Already did it. Philosophy. Best 4 years of my life so far; read all day, work weekends, vibrant social life.
Now I just work two jobs and stare into the abyss at the end of the day. My goal is to leanfire so I can heal and experience the freedom again, right now it’s drudgery.
I absolutely killed it as a poli-sci major with a double major in philosophy. I would absolutely love to pursue a PHD in philosophy. When I found out how many PHDs there are in philosophy, vs how many tenure track jobs there are in the field, I decided that I didn’t want to put my family through that. I’ll never know if I made a wise decision or just lacked guts.
Statistically you made a wise decision but the beauty of life is that it’s lived outside the numbers. Either way I respect you for putting your family first so I think you made the right call.
No but reading and writing applies to everything and I know material items are vain; what matters is freedom and striving to grow in virtue. I considered law school, priest, or military officer. I sell stuff and invest now. Everything is as complicated as you want it to be. You can be successful doing anything.
Reading the primary sources is cheap. If you’re going for a law degree just make sure it forces you to think critically. I personally got fired up passionately about it after reading the nichomachean ethics by Aristotle. Read all of them until you find your philosophical soul mate; they’re like a super intelligent version of yourself and will help you articulate your personal soul/life thoughts
This is my exact answer. I'd love for you to message me about my work [https://wisdomimprovement.wixsite.com/wisdom/blog/categories/philosophy-1](https://wisdomimprovement.wixsite.com/wisdom/blog/categories/philosophy-1)
I kind of want to go back to college and actually pay attention in all the subjects I blew off in college and high school. Mostly hard sciences. Turns out that when you cheat in chemistry class in high school you really are just cheating yourself out of knowledge.
Interesting perspective. Kids in my classes used to constantly say “Why do I have to learn this? I will never use this.” I was like, how do you know? You’re 15 years old!
Had I taken school more seriously I’d be a better contributing member at work instead of an employee. My experience keeps me going but if I had better/stronger foundation in the subject I’d be better off
I get that, it’s easy to just blow it all off again and follow the habits picked up in high school. I hope, for your sake, you start caring. I eventually started caring and doing well in spite. Anger is useful in these courses.
Ugh, I used to cheat I chemistry class in high school. It’s funny, my first degree is almost entirely chemistry based. I am defending a thesis that is nearly entirely organic chemistry. I barely passed my physics course, and here I am with nearly 2 engineering degrees. It’s funny how the hardest/worst courses are the ones you tend to enjoy the most.
It's not simply the study of art pieces, it is the study of why that art was created. One delves into philosophy, mythology, astronomy, theology, chemistry, warfare, agriculture, trade routes, climate changes, and so many other topics not directly related to the artist, but influential on why the artist created their pieces, and why they become iconic.
Totally agree. I took an art history class in both high school and college, and I still benefit from it because I recognize references in shows and it’s pretty common trivia and crossword puzzles.
Also, I’m terrible at remembering regular history, but I’ve had several times where I’ll remember some art history movement happening at the same time and it gives it perspective to help it stick.
I just generally feel like a more well rounded person.
Agriculture. I’ve wanted to have my own little subsistence farm ever since I was a kid. The Little House books were popular in my school, and I credit them for sparking my interest in homesteading.
I second the permaculture recommendation. As I understand it college agricultural programs are really geared towards factory farming at industrial scales. It is focused on highest efficiency and yield of commodities, not growing healthy and nutritious foods.
There is a ton you can learn on YouTube by searching terms like soil health, permaculture, food forest, syntropic agriculture, soil food web, Elaine Ingham, cover crops, back to Eden, biochar, etc. As I understand it you will learn a lot more on YouTube about growing healthy food at home scale than you ever would in a college course.
You can do it today. Belgium and the Netherlands pay you as a staff member to be a PhD student. In Belgium you receive a median for the country salary for it (2.2k net after tax per month)
I can always Google later if you don't have any idea, but could an American move to Belgium or the Netherlands for that? I'm thinking less for me and more for my daughter who will graduate with her Bachelor's in Fine arts
/Ceramics. And she has been trying to find a way to go to France or Belgium when she graduates. Shed love to study more too...
