I would assume the person just meant it as "cool," or some other similar non-sequitur that people say to fill space when they don't have anything pertinent to say.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your friend is an idiot. A service-oriented degree like MSW is exactly the opposite of "fun."

It’s a soft degree, an easy ticket to a cushy civil servant gig. Nursing requirements and long hours in a hospital are much harder and grosser than msw.

What’s a “soft” degree? Does that mean not prestigious, not rigorous, low barrier to entry, low IQ, etc? Maybe that’s why the person said “fun”? Like condescending.

Avoiding any and all science and math coursework. Avg student has low SAT score, low or no GMAT/GRE, low barrier of entry into master’s program. Don’t play dumb.

Are you assuming every MSW student is like this or even most? That the MSW or other “soft” major is less than you or your offspring?

Oh man. You just made a good point….these condescending jerks do indeed have offspring and in many cases pass their prejudices about other professions to their offspring.

Anonymous wrote:So she was being sarcastic, right? Because social work is the opposite of fun.

+1. She was acknowledging how tough a job it can be. I wouldn't read any more into it than that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your friend is an idiot. A service-oriented degree like MSW is exactly the opposite of "fun."

It’s a soft degree, an easy ticket to a cushy civil servant gig. Nursing requirements and long hours in a hospital are much harder and grosser than msw.

What’s a “soft” degree? Does that mean not prestigious, not rigorous, low barrier to entry, low IQ, etc? Maybe that’s why the person said “fun”? Like condescending.

Avoiding any and all science and math coursework. Avg student has low SAT score, low or no GMAT/GRE, low barrier of entry into master’s program. Don’t play dumb.

So getting a PhD in education and calling yourself “Doctor,” as in Dr Jill Biden and legions of FCPS principals who insist upon being addressed as “Doctor.”

Aren’t all PhDs called Dr. So and so? My dad got a PhD in the 8Os and this is not new?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your friend is an idiot. A service-oriented degree like MSW is exactly the opposite of "fun."

It’s a soft degree, an easy ticket to a cushy civil servant gig. Nursing requirements and long hours in a hospital are much harder and grosser than msw.

What’s a “soft” degree? Does that mean not prestigious, not rigorous, low barrier to entry, low IQ, etc? Maybe that’s why the person said “fun”? Like condescending.

Avoiding any and all science and math coursework. Avg student has low SAT score, low or no GMAT/GRE, low barrier of entry into master’s program. Don’t play dumb.

So all people who go into humanities are not as smart? Even the ones at great schools? You can’t be serious. I sometimes can’t tell if people on this forum are trolls or this clueless. There are brilliant people out there in the humanities and some STEM people who are very black/white & concrete thinkers. Well, some are frankly dumber than a bag of rocks in real world situations. My undergrad was a liberal arts/“soft” major before I headed out into a STEM degree and career. I actually think my liberal arts degree required more analysis/critical thinking/having to think outside the box/research and stat courses than the STEM one.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your friend is an idiot. A service-oriented degree like MSW is exactly the opposite of "fun."

It’s a soft degree, an easy ticket to a cushy civil servant gig. Nursing requirements and long hours in a hospital are much harder and grosser than msw.

What’s a “soft” degree? Does that mean not prestigious, not rigorous, low barrier to entry, low IQ, etc? Maybe that’s why the person said “fun”? Like condescending.

Avoiding any and all science and math coursework. Avg student has low SAT score, low or no GMAT/GRE, low barrier of entry into master’s program. Don’t play dumb.

Are you assuming every MSW student is like this or even most? That the MSW or other “soft” major is less than you or your offspring?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your friend is an idiot. A service-oriented degree like MSW is exactly the opposite of "fun."

It’s a soft degree, an easy ticket to a cushy civil servant gig. Nursing requirements and long hours in a hospital are much harder and grosser than msw.

What’s a “soft” degree? Does that mean not prestigious, not rigorous, low barrier to entry, low IQ, etc? Maybe that’s why the person said “fun”? Like condescending.

Avoiding any and all science and math coursework. Avg student has low SAT score, low or no GMAT/GRE, low barrier of entry into master’s program. Don’t play dumb.

So getting a PhD in education and calling yourself “Doctor,” as in Dr Jill Biden and legions of FCPS principals who insist upon being addressed as “Doctor.”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your friend is an idiot. A service-oriented degree like MSW is exactly the opposite of "fun."

It’s a soft degree, an easy ticket to a cushy civil servant gig. Nursing requirements and long hours in a hospital are much harder and grosser than msw.

What’s a “soft” degree? Does that mean not prestigious, not rigorous, low barrier to entry, low IQ, etc? Maybe that’s why the person said “fun”? Like condescending.

Avoiding any and all science and math coursework. Avg student has low SAT score, low or no GMAT/GRE, low barrier of entry into master’s program. Don’t play dumb.

My best friend once said she thought having a birth doula sounded “fun” but she didn’t have the time to find one before her due date. I, um, gently told her that the birth wouldn’t be fun, with or without a doula.

But I don’t think you should read too much into it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your friend is an idiot. A service-oriented degree like MSW is exactly the opposite of "fun."

It’s a soft degree, an easy ticket to a cushy civil servant gig. Nursing requirements and long hours in a hospital are much harder and grosser than msw.

What’s a “soft” degree? Does that mean not prestigious, not rigorous, low barrier to entry, low IQ, etc? Maybe that’s why the person said “fun”? Like condescending.

Anonymous wrote:OP, I get it. I still occasionally think about the professor in grad. school who called my dissertation topic "cute." The topic is now one of the hottest policy issues in the country, so I'll let that be my just desserts.

I get it too. During my senior year, a professor at my Ivy League college told me I'd asked him a stupid question. He died of a heart attack in his 40s, and I spit on his grave. That's how much it bothered me, and it's been decades. Good riddance to him. His family's probably a lot better off without that POS.

Anonymous wrote:Someone I just met asked me what my DD is doing and I said she is getting her MSW. The woman responded, “Fun” in what I perceived to be a dismissive way. DD has a clear career path, a terrific paid internship, graduated from a top school and is at a top grad program. She will graduate without loans. I don’t get the judgment on kids who don’t go into more prestigious fields like IB, medicine, law, or even CS or engineering. She asked about my DS and he is pursuing one of the above fields and she was a lot more interested in that. I didn’t really respond. How should I respond? Still bothers me several days later.

The woman probably didn't know what MSW stands for. My cousin got an MSW at Berkeley, and I had no idea what that was. I thought, maybe, sewing degree?

Let it go, OP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your friend is an idiot. A service-oriented degree like MSW is exactly the opposite of "fun."

It’s a soft degree, an easy ticket to a cushy civil servant gig. Nursing requirements and long hours in a hospital are much harder and grosser than msw.

Cushy? It’s hard, extremely underpaid. And most social workers don’t work for government agencies. DCUM really is the epitome of educated people showing how ignorant they are about various things.

Anonymous wrote:My neighbor says this all the time. It's just a way to acknowledge your answer, but at the same time she really doesn't care. She's being polite, and I'm sure didn't mean anything by it.

+1. Same for “Good for you!” Always feels smug and passive aggressively backhanded.

Anonymous wrote:Your friend is an idiot. A service-oriented degree like MSW is exactly the opposite of "fun."

It’s a soft degree, an easy ticket to a cushy civil servant gig. Nursing requirements and long hours in a hospital are much harder and grosser than msw.