Or are you perfectly happy with what you did at uni?
Of the courses I could do I wish I'd gone for history instead of English. More generally, like everyone, I wish I'd worked harder at A-level French :blush:
I also wish I'd been clever enough to do philosophy and physics as I met a few people who were doing that and it always sounded fascinating but way, way beyond me.
Welding.
Law. I thought it was suppose to be hard, but looking around here, I'm thinking it's not as hard as I thought. I mean, even Grumbler is an expert on law, and he's never studied it!
Do you have a bachelor's degree? Then you can study law.
Womyn Studies
I wish I'd gone to class more.
History.
Doing something useful got me nothing so I might as well have studied something useless but easy and fun.
I also wish I had taken more history classes.
I think history's a bit like English, it's pretty easy to get a 2.1 (though I know some people who didn't manage that) but tough to get a first.
I remember one tutor of mine who said the highest mark he'd ever given for an essay was an 85 (a first is 70) and it got published in a very respectable journal.
If I had taken a few business courses I'd probably have gotten into the whole entrepreneur thing earlier, which probably would have been good. A good stats course wouldn't have been amiss either. But mostly I'm content with what I studied, primarily fine arts and humanities of various sorts.
Made no difference in the civil service.
Navel matters.
Quote from: Sheilbh on June 02, 2014, 08:17:24 PM
Or are you perfectly happy with what you did at uni?
I loved Political Science, particularly IR Theory, I just wish I kept going with it to the PhD level. Alas, I had too much of a functional death wish through most of the 1990s to maintain the requisite academic focus.
Never had any aptitude or even interest in the sciences, except perhaps Geology or Meteorology. AND WE HAVE AN OCCLUDED FRONT *HERE* BRINGING CLOUDS AND A CHANCE FOR RAIN
Had to do it all over again though, would've gone the English route or History and been a much more unproductive member of society.
Oh, geology, I forgot about that one. Math's not too hard and you work for oil, which means both money and that your work benefits society as a whole (until we all die).
Quote from: Sheilbh on June 02, 2014, 08:46:41 PM
I think history's a bit like English, it's pretty easy to get a 2.1 (though I know some people who didn't manage that) but tough to get a first.
I remember one tutor of mine who said the highest mark he'd ever given for an essay was an 85 (a first is 70) and it got published in a very respectable journal.
Alas a 2.1 is the only thing that matters in the uk. No matter whether it is in quantum physics or coronation street
Quote from: Ideologue on June 02, 2014, 10:09:30 PM
Oh, geology, I forgot about that one. Math's not too hard and you work for oil, which means both money and that your work benefits society as a whole (until we all die).
I guess I don't wish that I had majored in Geology, but I took a Geology elective and loved it, and I would have liked to have taken more Geology courses.
I probably should have majored in Computer Science... I took a bunch of CS courses but stupidly didn't take the 2 more I needed to have at least minored in it.
Chemistry. Linguistics.
L.
I did not go to University. I should have continued in that path & do an electrical engineer degree.
or I should have done a Plumbing course.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on June 02, 2014, 10:02:54 PM
Parts of this thread read like an updated version of Dr. Heidegger's Experiment.
I might do accounting again, but I might study something to get into oil and gas (like geology) or be an actuary (basically bump my math minor into a major).
Quote from: Caliga on June 03, 2014, 06:50:41 AM
Quote from: Ideologue on June 02, 2014, 10:09:30 PM
Oh, geology, I forgot about that one. Math's not too hard and you work for oil, which means both money and that your work benefits society as a whole (until we all die).
I guess I don't wish that I had majored in Geology, but I took a Geology elective and loved it, and I would have liked to have taken more Geology courses.
I probably should have majored in Computer Science... I took a bunch of CS courses but stupidly didn't take the 2 more I needed to have at least minored in it.
I always wanted to go to law school, but I didn't really know what I wanted to do for an undergrad. I took an elective in geology and thought "this looks interesting - I'll study it some more".
