tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post7190619809091692289..comments2024-03-25T15:17:04.488-07:00Comments on Captain Capitalism: Advice for the College YouthCaptain Capitalismhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05620212946121617985noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-66261126268110958022015-07-23T11:21:55.512-07:002015-07-23T11:21:55.512-07:00Old, old post, but worth commenting on.
So much o...Old, old post, but worth commenting on.<br /><br />So much of this I agree with. Some of my biggest life regrets thus far (I'm 29) are:<br /><br />- Going to college immediately after high school. I believed that I "needed it" or else I'd simply be pushing back adulthood for an even less appealing alternative of working a crappy, low-wage job.<br />- Going immediately to a four year school. I could've spent more time researching jobs that my education could help me land (I was a math major, which was good, but I literally had no idea what to do with my degree besides possibly being an actuary). Moreover, think about how ridiculous it is that a suburban princess majoring in English has the same general career ideas as a Math major; teachers don't really bother to tell us what we can do besides stay in the academic nest egg. <br /><br />Aaron's right; outside of a few industries (tech coming to mind), if you're under the age of 40, <b>no one will take you seriously</b>, so why waste your time killing yourself to join the rat race? Sadly, one other observation I've had is how tragically warped my generation is when it comes to expectations of a partner. The advice of "work hard but don't kill yourself" is completely lost, as it seems like women either want to marry whatever loser they happen to be in a relationship with at 23, or wait until they're 35 for the guy that is a C-level executive who still magically has tons of hobbies, a massive circle of friends, a bodybuilder physique, and likes to travel the world. "Taking your time" is a tough pill to swallow for a generation brainwashed into such polarized branches (either you're some run of the mill person, or diving head first into the rat race by 22, like I did).Joenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-87095725223037788332009-01-13T14:10:00.000-08:002009-01-13T14:10:00.000-08:00Notice no mention of the service academies, becaus...<I>Notice no mention of the service academies, because they are just not worth it.</I><BR/><BR/>You said it, I didn't.<BR/><BR/>I graduated from OCS. The only <I>real</I> officers dug latrines as an enlisted guy for a while. I taught ROTC.<BR/><BR/>For most West Pointers I've met, I wouldn't piss on them if they were on fire.Hot Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10848778804406692799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-74581100487256179352009-01-12T10:20:00.000-08:002009-01-12T10:20:00.000-08:00Look at what this Yale Econ major did with her lif...<I>Look at what this Yale Econ major did with her life:<BR/><BR/>http://www.pbs.org/everydayfood/cast/allie.html</I><BR/><BR/>Wow! A hot female economist who cooks professionaly? Where do I have to send my marriage proposal to?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-56003614846063958602009-01-12T09:37:00.000-08:002009-01-12T09:37:00.000-08:00"Go through ROTC or OCS and become a military offi..."Go through ROTC or OCS and become a military officer."<BR/>Notice no mention of the service academies, because they are just not worth it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-2183493220975445992009-01-11T17:52:00.000-08:002009-01-11T17:52:00.000-08:00Great point dtrum! Certainly you're not going to u...Great point dtrum! Certainly you're not going to understand a lot of what you read in Finance and Econ journals off the bat, but that's where you are headed. The key is to understand that being a professor ain't about teaching in most places<BR/><BR/>Believe me, top researchers are worse teachers than writers, so much of a PhD program is self-teaching.<BR/><BR/>No one ever teaches you <B>how</B> to do research. The profession puts finished products in front of you and says, "Do stuff like this, or you're fired."<BR/><BR/>It's not all that bad - you find colleagues to work on papers with. But useful data sets for empirical work are very expensive and guarded by Cerberus. Theoretical work is suited only to the smartest people on the planet.<BR/><BR/>Look at what this Yale Econ major did with her life:<BR/><BR/>http://www.pbs.org/everydayfood/cast/allie.htmlHot Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10848778804406692799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-7028454117314895232009-01-11T17:15:00.000-08:002009-01-11T17:15:00.000-08:00One more item you should have mentioned: take Eng...One more item you should have mentioned: take English courses, especially those involving composition. Most college graduates can't put together a coherent sentence. Being able to write in clear English will put you at the front of the hiring queue.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-91085982468599109232009-01-11T16:24:00.000-08:002009-01-11T16:24:00.000-08:00Hey all,I'm the person that sent the Captain the e...Hey all,<BR/><BR/>I'm the person that sent the Captain the e-mail. I'm at George Washington U, I came in as an International Affairs major (the top program here) as a Freshman but I decided to double major in Econ because I've come to realize that even my IA degree from one of the best in the country for that degree is borderline useless. The best job I could hope to get is at the State Department - where I would make 30k a year, compared to the 30k it costs for me to go here, WITH a 50% tuition scholarship. <BR/><BR/>I didn't switch majors like some of you may have thought from the Captain's reply, I've decided to double major in econ, partly based off of the Capt.'s continuous bashing of useless majors. In particular I liked the graph that showed the typical major of a Playmate.<BR/><BR/>I do actually like economics, which is why I decided to double major in it. I had to take a macro and a micro course, and I loved (and did well) in both of them. That led to me to look up Captain's blog, as well as the blog mjperry.blogspot.com Big thanks though to everyone who commented on this, I do have a government internship, one in the DOJ since I am contemplating Law school as well as getting a masers in Economics (or perhaps first the latter, and then the second).