Does education narrow your scope for professions and what you can do? Does it hide your real talent? Your knack?

[The_Shadow_Dweller]

Engineers initially think of working in the tech and other engineering related sectors. Doctors initially think about working in a hospital or setup one. Essentially, what they are trained to do in the beginning.

But when I look here and there much more carefully, it is just not limited to formal and well structured professions at all! Everybody is busy finding out the things that just click for them.

Now, no matter how and what I think, I can only conclude that education really does narrow your scope for work. As in, you are supposed to just do this and that. You can move around this much only. Restrictions or limitations like that. It may be self imposed, involuntarily, or we may just be brainwashed to not be able to see or choose not to see other career prospects.

And there is a need for any kind of skill in the market, we just don't know it yet.

What is your take on this?

[SecretsofKB]

Nurse here. So in healthcare, further education kind of has the effect of broadening your scope of practice and narrowing it as well. For example, I can and have gotten further certifications as a nurse in the critical care setting. This adds to my skill set for this area and broadens my abilities.

On the other side, next month I am starting my graduate program for and advanced nursing degree which will be large leap in my educational level as it is a doctoral program technically (I will never use the term doctor to refer to myself and any nurse that does can come talk to me about that...). But this program in a way will narrow my overall scope of practice to anesthesia in different settings.

I think it has both affects depending on the situation.

[The_Shadow_Dweller]

Anaesthesia is a really important part of any operative. Accidental more or less dosage can even lead to irreparable consequences. All the best! And congrats!

[SecretsofKB]

Thank you! I am very excited!

[Twalli]

You narrow your own scope for a profession. I majored in history and then took classes to get certifications in medical coding and billing. I get paid more because of my degree even though history has very little to do with coding and billing. Yet, I can't be a physician's assistant. I didn't study to be one. So you study to do what you want to get paid for, but that doesn't have to be your college degree. Get a degree you like and get the necessary qualifications for what you want to do. My mom majored in Scandinavian Literature, went to medical school, and became a doctor. She took the classes to go to medical school but didn't want an undergraduate degree in the medical field. Another friend of mine took the same route except he majored in music. My dad majored in botany and became a teacher at a medical school. None of these three majored in what they ended up doing. Just like me. My sister majored in history and got a teaching certificate. She now teaches a variety of subjects.

[OlderAndWiser]

Outside of my job, I am a musician (piano, voice, percussion) so I sing in my church choir and play piano at home. I enjoy handyman projects and do as much as I can at home. I have some skills for leadership and have assumed positions of responsibilty with my church and with my sollege fraternity.

But I am educated, trained, and experenced as a lawyer and that is what I want to do best, so that is where I focus my time and energy.

[Potteplante]

That is the purpose of higher education to become a expert within a specific field or a subject.

I'd not want a mechanic as a health professional and I'd not want a doctor as a mechanic. Just because a profession is limited doesn't mean it is unnecessary and some fields require more expertise than others.

I've been fortunate to have worked with nurses, teachers, physiotherapists - I've had to do health care work, I've been in a situation where I had to stand in for a teacher (that I hope NEVER happens again) - I've done physiotherapy with indivuals almost daily, I'm in contact with many sectors, health, government, educational - where we're all crucial to each other.

[exitseven]

The more education you have the more options you will have.