Career vs. Your College Degree? How did you choose after college?

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I’ve been struggling a lot with what career to pursue. So I was interested - what degrees do you hold and what is your current occupation?

I have a Microbiology and Psychology Degree. I aspired to attend medical school in undergrad and am still showing interest, but I’m just unsure. Working in the medical field the last couple years has taught me how much medicine in the US is mainly just a business and based on statistics rather than doing what’s best for people. This bothers me so I’ve had doubts since that time.

So I’m curious as to how people choose and find their careers. Honestly, I’m unsure how to proceed. For some time now, I’ve entertained the idea of religious life, but I’ve also struggled the whole time I’ve been Catholic with my faith and have been inactive with the Church for several months, therefore this does not seem realistic. It’s just something that always makes its way into the back of my mind I guess.
 
I have a music performance degree. I own a lumberyard/hardware store. If you can figure out how that happened, please tell me because I have no idea.
 
@PaulfromIowa No, not at all. I mean statistics like, for example, 1) who can discharge and admit patients the quickest (without regard to sincerely treating and finding the root cause of a person’s problem) 2) who can see the most patients in x amount of time? 3) patient “satisfaction” rates which are based on keeping people happy instead of properly treating their conditions - there’s more but that all I’ll say for now.

Also how everything is money based and aimed at increasing the value of a patient’s visit to see the MD, instead of testing and treating only what is necessary. Sadly, this is too common.
 
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My degree and my career have pretty much nothing to do with each other.

I was an English Literature major and loved it, with a minor in Biology and Physics. Go figure. Also a minor in Theology because it was a Catholic university and that was what they required at the time.

During and after college, I worked at a hospital as a Central Service tech, then 4 yrs in the USAF working with ICBM system electronics. Then three years as a stockbroker, one year as a banker, and finally a civil service job as an underwriter for home loans, then a loan servicer, appraiser, property manager, and into management, and eventually retired.

I learned a lot, none of it having to do with English Lit, except for a volunteer stint as a newsletter editor.

But I don’t regret the English degree.
 
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PaulfromIowa said:
You mean statistics about what keeps people alive? Is Evidence Based Medicine a bad thing?
Click to expand...
Well, if you read Dr. Douglas Farrago’s Authentic Medicine Blog, it may be a bad thing. It tends to come between a doc and the patient and not take into account a doctor’s individual knowledge of an individual patient, and his own medical judgment, which is increasingly being superseded by government and insurance company standards. (I used to subscribe to his Placebo Journal, but it was supplanted by the blog,)
 
My coworker had a degree in History. He ended up first as a Marine, then as a real estate appraiser, and now supervises specially adapted housing.
 
My degrees were in Museum Studies, Archaeology, and Library Science.

I worked as a secretary when I wanted to be a museum curator (because all the local museums were building, not hiring, when I moved to my City). I had planned on the Library Science degree being a stepping-stone to a PhD in paper conservation (historic documents, not recycling), but life put me on a detour. I worked in public libraries until we started our family.

Now, I’m a SAHM, a substitute teacher, and a landlady. I doubt I’ll ever be in a position to pursue that PhD… it’s been too long since I’ve had my “student” brain sharp and functioning. If I do go back to school, it would be more practical for me to pick up a CNA for my back pocket, to help as our parents get older. My youngest is entering first grade next year, so I’ll have a decision to make. It was hard for me to leave the workforce, and not having that solid salary to tie my household contributions to, but I’ll probably dedicate more of my time to running the rental biz properly, rather than doing the 8-5 for someone else. But I do like to keep current on what’s going on at school (and keep looking good on paper) by subbing.
 
Hey! me too! Piano Performance.
Later in life a Masters in Catholic Theology.
Both listed in Yahoo’s Top 10 Most USeless degrees in terms of earning.
Turns out they’re correct, LOL
Working for the church is the best job I’ve ever had though.

OP: Be sure to factor in satisfactoin, not just $$$ when deciding.
 
My degrees are both in Social Work and I work in the field (mental health). But I’d love to earn a certificate in theology just for personal/spiritual growth.
 
I have a degree in philosophy. I am currently a substitute teacher. I’m considering law school, graduate school, or a teaching credential.

Oddly enough, I need only organic chemistry to qualify for med school. The credential will take half a year to get my requirements.
 
Sociology and criminal justice. Spent the first Seven years out of college as a police officer but was injured in a car accident and unable to continue that career. Worked for our state level Dept of Justice for many years as a criminal justice planner and loved it. After my divorce I switched to a job in IT because I needed more money to support myself.

Thinking about getting a master’s degree in counseling so I can begin a second career when I retire from state government.
 
Without going into the whole long story, I did not “choose after college” because my father felt quite strongly that when you went to college (an expensive proposition and one that my parents could just barely afford even though I got a huge amount of scholarship aid), you better be majoring in something that would lead directly to job openings when you got out in four years. He was a labor analyst, he and my mom came from working-class backgrounds, he had never finished college himself (and I think he regretted that but didn’t feel in a position to go back), our family did not have a lot of money (the parents owned a small home, one car, and we ate lots of hamburger) and he wanted to see me finish and get a good job, probably in part because he thought he might not be around that many more years due to health problems. He was correct in that thought as he died when I was 26.

