives, peripheral jobs that might be a better fit for me. I even considered applying to med school. But, it wasn't a fit so it wasn't a fit. No a big deal.

Didn't you land a job at the University of Illinois-Chicago? How's that going?
I always thought you'd be an excellent physical therapist due to your body building interests and nursing background.

[ryoder]

You really shouldn't let other people's impression of you drag you down.
Its too hard to make everyone happy and why even try.
Your path to success is your own.

Many great scientists such as Thomas Edison had no college degree and many horrible scientists, computer programmers, lawyers, doctors etc have advanced degrees.

[skybirds]

In academic circles diplomas are looked down on. It goes
further. If you don't. have a degree from such and such
university they don't want you in their circle. It is best to
get a degree that has a trade component and a few other
practical skills. Excelsior COSC and TESC offer this option.

[TheCommuter]

My that's it vocational diploma still pays better than alot of people's bachelor's.

I can fully agree with this statement. I earned my LVN license back in 2006 because I was looking for a ticket to flexibility, steady income, and advancement opportunities. For a diploma that took only 12 months to earn, the money was not bad at all. I earned $47k in '06, $45k in '07, $63k in '08 (the result of two jobs), and $47k in '09. Many people with masters' degrees who majored in humanities and liberal arts do not have this type of earning potential.

I earned my RN license last year even though nursing is not my passion. Mainly, I did it for the pay increase. Some people consider nursing a 'higher calling from above,' but I merely regard it as another means to an end.

[MA2]

Many people with masters' degrees who majored in humanities and liberal arts do not have this type of earning potential..

Yes, but to be fair you're not looking at the whole equation. What about the people with MBA's that made 100k+? Or people with an engineering degree that made just as much?

[TheCommuter]

Yes, but to be fair you're not looking at the whole equation. What about the people with MBA's that made 100k+? Or people with an engineering degree that made just as much?

I'm aware that I'm not looking at the whole equation. I'm purposely not discussing MBAs and engineering majors. I'm specifically focusing on people with masters' degrees in liberal arts and humanities-type majors, and I'm saying that a person with a measly diploma often earns more money than the person with the MA in literature or women's studies. After all, the title of this thread is 'Liberal Arts Degrees.'

[MA2]

and I'm saying that a person with a measly diploma often earns more money than the person with the MA in literature or women's studies. After all, the title of this thread is 'Liberal Arts Degrees.'

So what you're saying is someone with a "concrete" degree makes more money than someone with a mostly worthless degree like womens studies or art history? Insightful.

[TheCommuter]

So what you're saying is someone with a "concrete" degree makes more money than someone with a mostly worthless degree like womens studies or art history? Insightful.

I'm saying that someone without a degree can earn more money than a person with the master's degree who majored in sculpture, humanities, the classics, etc. The LPN with the 12-month diploma and the administrative assistant with the 9-month certificate are not degree holders by any means, yet these paraprofessionals often have more earning potential than their peers who have attained many more years of education.

[ryoder]

My brother made $15 per hour with no benefits with his masters in microbiology doing cancer research.
He made more working at a restaurant during his undergrad.

[Shemrat]

My brother made $15 per hour with no benefits with his masters in microbiology doing cancer research.
He made more working at a restaurant during his undergrad.

Hopefully he loved doing the former. I know I wouldn't trade my current job for any other, and I only make enough for comfort. I assist maxillofacial prosthodontists in the complete restorations of cranial and intraoral defects as the result of cancer. Truly an honor!