You may recall a post I wrote about the tiredness of being asked what one does? Oh well, your loss.
Anyway, the other night, The Mister and I were chatting about how we ARE those poor unfortunate souls who have liberal arts degrees. (Or rather, we will be, when he finishes.) You hear about sad saps like us all the time, the ones who are unskilled and overqualified, virtually useless? The ones for whom student loans make no sense, because our degrees will never pay off? The ones who waste our potential on our passions instead of something burgeoning with career growth?
We are those people.
“Joey. JO-EY. Like the baby kangaroo.”
“Oh! Haha! Nice to meet you Joey. What do you do?”
“I run the household.”
“Oh. What does your husband do?”
“He works and goes to school.”
“Oh, what does he do?”
“I don’t know. He does it at work.”
“Oh! Haha! What’s he studying?”
“History.”
“What’s he going to do with a degree in history?”
“I don’t know, but tomorrow he’s going to mow the lawn.”
Oh yeah. I am the life of any party.
So now, in addition to being asked what I do, I encounter a new question I have come to hate even more, “What will he do with a degree in history?” I guess it hasn’t occurred to a lot of people that one can get an education merely for the sake of education.
Having gone through this myself, I always feel slightly amused. I won’t name names, but a number of people have told me I have wasted my education. The basic message has long been that anyone can be a mom, but I have a degree, I could be so much more! Which, if you’re me, translates into how neither motherhood nor myself are enough. One could easily conclude the only reason to get an education is to increase one’s earning potential.
Except, it’s just not. My biological parents have both been bewildered as to why I don’t teach, but either they’ve accepted it or given up, since neither of them bother me about it anymore. My stepdad holds my all-time favorite position on this matter, which is, “I didn’t send you to college to be a teacher; I sent you to become a better version of yourself.”
It’s a bit strange when you think about it.
Do you play golf? For money? No? Well then, why do you play golf?
Why even let your kids play instruments or sports if they’re not going pro? Instead of sending them to camp or on a cultural exchange, you should just send them to a factory where they can make some money!
Good gravy.
So, toward the end of this conversation about our inconsequential fields of study, I said, “You know, no one said to Emerson and Thoreau, ‘Hey, what’re you gonna do with a liberal arts degree? What a waste of a Harvard education!’ Or do you think people did and they were like, ‘Imma go live in the woods –‘”
“DELIBERATELY!” we said in unison. And then we laughed and laughed.
From this day forward, when anyone asks me what I do, I shall tell them I live deliberately.
Who knows, maybe one day they’ll put a sign about me in our back 40!
Are you living deliberately? Do you take pleasure in the pursuit of knowledge?
joeyfullystated 
Testify! I love this post.
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Well thank you! 😀
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APPLAUDS LOUDLY!!! YES yes and YES! HELL YES! Just yesterday I was mumbling to myself in a disgruntled framed of mind …. Would be nice if I got PAID for what I do. HA! Then I started laughing because I am one of the most fortunate women on the planet who is living life the way she wants to and LOVING IT! Oh yes it would be SO nice to be paid for caring for special needs cats, taking care of the throw always of this world, stepping in when no one does, and oh yes my photography and writing, how nice IF the world paid me for that! LOL Joey, YOU just keep on being YOU and living your Life according to your Heart and dreams, and guess what? The Universe will make sure you have food and shelter and all your basic needs covered. How about that? 🙂 ❤
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Right on. It’s generally The Mister who makes sure I have my needs met, but lol yes, I understand!
I should like most to get paid to rise earlier than my preference, Amy 😉 I mean, a girl can dream!
Dreaming is a sorely undervalued profession!
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Ah, dreaming, well yes, there is that too! Hubs is fond of saying my head is up in the clouds. Gee, I say that’s a good place for it to be! 😉 As for the rest, my days usually run 16 hours per day, no days off, and if that is not considered “work”, I don’t know what is. To dream …. Let me see. What should I set my salary at? I’m worth a lot! 😉 LOL
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You know what the truth is, Amy? If you had more time or money, you would only give more.
That’s invaluable. ❤
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Aw, Joey, thank you! ❤ ❤ ❤
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I have no problem with learning for the sake of knowledge, it’s when people study pointless subjects and then complain that they can’t get a job with their valueless degree afterwards that pisses me off.
I saw a news report last year (one of the many that get aired around the time exam results come out each year) with a guy and his younger sister being interviewed side by side. He had studied History of Art and was moaning that he couldn’t get a decent job (he was a barista, of course) since he’d left university three years previously and she had just got her exam results and was about to start university. The sister sat through the entire piece, nodding sagely and sympathising with her poor, overqualified brother, until the reporter turned to her and asked her what she was hoping to study.
“Art history.” she said.
Doh!
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You wrote that art history is pointless, so we’re already at a disagreement there.
