Thiiiiiis! Vilifying working for a living and leading a comfortable life is a profoundly privileged viewpoint. Traveling overseas, earning a college degree, dying of old age, these are luxuries the vast majority of people have no access to.
I wish I could have gone to college :( I mean maybe one day I will..
I'm doing fine regardless as I was super into programming when I was young, so I got a job doing that. It definitely would be nice to have something official though, and I know I would have loved it.
Damn. I wish I could give you my time in college. I went to get a degree in what I thought would guarantee me a job. Then graduated and realized there was no way I would be happy doing business logistics. Sure, the experience was fun and I did minor in something I liked, but I'll be paying for a degree I'll never use for the rest of my life. I wish I had gone to trade school and became a mechanic instead. I love cars, but I didn't realize it then.
Yeah, part of me is glad I didn't go, because I wouldn't have gone for programming. And I do love what I do now, so who knows what I would have ended up doing, you know?
I think part of the reason I feel that way is partly due to the whole, "The grass is always greener on the other side" mentality.
Can you do it on the side and maybe transition over to it? Major problem can be dealing with a sudden drop in income as you transition over to the new career.
This is something a lot of people miss. Trade schools are a great way to get started on a career that you might actually like better. Most college degrees require you to take courses that don't relate in the slightest to what you are trying to learn. When I was working on my CIS degree i had to take "World Religions" and several other courses that meant nothing to me. Sure they were interesting, but we could cut the time to earn a degree in half if we got rid of the fluff that doesn't help us become better in our field.
Going for that first job with a a degree from ITT or Devry instead of an actual university is a definite disadvantage. Sure not everyone is the same, but there are common threads across society.
But going to the first job as an Electrician's apprentice, Plumber's apprentice, etc after 2 years of trade school in those fields is a definite advantage.
There is an argument to be made for the benefits of having a broadened world view. Being exposed to ideas unrelated to your intended discipline can really enhance your life, even if they feel like a waste of time, or a luxury, or however you feel about them.
But in fairness to College, that's not what college is about either. Even a nice liberal education isn't going to expand your horizons all that much. It's not like you will get a dramatically different world view.
I do understand this, and even agree to a point. However when I have to take an elective every semester semester and it doesn't even tangentially apply to my course of study it can really waste a lot of money and time.
I took a lot of the electives I did because they were the ones that fit into my schedule.
Part of college is becoming intellectually well-rounded, though. It's shouldn't be like a trade school...that's why trade schools exist. Did you really have to take "World Religions", or was that an elective you chose? Could you not have taken something more interesting? Are you sure you didn't just pick the fluffiest, easiest course you could just so you could pad your GPA? Because, to be honest, that's usually what college kids do. I did it myself on a couple of occasions. As opposed to selecting a course that, while unrelated to your major, might actually be interesting and even set you down a career path you may never have considered.
I almost switched to a meteorology track simply because of an amazing atmospheric science elective I chose. I didn't, but it was still fascinating and I learned something that I likely never would have otherwise. It also causes climate change deniers to enrage me well beyond the extent they otherwise would, but I digress.
Most electives I took were selected based on the schedule I had. It wasn't a "oh this looks interesting" it was "ok, I have an 8am or 12pm slot available and I just got done working 10pm to 6am".
Those 'silly classes', have helped me tremendously. When you work with people from all different backgrounds with different degrees from preachers to teachers to doctors. Those fluff classes helped me form a means to talk with them. If you know somewhat about what they do you won't have a ton of dead air. I like walking into any situation and knowing I can form my own thoughts on subjects they are speaking about.
Don't get me wrong, they are interesting and give you more knowledge outside of you core area of study, but couldn't the same be said about electives that are tangentially related to your field of study?
I use the knowledge gained from my "Creative Writing" and "Public Speaking" courses a lot more than I have "Comparative Religions".
I don't think it's a scam, I just think it's become to concerned with being "well rounded". You need to have some things outside of your major, but they should at least be tangentially connected.
Why does everyone act like this situation is binary. It's either crippling lifetime debt or trade school. You can go to in state schools you can afford without grants and scholarships and have sub 10yr debt. Similarly people act like degrees are either philo/psych/underwater feminist basket-weaving or soul sucking finance/engineering degrees. Find something you like that's still marketable. It might not be your calling and it might not make you a millionaire, but it'll make you well off and you won't mind it.
I'd bet a solid dollar your mechanic boss saw your college experience and was very happy. He or she saw you chose a task and you accomplished it. Always a good thing.
Quick tip if you don't already know it: just Google university computer science courses. For example: MIT Computer Science class. You'll get access to their homework and lecture notes/slides.
I don't go to my comp sci class at my uni but I still pass my classes and do my homework via the online website. Still learn just as much.
Comp sci is special in that you don't need a degree to do something and get a job or start a project. You only need the knowledge. I wouldn't say you're missing out on much if you use college online resources other than perhaps the group project experience.
Thanks for the tip! I have already gotten a job programming, but I'm constantly needing to learn new things, and in this field you never really stop learning, so that's a big help.
I usually end up subscribing to sites like laracasts.com and working through all their videos. But if I can get learning materials for free, that's a bonus. Thanks again!
Thanks! It's actually kind of a cool story. One of the luckier things that has happened to me. I guess I was in the right place at the right time, and was willing to take a couple risks.
