Which Degree, and For Which Job?

[Mme. Chaucer]

I bl00dy deserve a degree without doing math,

 

Do what you think is best for you - but I predict that you won't be able to complete any degree unless / until you make a concerted effort to have more self control, self discipline and an overall attitude adjustment.

 

You are still coming off as an entitled pre-teenager.

 

You don't deserve a degree of any kind. No one does. It's something that is earned by some of us who are priveleged enough to be in a socio-economic environment where it's even a possibility.

 

You know - funnily enough, my own daughter, just your age, who I keep bringing up when I'm posting to you, was not able to transfer from community college to university because, like you, she "refused" to do what she would have needed to do to get up to the basic college level math requirement that is necessary here to graduate in ANY subject, or to even get into a university. She would have needed tutoring and to take some remedial classes.

 

So, you know what happened? She did not go to the university, and dropped out of college.

 

I'm hoping she drops the attitude of "refusing" to do math and ultimately finishes school, but it's up to her.

 

In my opinion, people who are not willing to do things that are set forth for them even when they don't want to are not ready or maybe not cut out for advanced education. The goal of having it as easy as possible is probably not a winning starting position.

 

And that's not a dig at you. It pertains to my own daughter, who I love to death and who I know is brilliant, IQ-wise, and an extremely gifted writer and artist.

 

Edited to add: When I was in college for my English Literature degree, there wasn't any math requirement! Well, there sort of was - a basic computer class covered it for me. Not fair, is it? And I probably hate math more than all the rest of humanity put together!

Edited November 2, 2012 by Mme. Chaucer

[Leigh 87]

I am not averse to the most basic math, for ONE semester.

 

I just do not want to do math beyond the most very BASIC, and for more than a year.

 

Social Sciences requires NO MATH. Not here in Australia.

 

It is all reading. A lot of it, which I am adept at - doing a LOT of reading, keeping up with assignments, doing little bits each day.....

 

My friend is doing it; she was top of her class yet hates math. So did social sciences.

 

She has a talent and really enjoys the case work she does in her spare time (she volenteers her time to do work experience for her degree).

 

My friend, who is very much like me in regards to her academic abilities and likes and dislikes..... REALLY loves the social work she does.

 

I think I will pass my degree, doing it full time, and get a job as a social worker, and work my way up to case manager and get paid 80K after a few years.

 

I am good at most things I am passionate about and enjoy, when I apply myself.

 

 

 

 

I am very confident I will not only do the degree, but get a job out of it.

[Eclypse]

Okay! Here is my FIFTH TRY at getting my question answered:

 

LEIGH:

 

Do you have "general education" in Australia? This is the part of undergraduate studies here in the US that every student has to complete, regardless of what they end up majoring in. The general ed might vary between people interested in pursuing math/science majors and those who don't, but they cover basic education.

 

Do you have that, or do you not?

 

As I said, it is rare for college students to have their solid career choice made before their first day of school here. You make it sound like it's a requirement there.

 

Is it? Or can you just get busy with your general education when the semester starts, and worry about your major later?

 

Just to clarify, no there is no general education between degrees in Australian universities. Each degree has its own seperate units. Some overlap, like psychology which falls into arts and science. You can pick and choose your subjects and major. However, first year subjects are generally more broad. I personally did biology and chemistry at first year, then in second year began specialising into microbiology and immunology.

 

Maths is not a requirement unless you are doing engineering or a maths major. I did physics in first year and didn't have to do university level maths, although this was because I did advanced maths in high school. For an arts degree you won't have to do maths definitely, HOWEVER, Leigh check the subject plan for the major in case you have to do statistics or something.

 

Lastly, my university introduced this thing called "breadth" where 25% of your degree has to come from another discipline. I think they are trying to make it similar to the US and other unis are doing it too now. It was fairly useless, but it reaffirmed my dislike for wishy washy arts subjects, so it wasn't all bad I guess. Showed me what I don't want to do ever again.

[FitChick]

How about becoming a physical therapist? It's kind of related to fitness in that you help people become more mobile after accidents or illnesses.

[AlexDP]

I am not averse to the most basic math, for ONE semester.

 

I just do not want to do math beyond the most very BASIC, and for more than a year.

 

Social Sciences requires NO MATH. Not here in Australia.

 

It is all reading. A lot of it, which I am adept at - doing a LOT of reading, keeping up with assignments, doing little bits each day.....

 

My friend is doing it; she was top of her class yet hates math. So did social sciences.

 

She has a talent and really enjoys the case work she does in her spare time (she volenteers her time to do work experience for her degree).

 

My friend, who is very much like me in regards to her academic abilities and likes and dislikes..... REALLY loves the social work she does.

