<p>Jimmy Joe, a high school senior firmly declared his major choice, Russian Literature. Every since a young lad, Jimmy loved Russian Literature such as War and Peace, Anna Karenina, and many fables by Tolstoy. That fall Jimmy applied to a university and declared his major, Russian Literature, for his counselors told him to pursue what he enjoys. After graduating from college with his BA in Russian Literature, Jimmy was proud of his degree and began his job search. Hmmmmm, it seems as if Russian Literature majors are not in high demand right now. Jimmy can not find a job, is left with a 30K debt that he has to pay off, and just has a piece of paper with the words:
Jimmy Joe
Bachelors Degree
Russian Literature</p>
<p>Of course, Jimmy Joe is just a fictional character, but is he?</p>
<p>QUESTION! What is your philosophy? Did you or will you choose a major which you enjoy, or something with financial promise like a lawyer, businessman, or doctor. We live in a society where people say," Pursue your dreams and aspirations, but is that really smart? Is it wise to spend 30K and four years of schooling to walk out of the institution with a worthless degree? What do y’all think?</p>
<p>Let’s see. S.#1-received degree in business/finance, minor history. Has a good job he likes in financial planning/advising. But these were always his interests. Daughter in law, degree in anthropology–teaching middle school science. D. rising senior majoring in equine science–loves horses–but ask me in 2 years if she is employed!</p>
<p>Wasn’t there an earlier thread closely related to this topic?</p>
<p>It has so many tentacles that espousing a single philosophy is nearly impossible. My observation is that a “useless” degree from a top-tier school can yield terrific opportunities, either in employment or grad school. Just the fact that one graduated from such an environment opens doors.</p>
<p>However, if you’re a student at a satellite state u who graduated in the top 50% of his/her HS class, you are probably better off with an “applied” major, such as education, accounting or allied health. A Russian Lit degree from such a school would likely not open too many doors.</p>
<p>One of the deans at S’s school (which falls between the two examples I’ve used) recommends, “Major in something you love, and do well in it.” The school has a solid reputation, a great alumni base and a hardworking placement department, but they’re not miracle workers – it’s tough to place students who haven’t done well as undergrads.</p>
<p>So, what would I tell my (hypothetical) Russian Lit major? Go to the school with the best Russian Lit department that will admit you. Do well in it.</p>
<p>It’s all well and good to study what you love, but the reality is that most of us will have to earn a living to put food on the table and a roof over our heads. In poor economies, a degree in Russian Lit…or poetry…or history…or whatever, will get you a barely-above-minimum-wage-job. </p>
<p>So, I really think that one needs to seriously consider marketable skills when planning their college careers. Russian Lit is great if you double major and the second major is something more in demand.</p>
<p>I think you may be looking at this too narrowly. Just because his degree is Russian Literature doesn’t mean he has to have a job that is just Russian Lit. Presumable while studying Russian Lit, he also studied the Russian language in order to read the works in the original. Now he has translation skills, as well as literature skills. Perhaps he took some teaching classes, so that he also has that option. He could certainly work some Russian literature into Russian language classes at the adult, high school, community college level. Or perhaps he could lead tour groups to Russia. Or become a writer himself. I’m sure there are many more options for a creative person.</p>
<p>Yes, he could have majored in whatever was forecast to be the “hot career” of the next decade. But would he have done as well in classes he didn’t really care about? And would he have ended up with a good paying job that he hated? </p>
<p>Also he doesn’t necessarily have to end up with a huge debt. That is just an assumption you throw in. Perhaps Jimmy Joe worked hard or attended a school where he could get top merit aid. </p>
<p>So, my philosophy: go for your dream, but be smart about it. Add in some classes that may be more practical. Don’t go into debt over your head. But don’t give up a dream so easily. You can always go back and take some more classes later, if your dream doesn’t pan out. But I think it would be worse to look back when you are sixty and regret that you never gave it a chance.</p>
<p>As for the original topic, I’d say study what you enjoy. I will be doing so.</p>
<p>Now if money is the overriding concern in your life or you feel you won’t ever be able to life you and/or your family out of poverty or you think having money would be your best bet in improving the world above and beyond what you could do with your preferred subject… then I say earn a killing and knock Gates off the top slot!</p>
<p>Pipe down yourself. What exaclty is islamophobic about what Barrons posted? </p>
<p>I’d rather have a well-informed CIA with people who actually can read Arabic, Farsi and other necessary languages than a CIA with people who only know English and don’t know a Sunni from a Shiite.</p>
