What To Do With My Degree/life? Need Reccomendations..

[Tyler]

O.K. so I'm currently living in Cincinnati and I go to Xavier University as a NDS grad student in Theology. I'm not into the program at all, would rather a non-religious seeded program. So, what I'm trying to figure out, is what I can do right now. I have a BA in Religion & Classics from FSU and ultimately want to become a college professor. I just need SOMETHING to do, and am open to any suggestions.

Grad school programs that I'd be interested in:
Islamic Studies
Middle Eastern Studies
Religious Studies (not founded in any specific tradition, like Xavier and the Jesuits)
History of Religion
anything along that line...

Also, what kind of jobs can you get with having just a BA in anything? I know things like goverment jobs and such, but what else?

[Sonthert]

I have a bachelor's degree.

You can do anything you want to. Just do it. I thought about getting a post-grad in pharmacology or in nuclear chemical engineering...I decided against it. Unless you have a bachelor's degree in chemistry, biology, accounting, or engineering, you are going for the "non-descript" bachelors degree jobs. So, don't worry about it. Find something you want to do and do it. Thats what I did. I worked for DuPont pharmaceuticals, General Atomics, worked on a DOD nerve gas project, etc. It didn't suit me either.

[jschoenith]

If my mind serves me right then you can go to a graduate school and then get your teaching degree, go with what you love to do

[Tyler]

That would only qualify me for high school teaching, and that only assumes I can find a school district that isn't scared to list religion courses in high school which = impossible.

[judgeposer]

O.K. so I'm currently living in Cincinnati and I go to Xavier University as a NDS grad student in Theology. I'm not into the program at all, would rather a non-religious seeded program. So, what I'm trying to figure out, is what I can do right now. I have a BA in Religion & Classics from FSU and ultimately want to become a college professor. I just need SOMETHING to do, and am open to any suggestions.

Grad school programs that I'd be interested in:
Islamic Studies
Middle Eastern Studies
Religious Studies (not founded in any specific tradition, like Xavier and the Jesuits)
History of Religion
anything along that line...

Also, what kind of jobs can you get with having just a BA in anything? I know things like goverment jobs and such, but what else?

While there are exceptions, you will probably need a doctoral degree to become a college-level professor, especially in the humanities and social sciences. For something different, but long the lines you're interested in, you might consider pursuing some sort of International Relations degree at a program that allows specialization/concentration in regional studies. You might be able to pick then an Arab or Middle-Eastern concentration. If you go to a notable enough school (e.g. Georgetown FS, Hopkins, Tufts, American), you could transition into government service or a think tank.

Also, consider philosophy of religion, but you'd have to find a philosophy department good in this area, like Notre Dame. It's a field quite unlike theology or a social science approach to religion, which studies it as some sort of "societal artifact." But, like you said, if you're into "religious studies," then that sort of social science perspective you might find appealing.

You might also consider using your background in classics...look into rhetoric programs, like at Duqesne or USC.

If ALL ELSE FAILS, take the LSATs and get into law school...but only if ALL ELSE FAILS...lol.

[Boricua]

As a current Georgetown grad student I would suggest you look at the Edmund Walsh School. They have some of the best grad programs on IR and related fields.

Stellar programs that might interest you:

Middle Eastern Studies
Security Studies
Foreign Service

[judgeposer]

As a current Georgetown grad student I would suggest you look at the Edmund Walsh School. They have some of the best grad programs on IR and related fields.

Stellar programs that might interest you:

Middle Eastern Studies
Security Studies
Foreign Service

There's one more vote for the foreign service school suggestion.

Foreign Policy Magazine published this list in their March/April issue.


For my suggestion about getting into a philosophy of religion program, Brian Leiter, a professor at U. of Chicago, oversees The Philosophical Gourmet Report, a ranking of top philosophy programs. Here are his rankings of philosophy of religion programs:


Such a program would offer studying the philosophical significance of religion and its claims, something quite different from approaching it, like I said, from a social science perspective, which studies the effect and practice of religion--as practiced.

[Tyler]

Wow, where did you get these lists? Thanks so much for the information, now it's really a matter of biteing the bullet and finding out how to afford going to one of these schools! My previous major in Meteorology killed my GPA before I swapped majors and was barely able to salvage a 2.6 lol.

[judgeposer]

Wow, where did you get these lists? Thanks so much for the information, now it's really a matter of biteing the bullet and finding out how to afford going to one of these schools! My previous major in Meteorology killed my GPA before I swapped majors and was barely able to salvage a 2.6 lol.

You can read more about the Gourmet on its site:http://www.philosophicalgourmet.com

About the Foreign Service schools, like I said, a past edition of Foreign Policy Magazine...but since I subscribe, I have access to their archives. Rest assured though that this is their latest list, as of Spring 2009.

When I was deciding on graduate work, my advisor made something quite clear that I hadn't paid much attention to. Masters programs are usually a 'cash cow' for universities/colleges since they're often fully student-funded (even if that student gets loans, I mean the responsibility of paying remains on the student), much like most undergraduate programs. So few scholarships, fellowships, or other opportunities for university funding exist, most of which is usually saved for doctoral students. From my research in and around 2003/4, I found this out for myself.

