A recurring theme on this blog is the perils of following one’s passion. Here is one example. According to both The Nation and National Review, A little over a decade ago, a fellow named Joe Therrien was working as a full-time drama teacher at an elementary school in NYC (read between those lines). Given such […]
Why Not a Trade?
Never underestimate the career potential of a trade. For decades now, high schools have been trying to push all students towards getting a four-year liberal arts college degree. They never got the memo that white collar jobs with serious earning potential are now all deeply skills-based, if not technical in nature. For those of us […]
What About a Business Degree?
Good question. I personally admire those who choose to study business in college. While it’s not the most intellectually challenging course of study out there (then again, it’s not Sociology either – haha!), it’s nevertheless commendable because those who choose this major usually are practically-oriented, which is very American. Calvin Coolidge – easily the most […]
The Paradox of Intellectual Curiousity
If you are intellectually curious – and if you go to college, that ought to be prerequisite! – it’s natural to gravitate towards studying things that interest you. Goodness knows that’s what I did part of the time in college. I took courses in German, Latin, Entomology, and Paleontology. I minored in History; treating my […]
The Origin of the College Myth
For more than three decades, we have grown up with the horribly misleading advice that all we have to do to get a good-paying job is to go to college. I expediently call it “the college myth”. It goes like this: if we just go to college and graduate, then *poof*, champagne will fall from […]
Is An Ivy League Education Necessary?
“Do I really need to go to an Ivy League school to be successful”, you might ask? Bottom Line: No, you don’t. Unless you’re trying to look good to elites in the attempt to join them, don’t bother and save your money. Also: Remember that the need for your education is the acquisition of marketable […]
Success Takes Time
One potentially destructive message so many students receive as they slog their way through elementary, junior high, and high school, is that all you need is to go to college, then, presto! You’ll instantly qualify for a good-paying job, and you’ll be on easy street for the rest of your life. The trick, they say, […]
Why You Should Avoid Liberal Arts Grad School
The answer is pretty straightforward. Masters degrees in anything liberal arts-related are useless. They serve just one purpose and one purpose alone: to groom students for doctoral programs in the same subject. That’s it. Period. They will not help your career, and in all likelihood will likely hurt it. Unless you follow through to the […]
Jobs to Avoid
Meeting and Preempting Challenges — Jobs to Avoid Yes, I know: the struggles are real. After all, I’ve been there. Like others on the “autism spectrum”, I too, struggled for years to find a full-time job that took advantage of my skills and talents. We on the autism spectrum are very good at doing lots […]
Whitecollar Jobs for Austists, Aspergers, etc.: An Introduction
We know that you’re smart. We know that you have deep knowledge in a number of subjects. Everyone whom you know acknowledges your intelligence. While all of this is great, the frank fact of the matter is, it doesn’t translate into landing a decent job. Why? Because chances are, the smarts that you have don’t […]