 

I think I will pass my degree, doing it full time, and get a job as a social worker, and work my way up to case manager and get paid 80K after a few years.

 

I am good at most things I am passionate about and enjoy, when I apply myself.

 

 

 

 

I am very confident I will not only do the degree, but get a job out of it.

 

 

 

 

 

You have zero focus. If you really want to get a degree, this is something that has to change. I might not know much about life in general, but I do hold several university degrees and I can tell you that for any degree in any field, you need focus.

 

Here's what will most likely happen to you: you'll love university life. You'll love the education. You'll love the books. You'll love the teachers. For two weeks. Then you'll start thinking that maybe becoming a physical therapist is a better idea. Or maybe you should even study medicine. Or psychology.

 

Or maybe you should take a long trip abroad and travel the world.

 

Or pursue a career as a ballet dancer. If you're passionate about it, you can do it!

 

Why not become an Olympic athlete?

 

Or a stay at home mom?

 

Prime minister sure looks interesting..

 

But then again so does becoming a teacher.

 

YOU NEED FOCUS.

[Mme. Chaucer]

Just to clarify, no there is no general education between degrees in Australian universities.

 

THANK YOU. I think I asked this question FIVE TIMES. Because I really wanted to know the answer and I think it was pertinent to the topic.

 

Which brings me to agreeing with the poster above and his comments about "focus."

[Leigh 87]

I am very focused.

 

I just wanted to try a lot of different things, and consider a lot of different directions.

 

My final conclusion is that I want to get a degree, for my own fullfillment, and because it will open doors for me career wise; I may only start out as "crappy social worker" but you ca major in HR that pays well, you know.

 

Having that social sciences degree will also get my jobs in areas not related to the degree... simply because I HAVe a degree; I will be able to get jobs that I would not without the degree.

[Leigh 87]

I am extremely focused.

 

I finally know that I need to study towards my future job, as WELL as working. I have considered both over the past 3 years on love shack.

 

What on earch is WRONG with being undecided?

 

Here is the run down:

 

I started study full time in 2010: I got into a food science degree.

 

I met my boyfriend. Our love of overseas treavel dictated that I wanted to deferre Uni, to get the travel bug out of my system.

 

My partner and I assumed I should just get full time work and save in order to travel.

 

I could not find full time work.

 

I could not even find part time work.

 

I tried a few courses but soon learned they were not viable career paths so stopped them - I would not have used them, and rather wanted to focus on things that would lead to a job.

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOW: I have decided to study in SOME capacity next year. While I also work.

 

 

I like the fact I have had a lot of ideas and directions I considered, tried them, researched them, and realised there was something better out there for me.

[Leigh 87]

You could study any of the following:

 

 

* Law Degree (To work as a lawyer)

* General Education (to become a school teacher, yes it has some math but nothing special)

* Psychology (To provide counseling services)

* Languages (French translator, German teacher, etc)

* Cooking (Chef)

 

See, there are plenty of non math options

 

 

 

 

I would love to study a language, but you would have to know one before you studied it at University level!

 

Man, I would SO love to learn a language over the course of a year at Uni, and then go on to study it.

 

I would love to be a tour guide in that country then!

 

Language, despite my lack of grammar on this website, is actually what I am adept at; learning languages.

 

 

 

 

LAW????? I have heard law is incfedibly boring and hellish.

 

I am probably not smart enough to study law.

 

I got 92 or 93% on my high school certificate - the scale at which you are measued at to get into college/Uni courses.

[Leigh 87]

FOR THE RECORD: I am willing to study math, the most BASIC MATH, for one semester.

 

NO worries.

 

I would get a tutor, and not have to even do the math for long - I would be more than happy to do that!

 

It is just prolonged math, for more than one year, that I am averse to.

I have done science, hard science at college briefely, and there ARE science subjects with NO math, that I DID FINE IN.

 

I actually enjoyed a subject that 70% of studentds fail; ALL science based about cells and the body, NO math.

 

That is the sort of science I love and WITH there was a degree on - so as to avoid the text book math, and only use math to add up chemical equations.

 

 

 

 

And I enjoy science and love learning about cell biology and memorizing the iner workings of cells and the body.

 

So I would be more than willing to do a science based degree, if the only math that was needed was to balance chemical equations (basic addition)

[Leigh 87]

Get over your hatred of math. Life can boiled down into many things, but one of the most important, I think, are options. Life is about options, in the sense that- The more you have the better off you are. You don't want to be in a place where you're stuck between 2 or 3 crappy options. The only reason most people don't like math is because they haven't learned/practiced, and the way westerners learn math is more confusing than Asians cultures.

