How much did your college education prepare you for the "real world"?

LT John Chang — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 17:14:12 -0400

Personally, I have used very little of my aerospace engineering knowledge - and barely scratched the surface of my MBA in my work. An English or business degree would have been more useful for my first duty in a squadron.

Response by SFC Marc W. made Sep 15 at 2018 5:30 PM

SFC Marc W. — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 17:30:43 -0400

My Bachelors is in Interdisciplinary Studies with History and Political Science as my concentrations. In the "real world" it's helped me a lot, at least with understanding what is going on and why. What is has helped me do is to take things out of the box so to speak and look at problems from different angles that I previously had not.

Response by Lt Col Charlie Brown made Sep 15 at 2018 5:38 PM

Lt Col Charlie Brown — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 17:38:37 -0400

I had a degree in psych and some very crazy airmen...

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 15 at 2018 5:56 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 17:56:15 -0400

Undergrad wasn't directly useful, but the scientific literacy I gained from it is high-yield in medicine. If my "real world" was outside of medicine, my undergrad degree might not have been as useful.

Response by MSgt Richard Randall made Sep 15 at 2018 6:15 PM

MSgt Richard Randall — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 18:15:32 -0400

Good question. Undergraduate worked included four classes in accounting and two in business contracts law. Pretty useful in the civilian world. Graduate classes in statistics, quantitative analysis, managerial finance and project analysis and planning were very helpful in the corporate environment. Little of it was of value in the Air Force but I knew I wasn’t going to be in the military forever.

Response by LTC Kevin B. made Sep 15 at 2018 7:00 PM

LTC Kevin B. — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 19:00:04 -0400

"An English or business degree would have been more useful for my first duty in a squadron."

An MBA is a business degree.

Response by Cpl Mark A. Morris made Sep 15 at 2018 7:38 PM

Cpl Mark A. Morris — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 19:38:40 -0400

Great question LT.
IMO, a degree shows you can accomplish a task and helps to improve communication skills. Both are needed in our work environments. Lack of communication kills Army's.
Have a good evening LT.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Sep 15 at 2018 9:27 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 21:27:28 -0400

Very little. I went from Finance/Accounting degree to Armor.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 15 at 2018 9:43 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 21:43:01 -0400

It depends on your definition of the real
world. If you are a weekend warrior and are a civilian most of the month workig in your field then it is very useful.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 15 at 2018 10:17 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 22:17:18 -0400

LT John Chang When I was discharged, I went to school full time and worked full time. Once I had my degree, I started a 33 year career on the Space Shuttle Program. I needed the degree for my career and it came in handy throughout my career.

Response by SSG Trevor S. made Sep 16 at 2018 1:16 AM

SSG Trevor S. — Sun, 16 Sep 2018 01:16:03 -0400

I use the computer applications courses and the expanded ability to perform research on a daily basis. Some of the business courses helped but business tends to be much more conservative in practice than in idealistic coursework.
My degree is an A.S. General - Business Administration.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 16 at 2018 6:24 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 16 Sep 2018 06:24:00 -0400

I was enlisted Technical Engineer 12T, referred to as an Engineer Assistant in the other services. I then got a degree in Management/Engineer Administration. I now am a manager for a civilian developer. I’d say that my job is directly related to my degree.

Response by SGT Matthew S. made Sep 16 at 2018 9:00 PM

SGT Matthew S. — Sun, 16 Sep 2018 21:00:36 -0400

My degree is in Forestry, and although it gave me a good base for the natural resources field I was quickly aware of how much I still needed to learn (and am still learning).

I didn't exactly go straight in to the field, though, rather figuring out how to apply it to less traditional settings. Had I known where I would end up down the road, I would've done a double major in recreation management as well other than just as a side interest.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 16 at 2018 11:23 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 16 Sep 2018 23:23:38 -0400

It got me a job interview.

Response by SFC William Stephens A. Jr., 3 MSM, JSCM made Sep 17 at 2018 9:17 AM

SFC William Stephens A. Jr., 3 MSM, JSCM — Mon, 17 Sep 2018 09:17:13 -0400

none, I networked the system. that's the key, It don't matter how much college you have. There are people with Masters Degrees with out jobs, If they were better at networking then blowing all their money on a degree they would have a job.

Response by SGT David T. made Sep 17 at 2018 11:37 AM

SGT David T. — Mon, 17 Sep 2018 11:37:43 -0400

Degrees don't prepare anyone for the real world. They are a great foundation on how to learn but beyond that not particularly useful other than a check the block thing.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 17 at 2018 12:41 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 17 Sep 2018 12:41:59 -0400

My undergrad was in management information systems, my MBA was project management. I strayed a bit from my post-college plans and what I was planning on doing with my degrees, but the organizational skills and the ability to present information, thoughts, or arguments in a group or on paper were greatly enhanced.