Saturday 16 February 2013

What Do We Do?

Yesterday I took a seat at a graduate seminar in Systematic (Dogmatic) Theology held in the mid-afternoon at my old college. I was delighted to be there and to see faces both familiar and un-. I enjoyed the surprise of those who recognized me, and I told the speaker that I had heard he was giving a paper and so got on a plane. I also enjoyed the presentation and watching the wheels turn in the minds of the men who asked questions out of a pure unrestricted desire to know and not out of a desire to impress their personalities on the air. (Happily, most of the men--and all of the young men--were inspired by the former exigence.)

I say "men" because out of the approximately 35 people in the room, only four were women and none of us said a word. One did raise a hand, but it was either unseen or forgotten by the facilitator. We other three did not.

I did not because the paper was about Nostra Aetate and my only interest in Nostra Aetate is how we sell it to the SSPX and that would have been the theological equivalent of throwing an octopus on the ice during an hockey game.  It would be interesting to know the motives of the other silent women. It goes without saying to say that a knowledgeable female silence beats a stream of trivialities from either sex, as anyone who has been to theology school can tell you.

Still, it interested me eight years ago, and it interests me still that so few women attend seminars in Systematic Theology when women, by and large, are so interested in religious faith, including pastoral theology and, of course, the lobbyist theologies: feminist, womanist, LGBTQ, etc.

It was once suggested to me that so few women go into Systematics--especially the rarified school of it called Lonerganism--because women are more practical and do not see the point of spending long years reading and writing about something few will hire or pay them for. If your aim is a job as a high school lay-chaplain (starting at $40,000/a), then the benefits of pondering the Generalized Empirical Method may not seem immediately apparent.

Still there is something beautiful and satisfying about puzzling out a difficult passage of text, aware of the wheels of your own mind turning, and watching the wheels of the minds around you turning also.

I had a coffee with a reader on Valentine's Day, and she asked me about you girls. Apparently you sound less naive, more worldly and, well, I think she meant more intellectual than women on other Singles blogs. From my last big poll on the topic, I surmised that most of you have been through university and many of you are in graduate school, and that a surprising number are science girls, including mathematicians as well as medical doctors. I know some readers are (or have been) in the U.S. Army (or Navy, I forget), and someone logs in from NASA.

Would you mind very much if I asked you to volunteer what it is you do for a living (or are being trained to do for a living)  in the combox? Anonymous comments are accepted today.

It's not a contest. As all the Christian readers should know, the top job is martyr. We are all of us second banana to all the Christians of our lifetime who were murdered for our faith. After that, tradition tells us the top job is "woman religious," and not too many of us are nuns!

(By the way, if you're wondering where the boys are, there are a heck of a lot of boys at graduate seminars in Systematic Theology. I could not say for sure, but they probably have zero interest in girls during the discussion, so never miss the after-discussion wine-and-cheese.)

(Also by the way, since a dozen people have been asking me what I'm doing these days, I am even more grateful to my Polish readers because thanks to them, I can airily say, "I give retreats in Poland" instead of  just "Oh, you know. This and that.")

87 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello Seraphic,
I've been reading your blog for about a year or so. The answer to your question is that I am an engineer.
As a woman in a male-dominated field, I'm constantly given perspectives on dating and marriage from (mostly non-Catholic) men. Growing up, I heard about these things exclusively from other women.
It's nice to read a blog about the single life from a Catholic woman. I very much appreciate your message for people stay "rooted in reality". There isn't much better advice than that---no matter what we are waiting for.
Keep up the good work!
Anonymous

MJ said...

Latin, math, humanities teacher in an Orthodox Christian high school, longtime lurker...

[I deleted the previous post so that I could add...]

with B.A. from a Great Books liberal arts college that is not named after St. Thomas Aquinas, and married to another Orthodox with an identical C.V.

Thank you for sharing your writing with us!

JA said...

PhD student (5th year, hopefully done in 18mos or less) in the humanities, looking for an academic career.

