Uni Degrees That Are Not Worth The Time/Money

[ghost]

It doesn't surprise me that your peers have done well with creative writing degrees. Writing, like music or art are natural gifts. H.G Wells, Jack Kerouac, Truman Capote and Charles Dickens did not have any degree, but they have had successful writing careers. I have played piano most of my life, but I know if I had pursued a degree in that field the best I could hope for is to teach. The reality is that I do not possess the gift of music.



Like OL said, I believe any education is better than none at all. He nailed it when he said certain degrees should receive preferential treatment for govt. subsidization if we are determined to subsidize education and other special interest type degrees that are "hobby" degrees should be user pay.

Writing is not a natural gift. Imagination is. You're picking authors from decades ago, back when university degrees weren't the norm. Of course, back then, high school alone, was far more grueling. The majority of today's successful authors all have degrees in one way or another.



And yes, a Master's or Phd in Creative Writing is usually taken so one can teach. But don't knock the teaching job. It's good money and it helps subsidize the author's income. Very few authors earn enough money to live off of.

[Gary Oak]

That ghost is so full of shit. Creative writing means working in a bar or following the rest of the welfare losers to Asia to teach English. Chugaboo studies is laughable. If we weren't forced to give so much money to them that degree would disappear. Go to a real employer and tell them you have a chugaboo studies degree and you won't get an interview.



Her are the real degrees and none of the are ba's.

So, based on figures from Statistics Canada, Robert Half, industry association websites as well as Workopolis' own data, here are ten career choices that pay much higher starting salaries than those averages:

1.Dentist: +- $90,000

2.Petroleum Engineer: +- $86,220

3.Data security analyst: +- $83,250

4.Web site developer and user experience designer: +- $80,000

5.Mobile applications developers: +- $72,500

6.Financial Controller: +- $70,000

7.Lawyer: +- $60,000

8.Accountant: +- $58,750

9.Nurse: +- $55,000

10.Business Administration/Management +- $45,00



Here are the waste of time degrees and they are all ba's. ac_toofunny  ac_beating  ac_razz

And if you are just beginning your studies now and you would like to pick your degree based on the probability of landing a job at the end of it, there are some programs to avoid. Based on US statistics that I think will generally apply here as well (I'm still looking for the equivalent Canadian data), here are ten fields that hiring managers just aren't looking for on resumes right now.

1.Architecture

2.Latin

3.Music therapy

4.Theology

5.English Literature

6.Social Sciences

7.American Studies / Canadian Studies (I mentioned that this list was based on US data. However, we can assume that Canadian Studies would be equally frowned upon, because the rationale is that as the workplace becomes more diverse, employers are looking for people educated with a broader cultural perspective than just studying their local national culture.)

8.Puppetry (Apparently this is an actual degree that some people choose to study. I think it could be an equivalent stand in for most theatre and performing arts degrees.)

9.Poetry

10.Art History

[Anonymous]

A friend of mine has a native studies degree along with her education degree. She teaches in a small town in Saskatchewan and earns quite a bit of money.

I could be wrong, but I am unaware of any application of a native studies degree in the private realm.

The University of Saskatchewan offers one. I'm sure there are others, but that's the one my friend did.

If a person took that specialized degree I would assume they already have an idea what they want to do with it..



I still would prefer my children pursue degrees that will lead to a job rather than just an education..



My daughter has expressed interest in being a teacher, but I was surprised to read that elementary school teachers made the list in the op..



I read there was a shortage of teachers in Alberta, especially in rural areas..



She'll will probably change her mind many times before completing high school anyway.

[ghost]

If a person took that specialized degree I would assume they already have an idea what they want to do with it..



I still would prefer my children pursue degrees that will lead to a job rather than just an education..



My daughter has expressed interest in being a teacher, but I was surprised to read that elementary school teachers made the list in the op..



I read there was a shortage of teachers in Alberta, especially in rural areas..



