Why I Haven’t Used my Bachelors Since the Day I Got It.
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I have a Bachelors degree in Anthropology that I got almost 3 years ago. I have not once used it once since.
I think that as a society we need to talk about education for the sake of just learning something new vs. education as a tool to get a job. Going into college, I just wanted to learn. Getting a job was not (and still isn’t) one of my priorities. I chose to study Anthropology because I liked it, not because it would give me a bunch of job offers and make me a ton of money.
Speaking of money, it has just never been a motivator for me. I just don’t care. I feel like a lot of people grind and hustle as a way to show-off and prove themselves to others, and I’m just not that kind of girl.
After graduating college, almost immediately the demic took over and I was forced to stay with my parents. During that time, I,-like everyone else, had a lot of time on my hands to self-reflect and figure out what was most important to me. And… I just wanna travel.
That summer of 2020 I got the opportunity to go live and work in Glacier National Park in Montana. Not to sound cheesy but that experience changed my life forever. There’s no cell service in the park and I didn’t have a car. All I had was the new friends I made, some books, and my journal. It was definitely frustrating and difficult at times, but how could you possibly grow as a person if you weren’t put in difficult situations.
I came out of that park a different person. You can call me a bleeding a hippy but it changed the way I view a lot of things. Since then, I continued doing seasonal work that allowed me to travel the US. Sometimes I would make more than I would if I had a salary position.
I plan on taking myself overseas and spending some time in Europe. I’ve never once used my degree and I don’t really plan on it either. That being said, I am so thankful that I went to college. It taught me a lot — not just in my field of study- but in general how to function more like an adult; how to articulate myself, and just overall have better critical and analytical skills. It makes you think about problems from different angles. Makes you a better writer. A better thinker. I work with a lot of people who typically don’t have degrees and if I’m honest it does set me a part.
You never know what the future holds and success is subjective. It doesn’t always look like having a ton of money. It can be however you want it to. I’m proud to having had earned my degree. I use the skills I learned to get it, every singly day. I just don’t think I’ll ever use it for a job. And I’m fine with that.
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