How a Bachelor's Degree in English Helped Build My Future

I remember the first time someone said to me, "Oh, It's too bad your degree went to waste." The words were spoken by a college administrator, of all people, and they caught me off guard.

I received a Bachelor's degree in English from Buena Vista University, after attending classes at their Fort Dodge, Iowa branch. At the time I entertained some vague idea of pursuing a Master's degree and being an English professor. I had no interest in teaching high school students as I remembered how many of them moaned and groaned their way through my favorite classes. As fate would have it, I have not yet continued my education.

But was my degree "wasted"?

It's true that I didn't reach my initial goal. Instead through a series of twists and turns, I became the director of a small Iowa library, and have turned my interest in the English language in two directions. At work, I try to instilling a love of language in the preschoolers who attend my Story Times, and in older patrons seeking books for education or pleasure. At home, I try to pursue a career in writing. I do think that having a degree gave me a leg up in getting the position I have, and my education increases the level of accreditation our library can achieve.
But as you can imagine, neither writing or library work has proven itself very lucrative. And thus, by the standards of many people, my degree never "paid" for itself.

But I feel that an education, for me at least, was never about the money. Instead, I got to spend years as a sort of intellectual sponge. I was exposed to a variety of ideas I never would have sought on my own. In some classes I fell short (Sorry Mary, I still can't type!). In other's, primarily English, but also Science, I excelled. While these didn't form a basis for a career track (at least not YET!), they gave me direction for personal growth.

There are many degrees out there that are strictly designed to get from point A to B. Nursing is a big field right now, at least where I am, and of course, there are a set of standards to be followed to be good at a job of that kind. But I do hope, that even when pursuing a very specific goal, that people can take advantage of what a college education can do outside the workplace. That they can take at least class or two just for the joy of discovery.