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Location: Central Bay Area, CA as of Jan 2010...but still a proud Texan from Houston!
7,484 posts, read 10,509,674 times
Reputation: 8957
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackscorpion
I hate to see how majors in English of all things can do all these jobs, when people say that all one can do with a History major is teach when the English and History majors are essentially the same thing. I talked to someone recently who has a History major. They got a job at a non profit and now they do tourism and marketing for their city. So it's not always about teaching, but you do have to move to a bigger city though.
Well I hate to say it but that job is not offered in abundance. No it is notalways about teaching but the job offers are slim pickings and the pay is not that great in addition to growth opportunities.
All I can say is good luck to those who think that majoring in History or English will lead to a prosperous, rewarding and dynamic career. I personally can't imagine spending all of the effort, money and time to major in something that is not really going to get you far in life.
My dad refers to me as "bro" and other "black related" terms whenever I bring up going back to school there, I know what lies beneath that harping, and I do believe he thinks that if I go back there "they" will rob me and I'll get beaten half to death for not being "one of them". "Who's gonna help you out when your truck breaks down, not those n*ggers. You don't know anybody there so don't come complaining to me when one of them stabs you."
I bring it up to him that Mississippi and surrounding states are around 50-70% white, and he just says that isn't what we saw in Vicksburg.
God. What will happen if I go back there, meet a girl and she sees what this is like? Or if I had to tell her about the stuff that happened before I ever got there?
And in other news.
I got a letter in the mail last night. I got called up for Jury Duty in a Federal court in my district.
I have to show up at the Jury pool on August 26th in Tucson. Right when school starts. And I may have to show up for 5 or so weeks afterwards if I get chosen for be a juror in some Federal case.
Location: Central Bay Area, CA as of Jan 2010...but still a proud Texan from Houston!
7,484 posts, read 10,509,674 times
Reputation: 8957
Quote:
Originally Posted by Desert kid
My dad refers to me as "bro" and other "black related" terms whenever I bring up going back to school there, I know what lies beneath that harping, and I do believe he thinks that if I go back there "they" will rob me and I'll get beaten half to death for not being "one of them". "Who's gonna help you out when your truck breaks down, not those n*ggers. You don't know anybody there so don't come complaining to me when one of them stabs you."
I bring it up to him that Mississippi and surrounding states are around 50-70% white, and he just says that isn't what we saw in Vicksburg.
God. What will happen if I go back there, meet a girl and she sees what this is like? Or if I had to tell her about the stuff that happened before I ever got there?
And in other news.
I got a letter in the mail last night. I got called up for Jury Duty in a Federal court in my district.
I have to show up at the Jury pool on August 26th in Tucson. Right when school starts. And I may have to show up for 5 or so weeks afterwards if I get chosen for be a juror in some Federal case.
I wonder what ramifications this will have.
Easy solution...what ever the person in the case is charged with doing...announce loudly during jury selection (that is if you even make that pool of folks) that you think people who commit such crimes should be fully prosecuted. Guarantee you will not be selected for the jury panel.
And about your dad.. screw his narrow BS perception. It's time to grow up and figure it out for yourself.
Easy solution...what ever the person in the case is charged with doing...announce loudly during jury selection (that is if you even make that pool of folks) that you think people who commit such crimes should be fully prosecuted. Guarantee you will not be selected for the jury panel.
And about your dad.. screw his narrow BS perception. It's time to grow up and figure it out for yourself.
I want nothing more than to figure it out for myself, and on my own terms.
You need to devise a step by step plan for your independence.
If you major in a subject that will not gain you employment you will be stuck with at least the thought of having to fall back on family and you will be in no position to enter an honest romantic relationship with someone else.
So the first thing I would do would be to see where the employment opportunities are and train myself for one of those. Your dad may be biased and not express himself very well, but he seems like he's trying to spare you from financial hardship in your future.
