college majors

[ComradeAV]

Right now I'm considering different majors for college, what majors would you guys consider as bourgoisie and what majors do u guys feel are acceptable to go into as a marxist. Obviously I know that any business or finance major wud be off limits to any true marxist revolutionary. But the main thing I want to know, is what major would be considered acceptable to a marxist revolutionary and revolutionary leftists in general?

[Tablo]

I don't know about Marxists, but History is a great major for any left leaning individual.

[KC]

Go into something you can actually get a job with. College in the US isn't about learning it's about developing skills and knowledge you can use to find a job to pay of your student debt. You'd be an idiot to get tens/hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt just to learn about history.

Wanna learn about history? Go read a book.

[FreeFocus]

Sociology, Psychology, Political Science, History, Gender Studies, Ethnic Studies, etc etc. You could go into Economics but Econ is super, super bourgeois/capitalist, it's just so biased towards anything besides the "free market" evangelism that there's little room for any type of Leftist critique or understanding.

I would say that you should choose the major that you want. Personally, I don't even talk to people in Finance, and Econ people I generally stay away from too :lol:. But seriously, stuff like Investment Banking is just obviously to make money, there's nothing that can be construed about a love of learning or trying to understand the world/make it a better place. There's not even a pretense of social concern.

[Raightning]

Honestly, I don't think that any major can or should be considered as anathema by revolutionaries. The fact that you're a business major (for example) is absolutely irrelevant to the struggle as long as you are committed to our revolution; if you in turn use that education to exploit and oppress, that's a different matter, but that's a matter of career rather than education.

[FreeFocus]

Honestly, I don't think that any major can or should be considered as anathema by revolutionaries. The fact that you're a business major (for example) is absolutely irrelevant to the struggle as long as you are committed to our revolution; if you in turn use that education to exploit and oppress, that's a different matter, but that's a matter of career rather than education.

What would you do with a business degree besides go into a company or investment firm? You probably won't be joining a non-profit to manage its budget. Moreover, a leftist's stomach will churn for an entire four years because of the bullshit they'll be learning.

[Tablo]

Go into something you can actually get a job with. College in the US isn't about learning it's about developing skills and knowledge you can use to find a job to pay of your student debt. You'd be an idiot to get tens/hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt just to learn about history.

Wanna learn about history? Go read a book.
Thanks for making me feel bad about my major. I actually plan to teach history so I think I'm okay.

[Red Commissar]

Do what you want. I don't really think anything is particularly "left" leaning. What matters is how you apply your education later on.

Historically "leftists" have majored in things ranging from teaching, scientists of all shades, political science, doctor and other medical fields, and even law. What mattered in their case is how they chose to use that knowledge.

[KC]

Thanks for making me feel bad about my major. I actually plan to teach history so I think I'm okay.

That's cool, most people that go into history don't. You planned out a career path which is exactly what you should do (even if it is a shitty one IMO :)). Most people that go into those fields don't even have a plan and when they graduate end up doing little/nothing with their actual degree.

[Apoi_Viitor]

You should Major in Philosophy or Theology.

[Raightning]

What would you do with a business degree besides go into a company or investment firm? You probably won't be joining a non-profit to manage its budget. Moreover, a leftist's stomach will churn for an entire four years because of the bullshit they'll be learning.
Both of these things are true, and I sure as hell wouldn't actively recommend that a leftist become a business major (I'm studying history for reference). But if someone wants to study it, that's fine by me in isolation. Lord knows WHY they'd want to, but it doesn't undermine their revolutionary character or credibility or what-have-you to have done so.

[Sixiang]

That's cool, most people that go into history don't. You planned out a career path which is exactly what you should do (even if it is a shitty one IMO :)). Most people that go into those fields don't even have a plan and when they graduate end up doing little/nothing with their actual degree.

This does seem to often be the case. My father was a history major who did nothing with the degree. I also would like to pursue history in college and teach it afterwards.