Recently, however, I have found out that an increasing number of masters-level programs now offer students teaching positions normally reserved for those school's doctoral students. Brandeis, for one, just announced such a program in philosophy.

So, since funding seems for you a problem (as it is for most students), and you desire eventually to teach at the university level, you might consider applying for doctoral work instead. Most programs these days, at least those in the humanities and social sciences, the ones I know something about, don't require a masters degree; most even desire students straight from undergrad. The largest drawback I can think of is that you would have to commit twice or three times the number of years that you would for a masters degree, each year making pittance.

For more on that, I do suggest you read up on Brian Leiter's blogs (http://leiterreports.typepad.com/ and even http://leiterlawschool.typepad.com/), and the Gourmet Report for advice to students interested in studying for a doctoral degree. He and his guest commentators offer sober perspectives--namely that the job market for PhDs is much more dire and competitive than one would imagine. They also stress consistently the importance of studying in a top program. Their reasons for this seem fairly obvious to me: most professors, even at po-dunk colleges, have degrees from good programs for their respective disciplines, despite the great number of programs that exist. Although not entirely comparable to PhD study, law school professors generally come from a small contingent of about 8-10 law schools, all of which occupy the top spots of the industry's rankings.

But, don't be dissuaded easily, especially if you know that is what you want to do. Since you're already in a graduate program, I trust you understand the importance of a good GRE score and having some good writing samples of publishable quality. As difficult as it is to get into a good program, that's probably the easiest hurdle in the pursuit.

[Sonthert]

that only assumes I can find a school district that isn't scared to list religion courses in high school which = impossible.

Thank god!!

My father taught me everything he knew about meteorology. He had his own boat and was a navigator on a bomber in the Army Air Corps. I love the field. He practiced the field without instruments, just with wits and experience.

[Tyler]

Looks like im goin to be applying to: Columbia, FSU, U of Cincinnati, Chicago, Virginia, Wake Forest, Emory, and Vanderbilt.

[Tyler]

UGH! I hate highe ed. FSU transcripts are $5 each, UAA $7 each, GRE Scores $20 each. Application fees $35-$75....
Just dropped about $350 applying to schools. UGH.

[ilikevodka]

If ALL ELSE FAILS, take the LSATs and get into law school...but only if ALL ELSE FAILS...lol.

Being a lawyer isn't so bad. You dont have to do court room style law. You could go into corporate or patent law and make tons of money for a pretty chill job. If I can bring my GPA up to 3.8 and my LSAT up to 165 I'm going to UNC Law.

[Tyler]

3.8? shit, I'll never get into law school even as a last resort haha!

[Imsomint]

If ALL ELSE FAILS, take the LSATs and get into law school...but only if ALL ELSE FAILS...lol.

Being a lawyer isn't so bad. You dont have to do court room style law. You could go into corporate or patent law and make tons of money for a pretty chill job. If I can bring my GPA up to 3.8 and my LSAT up to 165 I'm going to UNC Law.

Taken from the SomethingAwful forums:

[judgeposer]

If ALL ELSE FAILS, take the LSATs and get into law school...but only if ALL ELSE FAILS...lol.

Being a lawyer isn't so bad. You dont have to do court room style law. You could go into corporate or patent law and make tons of money for a pretty chill job. If I can bring my GPA up to 3.8 and my LSAT up to 165 I'm going to UNC Law.

Taken from the SomethingAwful forums:
[pic]

Hahahaha! Awesome! From my personal experience, much of this has come to pass! - Thankfully, not in my life, but for many a friend, sadly.

[judgeposer]

If ALL ELSE FAILS, take the LSATs and get into law school...but only if ALL ELSE FAILS...lol.

Being a lawyer isn't so bad. You dont have to do court room style law. You could go into corporate or patent law and make tons of money for a pretty chill job. If I can bring my GPA up to 3.8 and my LSAT up to 165 I'm going to UNC Law.

If I may, simply consider applying to programs that have placed a significant number of their graduates in whatever sectors of the profession you want to work in, be it UNC or somewhere else. It seems though, you've weighed your options.

[ilikemyusername]

get a big loan and travel for a while, figure it out, move to another country and oen a cheese faarm.

[erufiku]

Same boat as you, going to graduate at the end of this calendar year. My degree is pretty much useless (English Lit + Hispanic Studies majors, Italian minor), so I have no idea what I'm going to do. Thinking of getting a MA in Europe (it's just one year and free for me, in most countries) but realistically it's just a way of putting off entering the workforce in view of the shoddy world economy. That and an ability to get away from North America at least for a while.

My last resort plan is getting a government job, maybe with the canadian DFAIT (dept of foreign affairs and int'l trade). Needless to say, it would take pretty dire cirmcumstances for me to do that.

[Tyler]

I'm getting my certificate in Middle Eastern studies them probably going to get into a Civil Service job

[Sherwood]

I'm getting my certificate in Middle Eastern studies them probably going to get into a Civil Service job

Spend much time in Middle East? Speak Arabic, Hebrew or Farsi? If the answer to more than one of those questions is "no", then do that. Middlebury, for one, has excellent language programs, and you will have a stolid and thankless career as a professor of middle-eastern studies if you have no way of researching source material.

[BBKakes]

I think that studying Arabic may be a good idea in light of the fact that many companies deploy people to represent them in the middle east with little or no real "industry" experience.