/lit/ - Literature

What, there's a Starbucks in your mom's basement?

>>1737532
Pussy coffee. You know that's literally just watered-down espresso, right?

>>1737532
I always say, unless you plan to be a TEACHER those are useless degrees, Just write 2 novels and PRAY one of them does well, it's a better use of your parents money.

It makes me SICK when I see people doing COMPLETELY idiotic majors/classes because they think it's fun or cute.

>>1737559

> under-water basket weaving

>>1737559

who cares what you always say, or what makes you sick? you're a fucking faggot!

>>1737559
>it's a better use of your parents money.
>Implying it's not my own money I'm throwing into the abyss.

>>1737559
I'm not a english/lit major but...

>Doing what you love
or
>Doing what you hate

>implying I'm going to college for job training

>get an english degree
>do something i enjoy and see how it pans out
>if it does, great
>do something i love for the rest of my life
>if it doesn't, at least i gave a shot at doing something i enjoyed
>become a passionate teacher

>get a science or math degree
>bust my ass doing something i suck at
>get a job i despise
>realize i gave up on my dreams
>hang myself

>>1737559

I'm majoring in Asian Studies and I just got offered an internship with the Department of State. U MAD?

And, point of information:

I received a degree in English (albeit with a focus on professional writing) and now have an extremely well paying job as a technical writer.

Truly, study what you love. You'll figure the money thing out later.

>>1737559

How do you feel about seemingly bullshit minors?

I'm doing a Museum Management minor with a two-semester internship requirement.

>>1737610

If you are not going to college to learn career skills and ways to make yourself marketable to an employer, what are you even doing there? Why is so much money being lavished on your "higher education"? Surely it can't just be being spent for you to fuck around and study bullshit.

People like you are the reason my state's government is cutting federal funding to higher education. Because of fucking losers that abuse their education instead of using it to improve their lives.

I thought my Humanities degree wouldn't be useless if I got it from UPenn. Turns out I was wrong.

>>1737630
5/10, I was seriously considering getting mad.

the humanities is supposed to expand your mind. guys, what the fuck is wrong with you? i have a lot of negative stuff to say about the way university is going, and how it's getting there. university isn't trade school yet--we might be the last generation to be able to say that because of the massive changes and cuts to the humanities that don't train you to put A into slot B.
whether you're successful or not does not depend on your area of study, it depends on you. you're the reason why you fail or succeed.

i'm an english graduate and my life rocks. i'm an editor, and work is literally not work for me--i would do it in my spare time.

>>1737640
Another English major here. Just out of curiosity, how hard was it getting into editing?

>>1737640

I've often thought that if I ever founded or ran a college I would establish the programs in such a way that every single program had an internship requirement, partly as a way to show that Humanities degrees do in fact tie into actual careers.

English is okay.

Now Journalism, there's a shitty degree!

>>1737640

>take a bunch of humanities classes where all you do is watch movies and read novels

>LOL I'M EXPANDIN MAH MIND

if you call lecture halls full of idiots getting kite high and thinking about the deeper meaning of the wizard of oz a 'mind expanding' experience

>>1737652

As an English major I can attest to this. The amount of dick waving and collective greasing of poles over banal shit really makes me wish I went into the sciences sometimes.

>>1737647
hey bro. it was not difficult, it just takes initiative. my best friend and jogging buddy is in engineering and we agreed that you need the same things to succeed in either discipline: stand-outedness, connections, and drive. like any other sort of degree, you want to set yourself apart from your peers through your extracurriculars or courses or experience or knowledge. i keep my grammar books in the bathroom and flip through them. you want to befriend professors who are in the area your are interested in, whether it be grammar or literary studies or something else. you want to tell them you're looking for work.
you just build yourself up and put your feelers out. take chances, update your resume, get someone to look it over, find places on campus that hire or use volunteer editors (newspaper, essay help centre, etc.). volunteer to help people. go to literary events. network.
>>1737648
internships are fucking amazing and should be required in some way during your last years of study, even if it were to be interning as a prof's aid (if you wanted to be a prof).

Liberal art majors are fucking stupid. Do you know why? Because mathematics is the determination factor in how intelligent a person is. It's what IQ tests are based around. If someone tells me they are not good at math it tells me that they have no problem-solving or survival skills. It tells me that they are not crafty or clever because they have no higher-order critical thinking skills that are required for mathematics. That is why liberal art and social science majors go into their fields: because they are either too simple or stupid to comprehend basic problem-solving and logic, or because they are too lazy to. They might be very articulate and be able to convey the APPEARANCE of intelligent behavior, but that is something we call BULLSHITTING and it is the only thing a social studies or liberal art major will ever be good at.

>>1737663

>stand-outedness

Your ability to make up stupid sounding words at random is a definite sign of "stand-outedness," which, by the way, is not a good thing.

