If I remember correctly from a lifetime ago, I was walking along the Merrimack River banks on a break from classes at what is now U. Mass at Lowell. The school has gone through many name changes since I was a student.
We were both English majors with lots of history courses, basic liberal arts stuff. Our goal was to teach. Spoiler alert: she succeeded, I went on another career path.
Across the river was Lowell Tech, now part of UML.
I loved my studies. We talked over what we were learning in many of the classes we shared. We prepped for exams together.
Most of our profs were excellent. I savored what I was learning. I felt my profs unlocked past worlds. Even writing papers was a challenge that left me feeling alive.
My friend and I discussed many things including the difference between what we were learning and either a business or tech degree.
Since we both wanted to be teachers, what we were learning would be important. Many of our friends took education courses, which we didn't. I'm not sure about her, but I wanted to know what to teach. I figured I would learn how to teach later.
I never thought of how much I would earn. I cared only that I would love what I was doing.
I went to Tufts to take the courses for my teaching certificate. I had made a mistake. I disliked student teaching, even before a seventh grade student brought a snake to class. Since there was no way I could go to grad school, teaching in a university would be impossible.
Funny how life provides for things you want just not when you want them.
Most of my professional career was in PR and marketing offering challenges. I also wanted to write fiction.
In my thirties, I started a M.A. in Public Relations at Boston University paid for my company. Changing jobs, I no longer had funding. A couple of the courses I dreaded, especially statistics. Giving up that degree program was a relief.
Much later I earned an M.A. in creative writing at Glamorgan University in Wales. I adored every second of working with the "readers" all professional and published writers as well as my seven "cohorts."
Because I was an older student I didn't mind fighting with my "reader" on my thesis on symbolism in John Irving's writings. A quote from Irving let me prove my point. The degree allowed me to teach part time at Webster University in Geneva along with my corporate job. I loved the teaching this time.
I also loved my day job's salary while the job itself was just how I had to spend my time to get that salary. It neither added or detracted from my life. It left me time and energy to write. I've published 19 books and lived most of my life with a passion.
An attempt at a Ph.D. failed. "My "reader" attacked everything I wanted to do. In my 50s, I wasn't about to spend the time and energy on what I felt was destructive to my writing. The novel, he said, would never be published. It was: it received good reviews.
I sometimes think back on the discussions along the Merrimack River and elsewhere. My liberal arts degree provided me not just with an education but a rich way of experiencing my life.
I think of the senior loan officer at the credit union, where I worked for years. We once talked and said that most college graduates didn't work in the areas they studied. "I did," she said." She'd been a history major at Lowell. "I take loan histories." She too, felt her degree had enriched her life.
With the cost of university today that can lead to decades of debt, a degree that produces a certain level of income is more than necessary. But is that the most important thing?
More and more we hear how it is smarter to do an apprenticeship in a trade.
I think of one young man who became an electrician apprentice after high school. His friends, who are just graduating from university, are loaded with debts. I heard that he's making more than most of them starting out in business. Because he lived at home he has been able to think about owning a house. I've also heard he likes his work.
Since we spend most of our waking hours at work, what are we looking for? Money is necessary. But at what price?
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