So I went to college, majored in engineering that in those days pretty much guaranteed you a job after 4 years, clocked my 4 years (not without a lot of headaches because the grading curve was designed to weed out 2/3 of the people in the program), got out, got a job, and worked it for 13 years before I went back to school and changed careers in order to make more money.

I wasn’t into all that “What color is your parachute?” kind of career naval-gazing. A job is a job. A job with a good paycheck is a good job. A job with a better paycheck is a better job. This is how you think when you come from the Rust Belt.
 
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This may not help you practically, because I´m from germany and our education system is different. But maybe general as a personal view:
Coming from a rather poor family, I worked after secondary school certificate in retail trade and passed my school exams necessary for university after work. I considered entering the police or military, but finally decided to “follow my dreams” and signed in for history. First degrees are done, master will be done next year. I love my studies and my work (had the luck being offered a small job at university during my studies), BUT it burned alot of money (student loans are often necessary even if you work - I needed them with two jobs because in exam times you need every minute).
Now, the job chances in the history department in germany are more than bad. Contracts for only a few months, you need often work without payment as a trainee for one or two years bevore you get a chance, you need to move outside germany. These are things most only can afford with richer parents. So, now as I am married and my husband has the same problem (exactly the same profession) we have to look for completely other jobs - our degrees are mostly worthless for earning money.
-Do I regret my education? No. It´s what I love and opened my eyes to so many things.
-Would I do the same again? Not at all. I would study beside a not loved, but more lucrative job to not have to make those student loans. Hubby and me struggling with this so much now.
So, for you, IF you chose a way with insecure future job chances, only do it if you really, really love it - and if you can still endure the thought of not working in this field after you are done.
-consider making smaller degrees so you have job opportunities short term. Life changes, so you need to earn money maybe faster than you think.
-think rather of what you would like to work every day, not what you would like to be. If I wouldn´t like paper work, organising conferences and lectoring texts, I would be unhappy with being a historian, no matter how much I would have enjoyed my studies or the job description.
-Do you have hobbies? Maybe hobbies worth thinking about as a future job? An example: When I was a child, I started learning tailoring. It has helped me as a part time work next to my studies very well.
-Every job is annoying after 8 hours. Even you dream job. So, think carefully how much opportunities this job gives you for the time after those 8 working hours (enough money for free time and a nice appartment? A good health?)
-Think about how important stability is for you. You may enjoy travelling for your job now, but can you imagine this with a family/friends/ etc?
Hope this is in a way helpful 🙂
 
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I had initially attended practical nursing school at a business college with the intention of entering religious life after graduation.

Due to finances, I moved to a four/five year undergraduate college in order to work towards a generic bachelor’s in nursing. I burned out, and returned an English major (which was the usual trend for those who left nursing).

My alma mater is a work college, and I had waitressed in their restaurant; clerked in the bookstore; ran the audio-visual lab in the nursing dept; then was an assistant secretary for the same. The college’s philosophy was that if you couldn’t find a job in your major, your labor program experience would help land a job. In my case, it certainly did. I also discerned my vocation to the Dominican laity while in college.

After graduation, I went on vocation retreat with the Visitation. I had planned to enter, when family issues arose. I relocated to live with one of my sisters and her family. I was also going to pay off educational debt which my parents had been willing to take care of. My spiritual director agreed that I should also have the experience of running my own household. I landed a few jobs through Manpower, but my sister and BIL both worked for a utility in the area, and through Manpower, I gained secretarial employment with the utility. I became “regular” in my third job with the agency. I have a five-year service award from them. I met hubby at church and the rest is history, as they say.

Blessings,
Mrs Cloisters OP
Lay Dominican
http://cloisters.tripod.com/
http://cloisters.tripod.com/charity/
 
Before trying to discern your vocation and even make decisions about your future, I would make every effort to make sure your faith-life is on track.
Personally, I ended up going through the listing of majors in the college course catalog and doing process of elimination. This is before religious life was even on the radar for me, though. I ended up majoring in communications.
Sr. Christina Marie, OSF
https://ourfrancicscanfiat.wordpress.com
 
religious life should be considered. Not really an “occupation”.
 
I double majored in Spanish and International Studies and minored in Sociology. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with it but figured that if I knew enough Spanish, I could find a job. I did, as a bilingual parish secretary. Now I work for the diocese, assisting Spanish-speaking families enter Catholic schools.

I didn’t end up where I thought I would, but knowing Spanish helped me meet my future husband. I don’t think I would have met him had I not learned Spanish, as that is his maternal language. So you never really know!
 
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Very interesting! I actually love seeing all the differences in what you’ve done over the years!
 
I totally agree with this and, honestly, in terms of money I just want enough to make a decent living like most people. According to the standards of many, my family didn’t have a lot of money growing up. but honestly we managed just fine. That’s why I think the business aspect of medicine isn’t for me. I think there’s a chance I’d be happy in a community clinic instead of hospital setting, but I guess we will see. 🙂
 
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