[Tablo]

That's cool, most people that go into history don't. You planned out a career path which is exactly what you should do (even if it is a shitty one IMO :)). Most people that go into those fields don't even have a plan and when they graduate end up doing little/nothing with their actual degree.
Yeah, I plan to double major in history and secondary education. I'm not so sure I will be able to find employment though... to teach history would be a dream job for me though. :lol:

[Catmatic Leftist]

I wouldn't think too hard about college majors. Explore different options, consider your cognitive and physical strengths and personal interests, and make an informed decision from there. Most people change their major, sometimes even more than once, anyways.

[gestalt]

We typically seem to confine ourselves to humanities, but there is a range of options for study which can help us enact true change. For example, almost all programs of social study have been impacted by paradigm shifts in fields such as science (particularly biology). Education, engineering, social work, medicine, nursing, speech pathology, etc. are all subjects which can be beneficial to society, the revolution and post-capitalist world. One major choice is whether you want to learn an applied skill or something more theoretical.

A word of caution though, I am a historian who was forced by material demands to abandon my dream of becoming a professor when graduate programs and research positions were decimated during the recent recession. As such I chose to go into secondary education. Be aware of the changing trends in this profession and how the capitalist class is doing all it can to delegitimize and destroy public education in the United States and abroad (through No Child Left Behind, union busting or "teacher accountability," charter schools and other for-profit reforms). I love every moment I have to create a democratic learning experience in the classroom and imparting the critical thinking skills necessary for a radical future, but the climate and the bureaucracy is the antithesis of leftism and true education.

[Sam_b]

Do something you enjoy. You are paying for it after all. I'd hate to do something for five years that I despised.

[apawllo]

Go into something you can actually get a job with. College in the US isn't about learning it's about developing skills and knowledge you can use to find a job to pay of your student debt. You'd be an idiot to get tens/hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt just to learn about history.

Wanna learn about history? Go read a book.

It must be nice to be talented at everything. Do you expect someone who struggles with science and math and excels in language to become an engineer, pharmacist, doctor, etc. etc.?

[KC]

It must be nice to be talented at everything. Do you expect someone who struggles with science and math and excels in language to become an engineer, pharmacist, doctor, etc. etc.?Nobody said that you have to go into a science/math field. I said you should go into college and pick your major with your career prospects in mind, not simply "what you enjoy".

[apawllo]

Nobody said that you have to go into a science/math field. I said you should go into college and pick your major with your career prospects in mind, not simply "what you enjoy".

Ah ok, well suppose an individual does struggle with math and science. What would a lucrative field be for them? Marketing? Advertising? Good theory...

[Tablo]

Ah ok, well suppose an individual does struggle with math and science. What would a lucrative field be for them? Marketing? Advertising? Good theory...
Depends on what strengths they have. Someone good at art might be able to make good money in graphic design.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Get a trade job.

[KC]

Ah ok, well suppose an individual does struggle with math and science. What would a lucrative field be for them? Marketing? Advertising? Good theory...

Uh, yeah, there are a lot of jobs outside of math/science based fields. And there's nothing wrong with going to school for marketing/advertising. Are you being serious right now or just disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing?

[craigd89]

learn a trade..good money..nice independent work

[craigd89]

Depends on what strengths they have. Someone good at art might be able to make good money in graphic design.I know TONS of people who went to school for grapgic design...few of them found jobs.

[apawllo]

Depends on what strengths they have. Someone good at art might be able to make good money in graphic design.

A person with history degree makes more than that, on average.

http://www.payscale.com/best-colleges/degrees.asp



Uh, yeah, there are a lot of jobs outside of math/science based fields. And there's nothing wrong with going to school for marketing/advertising. Are you being serious right now or just disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing?

Not if you want to make the type of money that pays off loans efficiently, as you were speaking of in your original post. It's fairly limited. Science and math makes the money that you're talking about most times.

And no I'm not disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing. Are you arguing that marketing and advertising are legitimate careers? Yeah, they pay well, but could you look yourself in the mirror every night? If so, you'd probably be drinking a hell of a lot...