Wild speculation: maybe your demographic is women who suspect that their married life is going to be deferred? With some other "gurus" I feel guiltily like perhaps I don't *really* make my vocation a priority. If I did, surely I would move to a more populous area, get a 9-5, and sign up for five dating sites. I never meant to be The Career Woman; but in my defense absolutely no one has made an effort to drag me away from my books in the last five years sooooo...

yellowpoplar said...

I'm an undergraduate nursing student at a Jesuit university in the USA and I've been reading your blog since I became single last summer after a breakup with my serious boyfriend of 3 years.

Anonymous said...

I am a first year veterinary student at a vet school in the USA.

Reading your blog is a special treat for me during study breaks. Thanks for the wisdom, and know that I am praying for you!

Anonymous said...

I'm a landscape designer/salesperson in a medium-sized family owned nursery and landscaping company. I am not the only female who works there, but I am the only female who regularly goes to job sites and interacts with our crews. I essentially have manager status even though that is not in my title. It is a very male-dominated field, and I meet with many female clients who are happy to talk to a woman about what they want to have done. In some respects it is hard being a female, especially when it comes to commercial job sites, because most construction companies are dominated by men.

Jessica said...

I agree with JA - 75% of my friends from my childhood are married and stay-at-home mothers (sometimes of multiple children at this point).
I'm in my first year of grad school for a history PhD. Since I first found your blog 3-4 years ago, I've also been an elementary school teacher, and last year I got my masters in Spanish.

I do have two/three other friends who read your blog or book, one is a nanny (for the two young boys of a widow - she's been nannying them for 3 years or so since their mother died of cancer), one is a DRE, and one works part-time at the science museum.

M.E.G. said...

I'm a medical coder, working for a billing service in the USA.

Thanks for giving a rational perspective on the single life. I've been reading your blog for a little more than a year, and have enjoyed your wit and insight on many subjects.

Anonymous said...

Federal archivist. My background is in classical humanities, and I have worked in both the academic and corporate realms as well.

I don't read other singles blogs, but I have observed over the course of my school/work life that it is not that women elsewhere are less intellectual-but unfortunately it is still fashionable for women to feign 'ditziness' when discussing relationship topics. Why this still persists, I'll never understand.

Christine P. said...

I work as a nanny. This is part because I love working with children, and in part because my bachelor's degree was in English Lit, and we know how marketable those are.

My husband has applied to seminary (we're Anglican) and I'm considering applying to the same school for an MA(Religion). Until then, though, I potty train.

Renaissance girl said...

I recently earned a B.A. in English Lit., am currently a part-time bartender (of all things!), and I'm heading to a European Univ. in the fall for a MSc in Renaissance Studies. Hoping to get into museum work/historic preservation.

I've been happily reading your blog for 2 years now, so I can say "This and that" is definitively not an answer to be ashamed of :).

Renaissance girl said...

*definitely

Anonymous said...

I have really enjoyed reading about what everyone else does for a living. Such a wide range.

My job is not nearly as fascinating as some - I am a Process Engineer for an Oil and Gas company. I also therefore work in a male-dominated field and find after spending all day NOT thinking about men in any romantic way and acting in definitely-not-flirting mode it is quite hard in social settings to switch gears to suddenly be more feminine. Any advice on this would be appreciated!

Girl with the yellow hat said...

a recovery room nurse in NYC. . . reading for 3.5 years daily!

Meaghan said...

I started reading your blog as a senior during my undergraduate degree - now I'm working on my Doctor of Musical Arts in Organ Performance.

Sylvia said...

Studying library science--and have two part-time jobs, one as a Montessori school assistant and another at the reference desk of my uni's library. :)

Seraphic said...

This is quite cool--a mix of science gals (engineering gals are definitely science gals) and arts gals.

About deferring a vocation to the married life... This is sort of a head-scratcher because traditionally and psychologically it isn't women who go on out there to find somebody, sweep him off his feet and carry him home.

Sure, we can make "the first move" in subtle ways (smile, touch his arm) and we can strategically invite men to parties, but other than that, it's up to them. Thus, unless we are absolutely sure we are called to married life but are hiding indoors and never make an effort to go where men are (e.g. coffee after Mass at the nearest university), then I don't know how women can call it "deferring."

