School and Career
By Transformed
@Transformed (1259)
United States
May 11, 2007 3:05pm CST
How much did "school" help you towards your current job? Do you feel as if the education you received in high school and/or college and/or grad school was sufficient enough to propel you to your career and if it was, what did you like about the curriculum? Are you content at your current job now? Some people seem to be stuck in dead-end jobs with no way out.
2 people like this
2 responses
@BrianKomeini (276)
• Philippines
11 May 07
Education in school will never be enough. Of course it helps if you had proper training for the job, but being able to work in the real world is the thing that will hone your skills to full potential.
I'm still at school, but i must say that i developed my skills in programming by doing odd jobs outside - these experiences gave me the ideas about real world problems that aren't taught in schools. Experience really is the best teacher of all.
2 people like this
@Transformed (1259)
• United States
12 May 07
It is true that school education can never be enough and that it must be supplemented with real-life experiences that show the insight and depth of who you really are. Too many people in my various levels of schooling were straight A students with no personality or charisma or social skills whatsoever.
Programming? What type? Software programming?
1 person likes this
@AnythngArt (3302)
• United States
12 May 07
I am probably one of the few people who will tell you that I really used my education in my job. What did I study? Political Science of all things. Yet, I combined this knowledge with further publishing education (continuing education) and worked in Washington, DC, and London for many years in a think tank environment (aka research institutes). Some of my other friends in PoliSci went on to work in state government, so it is possible to "get a job in your major." Of course, you continue to grow and learn as you work, and I have changed jobs many times over the course of my career. Right now I am not working because of health issues, but I'm happy to say that my education really did benefit me...and I went to the cheapest school in my state (not an Ivy League university). I love school, and I think I will always be interested in learning...whether it's related to my career or just something I am interested in, like cooking or art.
@Transformed (1259)
• United States
12 May 07
I do agree that school can be quite beneficial to you if you get a job that correlates with your major and/or interests...because we know that a major may not necessarily have been one's interest, but that of one's parents, especially if the parents paid the bill.
A think tank environment sounds quite sophisticated. It seems as if you would continue to grow and learn as you work in that type of setting. Most people do change jobs in their working lives, so I am not surprised to hear that. I'm sorry to hear about your health issues, and I hope you get better. There is nothing wrong with learning for its own sake, no matter the context. It could be grad school, a course at a local community college, or just reading from a library or watching an intellectually stimulating show on television. Knowledge is power!
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