College Is About Your Future
I was raised by parents who didn’t see college as an option. And truthfully, even though it cost a lot of money, it did in the end help me get a job — but then again, I didn’t major in Theater Arts. Here are three graphs that certainly seem true about the college experience.
What Students Do After Taking A One Year Break From College
Graph by: robstennett3 via Graph Jam Builder
what you can do with a theatre degree
Graph by: lux_arts via Graph Jam Builder
People’s responses to the fact that I am a math major
Graph by: dunno source via Graph Jam Builder
Twofer on graph #3–substitute “chemistry” for “math.”
Actually, zoom out a little.
Anything involving Calculus will do.
Threefer! You can also sub out “math” for “physics” and get the same reaction. *le sigh*
I’m taking meteorology, which is largely math and physics. So yep. Same reaction here. Even from myself, some days
On that same graph, substitute “pre-med” for “math”, and you have my mother’s situation when she was in college.
Which is then substituted by “Mechanical Engineering”
mechanical engineering+1
I can attest to the last graph. Math is easy if you can follow rules.
The math one is spot on.
I have a theatre degree, and work full-time at a non-profit theatre/arts center. I did get extremely lucky, but it IS possible to get the degree you want and NOT starve!!
It’s also possible to win the lottery but people don’t usually base a career on it.
There go my plans
I’m a theatre major right now. I’m pretty much perfecting my busking skills now before I graduate.
Having met many people with a theatre degree I disagree whole heartedly. Many of them have gone on to work in theatres and/or to build new and interesting devices to improve work theatres backstage works.
They could change the director sliver to “become famous” and maybe make the slice for “perform” bigger. A lot of actors are working actors. Just not all of them ever become famous (which shouldn’t be the sole reason a person decides to act, btw, ’cause that plan doesn’t always work, see). I obviously didn’t become a Theatre Major for the money, but I’m confident I can be a working actor.
But the graph made me smile. Then sigh. It hit close man, it hit close…
On #3: I would have to change the green slice to stand for “but you’re a GIRL!” This makes me feel very, very stabby.
I feel your pain, it’s the same with physics. I’m half the female population in my year
I dunno, I always thought it was rather nice being the only girl in a “geeky” class. Just kick (academic) butt and take names, and it’s kind of like being Queen by default.
LOL I have to say, it amuses me greatly that in my Physics 1 class, there’s only 1 A, and it’s a girl that has it. TOTALLY loving that. (No, not me, le sigh. I’m pulling a C-/D+ atm). But yay for girls!
You should add “You’re crazy” to #3.
Man screw you, I’m a theater major and I am not going to die in poverty. I’m going to teach and direct and bring art and joy into your life. If your child wanted to be a theater major what would you say? If you’d say what my parents said then you’ll end up with a child who is a dedicated artist….and also hates you. Why does everyone think a degree in the arts is so bad!?!
So, I guess they don’t teach humour to theatre majors huh?
Jokes are not artistic
Tell that to a professional comedian. Jokes are as artistic as painting. Plus, ro88 is so angsty, and he’s an asshole, so he’ll obviously be a great artist. One joke= man, screw you. “I’M SO AWESOME I’LL BE BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE AND I’LL MAKE EVERYONE HAPPY BECAUSE I’M SO AWESOME,” is what I got out of that.
Are you a professional comedian? Because if so I think you missed my joke. Perhaps you should be a theater major.
apparently the deeper into the joke I go the less people get that it’s a joke. I don’t mind that I’m going to be poor doing what I love, my husband will make decent money and we won’t starve lol. And seriously, I am jealous of all of the math majors out there cuz I couldn’t do that!
First graph is why I don’t plan to take a year off. Two slow years are better than a one-on, one-off plan.
same here. If I take time off, I’ll never go back
The first graph is certainly accurate. I decided to take a break and next thing I know I just didn’t go back. I plan to next year though.
Procrastinators will unite to subdue all the world’s governments next week!
Dyslexic procrastinators.
I’m a technical theatre major, i don’t plan on dieing in poverty but if thats what life has for me, so be it! I know this is just a joke, and i DID laugh at it…But really, i think theatre majors get a bad rap…It is possible to be succesful in theatre, you may not get to be a broadway star, but it is possible!
