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Beat It! |
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Saturday, June 3, 2006 at 8:46 PM I was gonna bump the original thread but figure it'd be better to just start a sequel as is the trend these days. Anyhow, it's been a year since that one and I'm curious again what the members here do for a living or at least what you’ve got going on ‘right now.’ For the high school and college students, you can list what job you plan on having after you graduate - and any current crappy jobs you occupy while in school. I'll go first since things have changed a bit: I'm the art director for a magazine publisher though I still attempt to work on screenplays in my off hours. I made a short film last year that didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped (mostly lighting and sound issues), but I learned a lot and am gearing up to do another one. Next... —Beat It! |
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TortillaFactory |
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Saturday, June 3, 2006 at 9:03 PM Fred Meyer. Home Electronics. Sales Clerk. Currently off for a broken foot. I'd say "it's a living," but it's really not. —TortillaFactory |
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anobody |
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Saturday, June 3, 2006 at 9:05 PM
Edited Saturday, June 3, 2006 at 9:10 PM "Right Now" I'm finishing up my Ph.D. in biophysics and am working as a graduate research associate. Basically that just means that I write junk (papers / software) on my notebook which has been surgically attached to my leg. Should be done in august (slipped from may) and then... I have absolutely no idea. The 'default' path for me would be to postdoc somewhere for a year or two then get an assistant professorship and, eventually be a full-professor with tenure. That used to seem like a plan but it's lost a lot of its appeal recently so I'm completely up in the air. Just about everyone here knows what my insane fantasy job is so I'll spare you further mention of that. Another possibility is to go into industry (perhaps a pharmaceutical or software company). A third is to start my own company and pursue my own agenda but I think I need more pressure than I can provide myself :-( I'm also volunteering in an emergency room a few hours a week and since my student loan debt hasn't yet ascended to a sublimely insane level yet, I'm thinking that I might try to go for an MD next (barring something unexpected in the meantime, that's looking like the most likely option so far). (*edit*) Oh yeah - I'm also an unpaid full time poster on some forum that you've probably never heard of out on one of the internets. —anobody |
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mandeemoo22 |
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Saturday, June 3, 2006 at 9:43 PM For the summer, I'm working as a canvasser/campaign worker for Environment Maryland. Although, I don't know if I can make it through the whole summer. It's a great cause, but it's just so tiring. I'm looking for a new job because I'm not going to quit unless I have one. I'd really like to work at the zoo. When I graduate college (in 2009) I want to move to New York and become a writer. —mandeemoo22 |
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Masteel |
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Saturday, June 3, 2006 at 9:47 PM What is your dream job, anobody? Good God, it sounds like you have things well in hand. Biophysics? wtf is that? How come there's so many non-jobs, and non-degrees out there that get you the non-jobs? Bah. I dunno, that tenure path sounds pretty damn awesome dude. It's so sweet, you can't be fired, and, you know, it's the next best thing to doing nothing. But you know, I mean, post docs or whatever don't grow on trees do they? I mean, you'd have to be making some calls, and contacts, and stuff wouldn't you? And, if you wanted to go MD, wouldn't you have to have some test...what is it called, MCAT? Like, through the roof scores? —Masteel |
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anobody |
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Saturday, June 3, 2006 at 10:32 PM What is your dream job, anobody? Cohosting Loveline, of course :D Good God, it sounds like you have things well in hand. Not so much - just a lot of stumbling around without much direction. That's sort of my MO. I got concurrent BA/BSes in mathematics and microbiology then started a Ph.D. in microbiology but got sick of the lab work so bailed out early with an MS. Then I wasted a year or two working and came back for the Ph.D. in physics (I originally wanted to do particle physics but slid into biophysics). Biophysics? wtf is that? Traditionally, it was doing things like figuring out the effects of radioactive isotopes and trauma on biological things or working on medical imaging / targeting for radiation treatment. More recently, it includes all sorts of things ranging from population dynamics to figuring out evolutionary biology to studying how proteins work (my current focus). How come there's so many non-jobs, and non-degrees out there that get you the non-jobs?. Not quite sure if I understand you there. I dunno, that tenure path sounds pretty damn awesome dude. It's so sweet, you can't be fired, and, you know, it's the next best thing to doing nothing. I agree that there's lots of good stuff about it. There's also a (relatively) low ceiling for salaries, a lot of work and tons of time in committees and a lot of politics (true of any job but can be particularly bad at universities). post docs or whatever don't grow on trees do they? I mean, you'd have to be making some calls, and contacts, and stuff wouldn't you? Yeah. I've got a couple of offers - one here, one joint between Paris and Montreal, one at UCSD and then (possibly if I really pressed) one at Caltech and one at the University of Hawai`i. Some interesting stuff there And, if you wanted to go MD, wouldn't you have to have some test...what is it called, MCAT? Like, through the roof scores? Yeah - you do have to take the MCAT. Your scores don't have to be astronomical, though. I've taken it a couple of times in the past and did reasonably well (10-12 in each subject and an O and S on the written portion). My last MCAT was too long ago to use for an application so I'd have to take it again in august (am signed up for that) and then go through AMCAS but it's all doable. I'd have to wait to start till next year but I think I've got a decent chance of getting in if I try. —anobody |
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Full Meat |
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Saturday, June 3, 2006 at 11:28 PM I own a small software company in Seattle. Our product is a Windows Mobile application for enterprise IT departments. —Full Meat |
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anobody |
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Saturday, June 3, 2006 at 11:47 PM
Edited Saturday, June 3, 2006 at 11:51 PM Full Meat - is your product isn't for asset tracking? —anobody |
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mikeyfish |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 12:07 AM Night stock at a grocery store. Oh, shut up. —mikeyfish |
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plurryho |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 3:14 AM
Edited Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 3:39 AM i'm still a work in progress.
