Did you go to university/college? What did you study? Did your degree ever prove useful?

[StevieNixs]

I'll start. Yes I went to university. I studied Law. I hated both the university which was elitist and the subject itself, but, I was already invested in completing it. I decided after the degree that I did not want to practice Law so it was of absolutely no use to me whatsoever. Before things went south, I considered a Master's degree in International Relations or History - but realised the futility of those subjects as well.

My thoughts are that college degrees unless they lead to a tangible and engaging form of employment are a waste of time, lead to debt and probably exert a great deal of pressure and expectation on younger people. I could be wrong.

 

[NearlyIrrelevantCake]

High school education. First person in my family to even graduate high school--Dad got expelled in 8th grade for punching a teacher; Mom dropped out in 10th grade to be a pothead; half-brother did exactly the same as Mom.

 

[TheHatedOne]

Did one year of university and almost a semester of the second year. Was studying foreign languages. I'm dropping out soon because of the abuse I received from the teachers who were simply awful - and because I had huge troubles with my minor and the department itself was a huge chaos with teachers being changed constantly and had the schedule changed in the middle of the semester.

I'll do something else meanwhile. Although, I don't feel like trying university again, at least not where I studied cause it's a place full of corruption and people who think communism views still apply to this day. Very hesitant to even try again in this country, but also overall. University seems like a place of misery but maybe it's just this experience I had.

 

[netrezven]

Learned that i'm good with guns, and when gun is needed, i should just stay miles away instead of playing fearless.

 

[GentleJerk]

In my younger years, for a short time I studied with the largest Circus school in my country. Learned the circus performing arts including Juggling, Tightrope, Stilts, playing with firetoys.

In my adult life I studied Psychotherapy and Counseling, undertook a Double Diploma at a private education institution. The course was an absolute joke. It was a horrible and contemptible institution.

I have never worked in or even begun any sort of career in the field.

All I have to show for it is debt and a deep, intimate knowledge about how bureaucratic and inherently flawed the whole profession of modern therapy is.

The things they place the most importance on when training therapists are 1) operating within the system and how to manage things like paperwork, fees, bookings and references 2) avoiding legal repercussions and 3) how to coax patients into talking through their own issues until they come up with their own solutions.

They let you learn about all the different types of therapy and such people as Carl Jung, but then denounce basically anything that isn't CBT and force you to apply the useless industry standards.

Left a bad taste for sure. Blech!

Went back to juggling.

 

[Bleak]

I only got a 2 year liberal arts degree, and it took me many years. It's kind of shameful because both my parents have masters degrees. My sister was highschool valedictorian but ended up only doing 2 years of college too. I wish I had applied myself more so I could at least have financial security even if my mental health were still bad.

 

[Dr Iron Arc]

Started out in one state university as an Animation/Illustration major in 2012. Turned out I suck at drawing so after two years I took a year off to do nothing. Then I went to the nearest community college to try and start a Business Administration degree. I ended up transferring to a different university in 2018 to finish said Business degree and almost exactly a year ago I graduated with a Bachelor's in Business Administration with a concentration in General Management.

It was all total BS, and that doesn't just stand for a Bachelor's of Science degree. I haven't had a single job since then and I barely remember anything I've learned. I only got the degree because it was easy and to get people to stop bothering me about getting one.

On the plus side, I didn't ever have to pay for tuition with my own money nor did I ever even have to take out a single loan. The neat thing about California is that having divorced parents and living with the poorer one practically guarantees free college if you fill out the right forms. They even gave me additional money to spend on whatever I wanted.

 

[NumbItAll]

I went for about a month after high school before withdrawing due to panic attacks. Then I tried online courses for a while and dropped out because it was pointless and I hate everything. A few years later I finally got a degree using this dumb loophole, but I basically learned nothing and have done nothing with it because everything is pointless and life sucks.

 

[LingeringUnreal]

Did 2 semesters of biology and nailed a 3.5 GPA (surprising considering I'm a HS dropout). Then my dad died and I withdrew and never came back.

 

[Grey-zoner]

I majored in Russian... it was not helpful.

Кажется, что я бездельник вечен.