It got much, much, much tougher. :ph34r:
I wish I'd studied history instead for an undergrad.
Electrical Engineering.
Quote from: Ideologue on June 02, 2014, 10:09:30 PM
Oh, geology, I forgot about that one. Math's not too hard and you work for oil, which means both money and that your work benefits society as a whole (until we all die).
It's not too bad. If I could go back to 1993 and tell my former self what to do, the second thing I would tell me is to go into oil exploration. The first thing would be how to kill that one bitch without anyone finding out. :P
If I was 18 years now, I'd be as stumped as to what to study as I was 20 years ago. Public administration didn't turn out well. I had an interest in macro-economics, but it was too maths heavy, and even though I was pretty good at maths that turned me off. I'm interested in history, but I've come to the realization that this is something I rather consume than actively contribute to.
Literature/German literature didn't pan out too well. I think comparative literature could have been interesting, but it highly recommends reading in three languages.
I would probably go for an MBA for the utility value in the current job market, but other than that I can't really think of anything. Which is funny, because my grades were good enough that I could have picked almost anything and gotten in right away.
Since I started working in IT support I worked towards a degree in computer science. It's been ok and I've done well enough with this field, starting in opertations then in programming, and doing IT support now.
Now I wish I'd done more with history, maybe literature and take some drama classes to get into something more creative.
Quote from: mongers on June 02, 2014, 09:57:39 PM
Navel matters.
You can study your belly button whenever you want.
I studied IT. I wish I'd done something less vocational like archaeology, linguistics, or the philosophy of science. After all, this was an era when is you had a degree in any subject you could walk into a post-grad IT training scheme.
I studied STEM. Of course I'm happy.
Computer Science
I got a degree in History in 1995. Now, in 2014, I'm working on a second one in Computer Science. Just imagine how much money I'd have made between then and now if I'd done that first...
Quote from: merithyn on June 03, 2014, 01:12:47 PM
Computer Science
I got a degree in History in 1995. Now, in 2014, I'm working on a second one in Computer Science. Just imagine how much money I'd have made between then and now if I'd done that first...
Tell me about it. But if I had had that career and all that money I would never have ended up with my wife and lovely kids so, you know, it worked out somehow.
Quote from: Grey Fox on June 03, 2014, 07:01:41 AM
I did not go to University. I should have continued in that path & do an electrical engineer degree.
Quote from: Valmy on June 03, 2014, 09:32:21 AM
Electrical Engineering.
I wish I had
not gone into Electrical Engineering. Or uni at all. If I had to do it all over again I'd just study for civil service exams (maybe IT tech). I'd be set for life in my late teens. Having a job for life would mean access to cheap credit when home prices and interest rates were at their optimum alignment. Having paid my home by now, I would be worth a lot more than I am today and get home every day at 15:30 from a job with no stress and no responsibility. Not to mention a job where I would actually meet women.
More computer science. Or engineering. Or simply urban planning rather than comparative politics. Nobody needs someone who studied comparative politics.
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on June 03, 2014, 09:32:41 AM
Quote from: Ideologue on June 02, 2014, 10:09:30 PM
Oh, geology, I forgot about that one. Math's not too hard and you work for oil, which means both money and that your work benefits society as a whole (until we all die).
It's not too bad. If I could go back to 1993 and tell my former self what to do, the second thing I would tell me is to go into oil exploration. The first thing would be how to kill that one bitch without anyone finding out. :P
I'd tell him to buy put options on airlines on 9/10/01 and the names of the next five presidential election winners.
Quote from: Ideologue on June 03, 2014, 01:32:19 PM
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on June 03, 2014, 09:32:41 AM
Quote from: Ideologue on June 02, 2014, 10:09:30 PM
Oh, geology, I forgot about that one. Math's not too hard and you work for oil, which means both money and that your work benefits society as a whole (until we all die).