the only thing i want to do is be a rock star, a baseball analyst, or the next co-host of loveline.
although, i'd settle for just being matt haber's successor.
guess i'll just stick to ramblin'. (edit: thanks 'fish. i like ramblin' better too, but gamblin' makes me uneasy. i just don't have thick skin like jj.) —plurryho |
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mikeyfish |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 3:16 AM
Edited Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 3:16 AM guess i'll just stick to rambling plurry is a rambler and a gambler, and I guess he always will be. —mikeyfish |
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chix0r |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 5:32 AM I have a year of school left and a semester of student teaching; I'll probably get a long-term subbing job after that, followed by a permanent position as a highschool Spanish teacher. —chix0r |
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Had To Get It On |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 7:20 AM I'm an IT lackey at sort of a big place. Maybe someone will drop a piano on my head as I'm walking into the building tomorrow and end this quickly. —Had To Get It On |
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Mayonnaise |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 7:40 AM "Right now" I'm the overnight news producer at a TV station. The pay sucks, the hours suck and the management sucks. My dream job is one that will pay me enough to move out of my parents' house. —Mayonnaise |
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Colin |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 8:12 AM ISP tech support. It's not truck driving, but I get to be home everynight and an 40 hour week is cake pie after working 60-75 hours a week for almost 6 years. —Colin |
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anobody |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 9:20 AM plurry is a rambler and a gambler, and I guess he always will be. So what you're saying is that Plurry is JJ? I have a year of school left and a semester of student teaching ˇHola seńorita chix0r! Como esta usted? Just out of curiosity - are you working on your MS in spanish now or did you decide to skip that? I'm an IT lackey at sort of a big place. Maybe someone will drop a piano on my head as I'm walking into the building tomorrow and end this quickly. IMO - that would be favorable compared to that 'ass-face' story. Seriously, though, GIO - if you hate your job so much, why not find something else? It's like you're stuck in a relationship that you know is crappy and that's going to end eventually but you're sticking with it out of sheer momentum or because you've been doing it so long. It's only going to get worse, you'll end up pissing more time away and it's going to be harder and harder to leave because of your seńority. At the rate you seem to be going, in about 30 years you'll end up retiring a jaded and pissed off old man.
Note that that is not to advocate going into the military. Surly there's some other company that needs IT guys in your area. Hell - if you plan and execute your move well, you might even be able to get a better yob that you'd actually enjoy and get paid more for. Just a thought, anyway —anobody |
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chix0r |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 9:34 AM
Edited Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 9:35 AM >>are you working on your MS in spanish now or did you decide to skip that? Hey, I'm only 20! I'll probably get my Master's in Education just because it'll be a cakewalk. Not planning to start on that until I get settled into teaching though. Besides, you wouldn't get a "Master of Science" degree in Spanish. —chix0r |
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anobody |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 9:45 AM
Edited Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 9:45 AM Hey, I'm only 20! Sorry no offense intended - probably knew that but I'm a bit de de de today. If it makes you feel any better, there's a girl who was home-schooled in the year ahead of my sister in medical school. She graduated ASU when she was 18 and just turned 21 (the last time I took the MCAT was with her when she was 17, I think - really wigged me out when I learned how young she was). I'll probably get my Master's in Education just because it'll be a cakewalk. Not planning to start on that until I get settled into teaching though. Sounds cool. What will the MEd do for you? (I'm assuming it'll help with pay / ranking but know essentially nothing about how high school education works) Besides, you wouldn't get a "Master of Science" degree in Spanish. de de de again (I think my brain damage is getting worse). —anobody |
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chix0r |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 9:51 AM >>If it makes you feel any better, there's a girl who [is more ambitious than you] Lots of people are, that doesn't make me feel better. Yeah, the Master's is just for the pay hike; that and a lot of schools *require* you to get a Master's in something, or you're not allowed to stay. —chix0r |
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Masteel |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 9:53 AM I'm an IT lackey at sort of a big place. Maybe someone will drop a piano on my head as I'm walking into the building tomorrow and end this quickly.
—Had To Get It On Awww…I love the IT guy at my place! Last week some dill-holes who were working on the phones unplugged some pretty important cords, and so I was on the phone with him (he’s located on the east coast, gotta love that New Yorker attitude) trying to help him fix it, and after we figured it out, and the phone guys were right there two feet from me, he goes, “Hey. Tell them not to like, you know just randomly unplug stuff anymore. That’s not cool.” Heh, I think it was the attitude behind it that made me laugh so much. And, anobody, uh, let’s trade lives. I like yours better. And yeah, the politics at a university can be worse than the politics in the capital. They should make a funny movie about that. Huh, maybe they already did.
