History major looking to complete the obscurity with Engl Lit minor

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   Capable Womanposted 12 years ago

   Oh, and I'm 42 years old. Am I doomed? Thanks for your input.

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      KBowdenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I have had my BA in history for a year, now.  My minor was in sociology.  I'm unemployed, I haven't heard back on even one of my sixty-seven resumes I've posted in the last six months, and not one of the hundred-some-odd agents or fifteen publishers I've contacted in the last seven years has thought twice about saying no.
      
      You're right, though. History is amazing, and very fun to learn.  I'm starting to think they should have added at the end of the degree description, "...but nobody will ever hire you! Dun dun dunnnn!"

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      Greg Sageposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Depends on your entrepreneurial spirit.  Sure, academia may be the only way to go as an employee, but if you're the be your own boss kind, perhaps you can open up an English Lit repair shop.
      
      Hey, I literally dropped everything... and I mean everything... to chase my one in a million shot dream at the age of 38, so let's not talk about "doomed."

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      writeronlineposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Oh sorry, I misunderstood the title. I thought it was a personal ad, in the style of The London Review of Books.... lol. I was keen to see what kind of offers you'd received
      
      Good luck with your plans though, 42's way too young to be talking 'doomed'. Challenged?...maybe.

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      theseattlegirlposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Look, I'm an English major, and I'm the ONLY PERSON in my set of friends and family with good, well-paying, steady work.
      
      My friends and family have business degrees, psychology degrees (including a few M.A.'s in said topic areas), and engineering degrees.
      
      And *I* am the one with a job. I'll tell you why: we know how to write, we know how to think, we know how to read, we know how to listen, and we can research the hell out of anything and fake it, if need be.
      
      When I worked as marketing manager for an auto detailer, I had no clue about cars, let alone cleaning them. By the time I left, I knew more than the owner.
      
      That's the power of research degrees like English and History.

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   L.K. Egoohposted 12 years ago

   Leaning never ends. It's awesome that you are furthering your education.

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      Capable Womanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Well, that's generally what I think too, so thanks for that. I think most people my age who return to school have a specific goal or career change in mind... I just love history and lit and learning. Cheers.

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   earnestshubposted 12 years ago

   Grate idia! I shooda dunn summa that lernin stuff!

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   WriteAngledposted 12 years ago

   I'm 57 and am hoping I may be accepted for a distance study MA in Celtic Studies.
   
   This has no bearing whatever on my work, but I would really enjoy the topics offered and the challenge.

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   eapratteposted 12 years ago

   I personally love having 40+ year-olds in my classes. I'm 20 and a first year MA student, and although I have a great deal of life experience and insight for my age, I appreciate what the 40-plussers bring to class because they've got life experience I lack and they're typically comfortable sharing it. I definitely am following my academic dreams - My BA is in English and my MA will be in psychology with a transpersonal psych focus. I'm concerned about jobs too, but I feel like if I be the best I can possibly be and I network and market myself right, I'll be fine. Whatever degree you get, it really seems to come down to networking and marketing yourself nowadays to get a job. My research isn't mainstream, but I know the market for it and I'm learning how to work it. So, I don't think you're doomed if you want that history BA. If you know what you want to do with it, that's even better. The English BA is a pretty close cousin to the history BA, and all the people I've known who didn't know what to do with their English BA had a harder time finding jobs. Having a specialization or concentration in a specific topic in history might do you good too.
   
   @WriteAngled, Celtic Studies sounds so awesome!
   
   Good luck to you both!

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