[KC]

Not if you want to make the type of money that pays off loans efficiently, as you were speaking of in your original post. It's fairly limited. Science and math makes the money that you're talking about most times.

I don't even know what you're responding to anymore, this doesn't seem to be relevant to anything I've written.



And no I'm not disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing. Are you arguing that marketing and advertising are legitimate careers? Yeah, they pay well, but could you look yourself in the mirror every night? If so, you'd probably be drinking a hell of a lot...

I'm fairly certain that if you followed someone around that had a job in one of those fields you would be surprised as to what they actually do, and no I wouldn't have a problem working either marketing or advertising.

[#FF0000]

Go into something you can actually get a job with. College in the US isn't about learning it's about developing skills and knowledge you can use to find a job to pay of your student debt. You'd be an idiot to get tens/hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt just to learn about history.

Wanna learn about history? Go read a book.

Wrong~

Go to college, study what you want, but don't have any illusions about having a job in that particular field.

Most decent jobs just require a college degree- doesn't matter what in.

Pick something you like.

[Tablo]

I know TONS of people who went to school for grapgic design...few of them found jobs.
Yeah, I figured it would be hard to find a job since so many go into it.


A person with history degree makes more than that, on average.

http://www.payscale.com/best-colleges/degrees.asp




Not if you want to make the type of money that pays off loans efficiently, as you were speaking of in your original post. It's fairly limited. Science and math makes the money that you're talking about most times.

And no I'm not disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing. Are you arguing that marketing and advertising are legitimate careers? Yeah, they pay well, but could you look yourself in the mirror every night? If so, you'd probably be drinking a hell of a lot...
Oh, I thought it had better pay than that.

[bcbm]

could you look yourself in the mirror every night? If so, you'd probably be drinking a hell of a lot... i think you'll find this is a problem with most jobs

[apawllo]

I don't even know what you're responding to anymore, this doesn't seem to be relevant to anything I've written.

The initial post you wrote stated:


College in the US isn't about learning it's about developing skills and knowledge you can use to find a job to pay of your student debt. You'd be an idiot to get tens/hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt just to learn about history.

My response was to that and the fact that you said that there are plenty of majors for people who aren't good at math and science, which was in your last post.

So I stated that opportunities to pay off those types of loans are typically fairly limited, etc. and so on....


I'm fairly certain that if you followed someone around that had a job in one of those fields you would be surprised as to what they actually do, and no I wouldn't have a problem working either marketing or advertising.

No, I understand what the job entails. Not only wouldn't I want to do it, I'm quite sure I'd detest it. And to force myself into that job through 4 years of undergraduate study...well, I couldn't imagine. A leftist taking that on...I'd question his/her sanity tbh.

[apawllo]

i think you'll find this is a problem with most jobs

Fair enough. Some are undoubtedly better than others though.

[Amphictyonis]

Learn a foreign language in an area where you want to live, move there and teach english. Somewhere tropical. (I'm projecting)

[Tablo]

Learn a foreign language in an area where you want to live, move there and teach english. Somewhere tropical. (I'm projecting)
Good idea. I'm considering teaching English in Korea.

[NoOneIsIllegal]

You shouldn't do a job you hate or get bored with easily, but if you really do want some easy money in a short amount of time, here you go:

Translating (for business meetings, corporations, etc.) My old Spanish teacher use to have a summer job where, for 2 months, he would translate for people. During those 2 months, he makes more money than he does during his 9 months as teacher (average teacher salary in my state is $43,900)

He says translating is dreadfully boring, so don't do as a full time job.

[Amphictyonis]

Good idea. I'm considering teaching English in Korea.
Hard language to learn I hear.

[Tablo]

Hard language to learn I hear.
I don't think it will be too hard. My best friend is from Seoul and she said she will help me practice. Plus I have another friend that is one semester ahead of me. It is a dream of mine to learn many languages. :blushing:

[Lucretia]

Go into something you can actually get a job with. College in the US isn't about learning it's about developing skills and knowledge you can use to find a job to pay of your student debt. You'd be an idiot to get tens/hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt just to learn about history.

Wanna learn about history? Go read a book.