>>1737661
>>1737652

you also learn how to defend your position and to consider the scope that your premises can cover. just because you took classes and you had some dickheads in it and some lazy-ass profs who only showed movies and didn't do their jobs of expanding your mind, doesn't mean shit. it definitely doesn't invalidate the humanities. and like i said in my above post, i am concerned with some of the moves the establishment is taking that actually does cut away at the whole mind-expanding manner that the humanities offers. so it seems like we're on the same side, i'm just not making wild sweeping generalizations because of a few bad personal experiences.

also, i hardly ever get high, and never in class. i get high maybe once every six months to a year.

>>1737667
we're on the fucking internet, buddy. it's called a register, and mine is on real low.

>>1737666
You are going through a lot of trouble to fail at trolling people

>>1737666
lol so many fallacies what is this i dont even

>>1737672
>>1737674

How can you have "an abnormally large cranium" that can't process mathematics? Math is one of the main staples of human intellect along with communication (a broad field including writing, language, the arts). Mathematics is the extremist of all academic disciplines and it's no surprise it measures how intelligent a person is, and let us face it, it is.
When I interview people who tell me they "hated math in college," that's like telling me, "I'm a moron who is incapable of higher level thought."

ITT: kids

>>1737666

I don't agree with all of this but there's some truth. I've known some people that were ace at acting or writing, good public speakers and maybe artists, but when you got to know them, their survival skills were nil and you wondered how they tied their own shoelaces: these were people with no problem-solving skills. In a way they were swindlers and mountebanks only trying to fool others into believing they were intelligent. I've met a lot of these kinds of people in the acting and voice acting community, for example.

>>1737666
>Because mathematics is the determination factor in how intelligent a person is. It's what IQ tests are based around.

This is factually incorrect.

>If someone tells me they are not good at math it tells me that they have no problem-solving or survival skills.
>It tells me that they are not crafty or clever because they have no higher-order critical thinking skills that are required for mathematics.

This is bullshit. Craftiness and cleverness are not entwined with ability in mathematics. You are talking about the importance of critical thinking skills and at the same time displaying a complete lack of them yourself.

tl;dr ur mad cos the only thing you have going for you is that you have slightly above average mathematical ability.

>>1737666
>If someone tells me they are not good at math it tells me that they have no problem-solving or survival skills
>survival skills
>people with liberal art majors survive

Also: getting laid > majoring in math or science

>>1737702

People with majors in arts and social "sciences" stay alive only because society nannies them to keep them alive. A person who is a clever engineer, for example, would put his logical and problem-solving skills to work to survive in the wild. A person like that probably had an interest in and studied math because of their skill in logical problem-solving.
Let me repeat this again because only one person in this thread grasped it:
There are two halves to human intelligence: mathematics (and from there branches the natural sciences) and communication (humanities, language, prose, debate). The first half measures the intelligence of the person, the second ensures that he can communicate his intelligence to others. In a one-man world the pure mathematician is intelligent. But in the real world he needs to be able to communicate well, for others to CONSIDER him intelligent.

I'm doing a history degree, get it right OP.

>>1737728

And what are you planning to do with that fancy ass history degree of yours, jefe?

>>1737711
Right, which is why I'd rather be proficient in the latter so that I can get laid.

The chances of anyone ever having to survive in the wild off of one's own "survival skills" are so minimal that it's illogical to even list that as a priority for studying Math.

>>1737666

I'm pretty sure whether or not you know how to do differential equations has no impact on your ability to survive in the wild.

Probably experience is the determining factor here. A native aboriginal will outlast someone with a B.S. in Mathematics any day. I mean, your point doesn't even make sense, really.

>>1737739
yeah.

>>1737739

To add to this, mathematics is a much more abstract intellectual pursuit than human communication. How often does someone put on you on the spot to show your ability to do integral calculus?

In contrast, how often do you have to talk to someone to accomplish whatever it is you're doing?

>implying an English or Humanities or Social Science major is useful

Actually, Finance and Accounting are the # paying majors in college, therefore the answer to yuor question is basically, No.

> A person who is a clever engineer, for example, would put his logical and problem-solving skills to work to survive in the wild.

You don't need to know a hundred fucking trig identities to know how to tie a rock to the end of a stick and beat predators over the head with it.
Athleticism and simple "common sense" are the most invaluable things for "surviving in the wild". Moreso than abstract, mathematical thinking.
Why do you think mathematicians only began to arise when society had built an infrastructure that could accommodate these wimpy nerds; making sure that they could be fed and kept safe while they stared at the floor imagining angles and triangles.

>The first half measures the intelligence of the person, the second ensures that he can communicate his intelligence to others.

So communication doesn't require intelligence? It's only the vehicle by which you convey your intelligence to others?
I don't see how Shakespeare was necessarily less intelligent than Euler.

Some people don't think in numbers. Logic =/= math, as proved by your complete lack of logical reasoning. Fun fact: most people don't care about your Ivory Tower mathematical arrogance.