 

[emmarg]

Majored in math, in my last term of law school now. Useful I guess in the sense that I'm planning to set my sister up money-wise and leave.

 

[Pen>Sword]

I have diploma in Criminology. Took a security job, and I don't enjoy kicking out homeless people. I felt bad for them. I wanted to be a police officer back then. I have bad mental health issue (that's why I'm here!).

I'm a student practical nurse now. Very good job prospect, good pay. I regret it cuz I'm terrible in nursing. If I fail, and I will, I'll die by suicide by SN.

I'm terrible at everything I've ventured in. I'm very slow at learning and lack in critical thinking. I've even been made fun of cuz of that, both instructors and peers.

 

[jimmy7754]

I am so done.

 

[eternalpeace]

I don't want to say what exactly I did, but I pursued a professional degree over 8 years of university. I worked for about ten years, but in that time I had multiple prolonged absences for medical reasons, and I also had a period of unemployment. I did finally have a decent job making decent money, but I hated every minute of it, and ultimately my illness prevented me from doing the job at all. Now I am on disability and still have student loans outstanding. Sometimes I regret all the effort I put in (relentless studying in school, and many all-nighters during my years of working), since I literally have nothing to show for it but debt. On the other hand, I couldn't have known how things would turn out when I went down that road, and at least I put in as much effort as I could, even though it didn't work out. If I had it to do over again, I would still pursue higher education, but I would choose a different field.

 

[KuriGohan&Kamehameha]

Studying a degree about brains only serves to rot mine. thanks for the massive nihilistic blackpill and hemmoraghing of my bank account, principles of neural science xx

 

[Pen>Sword]

Studying a degree about brains only serves to rot mine. thanks for the massive nihilistic blackpill and hemmoraghing of my bank account, principles of neural science xx

Is this psychology or neuroscience?

 

[KuriGohan&Kamehameha]

Is this psychology or neuroscience?

I'm studying Neuroscience. Do not reccomend.

 

[Grey-zoner]

I'm studying Neuroscience. Do not reccomend.

I enjoy reading books about neuroscience, but I guess I should be glad I didn't major in it. Not great job prospects???

 

[StevieNixs]

I'm studying Neuroscience. Do not reccomend.

Why if you do not mind me asking? Sounds interesting. My neighbour has just completed her Master's in Astrophysics. Totally envious of people with sound science and maths abilities.

 

[nolongerhuman]

My degree got me into a paid Master's degree program. Graduate school is a much better environment than undergrad, a lot less stress. This is my personal experience though, I've heard some horror stories about graduate school so if you're going to go make sure you do your research about who you'll be working for when applying to programs. My major is Forensic Biology. I like it but it's definitely not for everyone.

 

[novem]

High school education. First person in my family to even graduate high school--Dad got expelled in 8th grade for punching a teacher; Mom dropped out in 10th grade to be a pothead; half-brother did exactly the same as Mom.

I bet that teacher deserved the punch.

 

[StrangePossum]

Currently I'm studying for a degree in Biology. It's depressing, though, to hear about how bad the job market is for it. To be completely honest, I have very little interest in biology, but I don't know what else I would study... It seems like the only fields that are supposed to be high-paying these days are tech or engineering, but I have very little interest in those either, and they're so much more competitive to get into. The college environment is not my favorite either. There is so much emphasis on networking, on needing to make yourself stand out so you can get a good job. It's depressing...I've never been good at social stuff like that.

 

[come to dust]

I went to one of the world leading universities, but I regret it. It was stressful academically, and I chose to study stupid subjects that had no career progression so it was a waste of time and money too.

The job I got after could have been acquired without a degree.

 

[Ashu]

I went the full distance and got a PhD in Sanskrit, which I had actually already taught myself before I even began my BA. Academia was a completely wrong path for me, and led to a life so unbelievably shitty that nothing that could have happened to me otherwise could possibly have been worse.

 

[jandek]

I went the full distance and got a PhD in Sanskrit, which I had actually already taught myself before I even began my BA. Academia was a completely wrong path for me, and led to a life so unbelievably shitty that nothing that could have happened to me otherwise could possibly have been worse.

