Study for enjoyment or career

hargi · 13 May 2008 at 09:56

Hi,

Sure this has been asked before but would you pay to study something you enjoy rather than something that could help your career.
Im in a situation where i need to study as i can feel myself getting dumber by the day. I have 2 choices i can study something computer related that could help me with my career but to me seams to much like my "work" work. but my employer will send me on cources i need to go on.
Or I could study something that im intrested in but probably be of no career value i think. A certificate in contemporary Science with the OU.
I dont mind working with computers in my job, but i see this more as work then pleasure.
Where as doing the contemporary science cert i can study oceans, volcanoes, weather, fosils, planets and astronomy all things that im intrested in.
I dont know if this cert will be usefull to employers or open up any new careers, but i think id be doing it just to enjoy.

Whats your opinions?

tres · 13 May 2008 at 10:03

i'm happy to do any course that my employer pays for... i am in a payroll management position, which i never ever considered going on, but it's good experience.. and they've just paid for 5k's worth of training.. i don't "enjoy it" per se, but it's all good on the cv

Hamish · 13 May 2008 at 10:14

If you are studying something which you don't enjoy but helps your career you obviously aren't interested in your career and are doing the wrong thing

Don't do something just because of the money, do something you enjoy and your enthusiasm will ensure that the money will come eventually.

hargi · 13 May 2008 at 10:39

I think you may be right Hamish, I dont perticullaly hate my job its ok, just i think like everyone thats in IT you sort of get stuck. I come in do my stuff and go again its hardly taxing.
I have always like science so i think i would enjoy doing this and would love a science type job but not sure what.

miracleboy · 13 May 2008 at 12:11

I pay to study something that has no benefit for my career - well no direct benefit anyway - it's making me happier and execising my brain so my employer gets the benefit of that.

I work in IT and am studying History with the OU - the course is challenging but I'm really interested in the subject and it makes a nice break from the professional side of life.

wordy · 13 May 2008 at 12:18

To be honest I've never studied anything that I found I enjoyed, when I was at school I found everything boring. The stuff I had to study in the Forces was ok, but after six years in the RN I realised that the job wasn't for me, now in IT for the last few years and found the whole subject bores me to tears and studying it is even worse.

Obviously I need a new career, but I've got no idea what and at 31 it's pretty sad really

hargi · 13 May 2008 at 12:46

Thats what im thinking Miricleboy, if i did a It course it would just be like carrying on work at home. where i see the science been more fun and something i would look forward to rather than think i have to do.
http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?Q01C70

What level is your history and how taxing is it its been ? just been left uni for a bout 5 years now

Banzai_Joe · 13 May 2008 at 13:06

miracleboy said:
I work in IT and am studying History with the OU - the course is challenging but I'm really interested in the subject and it makes a nice break from the professional side of life.

Lol, i work in IT and my mrs is studying History with the OU; she is a civil servant so she is studying something she in interested in. She actually wants to be a History Researcher for the BBC or similar.

I think you are very lucky if you can afford the time and money to be able to study purely for fun/interest. I envy those that do.

But then, studying to improve your career now could well be what pays dividends in the long run by affording you the luxury of studying for something you like in the future.

Either way, good luck to all those that do.

miracleboy · 13 May 2008 at 13:07

I'm just starting out on the History degree, and the first module is A103 Introduction to the Humanities. It's really interesting so far, we've done Art, Music, Poetry, Literature, Architecture, the Colosseum and French Revolution so far - just doing Rousseau and Philosophy this week. It's only a level 1 course so it's not as hard as the later ones but I'm finding it about right for my level - been out of education for 15 years and never went to Uni.

hargi · 13 May 2008 at 13:33

Yeah these are all level 1 modules, never know if i find it intresting i could make it into a science or open degree. How much time roughly a week do you spend on it?
Kjacko I agree im only doing the cheep moduels at the moment, its all i can afford.

I have noticed in this tread that people that work in IT want to get out, I cant belive how much i worked to get into it and then how long it took me to break in to get a job and now im indiferent to it