>>1737750
>implying accumulation = happiness

Sure, I'd get more money for being an accountant. I'd also be trapped in an office for half of my day crunching numbers for a faceless corporation. Perhaps you're a man without principles, but I refuse to sacrifice my happiness in favor of having a slightly bigger house that I don't need.

Humanities majors will find a way to justify their choice. Natural Science majors also justify their choice. Sometimes there's the presumption that what is right for you must be right for everyone, but I don't think that's true. Honestly, if anyone knows the arguments surrounding the alleged uselessness and vagueness of a Humanities degree, it is the person majoring in the Humanities.

>>1737733
I'm going to build a time-machine and call Ramses II a faggot.

This forum really is unbelieveable.

>getting an english degree, with journalism or teacher's cert
>want to write fiction and teach, because I feel educating the next generation about its past is just as important as teaching them theorems
>don't care about money, most fiction writers feel the same, in fact I've only bought one pair of shoes in the past three years, that's how frugal I am
>problem?

>>1737770

I had a pair of shoes last 7 years, beat that.

>>1737766
well the important thing is you found a way to feel superior, jackass.

>>1737776

So much butthurt and rage.

>>1737776

Huh? That's the only post I've made in the thread.

>>1737766
How so, Anon?

>>1737776
Assuming you're one of the /sci/ducks that created this thread or have contributed to it, this is pretty amusing.

>>1737784

Just, the level of discussion on here is like a coversation my 7 year old cousin would have with his friends. In other words, absolutely fucking witless.

>>1737779
How perceptive of you, being able to detect butthurt like that.

>>1737791
this would be why he called you a jackass and said at least you found a way to feel superior, jackass.

>>1737793

What the fuck are you even talking about? Jesus Christ. It's not like it's hard to be a superior post on this board.

>>1737791

>>1737802

>HURR LIBRUL ART DEGREE WASTE OF TIME
>IM A CAPITALIST'S WHORE, GONNA GET A BIG JOB IN THE CITY

Anyone who questions the value of humanties subjects needs to re-evaluate their life.

>>1737532
I did Math for a couple of months, it was horrible.
Not a person to be found with a defined sense of personality; I needed to get out before I'd lose mine.
It seemed like they'd let their degree define them as person, it was sickening.I'd rather join the Foreign Legion than going back, at least legionaries have a temper.

>>1737807

Capitalism is based on people making a living through hard work and effort.

Socialism is based on government handouts, and as for communism, we all know how that turned out.

Capitalism is the only really respectable system. You can try to hide out from it all you want in a state of perpetual childhood but you still need to work to make a living. Adam's gotta take a bite out of that apple and leave the Garden of Eden someday...

>>1737532
I did Math for a couple of months, it was horrible.
Not a person to be found with a defined sense of personality; I needed to get out before I'd lose mine.
It seemed like they'd let their degree define them as person, it was sickening.
I'd rather join the Foreign Legion than going back, at least legionaries have a temper.

>>1737791
>like a coversation my 7 year old cousin would have with his friends.

What an
>absolutely fucking witless
comparison you just made.

>>1737810

>not a person with a sense of defined personality

You don't go to college just so you can be a special unique little snowflake. College is supposed to snap you out of that deluded manchild bullshit. The math majors in your class were simply more mature than the kids that think wearing flannel and listening to Incubus gives them a "unique, artistic personality."

>>1737814

Not really it's pretty accurate.

A college degree and its associated student debt, to me, is the key to a society that I want no part in. Humanities majors share with me the distaste for bland office life, but I'm seeing more and more humanities majors entering the workforce in a job unrelated to their career ambition.

College degrees of all types can be useful as a social status indicator for job interviews, but I want to learn, I don't want to work at a coffee shop. Also, I can read books myself, and don't need burnt out professors lecturing me on Nietzsche or the geopolitical issues in Africa.

>>1737807
Wait, what? I just posted an image that was supposed to refer to this guy's pompous, sanctimonious attitude and you manage to draw the conclusion that i'm waging a war on the humanities from it?
wtf

>>1737816
sorry, meant to reply to >>1737813

I believe that all college majors are equally useless and ridiculous. The student grovels to the financial aid office for scholarships, then spends four to six years sitting in lecture halls and reading texts, writing essays, and taking exams. At the end of this, the student is given a degree. This degree, and not the path that ends with it, is a major motivator for students. Parents, teachers, and peers pressure high school graduates into attending colleges, and selecting a field of study. This is not inherently bad, but it seems that universities have lowered their standards in order to accommodate recent trends in college enrollment. It has become very important (and now, practical) for people of all economic situations to attend college and earn their degrees.

I do not want to take out thousands of dollars in loans right now. I am entering adulthood, and accumulating student loans is the first step in a lifelong struggle with debt. The perceived social value of a college degree is not enough to persuade me to continue my studies. In my admittedly limited experience in a run-of-the-mill state school, I've decided that academia is not worth it for me.

