Should I pursue what I want to study regardless of money?

[Elshaddai]

I've been thinking alot about what to study in college and honestly I'm not sure what.

I mostly gravitate to the humanities and thought about studying anthropology,philosophy and history, but there is little in the way of high paying jobs in those fields unless I want to and work in academia, which I don't know if I even want.

So should I first pursue something more practical like bussniess management or practical engineering??(it's an Israeli thing, basically 2 year courses that almost certainly land you with a profession).

Any advice?

 

Edited July 25, 2020 by Elshaddai

[Elisabeth]

On 25. 7. 2020 at 5:58 PM, Elshaddai said:

I've been thinking alot about what to study in college and honestly I'm not sure what.

I mostly gravitate to the humanities and thought about studying anthropology,philosophy and history, but there is little in the way of high paying jobs in those fields unless I want to and work in academia, which I don't know if I even want.

So should I first pursue something more practical like bussniess management or practical engineering??(it's an Israeli thing, basically 2 year courses that almost certainly land you with a profession).

Any advice?

 

I do think you might want to/ need to do both. The actualized.org popular thought is that you want to create a job just for yourself from your passion - but that's quite rare, and just won't happen with anthropology, philosophy and history without additional skills. Be it marketing, or journalism, or ... don't know what... you'll need something to couple with these abstract subjects. 

[UDT]

@Elshaddai  Honestly I will give you great advice on this because I was there.

I know leo talks about never working for money again in his Life Purpose Course, and you will most likely get more chase your dream answers here.

Here is what you need to know:
1) Chasing your dream happens not in academia ANYWAY. Especially if your goal is not academia.
2) The time you have during your studies, are the most important months of your life to invest into your dream, the study you do doesnt matter.
3) Your study wont teach you much if it is not computer science, math, engineering. So care more about how the degree looks than what the courses are (I know its counter intuitive but its actually true)
4) No dream falls from the sky. You need to play the long game. think 7-10 years, not 3 to 4.
 

--> Just because you study business doesnt mean you need to do it for ever. 
News flash, you can study philosophy by yourself. 
I have studied so much nutrition and biology that I can have deep conversations with biologists and doctors.
So the main perk from studying comes from the free time you have to study what you want to make a living with. If that coincides with your subject than great. And btw you can always take extra courses or just sit in the lectures for your favourite subjects. 
If not, well think about how you are going to make money out of school to chase your real passion. 

 

[Artsu]

The studies you mentioned are some of the best there are.

If i could do my studies again, i would do less maths and more arts subjects, with some practicsl subjects such as policy and statistics.

Can you afford to study those subjects you mentioned? It would be a quality education, but perhaps you should add in something practical.

Also think about whether the job you are getting is good for society. Youre not an island made to profit, youre part of a collective. Do we really need more engineers? I think we have too many already, but society is based on ruthless expansion so it will reward you.

[Elshaddai]

On 30.7.2020 at 9:37 PM, K Ghoul said:

Prosperity should be generated out of passion and love for what you’re doing, you have to be fully invested and driven, otherwise you won’t accomplish much. Pursuing something you don’t care about only because it will generate some income is just backwards.

 

On 31.7.2020 at 6:54 PM, datamonster said:

You must learn what is needed.

On 31.7.2020 at 6:54 PM, datamonster said:

I can say that those who studied things that aren't exactly in demand often didn't actually enjoy it. And even those that did, never really accomplished much and often haven't really grown up. They aren't happy either.

 This is really good advice but very contradictory which is really my problem.

I'm thinking more and more about actually doing something with passion which is philosophy like@K Ghoul  recommends since while learning something more practical like bussniess management is a good idea but I don't think I have the same passion for it as I do for philosophy since honestly I study philosophy in my free time because I enjoy it very much.

Then again, I do need to feed myself and I don't know if philophy will land me with a good job outside academia though I saw google hiring people with that degree  which surprised me.

On 31.7.2020 at 1:42 AM, UDT said:

Your study wont teach you much if it is not computer science, math, engineering. So care more about how the degree looks than what the courses are (I know its counter intuitive but its actually true)

@UDT meaning how other people percive me? because I can tell if I go with the humanities some people wil definitely look at me strange.

On 31.7.2020 at 1:42 AM, UDT said:

News flash, you can study philosophy by yourself. 

