Wow! Are You Kidding Me!?

I thought it was New Sheepland

Your forgiven gents, we can't all be geniuses ;). Right, I'm off to saddle up Baabra, hate to be late for work!

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Originally Posted by joebehar

Carl,

You make some very valid and interesting points. Very sobering (excuse the pun) and some of them downright scary.

I admit that my thoughts did not go to the type of people you deal with routinely. I guess they would fall into that percentage I mentioned. Yes, teaching Mary how to cook and calculate food prices in the market is probably the best we can hope for and we should concentrate on that. I guess if she's sober and not panhandling for money, she can do well enough without knowing where Norway is :)

I think we basically agree, we just happened to say it differently. Maybe my expectations are too high.

Now, as far as logarithmic tables go...I always lost them in my mess of papers, so I just learned how to use a slide rule..how's that for showing my age? It wasn't till my last year of high school that calculators were available for less than $100, and at that time $100 was a number 10 high school students could maybe put together. Besides, the batteries in my slide rule never died in the middle of an exam. The only downside (or maybe its actually a plus) is that you actually have to know some math in the first place to use a slide rule.

And yes, I still have my slide rule and I still know how to use it. Every once in a while I'll take it out just to give the kids something to laugh at.

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Now, of course Australia and Canada are similar in a lot of ways, I'm sure I'd get on Ok there, but I still consider that general area of the planet to be about ten years in front of us country hicks down here, so I'm guessing you're about 40. I just turned 50 and I also used a slide rule at school, though we got calculators in my second year of high school, so, yeah, you must be about 40... :-)

Yeah, I tend to get very carried away when talking about education. Well, actually, I get carried away MOST of the time. I agree we were saying the same thing, I was just ranting so much I forgot to listen to you... :-)

Of course, the next 'Mary' I come across at work is going to be taught where Norway is whether she likes it or not! I don't think I'll be able to resist it now!

(remember those really cool red LED watches where you had to press the button actually see them?)

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Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

(remember those really cool red LED watches where you had to press the button actually see them?)

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Remember how short the battery life was?

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Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

Now, of course Australia and Canada are similar in a lot of ways, I'm sure I'd get on Ok there, but I still consider that general area of the planet to be about ten years in front of us country hicks down here, so I'm guessing you're about 40. I just turned 50 and I also used a slide rule at school, though we got calculators in my second year of high school, so, yeah, you must be about 40... :-)

Yeah, I tend to get very carried away when talking about education. Well, actually, I get carried away MOST of the time. I agree we were saying the same thing, I was just ranting so much I forgot to listen to you... :-)

Of course, the next 'Mary' I come across at work is going to be taught where Norway is whether she likes it or not! I don't think I'll be able to resist it now!

(remember those really cool red LED watches where you had to press the button actually see them?)

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Close, but no cigar...I turned 54 last December :)

1975 was my last year in high school. The texas instruments "scientific" calculator sold for about $150, but it actually did scientific notation, logarithms and roots. That was the extent of the advanced functions.

I most certainly remember those LED watches. I bought one and quickly realized I don't want to push buttons to see what time it is and I prefer analog. I'm still wearing my 15 year old Tissot PRS200 and its been through hell and back. Before I got it, I really couldn't afford a "real" watch, but they were all still analog.

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Originally Posted by Crotalus

There was a report out just yesterday that more than 50% of college grads are unable to find a job in their chosen field.

There needs to be more thought about the market when choosing a degree.

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Eh...I have a music degree...I worked in the music industry for 9 months, hated it, and then ran cinemas, film festivals, arts non-profits and worked HR in a major O&G company. What degree you have is really only helpful if you have no work experience and are just starting out. After that, as long as you have SOME kind of degree, work experience reigns supreme. I like the way I did it. I studied what I was interested in, then found jobs that interested me (mostly). Who cares if they aren't related?

I work in IT. Most of the people there have degrees that have nothing to do with the field.

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Originally Posted by ryanjewell

Eh...I have a music degree...I worked in the music industry for 9 months, hated it, and then ran cinemas, film festivals, arts non-profits and worked HR in a major O&G company. What degree you have is really only helpful if you have no work experience and are just starting out. After that, as long as you have SOME kind of degree, work experience reigns supreme. I like the way I did it. I studied what I was interested in, then found jobs that interested me (mostly). Who cares if they aren't related?