The long-term Singles deferring their vocation to marriage are--let's face it--men who don't want to get off the couch and meet women socially, or who are having such a great time meeting new women, they don't move beyond superficiality, or--to which I am much more sympathetic--they want to get their careers off the ground and some money in the bank before they start seriously looking for a wife.

Sylvia said...

BTW I used to be a computer programmer but stopped and changed directions due to burnout . . . though I joked with one of my friends that I'm switching careers so that I will be less intimidating to men and make less money than them! Hahah, isn't that delightfully horrifying?

But really, I feel Anonymous's pain when it comes to being in a male-dominated field and trying to be feminine. I even worked for an oil/gas company once. My only advice is to DRESS femininely. Yes, even to work. Wear skirts and dresses. It doesn't seem like such a little thing can make much of a difference, but I think it really does, not only to others around you but even internally.

Claire Christina said...

I currently hold an editorial job for a Catholic publisher, but previously worked in a chancery, and I dabble in the liturgist corner of academia in my spare time.

So yes, I hear you about male-dominated fields. :)

Seraphic said...

B.A. would love it if I made more money than him--as long as it never meant he had to leave his job or my job came before his job. (He really loves his job). Rome-based correspondent job is therefore never going to happen for little me.

Anonymous said...

Academic librarian (at a university where librarians are tenure-track faculty) so I have a MLIS and I've taken 2 graduate classes towards an M.A, in Theology.

JA said...

Seraphic -- oh, no, I certainly don't think I'm deferring my vocation. I would be beyond happy to get married ASAP.

What I worry about is the level of effort a guy would have to exhibit, at the moment, just to get something started. I am relatively new in this area, and only just working out the lay of the land; in another month I'll be overseas (but only for a few more months). I'm honestly not sure where I'll be in, say, July; maybe back here, maybe somewhere else entirely. Meanwhile I've been traveling at least a week out of each month, usually over weekends. I like travel but the last two years have been like this, and I have to admit, it seems like a high barrier. The only times I've seen even a glimmer of interest in a guy, I have had plane tickets to leave for several months, departing in less than five days. I know, everyone seems to be in long distance relationships nowadays, but I don't trust myself not to read into emails etc; and anyway, it's a moot point in my experience! Needless to say I am SO looking forward to the day I regain some level of stability, although with the job market like it is...

Anonymous said...

I'm a physician. I'm relatively new to the blog and love it!

Athanasius lover said...

I have a B.A. in Classics and an MTS in Systematic Theology. I am in my second year teaching Latin and Theology at a Catholic high school.

Mary said...

Lawyer by training, now work for
the Church in the area of life, marriage
and family. Am very blessed
to have a job I love!

Jen D said...

Family physician, finishing residency this summer! :)

More women than men go in to family medicine after finishing med school, though the national ratio is not as dramatic as the 75/25 at my program.

thepinkeminence said...

Year(-or-so-)long lurkette here,
I am finishing my PhD in history and have two master's degrees. Try not to be too hard on the ladies who opted out of systematic theology because you just can't get a job in it! I am limping through the end of my dissertation knowing I am going to be unemployed and I am in despair. Maybe they are on to something!

Lara L. said...

I'm a lawyer. I've started to read your blog while on law scholl and you were still engaged!
Btw, I miss Eilidh and her empty fame!

Anonymous said...

2 1/2 years of uni, but life took a strange turn, and I'm now a working musician-- opera singer to be exact-- and studying privately. I've been reading for 2+ years, although I originally started as a reader of the Scotland blog, which I miss very, very much.

Kristin said...

I've been a zookeeper for about two years. Before that (i.e. during college) I was an off-and-on zoo intern/volunteer while also working other temporary jobs. I've been reading this blog for a couple years now and I love it!

KJ said...

Hi! Long time lurker; I work as a statistician / operations researcher for a Big Internet Company now but started reading you long before when I was doing the same thing for the US Air Force. You've been read in Baghdad, Iraq, more than once...

Rosemary said...

I'm a children's librarian (talk about a female dominated profession), and my undergraduate degree is in math. I just discovered your blog last month and thoroughly enjoy it!