This is not to say that education isn't valuable. Critical thinking and literacy skills are important to me, but I am dissatisfied with the way they are presented in colleges, especially considering the thousands of tuition checks the university receives.

>>1737821
Lol, bro, get your wits about you: you're being retarded.

>>1737811
All value is subjective, remember? It's up to the student to make his knowledge and ability valuable to someone. If you think humanities degrees are objectively worthless, you are not a capitalist.

>major in English
>something I love
>working day jobs for cash
>hope something pans out but I'm loving life

>friend is a civic engineer
>hates his life
>constantly working
>stopped doing any of his hobbies
>stopped working out
>all he does is work and sleep

somehow, I think I'll be okay not being super rich or anything. At least I won't want to blow my brains out

>>1737826

>Six years

Only if they:

-"took a break" from school to work or fuck off around the countryside playing at being Holden Caulfield for a few months

-Were in community college

-Had a full-time job

OR:

-Did a real fuck-up job in their first few years of uni, changed their major several times, lost their scholarship, etc. and are now paying the price for it. Basically, it's mostly losers that go to college or uni for any more than 4 years unless they are in a 5/6 year program like Engineering or something.

>The math majors in your class were simply more mature than the kids that think wearing flannel and listening to Incubus gives them a "unique, artistic personality."

Actually, i'm doing mathematics because it's what I was told I was good at since I was about 6 years old, even though I mostly lost interest in it a few years ago. I wanted to get into University because i'm a lazy shit and don't want to do a job. Mathematics was the easiest, least stressful way to go because it's what i'm comfortable with and I didn't have to go to the trouble of explaining to my parents and teachers that i'd rather do something else.
I'm completely a manchild.
And you're fucking dumb.

>>1737816
No, they were boring tools, unable to have fun in the subtleties in everyday life, preparing themselves for an uneventful life followed by an unnoteworthy death.
Of course, this is all just my opinion on their 'choice' of living, but I swiftly realized this wasn't the place where I'd find personal fulfillment.

Also,
>flanel
>incubus
what is this? 2002? Are you even trying?

>>1737832
I agree with you about the reasons for six-year graduates. It's frustrating to me seeing self proclaimed "super-seniors" telling me the captivating story of how their major changed over time. Anyway, my school encourages kids to declare "undecided/open option" in their first year or two of college to "figure things out and test out their options". This seems to make sense- who'd want to rush into something you don't want to do? But what they don't tell you is that many majors have HUGE credit-hour requirements, and you'll be left in the dust if you don't choose quickly. One of many ways colleges leech money off of poor kids just starting out in life.

>>1737852
fuck you, you made me spew diet coke out my nose onto my keyboard

>>1737851

>huge credit requirements

Yeah, this is a major problem for me right now. I'm transferring from a community college into an International Affairs program at a state uni and am really just not sure how I'll keep up with credit requirements in the expected amount of time, especially since I want to pursue a minor in Humanities as well as my major.

>>1737850

All of the artsy/music kids at the local uni seem to be either converse wearing twits who are all like "omg the guy from incubus is so hottt" or they are somehow regressing to their high school otaku or goth phase.

>>1737863
I can see this happening, but stereotypes about appearance don't really help your argument. I do agree about humanities majors- I know a Women's Studies major who's a crazy fat suicidal bitch, an Art History major who is a deluded pseudo-intellectual wannabe hipster, and a Film major who only likes Michael Bay.

>>1737857
see, it comes both ways. A philosophy major in my school only requires 27 credit hours of philosophy courses, but you have to fill up the remaining credit hours with stupid shit you don't care about or a minor.

>>1737871

>Art History major

There are actually people who major in that?

>>1737878
Yeah, apparently the course work is full of rich snobs and trust-fund hipsters. I guess the career path associated with an Art History major is curator or art gallery owner, but honestly, I don't see how someone who's from a middle class background can afford to run a gallery or know the kind of people you'd need to to be a curator.

>>1737884
>trust-fund

Almost everyone in my family in my parents' generation was a trust-fund kid. My mother, my aunt and my uncle all got into Ivy League schools on a cross between trust-fund money and star grades. Makes me envious when I realize all I've got so far is two years of cheap but stressful community college and a tentative two-year stint for a B.A.

>>1737863
Aye, but you probably live in the States, which, except for some parts of NY and LA, is the last place you'll find an interesting artist, not to mention an interesting liberal arts student.

>>1737811
Capitalism may be based on that, but now capitalism is selling your life to whoever pays you the highest salary and doing exactly what they tell you until the day you retire because you're so old that you're unable to make a change or carry out your dreams.

>>1737884

I was pretty sure most people just saw Art History as some bullshit you major in so you have the grades to get into an elite law school after your B.A.

>>1737863
>>1737871
>>1737875
>>1737878
>>1737884

ITT: fallacies

>>1737913
someone took an intro level philosophy course and likes throwing around the word "fallacy"

University: where children go to pretend they are adults

I'm thinking of changing my employment information on my facebook profile to "McDonalds" and where it says "Current Position:" I'm gonna write "Liberal arts major."