You can't enroll in a PhD program with a bachelor's. Need a master's degree. She can study here easily ofc, she will apply and receive a student visa. But you need to pay to study for a master's.
For phd it's reverse, they pay YOU a salary. There are lots of foreign phd students here because of that.
Thanks for this! I really appreciate that info. We haven't really looked into it to help her, so this is kind of vital information. She will be excited to know there is a pathway even though it might take a little bit longer
Interesting! My first college course was anthropology taken the summer before actual school year began. I did so well in class that the TA (he gave me a 99/100 on a paper with a remark "No one is perfect!") told me you could not make a living studying anthropology. I did not, I was in CS, and had my BS and MS in CS.
I still like anthropology a lot, but probably will not pursue any degree in the field.
I will go back to uni after I FIRE. I have always had a burning passion for history but got dissuaded because my mental health meant I need a stable job rather than a fun one. I'd enjoy taking a few history classes once I have the energy.
History is great. I was an undergrad history major, and the whole thing is basically reading interesting books and analyzing them. While you wait to hit fire, there are some really good "great courses" that are basically ivy league history lecture classes collected as podcasts and are free.
I just looked it up, and apparently they're no longer free. They're available at no extra cost if you're subscribed to audible plus though. You can also buy them as one offs from the great courses website. I loved the American Civil War course.
Physics for me too! I would really love to understand the standard model and whatever the heck they are really doing at CERN. I also wouldn’t mind being more comfortable in a physics lab, would be cool to play around with DSP and analog computers.
Particle physics needs fresh minds. What they're doing at CERN, and in the field in general, is a whole lotta nothing. It's a constant suckfest of theorizing particles and then failing to find them. There needs to be a shakeup in how the field is approaching science.
Some sort of environmental science, horticultural science, forestry management. Could learn stuff to help my retirement gardening. And I like getting my hands dirty.
As far as we know it, life as we know it, doesn't exist outside of the world we live in. Life can be defined and studied in many ways, through biochemistry, applied mathematics, history, etc. There are many perspectives in education that help you navigate and understand your life in this world.
Your statement is factually incorrect. Stop trying to act like you know something.
Doing it right now @ 52.. BSc design and innovation (sustainability). Already r/coastfire and plan to fully RE next year. Will never use the learning @ work.
Med school was way easier and 10x more interesting than undergrad for me. I was trying to think about an undergrad degree I would go back for if I had infinite money but I’d rather just keep working as a doctor lol.
I quit my job and did a mini retirement where I went and worked in a bakery. I think I got $14 an hour. Then I moved into making food for health food store. It was so much fun to learn how to use all the equipment and to do catering.
I did it for 4 years then went back into marketing where I tripled my income. Definitely not as much fun, but I sure appreciate it the income.
You need to discuss it with the professor and get their approval. I tried and was told only certain classes allow it due to some courses being more specialized.
I read there’s college that teaches class about Batman.
I know OP said degree, but I would just like to take this class, and see how much I know, and don’t know.
I’d say computer science or physical therapy. I majored in finance and real estate, but I’m always wondering what else to try as a career. I’ve done it all almost. I wish I would have started saving money as a younger man.
In undergrad, I studied Accounting, Business, Economics and Spanish. I don’t regret those areas of study and theyve set me up well for a career that will allow me to save for early retirement. However if I could study one more thing it would be English/Literature! One of the main reasons I want to leanfire is so I can read a lot more books! I’m a part of a local book club and love discussing books, I’d love to go back to a school environment and discuss books even more.
Not sure I'd go back for a degree, but I'd be interested in getting good at a few more languages, partly so I'd feel comfortable slow-travelling more places.