I'm in a similar boat, although I'm only in the final stages of my PhD. I feel like I've wasted my life in academia, but I also have little idea how to live outside its weird bubble. Sanskrit is very cool though, and it's impressive you picked it up so early.
I have a BA in English literature and a MA in Medieval Studies. I'm currently finishing a doctorate in Medieval Studies. I don't know if any of these degrees have been "useful." Pursuing them made sense at the time, since I've always been good at languages and literary analysis, but the academic job market is so discouraging I could end up teaching high school. Or I could wander the earth on an endless string of temp positions pursuing the elusive tenure track... I don't feel cut out to be a "modern academic," and I don't think I want to be either.

 

[Al_stargate]

Went to Uni, studied Mining and Geo technology but never finished even first year due to outside factors. Couldn't get an extension so I then signed Economics and after that Public Administration just to be able to have some benefits. Had no interest and again due to outside factors, it wasn't realistic for me to finish anything but a few exams.

 

[wljourney]

First I did a 3 yr practical apprenticeship to be able to work part time and make a half-decent income while going to university and get a business degree.

University was the happiest time of my life. While stressful it was mentally challenging (in a good way). Sociology classes were the most beneficial for me personally.

Uni (in EUR) was fully publicly funded.
No student loans.

The degree is just a ticket to get hired by a company that offers good benefits. Thank g0d for benefits or i'd be homeless now.

Currently I'm studying for a degree in Biology. It's depressing, though, to hear about how bad the job market is for it. To be completely honest, I have very little interest in biology, but I don't know what else I would study... It seems like the only fields that are supposed to be high-paying these days are tech or engineering, but I have very little interest in those either, and they're so much more competitive to get into. The college environment is not my favorite either. There is so much emphasis on networking, on needing to make yourself stand out so you can get a good job. It's depressing...I've never been good at social stuff like that.

I would have thought that the pandemic will lead to a bit of a shift in research and especially biologists should have an easier time going forward.
Lab work in healthcare?

 

[OctoberDusk]

I have a Master's in English Literature, which I've used to work as an analyst and editor. I was originally a pre-med major, as my family thought becoming a doctor had to be the reason I needed all those surgeries throughout childhood. Then I eternally disappointed everyone and switched to music. Ran out of money, worked, then took night and early morning classes to finish my BA, but in English. I accepted an assistantship for my MA but stopped there as I didn't have the finances for a PhD. Then off to the cubicles.

 

[saninh.suk]

My thoughts are that college degrees unless they lead to a tangible and engaging form of employment are a waste of time, lead to debt and probably exert a great deal of pressure and expectation on younger people. I could be wrong.

1- we're 3 law degrees here already! The 5th one gains one more day of living.

2- fully agreed about the uselessness of college nowadays. The newer works on technology area doesn't need degrees and the amount of time and money are better (and no student debt later). It seems to me college is just a failed institution nowadays, directed mostly to boomers and their offspring (and for formal jobs, surely). I don't see a reason to stick to 4/5 years of your life into one subject and lost 3/4 of this time with bullshit and grades.

I majored in Russian... it was not helpful.

You'll think i'm a douche.
But that was unintentionally funny...

My degree got me into a paid Master's degree program. Graduate school is a much better environment than undergrad, a lot less stress. This is my personal experience though, I've heard some horror stories about graduate school so if you're going to go make sure you do your research about who you'll be working for when applying to programs. My major is Forensic Biology. I like it but it's definitely not for everyone.

I'm itching to know the stories and i'll bet im not the only one

 

[NobodyKnowsMe]

I've always been the typical over-achiever. School was something that I was good at and so I could get some positive attention that way. It was also a wonderful way for me to focus on something other than the bad stuff going on at home. Therefore, after graduating high school, I went to an accelerated tech school, going year round, and thus had a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science in 2.5 years -- and graduated Valedictorian with a 4.0 GPA. I actually did use the degree and I am still working in the computer industry. Throughout the decades, my work was always the one thing that I was able to get some joy from and the one thing that I felt confidence in. It worked really well for covering up the broken social part of me.