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[mended_drum]

Well all of the "real" jobs I've applied for I haven't gotten. Honestly, what can I do with a degree in English? I would love to find a job I enjoy and just be happy for awhile, while deciding what to do. But I"m also worried that the longer I'm out of school, the least likely it will be for me to be accepted again if I do want to go back.

My students with degrees in English have done the following (over the last five years):  been hired to work on political campaigns, gone to work in public relations, gone to work for non-profits (everything from the Red Cross to a local arts center), gone to work for CNN, opened a small business, gone to work in advertising, publishing, sales and tech support for various companies, both local and national, taught English overseas, worked in hospital administration, worked (in several different positions) for local radio stations, worked for banks and mortgage companies, worked for local government, edited professional web sites, worked for an animal sanctuary, helped open a children's science museum, gone to work for an international magazine, worked for a textbook publisher, and become a moderately successful local artist.   I'm not including those who went to law school or into K-12 teaching here.

What you need to do is go and talk to the Career Placement people at your undergrad institution.  If they're any good, they'll be able to give you some idea of what people with your degree have done recently.  Your professors would be fairly unhelpful in a career plan outside of academia, but there are others who are much better at talking these things out and making suggestions.  It's not easy out there in this economy, but an English degree is not a useless degree.  There are always employers looking for someone who can read, write and work independently.  The challenge is trying to figure out who they are.

[beth2010]

That is good advice. I'm just terrified at not being trained at anything. My friends have scattered and the nearest city near me is Atlanta. I see myself turning into Pam from The Office. That might seem illogical to all of you, but I guess I have this fear of wasting my life. The fact that I have achieved so little in 26 years is sort of discouraging. I know I am a smart person, it's just scary in this world to not have any actual job skills, when all my friends seem to have everything figured out.

I'm not trying to just jump back into school carelessly. I just want to be financially stable and satisfied with the work I do.

[beth2010]

Also, I really do appreciate the great advice I've gotten here. I was a little worried I would get a lot of judgment. I think spending so much time on teaching really rattled my sense of direction, and I felt I had no other option but to jump back into school to accomplish something. Then I realized the classes I needed might not be there. So, I feel ashamed that I've basically ruined by academic record. My graduate GPA is a 3.5, but even with decent grades, I still look like a quitter if I ever want to go back. I was just unprepared to begin grad school in such a demanding career as teaching to begin with, and I think that just started a cycle of great uncertainty for me

And I have given teaching English abroad some serious thought, because I desperately want to travel. However, I am not sure I would not be a good teacher, since my first teaching experience ended so negatively.

[msparticularity]

That is good advice. I'm just terrified at not being trained at anything. My friends have scattered and the nearest city near me is Atlanta. I see myself turning into Pam from The Office. That might seem illogical to all of you, but I guess I have this fear of wasting my life. The fact that I have achieved so little in 26 years is sort of discouraging. I know I am a smart person, it's just scary in this world to not have any actual job skills, when all my friends seem to have everything figured out.

I'm not trying to just jump back into school carelessly. I just want to be financially stable and satisfied with the work I do.

You know, there seems to be a tremendous tendency these days to think that a degree is a qualification for a good job--and it just isn't so. It's a necessary, but not a sufficient, condition. There are certainly many jobs for which a completed bachelor's degree is a minimum qualification, but you have that. Many kinds of jobs in the public sector really do require that a person start at entry level and work their way up--Ptarmigan is exactly right on that count. Even with a master's degree in public policy (or whatever) you're going to have to get some experience at actually working before you will be qualified for the kind of job you seem to aspire to.

[catalyzer]

You've gotten a lot of great advice. My concern is that you seem reluctant to hear it. People are sensibly encouraging you to think about why you imagine a graduate degree will be a panacea for your self-doubt. I actually don't think your situation is that special in the sense that I see no reason why you couldn't get into an MA program even with perfunctory letters. Maybe not a top-notch program, but it doesn't sound like this is what you are interested in. I don't see this as the issue. I've gotten plenty of letter requests from students I barely remember and I've never seen it as an issue. I either say yes or no (very politely). Why worry when you haven't even made any requests yet? Why waste your energies imagining all the things your former Professors think of you?

