I Have Two Degrees and No Job
By: Emily Wilcox
Tags: Careers, Personal Development, Self Improvement, Jobs, Education

I Have Two Degrees and No Job

Qualifications mean nothing over happiness

Photo: Muhammad Rizwan/Unsplash

The year is 2017, July, a Wednesday. Graduation day. My hair is doused in stress-induced sweat brought on by the flustered hurry of whipping on a gown mere moments before heading out into the ceremony — but hey, at least it sticks the cap more firmly to my skull. Minutes later, I’m out there, accepting an enveloped certificate with the grade 2:1 printed onto it and waving into the audience at my mom. I’d finally obtained my BSc in Physics with Astrophysics.

The year is this one, December, literally a couple of days ago. Results day. My hair is doused in grease because who showers during an apocalypse? Minutes later, I’m wading through approximately 26,400 unread emails only to find one from my uni supervisor, providing me with both the results for my dissertation and, thus, my overall degree. I got a first in both. I’d finally obtained my MA in Publishing.

And yet neither have ever nor will ever contribute towards me getting a job.

Do Things for Passion, Not for Profession

I studied physics because I love physics. Not because I want a job in physics, specifically. I mean, I love children, but being a childminder sounds like a Devil’s punishment. I love cauliflower cheese — but I don’t think I want to build a business based on the niche idea of pouring cauliflower sauce onto blocks of cheese (PS I’ve copyrighted that, so back off). I love soap operas, but hot damn, I’d rather gnaw my own elbow off with only my gums before ever starring in one.

Not everything in life has to revolve around your career.

At school, we are bombarded by the notion of gaining the appropriate qualifications that will lead us towards the profession of our choice. And, of course, to some extent, that is completely practical. Doctors need to know at least where the kidney is before they can fiddle about removing one. Musicians need to learn how to hold a guitar (no, James, you don’t wield it like a sword) before they can perform Wonderwall in full on one. An astronaut needs to be at least able to locate Outer Space on a world map (trick question) before he can venture there. But that does not mean we can’t learn things simply for the sake of learning.

If we were meant to enhance our knowledge solely to enhance our careers, then we’d never learn to cook. We’d never learn to drive. We’d never learn to change our bed-sheets (coincidentally all things I cannot do very well). Every moment of our daily lives are filled with these tasks and activities and ventures that, somewhere along the way, we first had to learn how to do. Movement. Hygiene. Health. Conversation. Childcare. Security.

It’s okay if you pop open a new Chrome tab to thoroughly research lucid dreaming for a while, all while knowing you aren’t about to become the world’s leading dream doctor. It’s perfectly fine to buy books written in Latin in the hopes of learning the language, all while knowing you aren’t going to portal back in time to live in 6th Century BC Rome. It’s so completely normal to study physics and publishing and whatever the hell else, just because you love to know about these things.

Learning is done not to gain a job but to grow a passion. To become a fuller human. To become a happier person. If that all leads to a more defined, more enjoyable, more prolific career for you — then great. But if that all leads to a more defined, more fulfilled, more content you — then that’s better.

Don’t Ever Feel Guilty for Not Following The Path

Pathways exist to be followed — which explains why so many of us follow them. It’s human nature to take the most accessible route. Our survival instincts don’t want us to encounter bumps in the road, fallen oak trees and maybe some kind of Godzilla like reptile stomping about the place. We like comfort and ease, and step-by-step guides. That’s why we find ourselves so often looking to others who have been where we desire to go — those who have forged the pathways for us. We admire and respect and idolize those who are exactly where we want to be because then they can show us how to get there.

And man, how lucky are we that we get to do that?

But also: man, how annoying is it that we so often do that?

Because when we stray from those paths — when we do things that aren’t deemed The Norm™ — it makes for a tumultuous journey. Perhaps you’ve always wanted to be a professional ballet dancer. So your expected route would be to learn as a child, attend after-school classes, perform on stage and audition time and time again for ballet school until you get accepted, which explains why you’re accumulating quite the array of concerned looks because of what you actually chose to do — choreographing your own routines. Uploading them onto TikTok. Crafting your own costumes and redefining what ballet means. Your parents say you’re wasting your time. Your girlfriend says you’re unrealistic. Your boss at the supermarket says you should tear your head down from the clouds.

But you don’t listen. Because you’re doing what you love. It makes you happy — and maybe one day, it’ll make you prosperous. But either way, right here, right now, it makes you happy. And is that not good enough?

Please, never feel guilty for that.