[ SECRET POST #2074 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2074 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.


__________________________________________________



02.


__________________________________________________



03.


__________________________________________________



04.


__________________________________________________



05.


__________________________________________________



06.


__________________________________________________



07.


__________________________________________________



08.


__________________________________________________



09.


__________________________________________________



10.


__________________________________________________



11.


__________________________________________________



12.


__________________________________________________



13.


__________________________________________________



14.


__________________________________________________



15.
[Sam Winchester, Young Hercules]


__________________________________________________



16.
[La Pucelle: Tactics]


__________________________________________________














Notes:

Important: I'm really sorry about this, but I accidentally misclicked and deleted the submission post from last week instead of saving it. Managed to save the first page (25) of secrets, but the rest (about 100 or so) are gone.

If you submitted something last week (Aug 26-Sept 1), please resubmit it here.

The submissions post for next week is below as usual.

Secrets Left to Post: ?? pages, ??? secrets from Secret Submission Post #296.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

So I'm doing a Masters next year, but I'm kind of scared to? Everyone is all "what do you plan to do with it?" and I'm, well, I don't know. I just think it would be awesome to work in the area, but I don't have a specific job in mind.

Is this normal? I kind of resent how I'm just expected to know EXACTLY what job I want to do in 2-3 years time when I graduate. Why is it so bad to go "animal genetics, maybe with cows"? I'm quite content to go with whatever job takes me.
Having a specific job in mind just seems like it will lead to disappointment.

Just, urgh

tl;dr I wish my friends will stop going "well what do you plan to use the masters for?" because it makes me second guess doing the masters without job goal #1 in mind

[khronos_keeper]

Well, uh. The thing is, with MAs, they tend to be about 2x as expensive as BAs, and definitely way more specific to your future job than a BA. So it's pretty normal to have an exact idea of why you'd want to pursue further schooling, when it's so expensive and specific.

I would suggest you start researching to narrow down at least a general field you want to be in. And see if that field has a demand; you should be okay, since sciences are rarely flooded with qualified peeps.

Also, if you're going into cow genetics, can you like maybe. Set fire to the whole sexed semen practice, because it's just more expensive and it sucks and doesn't work anyway. 8(

[(Anonymous)]

The thing is, with the Masters I'm doing all the classes are pretty much core subjects I have to do. They cover a whole bunch of basics - then I can choose 6 others I want to do and the one major project. So it's not the most specific of Masters, except that it's a Masters of farming so I guess it's pretty specific.

But I'm just not sure what I want to do entirely yet. I'm totally cool with interning and working anywhere.

[khronos_keeper]

Wait what. A masters in farming? What, that exists? I'm sorry, as a farmer/farm kid myself this is... kind of baffling? Like I mean it's super helpful to know you need to maintain a cow's complex digestive system by giving them yeast and sodium bicarb and not let them yarf down a fuckload of grain, but.... like that's something I knew all by myself from experience. Are you willing to like... go work on some actual farms?

Because almost guaranteed you could pick up the same stuff actually working there, as spending tens of thousands of dollars in classes trying to learn it.

Unless you're talking about veterinary sciences, which is a whole other ballgame.

But I'm seriously intrigued, what is the kind of stuff they'd be teaching you? Fuck, I'm almost tempted to ask if you'd be willing to work on MY farm. God knows my parents need the help.

[(Anonymous)]

nayrt, but where do you live, that the idea of graduate programs in agronomy or animal science sounds so strange? In the US, there are land-grant universities--originally founded as "Colleges of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts"--all over the country. Like these:

http://www.agron.iastate.edu/academic/graduate/prostudents.aspx

http://www.ans.iastate.edu/stud/grad/index.php

Typically, the students do come from farm backgrounds, and there are plenty of places they can go to get farm experience if they don't have it already.

[khronos_keeper]

Oh definitely, my state has those too. But the stuff at that level you linked too, and the stuff largely in the field, is mostly research based, which is what anon said they wanted to stay away from.

I'm very well versed in that kind of stuff, as I've known lots of local kids go to ag schools. But they do it so they can go on to do more research based stuff to make new advances in the field, not start up stuff on their own.

So what I'm saying is-- want to own a dairy/beef/chicken operation? Cool, but you don't need a specialized degree in it. None of the farmers in my community have them.

Want to figure out how to breed a strain of corn that gives bigger kernels, more ears, per acre, and is drought and flood resistant, you go get a few degrees.

Anon says they want to go into animal science, but as far as I know, the only thing you can do with animal science is either husbandry, veterinary services, or go into research fields about which genes are unfavorable in animals and how to eliminate them. Or encourage new traits.

But not to like... start or maintain an operation. Those businesses that do need someone with a degree in animal sciences tend to be large agribusinesses.

[(Anonymous)]

Well......... I guess it depends on how much debt you'll have when you're done. I mean if you're going to end up several thousand in debt and unlikely to find a job shortly after graduating because there aren't enough jobs in the field to go around than is it really worth having it just because it seems cool?