I do just that already! the question is should I deepen my studies by getting a degree in it?

[smurf88]

On 8/4/2020 at 11:04 AM, Elshaddai said:

I do just that already! the question is should I deepen my studies by getting a degree in it?

Ideally no, since you will be going into debt for it. Always start with the end in mind. If you see an opportunity at Google that you want, by all means get the credentials you need. But don’t just put yourself in substantial debt just for the sake of learning. You can learn everything you want on your own for the cost of an internet connection and a few textbooks.

[Space]

@Elshaddai To answer the question in your title: Yes Yes Yes.

[Elshaddai]

On 7.8.2020 at 9:32 PM, smurf88 said:

Ideally no, since you will be going into debt for it. Always start with the end in mind. But don’t just put yourself in substantial debt just for the sake of learning. You can learn everything you want on your own for the cost of an internet connection and a few textbooks.

 @smurf88 This is good advice, The end goal is very important but my fear is that if I don't pursue what I enjoy e.g philosphy and go for something like bussniess management I will end up regretting it in the future.

On 8.8.2020 at 8:09 PM, Space said:

@Elshaddai To answer the question in your title: Yes Yes Yes.

Care to elaborate why? I'm genuinely asking since like I wrote above I'm afraid that I pursue what I love and end up poor for it, especially now since the economy is very bad where i'm from because of covid-19.

I understand ultimately I must make up my mind for myself, but by god i'm so indecisive!

[Space Coyote]

Read So Good they Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport. 

From what I tell your are trapped in what he calls the Passion Mindset, which is bad. You need to move towards a craftsman's mentality, which is good. Brutal truth: the real world does not not care how passionate you are. It cares about results.  Ask yourself can I become a master craftsman at this, whatever "this" is.

An analogy think of a grenade, the grenade doesn't care what you are passionate about it doesn't care about your wants. Either you can throw it far enough to keep your self out of the blast and put the target in it or your fucked.  Passion won't propel the grenade away from you a craftsman's like dedication to throwing form will. 

[Farnaby]

@Space Coyote and yet, to become a master at something you need to be passionate about it. I guess you could master something you find boring, but that would probably lead to some kind of depression. 

[Thought Art]

From my current situation I'd say: Get good with money and become a high earner early. Then building your dreams is a lot easier.

[Elshaddai]

 

On 10.8.2020 at 9:07 PM, Space Coyote said:

From what I tell your are trapped in what he calls the Passion Mindset, which is bad. You need to move towards a craftsman's mentality, which is good. Brutal truth: the real world does not not care how passionate you are. It cares about results.  Ask yourself can I become a master craftsman at this, whatever "this" is.

Your'e right, Leo talked about this in one of his videos that the work I do needs to provide some value to people otherwise no one would be intrested to pay you for your work.

 

23 hours ago, Farnaby said:

and yet, to become a master at something you need to be passionate about it. I guess you could master something you find boring, but that would probably lead to some kind of depression. 

Being depressed is something I've been very used to and wouldn't want again. And my fear is that if I don't chase something i'm genuinely passionate about i'll become depressed and bitter again.

But @Space Coyote and @Thought Art have a point that having my finances in check can help me learn what i'm really pasionate about, which is philosophy.

So rephrasing my original question: Should I postpone learning a degree that i'm passionate about for a diploma that will almost certainly land me at the very least with a typical 9-5 career?

[smurf88]

4 hours ago, Elshaddai said:

So rephrasing my original question: Should I postpone learning a degree that i'm passionate about for a diploma that will almost certainly land me at the very least with a typical 9-5 career?

I would keep in mind your end goal, and make a plan for each route.
If your goal is the business degree, then how will you study philosophy with a 9-5? Would you just do it in your free time, or do you want to save up money in investments to retire early so that you could do it full time?
If your goal is the philosophy degree, what job will you get with it? Or, if you wanted to start a business, what service would you provide?

If you're really on the fence, one way that I like to make hard decisions is to use a basic Pros-Cons comparison.
In this case, you would have two charts - One for the pros/cons of a Philosophy degree, and the other for Business Management.
After filling them out as thoroughly as you can, you should have a better idea of which choice appeals more to you. 
It may sound stupidly simple, but just the act of writing it out helps.

Edited August 11, 2020 by smurf88

[Elisabeth]

2 hours ago, Elshaddai said:

So rephrasing my original question: Should I postpone learning a degree that i'm passionate about for a diploma that will almost certainly land me at the very least with a typical 9-5 career?