Anonymous said...

English as a Second Language teacher in a college trying to get foreign students ready to go into a college or university.

Anonymous said...

I sing and teach music.

Eliza Anne said...

I'm a physics researcher at an IP firm and have been reading this blog for over 2 years. It's so wonderful to be encouraged to engage in reality in the dating scene! Thanks so much Auntie!

I, too, miss the Scotland blog, especially the Inner Child entries! Did she ever finish the Bodis Riper?

Christine P. said...

Ooh, yes, count me as a third who misses Seraphic Goes to Scotland.

(The Inner Child entries were a vast headache to read but nonetheless thoroughly enjoyable. And I would like to know how the bodis riper turns out!)

Anonymous said...

I did a Bachelor of Music and a B. Ed., and I now teach elementary school French and teach private voice lessons on the side. I sing in a concert choir for fun.

Nzie said...

I think I've been reading for about 2 years or so... but time flies. When I started I was an English as a foreign language teacher in eastern Europe, but now I'm back in the US studying law and hoping to contribute to the fight against human trafficking. I'm also rather "chuffed" because a tournament we host went very well this weekend (allowing me to momentarily ignore two papers and the tournament I'm competing in, all happening in the next two weeks... this law school stuff, man, so much of it! glad there are other readers who have survived!). :-)

Nzie said...

I also had majors that were not particularly lucrative, although one could have gotten me into translation work if I'd gotten my Russian to a higher level.

Anonymous said...

I finished a B.A. (not your Scottish variety)in the liberal arts and am now nannying a bunch of little muffins. Both have been fun.

sciencegirl said...

I'm a biologist doing postdoctoral research. I've been reading for ... a really long time? Since the first Seraphic Single blog, anyway, maybe late 2006. It's helped keep me sane through years of no-boyfriend and academic stress, and helps me now in long-distance dating.

Anonymous said...

I've been reading your blog for almost 4 years now! I started when I was working as a teacher and admin assistant, and now I'm 29, and getting a master's in pastoral theology. Being a bit of a nerd, I actually do end up in seminars talking about systematics and Aquinas and Von Balthasar, which is less typical for pastoral theo. I am surprised by the dearth of interested and interesting male students in the theo department. I never see the Ph.D. students, the male MTS students apparently don't ever date (SO wierd), and it's tough to meet grad students in other fields because of the demands of my program. Seriously, there are like ten fabulous MTS and MA students, all lovely girls who look nice and have fab personalities (and are not, by the way, militant anti-femininists), and there are three or four guys who any of us would go to coffee with in a heartbeat, but they never take their noses out of their books. I've been going to one Mass on campus that seems to attract a nice crowd, but there's never anything social happening after. I'd start something, but it's not in my college, so I am the outsider and the others know each other already, and I feel a bit forward taking the initiative. This semester, my friends and I are trying to be more social and get out into the community and go to events to get to know more people, but honestly, I'm at one of the top Catholic schools in the English-speaking world, and I didn't think it would be this hard to meet a guy. le sigh

"Harriet"

Woodbine said...

Wow! I seems like your readership could run a small country if we put our brains together. It would certainly be an interesting and enlightened place.

I recently finished my undergrad in political science (does it show?) at a small Canadian university and am trying to figure out the rest of my life. For now I'm working as an intern at a magazine, but thinking about going up north or some other part of the country.

It was great meeting you Seraphic.

st. jude said...

MDiv, doing a residency in Spiritual Care at a university teaching hospital.

Anonymous said...

I process accounts receivable for a private Catholic college, which is also my alma mater. I've been reading your blog for about a year, and I've enjoyed both this blog and Seraphic Goes To Scotland very much!

ladywisdom

Anonymous said...

Meaghan--me too! Working on a doctorate in organ/church music.

Anonymous said...

I work in a Human Resources department that takes care of two small-ish regional hospitals in the American Midwest. I never finished college. My dream was to get my Ph.D. in theology and become a theology professor, but my funding was cut in such a way that I ended up with quite a bit of debt, and, well, here I am. Luckily, I lost my funding, but I kept my library. Plus, it turns out that working in Human Resources suits me to a T. So it seems perhaps this is a case of God's will, not mine, being done.

