thought

[lolamatopoeia]

Tudor and I were talking briefly about applications, about PhD's and academia in general and I mentioned how I never really saw an end point to my academic journey when I started graduate school (or, even during my undergrad). I just assumed that I would go on afterwards and continue into a career in a university, as a professor. I didn't consider anything outside of that and I really, really, really should have. I chose to get a Master of Arts degree in English Literature because I like books, and I didn't want to stop being in school. I was very wrong, and I've got years of being virtually unemployable and miserable to show for it.

If I were to do it all again, I explained to him, if I would have known that a PhD was not for me (since I'm still not sure it is, even though I'm applying) I would have chosen a more marketable, career-focused, Masters program - like professional or creative writing, or library sciences, or museum studies. I could pursue a lot of the things I'd like to professionally with any one of those degrees, and would have turned out much more employable and possibly much less miserable.

If I were really able to do it over again, though, I realized with absolute resolve - I would have done an MFA instead and studied Art History and learned to be a better painter and sculptor. In such a program I would have pursued the things that bring me so much joy I can feel it in my fingertips and I would be marketable to galleries, museums and other cultural institutions where I would flourish. Yes, absolutely - if I could go back I would have done an MFA instead. And flourished.

This may not seem like much to you reading it, but to me that knowledge feels like a revelation. I felt the need to document it in some way. If I were to do it again, I would pursue a Master of Fine Arts degree, and painted and sculpted and studied the masters, instead. I know this for certain, I wish I would have known this then and followed my first instincts.

I think that if I go to New Zealand I will definitely pick up my third teachable subject and become qualified to teach Art as well.

A second Masters would just be silly though, wouldn't it?

Comments

[adventureman.livejournal.com]

A second Masters would actually be really awesome.

The folks running Adventure Man!'s program tell us constantly that people who do Masters programs in Museum Studies are much much less employable than people doing college-based programs like ours. The A-Man! isn't exactly sure if that's true, or just something that they have to say.

The point there was probably that a career-focused Masters program may not have been more helpful.

So you shouldn't feel bad.

Or something.

Fire me! I'm already fired!

[heavenlyevil]

During my time getting my MLIS (which is career-focused the way Western does it), there were people there who had a Masters degree already and they are much more likely to get a job than I am. The few that had Ph.D's got snapped up by university libraries right away.

I would love to go to college and take programming/systems admin courses. There's a program starting in September that I've been eyeing. In the meantime, I'm going to be taking bookbinding home study.

In short: more education is a good thing. Plus, it lets you figure out exactly what you want and you can shoot for that.

[bibliotropic.livejournal.com]

You and I are thinking some of the same thoughts, my dear.
Here I am, in solidarity with you. Give 'em hell.