Friday
Apr252008
Why do you do what you do?
Friday, April 25, 2008 at 2:38PM
I frequently wonder this. Why do I go to work everyday in order to pay for a car that I need in order to get to work?
by static416
To make things worse, in October I bought a condo, which also necessitates that I continue to have a job with a certain income potential.
by static416
But does all this really make me a happier person? Does it make me a better human being?
I never really wondered about this before university. In high school I had it all planned out. I'd go to Ryerson for Aerospace Engineering. I scoffed (scoffed I say!) at those who went to school for things like 19th Century English Literature or Gender Politics.
by margolove
At the time I could not understand why you would bother learning something that did not lead directly and obviously into getting a job with relatively good compensation. And the particular job didn't even seem that important, it was all about choosing an education which would let me get the most amount of money for the least amount of schooling with only a small consideration given to my interest in aircraft.
by Martin Burns
Then during first year I asked a friend of mine from high school why he had shifted majors from Environmental Engineering to philosophy, and he said "You know, not everyone goes to university just to get jobs, some go just to learn." It kind of surprised me, I hadn't really considered that possibility. I mean had always assumed that the path to "success" was measured primarily by how much money you could make and how fast. If that was the case, it didn't make sense to spend 4 years and $20,000 earning a degree in a program that wouldn't immediately get you a reasonable salary upon graduation.
by davekellam
It wasn't until I started taking some interesting Liberal Elective Studies that I saw that the acquisition of knowledge for its own sake can be rewarding. After being introduced to history courses on the progress of science and technology, or the Cold War, or espionage, I began to see that knowledge doesn't have to be immediately practical to be worth acquiring. I would actually skip calculus on a regular basis to go to politics classes I wasn't enrolled in, just to hear the professor (Arne Kislenko) talk. It didn't help my calculus marks, but it did give me the motivation to look into taking a history minor. Not because it would make me money, but because I'd enjoy doing it.
by Andrew Mason
So it turns out that Ryerson tries to discourage engineering students from taking minors. They are worried that extra courses will stress your already tight 30 hour week. You must have a high GPA even to be considered. This is to minimize you overloading yourself, and your professors by extension when you have to get extra help to deal with the courseload. In addition to the GPA requirements, because I was starting my minor in third year, I'd have to stay an extra year to complete it. All in all it proved to be too complicated and I gave up on the idea.
by felinebird
But now I'm rethinking it. I've been out of school for three years and I feel like I'm not really living up to my potential. The job I have is good for paying bills and buying the occasional toy, but I don't really feel like I'm adding anything to society. So I'm considering taking a part-time masters course in history, or physics, or even art or literature. Anything that would allow me to continue to learn new things, and hopefully produce something that makes other people think. And who knows, maybe even motivates them to reanalyze their assumptions about what is valuable and important in their lives.
by Zam'n
by static416
To make things worse, in October I bought a condo, which also necessitates that I continue to have a job with a certain income potential.
by static416
But does all this really make me a happier person? Does it make me a better human being?
I never really wondered about this before university. In high school I had it all planned out. I'd go to Ryerson for Aerospace Engineering. I scoffed (scoffed I say!) at those who went to school for things like 19th Century English Literature or Gender Politics.
by margolove
At the time I could not understand why you would bother learning something that did not lead directly and obviously into getting a job with relatively good compensation. And the particular job didn't even seem that important, it was all about choosing an education which would let me get the most amount of money for the least amount of schooling with only a small consideration given to my interest in aircraft.
by Martin Burns
Then during first year I asked a friend of mine from high school why he had shifted majors from Environmental Engineering to philosophy, and he said "You know, not everyone goes to university just to get jobs, some go just to learn." It kind of surprised me, I hadn't really considered that possibility. I mean had always assumed that the path to "success" was measured primarily by how much money you could make and how fast. If that was the case, it didn't make sense to spend 4 years and $20,000 earning a degree in a program that wouldn't immediately get you a reasonable salary upon graduation.
by davekellam
It wasn't until I started taking some interesting Liberal Elective Studies that I saw that the acquisition of knowledge for its own sake can be rewarding. After being introduced to history courses on the progress of science and technology, or the Cold War, or espionage, I began to see that knowledge doesn't have to be immediately practical to be worth acquiring. I would actually skip calculus on a regular basis to go to politics classes I wasn't enrolled in, just to hear the professor (Arne Kislenko) talk. It didn't help my calculus marks, but it did give me the motivation to look into taking a history minor. Not because it would make me money, but because I'd enjoy doing it.
by Andrew Mason
So it turns out that Ryerson tries to discourage engineering students from taking minors. They are worried that extra courses will stress your already tight 30 hour week. You must have a high GPA even to be considered. This is to minimize you overloading yourself, and your professors by extension when you have to get extra help to deal with the courseload. In addition to the GPA requirements, because I was starting my minor in third year, I'd have to stay an extra year to complete it. All in all it proved to be too complicated and I gave up on the idea.
by felinebird
But now I'm rethinking it. I've been out of school for three years and I feel like I'm not really living up to my potential. The job I have is good for paying bills and buying the occasional toy, but I don't really feel like I'm adding anything to society. So I'm considering taking a part-time masters course in history, or physics, or even art or literature. Anything that would allow me to continue to learn new things, and hopefully produce something that makes other people think. And who knows, maybe even motivates them to reanalyze their assumptions about what is valuable and important in their lives.
by Zam'n
tagged Books, arts, bachelor, choices, degree, education, engineering, hard, history, job, learning, life, masters, motivation, school, social science, studies, university, work in Rant
Books, arts, bachelor, choices, degree, education, engineering, hard, history, job, learning, life, masters, motivation, school, social science, studies, university, work in Rant 
Reader Comments (3)
this entry was amazing. the way you broke things down and included pictures captivated me the whole way through. I wish to read more of your entries!
Thanks so much!
Yeah I'm hoping to get another one out over the weekend, and maybe a couple saved for posting throughout the week.
An interesting thought journey (and I speak as one who has a similar set of 'need job for money' requirements, although in my case, it's more because I have a family).
The difference you're pointing out - could also be defined as the dichotomy between education and training.
Nice use of photos too ;-)