I’ve been a barista. I rose at 4am and was home by noon, suiting my family life quite nicely.
I’ve had plenty of well-paying jobs unrelated to my field. Making a living from your passion is seldom possible. There is no reason not to earn a degree or license, or to endeavor to that field.
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No, exactly.
But he was complaining that his degree was pointless and bemoaning the fact that he had a crap job. Then his sister went and studied the same thing.
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Plenty of people go and study at university because they think it’s the “soft option”, an alternative to working for a living. They give no thought to the subjects they study, or whether it will result in them getting a job, then they complain they’ve been “let down by the system” whereas what’s actually happened is they’ve been let down by their own lack of planning and foresight.
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I think on this matter we just disagree.
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I don’t disagree with your post Syu all
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*I don’t disagree with your post at all, it’s the free loading “leisure students” who then moan about it.
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I was recently asked in an interview what I was studying. I stated History. Without a moment’s pause I was then asked what I was going to do with that degree. I looked at my interviewer and stated, “I am going to put it with my lengthy qualifications to apply for positions that I am already qualified for, but have been overlooked because I did not have a degree.” The world is churning out worker bees that have zero passion for anything. Then they wonder why society at large continues to spiral downward trying to fill the gaping hole in their soul with things. Life is more than what you do. Life is more than your tax bracket. Life is more than what you drive. Life is more than the house you live in. There are areas of study that I could easily do that would earn me more money, but I would be unfulfilled because I have no passion for it. Why can’t everyone realize that in their own lives? Great post!
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I think I love your step-dad. What a brilliant attitude to share with your children ❤
Believe it or not, there is a similar issue when you retire. I cringe whenever someone asks me what I *do* now. I think of it more in terms of what I *am* now … developing that creative part of me that never saw the light of day before I retired.
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Wise words, hm?
Yeah, I get to keep the memory of those words forever ❤
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OMG..I had parents like that too!
But now,I have unemployment saying they will pay for me to go to school…lol What should I take? Good question. By the time I get my..what ever that paper says, I will be around the age of retirement..hahaha.. Maybe I should take a baking class because we all know I can burn a house down, or maybe take a accounting class and help a good company go bankrupt, I’ve been on the edge of that before so I have lots of knowledge to work with!
In life there is always someone who thinks they can run our lives better then we can. They call us name’s, they tell us who to be friends with, what we should read (like self help works for them), the best part of these people..they spend so much time thinking about how to better us when it’s them that needs to become better!
Oh and being a Mom means, you go back to school again, you relive everything you hated about school through the eyes of your child, I’ve been to school 5 times in my life…have fun the ride is breathtaking.
Keep being the life of the party, your way! You always make me laugh, laugh, laugh and laugh again. The history of Joey…priceless!
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I kinda love you, thanks so much for your wonderful commentary!
Why does the math get harder with each kid?!? Who decided proportional geometry should be taught in 3rd grade?!?
Isn’t it weird about unemployment? I’ve a friend who was a financier, and when he was let go and filed for his unemployment, they wanted him to go back to school. He has an MBA ffs. I couldn’t even. Anyway, he never did find another job (after the crash) so he bought a franchise instead.
I have no desire to run anyone’s life. You do you — be happy 😀
And thanks again!
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Commentary..as in..when will she shut up..lol
We would be dangerous sitting outside a Starbucks..the people watching with a hot topic…laughter!
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True story! 🙂
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Oh Hell yes. My first degree is in Classical Literature and Language. My first ten years I spent in pipe welding. Then I went into the restaurant biz, because I wanted to. Added a Culinary Degree primarily for the fun of it. That and the Tropicana in Vegas paid for it. Of course I had no loans and paid for the first degree myself. I have always been able to make enough money to satisfy myself and meet my obligations. That’s all I really need.
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Benson, you only grow more fascinating the longer I read you! That is truly an interesting background. Thank you for sharing 😀
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Not often enough, but you have inspired me to do it MORE. I will deliberately be deliberate.
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Luanne! ❤ ❤ ❤ Thank you, please do!
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Love this post!
I have to laugh when people ask those kinds of judgmental questions about the education choices of others. They’re generally insecure types who seem to define themselves solely by what they do, what they have, and how much they make.
The pursuit of knowledge on any subject that you can get excited about is noble, in and of itself. It doesn’t need to be justified by end result $$$ – the payback is in how it enriches you as a person.
If history is your passion, then go for it! If art or music floats your boat, then immerse yourself in it. The world needs more people who are passionate about the things they do, if only so they can share and transmit those passion to others.
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I love when you agree with me AND write it so well! 😀 Thank you!
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No time spent learning is wasted. I can’t be more serious. When our daughter decided that she wanted to go to college for Art, we did nothing to discourage her. In fact, we signed her up for some classes that would help he prepare a better portfolio.
