What can you do with Sociology/Psychology/Cultural Studies/Social Anthropology post-grad qualification

[onebatmother]

Apart from pat self on back?

I am thinking of retraining but no idea about jobs. Those are the things I'm considering studying - what REAL ACTUAL JOBS might I get with a postgrad MA/PHD in them?

I mean ones that pay money. Any money. But must be money.

Thanks dearies.

Not unrealistic - you get in, get the teaching, do some research, and just gradually build up a profile that matches what you do want to do.

It's not impossible, but also not really easy, if I'm being honest. I know someione who has a PhD in pre-Latin languages, for example, and who now researches in the effect of Eastenders on the accent of Glasgow teenagers. amongst other things. Most people shift a bit, but over a longet timeframe than you'd be after.

Thing is, you may love or hate uni teaching, and/or the environment, and this would be a way of testing that without too much extra study/preparation/investment on your part.

And I, for example, could have tweaked my CV to work in English depts or Medical History depts, had I been so minded - and ever had the discipline!

"I am really pretty competent in getting up to speed with some bloody difficult subjects, to the point that I can talk convincingly to 'experts' whom I need to persuade to express their ideas in a manner which fits my own overall thesis."

Does this sound like a journalist to anyone else?

and yes onebat I know you made a documentary already but then you started saying you wanted to be an actor and quite frankly being a frigging astronaut would be more family friendly...

You could be a Guardian uploader. I have No Idea what it entails!

LOL re astronaut. No, I do know acting is ludicrous - I'm just trying to do that thing that you always see those annoying life-coach people doing on tv. "If you could be anything - ANYTHING (apart from tester-of-new-luxury-items which does not really exist as an actul job) what would you be?

It was quite liberating to briefly express my desire to be Dot Cotton! Don't piss on me fags .

I met Charlie Cotton once. He was very posh.

I think Quattrocento is right, you should be writing. Perhaps working your way through the Civil Service in order to blow the whistle in a journalistically brilliant way is not the most direct route, but you did express some regret at not having worked in the public sector...

You did look into journalism a bit didn't you? What did you decide?

But my dears, I feel that I should draw the serious element of this discussion to a close: it has been fantastically useful, in that it has proven to me that there is not, in fact, an obvious option right under my nose, were I not too derbrained to see it. That was my fear, I think - that I was missing something obvious.

It's either academe or .. erm.. something else, ain't it.

I do hope you will stick around to finish off the half-empty bottles of red and sleep with someone inappropriate, with whom you'll then have to have a relationship lasting at least a month in order to prove to yourself that you are not a one-night-stand kind of girl.

And of course it's awakened my latent desire to express myself in the theatre

Iorek, that writing business was harder than it looks .

Had to stop and devote myself to that tv thing that didn't happen. Might get back to it now though.

Perhaps you ought to write an abstract of a possible book on pornography and distribute it round to a few (million) agents and publishers. It would be a worthwhile and satisfying thing to do in itself -- something that would clarify your thoughts, and be enjoyable, so that even if no one bit it would have been productive for you. And may be someone would be interested in funding it.

V Good idea - Dittany suggested straight to book earlier.
Do you know how to write an abstract? How long does it have to be?

Onebat - I have an idea for a film. I've suggested it before I think. A mum struggles with buggy, baby, shopping and young child at six stations in very different parts of London and the commuterbelt. To show the helpfulness or not of fellow travellers.

It could be part of a series. Then a teenage boy with a hoody loses his wallet and asks fellow passengers for assistance at the various locations.

Threadie - LOL at Ken Morse. Whenever I see his name I always think the life and work of Ken Morse would be the worst specialist subject to choose on Mastermind.

I think the book plan is a really good one.

I know the nominations are closed, but has anyone suggested Town Planner? You could then use words like postmodern, urban regeneration and stratergic plan, without irony.

Have you got the Writers and Editors Yearbook, onebat? (I think that is the title). A kind friend gave me one a while ago to incite me to try to get published, but I didn't. You can have it ... but it is 3-4 yrs out of date. As well as agent and publisher contacts, it has advice about how to approach publishers and which publishers/agents are right for which areas. I can bung it in post. (And I haven't forgotten the email contact that I'm going to try and initiate it's just that it's vac now and not the best time).

i love your idea for a film Swedes.

yes I have a 4 year old one too Threadie.

Ruty - Thank you. I think it's a marvellous idea. Shall we do it? We can be ENFP champion idealists together. I've got the pushchair.

We could definitely do it Swedes. with a bit of effort I could rustle up a camera and a DP . But people's reactions would be affected by the presence of a camera unless we filmed secretly, no? [waits for onebat to discuss false presentation of objectivity in documentary making]

Whether we would make any money is pretty unequivocal. No.

Ruty - Are you by any chance married to Ken Morse? In the 1988s, I used to have an ACTT ticket. I know how to lace both a 16mm and 35mm Steinbeck. I think it would need to be covert filming. I am certain that if we made it we could flog it. Shall we do it then?

Can you Swedes?

Yes being married to Ken would help a great deal. You really think we could flog it? I'd love to do it, no idea about covert filming though.

Ruty - It would be very interesting wouldn't it? I feel only slightly worried that us ENFPs are the only ones to see its merits.