 

 

 

 

I don't have to go and do a degree with a lot of math.

 

It does not make sense, when I would be miserable.

 

I would take twice as long to finish a math heavy degree, as I would not want to wake up, study at 5 am, eat meals, study until 12 am.

 

 

I could simply not handle a math driven degree full time; I NEED an hour a day in total of breaks.

 

I would literally have to study math EVERY waking moment, with only meal breaks, in order to PASS a math driven degree full time.

 

Actually - I still would not pass a math based degree, unless I got a tutor a year before the degree started.

 

And than I would have to do math alld ay every day for a year or more in my degree - NO THANKS.

[Leigh 87]

I would be happy to compromise, however.

 

Maybe I should get a tutor next year, and work full time in a menial job while I study math with a tutor.

 

THEN - the following year I could get into a science heavy degree with math in it.

[Leigh 87]

See my other thread.

 

Clearly, a degree that will get me a good and high paying job, will prbably be sciences based with math in it.

 

I needn't pick a degree with A LOT of heavy math, but it seams worth my while to get a good tutor to study math for a year prior to selecting my degree.

 

While I do not want a degree that is math based, I think the best career path for me to go down would involve doing a degree that is science based, with a little math for the first year.

[Leigh 87]

And I am out of practice at math - I have literally not done any math for almost 15 years.

 

SO, you should be able to understand my initial aversion to math.

 

I will be thrilled if even a YEAR of math tutoring will enable me to pass a degree with math in it!

 

I am 50/50 % convinced the full year of tutoring will even be enough for me to pass a degree with math in it, unless it is the very most basic college level math!

[Queenie42]

Hi, I'm another of those long-time lurkers which emerge from the shadows every now and then. Thought I'd stick my oar in now because (and I say this with as much love and support I can send to a complete stranger) something's gotta give.

 

While I recognise that a big salary is the ultimate goal here, it's important to realise that quality of life isn't dependent only on your bank statement. If you're going to be totally miserable throughout a three year degree, you may well end up being miserable for the 40+ years you'll spend developing the same skills you learnt during the degree.

 

I really do wish Australia had a general studies program at university. Pretty much they ask you halfway through Year 12 what you want to do for the rest of your life, and expect you to know the answer. The best thing we really have is a Bachelor of Arts, which encompasses so many disciplines that you can get a real feel for which field you may really wish to pursue. I wonder if this may be an option worth investigating, Leigh? It's a very common method - you test the waters for the first year and then start to focus on developing your majors using the later year courses.

[Leigh 87]

I think regardless of my degree and subsequent career resulting from the degree, I need to get a math tutor.

 

A math and science tutor for one full year before college/Uni will open up more doors, and allow me to pick from more degrees.

 

....I am open to anything. I just think I need a math tutor for the year leading up to Uni, so then I can have more options to choose from in life!

 

And I am absolutely not going to do a job that I am miserable in: I will opt for a degree that I will enjoy somewhat.

 

I enjoy the sciences, I just cannot delve to deaply into math; no physics, but rather chemistry is okay, but my real passion is life sciences and biomedical science.

 

I want to find a balance: the highest paying career that I wills till enjoy enough to handle.

I would go for a lower paying field if I like it more than a higher paying job I would hate.

 

... ......... I just want to get the tutoring, as it will enable me more options; to find a career I like, that pays well enough.

 

Not doing math or science will only allow me to complete ONE degree; a social sciences one, that requires no science or math.

 

I just want options. I may even find I do not hate math as much as I thought.

[iris219]

So, you don't want to do math or write essays in college? Well, a lot of students feel this way, but you will have to do both. There are degree requirements that must be fulfilled, and math will be one of them, even if your future career doesn't directly relate to math.

 

Most campuses have a math lab where free tutoring is offered. Many students end up of living in the math lab for the semesters they have math. You aren't the only one who sucks at math; lots of students struggle with it.

 

Have you registered for classes yet?

[Flicka]

How about becoming a physical therapist? It's kind of related to fitness in that you help people become more mobile after accidents or illnesses.

 

This is a good suggestion.

 

In the US we even have Physical Therapist Assistants. A PTA is a 2 year Associates Degree at a tech school with a great payout in the end. Program requirements differ by school but mine required only one semester of a pretty remedial math course. I'm not sure if this is an option in Australia though.

 

Good luck with whatever you choose.

[Under The Radar]

Leigh 87,

 

I have a degree in Social Work and also operate a private personal training facility.

 

I also have always been quite poor at math and avoided it whenever possible. I was never taught how to do math properly and was just pushed "through the system" so to speak. I always did well in subjects like english and history.

