Anybody regret the college degree concentration they received?

[grumpy]

I was a Psych major as an undergrad. I worked with emotionally disturbed children during the summers and thought I might want to continue in that field. However, marriage and the need to earn a decent living led me into an internship with Uncle Sam. I eventually got a Master's in Public Admin. I wound up doing financial management for NASA - pretty far afield from psych. No regrets on the undergrad choice.

Grumpy

 

[Walt34]

It's fascinating how many people (almost all here) changed course along the way. I had decided in my senior year of high school to go into law enforcement but wasn't sure of the best course. It was either the military or college, I took a semester off to think about it because I hated HS so much. No one called me "studious" in HS. Eventually decided that if I didn't like college I could quit and go in the military but it didn't work the other way around.

And, Vietnam was in full swing and I wasn't enthused about getting shot at for reasons I didn't understand in a place I couldn't find on the map. Got lucky and drew a high number in the draft lottery.

 

[FinanceDude]

Undergrad was finance, with a minor in accounting and a concentration in risk management and insurance.

I was planning on being a commercial underwriter for Aon or somebody...........no jobs there...........

I had planned on a minor in math, but advanced calculus took me down..........

 

[Helen]

I would do a lot of things differently if I could go back to college, but I'd still pick my business degree with a MIS major. The business training helped me a lot in my investments and personal finance. The MIS major paved the way for a good career.

 

[Achiever51]

I worked as an office manager for an actuarial firm when I was 25. They offered me a promotion to assistant actuary -- for the same salary I was making. Because I did payroll I knew that the other assistants were making many thousands more.

"Well, THEY have college degrees," I was told.

Because I kept the personnel files I went back to see what these degrees were all about. English literature, social welfare, and american history are the ones I remember.

I'm not the brightest bulb in the chandelier but they didn't have to tell me twice. A degree may not have helped me make more, but it could sure be used as an excuse to pay me less. I turned down the assistant's job, took my 2 yrs of Jr. college and applied to "the big kid's school." Got a BA in Philosophy.

Now, that in itself didn't get me big bucks, but it did pave the way for the MBA (which I hadn't considered prior to the BA and couldn't have qualified for without), and for my career thereafter.

Oh, by the way, I also learned to reason logically, which is an easy thing to undervalue until you meet a few people who can't or won't do likewise.

For me, a degree isn't JUST about what I studied during the time it took to earn it, it was also about opening doors and training my mind to successfully navigate my choices as they appeared.

I'm wiling to bet (though there's no way to prove it), that I'd be a very different person without it.

Pretty similiar story for me. Started college right out of HS, thinking I wanted to be a teacher. A well meaning advisor suggested I look at engineering (not many females there at the time)...I freaked out and soon dropped out. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb as I gave up a full ride scholarship.

Took a full time job as a secretary in MegaCorp and soon realized while I was getting 2-3% raises, others were getting 10-15% more...because they had college degrees, I was told. The head of HR (who soon became my mentor) told me that he thought I had great potential, and that if I got a bachelor's degree in pretty much any field, I'd move up the ladder, too.

Went back to school at night, while working full time. Couldn't decide what to study, so I "sampled" lots of stuff -- geology, accounting, fashion design, production control, business. Finally realized that while I was having the time of my life, I needed to concentrate on getting a degree. Settled on business administration and qualified for a dual major in human resources and business/labor relations. Needed 168 credits to graduate...had over 200 due to my "dabbling."

HR mentor proved true to his word. Started out in HR, moved over to public affairs as a speechwriter, ended up handing MegaCorp's charitable foundation and community involvement efforts worldwide.

Did my degree help me? Absolutely, although I didn't know it at the time, my broad-based education helped me deal with all kinds of situations and groups. I do not recommend taking the length of time I did to graduate, however!

 

[tangomonster]

Some regrets, but I did what made sense to me at the time. My parents hadn't gone to college and I was just a slightly better than mediocre student, so it seemed enough to just got to college. The choice of a major was incidental.