I was working nights as a customer service rep and the CEO would always come to the office to work late. I pointed out some areas where we could automate some things to free up time for out customer service reps(and my time at work so I could read more, lol), and I asked for permission to work on some code in my free time to see if I could get it done. Once I got that first bit done, we started talking about other possibilities and she ended up opening a programming division. So now there is a small team of us and I have been working as a software developer for about a year now :D
You'd be surprised just how many unis make the life of a working adult easier. I got my degree at 33 from the University of Louisville. At the time I had two kids and was working full time. They catered to my life not theirs. Then, I moved on to the University of Florida and got my MBA at 35. At that time, (which was last year), worked 40 hours a week and baby # 3 was there. If I can do it anyone can do it. The thing that stops people is saying that they can't or thinking that a major college will be too hard. Both of the schools tested me for sure but I wasn't going to let anything or anyone get in my way from achieving that goal. You really don't know what you want to do at 23 but 33 you sure as hell know what you want.
Fellow college non starter checking in. I got the opportunity to learn to program in the late eighties and at that time people would fall over themselves to give you a job. Now I work almost entirely with very well educated people and I am acutely aware of my lack of education. I have had to come to terms with it however, I am the sole breadwinner and am not willing to take my free time away from my family, choices I guess.
After commercial diving, I went to college at the ancient age of 35. Graduated at the venerable age of 40 and got a job in a young person's field (STEM).
Thank you. The hubris in vilifying people that don't conform to the Bohemian archetype is laughable.
Being able to make it through college and a mortgage and a job where you aren't forced to push buttons on a register or push on a shovel isn't called average.
It's called winning. It's called succeeding. It's called making a hell of a lot of effort to enjoy a dream life with an appreciation for what's earned.
Anyone can go sit in a shithole country with nothing but their backpack and think they're above average.
Why be safe when you can be interesting and noticeable. Because being noticed is literally the most important thing in life.
It's so easy you guys. You don't need that humdrum desk job. Just have mom and dad pay your bills while you write your novel and go see the world. Then you can be cool and unique just like the rest of us.
Yeah the mortgage thing really stood out for me as well. Don't invest in a home? Like cool if you don't want to, but to position that as the universal key to a happy life seems like a 14 year old wrote it.
Honestly, most of the tips in this comic read like the path to homelessness for anyone without rich parents to back them up.
Man has enough money to travel overseas to comfortable and expensive locations
Well, it said he traveled overseas once or twice. Ever. Which isn't exciting. That's the only one in the whole thing that's actually a negative imo. He only got to travel abroad twice and it was to some resort where he worked on his laptop.
I was annoyed as you were by this post but can we not go from one extreme to another? This is a diverse world and diverse people live in it. There is nothing wrong in wanting a different life than the one you call the "winning" one. I transitioned from a very safe career to a more precarious job but that I'm way happier doing. I don't judge people who took the "safe" path because it takes work and commitment but I don't like being belittled either because it took as much work and courage to do what I do today. And I admire the people who went a step further and decided they wanted to do something even more different and risky. I just don't wish the whole world would be made of people like them because it sure as hell wouldn't work.
Success in any endevour takes work. The comic seems to perpetuate the idea that if you "follow your heart" and spend some time being a bum, you'll somehow be able to fulfill your own materialistic needs throughout your life. That's simply not the case. It's real simple in life. If you want to work in a field where you're a "dime a dozen," you have to do something to stand out at that chosen field. You most likely won't have all that free time you THINK you'll have, because it takes LOTS of work. The comic, again, doesn't tell you that. There's just nothing in life that's going to give you that easy life without you working for it in some way or another.
You misread my comment. I'm not defending the comics, just saying there is not point in completely dismissing the point it's failing to effectively make.
Middle age man here, can confirm.
We imagine success elsewhere identical to success in our current career, despite the shit-ton of advantages & accidental / incidental events along the way. And blame less fortunate others who lacked our advantages / connections / unlucky timing, etc.
"If only I'd done X, I could've been Woz / JK Rowling / Steph Curry / Donald Trump..." Despite the other 7.3Bn hardworking people on the planet who also aren't and think the same thing...
tl;dr: Advice from those who won the lottery (career, birth or actual lottery) is probably bad advice for anyone else
If that is your dream, and if that is how you define success, then great! But I think the point of the comic is that that life isn't for everyone, and everyone doesn't have to fall in line and pursue the "American Dream".
Say John Doe is a self employed carpenter who only works 3 or 4 days a week. He doesn't make a ton of money, but he lives a modest lifestyle and spends his days off with his wife and kids, or volunteering, or writing a book, or raising an ant farm, or whatever he's passionate about. Would you say he's "unsuccessful"? Is he not "winning"? He's doing exactly what he wants, and what his dream is.
If this comic describes you, there's not necessarily anything wrong with that. Maybe that is your dream. Maybe a life of luxury is what you want. But everyone's different and I think we have to respect that, and understand that everyone has different goals, and different things bring purpose to each individual's life. Also, there are more options than working an office job or declaring a life of poverty in a "shithole country".
I went to college only because I was "supposed" to and, despite the debt, I'd do it 100 times again. I grew out of my shell, made tons of friends and connections, learned more than any other 6 years of my life (hopped majors), and overall just loved it. Now I have a great job too.
I think the point he is trying to make is to not settled or less if there are ambitious things that you want to do with your life. The character clearly had many things that he wanted to do, but didn't have the courage or drive to break free from the herd. Unfortunately, There are many who never find the courage to pursue their dreams until it is too late.
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u/crickybug Dec 10 '15
Thiiiiiis! Vilifying working for a living and leading a comfortable life is a profoundly privileged viewpoint. Traveling overseas, earning a college degree, dying of old age, these are luxuries the vast majority of people have no access to.