Spoken like a true capitalist. :rolleyes:

ComradeAV: You have one life and only one. Don't throw it away cranking yourself through a college program you have no interest in. Study what you think will be most beneficial to your development as a human being.

[KC]

ComradeAV: You have one life and only one. Don't throw it away cranking yourself through a college program you have no interest in. Study what you think will be most beneficial to your development as a human being.Yeah, fuck worrying about your own personal financial situation, that's only for capitalists! Go into debt, who cares if it affects you negatively?! Just do what you want even if it causes you to go into massive amounts of debt because that's what true revolutionaries would do. :rolleyes:

EDIT: On a more serious note, I never said that one should go into something in which they have no interest. I have no idea where you got that from, because I sure as hell didn't say it. I said find something that you can put towards a career, this doesn't mean one that you don't like. That's just common sense...

[cowslayer]

Biochemistry is the shit.

Too bad now though that most of all science is focused towards fueling wars between competing pharmaceutical companies rather than cooperating on creating medicines and such so people can actually benefit faster.

[Lucretia]

Yeah, fuck worrying about your own personal financial situation, that's only for capitalists! Go into debt, who cares if it affects you negatively?! Just do what you want even if it causes you to go into massive amounts of debt because that's what true revolutionaries would do. :rolleyes:

There are so many problems with just this one portion of text, but I will comment on only two of them. First, unless you come from a privileged background it is almost impossible to escape college without five digit debt, no matter what you choose to study. Either you haven't been to college, you went to college decades ago when tuition was barely a fraction of what it is today, or you are one of the privileged few who doesn't pay attention to expenses because you don't have to. There's no other reasonable explanation for why you do not know this or haven't incorporated this knowledge into your statement.

Second, I didn't tell the OP not to be concerned about his/her financial situation. I assume that every person is intelligent enough to be concerned with meeting their basic needs. What I am saying is that money-making opportunities should not be the determining factor in what a person chooses to study, which is what you seemed to say in your earlier post. If money were all that mattered, why not just encourage everybody to study bourgeois economics in hopes of hitting the jackpot as one of the exploiting investor class? I'm sure ComradeAV will love learning all about Milton Friedman and marginal utility and all the other anti-Marx economic doctrines.


EDIT: On a more serious note, I never said that one should go into something in which they have no interest. I have no idea where you got that from, because I sure as hell didn't say it. I said find something that you can put towards a career, this doesn't mean one that you don't like. That's just common sense...What you seemed to say is that if somebody had an interest in something like history, that person should just "read a book" instead of studying it in college (like those two things are the same), and study something more lucrative.

[Catmatic Leftist]

Biochemistry is the shit.

Too bad now though that most of all science is focused towards fueling wars between competing pharmaceutical companies rather than cooperating on creating medicines and such so people can actually benefit faster.

I think this is a side effect of capitalism, not the fault of the sciences or scientists themselves. Biochemistry is absolutely fine if that is where your interests lie.

[black magick hustla]

Sociology, Psychology, Political Science, History, Gender Studies, Ethnic Studies, etc etc. You could go into Economics but Econ is super, super bourgeois/capitalist, it's just so biased towards anything besides the "free market" evangelism that there's little room for any type of Leftist critique or understanding.

there is no space for "leftist critique or understansing" in university. what is there space for, however, is bosses profiting from the corpse of marx. its completely out of my understanding why would someone get in debt so that some windbag teaches him how to become an activist. is almost like paying money to work at a charity house.



I would say that you should choose the major that you want. Personally, I don't even talk to people in Finance, and Econ people I generally stay away from too :lol:. But seriously, stuff like Investment Banking is just obviously to make money, there's nothing that can be construed about a love of learning or trying to understand the world/make it a better place. There's not even a pretense of social concern.

university is a buisness and it is not made under the premise of love of learning. its an institution used by the bosses to filter their ideologues and cadre

[cowslayer]

I think this is a side effect of capitalism, not the fault of the sciences or scientists themselves. Biochemistry is absolutely fine if that is where your interests lie.