Started off with nursing but just didn't care for it, so switched to psychology---with not a lot of thought into what I would do with the degree. Senior year I came to the conclusion that grad school was inevitable. Wanted library science, but a college I intended to apply to discouraged me, saying that the prospects for employment were dismal (this was back in 1976).

Discovered occupational therapy and got a master's in it. This didn't turn out to be quite what I wanted, so I eventually switched to a related career in vocational rehabilitation where I did career testing and guidance. The psych degree actually did help a little in this.

 

[jIMOh]

I was wasted when I got my 4 year degree, does that count? And if it took me 7 years to get a 4 year degree, does that mean I wasted more time (being wasted?).

My degree is engineering. I needed a degree to get the job I have, but I don't use the degree very much in my daily life.

I am thinking of going back to school to get some financial planning background and become a CFP, just need to wait and see what kind of damage twins do to my planning (wife is expecting first two kids in June). If I get another degree, I will be sober when I get it.

 

[FinanceDude]

I was wasted when I got my 4 year degree, does that count? And if it took me 7 years to get a 4 year degree, does that mean I wasted more time (being wasted?).

My degree is engineering. I needed a degree to get the job I have, but I don't use the degree very much in my daily life.

I am thinking of going back to school to get some financial planning background and become a CFP, just need to wait and see what kind of damage twins do to my planning (wife is expecting first two kids in June). If I get another degree, I will be sober when I get it.

Don't get a CFP "just to get" a CFP. And don't start a financial planning firm with no clients, that won't work...........

 

[jIMOh]

Don't get a CFP "just to get" a CFP. And don't start a financial planning firm with no clients, that won't work...........

We have a two income household.

My income is pretty much invested (401ks for both+IRAs+mortgage=my salary). Once the 401k hits critical mass, I don't see a huge need to keep working at this job.

So I am thinking of getting my CFP, and making a living doing tax returns Jan-April, and some financial planning clients should come from that.

Plus the clients could see what I advise them to do I did myself, and it worked!

 

[KM]

Well, I have the "always in high demand" German degree.

No - I have no clue what I thought I was going to do with it. My father said go into computers and my mother said go into business. So I went and got my German degree.

Today, I have an MBA and am a manger in IT. Every job I have ever had required a 4-year degree. They really didn't care what it was in.

I think that is the point. A 4-year degree generally indicates you can analyze, write, learn. Granted, some of the smartest people I know don't have college degrees and some of the stupidest do - but for many companies - that piece of paper is the starting point - regardless of what is on it.

So, looking back, had I been wiser, I would have had a different degree, but ultimately I have done extremely well with what I have.

 

[Meadbh]

No regrets. Rec'd Pharmacy degree in '77, worked in hospitals the majority of my career, loved the people I worked with, never had to hunt for employment, and most of all, enjoyed helping the patients. Just retired at 58.

Welcome to the board, Reelax! What a pharmaceutical sounding name!!!

 

[Reelax]

Welcome to the board, Reelax! What a pharmaceutical sounding name!!!

Well, I finally got to "Reelax" after all those years ,so it seemed fitting. Hope it didn't sound too much like exlax

 

[retiringby50]

Personally I am bummed out that the number of college grads in American is so "low." People leave great jobs in other countries come here and work as laborers and dishwashers for a better opportunity for their children, but we're here already and don't take advantage of opportunities available.

I understand that college is not for everyone, but the highest college grad rates are in my area, and it's only around 50%. Even if it isn't for everyone, surely it's got to be for more than 50% of the people, right? And that's just for my area. That means in other places, it's less or a lot less.

Sorry - that was more of a soapbox thing. Personally, I'm glad I graduated from college, and I am still using my degree in human resources - whew! I know that doesn't happen all the time. Even if I wasn't using it, I still think the college experience was worth it, working in teams, disciplined in studying, etc.

 

[deserat]

I have two engineering degrees - I regret that I didn't take more liberal arts classes to balance the engineering curricula - I am trying to make up for that now on my own.

As for engineering - it does teach one a way to think which can be of benefit in solving many problems. Unfortunately, engineers aren't taught to communicate well - I'm fortunate in that I do strive to try and explain complex technical things in ways that non-technical people can understand. I remember someone telling me that Leonardo da Vinci had to petition the king/people with money for funds to do his projects. If one can't communicate, they can't get the resources they need/want to do what they want to do.