After you are gainfully employed in your chosen career you can think of meeting someone for a serious relationship. Otherwise, what do you bring to the table? Poverty? Is that fair to the person you say you love?
Just bite your tongue and bide your time with your father. Plan a life for yourself that's successful, where you will never have to come back home again.
Well it seems you have two choices really: do what you want and make your own fate, or do what your father wants and resent him for it for the next 60 years. I think you know what to do.
I would not put carts before horses. You need to devise a step by step plan for your independence. If you major in a subject that will not gain you employment you will be stuck with at least the thought of having to fall back on family and you will be in no position to enter an honest romantic relationship with someone else.
So the first thing I would do would be to see where the employment opportunities are and train myself for one of those. Your dad may be biased and not express himself very well, but he seems like he's trying to spare you from financial hardship in your future.
After you are gainfully employed in your chosen career you can think of meeting someone for a serious relationship. Otherwise, what do you bring to the table? Poverty? Is that fair to the person you say you love? Just bite your tongue and bide your time with your father. Plan a life for yourself that's successful, where you will never have to come back home again.
OP, listen to this advice. I hear you saying you are interested in History, but many of us who have been out in the workforce are trying to tell you that job opportunities for History majors are few and far between. And the situation has only gotten tougher in the last 5 years. Like I said about my sibling, had they needed to enter the workforce NOW, it would've been a very different situation. There was a huge stroke of luck that the economy was booming ten years ago.
Looking at it in a very black and white sense, the point of college is to give you training that enables you to get a better paying job than you would've gotten without it. Yes, there are other perks. You can take classes in subjects that interest you, meet cool people, have fun, but choosing your major needs to be focused on what can you do that earns a good living, and setting out to meet that goal.
Quote:
I've been thinking long and hard about it lately, history is something I'm good at. Really good at.
But when it comes to prospects at the moment, there are not many, Graduate school may be the last chance for college to at least be enjoyable on terms that I want. Didn't work out that way for Junior College, and certainly didn't end well when it came to University and me never getting anywhere while still being subjected to this, but hey, at least I'm making a steady way to my bachelors, doesn't help that I lost a lot of ground that I can't get back.
I hate to see how majors in English of all things can do all these jobs, when people say that all one can do with a History major is teach when the English and History majors are essentially the same thing. I talked to someone recently who has a History major. They got a job at a non profit and now they do tourism and marketing for their city. So it's not always about teaching, but you do have to move to a bigger city though.
I am concerned because you seem to be approaching this from the mindset of college primarily being enjoyable. The smartest thing you could do for yourself is set yourself up for a career where you will be able to be independent from your father. If you get a history degree, can't make ends meet, and have to move home, that's a lifetime of having to put up with things that make you unhappy. If you get a degree in a more in-demand field, take some history classes for fun, and get a good paying job, you will have the freedom and means to do whatever you want in your free time. You'll be able to afford your own place, study history for fun, spend time with friends.
Big cities (I'm from one) can be tough places to find a job too. One, you may have 200 people applying for every job you think you can get. Tough odds. Two, in some fields, who you know matters more than what you know, and in my experience, this is true of those "anyone can do it" sort of jobs like working at a non-profit, more so than in engineering.
I got a letter in the mail last night. I got called up for Jury Duty in a Federal court in my district.
I have to show up at the Jury pool on August 26th in Tucson. Right when school starts. And I may have to show up for 5 or so weeks afterwards if I get chosen for be a juror in some Federal case.
I wonder what ramifications this will have.
You can almost always reschedule jury duty, at least once. Also, full-time students are often excused. Read the forms carefully and timely comply with any requirements for being excused or rescheduled.
OP, you're getting lots of good advice on here. Be sure and take at least some of it.
You can almost always reschedule jury duty, at least once. Also, full-time students are often excused. Read the forms carefully and timely comply with any requirements for being excused or rescheduled.
OP, you're getting lots of good advice on here. Be sure and take at least some of it.
I'll make sure to follow it.
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