Did you get your higher education right?

It depends….on the surface, no. But the assistantship I received in grad school allowed me to get my previous position which allowed for my current one. So, sort of. Now I am thinking that a PhD is the place for me. We’ll see. : )

I’m still a junior is college, but I know I’m going to pursue a doctorate and teach at a university. I know that’s what I want to do. As for the school, I’m very happy with my choice (UCD). It’s the perfect school for me.

Not really, I suppose, since I was an Oceanography major and my whole career has been in writing and information. A good liberal arts education is an excellent grounding for a lot of work and life though.

Nope.

Yes. I concur with Marina that a really good liberal arts education can lead anywhere. I concentrated in Astronomy and got a good job because the US gov’t was throwing monies away for anyone with experience. The Russians had launched the first Sputnik the year before.

Then I went on to teach French, with no experience, sub. in English and do college guidance (with no experience.) But knowing how to write clearly, speak in front of a group, talk to parents of teen-agers and talk to teen-agers, do research, and have some decent social skills opened all the doors.

I have always wanted to get my PhD in atmospheric science, and do research for the DOE or some other government agency. Now, I am not going to get past my MS. I got all of the wind knocked out of me in grad school, and the passion that I once had for this field has long since vanished. It’s a shame, too. I really think that the best scientists are often not those who are the smartest, or best, but those who have the passion and interest in discovery. I find that I meet more and more people like me who wished with all their hearts for a higher degree, but could not put themselves through the torture that is grad school. And as for going further than I need to, quite the contrary. What with academic inflation, there is really no way I can get a research position without a PhD and postdoctoral work (which would mean 10+ more years in academia. **Shudder**)

Yup. My liberal arts education shore did me right. Mhmm.

@TL: Did you mean that or was the tilde missing?

I don’t regret it. I didn’t go to college to get a career, I went to learn. As a result, I don’t make a ton of money, but I’m okay with that.

I was being silly. But the more I think about this question, the more there is to it for me. I don’t have any regrets. I got a good solid liberal arts education from an excellent college and I have no interest in grad school (see Les’ answer, above!). I do regret the higher education options I had, or felt I had, going into college. Seems to me our higher education system is due for an overhaul. It’s a new world we’re moving into, ladies and gentlemen, and it’s one we haven’t been trained or prepared for.

So yes, I got my higher education right, given what was available. And no, higher education didn’t get it right in the first place.

Majoring in journalism, luckily, was excellent prep for public relations. I can spell! Minoring in history allows me to see that, in retrospect.

I live in hope of an honorary doctorate.

Yeah, I generally picked the right major, but I really wish I had taken more math, physics, and computer science. I should have had at least 2 more classes in each. I’m about to start my first year of grad school.

Ask me in a few years.

I took exactly as many college courses as I needed to get ahead in my chosen career, and I have since taken courses as I found subjects I wished to learn more about.

I’d be better off without this damn student loan, I can tell you that much.