Bobby Forand:
I never had a career path in mind. I guess I’ve never been all that organized. I didn’t plan ahead, even though I always told myself I should. This led to me haphazardly half-assing my way through whatever happened while hoping things would work out well enough or go away. I don’t suggest this strategy. Trying to take the easy way out is usually much more stressful and difficult. I wasn’t sure if I would go to college after high school. Partway through senior year I hadn’t applied to or even thought about schools post-graduation. I was working at Stop & Shop on Manton Ave at the time. While leaving work and heading to a friend’s house on Sears Ave, I realized that Rhode Island College was minutes away from both, so I applied and was accepted (I was admitted to 100% of the colleges I applied to!). I started with gen-eds, then thought Communications focusing on Public Relations seemed pretty cool. I didn’t know what I’d do with that sort of degree. I decided to minor in English because I was doing okay with my writing. That minor became my major, focusing on creative writing when I learned I would only have to take a couple more classes. I would have finished college in 4.5 years but stayed on for an extra semester after scoring a paid internship directing a public access show about cancer. While I still didn’t have a plan, those majors helped me in major ways. I’ve done publicity for bands (someone even threw some pity bucks my way). I had a website that enabled me to get tons of promo CDs. I also got guest-listed for almost any concert I wanted to see. Lastly, it allowed me to interview some cool bands. I’ve (self) published books, had poems included in anthologies, and suckered you into reading this short article. It’s been a strange journey that doesn’t appear to be turning cookie-cutter anytime soon.
Mike Ryan:
I majored in Psychology. Technically, that lead nowhere; but unofficially, I probably use what I learned every day. I’ve always been interested in people; what makes them tick (or ticked off), individuals, and the behavior of groups. I was a bit of a math nerd, so my focus was on the statistical side – surveys and ‘speriments. Yep, I spent part of college experimenting on people. Don’t worry, no surgery or electroshock was involved. I did learn a lot, but I don’t know if I learned much more from the college classes than I would have on my own. I turned into many things – designer, writer, computer programmer, project manager, filmmaker, serial entrepreneur – none of them psychologist, although there were plenty of times knowledge from my abnormal psych class came in handy. I think I’d rather have my tuition back and have put it into entrepreneurial ventures for those four years instead. No learning curve has been steeper for me than trying to create a new business. But I didn’t know that would be my path, back then, so no regrets. What I recall as most formative from college, however, was learning from my peers. They taught me a lot, not about psychology, but about life. That’s a tough thing to put a definition on, and would have been true regardless of major, but I think it’s what I took from my early adventures in academia.
Heather Bryant:
I’m originally from Ontario, Canada, and I went to the University of Windsor (aka ‘Last Chance U’ due to my low high school grades) with no major for two years before dropping out and moving to New England on a whim. There, I found my way to Rhode Island College to start the process of finishing my degree and actually choosing a major: English and Creative Writing. Since then, I’ve found that an English degree is extremely versatile in the working world; it’s not just that you’re signaling that you know how to read and write, but you also can review things with a critical eye and find the areas to improve upon. More than anything, however, I’ve learned that, unless you’re in a very specific industry, it’s more important to have the degree than what the degree is actually in. I have met extraordinary writers who didn’t major in English, and I know people with English degrees who are working in jobs that have nothing to do with reading and writing! Another note: I went on to get my Master of Arts in English, with a concentration in poetry. While it might look impressive to have ‘Master’ on my resume, higher education can really mess with your sense of self if it’s not a good environment. I learned far more about being an effective writer outside of a school environment than I ever learned in it.
Brian Joyce:
I went back to school later in life. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to go to college after high school. I just wasn’t in a financial position to feel like college was an option, and I didn’t want to take out student loans. So, I traveled around, lived life, and worked a LOT of different jobs. In the end, I had to take out student loans to attend college anyway. Some lessons are inevitable. However, one benefit of going to school later was that I knew what I wanted to do with my life, or at least, I thought I did. In college, I completed a double major in elementary education and history. At the time, I really wanted to become an elementary school teacher. Upon graduation, there were no teaching jobs. It was several years before I started my first job as a teacher. In the end, I realized that education wasn’t for me. Although I loved working with kids, other aspects of teaching weren’t my jam. Ironically, it was my second major (history) which prepared me for what I would do with the rest of my life. As a history major, you write a LOT of research papers. It’s very writing-focused. The knowledge I acquired in my history courses taught me how to research, write, and create a solid argument, all elements I use as a copywriter today. There is not a day that goes by where I don’t use something I learned in my history major. Although I didn’t know it then, my love of history would teach me how to become a solid writer. I think it’s crucial to realize your college major may not become what you ultimately decide to do with your life, and that’s okay. A solid college education will teach you transferable skills that apply to almost any job. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for my history degree, I probably wouldn’t have become a writer – and that’s been one of the most rewarding aspects of my life. I’m one of the lucky few who get to do a job they love – and every day feels more like play rather than work.
Maureen O’Gorman:
One summer day when I was about 12 years old, I discovered an economics textbook in the house, and bored as I was, I read some of it, and discovered that banks don’t just store money and move it around, they actually can create money, and that new money is used by the economy to grow and provide jobs. At the University of Rhode Island, I majored in economics and business. In my life, that has made all the difference. The ideas of problem-solving, working with others, and trying to find a better way, have stood me in good stead. Whether I have been working in a bank, like I did for over 10 years, or in education, as I have been for the past 10 years. Trying to get along with students and other faculty members is much the same in school as in corporate work and I face similar challenges as I did in financial services. How do I accomplish a task? How do I support others? How do I allocate my time? I think my education was a general grounding, and for getting along in the world of business and economics, it was a wonderful foundation. And it is a decision I have never regretted. •
Photo: Jirka Matousek, Flickr
