If your kids are English majors they're destined to work at a shoe store

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had Political Science & Journalism and went to law. I would trade all of it for a stem degree in a second. And I will absolutely encourage my kids to go into stem if they show the ability.

We all graduated 10+ years ago with our liberal arts degree and were able to find jobs. Anyone look at the legal job market lately? The problem is that there is such a glut of liberal arts people with no real world skills in the market competing for a very limited number of jobs. The world needs only so many consultants.

Now, put a driven, bright woman in a stem field, and see how far she will go.

In a bubble, a well rounded liberal arts person is a fine aspiration. But our kids need money to live people.

And what if you kid shows no aptitude for STEM? What then?

Obviously if they can't actually do it, then they have a tougher career path or go to grad school. No one said the world is fair, but that doesn't mean we should ignore the truth that our country produces a lot of high paying jobs that require STEM skills, and we do not graduate enough people to fill those.

So if your kids aren't STEM talented are you going to tell them that you think they will have zero chance in the job market without a graduate degree? That'll be super encouraging.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1) The fact that you got a liberal arts degree in undergrad and then went on to become a lawyer, doctor, or some other professional seems irrelevant. Your success is based on that second degree, not your undergrad. And I say that as an attorney with a BA in history.

2) Maybe DC is an anamoly, but I see a ton of entry-level jobs looking for liberal arts degrees, or at least looking for the skills a liberal arts degree implies. I think a lot of those English majors working in shoe stores were mediocre students with no plan for what they were going to do after graduation.

Ah, but your ability to get into a top school depends in part on your undergrad GPA, so the best course of action for a potential lawyer or other professional is to major in whatever will give you the best chance of graduating with a 4.0.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had Political Science & Journalism and went to law. I would trade all of it for a stem degree in a second. And I will absolutely encourage my kids to go into stem if they show the ability.

We all graduated 10+ years ago with our liberal arts degree and were able to find jobs. Anyone look at the legal job market lately? The problem is that there is such a glut of liberal arts people with no real world skills in the market competing for a very limited number of jobs. The world needs only so many consultants.

Now, put a driven, bright woman in a stem field, and see how far she will go.

In a bubble, a well rounded liberal arts person is a fine aspiration. But our kids need money to live people.

And what if you kid shows no aptitude for STEM? What then?

Encourage them to keep at it. There are a lot of people who graduated with STEM degrees with terrible aptitude and grades. It's almost like they know nothing about what they studied but still managed to get the golden ticket.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is wrong with working in a shoe store? Someone has to do it. My mother worked in a shoe store, then she managed the store, then she became the district manager for a chain of stores. And yes, her degree was in Communications. Who cares? Am I supposed to be ashamed that she worked an honest job?

So fuck you snobs who only think that being a doctor, lawyer, or engineer are the only worthy careers. The world can only take so many assholes with god complexes... and that statement only applies to the first two.

Hold on. No one said being a doctor, lawyer or engineer are the only worthy careers. My mom worked in retail and my dad installed solar panels to put food on the table. But with the high price of college tuition, it just doesn't make sense financially to shell out $30k a year on a college degree when you don't need one to work in a shoe store.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had Political Science & Journalism and went to law. I would trade all of it for a stem degree in a second. And I will absolutely encourage my kids to go into stem if they show the ability.

We all graduated 10+ years ago with our liberal arts degree and were able to find jobs. Anyone look at the legal job market lately? The problem is that there is such a glut of liberal arts people with no real world skills in the market competing for a very limited number of jobs. The world needs only so many consultants.

Now, put a driven, bright woman in a stem field, and see how far she will go.

In a bubble, a well rounded liberal arts person is a fine aspiration. But our kids need money to live people.

And what if you kid shows no aptitude for STEM? What then?

Obviously if they can't actually do it, then they have a tougher career path or go to grad school. No one said the world is fair, but that doesn't mean we should ignore the truth that our country produces a lot of high paying jobs that require STEM skills, and we do not graduate enough people to fill those.

So if your kids aren't STEM talented are you going to tell them that you think they will have zero chance in the job market without a graduate degree? That'll be super encouraging.

I didn't say "zero". I said "tougher path". Is that factually untrue? Are you saying I should not level with my kid who wants to major in anthropology?

[Anonymous]

I guess we are becoming a country of poors again. Only the wealthy can afford to have their children get non-STEM degrees. And everyone else fortunate enough to go to college better get a practical degree that they can earn a decent living with. This will make it tough for the foreigners who usually take those slots in US universities.