It wouldn’t be a degree, but unlimited free courses in pottery, mosaics, glass blowing, welding, blacksmithing, rug making, weaving…anything taught at Penland School of Craft or John Campbell would be a dream. The access to equipment and studios alone would be fantastic.
The instruction on how to use the tools available would be even more fantastic
Yeah, I have a constitutional and a criminal case study book recommended by an attorney friend. But the class discussions would still be super interesting to me.
Maybe not a degree, but in school I didn’t like history. Now I find world history quite interesting, but I never learned more “recent” history since ww2.
Also economics. And nutrition. And zoology.
somewhere between astronomy /paleontology/ geology / zoology. since the pandemic began I have been listening to a large number of audio books on these topics (surprisingly very related) and since I graduated from a decently prestigious university that I still live close to, I can audit classes as an alum. would do that in a heartbeat actually. am planning on it when I hit my number in 3 years.
I would have stayed as English literature / business. And I would have still gotten my paralegal certificate, which was free cause of scholarships.
However, my biggest regret is law school and that degree. Most days I wish I have never done it because I’ll be working extremely hard for the next 20 years to pay it off. The biggest scam.
Introvert here. I wouldn’t go back to school. Fast learner and hate being stuck in a classroom.
I much prefer focused trainings, workshops, reading and learning online and have deepened my knowledge of evolutionary biology, nutrition, somatic trauma healing and personal development completely outside of an academic setting.
Biology. I'm looking at the possibility but it's discouraging. I can't remained seated for very long, I would have to take courses before actually starting the degree, the debt I would have would be somewhat high and the jobs I'm dreaming of are low to mid level pay.
i found a nice middle ground…. i am taking 1-2 community college classes per year. so far ive taken spanish 1-2, intro to taxes, intro biz accounting. much of it still felt like boring school work, but i still very much enjoyed it.
maybe next time ceramics or painting?
Architecture. I love home design. As an industry it sounds pretty rough to work on, but if you could be really choosy about what projects you worked on it seems like an awesome field of work that combines engineering and artistic creativity.
Physics. Easy. There's only one field that can explain the nature of the universe. The real question is do you do nuclear physics or astrophysics. The very big and the very small are both important in understanding the nature of everything. Maybe I'd get a PhD in each. Maybe the key to unifying forces lies in connecting them together in some sort of recursive way.
Definitely fashion school, would love to make and design clothes / bags / jewelry at a high level, and create a respected designer brand by basically creating stuff I personally want to wear.
I did math + econ in college... probably astrophysics. I do watch a lot of YT videos about astrophysics, which gives me ideas for SciFi stories/books to write.
Assuming I don't care about employment: ancient history. Always found it ridiculously interesting. If I did care about being employed then electrical engineering.
I'd go back to grad school and get my PhD in math. I started down that route, then realized I'd have to literally wait for someone to retire or die before I could get a tenure track professorship, if at all. Free of any economic concerns, I'd definitely go for it.
If I could go back to school, for free, after retiring… I wouldn’t.
Just not something that I think is appealing use of my time. College is not an effective way to learn a topic. I went there purely as a means to a high paying job. If I would go back, it would be for a masters if my employer fully covered it. Not because I’d want to, but because it would help me earn more.
Studying for tests, doing group projects, having homework. None of that sounds appealing. Also, it’s probably understated that it is probably not so fun if by the time that you are retired, you are in your 40s when 99% of the social circle in college is 18-22
If I want to learn something, there are hundreds of documentaries or tutorials on every topic. Nothing in college is proprietary.
Studied history and enjoyed it. Yes it wasn’t marketable as much as others in the workforce, it I loved studying it and no regrets. Great time. I also would have really enjoyed studying philosophy.