 

I did need some math courses in obtaining the degree; the hardest of which was statistics. I hired a tutor and worked hard every week. You can do the same with whatever basic math requirements needed. I had no shame working with supplemental instruction. I'd spend three hours each tutoring session with my mentor. The first hour was to go over all of my notes I took in class. The second hour was completing my homework to be turned in. The third hour was going ahead in the textbook and working on future lessons so I would be less overwhelmed in class. This is what it took FOR ME. Everyone's learning ability is different and not all teachers can disseminate the material well. My tutor was great because he would break it down for me in a way that I could understand. I ended up getting an A in the course even though my math was substandard to say the least. If I could do it, I KNOW YOU COULD DO IT! For you it might be much easier - one never knows unless they try

 

I started personal training in commercial facilities because I always enjoyed fitness and helping people. I was in my early twenties at the time. Personal Training wasn't nearly as respected, accepted, or as popular at that time (mid 1990's) than it is today.

 

I took a break at the time to pursue a Social Work degree. I graduated and spent three years working the "Zombie Squad" for Child Protective Services (I live in Pennsylvania). I was responsible for all emergency onsites or "blow ups" for existing cases in the county at night when the day workers went home. Heavy case loads, poor pay, and tons of stress. I continued to Personal Train on the weekends.

 

My experience is primarily in the child welfare sector, but I will tell you that Social Work is very difficult work. People in the field partake because of the passion they have to help others. You know, the people in society that nobody else wants to work with type of thing. You will never make a lot of money in the field. However, I see no reason one cannot make a living in it if they budget properly and create a reasonable lifestyle around it.

 

I eventually decided to combine the technical skills of Personal Training with my passion to help people (Social Work). I operate my own facility and make good money. I see no reason you could not combine Social Work with bartending if you so desired. The bartending would certainly help you out financially than just earning from Social Work. The biggest caveat in my opinion would be burnout. You would have to make sure you could handle the hours for both jobs without becoming overwhelmed. You are young now, but you want to think about how you could juggle everything over the years as you age.

 

Personal Training is a great option for you too. It is one of the fastest developing professions and will only become more popular in the future. With technology only advancing people are becoming lazier, heavier, and sicker. A lot of people are relying too much on machines to do their work (including me). So, most personal training exists to keep people accountable for exercising their bodies. You get to help people with aches, pains, poor energy levels, nutrition, weakness, depression, etc...

 

Hope some of this helps you in the decision making process - good luck!

 

Josh

[Queenie42]

Also, remember that even if a degree has some maths in it (and most of them do) it may not be a totally gruelling program. My degree is in a half-science-half-humanities sort of field, which involves a little bit of advanced maths. Some of the courses I have done had just a bit of maths (a few simple formulae) but one was very heavy in statistics. But the lecturers were very good at walking us through it since they knew we weren't exactly fresh out of high school.

 

What's more, the lecturers also knew that once out of university and into the workforce, we'll have computer programs to do all the stats for us anyway. So rather than having us all try and memorise a hundred different methods, it was just a matter of making sure we know how the stats tests work and when they should be applied. As long as you know those things, you can make a computer do the rest and that's OK.

 

Basically, don't sweat the maths too much. The lecturers know you're not all mathemagicians, and they know it's been ages since high school maths. But they'll teach you what you need to know for the degree, and they'll teach it in a manner appropriate to the work you'll be doing later on.

Edited November 3, 2012 by Queenie42
Edited to add: By the way, in four years of full-time uni, there have only been four weeks of maths lectures.

[Leigh 87]

Leigh 87,

 

I have a degree in Social Work and also operate a private personal training facility.

 

I also have always been quite poor at math and avoided it whenever possible. I was never taught how to do math properly and was just pushed "through the system" so to speak. I always did well in subjects like english and history.

 

I did need some math courses in obtaining the degree; the hardest of which was statistics. I hired a tutor and worked hard every week. You can do the same with whatever basic math requirements needed. I had no shame working with supplemental instruction. I'd spend three hours each tutoring session with my mentor. The first hour was to go over all of my notes I took in class. The second hour was completing my homework to be turned in. The third hour was going ahead in the textbook and working on future lessons so I would be less overwhelmed in class. This is what it took FOR ME. Everyone's learning ability is different and not all teachers can disseminate the material well. My tutor was great because he would break it down for me in a way that I could understand. I ended up getting an A in the course even though my math was substandard to say the least. If I could do it, I KNOW YOU COULD DO IT! For you it might be much easier - one never knows unless they try

 

I started personal training in commercial facilities because I always enjoyed fitness and helping people. I was in my early twenties at the time. Personal Training wasn't nearly as respected, accepted, or as popular at that time (mid 1990's) than it is today.