On the other hand if you have a good understanding of what the likely jobs are and how likely you are to get one in your field AND you'll be able to make payments towards whatever debt you have then go for it.

[(Anonymous)]

don't worry about it, you're probably screwed no matter what unless you get a job in investment banking

/pessimism-&-low-level-despair

[(Anonymous)]

I got that kind of talk during YEAR 12.
Everyone would ask me: "What job are you going to do?"

What the fuck? No. I don't have a damn clue, I'm only 18 and still in school!

Now I'm at uni and I still don't know, but at least I know the general field I want to go into and I'm happy with the degree I'm doing.

But no, I shouldn't be expected to know what's going to happen in 10 years time and have an answer ready.

[(Anonymous)]

One of the anons who replied above...

I wish I'd had a better idea of what I wanted to do before I went to college - and knowing what I know how I probably wouldn't have gone UNTIL I figured it out. That probably would have saved me from being thousands of dollars in debt.

[(Anonymous)]

ayrt

I guess I'm still in the general field section. Granted I'm 25 with a Ba already behind me, but I still get confused when I have to know or have an answer. I have gotten more specific with what kind of job I want (it used to be science, now it's domestic farming animal science) - but when it comes to specific job titles I draw a blank. It's like people expect me to just KNOW if I want to be a dairy manager or an egg grader or something and I'm, I'm okay with all of those. I don't have a favourite. I just want to do the courses, get the background and then do a job.


I DO know that I don't want to do research. I don't have the patience for refining the results and writing the reports.

[khronos_keeper]

Oh man, this may just be my extreme ignorance on some of the other jobs, but like I was saying above you absolutely DO NOT NEED a MA in farming to be a farmer. If your dream is to work in the ag business in a blue collar capacity, I would suggest looking for apprenticeships. Or just getting an in on a farm.

Like I mean you could absolutely do so, but it's not stuff you absolutely need a classroom to learn. It's not like learning to become a diplomat or something.

I realize that this may seem strange to people unattached to the area, like saying you don't need to learn a foreign language in a classroom, just go to the country, but I really am serious. Most of these jobs are blue collar on-site types of jobs that you shouldn't have much problems trying to get into or starting yourself.

Granted, there is a money component to starting any operation yourself, but that shouldn't be any more of an issue than funding grad school.

Story: while renting a separate structure for our youngstock, we had a neighbor from West Virginia. Her mother, a very rural, poor woman, owned a small chicken operation that actually supported her. As far as I know, she didn't even graduate high school.

While getting a MA might seem to be the safest, most accessible way for people not already familiar with the field, I would seriously encourage you to look for some jobs you can do, education or no. Unless you're set on doing something in like agribusiness or something that demands a specialized education.

[ryttu3k]

I'm sort of in the same boat - I just finished a Bachelor of Science majoring in Museum Studies, and just applied for a Masters in Museum Studies (literally just applied, applications opened yesterday). I know I want to work in museums, but I don't have a specific... role in mind. I think I'd be equally happy in curation and collection management (organising! :D), object preservation and conservation (things! :D), exhibition development (concepts! :D), or museum education, especially for adults (learning! :D).

I'm kind of hoping that the Master's actually helps me... narrow that down. I know what field it is, and I'm doing the right Masters for it, just not the specific job title!

[(Anonymous)]

AYRT

Yes! That's kind of what I'm hoping for. I would like the Masters to help narrow down for me since I'm certainly interested in what it teaches (well, most of it. Fuck crops). Right now, the end result of the Masters and all the jobs it suggests - I'm okay with most of them. They all sound interesting and fun. But a specific role? IDK. It will qualify me for so many, is it really the best idea to have specific roles in mind?

Maybe it's my friend's experience is different. Her Masters and PhD is basically preparing her for one very specialised medical role, so she expects me to know the end role. But my Masters offers a lot of different end occupations within the main area of Farming.

...I am a bit disappointed there doesn't seem to be a class on chickens though.

[(Anonymous)]

Gov't job, anon. State Conservation Services are usually a sure bet, with your education. If you can get in on a practicum, you're golden for getting a job in the field--maybe even in the same department!

[ryttu3k]

Yeah - honestly, it might just depend on the Masters? Like in medicine - if you're a heart specialist, your training and education WILL differ to if you were, say, an endocrinologist, or if you were a general practitioner, so it makes sense to know exactly what you want to do going into your Masters.

Ours are broader, so I think it'd be okay if we don't know which specific job title we'll have in the future. Like, my Masters program (assuming I get in!) has units on Artefact Studies, Exhibition Development, Communication & Education, stuff like that (it's a coursework one), so I'm assuming those will narrow it down.

Aww. Poor chickens.

[blueonblue]

1. Getting into debt for a MA is a huge mistake.

2. Getting a MA was the most fun ever - time to work on projects I loved while surrounded by people with similar interests.

[silverau]

If you can think of several jobs that you could take and would like that's great! But maybe they think you're saying you don't know because you don't know ANYTHING you could do with it.