Please Be Honest: Major I Want to do vs. Major That Will Support US? - Page 2

[Marsupialmom]

Have you thought of teaching theator? Look into what your local highschools have and their pay.

I personally would go for RN then do the theater thing on the side.

Also, it will be easier for you to be an RN and get a theater degree and explore that part of you than the other way around.

[lolar2]

Originally Posted by Marsupialmom

Also, it will be easier for you to be an RN and get a theater degree and explore that part of you than the other way around.

I was thinking this-- that if you are a nurse, you can probably make enough money to save up for a second degree in theatre if you want one. It wouldn't work quite as reliably, the other way around.

Also I know several people who work or have worked professionally in theatre, who did not ever major in it. So again, the nursing degree might be more flexible.

[kcparker]

I said other. I have an MFA in art, and I work at a job that uses the skills I got during grad school, pays pretty ok, is low-stress, but I don't LOVE it...in retrospect, I wish I had studied something that had more 'real-world' applications and a higher pay scale - urban & regional planning or something like that.

Here's what I wish somebody had said to me:
1. Think about your values, the way you want to be in the world. How can you manifest your values in your work? What fields would give you the chance to make the world more the way you want it to be and still give you the quality of life you want (in terms of wages, hours, stress load, location/portability)?
2. Art is great, but when you are older, you will want stability, you will want to be able to provide adequately for your kids, you will want a retirement nest-egg, you will want emergency money in case you lose your job. Balance that against "following your bliss." Bliss doesn't last forever, especially when it doesn't pay the bills. You can still make art and be creative without relying on it to pay a mortgage. I agree with others that you can pursue this as a double-major and continue it in a less all-or-nothing way at the community level.

OTOH, I am getting by, supporting DH, paying a mortgage, paying off student loans, and it's worked out okay. And people change careers an average of 7 times over their working lives.

Also, DON'T go heavy into debt for school unless you know you're getting skills that will garner a wage sufficient to pay it back in a reasonable amount of time - DH will never pay off his private-school Master's degree debt...

[BeanSprout Mama]

I voted for nursing, but have to say that I don't think you should even consider a nursing major if you don't actually want to be a nurse. Yes, it's a great career. Yes, there are areas that are fantastic and fun to work in. Yes, it pays well and has potentially very family-friendly scheduling. Yes, you'll have job security and a reasonable amount of certainty that you will always be able to get a job.

BUT - and this is a big, big but - The money is hard-earned. Nursing is a challenging, exhausting, under-respected field and if you are only doing it for the job security, you probably won't last that long. You'll get burnt out and leave the field, if you don't truly want to be there. I am a nurse and I adore my job, but it is a very challenging job. The money isn't worth the hard work if you aren't passionate about nursing. If you are torn because you actually want to do both, go for Nursing because it's a great career. If you are torn because nursing has gotten a lot of press lately as a great career but you really want to do Theater, then do theater. Save the spot in the nursing program for a person who truly wants to be a nurse.

[meemee]

one thing.

definitely not a double major. they are two opposing fields.

nursing is NOT easy. it is really HARD and takes a LOT of time studying. for every unit can you spend two hours studying.

theater arts - not hard but still the same - v. v. v time consuming. so even for that for every unit of class you need 2 hours of 'work'.

do you have teh personality that if you dont like the subject it becomes doubly hard to study for it?

how passionate are you about theater arts? i mean really. a question to ask yourself. if you dont quite know talk to someone who will watch your body language and tell you how your body language speaks as you talk about the two disciplines.

i though belong to the camp that says follow your heart. its hard to do - but it keeps our families happy - and money does not bring happiness.

i just went back to school fulltime. now my dd and i are dirt poor. but boy are we happier than when i was working.

[Jenne]

Okay, you've open up more doors in my brain! You mentioned you wanted to *teach* theater. What about an education degree? Then maybe you could work as a drama teacher in a high school or middle school. Does that appeal to you at all? I imagine that nurses may make a little more money (I think 3rd shift does anyway) but they sometimes have bad schedules. Teachers, otoh, while they work their butts off while school is in session, do get weekends and holidays off and then usually a few weeks during the year (either in the summer or more spread out in a balanced calendar). This might help you to be able to spend more time with your kids while doing something you like. My caveat is that you should only pursue an education degree if you love teaching and love kids because you may wind up having to teach something other than drama. Anyway...