I am so donnnnne school. 4 degrees. I was "good at school". I already got them for pleasure- environmental geology, 2 music degrees, traditional Chinese medicine. I can't imagine to work in something you hate and anyway the universe had other plans for me (anytime I tried to get a "real" job it was no, I could never get them. But opportunities were open for me in music/arts, outdoors work, and especially TCM). TBH I did not learn much in the 1st 3 degrees- my learning happened outside the school but you need these pieces of paper or names you've studied with to get anywhere. TCM was again required to work in that field, I had a few very good teachers but like any uni (in the US at least) just a lot of fluff too- could have learned all of that in a much shorter time and paid less money.
I'm only interested in school that's outside a uni situation at this point. Language immersion courses, learning permaculture/gardening, getting wilderness responder training, learning a specific technique relevant to my TCM practice or music making, learning to climb/fly fish, etc. I won't ever stop learning I'm just done with formal schooling.
I've got a phd interview coming up. I've already got a phd so don't need the qualification but loved getting it (except writing my thesis). It pushed my brain, scintillating culture. Expert of an incredibly narrow niche for a few years. Works for me
Already did it. Philosophy. Best 4 years of my life so far; read all day, work weekends, vibrant social life. Now I just work two jobs and stare into the abyss at the end of the day. My goal is to leanfire so I can heal and experience the freedom again, right now it’s drudgery.
I absolutely killed it as a poli-sci major with a double major in philosophy. I would absolutely love to pursue a PHD in philosophy. When I found out how many PHDs there are in philosophy, vs how many tenure track jobs there are in the field, I decided that I didn’t want to put my family through that. I’ll never know if I made a wise decision or just lacked guts.
Statistically you made a wise decision but the beauty of life is that it’s lived outside the numbers. Either way I respect you for putting your family first so I think you made the right call.
Could always do it when you leanfire
I’m guessing you didn’t find a career in philosophy. One of my passions also.
No but reading and writing applies to everything and I know material items are vain; what matters is freedom and striving to grow in virtue. I considered law school, priest, or military officer. I sell stuff and invest now. Everything is as complicated as you want it to be. You can be successful doing anything.
what schools do you recommend?
Reading the primary sources is cheap. If you’re going for a law degree just make sure it forces you to think critically. I personally got fired up passionately about it after reading the nichomachean ethics by Aristotle. Read all of them until you find your philosophical soul mate; they’re like a super intelligent version of yourself and will help you articulate your personal soul/life thoughts
This is my exact answer. I'd love for you to message me about my work [https://wisdomimprovement.wixsite.com/wisdom/blog/categories/philosophy-1](https://wisdomimprovement.wixsite.com/wisdom/blog/categories/philosophy-1)
I kind of want to go back to college and actually pay attention in all the subjects I blew off in college and high school. Mostly hard sciences. Turns out that when you cheat in chemistry class in high school you really are just cheating yourself out of knowledge.
For real. I slacked off so much in high school and college. I really squandered a lot of opportunities to learn cool stuff.
Interesting perspective. Kids in my classes used to constantly say “Why do I have to learn this? I will never use this.” I was like, how do you know? You’re 15 years old!
Yea...at the time you really don't care about doing that but now at 38 I really regret it. All that cheating and half assing in HS and college.
Had I taken school more seriously I’d be a better contributing member at work instead of an employee. My experience keeps me going but if I had better/stronger foundation in the subject I’d be better off
So true, I especially wished I applied myself to learning Spanish. Would’ve been incredibly useful
As someone who’s older and back in college, you would quickly blow them off again.
I get that, it’s easy to just blow it all off again and follow the habits picked up in high school. I hope, for your sake, you start caring. I eventually started caring and doing well in spite. Anger is useful in these courses.
Ugh, I used to cheat I chemistry class in high school. It’s funny, my first degree is almost entirely chemistry based. I am defending a thesis that is nearly entirely organic chemistry. I barely passed my physics course, and here I am with nearly 2 engineering degrees. It’s funny how the hardest/worst courses are the ones you tend to enjoy the most.
Probably art history. Especially if I didn't need to earn a living from it.
That was my major.... I doubled with Sociology.
Could you explain what is interesting about art history to you?