Oh yes this is what my post was intended to mean! :D

I believe that Health and Medicine need to be socialized and taken control by the Scientists themselves, with decisions carried out by those who know Science, rather than those who know where to buy the most expensive Rolex watch. I wish to see a future where lives of many human beings who suffer from yet incurable illness' are not held in the hands of people who only care about profit and competition, caring not for the actual people who suffer.

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

Good idea. I'm considering teaching English in Korea.

You'll need a bachelor's (4 year diploma) in any subject.


Hard language to learn I hear.

It's not that bad. The writing system can be learned in a day. It's much easier to pick up when you're there than it is if you're in the US speaking English all day every day.

[Yazman]

Don't let anybody discourage you from studying what YOU want to study. You choose something that you will enjoy and get something out of for yourself.

Furthermore, don't let anybody discourage you from actually going to university, there is quite a lot of anti-intellectualism these days (at least in the country I live there is), and there is nothing wrong with education at all!

[#FF0000]

Good idea. I'm considering teaching English in Korea.

You don't need to actually speak Korean to do this.

[black magick hustla]

its a bad idea not to go to college if you can. however, its a bad idea too to just go off about "learning what you love". its cool and all but there is gonna be tens of thousands youll have to pay off later if your parents or the state wont pay for you. i mean lets say you have a blast for four years, but then after that youll get stuck in a shitjob that has nothing to do with your major. idk, if we all have to whore ourselves out to capital find at the very least something that gives some money and isnt entirely hell to work in.

its even a worse idea to go to college under the premise you will help the workers of the world or whatever. the last thing the communist movement needs are "radical scholars". there needs to be more "radical" bricklayers, or "radical" janitors" etcetera. at the end of the day, i wont chastize you for studying what you like but dont end with the premise that your knowledge on focault will make you more worthwhile. i met a lot of kids who patronize people studying shit they can make a living out off (the latter being a lot of colored and poor kids who want a better life and therefore are not willing to go in debt so that some fucker teaches them about their plight) because the latter wish to make money. fuck them and fuck the racketeers who con middle class white people into paying them 100k to learn about phl338- philosophy of karl marx.

[Tablo]

You'll need a bachelor's (4 year diploma) in any subject.



It's not that bad. The writing system can be learned in a day. It's much easier to pick up when you're there than it is if you're in the US speaking English all day every day.
That's what I hear, but I will be pretty exposed to it as it is through my friends.


You don't need to actually speak Korean to do this.
I also heard of this, but it doesn't bother me since I like formal education. :)

[The Red Next Door]

In my major, it does not matter if you have a degree; it all about how super duper extremely well you can paint or draw a picture. Art is a ***** major to go into, while it is enjoyable and fun. The characters sure are a bunch of snobby little fuckers, and it require daily practice. But i do not really expect to get a job in Illustration; unless I move to LA or New York.

[castlebravo]

i'm an economics major, and yes it is extremely capitalist biased (unfortunately i'm also interested in capital markets, but only to try to find any possible potential for a fall/collapse). luckily, i still have an interest in econ past the corporate capitalism that is taught in almost every single class. most obvious of which would be money and banking, a class i took this previous semester where i was marked wrong on an opinion poll question for going against globalization being "good" :D

[The Red Next Door]

there is no space for "leftist critique or understansing" in university. what is there space for, however, is bosses profiting from the corpse of marx. its completely out of my understanding why would someone get in debt so that some windbag teaches him how to become an activist. is almost like paying money to work at a charity house.



university is a buisness and it is not made under the premise of love of learning. its an institution used by the bosses to filter their ideologues and cadre

that why it would be best to go to a community college, I decided to go to community college instead of spending bucks going to a damn art school or university for art.

[Rooster]

I think if you really wanted to feel like this choice was at all important to being a Marxist, I would suggest you did something in finance, business or economics. Marx studied capitalism in his day, why don't you study capitalism in our day? I would consider an arts major to be more bourgeois than a major in economics.