—Masteel |
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anobody |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 9:55 AM Lots of people are, that doesn't make me feel better. Very sorry - was just a bad joke. Besides, I don't think she's more ambitious than you - just that her parents were a bit over the top with pushing her. Yeah, the Master's is just for the pay hike;
Seems like a good enough reason to me. and a lot of schools *require* you to get a Master's in something, or you're not allowed to stay. Didn't know that. So most of my highschool teachers probably had one. That's just crazy to think. I should probably already know the answer but what sparked your interest in Spanish? —anobody |
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anobody |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 10:04 AM Awww…I love the IT guy at my place! Last week some dill-holes who were working on the phones unplugged some pretty important cords, and so I was on the phone with him (he’s located on the east coast, gotta love that New Yorker attitude) trying to help him fix it, and after we figured it out, and the phone guys were right there two feet from me, he goes, “Hey. Tell them not to like, you know just randomly unplug stuff anymore. That’s not cool.” Heh, I think it was the attitude behind it that made me laugh so much. Reading that made me laugh too :D And, anobody, uh, let’s trade lives. I like yours better. That's flattering to hear but it's probably more different than better (just in case though, I'll pass; I'm not complaining... well, I am complaining but that's more because I like the sound of my own voice than that I really think I have something to complain about). BTW - did you ever say what you do? yeah, the politics at a university can be worse than the politics in the capital. Just to give you an idea of how retarded I can be - when I first read that, I thought you were saying you worked in the capital (I'm not kidding). They should make a funny movie about that. Huh, maybe they already did.
There was that period in the 80's when they had a bunch of body-switching movies. I think the closest might be Like Father Like Son (Dudley Moore and Kirk Cameron) where a doctor and his son traded places. —anobody |
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chix0r |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 10:12 AM >>Didn't know that. So most of my highschool teachers probably had one. No no no, they weren't as big on that in the dark ages. Now it's a whole "look, our teachers are more educated and so they're better, so don't hate us because your kids can't read" thing. >>I should probably already know the answer but what sparked your interest in Spanish? I'm not really that interested in it; in fact, if I watch a Spanish channel at someone else's house, I get really sick of people speaking all that damn Spanish. But when I was a sophomore I decided to become a teacher for the pension and summers off, and since the only thing they teach you in HS is grammar I thought "hey, this is all I'll ever need to know to teach it, how easy." —chix0r |
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anobody |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 10:24 AM No no no, they weren't as big on that in the dark ages. Now it's a whole "look, our teachers are more educated and so they're better, so don't hate us because your kids can't read" thing. That actually makes me feel much better :D Not to disparage my HS teachers - some were pretty good but there were a few who weren't. ...and then there was my hot early 20's ish freshman history teacher who always wore tight leather skirts I'm not really that interested in it; in fact, if I watch a Spanish channel at someone else's house, I get really sick of people speaking all that damn Spanish. But when I was a sophomore I decided to become a teacher for the pension and summers off, and since the only thing they teach you in HS is grammar I thought "hey, this is all I'll ever need to know to teach it, how easy." That's funny. I just hope you don't get burned out on it. —anobody |
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mandeemoo22 |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 10:36 AM I have an addition to my career plan. When I move to New York when I finish college, I want to work at an inner city school while I try to find work as a writer. I'd like to do a Teach for America type of program, although I've heard bad things about that particular one. I think I might be too idealistic though because I keep thinking that I'm going to make this huge impact and I'm going to reform the public school system and I'll change the lives of all of the students, etc. Basically, I plan on changing the world and it never really occurs to me that I probably can't do this. —mandeemoo22 |
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Masteel |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 10:44 AM No, I'm not going to say what I do. It's cake, and it's working in an office, and I am in no way shape or form qualified for it, don't know how I got it. Must have been some vagaries on my resume. Wonder how that happened, heh? I probably won’t be doing it for too much longer. Like Beat it! and Mandee, I too want to be a writer. But, as I’ve said before, I might as well shoot for Ninja-Pirate-Astronaut-EvilChimpanzeeKiller (there will be a journal entry on evil chimpanzees) for how realistic that idea is. ‘Course, Mandee will probably do it. Damn her. And, I’ve also been told by someone familiar in the grammatical matters, that “Your English sucks.” So…yeah.
—Masteel |
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lastmanstanding |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 11:05 AM Hah, nice chix0r. Yeah masters in ed IS a cakewalk compared to every other subject. I missed the application deadline though, so I got stuck applying to the regular credential program. I find out in about a month... —lastmanstanding |
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Had To Get It On |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 12:18 PM Awww…I love the IT guy at my place! "the"? There are over 50 people in our IT dept divided into development, operations and support.
Seriously, though, GIO - if you hate your job so much, why not find something else?
Because one more time in which I hold back slapping a dumb user should make me eligible for some type of canonization.
Of course, I am looking for something else but I doubt whatever next job I land is going to mitigate my seething resentment for humanity.
I'll probably get my Master's in Education just because it'll be a cakewalk.
So, I heard you like being underpaid and overqualified. —Had To Get It On |
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lastmanstanding |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 1:33 PM
Edited Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 1:33 PM So, I heard you like being underpaid and overqualified.