Good luck! I have had this, "Oh my goodness! What am I going to do?!" crisis several times myself. I switched majors several times and ultimately chose a path where all my bachelors was good for was getting my into the grad school program I wanted to be in. But I am so thankful that my various studies have given me the freedom to do almost anything an entry level person can do...I feel very employable in that sense. To me, that is essentially the job of a BS/BA. To get you in the door.

My dh has a BFA and an MFA and is an emergency call taker for our local 911 center. The pay is lousy but he has great benefits which is what we needed. Previous he had taught college english but there are no benefits and the pay is lousy. He was able to get in the door because of his degree, not because of what it was in.

Best of luck!
Jenne

[marilynmama]

I am an RN and I am very hard pressed to recommend nursing to anyone. It is HARD STRESSFUL work. But you seem to have an idea of that with your husbands health issues and being in the hospital more than the average person.

If you love theater then like someone else said what about getting an education degree and teaching theater or something related in a high school?

[bobandjess99]

other
I'm a lib arts major who is lucky enough to be employed in social sevices because I happen to be bilingual spanish. It's less money than I made working at TACO BELL. So, I really understand your quandary. Honestly, I would get a career you can use to support your family. I now have a $30K yoke (student loans)around my neck, for nothing. And i make $12/hour. Dh also has a lib art degree and is our major breadwinner.....managing a restaurant.

I don't know that i'd do nursign, though, unless it's what you really want. There are other ways to get training that is very employable without becoming a nurse.

[spookyblue]

I would go with something that's more likely to get you a stable job, especially with the economy the way it is. Also, think of it like this: If you're stable first, you can save the money to get a second degree later in your life. That's what, like, half my family did.

Also, I was a graphic design major and now I work at Panera . It's fun to work there and the people are great, but if I could go back 5 years and choose a different major, I would have done something like nursing. If that had happened, my parents wouldn't still have to help us out on top of stuff like their medical bills. Oh, and I'm the only one in my portfolio class that has a job AT ALL.

Not saying to do something you HATE, just something you're interested in that happens to be useful.

[DariusMom]

I said go with what you love . .. But I'm the ultimate liberal arts graduate, who now has a PhD in History.

In addition to what PPs have mentioned about teaching theater, what about becoming a seamstress/tailor/clothing repair person? It might take a while to parlay this into a fully stable job, but I suspect it could be done.

For instance, I had a seamstress design and make my wedding gown, because I wanted something unique and my body type is really hard to fit in standard sizes. I also take a lot of clothes to local clothing repair places to have people put in new zippers, repair small rips, etc. A lot of people are like me and are pretty useless at even minor sewing alterations and repairs! You could capitalize on us. Moreover, lots of wedding dress shops and upscale dep't stores employ seamstresses/tailors to make alterations.

You could keep on doing the costume design stuff free lance for local productions as well as getting hired on by stores, and maybe even building your own clientele for custom-made clothing.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[boricuaqueen327]

I initially voted for nursing but that is a field that really requires you to love what you are doing. It would be a stressful way to pay the bills. I majored in biology for my undergrad degree with the idea that I would get all my pre-reqs for vet school done at the same time and then go to vet school. After working at a vet clinic for three years I did not have the same love and passion for the vet field. It is very demanding, as any sort of medical field (people or animals) would be. I did not want to miss out on my daughter's childhood years because I am in school all day and then on call at night. To me, the school debts (would have been 60K or more, my state does not have a vet school) was not worth it. I decided to pursue a Masters in secondary education to become a biology teacher. I am still currently in school but my degree will only take 1 1/2 years. The school debt will be about 13K. Teaching is not something I am going into lightly though, it was always in the back of my mind through high school and then through undergrad, it was my plan B in case I did not get into vet school or decided not to go.

If you really want to do theater, I think an education degree would be good. You can do theater and still have a reliable paycheck. Again, your heart has to be in it though, working with kids can be tough. In the end, only you and your family know what is best. Good luck making your decision, I know I spent a few months agonizing over the decision to attend vet school or not.

