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Boris13c
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Bad Flanders wrote:The degree isn't worth shit but the creativity and drive I got out of it has helped me a ton, even as a medical scientist, as weird as that might sound.
interesting you mention that ... a friend has a similar opinion on his degree (also Arts based) ... it didn't help him get a job and is not related to the job he has, but the experience of getting the degree helped him in other ways

so no, that doesn't sound weird at all
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Bad Flanders wrote:My wife is an elementary art teacher and she would love what you just said. I have an undergrad degree in sculpture and art history and I love what you said, I love looking at the side of trains when they go by because every 3rd or 4th car has something graffitied on it that is more than just graffiti, it's something that someone really worked on. You are e exactly right too, it was something simple that gave me the confidence to move on to try harder and more complicated stuff. The degree isn't worth shit but the creativity and drive I got out of it has helped me a ton, even as a medical scientist, as weird as that might sound.

It's something that I feel is very human and ingrained in our culture, species, and tradition. Self-expression and creativity requires an outlet, and because the job market doesn't typically reward artistic or creative-thinking driven professions without years of hard work and self-industry, parents encourage their children to focus on "realistic" careers that often have no merit beyond a safe paycheck and a steady, if not disappointing income.

I'm not saying everybody should strive to be an artist or musician, etc, but everybody should at some point be exposed to that world and challenge themselves, no matter what the age, to open that part of their minds.
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Boris13c
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UOK wrote:It's something that I feel is very human and ingrained in our culture, species, and tradition. Self-expression and creativity requires an outlet, and because the job market doesn't typically reward artistic or creative-thinking driven professions without years of hard work and self-industry, parents encourage their children to focus on "realistic" careers that often have no merit beyond a safe paycheck and a steady, if not disappointing income.

I'm not saying everybody should strive to be an artist or musician, etc, but everybody should at some point be exposed to that world and challenge themselves, no matter what the age, to open that part of their minds.
well said :thumbsup:
"Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things."
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Boris13c wrote:
UOK wrote:It's something that I feel is very human and ingrained in our culture, species, and tradition. Self-expression and creativity requires an outlet, and because the job market doesn't typically reward artistic or creative-thinking driven professions without years of hard work and self-industry, parents encourage their children to focus on "realistic" careers that often have no merit beyond a safe paycheck and a steady, if not disappointing income.

I'm not saying everybody should strive to be an artist or musician, etc, but everybody should at some point be exposed to that world and challenge themselves, no matter what the age, to open that part of their minds.
well said :thumbsup:
+1

I took the long way around and got a fine arts degree before going back to get my med lab scientist degree that I actually use for employment now (I only have 3 undergrad degrees, two more minors, and 450 credit hours! LOL)

I'm a firm believer that "smart" is some sort of combination of knowledge + creativity.

When I decided to go back for this science degree, which is essentially a bunch of chemistry classes, I had always been good at science but just a so so student. I always had teachers who said I was smart but should work harder, stuff like that, I always took that to mean I was actually just dumb and that's how they say it politely. Then I wanted a better job than my art degree could get me and I thought I'd go back to school to be a lab tech and I was so nervous I actually tried for once and I ended up with a 4.0 (Summa Cum Laude), I tutored guys that are doctors now. I honestly don't know that I would've been able to do that without what I learned in art school. What I really learned in art school was how to finish something I had started, you think you can finish whatever you start because you are interested in it but even the most interesting subject becomes a chore after a while and as an artist, you are usually over whatever statement you are creating before you are actually done with the physical art, so it becomes work, and being able to see that work through to completion is what allowed me to have the confidence to start something like a chemistry degree like I did.

THAT SAID, I have three kids, my middle guy is an artist for sure, and I tend to cringe when I think of him going to school for art like I did. I went to college in the 90's and it was a state school, I remember paying $14 for 3 credit hours of required algebra! There's just not enough money for him to try and get 200 credit hours and then have to go looking for 200 more when he realizes he can't get a job with the first degree. If he is willing to move away from the midwest, then maybe he can get away with a real liberal arts degree like that but I'd sure feel more comfortable with him having an accounting degree first and THEN following through with something liberal after that! LOL

But I am proud of the path I took to keep learning right through adulthood, keep pressure on yourself to push into areas you've been interested in but didn't quite think you could handle. But give your kids enough self confidence to do the degree that makes money first!
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[video][/video]
"Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things."
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Netflix - House of Cards finally collapses

I didn't begin watching House of Cards until after the first 2 seasons were done ... a person I was dating at the time suggested it, so I watched, and got hooked ... though even now I can't completely explain why ... maybe it had something to do with a couple of the characters reminding me of real life folks I worked with at the Treasury Department years ago

anyway, Season 6 is the latest, and last, season ... and it sucked

yeah, it had some moments to it, but overall it left the same feeling of empty disappointment for me as the last season of The Sopranos did
"Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things."
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