I am doing what I set out to do 16 years ago - clinical engineering. However, now I just want to retire In a few years......

 

[joesxm3]

I majored in drugs and alcohol, so I probalbly would have been better off with a more useful field of study. However, I somehow managed to end up as a semi-productive member of society (if you consider helping insurance companies milk the country's medical system to be productive).

Actually I majored in Soviet Area Studies in the hope of working for the CIA.

Having gotten an F in the only computer course I took as an undergrad, I went to one of those 6-month rip-off training programs and have worked in computer software for the past 28 years.

Goes to show what you can learn on your own if you put your mind to it.

 

[SteveR]

Went to college right out of High School.
BS in Microbiology with minors in Psychology, Chemistry and Biology.
I was in pre-med for a couple of years but changed my mind (very long story).

I changed majors 6 times and finally hit on my "final" major in my senior year. Despite all the changes I still managed to get out in 4 years.

First job post graduation was in a pharma. company. I changed companies a few times but stayed in pharma. Medical Devices, biologics, and several other areas. I picked up some business admin.c courses along the way but never saw the need for a MBA. Those that had one were no better off than I at the time.

I moved away from the core of my degree field after about 8 years but never got away from it completely as it was a major thread to all the areas I worked in and I was the "go to guy" on many areas.

Regrets? A few but I made a good life for myself and my family and I would not change much along the way.

 

[HpRyder]

BSc, MSc in Physics & MBA. I passed the MSc exam and terminated out with a quickie experimental plasma physics thesis to become an unemployed physicist. Not many jobs in industry for an advanced degree physicist, but a **** load of engineering jobs.

I’ve been employed ever since I stepped out my apartment door and said to my self I’m an engineer now.

I don’t regret the degrees, they opened the underwater acoustics engineering employment doors. Along the way, a company paid for an MBA, but never wanted me to use it. So I went into business for myself in contract software engineering.

The courses honed my logical thinking, hard work go the extra mile, results oriented attitude and work smarter not harder approaches.

I’m retiring when I get tired of playing in this software sandbox or when the next software downturn hits hard, which ever occurs first.

 

[Fireup2020]

3.33 years towards BSME, worked in the field, then went back on active duty in Navy as recruiter, loved it...wrapped up with a military degree completion degree in basket weaving...(ok, BA Lib Arts/Studies with "emphasis" in Psychology)...whatever! No big college would take my OLD meaningful credits (all the stuff towards the BSME), but oh, well...life is going well. Life happens!

 

[clifp]

I wish that I could have afforded to get a history degree instead of Electrical Engineer and Computer Science. History is much more interesting but EE pays much better.

My MBA was of fairly marginal value, but considering various companies paid for it, I won't complain.

 

[ScooterGuy]

Not the only one

I spent too many years getting a Ph.D. in Experimental Phonetics (the science that used to underlie Speech Pathology). It was an obscure, marginal scientific discipline. I suppose I made it pay off, but, following Federal cutbacks in the early '80s, the field is all but dead, with 95% of the speech labs across the nation & world shut down. I found myself having to go back to clinical Speech Pathology (emphasizing swallowing, of all things ... what that had to do with human communication, I never figured out), as an older heterosexual man in a younger woman, feminist/lesbian-dominated setting. I packed it in and FIREd 4 years ago, and seldom think on what consumed about half my life any more.

If I had it to do all over again, I would have chosen Audiology (hearing science and diagnostic practice) ... or even gone into Waste Management, with just a BA and MS.

 

[dwk]

College in 72

I went to college straight from high school. Had a number of factors that influenced that decision -- mom and dad said i was going, had my high school sweetheart who I married, we've been together 38+ years, money was and issue and I wasn't mature enough or knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

I wish I would have had the opportunity to live on campus and go to a school out of state, but that was not an option. Spent too much time skipping classes and playing pick-up basketball. So after two years, moved to a jr. college where I received and A.A. degree in health science. While working full-time and raising a family I decided I had limited opportunities and went back to school for a BS in Computer Science. Did some programing in medical research for a while and then went into medical sales.