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I have a friend who was pushed by his counsellor to go into managemant information systems because it was the new "It" degree. In the three years it took him to graduate, the technology had surpassed what he was taught so much that no one would hire him. He had to start in a warehouse loading trucks and after 6 or 7 years he finally got an MIS job within the company.

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Originally Posted by Theseus

I have a friend who was pushed by his counsellor to go into managemant information systems because it was the new "It" degree. In the three years it took him to graduate, the technology had surpassed what he was taught so much that no one would hire him. He had to start in a warehouse loading trucks and after 6 or 7 years he finally got an MIS job within the company.

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I guess, at least, the story had a happy ending? :/

Just sad....

I say use college to study what you like. You are in education to learn, and college is really an educational institution, not a job factory. Whether or not you want to work in any given field, there are always options to study other things, as in Minors or double Majors. Get your education for education sake, then find any job and see if you like it. If you do, work your way up the chain!

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Originally Posted by joebehar

Close, but no cigar...I turned 54 last December :)

1975 was my last year in high school. The texas instruments "scientific" calculator sold for about $150, but it actually did scientific notation, logarithms and roots. That was the extent of the advanced functions.

I most certainly remember those LED watches. I bought one and quickly realized I don't want to push buttons to see what time it is and I prefer analog. I'm still wearing my 15 year old Tissot PRS200 and its been through hell and back. Before I got it, I really couldn't afford a "real" watch, but they were all still analog.

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So....I got a calculator first year of High School, you got yours last year, guessing that the difference between first and last for both systems is ~5 years, that means that Canada is only ONE year ahead of Australia! So, if the U S of A (in my judgement) is ten years ahead of Aus, then Canada is nine years behind the US?
Does that make sense? Just being silly, of course, but it demonstrates how dumb I am.

As we all know, the most important function of a calculator is being able to write 'SHELL OIL' when holding the calculator upside down. I must say I miss those sort of displays that had before LCD, the others had a nice, comforting warm feel; LED displays are sop old, a bit like LPs Vs CDs...

So, did you ever have a watch with a calculator on it? OR a watch with a calculator AND a memo function? That, Sir, is the mark of a REAL nerd....(waterproof to 50m...ABOVE sea level....)

Hey, I got a Tissot PRC200, it's rare to find a watch waterproof to 200m. Of course, it costs me almost a third of the original price of the watch to get the battery changed (and the seals checked) but it's a cool looking watch.

Sorry to go off on a tangent, I'm completely off topic.. :-)

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Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

So, did you ever have a watch with a calculator on it? OR a watch with a calculator AND a memo function? That, Sir, is the mark of a REAL nerd....(waterproof to 50m...ABOVE sea level....)

Hey, I got a Tissot PRC200, it's rare to find a watch waterproof to 200m. Of course, it costs me almost a third of the original price of the watch to get the battery changed (and the seals checked) but it's a cool looking watch.

Sorry to go off on a tangent, I'm completely off topic.. :-)

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Never had the James Bond watch with all the gadgets....

The Tissot is great though, I've been diving with it, it gets regular dunkings in the trout stream and it just keeps going.

The battery and seal changes are a bit pricy, but not prohibitive. I pay $40 to have the battery changed and both top and back seals replaced. The only downside is it takes about 2 weeks.

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Originally Posted by joebehar

Never had the James Bond watch with all the gadgets....

The Tissot is great though, I've been diving with it, it gets regular dunkings in the trout stream and it just keeps going.

The battery and seal changes are a bit pricy, but not prohibitive. I pay $40 to have the battery changed and both top and back seals replaced. The only downside is it takes about 2 weeks.

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Yeah? 40 bucks? I paid about 140!

Feel free to send me your watch when it needs a battery and seals. I'll get it done here.

Only thing is, you'll probably end up without it for a month.

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Originally Posted by joebehar

Feel free to send me your watch when it needs a battery and seals. I'll get it done here.

Only thing is, you'll probably end up without it for a month.

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You know, I was thinking that, it'd be cheaper for me to send it to CANADA for the work than get it done here! Crazy! And I used to think in things related to Finance only the MARKET didn't make sense!

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Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

You know, I was thinking that, it'd be cheaper for me to send it to CANADA for the work than get it done here! Crazy! And I used to think in things related to Finance only the MARKET didn't make sense!

