I was an undergrad Military History major. I became more interested in religion, though, after I graduated. You never knew me while I was in school: I was quite passionate about history. That I found something I was more passionate about after graduation surprises me still.

However, my undergrad has served me very, very well in my post-undergrad career. In fact, I used it very recently in this job, and I used it prior to that to land the opportunity of doing this job.

I originally was interested in continuing on in history. The issue came about, though, that I wasn't so keen on what graduate-level history programs are, so much as I was interested in what history is. What I learned is that I can study history all I want without ever taking another history class. I can learn the things I really want to know without teachers and tuition. I can even go to the places that mean so much to me without being a professional student.

Besides that, I found I had a greater aptitude for religious studies: my 3.7 GPA in history is nothing compared to my 4.0 in religious studies. The subject matter inspires me in a different (and, I might admit, deeper) way than the history work did.

In the end, though, school is about validating yourself to an outside authority, and paying for the privilege. The Humanities are also different than a lot of other schools, too. My early college life was stuck in the horrific stranglehold of the honors program here, where I was told what to achieve and when to achieve it. I broke free from that my Junior year, but even then I was held to a different standard as a varsity athlete: "finish a certain percent of your undergrad work and do it now-now-now so you can get back to practice."

I think I learned more from my fencing career than I did from my GEC's, all told.

Really, the only academic freedom I ever had was after graduation, and I have really grown in that time. Maintaining that academic freedom is something I've sought for a very long time, and I've managed it so far. I don't have as much time to take classes, but I do devote all my time to them when I'm there. I'm fiercely competitive, strongly focused, and a much better student as a result. This really does seem to be because the only person I'm proving myself to is me: there are no goals of degrees, publications, or oh-my-gods-what-about-after-graduation panics.

I struggled a long time under the expectations of my father, as well. He wanted an MBA for a son, something he never was able to accomplish. He still pushes me for it every now and again. My entire career, really, has been attempts to buck the system of goals and visions of others. And at this point, I can say I've succeeded marvelously.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)