She'll will probably change her mind many times before completing high school anyway.

I would want my children to have a career doing something that they love doing, opposed to doing something that brings in a high income. It's important to be able to support yourself and your family, but it's another thing to hate everything you do.



Very few people truly love their jobs.



And our resident troll and laugh about teaching English overseas, but it's a fantastic way to earn money when you're fresh out of school. It's also a wonderful experience to live in another culture and see what the rest of the world is like.



Just because the self-published piece of crap Gary wrote did poorly, doesn't mean that real writers don't earn an income.

[Anonymous]

If a person took that specialized degree I would assume they already have an idea what they want to do with it..



I still would prefer my children pursue degrees that will lead to a job rather than just an education..



My daughter has expressed interest in being a teacher, but I was surprised to read that elementary school teachers made the list in the op..



I read there was a shortage of teachers in Alberta, especially in rural areas..



She'll will probably change her mind many times before completing high school anyway.

I would want my children to have a career doing something that they love doing, opposed to doing something that brings in a high income. It's important to be able to support yourself and your family, but it's another thing to hate everything you do.



Very few people truly love their jobs.



And our resident troll and laugh about teaching English overseas, but it's a fantastic way to earn money when you're fresh out of school. It's also a wonderful experience to live in another culture and see what the rest of the world is like.



Just because the self-published piece of crap Gary wrote did poorly, doesn't mean that real writers don't earn an income.

Yep, true enough. I really love my career and I am proud of what we have accomplished. The technology is constantly changing and it keeps me interested.



However, there are days when I have conflicts with colleagues, I am waiting on materials for different projects, I get anxious about being over-budget and not on schedule. Then again, when things go too smoothly I get bored, so I don't know.



I agree with you about ESL teachers and it being a good way to pay off student loans and such. I had NO problem with the female English teachers I met in Asia. It was the male English teachers that rubbed me the wrong way. They often leave a bad impression on the people in Asia too. I've talked privately with asal on VF about this and we seem to be on the same page about this.



As for Oak, he got his (candy)ass kicked by a Chinese boxer and he's still sulking about many years later....fucking crybaby!!  acc_angry

[ghost]

Yep, true enough. I really love my career and I am proud of what we have accomplished. The technology is constantly changing and it keeps me interested.



However, there are days when I have conflicts with colleagues, I am waiting on materials for different projects, I get anxious about being over-budget and not on schedule. Then again, when things go too smoothly I get bored, so I don't know.



I agree with you about ESL teachers and it being a good way to pay off student loans and such. I had NO problem with the female English teachers I met in Asia. It was the male English teachers that rubbed me the wrong way. They often leave a bad impression on the people in Asia too. I've talked privately with asal on VF about this and we seem to be on the same page about this.



As for Oak, he got his (candy)ass kicked by a Chinese boxer and he's still sulking about it many years later....fucking crybaby!!  acc_angry

I have to agree with some of the male teachers. I met a lot who were just over there, desperate to find an Asian girlfriend. Some of them came off as really creepy. If you ever want a good laugh, check out the personals on the Asia Craigslist. It's just reeking of desperation.



But there still are a few good ones.

[Anonymous]

Yep, true enough. I really love my career and I am proud of what we have accomplished. The technology is constantly changing and it keeps me interested.



However, there are days when I have conflicts with colleagues, I am waiting on materials for different projects, I get anxious about being over-budget and not on schedule. Then again, when things go too smoothly I get bored, so I don't know.



I agree with you about ESL teachers and it being a good way to pay off student loans and such. I had NO problem with the female English teachers I met in Asia. I've talked. It was male English teachers that rubbed me the wrong way. They often leave a bad impression on the people in Asia too. I've talked privately with asal on VF about this and we seem to be on the same page about this.