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Carl,

This is where I take my watch. They are authorized dealers and will guarantee their work as it is done by only Tissot technicians.

http://www.europeanjewellery.com/web/

I just checked their site and its undergoing some updates, but you can check with them to see how to send in your watch. If that fails, send it to me and I'll do the legwork as they are in the same mall my son works in. I'm there a couple of times a week.

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Originally Posted by joebehar

Carl,

This is where I take my watch. They are authorized dealers and will guarantee their work as it is done by only Tissot technicians.

http://www.europeanjewellery.com/web/

I just checked their site and its undergoing some updates, but you can check with them to see how to send in your watch. If that fails, send it to me and I'll do the legwork as they are in the same mall my son works in. I'm there a couple of times a week.

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You know, I know everyone says this, but the world really IS shrinking. To think that I could post my watch to you and get the work done, much cheaper than what it costs me here, and probably for about the same amoutn of time, is pretty mind boggling. Oh, also your gentlemanly offer is mind boggling. Thank you.

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Originally Posted by Yochatman

I say use college to study what you like. You are in education to learn, and college is really an educational institution, not a job factory. Whether or not you want to work in any given field, there are always options to study other things, as in Minors or double Majors. Get your education for education sake, then find any job and see if you like it. If you do, work your way up the chain!

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This used to be a fine approach many year ago, but now you go heavily into debt to get a college education. When you are going to rack up a couple of hundred thousand in debt you are investing in your future. You need to plan on how you are going to pay back that debt by getting an education in a field that will pay back your investment.

For instance, it will cost you from 200 to 250 thousand to get a degree in Nursing, but you should make about 3 million in your lifetime of Nursing.

There's no way you will make this kind of money with a history degree. What can you do with history besides teach it or get a job on a TV show?

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Originally Posted by Crotalus

This used to be a fine approach many year ago, but now you go heavily into debt to get a college education. When you are going to rack up a couple of hundred thousand in debt you are investing in your future. You need to plan on how you are going to pay back that debt by getting an education in a field that will pay back your investment.

For instance, it will cost you from 200 to 250 thousand to get a degree in Nursing, but you should make about 3 million in your lifetime of Nursing.

There's no way you will make this kind of money with a history degree. What can you do with history besides teach it or get a job on a TV show?

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What school are you going to? I have lots of family in nursing. I have a sister-in-law, 6 cousins that I know of, and even the one who went to an out of state private school with scholarships didn't even rack up $50,000K.

Look at where you are going to school. If you are getting a History degree, go to a state school and work your way through. I have one of those "Useless," degrees, but I worked through college, then joined the Army (in my field of study too). I had paid off my less than $10K in student loans in three years. Be smart, don't take out $125,000 worth of student loans unless you know you can pay it off. If you really are interested in the education then I say go for it, but also consider your reasoning and your means.

And you never know, you could make that kind of money with a History degree. I have a friend in Colorado with a History degree who is into making documentaries and he is pulling in 6 figures a year... I really wonder sometimes how he gets his producers. I wish I knew how to raise money like that, my students would be performing on cruise ships every year. Now me, on a teacher's salary could never support 100k in loans, good thing I worked through college and took out very little in loans.

I guess I could edit my last post, but too late. Just did a search, the average cost of an R.N. degree from a state school is approximately $29,000 up from $26,300 in 2008. And the cross section for private schools is $55,000 with the very top ones being around $125,000. But regardless of cost, I still say if you are going to school to learn, and you are paying for it, within your means, learn what you want to learn. Take the classes you want to take. I highly recommend continuing education, which in many schools is graduate level coursework at a discounted rate.

"you went to school to learn girl, thing you never, never knew before..."

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Originally Posted by Crotalus

For instance, it will cost you from 200 to 250 thousand to get a degree in Nursing, but you should make about 3 million in your lifetime of Nursing.

There's no way you will make this kind of money with a history degree. What can you do with history besides teach it or get a job on a TV show?

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You must not be following the news much. Newt Gingrich made quite the penny as a historian which he was, as opposed to a lobbyist, which he wasn't.

You may not think that an expertise in 'Belgian Education Policy in the Congo 1945–1960' would get you over half a million dollar credit line at Tiffany's, but that's probably because you're not a historian.