At my school the MED program can be combined with the credential program. Either way, you are out of there in a year, but if you do a little more work you'll have a masters by the end. There's no difference in time and not a big difference in cost for someone who is going the teacher rout anyway. —lastmanstanding |
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e-Donis |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 1:47 PM
Edited Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 1:48 PM I'm a High School drop-out who works Package Pick-Up and undresses mannequins at JCPenney. Though recently I've had this idea stuck in my head about becoming a photographer for National Geographic (or similar publication). I figure I'd like to live in other countries, so I can hitch myself onto NG's bandwagon and get cash money doin' it. But first I'm going to try to get published in Portland Monthly, or maybe Willamette Week. Also, as an HS drop-out, I felt a sharp pain in my balls when I read "there was my hot early 20's ish freshman history teacher who always wore tight leather skirts". I feel like I may have missed out on something. —e-Donis |
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anobody |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 1:50 PM Perhaps I should have been more clear - that was freshmen year of highschool, not college (I've never had a prof that age in college; though I have had a few TAs in labs who had some decent T and A). —anobody |
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anobody |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 1:53 PM Hey! I just noticed - But first I'm going to try to get published in Portland Monthly, or maybe Willamette Week. - my x-wife went to Willamette for her undergrad. I wonder, e-Donis, have you ever considered joining the peace corps? You might get to travel someplace where you can get some nice subjects (and hopefully no guinea worms). —anobody |
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e-Donis |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 2:31 PM I never did untill now. The idea of going to another country under the supervision of a government agency has never sat well with me. But it did make sence that I could get some experience photographing in these places independantly, than I'll increase my odds of making an actually living working as a photographer in a foreign country. Unfortunately their website says that the minimum requirments are "A four-year college degree, or solid work experience in an area such as agriculture, business management, or a skilled trade". So it seems like I'd have to spend a lot of time working in a field that doesn't interest me too much, in order to get into a field that does. At least the guinea worm doesn't remain in your body. I'm sure the Good Folks over in the Peace Corps get sent to plenty of 3rd world countries rife with incurable flesh eating diseases. —e-Donis |
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plurryho |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 5:37 PM I'd have to spend a lot of time working in a field that doesn't interest me too much, in order to get into a field that does. this always bugged me about college. you have to take all this crap you'll never use to get to what you want.
you waste time and money which discourages a fair amount of people. aren't they keeping many from becoming skilled in fields of interest? who decided what jobs could be learned as trades and what jobs require college degrees anyway?
i realize that several fields exist that require well rounded individuals. for example, scientists will use higher levels of math and need english skills to write papers.
but still... how about more options for trade schools?
your auto mechanic, electrician or computer technician has probably never taken an art appreciation class. we don't seem to have a problem with that.
do you care if your therapist can do calculus or do you just want him/her to be a good therapist?
ever ask a math teacher a biology question? how about we just let them get by after taking a bunch of math classes?
is it really necessary to make everyone "well rounded" or is this what i think it is, a way for colleges to make as much money as possible.
am i on to something here or are there gaping holes in my argument that i'm just haven't considered?
please enlighten me. —plurryho |
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Dark Laith |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 6:29 PM Well, I think that whole thing struck me as being more than just career-related. Maybe it's not necessary, but it couldn't hurt, and I could see how it might help. Narrow specialization is usually what people go for in their careers, but that rarely happens in people's lives (okay, well, maybe it's not rare at all, but I could definitely see how that wouldn't be such a good thing to do that). If it helps, Drew has, in the past (to people who were asking about getting into medical school), advocated taking liberal arts courses and such during one's undergrad years, just to "round out" their education. And as I'm sure we all know, Drew is never ever ever wrong on Loveline. EVER. —Dark Laith |
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anobody |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 6:54 PM I don't think that there are gaping holes in your argument but I think you're missing some of the benefits of being well rounded. First of all, most of it is part of the philosophy of education, largely based on Plato's republic and laws dialogues. FWIW, my favorite part of college was the general studies portion of my curriculum. Sure, I had to take a few crappy classes but I also got some of the most enjoyable and engaging ones in areas I never would have considered. Philosophy's almost always got interesting profs and debates. Politics and history can have some pretty good ones as well. Even some of the weird ones I've taken like Native American Religious Traditions were interesting. IMO, the most important practical reason is that you never know what's going to be useful in your field or in life. If you're in construction and you understand trigonometry, you can do things like stake out a lot using fewer people than you might need without it. A bit of calculus applied properly and you can optimize the amount of raw materials you buy for a job, decreasing waste and lag-time due to having to reorder. Almost everyone can use a bit of economics or business knowledge for reasons that I hope are obvious. Politics is important because it helps you you be an informed citizen. If you know how to affect change in society, you're that much more powerful. The biggest single reason that individuals, in general, don't make a significant impact is that they don't realize that they can and they don't know how to go about it - not because individuals are intrinsically impotent in such matters. History is another one that I'd hope would be obvious but it really is helpful to know what's come before you so that you don't repeat the mistakes of the past and so that you can learn from them. We've seen here how important basic science knowledge is in a number of the other threads. I'd add that just