Do overs

[pbray]

Back home after the last class and the final exam. I surprised the instructor with autographed copies of my books, and let him know how much I enjoyed the class. When last seen, he was reading DEVLIN'S LUCK while the rest of the students finished up their exams.

In the past few days I've been thinking about what other courses I'd like to take. My degrees are in Computer Science and Management of Information Technology. But given sufficient time and money, if I were to go back to school now, I'd study something completely different.

As a second career I'd probably go for a degree in Library Sciences, specializing in computer-based research. For pure fun, I'd study forensic science, or perhaps languages or history.

What about you? If you could study anything you wanted, what classes would you take?

Comments

[rhonawestbrook.livejournal.com]

I would take phsycology, human behavior and anything else connected to comunications I could find. I love to study so much and I really wish I had the time and money to just be a student!

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't that be great? I think the gods should arrange it so we can win the lottery and then take whatever classes we want.

[clarkesworld.livejournal.com]

I always thought a Library Sciences degree would make a good companion to my Computer Science degree. I probably should pick up an Educational Technology degree, but I've been in that field since 1989 and find most of the programs useless. Sadly, it would help open doors that nearly 20 years of experience don't.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Experience, something that can't go in a ticky box and is thus ignored.

That's one of the reasons why I got my MS--there was very little material covered that was new to me, but the degree demonstrated that I was worthy of advancing up the technical ladder.

[melissajm.livejournal.com]

Probably languages, anthropology, art...

And some PhD level psych. courses. I LOVED college. Yeah, I could study for a living. ;)

[pbray.livejournal.com]

I could study for a living too. Well, some instructors would turn me homicidal. But in general it would be a nice idea.

[eeknight.livejournal.com]

Folklore and mythology. A lot more Jung, too.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Folklore and mythology would be very cool indeed. And there are classs on storytelling that caught my eye, comparing oral traditions with written stories.

[nightwolfwriter.livejournal.com]

Once wishweaver finishes her Masters in Computer Security, I'm going to go back and pursue my Masters in English. I'd like to do some adjunct teaching at the local community college and I need my Masters to do that.

However, if I thought my math was stronger, I'd love to continue with Astronomy. I really, REALLY, enjoyed the Introduction to Astronomy class I had to take to get my Associates this past spring.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Astronomy would be very cool and shiny. But I imagine once you get past the intro level there's a lot of math and physics.

[jpsorrow.livejournal.com]

I'd be interested in Anthropology/Archeology. I took quite a few anthro courses during my (rather long) college career.

I also took quite a few history classes, centered on medieval history, of course. So that would be a possibility.

And I know I could get a degree in Comp Sci fairly easily, although this doesn't have the same appeal as history or anthro. But it's the next "logical" step since I've maxed out the whole math track.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

If I did CompSci again, I'd specialize in Computer Forensics.

[sylvia-rachel.livejournal.com]

My arky courses (taken to satisfy the university's breadth requirements) were some of the most fun. Especially the one that involved digging up proto-Huron artefacts :)

[sylvia-rachel.livejournal.com]

I've never gone back to school because a graduate degree would involve choosing something to specialize in, and I can't decide: Shakespeare? Old English poetry? Austen? Spenser? Evelyn Waugh? Sir Philip Sidney? If I could, and if I thought I could handle sitting in classes with teenagers all day, I would take an endless series of bachelor's degrees -- one in French lit, say, one in music, one in zoology, one in early modern history, one in WWII-era history, one in Yiddish and Judaic studies, one in theatre, one in arky ...

From a more practical standpoint, I have considered doing an MLS/MIS degree, but never actually made up my mind to do it. I've got used to the steady paycheque, you see.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

There's a few retirement communities associated with universities in the U.S. where part of the benefit is that you can audit any class for free. Initially the programs were aimed at attracting former alumni back to their alma maters, but it's a great idea all around. I'm hoping it catches on, so when it's time for me to start cashing my social security checks I can do something like that.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Chinese. Language, history, culture, the whole thing.

Oh, and maths/physics/astronomy. Um, probably one at a time.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

>>probably one at a time.

Given free rein, I'd be a magpie, flitting from one subject to another.

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

I have degrees in English and History; if I had my druthers I'd go on to get bachelors in Anthropology, Theatre, Geoscience, and a MFA in Creative Writing, because it's the terminal degree in my field. :)

I'm missing one of the BAs I'd like. Can't remember right now. Oh well. :)

[pbray.livejournal.com]

I've never taken a college level English class, but I've sometimes wondered what I've missed. :-)

[libwitch.livejournal.com]

You would make an awesome librarian, but there isn't really a specialization like that anymore....since everyone is expected to know how to do it. But you would be awesome in Systems; or as an Electronic Resources Libarian (which can cover everything from being the web person to management of electronic resources).

I have always wanted to get a law degree, but schools are not keen on going PT. Alas.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

I suspect I'd be excellent at all the parts of the job that didn't involve dealing with the general public :-)

Studying the law could be fun--oddly enough it's a default career in my family. My brother's an attorney, and four out of my nine cousins are also have law degrees. But it's an intensive time commitment, and the amount of reading that needs to be done means that reading for pleasure is a thing of the past.

[larryhammer]

If I could do a do-over, I'd swap my history minor and math major. Keeping the physics major, of course.

---L.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

I never would have guessed you were a physics geek.

[etoiline.livejournal.com]

I would finally take an art class or ten, maybe get an MFA. I'd love to learn a little more Comp Sci. I'm very jealous of you and your forensics classes, so that's up there too. Oh, and since I was thisclose to getting a Psych minor, I might as well pick up one of those...

and I guess I could finally get around to signing up/paying for the masters biology program that I've sort of started. I don't want to have just a bachelors forever. All is moot until I find some more money, though.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

I was so deeply in debt after my bachelor's that I could never have afforded a master's if my company hadn't paid for it.

[kelly-swails.livejournal.com]

I'd love to go to med school. I find the human body and its intricate mechanics facsinating.

If not medicine, then sociology or theater.