Charlotte WalkerJul 4, 2023
I see the old “too many people are going to university to do Mickey Mouse degrees” trope is doing the rounds again. My son did a degree in Comedy Writing and Performance. Did he get a job in the creative industries? No. Is he earning a good salary? Also no. But he was greatly enriched by studying something he was passionate about for three years. What is wrong with just learning for learning’s sake? Education is not supposed to be merely a mechanism for churning out workers
Show threadMeow.tar.gz  Jul 4, 2023

@purplepadma Education of (almost) any sort is good for the brain and the body. My undergrad is in Criminal Justice because at one time I wanted to work in the field. It might as well be basket weaving in terms of marketable skills. But it shows I can think critically and I have good written communication skills.

On another note, education can be had beyond the 4 walls of the classroom. I basically taught myself systems administration so I can work in IT. There are courses out there and opportunities to experiment.

Show threadCharlotte Walker
@ablackcatstail My second degree is in criminal justice, I then didn’t use it for over a decade but ended up getting a job as a criminology research assistant. Funny old career path
Jul 4, 2023 at 8:00pmWeb
Show threadMeow.tar.gz  Jul 4, 2023
@purplepadma I know that when I started out my career in state government last year, the juvenile probation officers were constantly trying to recruit me from IT on to their side. I might have done it to if it were not for the 30K pay cut I would have had to endure.
Show threadCharlotte WalkerJul 4, 2023
@ablackcatstail I was a probation officer for years. The pay isn’t bad in the UK but the caseloads are huge and it’s super stressful
Show threadMeow.tar.gz  Jul 4, 2023
@purplepadma Yes, the stress levels are quite high but I did really like the folks in the probation department and they me. The only problem is that 32K USD a year would have me needing a roommate. At my age, I both want and need my solitude.
Show threadCharlotte WalkerJul 4, 2023
@ablackcatstail Oh that is terrible pay. UK is just a little better at equivalent of 38k USD
Show threadMeow.tar.gz  Jul 4, 2023
@purplepadma It varies quite a bit from state to state. It just so happens that Delaware's salaries are, on average, lower than the surrounding tri-state area of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland.
Show threadCharlotte WalkerJul 4, 2023
@ablackcatstail That’s unfortunate
Show threadMeow.tar.gz  Jul 4, 2023
@purplepadma The juvenile probation officers in the State of Delaware are far less focused on punishment but rehabilitation and work closely with prevention and behavioral health services. It is still a system far from perfect but a lot better than other states.
Show threadCharlotte WalkerJul 4, 2023
@ablackcatstail That’s what probation services for children are like in the UK. Adult probation services tend to be less joined up with other services, but they are less punitive than the general American model
Show threadMeow.tar.gz  Jul 4, 2023
@purplepadma Amurica has always been about "lock'em up and throw away the key." Now even more so because an entire profit model has grown up around incarceration and people in the criminal justice system. Profiting from other's misery seems to be something uniquely #Amurican.