Venting.

[Drahcir]

I will say to anyone with any intention of going into a field that requires a graduate degree, be really sure that's what you want to do. IF you have any doubts you need to sit down and understand why you have them. Graduate school (at least in research based fields - Mine was both anthropology and archaeology) is a completely different monster than undergrad. Undergrad was a bit of a cake walk, graduate school required a huge degree of dedication to push through.

[ThreadJack]

I will say to anyone with any intention of going into a field that requires a graduate degree, be really sure that's what you want to do. IF you have any doubts you need to sit down and understand why you have them. Graduate school (at least in research based fields - Mine was both anthropology and archaeology) is a completely different monster than undergrad. Undergrad was a bit of a cake walk, graduate school required a huge degree of dedication to push through.

My doubts have more to do with whether I will be able to do it, financially, and if I'll put myself in debt only to regret it when I'm still working jobs that don't pay well. I have no doubts I'll enjoy getting the degrees(I do history research FOR FUN), so that's not an issue.

[Drahcir]

My biggest gripe with graduate school wasn't the research related to the field - that part was great.
It's the rest of the stuff that comes with it, it's as much a social game of networking and making sure you know the right people as it is a learning experience.
I probably dedicated as much time to networking and meeting people as I did to my research (kind of a taxing thing if you're at all introverted)
At that point you've more-or-less changed from a student to colleague and the expectations are quite different.

I still cringe thinking about it - I avoid working in academia now for a reason.
If I'm teaching it's only the practical field-related aspects of the discipline.

[ThreadJack]

My biggest gripe with graduate school wasn't the research related to the field - that part was great.
It's the rest of the stuff that comes with it, it's as much a social game of networking and making sure you know the right people as it is a learning experience.
I probably dedicated as much time to networking and meeting people as I did to my research (kind of a taxing thing if you're at all introverted)
At that point you've more-or-less changed from a student to colleague and the expectations are quite different.

I still cringe thinking about it - I avoid working in academia now for a reason.
If I'm teaching it's only the practical field-related aspects of the discipline.

That doesn't sound like something I'd like....but if I have to...

[Noctis]

Probably depends on your chosen field of study as well.  I VERY much wanted to get my graduate degree in English studies, but I couldn't afford it.  I was looking forward to all of the "you must publish ALL of these articles!" nonsense, as well as possibly TA-ing and the immense amount of writing and work involved.   I just didn't have the immense amount of money to do it! 

[Kham-Ryn Kurios]

Of course your old refrigerator looks good in our apartment, if it didn't you'd be stuck having to buy us a new one rather than yourselves.

As much as they say they want the very best for you, in-laws always want the best for themselves. 

[Drahcir]

It's a pretty common thing for research based fields where sharing your research is just as important as the research itself (I know it is for history as I have several colleagues who went that route).

I started in English studies! Sometimes I wish I stuck with it, but it was near impossible to find funding aid for that discipline.
I actually jumped around several fields for a while - picking one thing to do is difficult.
I still get the you must publish all the everything all the time though, publish or die. I'm actually working on a publication due out Mid-May right now.

[ThreadJack]

It's a pretty common thing for research based fields where sharing your research is just as important as the research itself (I know it is for history as I have several colleagues who went that route).

I started in English studies! Sometimes I wish I stuck with it, but it was near impossible to find funding aid for that discipline.
I actually jumped around several fields for a while - picking one thing to do is difficult.
I still get the you must publish all the everything all the time though, publish or die. I'm actually working on a publication due out Mid-May right now.

So I can expect " you must publish all the everything all the time! If you don't publish your research, it didn't happen!" Looks like I'll be taking some English Lit, as I'm a terrible writer....

[Drahcir]

So I can expect " you must publish all the everything all the time! If you don't publish your research, it didn't happen!" Looks like I'll be taking some English Lit, as I'm a terrible writer....

Publishing will definitely be a big part of any History degree, luckily part of the History curriculum will be learning how to write for the history-minded audience.
It's quite different than writing for English literature or even my field - it has it's own nuances, rules, and annoyances. 

Those types of classes probably won't pop up until late in a Bachelor's program.

[ThreadJack]

Publishing will definitely be a big part of any History degree, luckily part of the History curriculum will be learning how to write for the history-minded audience.
It's quite different than writing for English literature or even my field - it has it's own nuances, rules, and annoyances. 

Those types of classes probably won't pop up until late in a Bachelor's program.

I meant, my grammar needs work. lol.

I expected that though. I wouldn't necessarily want it as a main career, but being a published author(of history, non-fiction) is actually on my list of goals, so that'll work out.

[BurceChuat]

I totally understand about overbearing parents.  Mine were pretty pushy about what I majored in in school too.  It was never an easy conversation with them.  Of course, one good thing about the way the education system is set up here (assuming you're in the US/Canada) is that what you major in does not necessarily dictate what you'll do as a career.

Yeah, that certainly is a good aspect of the US education system.

I understand this. I get the feeling my Mom doesn't like the idea of me being a history major, and I kinda don't think my Dad wants me to go to school AT ALL. (They've never said this, just the vibe I get). My Mom always asks things like "What can you do with a history degree?"

I'm 29 years old, so of course don't need their approval, but still kinda stinks. If they can't approve of this, how will they ever approve of certain OTHER things?....

Well, it's great that you're doing something you enjoy! I love ancient history. Modern history, not so much...

[ThreadJack]

Yeah, that certainly is a good aspect of the US education system.

Well, it's great that you're doing something you enjoy! I love ancient history. Modern history, not so much...

As much as I like ancient history, I'm a huge American Civil War buff. After WW2 is where I kinda drop off.

[Noctis]

So, my friend confronted his copycat.  It . . . didn't go well.  The copycat seemed stunned and indignant as he told my friend, "I just thought all of this stuff seemed interesting, so I wanted to try it." 

Oookaay, still not the way to go about it, though.  Sure, it's great to have common interests and learn new things, but when you change your entire lifestyle to mirror someone else's?  It's creepy.  It may not mean to be, but it is.

I suspect copycat has no identity of his own.  My friend said it was kinda sad to see the look of confusion on his face, but you have to draw the line somewhere.   Be yourself.  Everyone else is taken.

[Darth Justicar]

Wow.  I'd run for the hills.  The guy could be harmless--but I wouldn't take chances.

[Darth Logos]

Subtlety has its merits.