Post-Collegiate Life

I went to a pricey liberal arts school and got my bachelors degree over a year ago. And what do I have to show for it? A $160,000 piece of paper that is still rolled up in the tube it was given to me in. I haven't even bothered to put it in a frame yet. Mostly because right around the time I graduated, I changed living situations and didn't have a frame to put it in, much less a wall to hang it on.

Do I feel college totally prepared me for life in the Real World? Absolutely not. Have I used my undergraduate degree in any of my career ventures since then? Nope. I have a bachelors in International Relations yet all of my professional experience is in domestic politics. The only thing my BA in IR enables me to do is understand the BBC daily feed and understand the impending meltdown of the EMF zone and subsequently the hit the EU will take, why they are fighting in the Middle East, and the difference between a Third World Country and a Lesser Developed Country. 

For the record, a Third World Country is a term coined in the World War II era that described a country that did not align with the Axis or Allied forces. A Lesser Developed Country is a country with poor infrastructure and is essentially all of those countries you see those "save the children" midnight infomercials on. 

Pretty useful, no? Obviously.

My BA has been relevant to one job interview I've had (and did not end up getting). Other than that, I consider my knowledge of all things internationally and politically inclined to be as useful as a coffee table photography book of kittens and puppies. I don't use it everyday. When I try to engage in conversations about subjects of that nature it either goes over everyone's head (sorry not sorry, international affairs is not everyone's cup of tea) or they are just flat out not interested. 

It's becoming painfully apparent that I need a Masters degree to be taken seriously in my career field. File that under "Things You Wish You Knew In Undergrad".