understanding the principals of science and the scientific method are helpful for everyone. Whatever you do, being able to design and carry out rudimentary experiments can be immensely powerful. You run an ice cream shop so why would you need to do an experiment? Say you want to know the best way to get the largest number of repeat customers. You can intuit it a bit and make educated guesses but you won't get nearly as far as a few simple experiments would bring you. One thing that Dr. Drew always said whenever anyone's asked him about preparing to get into radio, he's always recommended becoming as well rounded as possible. I'd go a step further and say that, in real life and not just in radio, it's useful to have a lot of breadth and depth just so that you can have intelligent conversations with all sorts of people on all sorts of subjects. When you get right down to it, how much of a waste of time is expanding your horizons with a class that meets three days a week for 50 minutes plus a few hours a week of homework? I don't know about you but I spend ten times that siting in front of the TV and expanding my ass. Then again, I might be slightly biased. —anobody |
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anobody |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 6:58 PM If it helps, Drew has, in the past (to people who were asking about getting into medical school), advocated taking liberal arts courses and such during one's undergrad years, just to "round out" their education I just wanted to add one more thing to my 10 pages when I saw that /\. College is a time of experimentation and exploration. Taking lots of subjects is like dating lots of people. Specializing early is like getting married to your first love. Sure, it could work out but the odds are against you. Even if you end up with your first love, it's nice to know that you've tried a few other things out there so you'll actually know that what you have is best and you haven't just deluded yourself into thinking that out of ignorance of your options. —anobody |
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Full Meat |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 8:02 PM Full Meat - is your product isn't for asset tracking? Yup, good guess. Barcodes, RFID, auto-discovery. Not a sexy topic at a cocktail party (or on TLC, I'm sure), but if you're a hotshot .NET developer, you could do a lot worse than our shop. —Full Meat |
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Had To Get It On |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 8:04 PM I think for many people college is not going to help very much. Many things in this world can be learned and understood on your own. You learn so much after college anyway it begs the question why do so many people consider it mandatory. A satisfactory skill set can be obtained without a formal academic environment. —Had To Get It On |
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Masteel |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 8:07 PM Everything is social though. College is just another pecking order waiting to be established. —Masteel |
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Had To Get It On |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 8:12 PM If one of the major functions of college is to separate the dedicated from the chaff, then I could see how that is useful. But you have to pay so much money just to be ranked. It's going to be sorted out in the workplace anyway. Performers move up, non-performers don't. For the most part. —Had To Get It On |
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mandeemoo22 |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 9:01 PM Well, in just this one year of college, I can't say that I have learned much academic-wise, but I definitely have learned a lot of important information about myself that I know I would not have discovered if I had chosen another path. —mandeemoo22 |
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anobody |
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Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 10:06 PM is your product isn't for asset tracking?
God I have to start reading what I type (probably obvious but that started out as "your product isn't for asset tracking by chance" but I thought that was too wordy so was going for "is your product for asset tracking?"). Yup, good guess. Barcodes, RFID, auto-discovery. Not a sexy topic at a cocktail party (or on TLC, I'm sure), but if you're a hotshot .NET developer, you could do a lot worse than our shop. Not much of a hotshot and I do more Java and C++ than anything but I actually happen to have a fair bit of experience with C# :D I think for many people college is not going to help very much. Many things in this world can be learned and understood on your own. You learn so much after college anyway it begs the question why do so many people consider it mandatory. A satisfactory skill set can be obtained without a formal academic environment. I know I wrote a bit much but I'd argue that about 99% of the utility of college has nothing to do with obtaining a "satisfactory skill set". If one of the major functions of college is to separate the dedicated from the chaff, then I could see how that is useful. But you have to pay so much money just to be ranked. It's going to be sorted out in the workplace anyway. Performers move up, non-performers don't. For the most part. Ranking is a very minor (almost negligible) part of it. Other than having to meet minimum requirements, your GPA doesn't make a damn bit of difference outside of school (save for getting into graduate programs and even then, it's a lot less important than you'd think). Not going to college doesn't make you a bad person and certainly doesn't imply that you're less skilled or intelligent than someone who has but it really does serve a purpose far greater than I think you realize, GIO. —anobody |
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lastmanstanding |
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Monday, June 5, 2006 at 12:17 AM C# was the most useless thing I learned in college. Not going to college doesn't make you a bad person and certainly doesn't imply that you're less skilled or intelligent than someone who has but it really does serve a purpose far greater than I think you realize, GIO. I'll quote that for emphasis, even though I would have put it a lot less tactfuly —lastmanstanding |
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rAnCIDsICk@!!! |
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Monday, June 5, 2006 at 12:42 AM
Edited Monday, June 5, 2006 at 12:43 AM I'm a Night Auditor at the Fairfield Inn by Marriott.
Essentially I'm in charge of the whole hotel at night.
I balance the books, check in/out guest, set up breakfast, do laundry,
I'm in charge of security measures if the hotel were to burn down or whatever. The pay sucks but it pays the bills, they give no insurance or any shit like that.
The only nice thing is that I just used up a 2 week vacation for my honeymoon that I earned after being here for 2 years, creeping up on 3 years in Sept. I really need a new job because I'm unhappy and my brain is dying from the lack of sunlight.