It's not too bad. If I could go back to 1993 and tell my former self what to do, the second thing I would tell me is to go into oil exploration. The first thing would be how to kill that one bitch without anyone finding out. :P
I'd tell him to buy put options on airlines on 9/10/01 and the names of the next five presidential election winners.
I'd tell him to give the airlines a warning about 9/11/01 and to assassinate the owner of the Texas Rangers.
Quote from: Valmy on June 03, 2014, 01:16:37 PM
Quote from: merithyn on June 03, 2014, 01:12:47 PM
Computer Science
I got a degree in History in 1995. Now, in 2014, I'm working on a second one in Computer Science. Just imagine how much money I'd have made between then and now if I'd done that first...
Tell me about it. But if I had had that career and all that money I would never have ended up with my wife and lovely kids so, you know, it worked out somehow.
Wait until the kids are teenagers. You might be more willing to make that trade. :ph34r:
Quote from: Iormlund on June 03, 2014, 01:28:35 PM
I wish I had not gone into Electrical Engineering. Or uni at all. If I had to do it all over again I'd just study for civil service exams (maybe IT tech). I'd be set for life in my late teens. Having a job for life would mean access to cheap credit when home prices and interest rates were at their optimum alignment. Having paid my home by now, I would be worth a lot more than I am today and get home every day at 15:30 from a job with no stress and no responsibility. Not to mention a job where I would actually meet women.
The Civil Service is not the glamorous place in the US it is in Spain clearly.
Quote from: alfred russel on June 03, 2014, 01:44:44 PM
Quote from: Ideologue on June 03, 2014, 01:32:19 PM
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on June 03, 2014, 09:32:41 AM
Quote from: Ideologue on June 02, 2014, 10:09:30 PM
Oh, geology, I forgot about that one. Math's not too hard and you work for oil, which means both money and that your work benefits society as a whole (until we all die).
It's not too bad. If I could go back to 1993 and tell my former self what to do, the second thing I would tell me is to go into oil exploration. The first thing would be how to kill that one bitch without anyone finding out. :P
I'd tell him to buy put options on airlines on 9/10/01 and the names of the next five presidential election winners.
I'd tell him to give the airlines a warning about 9/11/01 and to assassinate the owner of the Texas Rangers.
I'm unsure if 9/11 was an overall negative event and if I'd want to change it. And if my past self did change 9/11, first he has to account for where he got the information--and I cannot think of a possible explanation that would be satisfying--and second much of the future knowledge becomes worthless.
Quote from: Ideologue on June 03, 2014, 01:50:47 PM
I'm unsure if 9/11 was an overall negative event and if I'd want to change it. And if my past self did change 9/11, first he has to account for where he got the information--and I cannot think of a possible explanation that would be satisfying--and second much of the future knowledge becomes worthless.
Just say you are from the future and had the choice of killing Hitler or preventing the 9/11 hijacking.
Quote from: Valmy on June 03, 2014, 01:47:28 PM
Quote from: Iormlund on June 03, 2014, 01:28:35 PM
I wish I had not gone into Electrical Engineering. Or uni at all. If I had to do it all over again I'd just study for civil service exams (maybe IT tech). I'd be set for life in my late teens. Having a job for life would mean access to cheap credit when home prices and interest rates were at their optimum alignment. Having paid my home by now, I would be worth a lot more than I am today and get home every day at 15:30 from a job with no stress and no responsibility. Not to mention a job where I would actually meet women.
The Civil Service is not the glamorous place in the US it is in Spain clearly.
Engineering is not exactly glamorous either. And while it is fun, there's a lot of bullshit surrounding it (dealing with suppliers, customers, bosses; very long hours, stress ...).
In Spain getting into the civil service means you have, in practice, a job for life. You might have to kill someone to lose it, but even then I'm not so sure. And there's all kinds of jobs to be had. From high level manager to lowly clerk. Doctors, IT guys, plumbers, electricians ... Also, working conditions in the public sector are much, much better than in the private sector.
That's why many young Spaniards spend years trying to ace the exams (a tremendous waste of talent if you ask me).