>>1737924
First year uni student and that seems so fucking true. I was expecting classes that actually encouraged thinking deeply about topics, but instead it's just high school bullshit all over again with 10x the work. Currently trying to figure out how I can drop out and still support myself, because this sure as hell ain't for me.

>>1737931

Every freshman says "this ain't for me." Then they either man the fuck up and get used to it or they make an actual decision of whether or not they want to stay.

>>1737933
Then I hope my decision is the right one. Right now I'm just thinking about taking a year off to get my shit together, but I'll see how I feel about it at the end of the summer.

>>1737924
is this why the general atmosphere is so depressing

>>1737931
if you're an outdoor type, work on an organic farm or commune. WWOOF involves exchanging 6 hours of work on the weekdays for food and rent. Communes generally don't require any form of education, only an interviewing process. Some give you a small salary in addition to home-grown organic food and nice accommodations.

http://www.wwoof.org/
http://www.ic.org/

>>1737946

>6 hours of work on the weekdays

So a few hours of easy work and then you go fuck off?

I don't believe that. Smells like bullshit to me.

>>1737946
/lit/, I think I love you. The posts in this thread are the first I've ever made here, and you actually gave me real substantial advice. I'm touched. :)

A couple of my cousins are farmers and they are the smartest people I have ever met, extremely well-read and one of them built his house entirely with the lumber on his own land, and generates his own electricity so he doesn't live on the grid. Seems like a fantastic way of life.

>>1737946

>6 hours of work on the weekdays

and here i spent years working twelve hours of night shifts standing watch so no one got fucked in the ass

you guys are all so fucked. you don't go to university in the humanities and sit in classes and hold out your hand and say "give me wisdom, because i am paying you!" take theory courses and other shit like that. ask a lot of questions.
if there is anything sacred in the humanities, people like you fags are trying to kill it. do your own work. the profs aren't registered smart-makers.

>>1737958

>fantastic way of life

If you call living in the exact same place and doing the exact same shit for most of your whole life a fantastic way of life, sure

>>1737884
or you could just work in a gallery or museum

what's all this "career path" shit like you have to be top dog in your field and make mad bank

how about just working a fucking job and living out your life, which is exactly what 95% of people will be doing regardless of what they major in or how much ambition or smarts they have

not hating on ambition, i just don't get this generation's attitude towards achievement. like why does the end result of such a major have to be owning or curating a gallery? not everyone can be a rock star. maybe you end up a bartender or a marketing director. my dad majored in psychology and ended up in journalism

i also think "trust fund kids" are largely a myth but then again i've never lived in new york. i've never known anyone who didn't have to choose between working and living like a bum or moving back home

>>1737980

>trust fund kids

If you have ever met a doctor's kid or a lawyer's kid, you have met a trust-fund kid. They exist, and I have relatives whose college expenses were paid largely through trust-funds.

>>1737832

This attitude really gets under my skin. I did a B.A. in English and was quite academically successful (Summa Cum Laude honors student), got involved on campus (lit mag editor, published some poems), plus I had to work weekends. I busted my ass. Still, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life, and ended up going back for another year and a half to earn teaching certification after my degree. I'm now a member of a professional organization, have some teaching experience, and pretty am well-situated to start a career.

It's totally reasonable for someone to take longer than 4 years figuring out what they want to do with their life. Switching majors doesn't make you a lesser person or some shit.

Christ, it's like /sci/ thinks the only options are engineering or being a fuck-up alcoholic destitute hipster. Get off 4chan, people.

>>1737975
He's also extremely involved in the local community and he sure as hell seems to love it, I don't see what's so bad about that.

>>1737975

What's wrong with living on a farm & being almost completely self-sufficient? If I could say I'd built my own house, I'd be pretty damn proud of myself.

>>1737951
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=wwoof&aq=f
http://gogreentravelgreen.com/volunteering-abroad/11-things-to-know-before-you-wwoof/
http://current.newsweek.com/budgettravel/2009/07/new_youth_travel_trend_wwoofin.html

I can generally spot scams pretty easily, and this seems legitimate enough. You pay $30 to become a member, then contact farms in the desired area. You agree on the length of your stay, then you can move on to the next farm if you want. The hosts benefit by having another worker to weed/shovel/clean and not having to pay him. You benefit by not paying rent or utilities. This is generally something done by recent college graduates who take some time off for travel, but don't want to spend money on accommodations.

>>1737986
>>1737990

I know personally I wouldn't want to stay in one single place and have to maintain it for any length of time.

>>1737990
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0WyvlNjeY4

this is an example of a place that accepts people into their community, and encourages them to build their own houses

>>1738003

Alright, so if you like to travel & you can't commit to one thing for long, that's your own deal. It's a huge accomplishment to successfully keep a farm running. Don't knock it 'cause it ain't for you.

