Comments on: why you should take a class just for fun even in a world with no jobs left

By: Eat the Damn Cake » what happens when you turn thirty

Eat the Damn Cake » what happens when you turn thirty — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 16:12:13 +0000

[...] is a guest post from one of my favorite writers. Her name is Erica. I met her in a class that actually changed my life. In that class, I thought, “I want to be like Erica.” Later, she was in my tiny writing [...]

By: Another Melanie

Another Melanie — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 14:41:15 +0000

@Kate
My first day was pretty good (as well as the second and third – sorry for the delayed response!). I was really nervous and felt like a little kid again, at 28, but there was really nothing to be nervous about.

I’ve always liked school and done well at it; I just have to adjust to the new, fuller schedule of working full-time and going to school part-time. So far it seems manageable, so I’m encouraged!

By: Eat the Damn Cake » I love you, Carl Sagan

Eat the Damn Cake » I love you, Carl Sagan — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 16:48:32 +0000

[...] parents’ house. My mom threw my brother a college graduation party. He went to conservatory for classical flute so he performed at the party, and it was really awesome. I am so proud of that [...]

By: Yan

Yan — Thu, 31 May 2012 20:16:33 +0000

I ended up an art history major because I wanted to fill a hole in my schedule. I didn’t take the class because I really wanted to, but for more prosaic reasons (I needed one more class and didn’t want to get up earlier in the mornings), but I found something I loved, something that lead, in a roundabout way, to a job I really enjoy.

In grad school (for art history), I took a Tae Kwon Do class because I really wanted to try it. Turns out that fighting people is not a strength of mine (I don’t want to hit anyone!), but I did learn that I could move my body in ways that felt good, that being totally lacking in athletic skill didn’t mean I couldn’t find enjoyable ways to move.

I think following random whims can lead to some of the best things in life.

By: Steph

Steph — Thu, 31 May 2012 19:24:41 +0000

Have you ever noticed that the universe points you to things when you need them? I LOVE this piece. I’ve been struggling with feeling like a failure and this was a good reminder that there are all kinds of ways to be in the world. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Today I love the way I feel when I read smart writing about important stuff that the mainstream ignores.

By: Kate

Kate — Thu, 31 May 2012 18:50:19 +0000

@Another Melanie
So, how was your first day?!

And yes! His BS was actually in this cross-disciplinary thing that involved philosophy and psychology and he did CS after that Maybe you two should talk!

And nothin’ wrong with blog lurking, but thanks for your comments!

By: Another Melanie

Another Melanie — Thu, 31 May 2012 18:45:23 +0000

@Kate
Oh, no, I didn’t mean you were insulting it! I just found it interesting that you happened to mention it in your post on my first day.

I didn’t know that’s what your husband had studied either, but it seems to have served him well! My first BS was in a another, less marketable STEM field, so I’m already the sorta-nerdy-sciencey-type and hoping this transition won’t be too jarring.

Thanks for replying! I’m mainly a lurker, but I do read daily and absolutely love and relate to your posts.

By: Kate

Kate — Thu, 31 May 2012 18:06:09 +0000

@Another Melanie
Good for you!! I hope I didn’t come off as insulting computer science (Bear studied it and loves it and the girls I know who study/studied it are almost always awesome).

By: Kate

Kate — Thu, 31 May 2012 18:04:50 +0000

@San D
I love your story.

By: Kate

Kate — Thu, 31 May 2012 18:04:31 +0000

@anya
Nothing wrong with trying things! Or with “practical” fields. Sometimes they’re even really enjoyable. Everyone likes doing SOMETHING that someone else finds boring.