PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Is post-secondary education really worth it?
Old 4th Dec 2017, 19:37
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pa12 pilot
 
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Here’s the advice I wish I had received: get a four year liberal arts degree.

A liberal arts degree exposes a person to a broad range of subjects. Some will bore you to tears. Some will really grab your attention. Once you’re out working, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find all the subjects come up from time to time, even the boring ones. You’ll have knowledge that will give you context to understand history, politics, science, art, etc. The world will be more interesting to you.

After working for a while you may find that a particular field or subject is especially interesting. That’s when you can go back for a masters in that subject and gain really in-depth knowledge. You’ll be surprised how easy a masters degree is when you’re studying something that really interests you.

One caution: many will encourage you to get a degree in a field where hiring is strong. Yes, you may be able to get a high-paying job as soon as you graduate, but life is more than having a high-paying job: it should be about doing things that interest and energize you. If you choose a major simply because that’s where the jobs are, you could easily find yourself working in a field that you strongly dislike.

It’s better to get the liberal arts degree and spend a few years exploring different career paths. Then, when you finally decide on a career you’ll be making that choice based on firsthand knowledge and experience, not advice from family or friends who don’t know you as well as you know yourself.

Best of luck to you!
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