>>1738003
WWOOF is travel oriented. This means moving with the seasons as you please. There are locations in 50 countries, and they're generally open to foreigners.

>>1737998

>commune

Aren't those covers for illegal drug activity a lot? Like, I've heard of a few communes in the midwest that got caught up in FBI raids for that reason.

>>1738003
Eh, I've grown up in a rural area my whole life, and I much prefer the serenity and solitude of the countryside to moving around all over the place. I'd much rather wake up every morning to the natural beauty of a country farm where I can feel secure. But that's just me.

>>1738017
Yeah, in the 60s-70s counterculture, there were plenty of communes dedicated to hard drugs and/or group sex. The few that have survived are generally more about being self-sufficient, non-religious, and having a nice community in a place that isn't covered in buildings and pavement.

>>1737998
If only the farmer would pay the participant a small fee for extra work, we've actually found a modern situation where we'd be able to say:"Today, I've worked for $30 and found."

>>1737946

What a nice way to create resume gaps that will immediately cause any employer to throw your application in the toilet.
Or if they do decide to interview you I'm sure you'll enjoy being laughed out of the office when you tell them you wandered around the earth lending a helping hand to hippy dippy organic garden communes. What a joke.

>>1738009
This screams "cult" to me... but still it's a pretty cool way to live.

>>1738040
>implying I ever want to work in an office
>pointing out your own insecurities and justifications for sticking with a situation you hate so that you can be seen favorably by some fat CEO

>>1738044

>this screams "cult" to me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWHlvtWhum0

>>1738049
I chuckled

Since this is a college thread, does anyone know who the best English teachers at UPenn are? I'm going there next semester (already accepted) so I wouldn't mind a bit of a heads up.

I CAN WORK FOR MYSELF
I CAN WORK FOR THE GOVERNMENT
I CAN WORK FOR ALL INDUSTRIES OF ALL SIZES, WITH WORK PROSPECTS LITERALLY IN EVERY COUNTRY, WITH MY PROFESSION ALWAYS IN DEMAND
I CAN BE THE BEST ACCOUNTANT IN THE WORLD
FOR I AM CAPSGUY

>>1738060
http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/SelectTeacher.jsp?the_dept=English&orderby=TLName&letter=A&a
mp;sid=1275

you'll have to look through all 26 letters, but here's some reviews of the english profs

>>1738068

Thanks. Appreciated.

>>1738068

Nina Auerbach sounds like a winner.

>>1738068

Oh, my. The sheer volume of English professors there with poor ratings is rather astounding.

>>1738083
ratings should be taken with a grain of salt. Some are just idiots who are sore about getting a bad grade in the class.

>>1738068
lol @ anyone taking ratemyprofessors seriously

>>1738084

Only to be expected from self-entitled Ivy Leaguers, I suppose.

THIS IS ALL SUBJECTIVE, ITS JUST WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY - IF YOU'RE OKAY WITH A HUMANITIES DEGREE AND WORKING DAY JOBS WHILE LOOKING FOR A CAREER, AND IF IT MAKES YOU HAPPY, WHO ARE THE MATH/SCIENCE MAJORS TO SAY ANYTHING? AND VICA VERSA; IF MATH/SCIENCE MAJORS WANT TO WORK ALL THE TIME AND NOT ENJOY IT, WHO CARES?

IT'S ALL SUBJECTIVE AND OPINIONS!

>>1737647
Hey, sorry guy, I had to go to bed on this.

Anyway, it wasn't tough, but I'm not sure that experience is indicative across the board (I've got a friend who graduated after me who is, all things being equal, a better writer than me, and he can't find a job anywhere).

My best advice is to focus on networking and do what freelance stuff you can in the meantime. The experience means a lot, but you absolutely HAVE to have the degree. It helps to be in a program that does internships.

I'd also suggest writing resumes for folks. It gives you both experience and makes some valuable, networkable connections.

>Capitalism is based on people making a living through hard work and effort.

>Socialism is based on government handouts, and as for communism, we all know how that turned out.

>Capitalism is the only really respectable system. You can try to hide out from it all you want in a state of perpetual childhood but you still need to work to make a living. Adam's gotta take a bite out of that apple and leave the Garden of Eden someday...

This is the stupidest shit I've ever heard, if your going to make a comment about economic systems at least know something about them. Also, communism only progressed Russia 75 years in 10 and it made it a superpower. So, I guess we don't all know how that turned out do we. Can't tell if your a troll or just stupid.

>implying math/science majors dont struggle to find work as much as humanities graduates
>implying working in science pays well
>implying it isnt the most soul crushing thing you will ever do
>implying a math degree is any use in the slightest if you cant think of a way to apply it
>implying the same isnt actually true of any degree
>implying a degree = jobs

>>1739106
implying you can't be a bio major creative writing minor like i am

>>1739110

>implying I implied that

As long as there's some cash flow it doesn't matter.