I noticed that my memory's been going to shit and simple processes are getting
difficult. I've seen all my grammatical errors on this Forum in particular. So currently I'm looking for a new job but since I don't have a drivers license, I been getting fucked out of solid jobs with growth because I can't use a company vehicle. So I'm working on that and I'd love to go back to school, Junior College sadly but you take what you can and transfer out. That's the plan at least, maybe get into pharmacology or something medically related that won't take more than 4 years to have a career. Also I'm hoping but not putting all my eggs in a basket that my Music may take off. —rAnCIDsICk@!!! |
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plurryho |
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Monday, June 5, 2006 at 1:49 AM
Edited Monday, June 5, 2006 at 2:23 AM Essentially I'm in charge of the whole hotel at night. for your next gig, you should be the overnight guy at the local nuclear powerplant.
you're the guy i want in charge in case of a meltdown. oh yeah.
he's stoned, passed out, and snoring.
his pants are undone with his flaccid dork still in hand.
several wadded up kleenex tissues lay scattered across the floor.
a bit of rasberry filling from a donut has congealed on his chin.
empty beer cans litter the area. one has tipped over and spilled on the consol.
alarms start going off. lights are flashing.
ah, but he's not worried. he stirs a little as if coming to from a troublesome dream.
but nah, he doesn't wake up and resumes snoring.
our dear rancidsick is cool under pressure. —plurryho |
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rAnCIDsICk@!!! |
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Monday, June 5, 2006 at 1:59 AM
Edited Monday, June 5, 2006 at 2:00 AM Fo Realz! I forgot to mention how all night I deal with all the hookers and hoes.
Jakes and pro's. Meth addicts, crack heads, dead heads, thugs and theives. Also in that pic of me working at the nuke plant, your forgot about the part
where my penis is partially sticking out and deflated with a soiled kleenex and the dirty mags on the console. 
—rAnCIDsICk@!!! |
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Had To Get It On |
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Monday, June 5, 2006 at 4:30 AM C# was the most useless thing I learned in college. The Computer Science classes in my school used mostly Java and for more advanced classes, C++. I thought it those were good choices.
Not going to college doesn't make you a bad person and certainly doesn't imply that you're less skilled or intelligent than someone who has but it really does serve a purpose far greater than I think you realize, GIO.
I'm not saying college isn't important. It's critically important for our society. What I'm saying is there are more people in college than there need to be. These students, they aren't taking advantage of these things you say college has to offer. Most people I come across are only there to get a diploma, not an education or feel the "experience". And those are two different things. I would roughly estimate that less than 1 in 3 people I've met enrolled as undergraduates are actually using their time wisely. Of course very few people would admit to this. Luckily they don't have to. You simply have to look at their dedication, the hours they put into the classwork and the focus they have in their studies.
Then you have the socializing aspect. What essentially happens is people faction off: slackers, hard workers, artists, engineers, rich and poor; people stick to these groups that fit them best. Sort of like in the real world, successful people get together with successful people and the lame huddle up to try and hang on.
The BA says you have achieved a nominal and pedestrian feat. It says you are patient and willing to invest in whatever is necessary to integrate yourself into society. —Had To Get It On |
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ProfessorCarbuncle |
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Monday, June 5, 2006 at 5:59 AM
Edited Monday, June 5, 2006 at 6:01 AM I'm not saying college isn't important. It's critically important for our society. What I'm saying is there are more people in college than there need to be. These students, they aren't taking advantage of these things you say college has to offer. Most people I come across are only there to get a diploma, not an education or feel the "experience". And those are two different things. I would roughly estimate that less than 1 in 3 people I've met enrolled as undergraduates are actually using their time wisely. I would still contend that these people will make better thinkers, and be more open minded in the long run. Being in an environment where critical/analytical thinking takes place is good for one's brain and character, even if they're only 1/2 interested in learning. The bigger point of college isn't so much to endow you with knowledge of history or lit or science, it's to arm you with an intelligent approach to solve problems in life or work. If you watched the Apprentice season where the college grads were pitted against the non-college grads, you may have noticed that the college grads more frequently solved conflict with dialogue, whereas the non-college group more quickly descended to dismissal and personal sniping. (This isn't a clean case study, duh, but does a good job of underlining the importance of being in an environment of higher learning for a few years). ...my points are based on the assumption that the student will attend a legit college, not a slacker school/ JC. —ProfessorCarbuncle |
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Had To Get It On |
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Monday, June 5, 2006 at 6:23 AM And my observations were made during my time at a high ranked 4 year private university. Again, not a clean case study but certainly a much larger population than a game show. —Had To Get It On |
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Full Meat |
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Monday, June 5, 2006 at 6:57 AM As an employer, I've come to require a degree from a 4-year university for all applicants for the following reasons, which I've learned the hard way:
- 99% of people without a college degree are in that situation because they couldn't get it together to get one. This speaks loudly about their life trajectory and how much "hustle" they have. I don't accept poverty as an excuse because there are so many ways to borrow/fund your way through college.
I agree that it's not so much the content of what you learn in college, but the process is like a "boot camp" for joining the work force. It provides a structure where you learn to manage your time, overcome difficult academic challenges, and provides consequences for making mistakes (ie. failing exams and classes).
Of course, there is the rare exception to the above, but in general, I consider a university degree to be a very reasonable minimum standard to be employable where I work. —Full Meat |
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Full Meat |
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Monday, June 5, 2006 at 7:18 AM C# was the most useless thing I learned in college. It may be useless to you personally, but if you search monster.com for jobs with "C#", it's clear that the IT industry believes that it is perhaps the most practical thing you learned in college. Note: I was a Java/*nix guy for five years, so this is not pro-MS orthodoxy; let's not get into that here. —Full Meat |
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Had To Get It On |
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Monday, June 5, 2006 at 7:58 AM 99% of people without a college degree are in that situation because they couldn't get it together to get one. This is a ridiculous, unfair and unverifiable statement.