Quote from: Valmy on June 03, 2014, 02:01:58 PM
Quote from: Ideologue on June 03, 2014, 01:50:47 PM
I'm unsure if 9/11 was an overall negative event and if I'd want to change it. And if my past self did change 9/11, first he has to account for where he got the information--and I cannot think of a possible explanation that would be satisfying--and second much of the future knowledge becomes worthless.
Just say you are from the future and had the choice of killing Hitler or preventing the 9/11 hijacking.
Or maybe just leave an anonymous tip. :P
Actually, it's not that different in the U.S. I think you can be fired a lot more easily from the fedgov, but it would be the best possible career for 95% of the people in the country. Wages are higher, working conditions are better, your employer won't disappear or be bought by another company, and working for the government is PSLF eligible.
Quote from: Iormlund on June 03, 2014, 02:04:42 PM
In Spain getting into the civil service means you have, in practice, a job for life. You might have to kill someone to lose it, but even then I'm not so sure. And there's all kinds of jobs to be had. From high level manager to lowly clerk. Doctors, IT guys, plumbers, electricians ... Also, working conditions in the public sector are much, much better than in the private sector.
Not here. Working conditions and pay and so forth are all much better in the private sector. Budgets are always tight as well so enjoy no raises even as they pile on job duties!
Quote from: Iormlund on June 03, 2014, 02:05:31 PM
Quote from: Valmy on June 03, 2014, 02:01:58 PM
Quote from: Ideologue on June 03, 2014, 01:50:47 PM
I'm unsure if 9/11 was an overall negative event and if I'd want to change it. And if my past self did change 9/11, first he has to account for where he got the information--and I cannot think of a possible explanation that would be satisfying--and second much of the future knowledge becomes worthless.
Just say you are from the future and had the choice of killing Hitler or preventing the 9/11 hijacking.
Or maybe just leave an anonymous tip. :P
"Watch out for that guy with the mustache."
Quote from: Valmy on June 03, 2014, 02:07:22 PM
Quote from: Iormlund on June 03, 2014, 02:04:42 PM
In Spain getting into the civil service means you have, in practice, a job for life. You might have to kill someone to lose it, but even then I'm not so sure. And there's all kinds of jobs to be had. From high level manager to lowly clerk. Doctors, IT guys, plumbers, electricians ... Also, working conditions in the public sector are much, much better than in the private sector.
Not here. Working conditions and pay and so forth are all much better in the private sector.
LOL.
Oh, you mean for engineers.
I don't mind working for the government, but you sure as hell CAN be fired! :lol: :(
Quote from: Ideologue on June 03, 2014, 02:06:47 PM
Wages are higher, working conditions are better, your employer won't disappear or be bought by another company, and working for the government is PSLF eligible.
My private sector equivalents make far more than I do. I work in a building from the 30s that was remodled in the 70s. They work in brand new offices.
Quote from: Ideologue on June 03, 2014, 02:08:07 PM
LOL.
Oh, you mean for engineers.
No I mean for me. $15.00 an hour for office staff with 10+ years experience may be a fortune in SC but it sorta sucks over here.
Yikes. It's not a fortune in SC. This is for the stategov, though, yes? Stategov is different.
Quote from: Ideologue on June 03, 2014, 02:11:11 PM
Yikes. It's not a fortune in SC. This is for the stategov, though, yes? Stategov is different.
Yep. I mean you get free health insurance and matching retirement and some other nice things...but I think most of us could do better in the private sector.
Here salaries in the private sector are only more attractive for qualified personnel. But even then work conditions will be worse. To make good money in the private sector as an engineer, for example, you need to be available 24/7, probably travel a lot, manage projects/people and so on.
What many skilled public workers do is use their ample spare time to work in the private sector.
The alternative for me was medicine. Instead I studied information systems and now work as IT project manager.