Don't let anyone tell you not to go either. It's a good experience being around other people your own age from all over the country/world. Try to get into discussion groups and such and try to spread your own ideology as much as possible. Further education shouldn't be conceived as class treachery.

[KC]

There are so many problems with just this one portion of text, but I will comment on only two of them. First, unless you come from a privileged background it is almost impossible to escape college without five digit debt, no matter what you choose to study. Either you haven't been to college, you went to college decades ago when tuition was barely a fraction of what it is today, or you are one of the privileged few who doesn't pay attention to expenses because you don't have to. There's no other reasonable explanation for why you do not know this or haven't incorporated this knowledge into your statement.

You're absolutely terrible with reading comprehension. I don't even know how you got this out of what I said. I never said that one will not go into debt if htey go to college, so wtf are you talking about?



Second, I didn't tell the OP not to be concerned about his/her financial situation. I assume that every person is intelligent enough to be concerned with meeting their basic needs. What I am saying is that money-making opportunities should not be the determining factor in what a person chooses to study, which is what you seemed to say in your earlier post. If money were all that mattered, why not just encourage everybody to study bourgeois economics in hopes of hitting the jackpot as one of the exploiting investor class? I'm sure ComradeAV will love learning all about Milton Friedman and marginal utility and all the other anti-Marx economic doctrines.

Again, wtf are you talking about? I already clarified this. And I have a major in economics, there's nothing wrong with that. I emphasized in development economics, so again, you have no idea what you're talking about.


What you seemed to say is that if somebody had an interest in something like history, that person should just "read a book" instead of studying it in college (like those two things are the same), and study something more lucrative.

No, they should "just read a book" instead of going to school for history simply because they enjoy it. They should choose a major based on their career prospects, whatever that may be.


i'm an economics major, and yes it is extremely capitalist biased (unfortunately i'm also interested in capital markets, but only to try to find any possible potential for a fall/collapse). luckily, i still have an interest in econ past the corporate capitalism that is taught in almost every single class. most obvious of which would be money and banking, a class i took this previous semester where i was marked wrong on an opinion poll question for going against globalization being "good" :D

You will get almost nothing out of an undergraduate degree in economics, in terms of useful knowledge. I learned everything they taught me in college for my econ degree in my year long econ class in highschool.

I enjoyed money and banking because they went into detail about the banking system, federal regulations, the federal reserve system and their relations to the government. Other than that though I didn't learn much aside from some silly theories on international trade/finance.

I emphasized in development economics which was incredibly frustrating because it was sort of born out of Marxian neo-Imperialism Theory (i.e. Sweezy, Wallerstein, Emmanuel, etc...) yet does away with the kernel of Marxian analysis and instead of asking the question of how the system works or what role citizens in a developing country play as agents, they sort of treat the whole thing as a god-mode, Sim City like situation without much regard to the participation of those whose economy they are attempting to transform.

It's also couched in neoclassical economics, of course, and I'm not particularly keen on many development theorists because of these reasons, but I would certainly be interested in pursuing a career in the field if it ever comes to that.


I think if you really wanted to feel like this choice was at all important to being a Marxist, I would suggest you did something in finance, business or economics. Marx studied capitalism in his day, why don't you study capitalism in our day? I would consider an arts major to be more bourgeois than a major in economics.

That is very difficult to do. I was originally planning on doing this but first off in undergraduate level you don't learn any of this whatsoever for an econ degree. For grad school you have to find a Marxian economist (or at least a Marx-leaning political economist) to study under, which is pretty fucking difficult to do.

I also realized that it would be stupid to go to school for a masters/PhD in Marxian economics when I can't do anything with that degree aside from get a doctorate and write, and also when all of the books that I would study are already available to me (and in fact in my collection), and that I can learn about it if I'm interested and write about it without getting a quarter of a million dollars in debt.

[Diello]

I'm a journalism major. Bourgeois or not? What's RefLeft's verdict?

[Catmatic Leftist]

I'm a journalism major. Bourgeois or not? What's RefLeft's verdict?

You're fine, if that's what you're interested in. Just don't use your degree to oppress others.