Anonymous said...

Oh, and I also miss the Scottish blog, and would like to know how the Bodiss Ripper ever turned out. I was quite fond of the young scamp who was inappropriately fond of our young heroine's mother.

Casey said...

I have a B.A. in Sacred Music/ Organ Performance and worked as a Organist/ Music Director for a while. Now I am going back to school for a Dental Hygiene degree. Oh, and I've been a reader for nearly two years. :-)

bolyongok said...

I'm a college grad with a BA in English Lit (wow there are a few of us...). I had planned to be teaching ESL abroad after graduation but that plan fell through due to debt/lack of money, so I joined the Navy where I am currently gainfully employed working with computers. In my particular job there are actually a surprisingly high number of females (more like 40/60, compared to overall Navy which is something like 20/80) but most of my immediate coworkers are guys.
I know my work is valuable and I'm good at it, but I still want to teach English abroad...
Someday...
Oh, and I (still) would also like to find Mr. Right for Me and have kids. :)

Anonymous said...

I teach in the Law Faculty at a university which is a wonderful, if demanding, job! Have been reading for about 8 months and enjoy this blog.

Anonymous said...

I've been a reader since the first incarnation of this blog, back in 2008 I think. I was a nanny at the time, then a full time music teacher. I am now a very part- time music teacher and soon to be stay-at-home Mum when my first child is born later this year. I was single when I started reading and can't stop now that I'm married.

Aussie girl in NZ

Seraphic said...

Aussie Girl!!! You're PREGNANT!!!!

!!!

Congratulations! I'm so happy for you!

anonymous this time said...

Congrats as well, Aussiegirl! That's wonderful :)

Wow it's so interesting to hear about my accomplished fellow readers! I'm in my second year of grad school for a master's in speech-language pathology. Before that I got a BA in English lit/writing and worked for a few years. I agree with JA - I never set out to be solely a Career Woman (though I did want a career). Still, it's good to know that I'll be able to keep a roof over my head and travel regardless of whether the Future and Very Slow-to-Appear Mr. Right For Me comes along.

Anonymous said...

I'm a college prof, and I've been enjoying this blog since Dawn Eden announced your engagement some years ago. Thanks for your ministry. It helps me through the ups & downs of singleness tremendously.

Anonymous said...

I've been reading since the first blog... and collected a handful of graduate theology degrees since then. Now I'm doing my dissertation in systematic theology (thepinkeminence, cheers to limping through dissertations!)

My good friend who is doing her doctorate in systematic theology at another university and I have this discussion about women in theology all the time. I think it is a combination of factors: funding for studies, jobs after studies, the desire for husbands and babies, interest in pastoral activity, and honestly I just think a lot of women don't like it. I mean, they are very interested in the faith, but wrestling through the metaphysics underlying Lonergan? Not so much.
{Many days I don't even like it! :)} Truthfully, I don't recommend it as a field for people unless they really feel called to it - and by that I mean, being ok with the fact that a 401K or even a liveable salary is not really an option.

RMVB said...

I earned a BA in youth ministry and one in theology a while back but am between jobs and am now heading off in a week to volunteer for a catholic shelter for pregnant women. I'll probably end up finding a way to pass your blog on to some others while I'm there since it's helped me so much in the past 2 years I've been reading.

I do miss studying theology though, and would love to continue even for the sake of my own benefit and love of studying it, but it can be so darn expensive that I certainly cant justify it at this point:/

Magdalena said...

Agronomist/biologist, working at a governmental research station in a Central European country. We are investigating the environmental impacts of agricultural production systems and food products, hoping that that will influence agricultural policy somehow. Before that, I worked on my phd for several years and am still trying to finish it in my spare time.

Anonymous said...

I've been having breakfast with Auntie Seraphic every week day for over a year now. :)

I studied graphic design in school, and I'm (more or less) working in my field now. Previously, though, I was doing Catholic college ministry, so any good advice that I could pass along to my girls (not to mention take for myself) was always very welcome.