Not sure if medicine would have been better. Definitely worse work hours, but maybe more interesting? No international travel, but more meaning to my work? Less money now, but bigger chance to become self-employed later? Hmm.
Quote from: Iormlund on June 03, 2014, 02:27:32 PM
What many skilled public workers do is use their ample spare time to work in the private sector.
Well I am not particularly skilled. But I bet if I had gotten that EE degree I might have been.
I thought Spain had a kind of economic crisis or something. Do they really think that grossly inefficient government is desirable?
Another vote for geology, I was good at it, it would have gotten me into the outdoors more plus it might have help in a career of mine.
Quote from: mongers on June 03, 2014, 03:05:41 PM
Another vote for geology, I was good at it, it would have gotten me into the outdoors more plus it might have help in a career of mine.
Steve Coogan met alt-you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79FVxNhrMuc
I wouldn't have changed my major (even if it's turned me into a villain in Celedhring imagination. :()
In my career it would have been helpful to have taken some earth and life science courses; especially geology and meteorology. Both the ground and the atmosphere have properties that impact radio frequency. Of course I had no way of knowing that I would end up in radio frequency at the time; I assumed I'd end up at an automotive company like almost all the rest of my classmates.
My university also offered a course in "Literature of the Upper Peninsula" that I wish I would have taken. Michigan's upper peninsula (where my alma mater is located) is the setting for Hiawatha and the Nick Adams stories and Anatomy of a Murder. I think that would have been a neat thing to have taken while there. Strangely enough all my gen-ed classes were British Literature. :unsure:
Overall, though, I think my college education was sufficient. I think of formal schooling as mostly a base, something to be built upon once you leave (and real education begins.) I had the tools to understand the dynamo and the virgin; so I was up on Henry Adams at least.
Quote from: Valmy on June 03, 2014, 02:39:42 PM
Quote from: Iormlund on June 03, 2014, 02:27:32 PM
What many skilled public workers do is use their ample spare time to work in the private sector.
Well I am not particularly skilled. But I bet if I had gotten that EE degree I might have been.
I think the only skill I've ever used in my career that I picked up in undergrad was how to count in binary on my fingers.
Quote from: The Brain on June 03, 2014, 02:55:31 PM
I thought Spain had a kind of economic crisis or something. Do they really think that grossly inefficient government is desirable?
I'm guessing the system is rooted in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when the Liberal and Conservative parties took turns governing the country (much like the Socialists and Populares do now). Back then they sacked everyone in public employment after one party took office, to appoint someone closer to the new government. This probably included judges, prosecutors, taxmen, diplomats and so on. Which led to all sorts of problems.
To solve this, a Confucian-style civil service system was created, where anyone can take the exams and fight for a job with no accountability whatsoever.
Quote from: Iormlund on June 03, 2014, 03:27:09 PM
Quote from: The Brain on June 03, 2014, 02:55:31 PM
I thought Spain had a kind of economic crisis or something. Do they really think that grossly inefficient government is desirable?
I'm guessing the system is rooted in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when the Liberal and Conservative parties took turns governing the country (much like the Socialists and Populares do now). Back then they sacked everyone in public employment after one party took office, to appoint someone closer to the new government. This probably included judges, prosecutors, taxmen, diplomats and so on. Which led to all sorts of problems.
To solve this, a Confucian-style civil service system was created, where anyone can take the exams and fight for a job with no accountability whatsoever.
No accountability. :mmm:
Quote from: The Brain on June 03, 2014, 03:31:11 PM
No accountability. :mmm:
I would think that nuclear engineering is the exception to the no accountability standard. Or at least I would hope.
Quote from: Valmy on June 03, 2014, 02:08:43 PM
Quote from: Ideologue on June 03, 2014, 02:06:47 PM
Wages are higher, working conditions are better, your employer won't disappear or be bought by another company, and working for the government is PSLF eligible.
My private sector equivalents make far more than I do. I work in a building from the 30s that was remodled in the 70s. They work in brand new offices.