As for Oak, he got his (candy)ass kicked by a Chinese boxer and he's still sulking about many years later....fucking crybaby!!  acc_angry

I have to agree with some of the male teachers. I met a lot who were just over there, desperate to find an Asian girlfriend. Some of them came off as really creepy. If you ever want a good laugh, check out the personals on the Asia Craigslist. It's just reeking of desperation.



But there still are a few good ones.

I will take your word for it. I am so jaded now about male foreign English teachers that I give them a wide berth when I'm back in Asia. Like you said, there are some good ones, but I've met so many "creepy" ones that I am reluctant to even talk to them.

[Anonymous]

If a person took that specialized degree I would assume they already have an idea what they want to do with it..



I still would prefer my children pursue degrees that will lead to a job rather than just an education..



My daughter has expressed interest in being a teacher, but I was surprised to read that elementary school teachers made the list in the op..



I read there was a shortage of teachers in Alberta, especially in rural areas..



She'll will probably change her mind many times before completing high school anyway.

I would want my children to have a career doing something that they love doing, opposed to doing something that brings in a high income. It's important to be able to support yourself and your family, but it's another thing to hate everything you do.



Very few people truly love their jobs.



And our resident troll and laugh about teaching English overseas, but it's a fantastic way to earn money when you're fresh out of school. It's also a wonderful experience to live in another culture and see what the rest of the world is like.



Just because the self-published piece of crap Gary wrote did poorly, doesn't mean that real writers don't earn an income.

I cannot disagree with what you said ghost, because all of it is true..



But as a mother, it is important that my children have a career to fall back on if their dreams fail..



We are only working people, so we don't have unlimited funds..



We are going to pay for our children's education, but it must be job oriented..



That may sound like we are dream killers, but we feel it is our duty to prepare them for the real world.

[Big Wave Dave]

Yep, true enough. I really love my career and I am proud of what we have accomplished. The technology is constantly changing and it keeps me interested.



However, there are days when I have conflicts with colleagues, I am waiting on materials for different projects, I get anxious about being over-budget and not on schedule. Then again, when things go too smoothly I get bored, so I don't know.



I agree with you about ESL teachers and it being a good way to pay off student loans and such. I had NO problem with the female English teachers I met in Asia. I've talked. It was male English teachers that rubbed me the wrong way. They often leave a bad impression on the people in Asia too. I've talked privately with asal on VF about this and we seem to be on the same page about this.



As for Oak, he got his (candy)ass kicked by a Chinese boxer and he's still sulking about many years later....fucking crybaby!!  acc_angry

I have to agree with some of the male teachers. I met a lot who were just over there, desperate to find an Asian girlfriend. Some of them came off as really creepy. If you ever want a good laugh, check out the personals on the Asia Craigslist. It's just reeking of desperation.



But there still are a few good ones.

I will take your word for it. I am so jaded now about male foreign English teachers that I give them a wide berth when I'm back in Asia. Like you said, there are some good ones, but I've met so many "creepy" ones that I am reluctant to even talk to them.

What is wrong with a guy liking Oriental chicks? What is wrong with a guy taking a job in Asia just to bang Oriental chicks? Let's face it, white gals are boring not to mention most are ugly headcases anyway.

[Anonymous]

^I think you are probably what ghost and I were talking about. acc_angry

[Anonymous]

I have to agree with some of the male teachers. I met a lot who were just over there, desperate to find an Asian girlfriend. Some of them came off as really creepy. If you ever want a good laugh, check out the personals on the Asia Craigslist. It's just reeking of desperation.



But there still are a few good ones.

I will take your word for it. I am so jaded now about male foreign English teachers that I give them a wide berth when I'm back in Asia. Like you said, there are some good ones, but I've met so many "creepy" ones that I am reluctant to even talk to them.

What is wrong with a guy liking Oriental chicks? What is wrong with a guy taking a job in Asia just to bang Oriental chicks? Let's face it, white gals are boring not to mention most are ugly headcases anyway.

Oriental is a rug not a people.