[FreeFocus]

there is no space for "leftist critique or understansing" in university. what is there space for, however, is bosses profiting from the corpse of marx. its completely out of my understanding why would someone get in debt so that some windbag teaches him how to become an activist. is almost like paying money to work at a charity house.

university is a buisness and it is not made under the premise of love of learning. its an institution used by the bosses to filter their ideologues and cadre

I disagree. I know that when I write papers, I can be critical of imperialism, of capitalism, of poverty, etc, and put forth radical solutions. Some professors won't like this and will give you bad marks.

I'm not saying university is just an "institution of higher learning." It is a business, first and foremost. My attitude toward people who are only out to make money, without an iota of social concern (this is my experience with a lot of people majoring in business/finance/Econ), is to avoid them. I don't like their attitude. And these people aren't always coming from poor backgrounds, many of them come from already well-off families. Instead of having two parents making 6-digit incomes, they want to take it a step further in their life and make 7-digits. Fine, whatever. People do what they want.

[ComradeAV]

We typically seem to confine ourselves to humanities, but there is a range of options for study which can help us enact true change. For example, almost all programs of social study have been impacted by paradigm shifts in fields such as science (particularly biology). Education, engineering, social work, medicine, nursing, speech pathology, etc. are all subjects which can be beneficial to society, the revolution and post-capitalist world. One major choice is whether you want to learn an applied skill or something more theoretical.

A word of caution though, I am historian who was forced by material demands to abandon my dream of becoming a professor when graduate programs and research positions were decimated during the recent recession. As such I chose to go into secondary education. Be aware of the changing trends in this profession and how the capitalist class is doing all it can to delegitimize and destroy public education in the United States and abroad (through No Child Left Behind, union busting or "teacher accountability," charter schools and other for-profit reforms). I love every moment I have to create a democratic learning experience in the classroom and imparting the critical thinking skills necessary for a radical future, but the climate and the bureaucracy is the antithesis of leftism and true education.

thanks, I wish I had a teacher like you, but arent secondary school teachers not allowed to show their bias, unlike a professor who can?

[Rooster]

I don't think that having to find a marxist economist to study under is that important. If you can work out how capitalists define their own system then you should be able to more effectively critique it from their point of view.

[black magick hustla]

I disagree. I know that when I write papers, I can be critical of imperialism, of capitalism, of poverty, etc, and put forth radical solutions. Some professors won't like this and will give you bad marks.

my point is not so much that you cannot write papers about communism and ace the class. my point is more along the lines that the university is a buisness. do you think the state and the buisnesses would fund the university if it were otherwise? i can type shit here about poverty too. fuck, i can discuss this with other militants rather than windbags




I'm not saying university is just an "institution of higher learning." It is a business, first and foremost. My attitude toward people who are only out to make money, without an iota of social concern (this is my experience with a lot of people majoring in business/finance/Econ), is to avoid them. I don't like their attitude. And these people aren't always coming from poor backgrounds, many of them come from already well-off families. Instead of having two parents making 6-digit incomes, they want to take it a step further in their life and make 7-digits. Fine, whatever. People do what they want.

[/quote]
of course they aren´t always coming from well off backgrounds but i imagine you will find more poor people in an econ class than in anthropology 341 - peasants and social revolution. the latter will be filled probably with well off white hipsters.

personally i realized the people i hang out the most didnt study "activism" in college. those people are the worst, and have a very shallow understanding of things in general. i think people who post in revleft are probably more insightful than those fuckers in general tbh. the people i know who study econ are just average people, they arent the monsters you make them seem like.

[Decolonize The Left]

To answer the OP, if you are indeed intent on following through with college you should major in whatever interests you the most. You will find that this makes studying and takes exams easier as you actually care about what you are learning.

- August

[Fawkes]

Study whatever you want to. Nothing is inherently leftist, so don't worry about that. My dad majored in Philosophy and Religion (he's an atheist) and ended up racing motorcycles and owning a motorcycle shop. Likewise, my friend's dad majored in Art History and is a baker.

You can make a career out of most any degree.

