What would you do?

Whether it is disgusting or not; somebody has to do it. If picking up trash and cleaning the toilet are the disgusting jobs. Then nobody wants to do it, but the sh*t needs to be done.

 

Obviously, but we are not discussing whether or not someone has to do particular jobs; rather, we are discussing intelligently choosing a career path that takes in to consideration what a person can put up with, handle, and deal with. For example, I cannot handle and deal with what a nurse would have to in his training and job. There is no way. I would not make it. Therefore, it is not a viable career choice for me. Obviously, other people are still doing the job, but I am not.

 

Or you could "pass gas" as a Nurse Anesthesist

 

Saying deformed children is disgusting is in poor taste. You may deal with less then pleasent things but how disgusting is saving or changing a life?

 

The poll choices are all so vastly different from each other. My recommendation: follow your heart, for where your heart is, there will be your treasure also. Or as Shakespeare said, "To thine own heart be true."

 

Some good advice in this thread. I would recommend that you ask yourself the question: "If I could only have one degree what would I want?"

You then have to interesect that answer with "What will get, and keep, me employed?"

Very few degrees will provide entry into a field without some experience. In my opinion a business degree provides a lot of flexibility and the ability to move into many areas. Engineering is a good bet, as would be computer science. Healthcare degrees are moving into support areas (records management, etc...) and I think would provide a good career.

Personally I never read a management vacancy that didn't want a person who could present both orally and in writing to multiple levels of audiences. I believe that a liberal arts degree would actually be beneficial in many fields, so philosophy could be a good major, especially in light of the critical thinking that is a part of the coursework. Unfortunately, with the use of electronic hiring systems, often the educational requirement is a grade out question. As in, "Do you have a BS in Business? yes or no" I missed a job because I had to answer the question "no" and there wasn't a provision to counter with "but I have an MBA". I did call the HR folks and managed to resolve the issue but by then the position was filled. So I will recommend a business degree, preferably from a tier 1 AACSB accredited school (name recognition and the alumni network can be invaluable) as the best solution for the need of employment. All bets are off if you are independently wealthy and can study whatever you want without regard to a return on investment.

 

Ronin,

You seem like a very nice guy but I have to ask this question.

Are you more interested in hearing the opinions of others or actually working on a degree?

Maybe you should be a writer and I'm not being facetious. But you seem far more interested in the intricacies of the various opinions than you do in any field.

And none of those fields are trivial. The fact that you have an expansive and curious mind is impressive but any of those fields would chew you up and spit you out if you spent as much time contemplating other fields and what people think of them as you do now.

My writer advice is serious - just based on what you've posted here, I think you're far more interested in learning about what people do and why than you are in working in any of those fields.

Why not put that energy and interest into chronicling success stories of those who earned a degree via distance education? You'd excel at that.

 

I would pick the “philosophical technical business/healthcare management degree with a minor in the history of statistics and ancient humanities of European literature” I think that would cover it!

 

Since it seems like your wording has ticked off more than a few people, just wanted to say I get what you mean, and are probably right. I like healthcare, always have, but I have changed so much over the years that, honestly, I don't know if I can handle a career that demands so much out of a person. Job prospects are excellent, and I love the field. Just not sure if I can "handle" it.

Oddly enough, I've been thinking about an English or Communications major lately. My only problem stems from the fact that I want to leave the nest (ie. the US), and settle somewhere far, distant, and exotic (Europe, Asia, and Oceania come to mind), something I'm not sure I'd be able to do with such a degree. Thanks for the suggestion (and the great advice), though, truly appreciated.

ps. Oh yeah, and thanks to all you guys as well.

 

As they say on the "interweb", LOL!

 

>>

LOL You're so funny. I have a friend with a philosophy degree from Loyola. After about 10 years working retail, she became a project manager.

 

>>

But it doesn't bother everyone. My father in law was a garbage man for NY state sanitation for 25 years. I know 2 ladies who were aids at my grandmother's nursing home and they both really enjoyed the job- now, personally, I couldn't have done it, but some people can.
I don't mind cleaning a toilet, I wouldn't want to do it for a living, but I could do it if I needed to. I could NEVER be a social worker... so it's just what is inside your own comfort zone.

 

If you're planning to move to another (non-english speaking) country, then an English major could come in handy. I'm thinking of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) work. You could get a BA or BS in English (or really any major) and an online certificate or Master's (but that's not a true requirement) in TESOL. Then off you to a new career teaching English to foreign students. In most cases, you won't need to know a foreign language, just English as most foreign students will know enough English words to follow along in class.

Another option for you would be Linguistics. In case you don't know, Linguistics is the scientific study of language. There are a number of online Linguistics programs (mostly in the UK, Australia and South Africa). With a linguistics degree, you could teach, get a government analyst job, or do research. Just another option for you. If you're interested, I'll post a list of online linguistics programs (or programmes as they like to spell it in the UK and Oz).

Tom

 

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?db=dictionary&q=disgusting

To excite nausea or loathing in; sicken.

I am referring to physical reactions to physical problems. For example, if I worked as a nurse in a maternity ward, and a child was born with a disfigured face and head and missing both arms, I would not be able to control my physical reactions. I have a very weak stomach. I would not be able to deal with it. Therefore, it is not the profession for me. I disagree with you, and I stand by what I said. I mentioned one of the brutal realities of the medical profession to help someone else think about what they may encounter as a nurse.

 

I can handle the heat. Message board communication has its downside, but I don't mind haggling over words, meaning, and intentions. I am glad you deciphered my message. I wasn't trying to be heartless or mean-spirited, at all. I was simply trying to make mention of some of the human suffering that you may/will have to encounter every day as a nurse. I couldn't handle it.

Go with an English degree, and then go teach English oversees with a company that will pay for you to get your master's degree.

 

I met about six or seven women that taught english when I was stationed in Japan. They made some good money. I'll see if I can find out who they worked for and post it.

 

go to Monster.com and type in: teach English

you will get a number of overseas job opportunities. You don't always need TESOL certification but it would be good to have.

 

Are you not sure if the seventh was a woman?