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

[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.

[elizabeth-welsh.livejournal.com]

You could always move to Hemet, CA. It is a big retirement community. But here's an interesting twist -- volunteer at the museum where I work for 10 hours a month and you get to audit any class at Mount San Jacinto College for free. Pretty cool program huh? Plus, the museum is no slouch for learning cool stuff.

If I could go back... Unlike the rest of you, my pitiful degree isn't even complete. I have an AA in music. I had intended to be a music teacher. Then I got very, very sick. Sadly, the girl that left high school with nine scholarships couldn't finish. First some of the scholarships conflicted, so I had to pick the best ones (or so I thought). Then I took a small student loan out to help me manage the rest of the living stuff. Then I managed to accumulate enough medical bills that that small amount seemed insurmountable. Strangely I did become a private music teacher, which suddenly makes all that work seem like a pointless exercise.

I think I'd like a literature degree. But I wouldn't have done that then either because I had an English teacher steal my creative writing story and publish it under his name. I'd also like to study paleontology. It's funny that I ended up working at a museum, because I'm a paleontology freak, and my stories are full of creatures that once walked the earth and don't any more.

But I wonder why we believe that college is the only way to study something? It seems to me that we should all simply make a pact to learn as long as we're breathing -- whether it's from books, or classes, or experience shouldn't matter. As long we we can keep our minds absorbing information, we should all do it, and encourage one another in any pursuits. To that end, I want to tell that it is great you've taken your class, and greater that you share information with all of your friends. Thank you. And any time you want to share trivia about criminology, I'm all ears.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Commiserations on not being able to finish your degree.

The museum sounds like it would be very fun.

As for college, in taking the class this fall I rediscovered how much fun it was to be able to interact with other students and the professor, something you don't get when you're learning on your own. After over a decade of doing research on my own as a writer, it was a nice change.

And yes, you'll be hearing more criminology tidbits from me. As well as from my professor, who's agreed to let me pick his brain :-)

[sylvia-rachel.livejournal.com]

Oooo, what a lovely idea! :) Except that I don't think emigration is an option for me -- I'm told it's very difficult to get health insurance in the US if you have to tick the little "cancer" box on the forms...

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Even harder if you're self-employed, like, oh, say a writer.

[sylvia-rachel.livejournal.com]

Indeed. That's true here, too, of course: the self-employed can get pretty much the same drug coverage, semi-private hospital coverage, etc., as is available through your average large employer, but unless they can get in on a group plan through a professional association or similar, they pay a lot more. Even such a group plan costs more than the employee premiums on an employer-offered plan, because employers typically pay 50 to 75 per cent of the premiums (the $90/month I pay for family coverage means my employer is paying something like $270/month). But in Canada, (a) everybody gets basic coverage through provincial health plans, for which premiums, if any, are income-adjusted and usually minimal; and (b) providers of supplemental insurance (for things like prescription drugs and dental care) can't ask for your medical history or turn you down on the basis thereof.

Always riskier and more expensive to be self-employed, though...