Contemporary wisdom over the past several decades seems to have been that you go to college to get a job. I went in the 1970’s when the prevailing attitude was that you go to college to get a life and then a job. Education served the dual role of educating you as a person and qualifying you for an occupation.
At first I went to college classes at night. I was a high school dropout and wanted to follow my own path. Also, it was course by course to start with, which fit my budget. I took courses in world literature and political science to start. Gradually, my hunger for education evolved, and I began taking educational loans to attend closer to full-time. The turning point came when Boston University acknowledged that after three semesters on the Dean’s List, I was degree candidate material in the night college I was enrolled in – BU’s Metropolitan College.
I had yet to declare a major, but after I took an entry-level course in anthropology, I was hooked. After a few courses, I discovered that the upper-level courses were given in the day, and only to students matriculated in other colleges of the university. I began plotting how I could alter my work life to allow a shift in schedule, find the funding for full-time student status, and gain admission to the College of Liberal Arts. In my favor was the almost unbroken line of Dean’s List appearances and recommendations. Against me was my status as a high school dropout. In a final interview, the school agreed to admit me to full-time status days on the condition that I receive a General Education Diploma prior to graduation.
What did I study beyond Anthropology? Computer Science, Geography, Language, Biology, History, and other subjects. Boston University had an old-school approach to encouraging students to be well-rounded by the time they graduated. Although I expected to research and teach anthropology, I soon learned that the background in other areas proved invaluable. Life was a part-time job ( thirty hours a week), a continual search for funding, study, and the ongoing fear of being ejected from this wonderland of education due to a shortfall in funds.
After leaving graduate school without my doctorate (master’s degree only). I found myself back in the operating room working as a surgical technician again, a job I had had before going to college. Almost all practical skills are useful at one time or another!
Eventually, I did literally create my own career as a practicing anthropologist within an urban library system. They had a large federal grant to do what we’d now call DEI programming ( we called it multicultural programming) in one of their “ethnic” neighborhoods. The catch was I had to run the entire operation- branch library, regular programs, community outreach, collection development, and other stuff. I was selected because of my anthropological background, but I succeeded because I had a wide educational background that enabled me to do all the other duties as well.
Even the computer science classes helped, as I developed statistical programs to order the research data I collected. Geography? Absolutely. I analyzed the social history of the neighborhood with regard to the geographic distributions of the different groups’ residence patterns. All those literature courses? Hey! I had a branch library to run, purchase material for, and develop collections.
After seven and a half years of this, I went on to work for the Smithsonian and the Department of the Interior in similar roles. After the great Reinvention of Goverment, under Billy Bob Clinton, I developed two small businesses – a marine woodcarving one, and one as a videographer.
The point of all this is that my education, as broad as it was, enabled me to adapt and prosper in many jobs, not just one specialized area. I always had at least one relevant skill to draw on.
Was I turned down for jobs that required tighter qualifications? Yes, but in general I did well with all the wide education and training.
A good investment and purchase? absolutely!
Oh, by the way…I never did finish my high school diploma. And years after I finished grad school and had years of professional experience running programs and organizations, a not-for-profit in Boston refused to hire me because I did not have the educational qualifications. Go figure! Oh, the humanity of it!
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Yes, rules often override common sense. Just for interest sake you could have written the GED exam. I wrote one in 2002 and found that what we had to know by Grade Ten in the 60s would easily pass it. I had to laugh when they handed me my official certificate. The printer had spelled “Congratulations” wrong. 😀
That’s a good one – spelled congratulations wrong!
I used to find that, too, in later years. Computing roles nowadays tend to want a degree in computer science, so we kinda rejected each other because I only offer 30 years experience instead.
Stupid credentialism always rears its head!
I had to argue on behalf of liberal arts classes all the time when I was teaching Business Communication at San Diego State. My argument was, “Well, Sweet Cheeks, when you’re a CEO and you’re sitting by the wife of a possible client, WHAT are you going to talk about when you learn she procures paintings for an art museum? Think about THAT!”
BUT…I take issue with this, “master’s degree only” “ONLY?” I don’t think there’s any “only” to it unless your major is in a highly technical field that demands advanced study. Seriously, I don’t. I was in the middle of the GRE heading to a PhD program at UCSD. The test was absurdly stupid. The Proctor cynical. “Why are you all doing this? You’ll be equally unemployable with a PhD.” Until 2021, the GRE offered one specifically for literature majors. After a while, taking this test on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, I really hit the “fuck this shit, man, I’m getting out of here” wall, turn in my paper 2/3s finished. I scored 85% and UCSD was ready to admit me. Seriously. What BS. So no “only” for the MA in many disciplines.
You are right, it’s not just a master’s. In fact, it does include all the coursework for the Phud, the comprehensive exams, and the oral. Technically, I’m ABD -all but dissertation,
My master’s thesis qualified in research, quality and length as a dissertation BUT I’d been thrown out of the program and “allowed” to write my thesis and get my MA since I’d done all the coursework. Academia is a club.
You are right; it is a club. They think it’s an exclusive club, but as Groucho Marx said, ” I wouldn’t want to be a member of any club that would have me as a member.”
A few years after I left, I heard they were pissed that I was an adjunct prof at a private college. I was teaching nursing students, and the college wanted someone who not only was an anthropologist teaching the survey course, but also someone with a medical background. I had the anthropology background, but also, with the years of Operating Room, emergency room coverage, and working on orthopedic floors, I had a foot in the medical too. They wanted me to make the anthro relevant to what the nursing students in the Bachelor’s degree in Nursing program could apply. I loved teaching the nursing students!
I understand — and I disagree with Groucho. I want to be in a club that would have me as a member I just haven’t found one! 🤣 I taught Business Communication for 15 years at the university level because I had experience in bidness. A lot of it. My evil boss who was hellbent to legitimize bidness as an academic discipline didn’t like me but the students did and I did good work. I tend to rub some people very much the wrong way and I don’t know how I do it. 😀
Gee! I rub people the wrong way too sometimes, and like you, I have no clue why.
It’s just weird and they tell me, too. I’m like, “Huh?” but there are plenty of people I DON’T rub the wrong way. Keeps small bidders out, I guess.
Going through all of that and then being ejected without anything to show would have been a huge blow to the ego Lou.
Thanks for joining in RDP 😀
Very interesting, your reach exceeded your grasp. I like that phrase thanks for sharing it 🙂