Speaking of taking advice for myself...there's a good chance that I would not be dating my boyfriend had I not remembered something you'd said along the lines of "Saying yes to a date is NOT a yes to marriage." When he asked me out, there's no way I'd ever have seriously considered him if that had still been my mindset (just ask my roommates!). But I'm very glad I did!

Shiraz said...

I'm a couple of weeks off finishing a PhD in history ... and I'm sure very shortly to start having a prevaricate when someone asks me what I do with myself. I too started off reading the Scotland blog (and I can't quite remember how I found it, but there were entries about being a graduate student, and about living in a new country, which spoke to my experiences). I miss the bodis riper! WHAT HAPPENED???? Of course, if you are turning it into an actual bodice ripper for sale, I support this, and volunteer to edit drafts. One has to do "this and that", you know :-)

Anonymous said...

I've been teaching Montessori kindergarten for almost seven years. But I've always thought of it as something very interesting to do in order to stay busy and give of myself to make the world a better place. In real life, I travel, read books, play music (the harp) and ride horses. I also think its important to feed people, so I host dinners and try to instill a healthy love for conversation and good company ~ in hopes that souls are more disposed to God and His truth. Keeps me busy!!

Maria said...

I did my undergrad in music and am now pursuing a master's in marketing, which originally I meant to prep me for a career working in arts admin. Now I'm not so sure - I think I'd like to work for other kinds of non-profits.

Urszula said...

I also found your blog through Dawn Eden years ago (3? Maybe 4?). Still single, but your blog has been a great support.

I graduated with a complicated Polish degree in languages/culture (which included a sizeable portion of English lit. studies, but thankfully also Spanish and French which have proven more useful professionally). I essentially specialize in international event management although through a fluke in recent years have found myself doing this in the field of international security (and have as such experienced a very male-dominated international law enforcement setting).

I don't remember whether the male-dominated professional environment was mentioned in this combox or another one, but I've honestly never found it a problem. I probably actually found it refreshing after going to an all-girls high school and 90% female-dominated language department in college.

Wearing skirts, colorful scarves,earrings and perfume is a great way to underline your femininity. However, to the commenters worried about being feminine in masculine fields, I'm pretty sure your male colleagues already notice you are feminine. The issue may be snapping out of the mindset of treating all men as co-workers.

Nzie said...

Congratulations, Aussie girl!

n.panchancha said...

People are amazing!

I'm writing, teaching and finishing an MFA in creative writing on the west coast of Canada. Exactly what I want to be doing, but will likely soon need to be supplemented by some other productive [read: paid] work. Ah, well.

MJ said...

I'm an electrical designer. I work mostly in the office but I spend a few hours a week in the field with all the guys.

I have been reading this blog for a few months and I appreciate all the advice about how to navigate the dating scene.

Anonymous said...

Studying for my BS in Entrepreneurial Business. Hope to start my own company in the construction industry in 18 months. Also interested in real estate and development.

Meredith said...

I have an MA in Classics and I teach Latin at a small Christian school. I also edit a Catholic literary journal and work on my own poetry. My fiancé works in the online game industry, so we are both creative types. :)

Anonymous said...

It was through a Catholic newspaper that I found your blog. I believe it was shortly after your book was published.

I did my undergrad in poli sci and then started working for a pro-life organization. I had planned to pursue a Masters degree after working a year or two, but I'm now halfway through my 3rd year at work with no plans to leave at present.

Anonymous said...

I have a Master's Degree in Library and Information Science. I work in a public library.

Anonymous said...

I'm a Catholic elementary school teacher. I enjoy reading your blog daily :) Thank you...I also love Scotland...I was there last summer with a friend and fell in love with the culture and beautiful landscape...Scottish men were very polite, cultured, intelligent and easy to talk to, unlike men in Toronto ;)

SCG said...

I've got a BA and an MA in English and I currently adjunct at 2 colleges, but since adjuncting pays very little and I, being a Single girl, have to support myself, I'm looking for something else (italicized because I don't know quite what that might be).

Anonymous said...