I wouldn't object to you making a college a requirement for your employees. You've find something that works for your company, so by all means.
You can go through college without working hard. Unless I experienced a unique situation I'd have to say many people do just that. They usually wind up not being successful. These people can simply skip college and save their money and slide into go nowhere jobs they should have started at in the first place.
—Had To Get It On |
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Had To Get It On |
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Monday, June 5, 2006 at 8:01 AM It may be useless to you personally, but if you search monster.com for jobs with "C#", it's clear that the IT industry believes that it is perhaps the most practical thing you learned in college. I definitely don't think it's useless. But at the same time I don't see a place for it in the core undergraduate curriculum. —Had To Get It On |
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ProfessorCarbuncle |
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Monday, June 5, 2006 at 8:15 AM You can go through college without working hard. I disagree. If you go to a reputable school and get a 4-year degree, you should have been worked pretty hard. If you didn't work hard, you probably didn't go to a good school. No one breezes through Stanford or Penn. My point about The Apprentice comparison-- I didn't mean to use that game show as -evidence- evidence to prove my point, the comparison was meant to illustrate what I was saying using common point of reference. I know the show isn't a true crossection of the working public. But, Had to Get it On, I do agree with you insofar as many college students are enrolled because it was expected of them by their parents. If the decision were based on pure ambition/motivation on the part of the student, there would be far fewer slackers in college. —ProfessorCarbuncle |
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catloaf |
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Monday, June 5, 2006 at 9:12 AM I'm an engraver and run a hand-fed engraving press. I make graduation announcements and diplomas for high schools, colleges and military academies. It's boring and repetitive, which works for me--I enjoy all the time I get to spend up in my head--and I have summers off. —catloaf |
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Had To Get It On |
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Monday, June 5, 2006 at 9:19 AM No one breezes through Stanford or Penn. I disagree. Do you know every Stanford or Penn student? Going by what I've seen, a good number of my friends and I weren't challenged very well. And I'm talking about a competitive engineering program. Not Ivy league, not JC or a provincial school. Nothing special.
As an example, the "I don't want to know anything more that what is required for the exam" is pervasive. And I've seen that translate into the workplace. You try to explain something to someone and they are resistant to new information. I talking about normal college graduates from respected 4 year universities. —Had To Get It On |
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anobody |
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Monday, June 5, 2006 at 9:38 AM I'm a Night Auditor at the Fairfield Inn by Marriott. Is that right by Arizona Center? That's where I usually go for movies because it's less crowded and right off the 10. Most people I come across are only there to get a diploma, not an education or feel the "experience". That's a shame and I suspect that at least a few of them might someday regret missing out (if they even realize that they have). Still, much of what you get isn't something you can choose to do - it just kinda happens unless you go to great lengths to insulate yourself from it. You simply have to look at their dedication, the hours they put into the classwork and the focus they have in their studies. As an undergrad, I put very little time and effort into my classes outside of attending. I did see quite a few people who didn't even attend in the lower level courses (parents paying for school; they don't really care so why go). All but the most exceptional of them washed out and didn't make it past the first year. What essentially happens is people faction off Yes and no. That's actually part of the beauty of general studies courses. Most people, regardless of their major, take them so you're exposed to a lot of different people going into a lot of different fields. Now, if you're a self-imposed social exile, like I was much of my undergrad life, you can manage to avoid interacting with them much but even I ended up hanging out with people who were in majors ranging from art to business to philosophy, in addition to my own specialities. The BA says you have achieved a nominal and pedestrian feat. It says you are patient and willing to invest in whatever is necessary to integrate yourself into society. I agree but ask you this - if it is so nominal and pedestrian, why don't you do it yourself? You hate your job so much anyway - why not suck it up for a few years and get a bachelors? Hell - I'll even help you out with the application process and getting set up with financial aid (and your chances of dying will be slightly less than if you join the marines). And my observations were made during my time at a high ranked 4 year private university. Again, not a clean case study but certainly a much larger population than a game show. Well, never mind then. It may be useless to you personally, but if you search monster.com for jobs with "C#", it's clear that the IT industry believes that it is perhaps the most practical thing you learned in college. Not only that but it's a C-family language. Once you know C#, you can learn C/C++/Java/Perl/Python pretty easily. It's more of a jump to go to something like Ruby or Objective C / Smalltalk but not that much. Hell - you can even run it on a Mac or Linux box if you get Mono I definitely don't think it's useless. But at the same time I don't see a place for it in the core undergraduate curriculum. Look at it this way - if you're taking computer science (which I'm getting the feeling you might have been) you need to learn at least one programming language. When I did it as an undergrad, C was popular and Java was just taking foot so we did the core stuff in C/C++. A few years later, Java was popular so colleges started teaching in Java. More recently, C#'s become popular (and M$ has pushed it on universities) so they're teaching that. After you learn a few languages you realize that, barring syntactic sugar and a bit of grammar, a language is a language is a language. It's pretty easy to hop around within a single language family so it really doesn't matter which one you learned. It's not even that difficult to hop from one family to another (especially if you've had some exposure to more than one). I do agree with you insofar as many college students are enrolled because it was expected of them by their parents. Touched on it in the grand bolus above but I don't expect anyone to bother reading it so... sad but true. I saw so many people in undergrad courses (especially chemistry for some reason) whose parents were paying their tuition but they didn't go and washed out or just barely scraped by. That pissed me off to an extent that I can't even begin to articulate. —anobody |
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ProfessorCarbuncle |
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Monday, June 5, 2006 at 2:02 PM I disagree. Do you know every Stanford or Penn student? Going by what I've seen, a good number of my friends and I weren't challenged very well. And I'm talking about a competitive engineering program. Well, maybe you're a genius. I also went to a reputable school, not ivy league but still good, and Everyone who wanted to pass an exam studied for it pretty hard. Sleep deprivation was a way of life, and those who slacked wound up retaking courses and getting low GPAs, albiet a diploma eventually. You simply can't do well at a good school if you don't put some effort into it. I'm talking about stuff you need to read and re-read the text + your notes for. If you don't study=you don't squeak by. And if your friends breezed by without studying at a reputable school, perhaps it has an unfounded reputation. ps- athletes on scholarship are exempt from my above argument —ProfessorCarbuncle |
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Had To Get It On |
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Monday, June 5, 2006 at 2:57 PM
Edited Monday, June 5, 2006 at 2:59 PM Well, maybe you're a genius. I didn't say they didn't study. I said they weren't challenged.