The issue is really that you seem insistent on imagining this new degree as a way to save you from being "Pam from The Office." What kinds of jobs are you imagining are not "Pam from the Office" (whatever that means to you)? One of the posters above rightly pointed out that a BA in English is actually an extremely flexible BA to have gotten--what entry-level jobs does it disqualify you for (relative to other degrees)? What sorts of jobs have you been applying for? What is your resistance to engaging in what is generally the normal course of a working life? Applying for jobs, taking something entry-level, figuring out if it's something you want, changing jobs, etc.

I suspect your feelings of having wasted your life will not magically disappear if you go to another graduate program. You read as someone who is constructing obstacles to your own happiness because of anxiety and self-judgment. If that is the case, I am truly sympathetic and hope you know you are not alone in this. I would urge you to get help with those feelings before you get yourself further into debt. There is nothing to stop you from going back to school later on if you determine that that is truly what you want to do. Besides which, on a pragmatic level, graduate school often exacerbates feelings of inadequacy rather than assuages them in people prone to this kind of thinking.

To sum up, additional "training" will not provide, by itself, happiness and feelings of self-worth.

That is good advice. I'm just terrified at not being trained at anything. My friends have scattered and the nearest city near me is Atlanta. I see myself turning into Pam from The Office. That might seem illogical to all of you, but I guess I have this fear of wasting my life. The fact that I have achieved so little in 26 years is sort of discouraging. I know I am a smart person, it's just scary in this world to not have any actual job skills, when all my friends seem to have everything figured out.

I'm not trying to just jump back into school carelessly. I just want to be financially stable and satisfied with the work I do.

[ptarmigan]

That is good advice. I'm just terrified at not being trained at anything. My friends have scattered and the nearest city near me is Atlanta. I see myself turning into Pam from The Office. That might seem illogical to all of you, but I guess I have this fear of wasting my life. The fact that I have achieved so little in 26 years is sort of discouraging. I know I am a smart person, it's just scary in this world to not have any actual job skills, when all my friends seem to have everything figured out.

I'm not trying to just jump back into school carelessly. I just want to be financially stable and satisfied with the work I do.

You know, there seems to be a tremendous tendency these days to think that a degree is a qualification for a good job--and it just isn't so. It's a necessary, but not a sufficient, condition. There are certainly many jobs for which a completed bachelor's degree is a minimum qualification, but you have that. Many kinds of jobs in the public sector really do require that a person start at entry level and work their way up--Ptarmigan is exactly right on that count. Even with a master's degree in public policy (or whatever) you're going to have to get some experience at actually working before you will be qualified for the kind of job you seem to aspire to.

I'm sure that is true, but I didn't actually say it. 

[wet_blanket]

OP, figuring out what you do and don't want out of life - for example, you now know teaching isn't for you - is valuable, not a waste of your 20s.  

If you really want to do this masters, it does sound like it could be possible for you.  But that doesn't mean its a good idea.  If admissions are as un-competitive as you think, then you need to ask yourself how valuable that degree will be for you longterm.  More importantly, though, I would second the suggestions to get away from school for a while.  You can do an MA at 27, or even, shockingly, at 30 or 35.  But I wonder if, if you were to enrol, you'd feel like you needed to stick it out so as not to be a quitter.

The other thing I'd say to you OP - and this is completely unsolicited advice so feel free to ignore it - is that you don't need to have a life plan.  It's nice for those people who can say "I'm gonna be a teacher/lawyer/architect/plumber...", but life can be just as satisfying doing an enjoyable job that pays enough and fits into where you are now without necessarily being part of an ordered plan.  

[msparticularity]

That is good advice. I'm just terrified at not being trained at anything. My friends have scattered and the nearest city near me is Atlanta. I see myself turning into Pam from The Office. That might seem illogical to all of you, but I guess I have this fear of wasting my life. The fact that I have achieved so little in 26 years is sort of discouraging. I know I am a smart person, it's just scary in this world to not have any actual job skills, when all my friends seem to have everything figured out.

I'm not trying to just jump back into school carelessly. I just want to be financially stable and satisfied with the work I do.

