Hi all,

After lurking these forums for soooo long, I have finally decided to be active. Or at least try to.

Some info on me, I am a college student trying to get my degree in Native American Studies. Born and raised in So Cal but moved to the REAL NorCal for college.

I have had two Miatas so far, bought the first one as my first car and also as my first manual car. Then three weeks later I crashed, it was totaled ( bald rear tires and wet bumpy road ). Insurance paid out pretty well. And got another one.

The second one just blew a rod a few weeks ago and has been a lawn ornament since. Finally, have the time and motivation to try to get the engine out, I'll probably start a thread about that whole process just so I can keep all the information I get in one place, also to keep myself on track.

Picture of second miata from a couple of months ago.

 

Welcome to the forum. The picture isn't working for me.

What year is the car and what are your intended uses for it?

I didn't know there was such a thing as Native American Studies. What is one's career path for such a major? Is it a history major of sorts or is it conjecture about current social issues?

 

Sorry about the picture. I'll fix it after classes.

It's a 1999 Mazda Miata. It was my DD and it will probably continue to be my DD.

Plans for it, probably a turbo down the road. Gotta take care of the engine first.

As for my major, it is not offered in many universities. I'm lucky to be going to one of the few that do and also that the local tribes have helped shape the course. I chose this after trying computer science and history.

So far, I have been learning about tribal sovereignty and what that means. And yes, some classes incorporate current social issues. Such as the Dior commercial with Johnny Dep that just came out last Friday, for their fragrance "SAUVAGE".

I'm happy to share more details about my major. Or what I am learning 😀

I either plan on going to law school or becoming a teacher. Not sure yet.

 

Aha. I would not be in a hurry to turbo a daily driver until you have a backup vehicle. Problems take a while to get ironed out no matter what you use in the way of kits or components.

Regarding schooling, I'm sure some of the things that you are learning about or interesting to you but one must always look at the profitability versus the expense of their education. All too often this is overlooked by young people who end up with less employable majors. And yes, it is none of my business.

My nephew who is really good at math decided against my advice to not choose a science based major and instead majored in piano. While he enjoys piano, some people enjoy Star Wars or Star Trek and that does not make them an employment path either. So now that he is out with a major that is essentially a hobby or interest and not a viable career, he's looking at making low 30-something thousand dollars a year rather than having an engineering degree that would start at $80,000 and up. He could have enjoyed lucrative employment during the daytime with excellent benefits, regular office hours, vacations, and holidays and still played the music he wanted to play in a garage band or in a bar or restaurant in the evening. I guess what I'm saying is that life is a series of trade-offs and we don't always enter into those decisions with all of the guidance we would have liked to had. Now he has a crippling amount of debt and a real shitty income level to attempt to pay it back with. And he doesn't even get to choose the music he wants to play because somebody else is paying him to play what they want to hear instead. And he's searching for a job with benefits like healthcare and regular hours.

Again, I don't know you and it is none of my business. I just wish somebody had said something to me. I say all of this out of a sense of obligation to try to do the right thing, not to try to put any of your choices down.

Let me know if you need anything.

 

I was also going to suggest an engineering degree.... one of the few jobs you can find almost anywhere and make at least 60k right out of school.


Also not my business, but what exactly is the end goal of this Native American degree? where do you work? what does it pay? Are there actual jobs that use/require this degree?

 

I appreciate all the advice and I understand. Maybe I will regret it when I'm older but growing up indigenous and first generation in California I never learned about my culture(from my family or from school) so I wanted to change that for future generations. And honestly, I've known many older folks who have been through multiple different careers in their lifetime. So who knows I may end up switching it up later but for now, this is what I want to do.

As for career paths, long list honestly. As I said in my previous post: I can go into teaching which is what I originally wanted to do, or I can go into law for Federal Indian Policies. I could also join the tribal/normal police, be a forest ranger.

As for my miata, ya turbo is definitely down the road. I'd like to get the newer engine built when I get the funds so it'll definitely be be able to handle some boost. But for now, she stays N/A.

 

As a former law student, I would encourage you to put that thought out of your mind unless you are quite certain that you really want to be a lawyer not for the sake of money or career stability, but because the idea of actually being a lawyer appeals to you. Eg: you specifically have a passion for indigent criminal defense, or want to work as counsel at a non-profit agency to help make the world a better place, etc.

I say this because it's turned into a pretty horrible profession.

The market is over-saturated with lawyers, and many tasks which were once performed by JDs are now being done by paralegals, or even outsourced abroad. As a result, the number of graduates who actually find work in a field which requires a JD is declining.

If you get into a top school, and you graduate at the top of your class, then you'll have the opportunity to earn quite a lot of money working 70 hours a week as a faceless, nameless associate for a giant firm, doing boring, tedious, repetitive tasks. After 10 years of that, you'll be able to get a job as in-house counsel for a big corporation, where you'll spend all day every day reviewing contracts and signing your name to the bottom of cease-and-desist orders that someone else wrote.

If you do not get into a top school, and also graduate at the top of your class, then you'd be better off if you'd become a certified master welder.


Fortunately, I learned these things relatively quickly, and thus I did not waste a significant amount of time or money in the process.

 

If I were to go into law, it would probably be for Federal Indian Law. But honestly, I'm still uncertain.

Making money was my plan at first, which is why I went straight to Computer Science since I was already building computers and troubleshooting computers. Also got an IT job on campus that helped with experience but life ultimately happened.

I'm not in this life for money, but it sure would help.

 

This thread is interesting. Hope you dont mind us face f'ing your plans.

I realy do understand the want to help.your people. Money isn't everything, happiness is an underrated wealth. Find a balance.

I have a drunk theory. If your school takes longer than 15 years to pay off after graduation, you picked a real shitty path. or suck at managing cash. Or can't make up your mind about a career , and now your almost 40.

 

If you are actually serious about this, then I give you my blessing.

Totally serious. You have articulated one of the very few arguments which I recognize as a valid reason for pursuing the study of law.

 

Thank you for your responses Joe and Ryan.

I knew going into this major that I wouldn't be making good money. Unless the US starts to actually pay teachers a livable wage then I'm right there.

The reason I've thought about going into law is due to all the Indian Policies that the US Federal Government(USFG) has enacted throughout all of it's history have been incredibly unfair towards the indigenous people.

The reason for going into teaching is because Native American history IS American history yet we neglect teaching it throughout the United States. Or if the school system does teach it, then it is a romanticized version that misrepresents indigenous communities.