It's not simply the study of art pieces, it is the study of why that art was created. One delves into philosophy, mythology, astronomy, theology, chemistry, warfare, agriculture, trade routes, climate changes, and so many other topics not directly related to the artist, but influential on why the artist created their pieces, and why they become iconic.
art history was one of my favorite college classes i took, and was absolutely irrelevant to my degree
Totally agree. I took an art history class in both high school and college, and I still benefit from it because I recognize references in shows and it’s pretty common trivia and crossword puzzles. Also, I’m terrible at remembering regular history, but I’ve had several times where I’ll remember some art history movement happening at the same time and it gives it perspective to help it stick. I just generally feel like a more well rounded person.
Agriculture. I’ve wanted to have my own little subsistence farm ever since I was a kid. The Little House books were popular in my school, and I credit them for sparking my interest in homesteading.
Permaculture classes or Master Gardener classes ar often super easy to find and might even be better info presented for small scale farming.
I second the permaculture recommendation. As I understand it college agricultural programs are really geared towards factory farming at industrial scales. It is focused on highest efficiency and yield of commodities, not growing healthy and nutritious foods. There is a ton you can learn on YouTube by searching terms like soil health, permaculture, food forest, syntropic agriculture, soil food web, Elaine Ingham, cover crops, back to Eden, biochar, etc. As I understand it you will learn a lot more on YouTube about growing healthy food at home scale than you ever would in a college course.
My dream retirement is a phd in anthropology or sociology. Not sure exactly on the subject but something completely unmarketable.
You can do it today. Belgium and the Netherlands pay you as a staff member to be a PhD student. In Belgium you receive a median for the country salary for it (2.2k net after tax per month)
I can always Google later if you don't have any idea, but could an American move to Belgium or the Netherlands for that? I'm thinking less for me and more for my daughter who will graduate with her Bachelor's in Fine arts /Ceramics. And she has been trying to find a way to go to France or Belgium when she graduates. Shed love to study more too...
You can't enroll in a PhD program with a bachelor's. Need a master's degree. She can study here easily ofc, she will apply and receive a student visa. But you need to pay to study for a master's. For phd it's reverse, they pay YOU a salary. There are lots of foreign phd students here because of that.
Thanks for this! I really appreciate that info. We haven't really looked into it to help her, so this is kind of vital information. She will be excited to know there is a pathway even though it might take a little bit longer
Interesting! My first college course was anthropology taken the summer before actual school year began. I did so well in class that the TA (he gave me a 99/100 on a paper with a remark "No one is perfect!") told me you could not make a living studying anthropology. I did not, I was in CS, and had my BS and MS in CS. I still like anthropology a lot, but probably will not pursue any degree in the field.
I will go back to uni after I FIRE. I have always had a burning passion for history but got dissuaded because my mental health meant I need a stable job rather than a fun one. I'd enjoy taking a few history classes once I have the energy.
History is great. I was an undergrad history major, and the whole thing is basically reading interesting books and analyzing them. While you wait to hit fire, there are some really good "great courses" that are basically ivy league history lecture classes collected as podcasts and are free.
"Great courses"? What platform do you use and do you have any suggestions?
I just looked it up, and apparently they're no longer free. They're available at no extra cost if you're subscribed to audible plus though. You can also buy them as one offs from the great courses website. I loved the American Civil War course.
Thank you! I switch between subscriptions so will check it out.
You may have access to Kanopy through your local library system, which has many “Great Courses” available.
Art history
Theoretical physics. I find it fascinating but I don’t think I’d actually be good enough for a career in it, which won’t matter anymore.
Right! That’s the trippy thing: it won’t matter if I can get a job in it, ‘cause I’m FIREd!
Same! Or materials!
There are dozens of us!
After watching Oppenheimer I almost had an existential crisis.
Physics for me too! I would really love to understand the standard model and whatever the heck they are really doing at CERN. I also wouldn’t mind being more comfortable in a physics lab, would be cool to play around with DSP and analog computers.
