<p>BA in history from Yale, JD from Harvard Law School, and have worked as an attorney (commercial litigation with a little bit of employment discrimination work) at two different New York City law firms, one very large and one quite small, for the last 31 years. My father is also a lawyer, and my mother had a law degree as well, although she never practiced. So it was probably somewhat predictable that I drifted into going to law school, even though I never found the prospect of practicing law particularly enticing. Back in the early 1970’s when I was in college, all I heard from grad students was a series of horror stories about the difficulties of finding employment, and I was scared off from pursuing that route.</p>
<p>Not a very exciting history, I’m afraid, either on paper or in reality! I’d love to do something entirely different (what, I’m not even sure), but present and future financial obligations make that extremely unlikely.</p>
<p>I dropped out of school as a very young woman, wanted to experience the world and all that, started working, never finished school and have spent my whole adult life struggling. I was a person who always thought things would just work out somehow and I’m here to tell you that is fantasy. I am now a woman in my 50’s with a small struggling business and no savings, health insurance or any real plan for my future. It keeps me up nights. GO TO SCHOOL! The only good part of my story is my wonderful D, a true scholar with some good opportunities in front of her, has always put a lot of effort into school and has her eyes set on something better for herself. She takes some grief from her friends for studying so much and being to focused, but she sees a different side of life than they perhaps have. I’m so proud of her.</p>
<p>I was a math Econ major from a small LAC. I started as an actuary, but thought I would kill myself if I had to do it for the next 50 years. Some how convinced some people that I knew how to structure mortgage backed. Did many of first kind of deals in the early days. Had two kids, couldn’t keep up with the hours. I then switched to technology because I was writing most of programs for my own structures. Started two technology companies, sold both of them. I have been back to the street as a tech manager for the last 5 years. I never took a CS course in college. I learned everything on the job. Have no regret in not getting a MBA or an advance degree </p>
<p>I am a risk taker. Whenever someone asked if I would give something a shot, I always said why not. My manager(s) like to come to me when no one else would bite.</p>
<p>BS Business (Marketing) Big Ten
JD UChicago</p>
<p>Spent entire legal career in-house, which I love. I like to work for companies that make things! Still at it because I’m not a fast enough competitive runner to quit my day job. Besides, I got too old!</p>
<p>BS in Electrical Engineering and MS in Computer Engineering outside of USA. I’ve been in the field of VLSI(Semiconductor) requiring knowledge of both EE and CS since my MS. I love my field of work and that is why I’ve 10 US/European patents all thru different companies in the same field.
I believe in balanced life and so consider work as secondary as there are lots of other important things to do in life.
I’ve always worked towards retiring from day to day jobs by 50. Even with present financial turmoils I hope, I would be able, to do it. After that my plan is to stay couple of months at as many places on this earth as possible working remotely when and as I want.</p>
<p>BA State U
Masters in Journalism–Top 5
PsyD–Top 5-10 depending on the exact concentration…</p>
<p>Work with adolescents and young adults…widely published.</p>
<p>Use both. </p>
<p>H–BS State U Much more financially successful than moi.</p>
<p>Uses his major.</p>
<p>But, I think this is pretty outside the norm and encourage my kids to study whatever interests them. I don’t think you can know what you want to do at 18 or 20 as a general rule.</p>
<p>B.A. in Communication Arts (dual concentration in Advertising and Public Relations)
Small, Catholic Women’s College (don’t do it girls, you need to learn to compete with the guys <em>before</em> your career depends on it)</p>
<p>Worked in event planning and marketing/business communications, then started a family and stayed home with my kids for 18 years while doing a little freelance writing and consulting.</p>
<p>Now that I want to return to the workforce, I can’t even get an interview. I’d never trade being home with my kids, but it’s not as easy to go back as I thought it would be. No one wants to hire a 40+ year old woman who’s been out of commission for that long. Want fries with that? :-)</p>
<p>"Now am parent of HS senior strongly encouraging kid to do a liberal arts undergrad–DO NOT do a business degree, or accounting, or economics or engineering only…you won’t be much fun to talk to when you are 45! "</p>
<p>You will likely be having this “fun” conversation at the unemployment office.</p>
<p>Me - BA in Economics with Math minor at an LAC