Secondly, college is about your future but it seems to me that my whole life has been about my future, so right now i’m just trying to do something that really makes me happy, i don’t even care if i die poor if i’m happy….
Having attained the right to BS people about Math, I think the “You want to teach?” piece of the pie should be much larger. At least, it was for me.
I took a year off from college after two years. I did go back after that, but it took me an additional 4 years to finish.
Angry theater people: Take two years to get an AA or AS in something easily marketable (Radiological tech or Paralegal) and you can spend the next 20 pursuing your dreams more easily. Writers. Artists. This appliest to you too. Follow your goals, but do it smart.
Agree with the Math one except the ‘do you want to teach’ and ‘I hate Math’ usually are rather equal with a smidget of ‘wow you must be really smart’. ;A;
Theatre degree –
Please don’t forget the technicians. We actually get jobs.
Close with the math graph…very close…the comment I get a lot is, “I was never any good at math when I was at school”.
Someone sounds bitter…
#1 strikes too close to home. I took a year off in 05-’06 and have yet to go back.
I get a lot of “umm… so what’re you going to do with that?” in kind of a snide manner like they’re really thinking, “good luck with that, Jes. That’s so not a real major.”
The theatre one really ought to have a narrow slice for “succeed at any other career”.
With my Theatre BFA, I’m making high 5 figures in I.T. There’s nothing like backstage ‘drama’ to teach you how to negotiate office politics.
LOL so true – including anything in the sciences. Add to that the glazed look they get when you try to explain anything you do at work.
Just to clear things up, I took no offense to the thetare graph. But I was amused.
And actually, a lot of marketing people are beginning to look for people with arts degrees, including theatre, to help look at things from a different perspective. Not only can techs design outside of the theatre, but plenty of actors can do things with their degrees besides acting.
Plus, commercials are a really great way to pay rent.
When I tell people I’m a math major and they say, “I hate math”, I always respond with, “What are you an English major? I hate words.”
but after calc 3, math no longer has numbers,,,, almost finished with my ba in math
congrats on being a math major, all you’ll be able to do is be a professor.
/fail major choice
Is there something wrong with that?
knowledge of major choice fail
i wasn’t offended by the theatre graph, i just die a little inside every times some says i should pick a real major…
I ROFL at it… till I had my parents voice camt to my head and said i was going to be a failure in life… then something small in me also died…
The math isn’t right to me… At my school, probably 90% ask me if I’m going to teach… The rest is split between “hate math/failed elementary algebra last semester” and “you must be smart”. My school is known for producing teachers. The result is that any math class I take is half-filled with people who don’t really want to be there and aren’t ever going to teach anything beyond point-slope form in their life…
I think the Theater degree one is missing the whole technical aspect, which is actually really easy to get a job in. I’m majoring in theater with an emphasis in stage managing, and I’m almost guaranteed to be able to get a job immediately after I graduate.
Theater is not limited to actors, writers, and directors, that’s all I’m saying.
Yay math!!
I tell people what I have to take for my major (a lot of math and physics oriented science) and the reply is usually ‘ew’ or ‘You’re crazy’
I like math – and I’m a girl too.
good for you Charade! Girl power!
Does anyone know what the job climate is for directors? it seems like that would be hard to get a GOOD job in, but theres so many little community theatres around, you’d think they’d be able to find something…
i hate math
I’d also like to point out that theatre majors have to be emotionally and sometimes physically stronger than most others, I’ve had so many emotional breakdowns this week because of theatre, its getting ridiculous!!
my response is always “really cool… do you play computer games”
http://cheezburger.com/View.aspx?aid=2656567040 <- people's reaction to the fact that i am a molecular biologist.
The math one is so true. I didn’t realize so many people hated math until I decided to major in it.
@ #3 – At my school, the ‘You must be really smart’ slice would be bigger… and I would have to add a ‘You’re going to go on to a Master’s Degree, right?’ slice and the ‘*shocked look* …but you’re a girl!’ slice. *le sigh*
My mom has a masters in theatre and a math major and she is a teacher!!! THIS MADE ME LOL