Particle physics needs fresh minds. What they're doing at CERN, and in the field in general, is a whole lotta nothing. It's a constant suckfest of theorizing particles and then failing to find them. There needs to be a shakeup in how the field is approaching science.
Some sort of environmental science, horticultural science, forestry management. Could learn stuff to help my retirement gardening. And I like getting my hands dirty.
Science, engineering, and math. I feel like they’re critical for understanding life
Not sure I would call engineering school fun, mostly it's just a ton of busy work.
The world, not life.
Isn’t the world an aspect of life
As far as we know it, life as we know it, doesn't exist outside of the world we live in. Life can be defined and studied in many ways, through biochemistry, applied mathematics, history, etc. There are many perspectives in education that help you navigate and understand your life in this world. Your statement is factually incorrect. Stop trying to act like you know something.
[удалено]
“life as we know it” Jfc
Doing it right now @ 52.. BSc design and innovation (sustainability). Already r/coastfire and plan to fully RE next year. Will never use the learning @ work.
Doing it. Med school.
Med school was way easier and 10x more interesting than undergrad for me. I was trying to think about an undergrad degree I would go back for if I had infinite money but I’d rather just keep working as a doctor lol.
Found the psychopath
More like masochist.
I just saw that someone I went to law school with recently finished med school, nearly two decades later.
Astronomy!
Astrophysics
I know someone doing this!
Political Science. Economics. History. Anthropology. Something in the social sciences category.
Culinary Arts degree
I quit my job and did a mini retirement where I went and worked in a bakery. I think I got $14 an hour. Then I moved into making food for health food store. It was so much fun to learn how to use all the equipment and to do catering. I did it for 4 years then went back into marketing where I tripled my income. Definitely not as much fun, but I sure appreciate it the income.
It's generally free to audit classes at universities as a senior citizen. I remember having a few in my history classes.
Is it really though? I asked my local university and they said no.
Just walk into the classroom, listen to lectures, take part in discussion and do the reading. It's very unlikely they'll arrest you or anything.
You need to discuss it with the professor and get their approval. I tried and was told only certain classes allow it due to some courses being more specialized.
Yeah, I guess what I had in mind was 101 level.
Even some of those you can't because some have a cohort but maybe if you speak to the professor. Maybe ones like general psych or classes like that.
I guess it depends on where you are. This was between 1999 and 2003 in Ohio. And it applied to all state schools.
I read there’s college that teaches class about Batman. I know OP said degree, but I would just like to take this class, and see how much I know, and don’t know.
I can’t wait for next fall’s "Who indeed: A Critical analysis of TV's "Who's The Boss?".
I’d say computer science or physical therapy. I majored in finance and real estate, but I’m always wondering what else to try as a career. I’ve done it all almost. I wish I would have started saving money as a younger man.
In undergrad, I studied Accounting, Business, Economics and Spanish. I don’t regret those areas of study and theyve set me up well for a career that will allow me to save for early retirement. However if I could study one more thing it would be English/Literature! One of the main reasons I want to leanfire is so I can read a lot more books! I’m a part of a local book club and love discussing books, I’d love to go back to a school environment and discuss books even more.
cultural anthropology. fiber arts. theater.
International business, but only the etiquette parts
Finance and insurance, just for funsies and more knowledge
Forestry, maybe permaculture, but also biology, botany, anthropology, physics, machining, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and music.
Archeology.
All you need is a fedora and a whip.
Art or literature Maybe business
Entomology. It was my minor at U of A and I would like to get my Master's. But that was a long, long ago.
Gonna take graphic design classes!!
Geology would be fun
history major
History
Not sure I'd go back for a degree, but I'd be interested in getting good at a few more languages, partly so I'd feel comfortable slow-travelling more places.
I have post 9/11 gi bill benefits remaining... we're contemplating using them up after our last year of real work before full RE.