[apawllo]

my point is not so much that you cannot write
of course they aren´t always coming from well off backgrounds but i imagine you will find more poor people in an econ class than in anthropology 341 - peasants and social revolution. the latter will be filled probably with well off white hipsters.

I think that depends more on what school you're at than your major to be honest. For example, not many state schools or community colleges offer the classes you're naming; at least not where I'm from. They're likely available at private schools I'd guess - in which case, yeah...there are going to be wealthy people in them regardless. I graduated from a state school...a commuter college in a working class community, with a degree in political science. A lot of people in my classes were in their 30s and 40s, going back to school working on a second career. Others were trying to escape from working trades, like myself. At any rate, you're right about university being a business, and most professors being blow hards. Then again, it's really just a means to an end. I don't think many here would approve of the way its run but it's a necessary evil in a lot of ways....

[gestalt]

thanks, I wish I had a teacher like you, but arent secondary school teachers not allowed to show their bias, unlike a professor who can?

For the nontenured educator or professor it is not necessarily advisable to be overt in your views if job security is of primary concern. It does not help that I work in the veritable buckle of the Bible belt, where there is not only a social stigma of holding left of center positions (especially those which are usually described as anarchistic), there is also the very real possibility of reprisal on a number of levels.

However, if you can construct, for example, experiential learning scenarios in which students hone critical thinking skills and arrive within a spectrum of understanding without taking an authoritative stance, you are safe. Obviously my colleagues, a gaggle of "libertarians," know my leanings just based upon my focus on socioeconomic history, but students are either none-the-wiser and internalizing the information or are in agreement. When asked I do not shy away, but my responsibility in the classroom is that of facilitator not an arbiter.

Of course with the reforms I mentioned earlier, even the tenured and veteran teachers are still at risk of political termination and any number of factors can be used to "justify" their firings.

[Sixiang]

thanks, I wish I had a teacher like you, but arent secondary school teachers not allowed to show their bias, unlike a professor who can?
If so, then my US history and government teacher is guilty of breaking that rule. I'm yet to come across a social studies teacher that hasn't injected a bias into the studies. Everything is pro-America and pro-capitalism in those textbooks.

[Die Rote Fahne]

Depends on what you are interested in and want to do with your life.

Lawyer? Political Science can be a prerequisite for law school. College/university instructor? Choose something you'd enjoy teaching. Something you like to talk about and ask questions about.

You should research what interests you. Research what it entails and what career opportunities it offers.

Going to college and getting a diploma in a certain, shall we say "non-intellectual", field is not beneath you. I was planning on doing poli. sci. Now I'm attending college for "Occupational Health and Safety".

The positions I am going to be qualified for are essential to protecting the working class in their work environment. I will be making sure that proper procedure and regulations are being followed.

Just know there are more options that going to university and getting spit out with a theology major and doing nothing with it.

[Sosa]

I graduate this May with an Art History degree. It took me many years to decide to major into something I love instead of something just because I can make alot of money. Afterwards I plan to go to grad school and teach at the university level.

[Yazman]

the people i know who study econ are just average people, they arent the monsters you make them seem like.

Being a nice person doesn't make them a good person, and it doesn't mean they are doing the right thing. The idea that people who do negative things are necessarily "not nice" in a social sense is a myth - some people who have committed some of the worst crimes in human history have been variously reported as quite nice people and not 'monsters' at all - remember, even the Ken Lays and the Augusto Pinochets had friends and social lives. Even Ted Bundy (!) was always reported as a friendly, sociable, and "average person" by a lot of people who knew him.

Ordinary humans are capable of horrible things. The idea that everybody who does things we do not approve of are necessarily insane, or atrocious socially is a myth that needs to be done away with. It comes off to me as a coping mechanism, especially for people who are confronted with things they see as reprehensible behavior themselves - "There's no need to be critical of Jim - he may have laid off the staff but he's an AVERAGE GUY!"

[The Vegan Marxist]

I'm with those saying to just go into whatever you want to. It really doesn't matter. Me personally, I'm going into psychology.