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.

[rhonawestbrook.livejournal.com]

I agree.

I will never learn to spell though. Not even then.

[jjschwabach.livejournal.com]

I'd go for library science, or possibly an MFA.
I migth go back into education. Summers off sounds like a good deal.

[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.

[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]

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.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Yes, we hates jpsorrow and his summers off, we does, we does!

[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.

[jjschwabach.livejournal.com]

I hated the first college that I went to.

Then I transfered and by golly, everything was new and wonderful and I learned and learned and learned and lived in the library so much that one of my professors actually told me I needed to get out more and have some fun.

I pointed out that the government and the college were shelling out an awful lot of money so I could go to college, and the least I could do was study. So much for misspent youth.

Grad school was much the same, chose the wrong one first time 'round, the right one second time. Wonder if that would happen at the doctoral level?

[clarkesworld.livejournal.com]

I have a problem with pointless work though. If I'm not going to learn something by taking a course or getting a degree, I can't bring myself to do it. I also consider ignoring experience the mark of a bad employer and see no reason to waste my prove something my actions already demonstrate.

It's a small problem. :)

[pbray.livejournal.com]

In an alternate life, I enroll in the Seton Hill MFA program. I'm deeply envious of those who've attended.

[eeknight.livejournal.com]

Folklore and mythology. A lot more Jung, too.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Yeah, there's also no place for logic. And working in the education field I imagine that things have gotten worse not better since you started, with all the recent legislation and initiatives.

The MIS graduate program involved serious bullshit, but luckily everyone involved knew it was bullshit, so the courses were structured to make the entire process as painfree as possible. Given that I took my classes at an adjunct campus where everyone else was also a full-time professional being sent to school by their employer, we all knew how to do the dance.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

I loved college, but my first attempt at a master's degree (MSEE) bored me and I dropped out after one class. A few years later I went back for an MIS degree at the same university, and completed it no problem.

[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]

It most certainly has gotten worse.

[jpsorrow.livejournal.com]

Math and physics! Yummy!

[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.

[clarkesworld.livejournal.com]

I've been working in private schools and universities the entire time, so a lot of the federal or state stuff has completely passed me by. When I started in my profession, there wasn't a Master's Degree in my field and it was many years before any existed. I can't tell you how many candidates I had for jobs with a extra degrees, huge egos, and complete lack of understanding. Too many programs are focusing on theory and not teaching practice. It's a sure way to die in that field.

Switching to K-12 a few years ago has been interesting. I haven't run into any of the intellectual snobbery I was beginning to see in the universities. That said, I do miss working in a university and will probably go back someday.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

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

[nightwolfwriter.livejournal.com]

It might be more Yummy if I'd had a math class since 1977.

I dare say, I've forgotten most of my "upper level" math skills.

[nightwolfwriter.livejournal.com]

Well, if we weren't in the middle of remodeling our house, my "big" Christmas present was supposed to be a 10" Newtonian telescope. Maybe next year.