|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you are a student, or have graduated, what was your major, where do/did you attend, and did it lead you into a particular job based on that degree/specialization?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Sep 28, 2010 - 10:09 AM
|
|
|
By: |
DeputyRiley
(Member)
|
If you are a student, or have graduated, what was your major, where do/did you attend, and did it lead you into a particular job based on that degree/specialization? I graduated from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC with a bachelor's in Sociology. I also attended the University of North Carolina at Wilmington for a few years studying psychology. I briefly attended a community college in Raleigh, NC to acquire my Nurse Aide I certification. I am now returning to school to get my associate's in Medical Diagnostic Sonography. So far, all of my education has done nothing for me. Intensely frustrating, but I should have known early on that a degree by itself will not necessarily open any doors for you, you have to have a strategy. Even though I graduated from a university, the degree is useless unless I return to grad school, and I never learned any marketable "skill." I strongly urge college students to not focus on simply graduating, thinking that it will open all kinds of doors for them. You must either be learning a skill that is in demand or have a plan for further education after graduation. I am 31 years old and my education is completely unable to serve me, except as a personal accomplishment and evidence that I can commit to and complete a complex and massive project (i.e. school). I'm finally returning to acquire a skill that will pay well and allow me to build a career.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Sep 28, 2010 - 10:26 AM
|
|
|
By: |
Thor
(Member)
|
We don't really call them 'colleges' over here. In terms of higher education, we either have universities or 'høyskoler' (literally translated as 'high school', but closer to your kind of 'college'). I graduated from the University of Oslo in 2004, with a socalled 'hovedfag' (literally translated as 'main subject', but lying somewhere between your Master's degree and Ph.D.) in media studies, the degree being called Cand. Philol. (Candidatus Philologiæ). My courses included Media Criticism, Film History, Music & Media, Alternative Film Dramaturgy & Narrative theory. My main thesis was on - obviously - film music. I also have degrees in Theatre Studies, English and Philosophy. From 2005-2007, I worked as assistant professor in media studies at the same institute. I still have guest lectures there (like one on "Bollywood and Indian film" tomorrow). Yeah, I know...it gets kinda complex when different countries have different educational systems.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Sep 28, 2010 - 11:01 AM
|
|
|
By: |
mastadge
(Member)
|
BA in English, Hartwick College, Oneonta, NY, 2005 MSEd in Teaching, Learning and Curriculum, University of Pennsylvania GSE, Philadelphia, PA, 2010 And no, neither of them have led to jobs in their respective fields.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Sep 28, 2010 - 12:55 PM
|
|
|
By: |
BasilFSM
(Member)
|
I'm currently in business college right now, taking a 1-year accounting course. I was in a different college the year prior, originally intending on taking a 2-year Computer Systems Technology program, but, long story short, it didn't work out. The first semester of year 1 was alright, since I had a bit of computer science knowledge coming out of high school, but nearly all of second year was based around Java programming - which I really couldn't understand how to work with once it went beyond the basics and got into Objects and onward. Semester 2 (January to April) of year 1 was really difficult for me because of this, and I ended up having to drop the programming class for that semester. Not to mention the first Networking class in the course is literally ALL memorization and theory - NONE of it is hands-on whatsoever. It wasn't just me having issues either - half of the entire class dropped out of the program by the time year 1 ended, myself included. The only thing I miss about that college was the cafeteria, but aside from that, I don't want to go back there. Prior to THAT was my Grade 12 high school (graduated in June 2009... the ceremony was on the same day that Michael Jackson died), which I guess I don't need to get into. But my current college right now is FAR better, at just about everything. The place looks, operates and feels a lot more like an office environment rather than a school - and it's a very small building, taking up maybe half a block in the middle of downtown. We get ample time to review course content before exams this week (pretty much what today and yesterday were, really), and then Wednesday and Thursday is exams only (no classes)... and we also get Friday off. I like that structure better than the more intensive college I was at previously. Man, do I ramble.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hey, why don't any of you college grads have anything to say about that "whom" in the subject line? I don't have a degree, but it's driving me nuts!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Sep 28, 2010 - 1:40 PM
|
|
|
By: |
Ron Pulliam
(Member)
|