<BR/><BR/>And to the person who said I should do ROTC - I actually tried to as a high schooler, but medical disqualification.<BR/><BR/>And in reference to trying different beers - don't worry, we keep a list of different liquors we try and our opinions on them.<BR/><BR/>I (as well as other college students) do appreciate the advice given. It doesn't fall on deaf ears.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-71055261103460123932009-01-11T15:20:00.000-08:002009-01-11T15:20:00.000-08:00Hey, it's not all doom and gloom out there. Parade...Hey, it's not all doom and gloom out there. <I>Parade Choreographer</I> is the hot new career these days. Big bucks in that field.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-42282105835384658572009-01-11T14:45:00.000-08:002009-01-11T14:45:00.000-08:00http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon's_law=http:/...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon's_law<BR/>=<BR/>http://tinyurl.com/Sturgeon-wiki<BR/><BR/>Sturgeon’s Law: “Ninety percent of everything is crap”. (originally known as Sturgeon’s Revelation)<BR/><BR/>Sturgeon wrote: “I repeat Sturgeon’s Revelation, which was wrung out of me after twenty years of wearying defense of science fiction against attacks of people who used the worst examples of the field for ammunition, and whose conclusion was that ninety percent of SF is crud”.<BR/><BR/>Shakespeare's Debtor (Aren't we all?)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-35122237807589796352009-01-11T02:24:00.000-08:002009-01-11T02:24:00.000-08:00Read research in Finance and Econ journals. If you...<I>Read research in Finance and Econ journals. If you don't think you'd enjoy writing that stuff, it is not worth getting the letters after your name.</I><BR/><BR/>That's correct. But don't give up too early. When I first saw Econ journal articles, I was shocked and thought it was boring. However, I have learned that those articles don't have to be boring, it's just that 80% of them are written so badly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-88752923150517738822009-01-11T00:25:00.000-08:002009-01-11T00:25:00.000-08:00One more thing: having a PhD has almost NOTHING to...One more thing: having a PhD has almost NOTHING to do with teaching nowadays. Your worth is all about RESEARCH. Teaching is an afterthought.<BR/><BR/>Read research in Finance and Econ journals. If you don't think you'd enjoy writing that stuff, it is not worth getting the letters after your name.<BR/><BR/>Teaching is wonderful, but the market barely values it. That's why so many professors are so very bad at it.Hot Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10848778804406692799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-17807970333745759382009-01-11T00:20:00.000-08:002009-01-11T00:20:00.000-08:00Econ is a great major, but pair it with a minor or...Econ is a great major, but pair it with a minor or double major in Finance, Accounting, or Math. Captain is right that a BA in Econ is almost worthless. You need an MA or PhD and PhDs are HARD and you have to enjoy research.<BR/><BR/>Finance and Accounting PhDs make the big bucks but they are harder.<BR/><BR/>In Econ though, if you have great quantitative skills you are golden! Learn SAS and SQL.<BR/><BR/>Econ, Engineering, Computer Science, Accounting, Finance, Architecture, Math, Statistics, Business, Biology/Chemistry, are all great. Everything else is a total load of crap.<BR/><BR/>Go through ROTC or OCS and become a military officer. It's a great job.<BR/><BR/>Take ballroom dance classes. Take martial arts. Learn to ice skate. Do an internship with a government agency or financial institution.<BR/><BR/>Try as many different beers as possible. Keep a list.<BR/><BR/>"There's a time and a place for everything. It's called college." - Homer Simpson.Hot Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10848778804406692799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-9673374915520669542009-01-10T21:58:00.000-08:002009-01-10T21:58:00.000-08:00You forgot to add:"Under no circumstances should y...You forgot to add:<BR/><BR/>"Under no circumstances should you ever take a liberal arts course unless you absolutely have to, and then try not to pay attention or show up drunk"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-66027425121963425632009-01-10T18:11:00.000-08:002009-01-10T18:11:00.000-08:00One thing to add - graduation from college just mo...One thing to add - graduation from college just moves the education provider from a sheltered institution to the real world school of hard knocks. That's one reason new college hires don't generally start out in positions of influence.<BR/><BR/>It's the after college that the real education begins.<BR/><BR/>Good luck.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-47291280980983336062009-01-10T14:51:00.000-08:002009-01-10T14:51:00.000-08:00Amen.And, where were you when I was in college? I...Amen.<BR/><BR/>And, where were you when I was in college? I had to decide on my own to change majors from Communications to Engineering because I wanted to get a job when I graduated.CBMTTekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07408004987103862573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8358039.post-332736330901760662009-01-10T10:53:00.000-08:002009-01-10T10:53:00.000-08:00Thanks, Captain.I'm currently working my way back ...Thanks, Captain.<BR/><BR/>I'm currently working my way back into college looking into a degree in Finance with a concentration in Economics. I've already decided getting my Masters was a route I was going to take, if not a pHD later in life. Teaching is something I've always considered. I've been told by multiple friends I should consider it since I tend to get passionate about subjects I enjoy and can explain them better than others. We'll have to see where I end up but I know it'll at least be in a position that I can do some good.<BR/><BR/>I have to admit, I was worried about taking too long in graduating because I can't go full time as I have to work to pay off past mistakes before my "waking up" to economic and fiscal reality.<BR/><BR/>That's definitely advice I don't think I'd have gotten from the career counselors here, they preach to follow what you love to do. If that's the case, I'd major in the art of playing video games and wasting time, unfortunately that doesn't work in the real world.<BR/><BR/>Thanks again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com