The fact that your husband is working and getting a degree distinguishes him from other people. He can use that to his advantage. Also, having one more person on the planet who understands history is a very good thing (judging by the clowns we have running for office and the people who are supporting them).
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Right? Oh the madness that is the political stage these days!
I’m glad you encouraged your daughter! 😀 (Who is now a thriving professional with a diverse set of hobbies, hm?)
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You never can tell.
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#1 dumb decision: take classes in college based on what would be a “useable” degree, since your father tells you daily of the sacrifice he makes to put you through….So I went to law school…should have studied either theology or philosophy….dumb decision…
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I’m glad you pursue theology and philosophy with passion, Sherry. I always enjoy your insights.
Thank God you’re retired, eh? Plenty of time to immerse yourself!
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I love this post! I myself am a person who (in the words of my husband) has a “talent for choosing careers where it is impossible to make any money” 😉
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Thank you! I have that exact same talent! LOL Fortunately there are other things we can do well enough to earn a wage if we need to, non?
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Preach! When BG starts school, I would love to take classes if it didn’t cost so damn much. Sam is pushy about going back to school, but not for the pleasure of learning — “meet your potential!” 🙄
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I’d love to go to school forever. Get an MFA and finish my psych, or add to my psych, or psych again? Who knows these things? Also, I’d love to study Ancient Civ, anthropology, and um, I’d like to take a pastry class 😛
Sam doesn’t have a degree in education, or he’d know that meeting one’s potential is not something anyone else can determine or motivate 😉 BUT WE DO, don’t we?! Hahaha!
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Gotta have some cooking with that history! I’d love to do sociology or anthropology. I had a prof in college who spent time in Losotho in a little hut and her stories were fascinating.
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We’re drawn to many of the same studies 🙂
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I don’t know that I could say anything better than you or many of the other commenters here have already said, but I loved this post. And I’ll be borrowing your step-dad’s opinion on the matter when my two littles get to that stage. Cheers!
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Thank you! Yes, I think it was the perfect thing to say.
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I LOVE learning new things and think it is wonderful to live ‘deliberately’. I cannot stand it when people judge others just by the job they do!
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Me neither. It’s so shallow. One’s occupation rarely sums up a person in entirety. Your love of life, and of learning, shines through in your posts 🙂
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Thank you Joey, that has made me very happy 🙂
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Most people I know who’ve gone back to soon primarily to make more money have ended up unhappy and sometimes in debt. You can do a lot with a history degree despite what people say!
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I believe you, thank you for your input 🙂
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Oh golly – should have been gone back to school! (I don’t like iPhones!)
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I understood 🙂
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My freshman year in college, we had a published author come to speak at orientation. He told us not to worry about whether or not our degree will lead to a paying job. We’re broke college students anyway. We should major in our passion. I’ve lived by that ever since!
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Excellent. Very wise. But Nortina, you are one of the most talented writers I know. (And so young!) I do believe your passion will pay off.
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I never understood why more people just dont do what they LIKE, instead of just trying to pay the bills. But then I recall that they are BILLS, and those of us who do, would end up living in (very decorative) shacks, if that was all we did. True, Ive learned to live with less because of it, but not everyone knows how to do that.
Great post. 🙂
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Simplicity in living is ideal for me. You would have a groovy shack. Mine, I think, would be made of books, with furniture made of paper 😛 Thanks 🙂
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I value education and the arts is a great area to create a life from. You both found each other, love each other and are raising genius kids, Joey! I am smiling since my youngest daughter spent the past two years not working in finance, not working as a party planner at an international financial company but no, she didn’t use her marketing and communications for the past three years. Let’s see, she graduated and told everyone she wanted to make ‘big bucks’ to pay off her college loans…. hmmm.
I am working at a warehouse, hard to explain why the No Child Left Behind Act took over my life but it did. I try not to dwell on it. I use my thoughts which hopefully were “fed” by my bachelor’s degree and master’s degree minus three courses not offered at OSU in 2008 when the mandatory deadline came about. I am happier not teaching, I will say this but am not proud of it. My two highly educated PhD, professor brother and sister in law laugh and wish they could quit but they are selling their house to buy another and who can afford this if they don’t work? They say to others, “My sister “works out” (as in a gym, but really a warehouse) and get paid for doing so.” 🙂
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I recall your harrowing No Child Left Behind story, Robin. 😦
I certainly don’t think there’s anything wrong with working to make ‘big bucks’ but there’s definitely something wrong with those who expect others to want to do the same.
There really is something rewarding about physical labor, both in body and spirit.
The PhDs are upgrading their home, I presume?
You still teach you know. You teach me regularly. I appreciate that. 🙂
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I think I have overused this story (NCLB) on your blog and will try to remember this. So sorry, just included in the grass is always greener rant of mine on exes!