[Teenytoona]

I too voted other. You could double major, or you major in your love and end up with a job one day totally unrelated. It happens to alot of us. Sometimes I see college as job training, other times I see it as life training/enrichment. I guess it just depends on your goals. Nursing is somethign that I think someone should feel dedication to. It's not just an average job and can be very demanding/heartbreaking/uplifting more so than a regular old desk job, so some careful consideration there is not a bad thign.

[mightymoo]

I voted nursing. Let me put it this way. My husband and I both majored in a technical field which pays well. Do we always love our work? Not always, but we love that we make good money, have a nice house, know our kids will get what they need and we'll have the money to retire and/or handle unforeseen circumstances. Granted, I like the field I'm in, I didn't really choose it over something else in particular, but I've always been a practical person in that way. I know a lot of people making very little money, or going back to school and doing it all over again because they majored in music, or popular culture, or whatever. It's hard enough to get the degree the first time, it positively sucks to have to do it all over again because you can't find work in that field. I also know plenty of people who bought into the 'do what you love' philosophy and are disappointed to find they really don't love it that much anyway. Honestly, work is work it has its ups and downs. So much is dependent on your boss or coworkers, etc that even in a field you love you could hate it and in a field you hate you could love your work environment. And don't assume you won't like it. My brother majored in theatre originally before switching to business and he loves his job now.

I think if you could say your husband makes plenty of money to support you, pursuing a chancy career would be okay, but if you are concerned you might end up being the breadwinner, I think you have to go with something you know you can pay the bills with. FWIW, I wouldn't consider a midwife that choice, but if you get a nursing degree, if midwifery didn't work out you could fall back into traditional nursing. I'm a big fan of the fallback plan.

You CAN still do what you love, like someone said, you could minor in theatre, and/or you can get involved with local theatre groups. You could also do a side business in your ideal career, design costumes on the side, etc and if it takes off you can stop working.

[EFmom]

The teaching theatre jobs are extraordinarily hard to come by in my neck of the woods, so I'd look into the job market carefully before jumping into that. Schools are cutting arts programs in many districts.

[Leta]

I have public health degree, and I met with a nursing counselor yesterday. Now, granted, I'm clearly interested, but I am pursuing a BSN because I'll be able to find work virtually anywhere. Rural areas, cities, every state in the country, every country in the world- everybody needs nurses. I got a degree in something I was passionate about (which relates pretty closely with nursing), and the only thing I can do with that here is to be a pharma rep. Since I went to college so I wouldn't have to sell drugs, that's not too appealing to me.

Plus, I also have a hubs with ongoing health needs. That was a big factor in pushing me in this direction, too.

If you want a bachelor's, and it's well planned, there's no reason why you can't minor or (double major) in theatre. There's all kinds of electives, too, that you need to fill up when pursuing a bachelor's. If it's a BA in Theatre vs. ADN, well, that's a little different, but you could still do both- be an RN who does community theatre, that sort of thing.

P.S.- I wanted to be a costumer when I grew up- I feel you!

[GoestoShow]

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Edited by GoestoShow - 1/3/11 at 12:02pm

[not now]

As an RN who found nursing school relatively easy (I was a biology major prior to that) I can say with confidence that there is NO WAY you could double major. Aside from class and studying you have to attend clinical which usually starts before the sun gets up and lasts most of the day. Some programs assign patients the day before so you have to go, look up your patient, research their (multiple) illnesses and care plan the night before on top of everything else. In both my programs (LVN & RN) I had one "day off" a week and that was the day I only had a three hour morning class. The rest of the week was multiple classes or clinical.

I completely disagree that only those who have a passion/calling for nursing should be nurses. I love what I do but it's not my calling. If I could bring in this much money selling my quilts or even just working in a fabric shop I would but we need the money right now. I also know a lot of RN's who do this because it's such a well paying job, for this area, but they have zero passion for it. Are they good nurses? Yes.

Why am I an RN if it's not my "calling"? Because although the arts were seen as important in my family, finding a stable/reliable job that would support a family was considered more important