Just don't scab off your parents... Nothing pisses me off more than seeing families send each other to court after a parent or provider dies.

Apparently some people think majoring in math and science makes you immortal. Because if you spent your life in those professions and then died, I don't see how that is anything but pathetic.

Sorry for trying to introduce some kind of meaning into my life. Plus reading is entertaining and instructive.

>>1739146
the point of majoring in math and science is that it gives you a foundation with which to understand the world. most of my favorite author's have math and science backgrounds. i think the english major is only worthwhile to refine your craft, but as far as learning goes, i haven't learned dick about the world in an english class

>>1737532
You want a big glass of hot water with a little espresso in it? now that is a faggot's drink.

>>1739106
Hmmm. . . well if you love science, then obtaining a degree in it won't exactly be "soul-crushing", wouldn't you think?

>>1739160
Of course math and science are important subjects and we need people to study them and go into their professions. And some background in them is good for anyone, hence liberal arts education. But it's not for everybody.

I aced every math and science class I've ever taken all the way through college Calculus and Physics. At a private high school and a top-tier college. Straight A's, easy as hell. I couldn't believe anybody found it confusing. I had a few math and science professors personally asking me to major in their subjects.

But I was bored and unchallenged by anything except writing. So when people say I'm stupid because I'm an English major, you could see how I get annoyed.

http://www.forbes.com/2008/06/18/college-majors-lucrative-lead-cx_kb_0618majors_slide_16.html?thisSp
eed=undefined

>English is 15th most lucrative college major. Behind other "useless" majors like History, Political Science, and Communications.
>English has huge transfer rates into medical school and law school.

Herp derp

>>1739188
>English ahead of Biology and Criminal Justice
>Sciencefags and lawfags face when

>obvious troll thread is nonetheless very successful

Day by day I despise 4chan more and more. You've given me a useful overview of a lot of writers and without you there are many things I would never have taken an interest in or read. But the time is coming to say goodbye. This place has little less to offer me.

>>1739206
How ever will we go on....

>>1739188
>mfw im a computer engineer

>>1739206
You don't have to read the troll thread. All the troll did was bring up a topic we like to talk about. Everybody knows it's a troll, you cunt. Nobody made us do anything.

In fact, nobody asked you to come here at all. So fuck off. Good riddance.

That being said, we'll see you back here tomorrow, if not sooner.

>>1739206

Huh, I've also come to question my daily routine of visiting 4chan. I don't if I have outgrown it, but there nothing really interesting and outstanding here - it's just the same bullshit on every board.

what

>>1739188
Considering the absolutely astonishing amount of people with English degrees that go into teaching or some other form of public education and get paid shit, bringing that overall average way down, that's actually quite impressive.

Basically, the people who major in English and DON'T go into teaching are making fucking bank.

>>1739188
Considering the absolutely astonishing amount of people with English degrees that go into teaching or some other form of public education and get paid shit, bringing that overall average way down, that's actually quite impressive.

Basically, the people who major in English and DON'T go into teaching are making fucking bank. I remember reading a statistic that the largest amount of majors in the video game industry are English (outnumber both computer science and art graduates), and considering how massive that industry is, I'm not that surprised that they do so well.

English ain't such a bad major.

>>1739195

There is a LOT of work in the field of Criminal Justice, but much of it is not high-paying work, and most of it you just need some kind of professional certification for, not a full degree.

when did "college" become synonymous with "trade school"?

>>1739444

some people want college to basically just be a vocational school because, you know, late-capitalism is the meaning of life.

>>1739430

wait so what can you do with an english major in Video game industry ?

you're not saying video game companies actually care about an english degree looool

>>1739480

Comp Sci majors can program, but can they write an entertaining story? Can they proofread text other than HTML? Solution: call your local goddamn English major.

>>1739480
>wait so what can you do with an english major in Video game industry ?

Aside from things like writing a game's story, writing press releases, and writing the game's manuals/documentation?

sage because troll thread

>implying being an english major makes you creative and a good writer

most good writers aren't english majors, they are self-taught or come from other fields...

99% of games have shit stories that seem to have been written by comp sci majors


so I dunno what kind of fairy tale land you live in, but an English degree is essentially useless

>>1739502
Well, if you want to use that logic.....

Most good programmers don't learn a whole lot by majoring in computer science, but they learn by working in the industry and by personal projects. I've met many good programmers who were either English or philosophy majors and I've met many shitty programmers who were computer science majors.

I'm being trolled =(

>>1739502
>Forbes says English is fifteenth most lucrative college degree, ahead of Biology
>fag on 4chan says English degree is useless

GEE I WONDER WHICH ONE I SHOULD BELIEVE

>>1739502
video game creation is less than 10% of what goes on in the video games industry. Hell, the biggest money makers in video games are publishers, and they don't even make games (well, they buy out and own studios who make games exclusively for them, but we're talking the publisher itself here, not wholly owned subsidiaries), and what comes with huge businesses? A lot of fucking paperwork. English graduates are invaluable to business, big and small, but mostly big, because they can write up legible documentation and communication both internally and externally. It has nothing to do with creativity, it has to do with basic and advanced grammar skills. Ever heard of copy-editors? Because you can be damn skippy 99% of every business has one or multiple of them in one form or another.