 

I took a break at the time to pursue a Social Work degree. I graduated and spent three years working the "Zombie Squad" for Child Protective Services (I live in Pennsylvania). I was responsible for all emergency onsites or "blow ups" for existing cases in the county at night when the day workers went home. Heavy case loads, poor pay, and tons of stress. I continued to Personal Train on the weekends.

 

My experience is primarily in the child welfare sector, but I will tell you that Social Work is very difficult work. People in the field partake because of the passion they have to help others. You know, the people in society that nobody else wants to work with type of thing. You will never make a lot of money in the field. However, I see no reason one cannot make a living in it if they budget properly and create a reasonable lifestyle around it.

 

I eventually decided to combine the technical skills of Personal Training with my passion to help people (Social Work). I operate my own facility and make good money. I see no reason you could not combine Social Work with bartending if you so desired. The bartending would certainly help you out financially than just earning from Social Work. The biggest caveat in my opinion would be burnout. You would have to make sure you could handle the hours for both jobs without becoming overwhelmed. You are young now, but you want to think about how you could juggle everything over the years as you age.

 

Personal Training is a great option for you too. It is one of the fastest developing professions and will only become more popular in the future. With technology only advancing people are becoming lazier, heavier, and sicker. A lot of people are relying too much on machines to do their work (including me). So, most personal training exists to keep people accountable for exercising their bodies. You get to help people with aches, pains, poor energy levels, nutrition, weakness, depression, etc...

 

Hope some of this helps you in the decision making process - good luck!

 

Josh

 

 

 

 

 

 

OH.... my god. You sound like you have very similar interests as I do! I am SO glad I read about your experience.

 

 

I love helping people and I genuinely do have a passion for wanting to help out the worst of the worst; maybe, just maybe my positive and friendly attitude, that is not at ALL condescending to such types of people, will influence SOME one; to make them go back to school, or better themselves in some way.

 

............I would enjoy the degree, be able to do it full time, and work part time whilst studying full time, and still have most weekends free!

 

....And I would make a living out of social work AND bar tending/waitressing.

 

...SO I could do a degree that is not THAt challenging, easily GET the work from the degree, and on top of earning a living of social work, I could save for holidays through bartending!

[Leigh 87]

I know I could make a good living from social work ANd bar tending; a career I WANT, but without the poor anual bank balance.

 

Because I genuinely LOVE waitressing and bar tending, I see no reason why I would not make decent enough money working 9 - 5 as a social worker, and waitressing and/or bar tending 3 nights a week.

 

...I would also look into personal training some weekends for extra cash.

 

I do love the "menial" jobs lol, I am not sure if I want to pursue a science driven career just yet.

 

My parents both think I should just go to college next year as soon as possible, rather than get math and science tutoring a year in advance, in order to get into a "better" degree.

[Leigh 87]

And lastly - I also do very well with tutoring; I simply never applied myself at math at school, so it is not my apptitude but rather my EXPERIENCE with math that has resulted in me being clueless about how to navigate it.

 

I used a chemistry tutor and ot a high distinction; I did the homework and online quizzes with her present, and also did a little additional work if need be, just to be certain I knew the material well.

 

It is a very real possibility that with one year of tutoring, I would get into a degree with a fair bit of science in it, but I would still not want a degree with complex math.

 

...Exercise science would be an option if only I had a math tutor.

 

Unfortunately, I need a tutor a year in advance before the degree, or I would not be able to hack it.

[Leigh 87]

So, you don't want to do math or write essays in college? Well, a lot of students feel this way, but you will have to do both. There are degree requirements that must be fulfilled, and math will be one of them, even if your future career doesn't directly relate to math.

 

Most campuses have a math lab where free tutoring is offered. Many students end up of living in the math lab for the semesters they have math. You aren't the only one who sucks at math; lots of students struggle with it.

 

Have you registered for classes yet?

 

 

 

I do not mind doing essays at all; and I do not mind doing basic math.

 

Luckily, the degree I CAN do does not require math; it is a social sciences degree, and does not have ANY math.

 

 

Like I mentioned above, I have an option to pursue a career I actually feel passionately about, that does not involve math.

 

 

However, the drawback is, I would need to do waitressing about 2 - 3 nights a week in order to make a decet living.

 

I do love waitressing though so I would love going to work still!

 

 

 

.....OR, I could get a math and science tutor fro a year PRIOR to college, and then do a degree that will earn me more money.

[FitChick]

Start by working as a cocktail waitress at a high end hotel. You might meet a rich man to marry and that will be the end of your worries.