Jobby Jobs in da Liberal Artses

Here is an article about the value of a liberal arts degree in the job market:

http://encarta.degreesandtraining.com/articles.jsp?article=featured_is_there_hope_for_a_philosophy_major&gt1=27001

It's a bit contrived in some ways, but I agree with the message. Studying the liberal arts certainly is improving my life at the moment.. We'll see how chewed up I get by the job market when I graduate.

Everybody acts like the perfect job is just sitting out there waiting and all anyone has to do is get some kind of cookie cutter degree to trim the edges so you'll just fit. Life is never like that. Sure, it's important to have an education, but even an MBA is no guarantee of a job or more importantly of a satisfying career. Inevitably, an individual has to create that for themself in one way or another. Especially in the humanities/liberal arts. Being creative and flexible is obviously a plus.

Critique, Episode I

For a person with any kind of anxious disorder, critique day feels like putting your head on the chopping block. Not only is it required to speak in a formal setting, but your artistic guts are on display for judgement. It's painful, but there's a sweetness to it. It's sadomasochism at its best.

In life I am severely prone to unnecessarily complicating EVERYTHING (like this sentence). My first metals piece in six years had to be something extraordinarily difficult, or else it just wouldn't be me. I smithed a prego belly out of a sheet of copper, complete with fetus and umbilical cord. I melted solder everywhere. I had a bazillion flat spots. Best piece EVERRRRR. Everyone else seemed pretty on top of their game. I always feel like I'm playing catch-up. This is an ongoing theme.

The piece came from my ongoing struggle with postpartum depression. It was more difficult to talk about than I expected. Lynne gave me until Tuesday to work out the technical problems.

Survived!

Math One-oh-Suck

Math never worked for me. Something about formal logic and analysis fails to compute along the synapses of my otherwise occupied brain. Sure, I can do basic math functions required for daily living (I'm not that incapable), but taking it in class makes it abstract and meaningless. However, The Powers Who Would Be Academia decided long ago that all students must demonstrate a certain proficiency with the MATHEMATICS. They say it is to ensure that all graduating students have a foundation with which to enter the workforce. I say it's a dirty scheme to collect excess tuition and class fees by extending the amount of time Liberal Arts Majors require to graduate. Fiends.

Math is like my worst ex-boyfriend. When we first met, Math made me feel special and smart. I understood Math so, so well. No tricks required. However, our relationship complicated exponentially as time passed. I opened my eyes and realized everyone was doing Math. I no longer understood. Math changed. I swore I'd never do Math again, but I keep coming back for more. It's like I'm addicted.. calling Math up late at night and doing long division.. I do Math every day.

That analogy maybe went a little too far.

My Math in Modern Society (read: math for dumbass Art Majors) professor is an odd little man who wears the same shirt and tie almost every day. His website features a photo of him at a ski resort, cap and chest-length beard frosted with snow. His contempt for our mediocre computation abilities is dwarfed only by his social awkwardness. From an artist's perspective, he is incredibly interesting and I sketch him in every class period. From a less than spectacular student's perspective, he is a whip wielding slave driver in the service of our master: the Dark Lord of Mathematics. I have to pass this class in order to maintain my financial aid -- failure or withdrawal are not options.

We recently had our first test and I got --- 59%! Failed by a landslide! Wooo! I don't do well under pressure. I have to step it up in this class or else it is instant death.

Curse you Powers Who Would Be Academia.. CURSE YOU!! AND ALL CONVOLUTED BUREAUCRACIES EVERYWHERE!