Video game industry = massive business
Massive businesses = lots of writing work, both creative and otherwise
Lots of writing work = lots of hired English graduates
Lots of writing work at lucrative companies = lots of hired English graduates making more money than you, and actually enjoying their education because they get to have fun and do critical thinking. Not memorize equations and dates.

You must be mad. Are you mad? Yeah, you mad.

>>1739599
>ad hominem attack
>believing forbes magazine

i'm not even that guy but nugget you stoop stoop

>>1739604
I completely agree with everything you said except...

>and actually enjoying their education because they get to have fun and do critical thinking. Not memorize equations and dates.

>implying people can't enjoy work in science, math, and engineering
>implying no critical thinking goes on in those fields

>Bro is an American Studies major/English minor
>Graduating next month with a Bachelor's, and already has a fellowship lined up at an Alternative Learning school on the east coast
>They're paying for his food, housing, and giving him a respectable weekly allowance to essentially be a glorified tutor/teacher's aid
>He has a guaranteed position within the school, or at another alternative learning school after the fellowship is over

How's that for useless majors? I also have a girlbro who is a Communications Major/English Minor and she just got an internship at Colombia Pictures here in Los Angeles. Her older sister, also a Communications Major/English Minor is among the upper management within Activision's PR and Marketing department.

Science can eat a dick.

>>1739616

>American studies major

Hahahaha, people actually major in STUDYING AMERICA? Can't you just walk outside your house one day and do that?

>Alternative Learning school

Probably because he can relate to the tards at an alternative learning center better

>On the east coast
>not the west coast

He done goof'd

>>1739616

>Activision

What a joke. Activision hasn't been relevant since the 90s. No wonder they're hiring the lowest of the intellectual low.

>>1739659
it's not a special school

It's one of those government funded schools that is free to develop it's own curriculum than the district it's in. Students are picked by lottery and there are huge waiting lists. They have far better test scores and results than the regular public school system. Not sure what they're called exactly, "Alternative Learning" may have been the wrong title.

He's actually one of the smartest people I've ever met.

>>1739674

>Activision publishes the highest-grossing titles in the business
>poor attempt at trolling

>>1739674
>Activision publishes Call of Duty: Black Ops
>Black Ops reached $1,000,000,000 (that's one billion dollars) in sales within 6 weeks of being released
>irrelevant

>>1739675

Those are called "Magnet Schools," also known as "Maggot schools" and "FAGnet schools" by people who actually learned a real high school curriculum and not watered-down New Age touchey-feeley bullshit.

Well. This thread has gotten even more ridiculous than when I first left it.

Listen, guys, it's really easy. The major you take in college matters, literally, dick, to the life you lead later on. As long as you do decently well, learn some shit, and figure out how to apply it later on to a career, it's really ok.

Also, it's ok to be a teacher. I know most of you self-entitled malcontents have a hard on for anti-education rants, but half the reason you can pretend to be articulate you owe to your teachers.

inb4 I get called a teacher or some other nonsense, I'm this guy:
>>1737620

And I make a shitload of money. Problem?

OY! English Adolescence Education major here. I'm beginning to have doubts about my career choice, but I don't want to change my major.

My dream-job would have to be in editing. From what I've heard, internships, connections, and work experience are what's crucial to the field. Could I build up a good resume while keeping my major as Education?

>>1739744
Why not? Do you enjoy it? Are you learning something?

That's all that really matters.

>>1739747

I view teaching a high school or middle school English classroom as something I will be able to succeed at well enough. Basically, it's going to be one of those "it pays the bills and doesn't bore me to death, so I don't give a fuck." The major itself is teaching me extremely valuable things - notably: the use of technology in classrooms (this shit can be applied to a PLETHORA of other fields) and the mechanics of the English language.

The thing is: I'm beginning to realize more and more that my passion lies in the publication and editing process. I don't even give a fuck about writing - I just want to collaborate with others and be a part of publication. Even if it's just correcting other people's mistakes, I would absolutely love it.

So yeah - it's simply a matter of passion vs. security. But if the optimal situation holds true (I'm able to build up nice, juicy credentials while getting a teaching certificate) I'll have the best of both worlds.

> majored in public speech communications
> mostly enjoyable, average pay

I hate being in the middle here.

what

>>1739690
WHELP, my "New Age touchey-feeley" bro is lolling all the way from Southern California to Boston where he'll be put up in an apartment paid for with your tax dollars, as he eats food also provided by your tax dollars, as he waits out a fellowship, after which he'll get a nice fat paycheck, which not only be bigger than yours, but in part paid for by you by way of your tax dollars.

Lol, useless majors. So useless.