I started college majoring in Chemistry for no better reason than it had been my favorite subject in high school; at the end of my sophomore year I changed my major to Theatre and graduated with a BFA. I was looking into getting a Master’s in Library Science, with the thought of eventually working at either a public or university library, and was accepted at Catholic University in DC but couldn’t afford it. I got a job as a data entry clerk (at a higher starting salary than usual simply because I had a degree) and after a year and a half got my current job as a government paper-shuffler, where I’ve been for 26 years.
So my degree has no bearing on what I do for a living, but without it I couldn’t have gotten my job. I wouldn’t consider my time spent in college a waste, since it got me out of my parent’s house, gave me a sense of independence and taught me how to think for myself.
While my degree (I have a Bachelor of Business Administration) is very related to my field (COBOL programmer on a mainframe), my husband has a BA in Psychology and he’s a web developer. He’s never held a psychology-related job. I would like to one day be a full time professional writer (novelist), but so far, all my sales have been game reviews/previews and one magazine article. But it’s a start.
I am always surprised how often my undergraduate degree (Civil Engineering) helps me in my business job.
Shitload of math - After 4 1/2 years of trying to solve diferential equations with a TI calculater, #2 pencil and green engineering paper, building cost models in Excel is a piece o cake.
Project management - I take it for granted that people know what a Gantt chart or ‘critical path’ is and how to create one in MS project. Most don’t.
Industry knowledge - Having a CE degree means my firm can sell my services to companies in the energy, construction, real estate, or really any industry
Engineers are perceived as smart - There’s just this perception that when someone has an engineering degree, they must be intelligent.
I can always fall back on my FORTRAN skills - 'nuff said.
I’m a grad student in the field I majored in as an undergrad, so I guess I’m among the few who do use their degrees on a daily basis.
However, I must take exception to the idea that college is supposed to be an entry ticket into a career. College is an end in itself (although many people do acquire thinking and writing skills that they use in their jobs). The point is to become a better-educated person, not a more productive wage-earner.
Well, my grad degree is fairly relevant, but my undergraduate economics degree isn’t directly connected to the research I do. But then, the people in my office are math majors and music majors and english majors and archeology majors. What you need is a good brain, not a specific degree.
I found that my econ degree comes in handy when I approach certain problems, and helps me to figure out the prediction modeling I do (even though that’s mostly sheer algebra in excel). But I’m not doing anything with the economy, or supply and demand, or markets. I’d say it is a combination of the econ degree and the distribution requirements I took that made me well-prepared. I can things in more than one way, and I can write for different audiences.
Another computer programmer checking in. My degree’s in math, and there’s no way that a waste of any kind. It gives me a very different perspective on programming from all the CS/EE people, and it also helped me tremendously to think analytically and abstractly.
Fretful Porpentine is spot-on: a liberal arts degree is not intended to teach you a trade; it’s intended to teach you how to think, and that’s much more valuable than any job-specific skills.
I got a BS in Industrial Engineering. Afterwards, I worked in printing and managed a printing department for a while. Then I moved on to a heavy equipment dealer service division, and I now work as a Graphic Designer and also do Research & Development.
I’m having to use a lot of grammar and math skills at my job as well. Whodathunkit?
These threads are always interesting. I have my BAs in History and Classics, and now I work as a legal assistant. I am only two years out of college and am hardly on track for my career. I had planned on going back for my PhD in medieval literature, but I find the current academic climate disillusioning and I probably do not produce the kind of work departments are looking for.
With any luck I will be headed for a masters in International Affairs next September.
I think that my education has tremendous “real-world applicability.” It’s given me a pretty wide intellectual and moral base on which to lead my life. It’s helped my discipline, work ethic, and intellectual precision. My academic training was spent largely working with documents, essential to my current job as a paralegal. I have been better trained to grasp case arguments and nuances of language usage than most of the younger associates who have been through law school. And I frequently correct their Latin.
But yeah, I am not particularly happy in my job, and though I am probably overpaid it is not going to be my career. But I think that language training and discipline will help me with just about anything I would want to do.
Sometimes I wonder what my co-workers would think of me if they knew what I am “really” like. I like to throw them off a little, when they ask me to do something for them, what my motivation is. “I’m not feeling it. Maybe if you asked me like this…” Someday I am going to throw a party and invite both groups over, just to see what would happen.
“Worlds colliding! Worlds colliding!”
BA in Japanese History (and it was one of those “Squeezing 6 years out of a 4-year degree” programs ).
Don’t ask me if I remember anything about Japanese History today.
Never used anything from that once. Ever.
AS in Automotive Technology.
I was a mechanic in various shops/dealerships for the past 13 years.
Now I am a housewife.
I’ll probably either get a job relating to automotive somehow, when my son goes to school. But I doubt I want to fix cars anymore, it takes a toll on your body.
I have a BA in Music Performance (Tuba); I have worked as a computer geek for my entire professional career. However, due to bizarre circumstances, the fact that I was a music major is responsible for my attaining everything I hold valuable in life EXCEPT for the career: marriage, kids, friends, interests, whatever. Go figure.
I’m still slogging away in university (looking to achieve a B.A. in English & teach secondary education), but my dad got his B.S. in Biology & has been working in the Department of Social Services for the past 31 years.
I graduated with a BLS degree. (Bachelor of Liberal Studies) I was originally a double major, Music/Theatre, (as opposed to Musical Theatre) also a Tubist Ethil. Then I dropped music, then a year later I was dropped from the acting program, so after a lot of angst and a summer of therapy I reviewed my options, realized I had almost enough random classes to qualify for the degree I have, took the remaining random classes and graduated.
I took a couple of photography classes along the way, which I loved, so I work in photography now, and computer graphics, which I’ve completely learned on the job. It would be fair to say my degree is good for nothing. I had fun though.
I also have a music performance and theory/composition degree. Most of the work I do now is with databases.
I however was one class away from several minors but wasn’t really interested by that point. Psychology, Biology, and Philosophy to be exact. I should probably go back to school for something because I liked that structure but I am too lazy at the moment. I think I would like to do a bachelors in mythology (not Greco-Roman centric if I could help it) if I can find one. May as well put one of my big interests to the knowledge test.
BA in International Relations
MA in Human Geography
Both with specialties in Chinese Studies, but loads of general cultural studies, anthro, politics, economics, history…
Work as a Technical Writer, producing online help, training materials, and user guides for custom software systems mostly in the Pharma industry.
This year, finally got the company to pursue Internationalization (of user materials, in addition to software) seriously. Finally, my degrees actually freakin apply to my job! Only took about 6 years of constant badgering.
).