MBA at RIT (choosing a techy school for my MBA was best decision I made career-wise)</p>
<p>Did not want to be an actuary, so I started out as an econometrician doing mathematical modeling for a utility (gotta figure out the future to justify building that brand-new power plant)</p>
<p>After the MBA, had a variety of HR and process-improvement, performance management development assignments for utilities.</p>
<p>Now do system business support and EDI testing, learning enough of SAP to be able to do some consulting and development work if they decide to walk me out (reason why that techy MBA has paid off!)</p>
<p>H was a Computer Science/Electrical Engineering double major at a top engineering school, has never had to get a masters (probably reputation of said school), though I think he should have done it - he has acquired those MBA-type skills on the job (working on an overseas acquisition now) but just doesn’t have the piece of paper.</p>
<p>Rutgers History
UNC-Chapel Hill MA Southern History
30 years in the Federal government mostly in non-discrimination work. Now a retirement job with a Big 10 school doing the same thing.</p>
<p>Don’t listen to the person telling you not to major in business as you will boring to talk to when you are 45. It is all about the enrichment outside of college (afterall college only lasts 4-8 years) I read every night and have an interest in wide array of subjects </p>
<p>I have a B.S. in Business Administration from a Big Ten School (Industrial Admin/Operations Mgmt) Minor: Econ. I started out as an Engineering student
3 years of a 6 year medical program</p>
<p>Currently CFO and Managing Director of a Consulting Firm (focus on bio-med startups but I start in Telecom start ups). Love business and think that every one majoring in anything else needs to take business classes as they will prove very helpful in most endeavors–especially soon to be physicians who want to be in private practice and don’t think they need any business classes:)</p>
<p>I’m a granny. Degree in Math, MBA in Finance. Used the math for my entire career, first in support of engineering, then in support of marketing (stats). Also used the physics taken with math for all of the engineering support years. Have used Finance as a very successful investor and it gave patina (sp?) to what I did with math.
Husband has engineering degree. Used it his entire career, first in defense, then as a prof in the school where he received bachelor degree.
Daughter has degree in marketing plus a K-8 teaching certificate. Has worked in marketing or teaching since she finished college 25 years ago. Husband and I both knew what we wanted when we entered college. Daughter started out in business, fell in love with marketing during her required course, taught by accident and loved it.</p>
<p>Work has little to do with my undergraduate or graduate training, but enjoyed the learning. If I were to start all over again, I’d do double majoring in a biological science and a physical science. I’m sure I’d enjoy life even more now.</p>
<p>I’ve worked for 30 years in various research jobs in the biotech field. I’m currently Director or Clinical Research for a company. My department mostly conducts clinical trials.</p>
<p>BA in Elementary Education
MEd in Gifted Education</p>
<p>I definitely used my degrees as a teacher, first 6th grade for 8 years, then as the teacher/coordinator of a gifted program for another 8 years.</p>
<p>I left teaching to be a stay-at-home mom, and have been a community volunteer for 15 years. Much of the volunteering involved working with children, so the degrees were relevant. </p>
<p>There are some degrees I have considered pursuing, but I’m weighing the cost/benefit ratio as I near 60.</p>
<p>BA Literature (Ivy)
JD (Might as well be Ivy)</p>
<p>Corporate/tax lawyer in private practice for 25+ years. I use my knowledge of literature and literary theory some, but it is pretty deeply buried. I also took a number of Economics and Accounting courses, and I use that stuff all the time.</p>
<p>My spouse is a little more interesting:</p>
<p>BA Psychology and American Studies (Ivy)
JD (Ivy)</p>
<p>Worked for non-profit low-income housing developer between college and law school. Poverty lawyer for a few years, then started bouncing back and forth among non-legal positions in government and nonprofits (both large/rich and small/poor) related to women’s and children’s health, education, and welfare (with an important brief foray into economic development that created relationships from which many things flowed). Some program design, some management, some policy, some advocacy. A big deal in her current field, much responsibility. </p>
<p>When she started college, she wanted to be a clinical psychologist working with autistic kids. She essentially abandoned that idea half way through college in favor of women’s history, and she didn’t use or think about the psychology background much for the next 15-20 years, but now she uses it all the time (and has significant involvement with autism issues, too, returning to her original interest in a very roundabout way).</p>