We don't really call them 'colleges' over here. In terms of higher education, we either have universities or 'høyskoler' (literally translated as 'high school', but closer to your kind of 'college'). The use of the term "college" here in the US is a broad one generally meaning a university, but it also covers small colleges or the colleges within a university as well. Generally you ask someone what college they are attending and they'll usually answer The University of X or X University. It would be rare to hear someone ask what "university" someone is attending. Ah, I see. So you use 'college' as an umbrella term for all higher education (i.e. post the basic school education, from about age 18 and upwards)? Do you also use the term for those who go BEYOND a bachelor's degree, like Masters or Ph.D.? I believe the difference between a "college" and a "university" in the U.S. has more to do with the size of the student body, and/or is linked to the programs the institutions offer. All colleges offer bachelor's degrees in the various disciplines -- Science, Language, Arts, etc. Universities, however, also offer advanced degrees, including Masters and Doctorates. In my day, colleges did not offer those advanced degrees. You'd go off to a university for higher studies. I don't know if any colleges in the U.S. offer anything more than the bachelor's degrees (or associates -- 2-year -- degrees). Colleges are often preferred by students (or their parents) wanting (or needing) smaller class sizes and more intimate surroundings. Universities in the U.S. can be quite overwhelming, especially if you're not used to a fast-paced environment. Colleges are more personalized whereas universities are quite impersonal. I know from my Masterpiece Theater that English Universities frequently refer to the "colleges" within those universities. Someone saying he went to Oxford would, subsequently, be pressed to say what his college "at Oxford university" was.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Sep 28, 2010 - 1:45 PM
|
|
|
By: |
Ron Pulliam
(Member)
|
Hey, why don't any of you college grads have anything to say about that "whom" in the subject line? I don't have a degree, but it's driving me nuts! Because we didn't wish to be impolite. Three “easy-to-use” rules so you'll always get it correct Rule #1: Substitute “he/him” or “she/her”: If it's either “he” or “she,” then it's “who;” if it's “him” or “her,” then it's “whom.” Rule #2: Every verb with a tense in a sentence must have a subject. And that word is always in the nominative case, so it's “who.” For example: In this sentence, “I decided to vote for whoever called me first”: • “I” is the subject of “decided” • “he” (whoever) is the subject of the verb “called.” In the sentence, “Give it to whoever deserves it”[You] give it to whoever deserves it.) • “he” (whoever) is the subject of the verb “deserves.” This rule supersedes the first rule as it relates to “who” and “whom.” Note: Related to this rule is one that says: The subject of a phrase is always attached to that phrase — no matter what. For example: Ask whoever reads that book to answer the question. Break down the sentence thusly: (You) ask him (he reads that book) to answer the question. In the phrase “he reads that book,” you cannot separate the subject “he” from the phrase to which it is attached. If you remember these two rules — substitute “he/him” or “she/her,” and that every verb with a tense must have a subject — you should solve the “who/whom” quandary every time. If you apply those two rules and you're still not sure, apply the all-important Rule #3. Rule #3: Give it a sincere and honest effort to determine if it's “who” or “whom.” If it takes more than a 30 seconds to figure it out, pick the one that sounds best to the ear (read it aloud) and move on. Why? Because even grammarians are likely to squabble over which to use. But always — always — apply rules #1 and #2 before using Rule #3.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Sep 28, 2010 - 2:35 PM
|
|
|
By: |
Thor
(Member)
|
I believe the difference between a "college" and a "university" in the U.S. has more to do with the size of the student body, and/or is linked to the programs the institutions offer. All colleges offer bachelor's degrees in the various disciplines -- Science, Language, Arts, etc. Universities, however, also offer advanced degrees, including Masters and Doctorates. In my day, colleges did not offer those advanced degrees. You'd go off to a university for higher studies. I don't know if any colleges in the U.S. offer anything more than the bachelor's degrees (or associates -- 2-year -- degrees). Colleges are often preferred by students (or their parents) wanting (or needing) smaller class sizes and more intimate surroundings. Universities in the U.S. can be quite overwhelming, especially if you're not used to a fast-paced environment. Colleges are more personalized whereas universities are quite impersonal. I know from my Masterpiece Theater that English Universities frequently refer to the "colleges" within those universities. Someone saying he went to Oxford would, subsequently, be pressed to say what his college "at Oxford university" was. Yeah, what you describe is much like our 'høyskole', then, which usually offers the equivalent of bachelor degrees and that's it. Well, they do have something called master's too, but it is not as comprehensive as the university equivalent. People usually go to høyskoler for something like 3 years, while a master's degree at a university is stipulated to 6, if memory serves. Also, we only have, like, 6-7 universities in the whole of Norway, but a myriad of høyskoler/colleges.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|