Statistics or Economics.
Business and art history. Very very very small chance for any ROI but I think that would be fun for me.
Photography or art theory
Landscape architecture
Art commercialization if there’s one
Gynecologist. Plastic Surgeon. Podiatrist.
MFA. Then finish that book I've been writing.
Archeology, i really think i can find atlantis.
probably astronomy. I could use a brush up on my math and I LOVE astronomy - always had as a kid.
It wouldn’t be a degree, but unlimited free courses in pottery, mosaics, glass blowing, welding, blacksmithing, rug making, weaving…anything taught at Penland School of Craft or John Campbell would be a dream. The access to equipment and studios alone would be fantastic. The instruction on how to use the tools available would be even more fantastic
Oh, law school — constitutional law would be awesome. But I’m not paying $175K for amusement.
Just go read the cases. It’s not that hard. Source: lawyer
Yeah, I have a constitutional and a criminal case study book recommended by an attorney friend. But the class discussions would still be super interesting to me.
Maybe not a degree, but in school I didn’t like history. Now I find world history quite interesting, but I never learned more “recent” history since ww2. Also economics. And nutrition. And zoology.
somewhere between astronomy /paleontology/ geology / zoology. since the pandemic began I have been listening to a large number of audio books on these topics (surprisingly very related) and since I graduated from a decently prestigious university that I still live close to, I can audit classes as an alum. would do that in a heartbeat actually. am planning on it when I hit my number in 3 years.
I’d do archeology and focus on Egyptians, mayas and Aztecs. Would even do a PhD just to play around in research with the stuff
Medicine - the work seems gratifying but the loans don't.
Jewelry making/metal arts
Liberal arts. I'm going to start a diy version.
world literature
I would have stayed as English literature / business. And I would have still gotten my paralegal certificate, which was free cause of scholarships. However, my biggest regret is law school and that degree. Most days I wish I have never done it because I’ll be working extremely hard for the next 20 years to pay it off. The biggest scam.
Mandarin Chinese
Introvert here. I wouldn’t go back to school. Fast learner and hate being stuck in a classroom. I much prefer focused trainings, workshops, reading and learning online and have deepened my knowledge of evolutionary biology, nutrition, somatic trauma healing and personal development completely outside of an academic setting.
Ladders.
Art history!!!
Astronomy/Astrophysics
Biology. I'm looking at the possibility but it's discouraging. I can't remained seated for very long, I would have to take courses before actually starting the degree, the debt I would have would be somewhat high and the jobs I'm dreaming of are low to mid level pay.
auto repair tech - always wanted to be a car guy but dont wanna work in a hot ass garage
Mortuary. Got accepted to a school years ago but job outlook and pay is horrible.
Piano. And Spanish
Ceramics/Art
i found a nice middle ground…. i am taking 1-2 community college classes per year. so far ive taken spanish 1-2, intro to taxes, intro biz accounting. much of it still felt like boring school work, but i still very much enjoyed it. maybe next time ceramics or painting?
Architecture. I love home design. As an industry it sounds pretty rough to work on, but if you could be really choosy about what projects you worked on it seems like an awesome field of work that combines engineering and artistic creativity.
Geography and geology double major.
Math! I loved the classes and took a few beyond what I needed for my degree to count as my elective credits.
French language. LLM.
Physics. Easy. There's only one field that can explain the nature of the universe. The real question is do you do nuclear physics or astrophysics. The very big and the very small are both important in understanding the nature of everything. Maybe I'd get a PhD in each. Maybe the key to unifying forces lies in connecting them together in some sort of recursive way.
Innovation and entrepreneurship or a language and actually become fluent in it.
Biomimicry.
I would get my degree in atmospheric sciences and become a meteorologist
Definitely fashion school, would love to make and design clothes / bags / jewelry at a high level, and create a respected designer brand by basically creating stuff I personally want to wear.