<p>One factor of enormous importance in US Middle East policy and American attitudes towards Muslims more generally is a woeful lack of knowledge about Islam, and about countries of the Middle East.</p>
<p>And if working for the CIA does not appeal, there are plenty of openings at colleges for people to teach about the Middle East. A bit late for making a difference in the here and now, though.</p>
<p>What’s islamophobic is that… as a Muslim, I don’t see the connection between being an Islamic Literature major (doubtful such a thing even exists at most places) and being qualified to work for the CIA. I don’t believe Islamic literature, which is far more eternal than any political issue, should be reduced to simply a way of analyzing terror or the minds of such folk. That’s what.</p>
<p>You better read more carefully. No one, not Barrons, not I, has suggested that literature is a way to analyze the minds of terrorists. Barrons has suggested that if one cannot find a job with a degree in literature, one can make use of one’s language skills, which are the basis of literary studies. </p>
<p>A lot of language programs in the US actually started under the rubric National Defense Educational ACt (NDEA) which subsidized the teaching of languages such as Russian, Chinese, etc… The name was later changed to Foreign Languages and Area Studies (FLAS), but the idea is the same.</p>
<p>A lot of CIA work has to do with translation. Good intelligence begins with being able to understand what others are saying, reading, writing, whether it’s in French or in Farsi, Chinese or Spanish. </p>
<p>If one can find a job with a literature degree, fine. if not, what’s wrong with doing translation? and what’s wrong doing it for the CIA? So, again, what’s islamophobic?</p>
<p>There’s like a million ways I could respond to what you’ve just said… but I am going to be nice and say that even if Islamic lit is used simply as a way of understanding Muslim culture… it does not replace direct P2P contact–professors, artists, scholars, and yes… regular Muslims–nor does it help that colonialism and occupation are also on the agenda nothwithstanding finishing the reading of 78th chapter (sura) of the Quran and all of Rumi’s Matnawi.</p>
<p>*And thanks for editing most of what you wrote, marite. Your post is twice as long…</p>
<p>Literature is not a replacement for anything. So what would you have people do? Not studying literature because it does not replace people to people contact? Would you rather somebody who’s not read a line of what an author has written go knock at the door of that author in the name of people to people contact? What on earth are you arguing?</p>
<p>And is trying to learn about other people colonialist? Pleeeze.</p>
<p>People 2 people contact is just as important as reading any book. There are things which one can observe in p2p contact that a [translated] text can never reveal. </p>
<p>I never said trying to learn about other people is colonialist. What I implied is that learning is reduced/made a farce by counterproductive behavior such as colonialism and occupation (Iraq).</p>
<p>I also do not want to take over poor Robert Lee’s thread. I still have some respect for the South, that’s sure.</p>
<p>Buh-bye. If you want, you can pm me or whatever.</p>
<p>I was actually talking to someone who was looking for librarians who knew some Russian. I know some librarians, but none of them reads Russian. The point is that someone can study whatever s/he loves but has to be somewhat flexible as to what kind of jobs to look for. Someone with a degree in Russian literature could do translation, might get a job as a librarian (with training in librarianship, of course), or teach at the high school level.</p>
<p>Going into a field which is currently in high demand is no guarantee that the job prospects will be as glowing at the end of college, by the way. One can be too practical.</p>
<p>The person who craves money is never satisfied. So if you enter a field primarily because of the money will always feel underpaid, will be forever changing positions and will keep buying material things to fill that “hole in the soul”.</p>
<p>If you like what you are doing, you are more likely to advance within your field. This may give you a sense of satisfaction that a higher-paying job in a field you don’t like wouldn’t.</p>
<p>But you need to be gainfully employed in this world, so it is reasonable for you to investigate what postions your choice of major could lead to.</p>
<p>I saw where someone recommended going to the top schools in the field so that you had a better chance of a good position. I agree. but only up to a point. The more student debt you accumulate, the more likely you will have to choose a field for monetary considerations just to get out from under. Don’t go into a huge pile of debt to be the best Russian lit major you can be.</p>
<p>Some business classes wouldn’t hurt anything and might give you an edge in pracitcal matters.</p>
<p>If we were all doctors, engineers, accoutants or businesspeople, the world be a cold, dark, joyless place. We need some of the other people, too. But if that’s the road your going to travel, be smart about it. </p>
<p>If he learned the Russian language while doing Russian Lit, he has already obtained a marketable skill. Due to the growing economy of Russia, more Russian translators will be in demand in future years.</p>