Why don't you spend some more time on the straightforward "how do I want to earn money" question? When you know that, you know what skills you need. Maybe you want your own business or freelancer's path, but business management skills are still great for that. Maybe you want to write textbooks and could use a philosophy/teaching degree. It's less likely to succeed, but maybe you're ok with teaching as plan B. Maybe you don't mind a 9-5 job if it pays. 

Nobody can tell you what to study without knowing what you want to achieve.  

[Akemrelax]

No.

You should read some books of Leo’s booklist. They have good career advice as well. 

[Leo Gura]

Study whatever you want, but you need to have a solid plan for how you're going to make money.

[Elshaddai]

On 11.8.2020 at 10:43 PM, smurf88 said:

I would keep in mind your end goal, and make a plan for each route.
If your goal is the business degree, then how will you study philosophy with a 9-5? Would you just do it in your free time, or do you want to save up money in investments to retire early so that you could do it full time?
If your goal is the philosophy degree, what job will you get with it? Or, if you wanted to start a business, what service would you provide?

 

On 12.8.2020 at 1:06 AM, Elisabeth said:

Why don't you spend some more time on the straightforward "how do I want to earn money" question? When you know that, you know what skills you need. Maybe you want your own business or freelancer's path, but business management skills are still great for that. Maybe you want to write textbooks and could use a philosophy/teaching degree. It's less likely to succeed, but maybe you're ok with teaching as plan B. Maybe you don't mind a 9-5 job if it pays. 

Nobody can tell you what to study without knowing what you want to achieve.  

On 13.8.2020 at 0:43 PM, Leo Gura said:

Study whatever you want, but you need to have a solid plan for how you're going to make money.

The reason i've been thinking alot about the bussniess management degree and  practical engineering route is because I have a vague vision of working in my dad's busniess as a broker and make a living that way. Then when i'm more mature and stable financially to get a degree in philosophy, but i'm willing to comprimise and study what i'm truly passionate about in my free time if I won't have the time to study a degree in philosophy and work full-time.

and yet this is all still speculations on my part since who knows if i'll even like this line of work and find it very fufilling.

On 11.8.2020 at 10:43 PM, smurf88 said:

If you're really on the fence, one way that I like to make hard decisions is to use a basic Pros-Cons comparison.
In this case, you would have two charts - One for the pros/cons of a Philosophy degree, and the other for Business Management.
After filling them out as thoroughly as you can, you should have a better idea of which choice appeals more to you. 
It may sound stupidly simple, but just the act of writing it out helps.

You know, it's interesting that you mention the pros and cons approach, since i'm currently reading a book reccomended here on the site called Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work by Chip Heat and Dan Heath.

In the book they write that this approach to decision making is VERY flawed at coming up with ideal decisions, mainly because of our many cognitive biases that come into play in the decison making process of most people.

I'm starting to think more and more like what @Elisabeth  wrote that I need to figure out what I want to achieve in life and find my life purpose and study what moves me towards that. 

Problem is I haven't figured out my purpose! Time to contemplate and figure out what that might be for me. I will appriciate everyone's input on how to find this purpose.

[bejapuskas]

I guess these days it's not THAT hard to make money with all the possibilities online. But for example I would feel bad for offering shitty service without knowing my craft well, I don't know how it is with you.

[Guest SirVladimir]

1 hour ago, Elshaddai said:

 I will appriciate everyone's input on how to find this purpose.

"... And in that moment, the hero set out on a far journey..."  

My older thread below might be of help. Read through it including the replies. 

https://www.actualized.org/forum/topic/52062-you-beautiful-bastards-you-are-the-purpose/

If that's your option, Leo's Life Purpose course is your best bet.

[topazann]

I went to school and studied the things I loved - art and religion. Right out of school I got a great job at a library running children's programs, and later at a church running education programs. At the end of the day, I would need graduate degrees to make any money in non-profit fields, and working in my field made me hate my field!

But I gained SO MUCH wisdom and experienced so much joy getting my completely useless degree.
Now I am run a small shop that creates congratulations cards.
I can translate all my work with people into business-related skills. I can translate all my planning and directing, all the volunteer supervising I did to sales and customer service. 

Edited August 17, 2020 by topazann