I have a twin brother who took a different path, join the local police department at 18 as a cadet. Has over 35 years and is getting ready to retire -- his benefits and pension are outstanding, plus he gets a drop of ~$300,000 for staying on the last 5 years.

Not sure I could do the law enforcement thing, or stay with a company for such a long period of time. One of my challenges is that I've change employers on average every 7 years -- which makes compiling a pension impossible. I have been able to build a sizeable retirement fund, but health care is my major issue.

I wouldn't trade my wife or children for anything in world. However, in my next life after graduating high school, I'm buying a sailboat and heading for the islands.

 

[calmloki]

From High school i went to a state college for a bit over a year, then decided that my grades were not going to keep me out of the jungle and joined the Navy (when they started the lottery i found i would have been chosen right off anyway). Didn't even consider draft dodging. Around that time my silent father gave me a copy of On The Loose ( On Loose ) - looking back, i suspect that my parents were not as concerned with my doing the lock-step citizen right thing as i thought. After 4 years cruising on the big grey boats i went to Santa Fe New Mexico and found St. John's College. Good lucky move. Thought i was headed for a law degree - that was what i thought was expected of me - a year and a half of law school disabused me of that notion. Am very glad to have discarded my pre-Navy college hours and done the Great Books program at St. John's.

 

[Khan]

Went to state college right after small town high school (class of '68 ), mostly paid for by state scholarship. Double major: Math and Computer Science (found out I wasn't as smart as I thought; didn't know how to study as high school was too easy).

Dropped out of CompSci (@#$%^ punch cards). Graduated in '72 with BA in Math.

Took FSEE and was hired to work for USArmy as Management Analyst.

1979: started work on MA.

1981: dropped out of MA.
(I have nothing but admiration and awe for those who can manage work/college/family; I can only do one at a time.)

1982: took PACE and was hired by USAF as Programmer (COBOL).

2004: retired.

I really enjoyed math and it did help teach me how to think logically, but I have never used anything beyond algebra and geometry in life or work.

 

[brewer12345]

I really enjoyed math and it did help teach me how to think logically, but I have never used anything beyond algebra and geometry in life or work.

I am impressed: you found a real world use for algebra?!

Despite having a degree in economics and a master's in accounting and finance, I just about managed to stumble through algebra (and don't ask about calculus ).

I got my degrees fairly quickly and have put them to very appropriate (and lucrative) use. Also did the professional designation thing (letters after one's name seem to be worth at least $5k a year per letter). So no regrets there, per se.

What I do somewhat regret is that I spent a gawdawful amount of time and energy in pursuit of degrees and technical knowledge and mostly neglected pursuing self knowledge and the better things in life (like roadtrips, partying until dawn, dating more than three women in my life, etc.). I suppose that is why ER is so alluring: I will finally get to have my adolescence. Although I think I missed the boat on the multiple women thing: not gonna fly with DW no matter how wealthy we become.

 

[jazz4cash]

Bsme

Class of [-]'78[/-] '79. Went to Catholic HS and did really well on PSAT. Squeeked by SAT and got National Merit Scholarship. Checked engineering on the intended major box and got a flood of scholarship offers. Selected local school to stay home with widowed mom. Didn't really understand what engineering was or how challenging it would be, but loved everything about the classwork. No time for parties and still don't miss them. Worked part-time during school and intern summer jobs to supplement scholarship. Biggest mistake I made was not taking a full ride scolarship that would've let me skip the part-time jobs. Took extra semester to graduate and had my pick of 5 really nice job offers. Been with the same mega-corp for 29 yrs before my division was orphaned last August. Worked in Durability Development, Emissions, Applications, Field Engineering, Product Development, and mostly Product Test (Love testing to destruction). After 25 yrs in Engineering, xferred to Sales & Customer Support to facilitate moving back home to East Coast for homesick spouse...very boring, but working from home and lots of freedom...boss is 150 miles away. Wish I had maybe concentrated in a bio-medical field.