Who gives a shit; tell you what: I'll trade you your less-than-private-sector-equivalents salary and 1930's office for my private-sector-equivalent new-building-smell severance letter.
Quote from: Zanza on June 03, 2014, 02:27:55 PM
The alternative for me was medicine. Instead I studied information systems and now work as IT project manager.
Not sure if medicine would have been better. Definitely worse work hours, but maybe more interesting? No international travel, but more meaning to my work? Less money now, but bigger chance to become self-employed later? Hmm.
My alternative was physics; I could have been an adjunct professor. Thank goodness my high school guidance counselor talked me out of that.
I read a pretty good article today by an adjunct professor, but it was on Slate so everyone hates it, and it was about how to make rational changes to required liberal arts classes (do away with essays that no one puts any effort into writing or professionalism into grading), so they hated it even more.
You could have also gone into finance.
Quote from: Ideologue on June 03, 2014, 05:36:52 PM
I read a pretty good article today by an adjunct professor, but it was on Slate so everyone hates it, and it was about how to make rational changes to required liberal arts classes (do away with essays that no one puts any effort into writing or professionalism into grading), so they hated it even more.
You could have also gone into finance.
A friend visited us on the weekend with her husband. He's got a Ph.D. in physics and works in risk management for a big Canadian Bank. She works in finance too, but got into it through actuarial studies.
... though there are a lot of Engineering Ph.D. holders in finance as well.
Quote from: Jacob on June 03, 2014, 05:41:56 PM
Quote from: Ideologue on June 03, 2014, 05:36:52 PM
I read a pretty good article today by an adjunct professor, but it was on Slate so everyone hates it, and it was about how to make rational changes to required liberal arts classes (do away with essays that no one puts any effort into writing or professionalism into grading), so they hated it even more.
You could have also gone into finance.
A friend visited us on the weekend with her husband. He's got a Ph.D. in physics and works in risk management for a big Canadian Bank. She works in finance too, but got into it through actuarial studies.
... though there are a lot of Engineering Ph.D. holders in finance as well.
Physics and Engineering require a command of mathmatics that would likely prove very useful it that line of work.
I will tell J to keep that in mind :)
Quote from: Zanza on June 03, 2014, 02:27:55 PM
The alternative for me was medicine. Instead I studied information systems and now work as IT project manager.
Not sure if medicine would have been better. Definitely worse work hours, but maybe more interesting? No international travel, but more meaning to my work? Less money now, but bigger chance to become self-employed later? Hmm.
Yeah. I'd still probably be heading for law but looking back on three years of study in a serious academic setting I think I'd have got more out of history.
QuoteI read a pretty good article today by an adjunct professor, but it was on Slate so everyone hates it, and it was about how to make rational changes to required liberal arts classes (do away with essays that no one puts any effort into writing or professionalism into grading), so they hated it even more.
90% of my marks overall came from essays :o
But I think that'd be losing most of the advantages of a degree. That stuffs the basis of saying you can research, formulate an independent though and express it decently in future job applications.
Quote from: Ideologue on June 03, 2014, 05:36:52 PM
I read a pretty good article today by an adjunct professor, but it was on Slate so everyone hates it, and it was about how to make rational changes to required liberal arts classes (do away with essays that no one puts any effort into writing or professionalism into grading), so they hated it even more.
You could have also gone into finance.
Oh, I loathe essays. Which is why I give multiple choice tests. You are there to learn the basics of the Supply Chain, save the Analzing for the classes higher up. That I'm not teaching.
Hate to read essays. Blech.
Quote from: Ed Anger on June 03, 2014, 06:37:15 PM
Hate to read essays. Blech.
Don't bother reading them and give everyone an A. Everyone wins except for society. :)
Quote from: Sheilbh on June 03, 2014, 06:14:21 PM
.....
Yeah. I'd still probably be heading for law but looking back on three years of study in a serious academic setting I think I'd have got more out of history.
