the thread where val-holla-ing decides his fate
 

since the "how was your day" thread was kinda all over the place, i thought i'd pick up this discussion in its own thread. and without any redeeming display of modesty i'll quote myself here-- actually it was the last post to deal with this i think... except that t&b wants to be a plumber.

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oh oh... wait a second, i thought of this. i assure you i'm not trying to be a total pain in the ass.

but see, after you left college, you had no debt and bought a house.

now, if you had stayed, you would still have no debt, and you would still have bought a house, but you'd have a college degree also.

now, i don't know if you would have been able to use that degree, but generally speaking there are more advantageous employment opportunities for people with a degree-- even on a temporary basis.

and to contrast your particular friend with the mfa who works at a coffee shop, i have a friend with an mfa-- in poetry no less-- who is doing great. she used to be my TA in college. she's published a couple of books, enjoys a tenured position in a liberal arts college, has been a state poet laureate, lectures, travels, and makes quite a decent living while pursuing what she likes, with all the perks of a tenured position, including sabbatical years of course.

now there are also people with advanced degrees working as permanent adjuncts-- people who get paid by the course. they will be forever fucked. for various logistical reasons i was set to be one of them, and so i quit & started working on my own. however, the MA has opened quite a few doors, and i can assure you my grad school experience didn't go to waste. even if i don't directly use my studies today, having to teach for several years was quite a formative experience.

anyway, i certainly do not believe that college is for everyone, and a lot of people would be better served by a trade or technical school, but for those who can put it to good use, having some sort of degree is a lot better than having none. statistically, sure. but i do like my chances.

PUTA MERDA

i meant to say "where" ... decides his fate. not 'with". sleep deprivation is a bitch.

Did you not get any sleep last night. Oh yes now I know why I came to the library to use the internet for.

1 hour maybe. suxx.

AH I got three at least, and one more in my car. So in total four hours of sleep.

what about this college bit.

I say this chap should stay in college and get his degree.

is he avoiding this thread? that would be funny.

I think he is, he is not a sucker like our fellow swa(y).

i'm in class right now and it's killing me!!!! KILLING MEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

i'm gonna tough it out for now, though. i'll probably keep having these not-so-brief moments of doubt, because i hate this school, my teachers, my classmates, and what i'm being taught. i'm a trooper, though.

man, i am SO here!

dude do you have an academic advisor that could help you weasel out honorably? i mean w/ diploma in hand?

no way! she's the reason i've been in school for so long. she often "forgets" to tell students that they have to take certain classes to carry on with their degree's.

Can't you get a new one?

nope, there's only one for the entire school of music.

I see. Well I have to go to class.

have fun!

MUST you graduate in music? could you go to say "liberal arts" & call it a BA?

i guess i could, but then all of my effort would be wasted and i probably wouldn't be able to get into grad school as easily.

i think my biggest issue is that i'm trying to do too much while i'm in school. i work two jobs and i play in two bands outside of school. i really think that if i quit one of my jobs or just got a better one, i wouldn't be nearly as stressed out.

not really... well not sure. but better to get some BA than none no?

you can even come back & take the extra classes later when you feel like it. maybe apply towards 2nd major or something.

what you should do, is find out what grad schools are looking for, and if a b.a. in music is a strict requirement, or not.

ok, idea (maybe)

get your ba in liberal arts, get a better job, then go back for your 2nd ba in music? ??

(is it possible?)

Maybe so, but youth is precious and highly perishable.
Not to mention the general uselessness of a liberal arts BA.
In my entire 7 months of recent unemployment, I saw maybe one or two jobs that I would have perhaps applied for were it not for degree requirements, and they paid no better than what I make now.

Of course, in val's case, I would recommend sticking with it, since grad school is on his list of priorities and obviously undergrad completion is a good idea in that case.
I personally loathed college so much that I would not have even entertained the idea of grad school. I am perfectly happy with my standard of living, and the statistical likelihood of slightly higher financial security with the degree was not a significant enough incentive given my particular set of priorities.


I must again clarify that he is an ART PROFESSOR who works at a coffeeshop.
The guy is 40 years old and has been at it his entire life. How long do you have to pay your freaking dues, for God's sake? Ridiculous.

YEAH!!! now dont go & tell him that grad school sucks... that's my job :D


yes but what kind of professor is this professor? adjunct? assistant? associate? full professor?

from what you tell me, he's gotta be an adjunct, unless he's got 9 children or an expensive habit to support... i know A LOT of professors in their early careers and a) they all live wel & buy homes etc, b) they are too busy publishing and attending conferences to have another job

That makes me wonder if I should change my major to English, so I can teach in a college.

don't

http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/tbu...radschool.html

Good read.

http://www.phdcomics.com/

Ha!

Let me finish my speech outline. I need one more sentence and I am done.