Monday, October 20, 2014

Does the Major Matter?

I get a lot of flack for having chosen English in college, as opposed to Education or Biology or Mathematics, but especially in comparison to Business. Most people aren't too surprised though--I'm very vocal about my love of reading. Recently, though, I've spoken to several former classmates and they're usually stunned when I tell them it doesn't matter what your degree is in, as long as you can sell it to an employer. 
     Now, I don't mean that someone with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature should be performing open-heart surgery--definitely go get your medical doctorate and specialize in cardiology, then have at it. I mean that for most positions I've come across, the degree itself is what matters. There will always be jobs and positions where a specialized degree is helpful, but just as important is the ability to sell your degree to the employer. 
     Recently I came across an article that explains (somewhat sarcastically) why humanities majors should be considered--with our indirect specialties and rounded curriculum--and why you're "An Idiot" if you don't hire from the humanities. More helpful was a webpage I discovered when I was looking for work--while it didn't help directly with finding a job, it gave me a jumping-off point for my search. 
     My point, I guess is that so long as you're hard working, passionate, and can apply what you do it doesn't matter what your degree is in, so long as you finish. But please, if you want to become a medical doctor or work in a field that requires a specialized degree, go get that specialized degree. 

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Book Challenge -- Day 21


21. Books I'd Recommend:

Not all of these are books I loved, or even books I liked, some of these are books that changed how I think about the world and myself, others are books that I've turned to in order to stop thinking about the world. For more books I've read you can visit my blog: Picks Off the Bookshelf.
  1. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
  2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  3. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
  4. Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul by John & Stasi Eldridge
  5. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
  6. A Midsummer's Night Dream by William Shakespeare
  7. Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carlson Levine
  8. A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf
  9. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
  10. Dearest Mary Jane by Betty Neels

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Book Challenge -- Day 20

20. Favorite covers
Clockwork Princess
Cassandra Clare
Chronicles of Narnia
C.S. Lewis

Entwined
Heather Dixon
The Queen of Attolia
Megan Whalen Turner




The Map of Time
Felix J. Palma
The Grim Legacy
Polly Shulman

The Faerie Ring 
Kiki Hamilton
The Undead Pool
Kim Harrison

The Thirteenth Tale
Diane Setterfield