You know, there seems to be a tremendous tendency these days to think that a degree is a qualification for a good job--and it just isn't so. It's a necessary, but not a sufficient, condition. There are certainly many jobs for which a completed bachelor's degree is a minimum qualification, but you have that. Many kinds of jobs in the public sector really do require that a person start at entry level and work their way up--Ptarmigan is exactly right on that count. Even with a master's degree in public policy (or whatever) you're going to have to get some experience at actually working before you will be qualified for the kind of job you seem to aspire to.

I'm sure that is true, but I didn't actually say it. 

Sorry--too many thoughts crowded into an inadequate sentence. :) I should have said that Ptarmigan's experience offers a nice insight into how this process can look.

[buy_low]

Please heed the advice to try to work in your chosen field prior to starting a new degree.  Especially public administration.  This is a field in which experience is very important.  At this point, if you are determined to get the degree, consider attending part time while working in the field.  Many reputable MPA programs have part time tracks that mesh well with work. 

It's easy to think that because the economy is tough, getting another degree will make you more attractive to an employer.  With the exception of vocational degrees or certain graduate degrees from prestigious schools, this is usually not the case.

[beth2010]

Please heed the advice to try to work in your chosen field prior to starting a new degree.  Especially public administration.  This is a field in which experience is very important.  At this point, if you are determined to get the degree, consider attending part time while working in the field.  Many reputable MPA programs have part time tracks that mesh well with work. 

It's easy to think that because the economy is tough, getting another degree will make you more attractive to an employer.  With the exception of vocational degrees or certain graduate degrees from prestigious schools, this is usually not the case.

This was my plan. To work while getting the degree. My plan was to transfer to this university which is in a very large city, and work. The courses are all at night. I wouldn't just be going to school. I want to work full time.

[buy_low]

You are still putting the graduate program ahead of the job.  How do you know there are jobs that you want in your field in that city?   How will you know this field is for you before you start the degree?  You would be much better served by finding an entry level job in an organization in which you can work your way up to the kind of job you want, and relocating to where that organization is, if necessary.  After you've working for a while you can then decide if a graduate degree makes sense.  Once you have some experience, you may also be able to get into a more competitive program too.

This path also opens up the possibility that a future employer could pay for your degree as you attend an evening program.

[kedves]

Do you know a few people who have the type and level of job you could reasonably hope to be considered for after completing this program?  How did they get there?  What were their paths?  What work experience did they have before being hired?  What educational credentials, and from where?  What networks did they build within the field before that point?  How does your planned career path incorporate those models and that advice?  How much value will a degree from this uncompetitive program return to you for your investment in time and money?  If you do not know these people and have not gotten this information from them, then you need to do so.  Contact people, ask for a 20-minute information interview, do it.  You might be able to use an alumni career network through your alma mater.  You should also investigate the program's placement record, what are its graduates doing now. 

As for your work now, before grad school (I hope), your BA qualifies you as a member of the class or group who can be considered for a large set of jobs.  The education your received in order to earn the degree can help you perform well, set you apart, and move you up on the job.  The experience you build enables you to get the jobs in which you can perform.  You need to decide what is your goal and do the career research to get there.  As everyone is telling you, many jobs require working your way up because experience in that specific field is highly valued by people in it.  My BA in political science and my college job as a telemarketer helped me build a 10-year career in university and arts advancement before I decided to go to grad school.  The degree itself did nothing but enable me to meet the human-resources job description.  The skills and abilities I gained to get the degree allowed me to succeed, get promoted, and get new jobs when I wanted to move or work for an employer who would fund the start of my graduate degree.  Before I got my first "real" full-time job, I had one hard year of three part-time jobs immediately after college graduation because the experience and continuous employment with my target employer were more important to me than other goals.  

If you see yourself as a public administrator, then you need to start on a similar path of gaining experience and contacts.  The low quality of the program to which you are planning to apply should tell you are not yet ready.  I hear a lot of fear in your posts.  It might make you come across as more self-centered than you really are.  I don't think people need to "accomplish" anything or that life is "wasted" or "unwasted."  Maybe you do.  But if you live your life comparing yourself to an imaginary Should-Be You, or to your perception of your friends, then previous posters are right, no amount of education--and no job--is going to solve that problem.  I hope you will begin to challenge yourself and to get the information that will help you make good decisions.