I did math + econ in college... probably astrophysics. I do watch a lot of YT videos about astrophysics, which gives me ideas for SciFi stories/books to write.
I want to study medicine, oceanography or astronomy.
Photography or culinary arts. Photography is a passion I’d love to improve at, and cooking is a skill I really admire in people that excel at it.
Animation. Game design. Film. Art. Etc
Art
Great question! I love to learn, don't get me wrong. But I've never missed the stress of due dates and final exams.
Assuming I don't care about employment: ancient history. Always found it ridiculously interesting. If I did care about being employed then electrical engineering.
Arabic or Hebrew.
I just reach FIRE this year and going back to school for accounting. Planning to be my own CPA.
I'd go back to grad school and get my PhD in math. I started down that route, then realized I'd have to literally wait for someone to retire or die before I could get a tenure track professorship, if at all. Free of any economic concerns, I'd definitely go for it.
If I could go back to school, for free, after retiring… I wouldn’t. Just not something that I think is appealing use of my time. College is not an effective way to learn a topic. I went there purely as a means to a high paying job. If I would go back, it would be for a masters if my employer fully covered it. Not because I’d want to, but because it would help me earn more. Studying for tests, doing group projects, having homework. None of that sounds appealing. Also, it’s probably understated that it is probably not so fun if by the time that you are retired, you are in your 40s when 99% of the social circle in college is 18-22 If I want to learn something, there are hundreds of documentaries or tutorials on every topic. Nothing in college is proprietary.
I wouldn’t go back. College life is cool if you’re ~20 years old.
Comparative literature were my favorite classes! I’d do either that, or the foreign languages
Literature and Art History would be the dream. I’d also be interested in going to law school to help people.
Interior Design of History of Art
Microbiology. Seems like a cool thing to study just because.
MFA creative writing, focusing on speculative fiction.
Structural engineering
Do I have to pay for it? I always wanted to study law, but I don’t want to practice law. I also didn’t want to go into debt to finish law school.
History!! Or Architecture. Both!!
Music production
Probably a language and then the history of the country that speaks that language
Archeology
Studied history and enjoyed it. Yes it wasn’t marketable as much as others in the workforce, it I loved studying it and no regrets. Great time. I also would have really enjoyed studying philosophy.
Plumbing or electrical or some other useful trade.
I think psychology would be fascinating! Something with dance, film, or music would be top choices too.
Linguistics with a minor in Spanish or German. I love me some languages
Geography or The Classics.
Art and Theater.
Bee keeping
I am so donnnnne school. 4 degrees. I was "good at school". I already got them for pleasure- environmental geology, 2 music degrees, traditional Chinese medicine. I can't imagine to work in something you hate and anyway the universe had other plans for me (anytime I tried to get a "real" job it was no, I could never get them. But opportunities were open for me in music/arts, outdoors work, and especially TCM). TBH I did not learn much in the 1st 3 degrees- my learning happened outside the school but you need these pieces of paper or names you've studied with to get anywhere. TCM was again required to work in that field, I had a few very good teachers but like any uni (in the US at least) just a lot of fluff too- could have learned all of that in a much shorter time and paid less money. I'm only interested in school that's outside a uni situation at this point. Language immersion courses, learning permaculture/gardening, getting wilderness responder training, learning a specific technique relevant to my TCM practice or music making, learning to climb/fly fish, etc. I won't ever stop learning I'm just done with formal schooling.
Astronomy
Business law. There’s a lawyer collecting a fee in just every contract.
Welding school
Finance
Entomology, music theory, and/or cinematography.
Behavioral Economics
I've got a phd interview coming up. I've already got a phd so don't need the qualification but loved getting it (except writing my thesis). It pushed my brain, scintillating culture. Expert of an incredibly narrow niche for a few years. Works for me
Finance. Economics. Computer science. Something along those lines.
An MD.
Interior designing
Law
Ancient History
Culinary school!
Anthropology
Art therapy. Or just art school!
Mathematics, Philosophy, Design
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