Not to pick on you Shelf, but what is it with people here on Languish, a history nerd's exile if there ever was one, all saying I wish I'd taken history instead of X. : :huh:
We know it's all but useless, but please you could have done it, regretted it and
Then become accountants/lawtalkers et al.
I'm happy with my educational choices, wouldn't change them if I had the chance. My alternative to Biology was Marine Sciences, which would have made me much more miserable and less employable, so I think I made the right choice.
Quote from: Iormlund on June 03, 2014, 01:28:35 PM
Quote from: Grey Fox on June 03, 2014, 07:01:41 AM
I did not go to University. I should have continued in that path & do an electrical engineer degree.
Quote from: Valmy on June 03, 2014, 09:32:21 AM
Electrical Engineering.
I wish I had not gone into Electrical Engineering. Or uni at all. If I had to do it all over again I'd just study for civil service exams (maybe IT tech). I'd be set for life in my late teens. Having a job for life would mean access to cheap credit when home prices and interest rates were at their optimum alignment. Having paid my home by now, I would be worth a lot more than I am today and get home every day at 15:30 from a job with no stress and no responsibility. Not to mention a job where I would actually meet women.
And you'd be bored out of your mind after a few months.
Quote from: The Larch on June 03, 2014, 07:35:01 PM
I'm happy with my educational choices, wouldn't change them if I had the chance. My alternative to Biology was Marine Sciences, which would have made me much more miserable and less employable, so I think I made the right choice.
Marines can't even add, let alone do science.
Quote from: Ideologue on June 03, 2014, 05:36:52 PM
I read a pretty good article today by an adjunct professor, but it was on Slate so everyone hates it, and it was about how to make rational changes to required liberal arts classes (do away with essays that no one puts any effort into writing or professionalism into grading), so they hated it even more.
Yeah, the Jesuits figured that one out a while ago, but hey.
Quote from: Valmy on June 03, 2014, 02:01:58 PM
Just say you are from the future and had the choice of killing Hitler or preventing the 9/11 hijacking.
Oh. It was Hitler. I was from the future and killed that Adolf
Hilter guy and it didn't seem to make any difference. Oops.
I'd go back and save Hitler.
Quote from: crazy canuck on June 03, 2014, 06:00:26 PM
Quote from: Jacob on June 03, 2014, 05:41:56 PM
Quote from: Ideologue on June 03, 2014, 05:36:52 PM
I read a pretty good article today by an adjunct professor, but it was on Slate so everyone hates it, and it was about how to make rational changes to required liberal arts classes (do away with essays that no one puts any effort into writing or professionalism into grading), so they hated it even more.
You could have also gone into finance.
A friend visited us on the weekend with her husband. He's got a Ph.D. in physics and works in risk management for a big Canadian Bank. She works in finance too, but got into it through actuarial studies.
... though there are a lot of Engineering Ph.D. holders in finance as well.
Physics and Engineering require a command of mathmatics that would likely prove very useful it that line of work.
I will tell J to keep that in mind :)
Yeah, though I believe you're looking at least a Masters and probably a Ph.D. for finance work. But I guess the point is that it's possible to transition to finance with a strong math-based engineering or physics undergrad degree.
Meh, wish I'd been an education major. Weekends and summers off.
Quote from: Jacob on June 03, 2014, 10:10:31 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on June 03, 2014, 06:00:26 PM
Quote from: Jacob on June 03, 2014, 05:41:56 PM
Quote from: Ideologue on June 03, 2014, 05:36:52 PM
I read a pretty good article today by an adjunct professor, but it was on Slate so everyone hates it, and it was about how to make rational changes to required liberal arts classes (do away with essays that no one puts any effort into writing or professionalism into grading), so they hated it even more.
You could have also gone into finance.
A friend visited us on the weekend with her husband. He's got a Ph.D. in physics and works in risk management for a big Canadian Bank. She works in finance too, but got into it through actuarial studies.
... though there are a lot of Engineering Ph.D. holders in finance as well.