[verbena]

Honestly, what can I do with a degree in English? I would love to find a job I enjoy and just be happy for awhile, while deciding what to do.

Um ... what exactly can't a person do with a degree in English?

OP, why not get in touch with the profs from whom you earned those A's and see if one of them will meet with you to discuss your various possibilities? It's really not too late to have your former professors get to know you well enough to be able to write rec letters for you, if that's indeed what you really do want. 

You seem determined to believe that you are too old, have missed out, etc. etc. I find that doubtful.

[beth2010]

If you see yourself as a public administrator, then you need to start on a similar path of gaining experience and contacts.  The low quality of the program to which you are planning to apply should tell you are not yet ready.  I hear a lot of fear in your posts.  It might make you come across as more self-centered than you really are.  I don't think people need to "accomplish" anything or that life is "wasted" or "unwasted."  Maybe you do.  But if you live your life comparing yourself to an imaginary Should-Be You, or to your perception of your friends, then previous posters are right, no amount of education--and no job--is going to solve that problem.  I hope you will begin to challenge yourself and to get the information that will help you make good decisions.

I certainly don't mean to come across as self centered. I just feel tremendous pressure right now. I suppose I do have a lot of fear, and that stems from the fact that I don't really have any close friends or anyone really that I can rely on to support me emotionally. Most of my friends were through my ex-husband. I do have some friends in the town I'm in now, but they will all be leaving soon too.

Many people I know, graduated and they had the wonderful opportunity of moving back to the large city they were from, where they had a large friends base and family. They have now begun the normal job process, as someone else mentioned. My family is from a town even smaller than the one I"m in now. I don't have any friends that I could crash with for a while to find a job  in a bigger city. Any move I make will be MAJOR because I will be moving to a place where I know no one, and have no job.

I hope it is understandable why I would be feeling fear right now. Two years ago when I graduated, I had money, I was excited about the future. I wanted to move somewhere and start over, but I decided to stay and become a teacher. I think I am still recovering from that mistake.

So, yes, I do have a lot of fear, because in the course of a year and a half I have gone from feeling excited about the future to feeling devastated at my decisions. I know I need some sort of re set, but unfortunately, it takes money, experience, friends and connections to go start over and get even one of those entry level jobs people keep mentioning.

I know the source of the problem exactly. I don't feel like I belong anywhere, and I keep getting a great deal of conflicting advice from different people. I've been advised to go to the Peace Corps, go to Korea and teach English, go to school, get a job, move, stay put, etc., all in the recent weeks.

Truly at this point, if I had a close family and a close circle of friends, I know I would feel much less fear. And I am not trying to put the degree before the job, but I have applied for internships and entry level jobs in different cities and I haven't gotten called for interviews.

[beth2010]

You are still putting the graduate program ahead of the job.  How do you know there are jobs that you want in your field in that city?   How will you know this field is for you before you start the degree?  You would be much better served by finding an entry level job in an organization in which you can work your way up to the kind of job you want, and relocating to where that organization is, if necessary.  After you've working for a while you can then decide if a graduate degree makes sense.  Once you have some experience, you may also be able to get into a more competitive program too.

This path also opens up the possibility that a future employer could pay for your degree as you attend an evening program.

I talked to the director of the program and I know someone who also just recently started the program. The thing that draws me to public service, is that there is a great degree of flexibility. I like the idea that if I don't like the job I'm doing, there are so many other opportunities for me. I know that the one thing I care about is helping people. I initially wanted to be a social worker (way back when I started college), but I was told not to, ("It's a horrible job with high burnout rate. Go be a teacher instead. You can still help people. You will hate your life if you become a social worker." ) etc. by even my adviser who had been a social worker.

So, see I didn't even got start college doing what I WANTED, and now I don't even know what I want.

I want to help people, and I like that public administration will give me that option.

Also, I am applying for a job tomorrow in the town I'm in now. It's at a public mental health facility as a clerk. I guess that's as entry level as it gets. I am hoping to gain some experience while saving some money.

I am still considering going into the program, but I am considering all my options right now. The city is huge so there are jobs around.