fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2987 ]

[ SECRET POST #2987 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2987 ⌋

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I'm in a humanities phD program knowing the job market is shit because I'm fully funded. It costs me nothing to do this and they actually pay me to TA. This is a rare gig, and the only reason I felt comfortable staying.

Do you want to do something with an English MA that actually requires an English MA? Or is this a vanity project? Because if you want to make this your career and--most importantly--actually have the chops to do it, more power to you. But otherwise, please focus on getting a job. It doesn't have to be law--that can be hell if you don't like it, and the law market isn't good either--but you will be so much happier knowing you don't have to worry about rent and food.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO GO TO GRAD SCHOOL TO READ BOOKS.

This reply is tragic and makes me despair for the future of the world. I used to think it was only like that in America, but it seems to have infected everywhere.

I hope that at least two or three generations down the road kids won't be told "go to college, that will totally get you a high paying career and you'll be set for life! :D" like these past gens were

oh and that college gets cheaper

what the hell, america, your public uni schools cost more than our private ones

so 10000 graduates fighting for 50 positions and tons of debt. yay!

Uh

Look even if you're in a country where education debt isn't a big deal, getting a vanity MA is still silly. Don't get an MA unless you think you'll actually use it.

Wow.

What about education for the sake of education?

Calling it "vanity" to do an MA you are passionately interested in is extremely fucked up.

>What about education for the sake of education?

A lot of the people who do it aren't actually passionate about the subject. They're passionate about looking passionate.

Look, I LOVE education for the sake of education. Love love love it. An English MA is a big investment of time that might be best spent elsewhere UNLESS there's something concrete you want to do with it. Do you want to teach English? Get into editing or publishing? Then an English MA is a great idea! Make sure you pick a good program. Are you a good writer? Go ahead and get that MFA. Do you just really like reading? Then just keep reading.

All this goes out the window if you want to do a part-time program while also getting your real life started, that's always cool.

This. OP, I'm an English major and while I enjoyed it, it's not necessarily the path to viable employment. Do some research, get a practical job you can support yourself with and then use your spare time to do whatever makes you happy.

Where on earth are you that that's a "taste gig?" That's pretty typical. I don't think I know a single person who paid for grad school. The whole "work as a TA, get to go free and make a little money, too" thing is standard, to the point that when I was first putting my applications together and I mentioned cost to my advisor, he laughed and said, "no one pays for grad school."

I don't think I know a single person who paid for grad school.

I don't know where you live, but that's rare for MAs here in Upstate NY. My cousin paid for her MA in English that she's never going to use. Maybe you only knew PhD students? But that's not necessarily always the case either. I was lucky to get into a program that fully funds all its students. A lot of programs don't.

I knew a woman who was actually fucking paying for her phD in philosophy. Yes, that's stupid. She's a fucking moron for various reasons.

Edited 2015-03-10 17:02 (UTC)

NAYRT -- Your friend should have gone to a SUNY. Multiple SUNYs have nationally ranked English programs and most of them offer paid graduate assistantships. Union jobs, no less.

That's where she went, SUNY.

Maybe she didn't take the opportunity to get a grad assistantship, but I know not everyone can get one.

Look: I just don't want people reading this thread to think an MA is a really good way to delay going out and getting a job. I know people make it work--me being one of them--but I also meet a lot of people who aren't.

You're right. It's not an automatic "get out of the real world free" card, unless you're bankrolled and looking to be a professional grad student. Sometimes, though, it's a viable option even without a serious post-graduation plan in mind. Look at it this way -- if you're unsure or lukewarm about your post-Bachelor's career, and you're not going to bankrupt yourself by going to grad school, it is a decent way to 1) defer your student loans for a couple of years, 2) get some focus regarding what you actually want to do with those degrees, and 3) automatically increase your starting salary by about 10K. Plus, it looks better on your resume than spending the same amount of time job-hopping or working at Wendy's.

That said, I think the best thing that anyone considering grad school could do would be to spend some time talking to second (or more) year grad students in a program that they're interested in. If that doesn't scare 'em straight, then go for it.

Honestly, I disagree with this.

if you're unsure or lukewarm about your post-Bachelor's career, and you're not going to bankrupt yourself by going to grad school

There are a lot of people this doesn't cover. A lot of us WOULD either bankrupt ourselves or add a hell of a lot to our debt pile by going to grad school.

1) defer your student loans for a couple of years

By adding to them, one way or another. Even if you somehow get into a funded masters program, interest accumulates.

2) get some focus regarding what you actually want to do with those degrees,

No, no, no, no! You want to have some kind of focus going in, otherwise you might not be getting what you need out of it to turn it into a career. Grad school can help you find yourself, but you can't go there for that purpose.

) automatically increase your starting salary by about 10K.

Oh holy crap.

Look: there are certain careers where you CAN do that, like education. But odds are if you're doing that you either already have an education degree or are going for an English Education masters. BUT NO, in most professions, a goddamn humanities MA is not going to give you an automatic 10K on your starting salary.* Goddamn. If only. What do you do that this is your outlook? Because I want to work there.

That said, I think the best thing that anyone considering grad school could do would be to spend some time talking to second (or more) year grad students in a program that they're interested in. If that doesn't scare 'em straight, then go for it.

This is an excellent idea.

*I suppose exceptions might be you having the job already, or jobs that flat out require that MA to be seriously considered or have a lot of people getting that MA in the course of working there. But in that case you're getting an MA while working, which is a different scenario.

Edited 2015-03-10 21:56 (UTC)

Yeah. Chardmonster is notorious for trolling a dying community on a social media platform that's basically past it. Whatever their advice is, better do the opposite.

Oh no, is it break again

Her advice was very sensible, though?

Approaching college as "I want this job/a job in this specific branch of industry, I researched it and find I enjoy the every-day activities involved therein, now I need a diploma to get hired into the companie(s) I want/get a higher-paying position because they require I have an MA in so and so" rather than "I'll just study this thing that kind of sounds like I could like and see where things go from there" seems more level-headed.

Edited (typos) 2015-03-10 19:47 (UTC)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ SECRET POST #2987 ]

OK, real talk: do you want a job?

Re: OK, real talk: do you want a job?

Re: OK, real talk: do you want a job?

Re: OK, real talk: do you want a job?

Uh no

Re: Uh no

Re: OK, real talk: do you want a job?

Re: OK, real talk: do you want a job?

Re: OK, real talk: do you want a job?

Re: OK, real talk: do you want a job?

Re: OK, real talk: do you want a job?

Re: OK, real talk: do you want a job?

Re: OK, real talk: do you want a job?

Re: OK, real talk: do you want a job?

Re: OK, real talk: do you want a job?

Re: OK, real talk: do you want a job?