Monday, May 18, 2015

Motivational Monday


I HAVE A B.A. IN ENGLISH.
OKAY.
LAUGH IT UP.
BUT WHEN THERE'S A
LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION DEPENDENT ON
WHO VS WHOM, YOU'LL SEE.
YOU'LL ALL SEE.
(Lauren DeStefano)

Cue evil hand rubbing and vengeful maniacal laughter....

Where was this comeback the many times I was asked in the past - "What in the world are you going to do with a degree in English?" My response - blushing, mumbling something that sounded like writing, and running from the room - wasn't nearly as clever as the above quote. 

Let's remember to be proud of our knowledge and of our interests, whether "practical" or otherwise. They're part of what makes us the amazing and unique individuals that we are.  

40 comments:

  1. Haha, I love that quote! I'm sure I'll eventually make some professional use out of my degree...hopefully...

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    1. I'm sure you will! Just keep the quote in the back of your mind anyway. It's such a great comeback. :)

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  2. My degree is in Graphic Design, but my first love was always Art History. Took me that much longer to finish university, but I had to take every Art History course that was offered.

    Never regretted it.

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    1. I took an art history course my freshmen year in college...and ended up taking many more. Just loved it! I've gotten away from it over the years though. Hmm, time to get back into it...?

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  3. That's a funny quote. I'll have to remember it.

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  4. I wish I had the courage to go to school for something I'm passionate in instead of something I only mildly like that I know I can make a career immediately out of when done. But at this stage in my life, I can't afford to pursue something that I won't know for sure will result in anything. Maybe I'll get a second degree in creative writing..

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    1. I've realized that you don't need a degree to be the end result of learning about something you're passionate about. Sure, you could get a second degree in creative writing if you want to. You could also learn about it on your own in all sort of ways - books on the craft, online classes, conferences, etc. I mentioned in an above comment how I enjoyed art history in college. I never got a degree in it but there's nothing stopping me from learning more about it now, on my own terms. :)

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  5. Love that quote. I have a degree in Communications and English, so I'm well familiar with "What are you going to do with that?"

    And the answer is: precision fold jeans! Ha!

    Oh wait.

    But still, I'm proud of my degree. I worked hard to earn it.

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    1. For me, it was telemarketing. :)

      We should be proud of anything we worked hard to achieve.

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  6. That is a funny quote! I hadn't heard it before.

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  7. A Bachelors in English--sounds like it could cross curriculum, take you into different directions.
    The quote is awesome.

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    1. But the only direction I really ever wanted to go in was writing. :)

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  8. I've missed out on quite a few opportunities because I didn't get a university degree (I went to college instead), so I'd never mock someone who has one. I'd like to think I wouldn't mock anyone anyways, but there are definitely doors that open when you have a degree.

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  9. I only have an Associate's, but it's in Psychology. I don't believe those are taken any more seriously than English degrees. Ah well. I enjoy learning about the human mind, mine included.

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    1. Enjoying what you're learning about is so important! I liked the psych classes I took in school, too.

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  10. My degree was in broadcast journalism and I found it was just about as useless, unless you wanted to work as a reporter or a public relations consultant. Neither position paid squat. But the longer you're out of school, the less it seems to matter what your degree was in. It all goes on experience and the fact that you have a degree in the first place.

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    1. I agree - the longer we're out of school, the less it seems to matter what the degree was in or, in a lot of cases, if we even had/have one.

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    2. I have a BA in history and still haven't figured out an answer to what I was going to do with it LOL.

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  11. My bachelor's is in sociology (fairly useless on a resume) but all my work experience is in business and accounting thanks to the post-graduate classes I took. The sociology study was to help me better understand the dynamics between individuals and the groups they belong to. It helped at work....and it helped even more when I started to write. I don't regret that choice at all.

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  12. I agree it can all add up to a grand story. We all have it in us. :-)

    Anna from Elements of Writing

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  13. This English major spent 23 years in an HR role, and valued every bit of my education. Now the writing I just do is gravy...no, make that chocolate syrup. I love it. I always will, and if I went back to school, I'd still do the same thing.

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    1. Yum, chocolate syrup.... Oh, wait. What were we talking about again?

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  14. There were a lot of English in my college class. Our joke was what can you get with a degree in English and a dime? Answer: not even a cup of copy. Wish I'd paid more attention to who or whom.

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  15. I think the same goes for those of us who don't have a degree in English Literature. I wanted to get mine, but circumstances didn't help me toward that goal. Many feel that you need a degree to write or that you won't get published without one. Taht's just simply not true.

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    1. You're absolutely right about not needing a degree to be a writer. :)

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  16. Love the quote. At least, in a who/whom emergency, I'll know who to turn to :-)

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    1. Don't look at me - I still need to look up grammar rules more often than I care to admit.

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  17. That's a great quote!! I often wish I had majored in English so I don't have to look it up when I have a question about who/whom or some other miscellaneous grammar item that eludes me at times. :)

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    1. I still have to look up stuff. Some things just don't stick.

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  18. Excellent quote! I just wish my B.A. in Secondary Education with English (English teacher) made my grammar top notch. Instead, I live in a land riddled with typos and "oops, I should know that" moments.

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    1. I've got a few books on grammar that live on my bookshelf. :)

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  19. I almost got my degree in English and the hubby did.

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