I might have been brash to attack my own (dying) degree but reality does affirm that English Studies (BAES, UP Diliman) has zero profitability. Survey the graduates of our batch and not one (aside from those who are teaching) has found a field to which the core concepts of the program can be applied. Most have graduated with law degrees, some are in call centers, and others in random corporate work.
This year, a number of our majors have graduated and face the real world. Interesting to find out what careers they will pursue. I wouldn’t be surprised at the diversity of choices.
Over the years, I’ve seen fellow alums struggle to find jobs and careers to which the learning in the program can be directly applied. This greatly limits the number of choices that would fit the applicability and profitability criteria. Compare the jobs to which our graduates have access and most of them offer wages in the lower salary ranges. A fresh graduate of our program is lucky to even get half of a fresh graduate with a different degree (like an engineering or a business degree) is offered.
Bryan (who happens to have finally launched Constant Random Change) and I have been discussing all sorts of things from technology to business. One points of our discussion was this observation on management and the technology business by former Ruby on Rails hacker Zed Shaw. Here’s his CUSEC speech where he raised these points.
A bit of tech discussions in the middle but the juicier points on management and business can be had after. This is a real treat for any graduate of tech who plans to make money using related skills.
I left a brief message on my Plurk account that I will be leaving the microblog indefinitely and after a week of not logging on to Plurk, I somehow feel a bit better. On one hand, I don’t get to see people’s rants about life and while rants can negative energy is negative energy. On the other, people’s good fortune can make me feel miserable about my so-so existence. Either way, I’m fucked. I might just have to resort to Prozac and Ritalin to have a constant stream of positive energy to cope with everyone’s shit.
I resolved not to log into Fecesbook, Plurk, Twitter, Multiply and even my old Friendster account unless I really need to. So far, I feel no withdrawal symptoms whatsoever. I’m still online via IM and check my e-mail constantly for communication purposes but I really find this revisited isolation quite the treat.
Sure there’s a great deal of novelty in knowing what’s what in other people’s lives but knowing about them on a daily (and even on a minute-by-minute) basis is plain overkill. I’m miserable enough on my own and I don’t need to burden myself with everyone else’s concerns and jubilations day in and day out.
***
Then again, some people just don’t know when to shut the fuck up. I hope people stop bugging me about graduation. Stop texting me about your academic accomplishments and your fancy newly-earned degrees. I have not written my thesis and I am not graduating anytime soon.
Why? Because unlike you, I have to earn to have food, clothing and shelter. Unlike you, I don’t have parents to fund my part-time education myself. Unlike you, I had to bury my parents and take on their heritage of debt. So don’t fucking patronize me with your bullshit. Stop rubbing your good fortune in my face.
This morning has got to be one of the better days of this year. Some aspects of my ego. Team Sugoi got invited to the MSI-ECS Product Demo day at their Libis office and by jeebus, it was fun! The demo day was organized by a friend and I got invited as a blogger (for Sugoi Stuff and Bloggy Network). It’s basically a day of freely testing new products from brands that they manage. Sure, they might not let you take them home, but who passes on a chance to toy with new tech?
[Shamless plug: For the detailed reviews of the products, just wait for them over at Sugoi Stuff. We're just sorting out a few things with our web host so that might take around five days or so for us to get to post our takes on several of the products.]
Quite exciting to get a hands-on preview of what’s hitting the market. I’m particularly eying the new Lenovo Y430 as my new laptop. Unfortunately, it might take me six months to be able to scrounge enough cash to even consider buying one. Seeing the new Genius and Ozaki speakers had me GASing as well. I particularly like the Ozaki WoW 2.2 channel speaker. And the new Samsung LCD monitors! Oooh… GAS!!!
It pays to know when to open your trap or just shut the f*ck up. ‘Cause you come out either looking like an idiot or being a total ass.
You want to know the first rule you’d know if you’d ever spent a day in your life? You never open your mouth until you know what the shot is. You fucking child.
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