Physics and Engineering require a command of mathmatics that would likely prove very useful it that line of work.
I will tell J to keep that in mind :)
Yeah, though I believe you're looking at least a Masters and probably a Ph.D. for finance work. But I guess the point is that it's possible to transition to finance with a strong math-based engineering or physics undergrad degree.
Is it possible to transition to finance with a strong history-based undergrad degree? :P
Quote from: Ideologue on June 03, 2014, 10:38:29 PM
Is it possible to transition to finance with a strong history-based undergrad degree? :P
Good friend of mine did. From ancient history to brokering :lol:
Wild guess: Oxford.
No. Just a solid Russell Group uni :P
If he'd gone to Oxford chances are he'd be a cabinet minister by now.
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdilbert.com%2Fdyn%2Fstr_strip%2F000000000%2F00000000%2F0000000%2F200000%2F20000%2F2000%2F700%2F222717%2F222717.strip.gif&hash=169283a6f50847f9d36260dea769d6f13d6b0d15)
Quote from: Ideologue on June 03, 2014, 05:36:52 PM
I read a pretty good article today by an adjunct professor, but it was on Slate so everyone hates it, and it was about how to make rational changes to required liberal arts classes (do away with essays that no one puts any effort into writing or professionalism into grading), so they hated it even more.
You could have also gone into finance.
You and CdM would still be blaming me for the Global Financial Meltdown if I had become a quant.
;)
In truth if I had gotten a physics degree then I probably would have ended up as an engineer. The physics profs I talked to when I decided on my major had said that without a graduate degree (and often with one) that was the only employment path available. So I decided just to major in engineering instead.
(That was 25 years ago. Quantitative analyst is probably a more established career path now than it was then.)
I got a MSc in Engineering Physics. I'm too lazy to choose.
Quote from: The Larch on June 03, 2014, 07:43:32 PM
Quote from: Iormlund on June 03, 2014, 01:28:35 PM
Quote from: Grey Fox on June 03, 2014, 07:01:41 AM
I did not go to University. I should have continued in that path & do an electrical engineer degree.
Quote from: Valmy on June 03, 2014, 09:32:21 AM
Electrical Engineering.
I wish I had not gone into Electrical Engineering. Or uni at all. If I had to do it all over again I'd just study for civil service exams (maybe IT tech). I'd be set for life in my late teens. Having a job for life would mean access to cheap credit when home prices and interest rates were at their optimum alignment. Having paid my home by now, I would be worth a lot more than I am today and get home every day at 15:30 from a job with no stress and no responsibility. Not to mention a job where I would actually meet women.
And you'd be bored out of your mind after a few months.
The grass is always greener. :lol:
Quote from: Iormlund on June 04, 2014, 01:23:38 PM
Quote from: The Larch on June 03, 2014, 07:43:32 PM
Quote from: Iormlund on June 03, 2014, 01:28:35 PM
Quote from: Grey Fox on June 03, 2014, 07:01:41 AM
I did not go to University. I should have continued in that path & do an electrical engineer degree.
Quote from: Valmy on June 03, 2014, 09:32:21 AM
Electrical Engineering.
I wish I had not gone into Electrical Engineering. Or uni at all. If I had to do it all over again I'd just study for civil service exams (maybe IT tech). I'd be set for life in my late teens. Having a job for life would mean access to cheap credit when home prices and interest rates were at their optimum alignment. Having paid my home by now, I would be worth a lot more than I am today and get home every day at 15:30 from a job with no stress and no responsibility. Not to mention a job where I would actually meet women.
And you'd be bored out of your mind after a few months.
The grass is always greener. :lol:
I've been co-workers with people who opted for an easier and less challenging but more stable job (always people with uni degrees doing administrative jobs) and they were all going nuts after a couple of years. A friend of mine did the same even if he despises the job in order to be able to support what he really loved, painting, which would need a steady check at the end of the month to make ends meet and he has a little girl anyway. It's not really a great choice.
The poor baby.