Thanks, Joey for your supportive comments! 🙂 I appreciate your thoughts and hope the way we really are “counts” more with our family and friends.
I do feel people jump to conclusions about what someone “does.” I guess the idea of just “being” and “living” as H.D. Thoreau and Robert Frost portay in their poetry doesn’t sound appropriate in 2016, except to those of us who find value in those elements.
My brother and sister in law are selling their150 year old home, which is on the “registry” of such historical houses, to downgrade and simplify their lives in a ranch in a suburb. I love this and support this line of thinking. 🙂
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Study what interests you. You may not make the best “living”, but you will make the best life. I am so proud of what I gained from a liberal arts education. No regrets. ❤️
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Me too! No regrets! 🙂 Thanks!
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Great words and I love the perspective! I like golf as well… but don’t get paid for it. 😉
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Thanks so much! 😀 I don’t enjoy golf, but I think it’s good to have a life of many pleasures, and if golf is one of yours, that’s great!
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Speaking as a person with a degree in fine arts, who makes a living teaching small people but makes art for pleasure, I give you two thumbs up!! My favorite part is the quote from your step dad “…I sent you (to school) to become a better version of yourself.” If only this was everyone’s aim there would be a lot less miserable people in the world.
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Reducing misery should always be a goal.
I love that you teach and art, Nancy 🙂
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I was kinda shaking my head throughout reading this post—-why do people have to interject their opinions on the choices of others? Anyway, then I read the end—to live deliberately. I love that. A new motto for me. It sounds better than to ‘just be’. 😀
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I loved every part of this. Thank you.
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Thank you 🙂
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Oh, wow, almost like reading myself. I have more than one liberal arts degree – English OMG (though it’s quite apparent that degree was not in English grammar) what is the use in that? Also an MLS. Books? Words? What? I work at a library right now, but it’s hard when you have kids. I dearly wish I could back out now and at least work part-time. My health has gotten worse (mentally and physically), the kids are tougher now that they’re pre-teens and teens, and the house? Forget about it.
It took a while to get the job I have, and I make a little over 20 K. Amazing with all my degrees. But like you said there is something to having an education for the sake of having it (also it puts off working a job which kind of sucks). And you don’t even have to go to college. I learn all the time because I like it. People who have only read books like Twilight scare me. My liberal arts degree and my general knowledge of English have helped me write a blog that entertains other people (and me as well). I quite enjoyed ripping apart 50 Shades of Grey chapter by chapter.
So maybe there is a use for it after all?
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Oh I think all education is useful, but perhaps anything pertaining to the arts is underpaid — like the library, which requires funding through government and often, supplemental grants. If the need to make money is stronger than the need to feel academically enriched, then one can always take a job elsewhere, doing something less interesting but more profitable. When I was getting my English degree, I was often alongside Library Science students, who I knew needed a masters. TO EARN EVEN LESS THAN TEACHERS.
I seldom think about working full-time, because I’ve had the experience and it really wasn’t a good time in my life. Part-time if at all would be better for me until the kids are out of the house. I’ve been immensely fortunate for the most part, and have had many jobs that didn’t rely on my field of study, but I cannot deny that the degree got me the job. A lot of employers just want that degree, which is kind of a shame, really. Plenty of diploma-less people are bright enough to do MANY jobs, and won’t get the opportunity.
I enjoyed your commentary on books 😛
Thanks for sharing your experience 🙂
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HUGE HUGE love for you and this post. I thought I was the only one giving such answers. I used to reply to everybody who asked me what I wished to do now that I’ve grown: “I wish to live by the sea.” Now that I do (well, 1.8 km away), I need a new answer. To live deliberately sums it up nicely. Just last week mom asked me what she should reply to all the people back in my original country who keep asking her what I do for a living (and what my sister does) – and there are a LOT of those. My reply was: “Tell them that when they are dead, I will be famous.”
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Oh thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed my post ❤
Living by the sea must be delightful!
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Joey, how could you hit so many of my hot buttons in one good sized post? With my name, I always got some person singing a few bars of Hey Jude. It wasn’t funny the first time. I was a stay at home Mom for ten years and got all those same inquiries. I also have a Liberal Arts Degree with a major in HR with which I made quite a bit of money in Corporate America. I’m retired now living off my savings earned with that stupid degree and look constantly for classes just to learn – went to one last night, there’s another one Saturday, and a couple more in April. When I stop wanting to learn, I’ll be dead. As you can tell, I loved this post. 🙂
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Aw, well thanks 🙂 I’m glad you love to learn, too!
I think for most people, their job is seldom what they “do.” 😀
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I secretly dream of taking creative writing classes one day. My English degree is the closest I could get the first time around — anything more radical than that was just nonsensical for my very sensible father!
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I totally understand 🙂
I’m glad you have the blogging and I’m sure you’ll take some courses later on.
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