The Most Important Major in the World

Is your goal in life to graduate from college and become a mountain hermit? Do you plan to live off the land surrounding your hermit hut so that you never have to see another human being for the rest of your life?

If you answered to “no” to both of these questions, then keep reading… (If you answered yes then why are you even reading this blog in the first place?)

Money Doesn’t Buy Happiness: Why Forgetting this Old Adage is Hurting America (and maybe some other places too)

When I was in grade school adults used to tell me things like, you can be a doctor and help people, or you can be an astronaut and fly to the stars, or a dancer and bring beauty to the lives of millions. By the time I got to high school “adult” attitudes had greatly changed. You should be a doctor or lawyer because you can make a lot of money. Don’t go into theater, you’ll end up as a waitress. Having now been in college for several years it has become, What are you going to do with that degree? How much can you make with that?

This coming from a demographic that boasts a 70% dissatisfaction with their jobs. Yep – these are the people that want me to listen to them about employment.

AAA Series: Conference Tidal Waves

I just returned from the AAAs in Chicago (the American Anthropological Association meetings – not the other AAA) and I am again motivated with ideas for this blog; not to mention flooded with ideas for my dissertation, future research, places I’d like to work when I graduate, and a million other academic, professional, and personal insights for my life. This is why I love conferences. In the next few days, as my mind mulls over all that I learned over the last 4 days, I will be posting a series on my experiences, insights, and new questions.

However … as great as this intellectual stimulation was, in truth, it wasn't all roses and my love/hate relationship with conferences continues.

Unnecessary College: Part 1: The Money Myth

This past weekend Bill Maher had Mike Rowe on his show. (See clip above.) Mike talked about the plethora of blue collar jobs going unfilled in America - where unemployment is high - because these jobs are not sexy. High schools, Mike says, are pushing everyone into going to college, whether or not the kids want to. I would argue, after being both a college student, TA, and a lecturer now, that high schools, "common knowledge", parents, and who knows what else, are also pushing kids to go to college whether or not they are really ready. I realize that this may seem weird coming from a dorky PhD student who has literally devoted her life to academia, but college is not the end-all-be-all (or at least it shouldn't be). College is not for everyone. In general, this is has nothing to do with intelligence, but with personality and differing aptitudes. Unfortunately, this topic is too big for just one post, so after the jump I will begin by discussing financial aspects of college that go beyond what "common knowledge" likes to pretend.