I could go back to school and get good grades but I still wont make a living as a talented engineer. I've worked around those types of people and I can tell the difference between a talented engineer and simply a good student.
Of course, having a degree would increase my chances. But does it increase them to an extent that I deem acceptable? Negative. Even though that's just me, I'm no genius and nothing special so maybe some others like me shouldn't even be wasting their time either.
It's no secret that schools, especially engineering and computer science departments, accept more people than they intend on keeping. The retention rate in my department was terrible. There simply isn't enough room in the upper level courses for all the incoming freshmen. Even if you are one of the smaller percentage that graduate, the industry only has a limited number of spots for a smaller set of those graduates. Sure, you can try to blaze your own trail, start your business or yadda yadda yadda. But at some point you just have ascertain where you stand and cut your loses. A few years later, Java was popular so colleges started teaching in Java. More recently, C#'s become popular (and M$ has pushed it on universities) so they're teaching that. I'm talking about the programming classes that everyone has to take. There are elective classes where they go into different technologies. I think most departments have a 'choose your own language' or 'write your own language' kind of course anyway. So it's not as if you won't get the opportunity to use C#. I think the idea should be not to exclude anything and use the most neutral technologies for the required courses. —Had To Get It On |
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lastmanstanding |
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Monday, June 5, 2006 at 3:04 PM
Edited Monday, June 5, 2006 at 3:06 PM I'd hate to hear your opinions of a high school diploma. I was the man of the hour among the mexican immigrants I used to work with when I got it. I didn't think it was that big a deal myself. I'm proud of the work I've done in college though. I've seen slackers go through, but in the end, they've all paid their dues and deserved it. edit: Maybe C# was just useless for me then. My degree is in history after all... —lastmanstanding |
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adams_babymomma |
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Monday, June 5, 2006 at 3:32 PM I have a year of school left and a semester of student teaching; I'll probably get a long-term subbing job after that, followed by a permanent position as a highschool Spanish teacher. —chix0r Don't have sex with your students. —adams_babymomma |
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DogBite |
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Monday, June 5, 2006 at 3:43 PM Currently unemployed. Seeking a job in education...taking the CBEST in a couple of weeks. I need health insurance fast so I am thinking of applying for a Special Ed. teacher/assistant. You can find those jobs anywhere. I know it takes a special kind of person, but I am kind of in a pinch right now. The BIG goal is to become an university-level Japanese teacher, with a stint as a high-school Japanese teacher on the way up. I have been chastising my father lately for not forcing me to go to trade school when I was younger. —DogBite |
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plurryho |
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Monday, June 5, 2006 at 4:51 PM
Edited Monday, June 5, 2006 at 4:51 PM Don't have sex with your students. there isn't an existing unit of measure to quantify how much more class she has than you, sweetie. go give that paris hilton track another listen. —plurryho |
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greymatters |
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Monday, June 5, 2006 at 5:16 PM there isn't an existing unit of measure to quantify how much more class she has than you, sweetie. go give that paris hilton track another listen. Take it back, asshole.
chix0r, if there's a really hot guy in your class, you go have sex with him. Don't let others, or the law, dictate how or when you have sex, you go do your thing.
—greymatters |
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plurryho |
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Monday, June 5, 2006 at 6:09 PM i'm not taking that one back grey.
ABM was unnecessarily being a cunty cunt. what's more...
if i abuse, it means deep down i care. —plurryho |
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greymatters |
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Monday, June 5, 2006 at 6:18 PM Take it back, asshole. All ABM was doing was giving chix0r some sound career advise and you took it upon yourself to attack her for it. Don't mess with me, I'm drinking an ice coffee with 11 packets of Splenda in it, I'll fuck you up. —greymatters |
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Beat It! |
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Monday, June 5, 2006 at 6:32 PM Damn it, Grey, you're going to fuck it all up. This is clearly all part of plurryho's elaborate plan. ...if he's hot, i dont mind the abuse - ABM —Beat It! | < |
