University/College

[gtmtnbiker]

Seems most people here have some sort of computer based degree / plan or a liberal arts degree / plan. I'm surprised there isn't more science or engineering based here.

I have an BS in EE (Electrical Engineering) and a MS in CE (Computer Engineering). My original intent was to do hardware design with some software but the truth is that I've only done software since I graduated with a BS.

[(-_-)]

I'm going to University, majoring in media in the faculty of interactive arts and technology. Depending on how it goes next year, I may be able to major/minor in media and game design if the stream opens up.

[Limewater]

Seems most people here have some sort of computer based degree / plan or a liberal arts degree / plan. I'm surprised there isn't more science or engineering based here.

I have an BS in EE (Electrical Engineering) and a MS in CE (Computer Engineering). My original intent was to do hardware design with some software but the truth is that I've only done software since I graduated with a BS.

Another engineer checking in.

I have a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering. I am currently pursuing a PhD in that field. For my undergrad, I actually did a double major in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics.

[Limewater]

Becoming a professor sounds interesting as I like researching topics of interest, and I've discovered an interest in educating after working with so many Korean children.

I hate to be a bearer of bad news, but attempting to go into academia probably won't help your career prospects. There are a couple of exceptions for growing fields like Kinesiology, but in general the academic job market is insanely saturated.

[Ack]

Becoming a professor sounds interesting as I like researching topics of interest, and I've discovered an interest in educating after working with so many Korean children.

I hate to be a bearer of bad news, but attempting to go into academia probably won't help your career prospects. There are a couple of exceptions for growing fields like Kinesiology, but in general the academic job market is insanely saturated.

I figured, but it's still something I want to go for, even if I don't end up in academia. The truth is that every market I'm competent in is oversaturated with people right now. By the time I finish with a doctorate, it's possible something will have opened up.

[Haoie]

Been there, done that.

As usual, have been working in job for years with next to nothing to do with college courses.

[Xeogred]

Been there, done that.

As usual, have been working in job for years with next to nothing to do with college courses.

lol, gotta love how sometimes it boils down to "having a degree just to have a degree", or so I hear.

[Markell1991]

lol, gotta love how sometimes it boils down to "having a degree just to have a degree", or so I hear.

That's all it's about. Only in a very few cases does a degree specifically helps you get a job (law, veterinary science, medicine etc). University is just about the experiences, the people you meet and the things you get up to. I find if you go into something just because it unlocks something in your future, you really won't enjoy doing it.

[Limewater]

University is just about the experiences, the people you meet and the things you get up to. I find if you go into something just because it unlocks something in your future, you really won't enjoy doing it.

I disagree very strongly with this viewpoint and advice.

College is an experience, but it wasn't designed to be. I think the situation might be different in England, but in the US, college is now sold to kids as an experience. Consequently, we have a generation coming up which spends an extra 5 or so years after high school continuing to be dependent upon their parents and graduating with tons of debt they'll never be able to pay off.

That's not to say it's the only cause of the current situation. There are actually a ton of reasons, like cultural and social pressures, employers demanding college educations for jobs that don't need it just because they can, and subsidized student loans, to name a few.

But seriously, you don't have to go to college to get the "college experience." There's very little to it that you can't have as a young, single person with a job. What is the college experience, anyway? Smoking pot, playing video games, binge drinking, and regrettable hook-ups? Ill-informed political activism? Reading stuff by Ayn Rand, Jacques Derrida, and Leo Tolstoy? You don't have to be in college for any of that.

I'm not saying everyone should major in Engineering-- though, really, everyone should major in Engineering. But I know plenty of successful people with degrees in English and stuff. They had fun in college, but took it as an opportunity to cultivate skills they could use in the real world.

[Markell1991]

By the 'University experience' I mean learning to be independent from parents, meeting new people finding out about yourself and so on. The things you listed, specifically the regrettable hook-ups, are exactly what I'm talking about. Letting one's career dictate what the do in life is, in my mind, not a good idea at all.
Very few people who I've met say "well I'm going to uni to do <course> so then I can get a job". It's usually the ones whose parents pressurise them.