I have a BA in translation. I taught high school English for a couple of years after grad. I'm hoping to return to school in the fall for a master's in renaissance lit. I'm currently working in advertising and sales, and freelancing on the side as a translator.

Sylvia said...

I want the Seraphic Goes to Scotland blog back!! The other day I was trying to find a certain post on here and I realized it was from the Old Blog. It was from July 2009. Is there any way to gain access? :)

anonymous this time said...

I'm working on my PhD (one more year, D.v.) in history at a top-tier university in the US. I spent some time in non-profit administration before I started that, though. I've been reading the blog for a while -- before B.A. appeared on the scene -- and am one of your Protestant Readers of Good Will.

Anonymous said...

I manage a small Catholic bookstore, where I discovered Auntie's book in 2010. I bought a copy for myself, and a couple more for friends. :) I've been reading the blog(s) for about 3 years.
As far as higher education goes, I have a B.A. in Anthropology. I will probably never use that in any professional capacity, though.

Andrea said...

Public policy analyst/writer/culture warrior at a small NGO.

Sarah said...

I refrained from commenting because my job isn't so much a job (though it is work!) as a long break from real life. ;) I'm an au pair for a family in Germany. I plan to become an EMT and then a paramedic once I'm done here.

C said...

I finished my B.F.A. in theatre technology (read: almost everything but acting) last May and am doing a nine-month costume internship at a professional theatre in the Northeast. I'd like to work full-time as a stitcher one day at a professional company, but secretly I harbor dreams of getting master's degrees in costume technology AND creative writing AND theology :)

Miss Doyle said...

BA in English & Criminology, Grad Dip in Cultural Heritage and 12 months from finishing my law degree.
Do I have any idea of what I'm doing? NOPE!!!
Good thing Our Lord does though!!!!

Love your blog Seraphic, keeps me sane and thankful I've never been on the dating treadmill. Have my eye on someone nice at the moment, so who knows?!

Notburga said...

Another agronomist/biologist, working as a postdoc researcher.
Also a very long-time reader (from about the time of the Tragical Tale). Wishing to join those lamenting the stop to the Bodis Riper. Would offer editing services as well, but probably not much use as no native speaker... but would pre-order at least three copies of the book if it was published in any way.

Anonymous said...

I'm a mathematics prof in a university. I'm always reading your blogs when my students come into my office to ask for help!

Alisha said...

Wow! I am super inspired!!!!! Such a variety...all you ladies doing doctorates and masters and post grad stuff, I envy you - I wish I had the possibility of going back to school. If I thought I was called to marriage, I would try to find someone wealthy so I could study very impractical things (I'm totally kidding...I think.) But honestly, so many musicians! And nannies! I'm heartened to think there are a good deal of Catholic and Christian musicians out there, some of whom are working...gives me hope. I'm nanny to Seraphic's niece and nephew during the day and a performing artist by night when I can manage it. Got my undergrad in Voice Performance, Music at McGill (though I sometimes wonder how as I seem to have forgotten a great deal). I would love to find another secondary career as the nannying will come to an end soon, so suggestions from the performing artists would be welcome! Actually, I would love to be in touch with any creative Catholic types - there is a possibility of a new religious institute/community for artists in New York that I hope to be part of, so please keep us in prayer. You can email me at alisha.ruiss@gmail.com!
And I think we SHOULD run a country. :)

Anonymous said...

I've got young kiddos, so I work a mishmash of jobs, including as a lactation consultant (IBCLC), substitute teacher, virtual assistant, and a little bit of retail thrown in every once in a while. I have an MA in Counseling, and while I don't make my living at it, I certainly use those skills almost every day.

Jess said...

I have a B.A. in English and Theology and now I've been working as a religion teacher at a Catholic high school and a youth minister at a local parish. I've loved reading what everyone does! And I'm so grateful for this blog!

Anonymous said...

I am a DRE at a Catholic parish. I've been reading for years and years. I actually used to follow the blog that you shut down because a friend of a friend found it, or something like that. Good stuff, all of it! I am single-but-dating. Is that a category? :)

Anonymous said...

I'm a nursing student at Catholic college in the US. I love the common sense I find on this blog and the comments of the other readers!