Tara May be Returning to the Ice

[tangerine_dream]

It's kind of sad, actually. From all of her interviews, she always talked about wanting to be a skater, skate professionally, etc, and then SOI was a bust due to her hip problems, and since then, she's sort of slipped into oblivion. Someone as ambitious and goal-oriented as her could have done a lot of things (like go to college and get a degree for when you can't skate anymore).

I think the people who consider college degrees to be the "back up plan" are stuck living in the 90s. In this economy a degree really means very little. You're 50,000 dollars in debt and it won't help you get a job. Most of my friends who've graduated college in the past couple of years either still cannot find a job, or are working at jobs they didn't need degrees for (read: retail). Unless one has a dream of becoming a doctor or lawyer (read: graduate studies, aka 8 years of school) a simple BA doesn't really help many people these days. Most jobs you get are through connections or previous experience. Sure there might be some companies that require degrees but those are usually corporate jobs that most skaters and other retired artistic/sports people might not be so inclined to go out for anyways.

Tara's qualifications from her previous accomplishments would help her get a job much easier than a BA would. Of course, she's better off staying in her field, but that would be true for anyone. Without experience no one will hire you these days.

School's a good experience but a pretty expensive one and these days more than ever it doesn't in anyway guarantee a job, especially not an undergraduate degree.

[iarispiralllyof]

^ um lol wow I don't agree at all but I'm not going to get into this discussion

[DickButtonFan]

I think a degree would have helped her with her vocabulary. Even a simple 101 English class if she hasn't already taken one.

[bardtoob]

Even if SOI were will to hire Lipinski back how happy will she be to skate back-up to Miiiiiiiiiissssss...Sasha Cohen.

When Sasha Cohen was competing against Michelle Kwan, Tara used to say that Sasha reminded her of herself . . . Considering how well Tara got along with super nice Kristi Yamaguchi while on tour, I would love to hear how Sasha and Tara got along on tour together

[euterpe]

I think a degree would have helped her with her vocabulary. Even a simple 101 English class if she hasn't already taken one.

From what I've read, Tara never went to formal school----she was home-schooled by her mother. There are lots of reasons for pursuing college studies other than getting a job: for example, personal development and expanding one's own horizons.

[DickButtonFan]

From what I've read, Tara never went to formal school----she was home-schooled by her mother. There are lots of reasons for pursuing college studies other than getting a job: for example, personal development and expanding one's own horizons.

Exactly! Jobs are important, most of us need them for survival. In the end however gaining wisdom is more important than wealth IMO and that's what you get from college WISDOM/knowledge. I'd rather have wisdom than a well paying job.

Going to college could make Tara a better commentator. Going into broadcasting could give her a lot of oppurtunities.

[Sparks]

I recall reading an interview with Tara in 1999 or 2000 (?).
At that time she had graduated and stated she wanted to go to college, but she didn't want to study just 'anything'...I remember a snide reference to "Underwater Basket Weaving".

[RD]

Wow...I said this in another thread but it's amazing to me how many people project their own ideas of success and happiness onto others. So what if Tara never went to university? If she is proud of her life experiences, she's doing well for herself, and is happy, who are we to judge? Plus, you don't necessarily HAVE to attend college to become educated...valuable life experiences can also do that (some people refer to this as being "street-smart")...As for becoming a broadcaster, I think she showed tremendous potential during her stint as an IN commentator, and that experience will serve her well if she chooses to pursue something in that avenue. Oh well...

[DickButtonFan]

oF course she can do whatever she wants, college is just a suggestion

[Carolla5501]

I think the people who consider college degrees to be the "back up plan" are stuck living in the 90s. In this economy a degree really means very little. You're 50,000 dollars in debt and it won't help you get a job. Most of my friends who've graduated college in the past couple of years either still cannot find a job, or are working at jobs they didn't need degrees for (read: retail). Unless one has a dream of becoming a doctor or lawyer (read: graduate studies, aka 8 years of school) a simple BA doesn't really help many people these days. Most jobs you get are through connections or previous experience. Sure there might be some companies that require degrees but those are usually corporate jobs that most skaters and other retired artistic/sports people might not be so inclined to go out for anyways.

.

Well as someone who recently hired..... I only interviewed folks with a college degree.. and the position was "artistic" So... (Design type job)

(And of course we also hired a couple of accountants, who just graduated from college)

In this economy where you have LOTS more applicants then jobs... not having that degree can knock you out of the running fast. We can be picky when we hire... SORRY!

[DickButtonFan]

Well as someone who recently hired..... I only interviewed folks with a college degree.. and the position was "artistic" So... (Design type job)

(And of course we also hired a couple of accountants, who just graduated from college)

In this economy where you have LOTS more applicants then jobs... not having that degree can knock you out of the running fast. We can be picky when we hire... SORRY!

thanks for this post, nice to hear employers are taking degrees seriously. A degree is too much work to be then be only belittled.

[modern_muslimah]

Not to derail this thread but I don't think t_d was belittling degrees. To a certain extent he is right. For those of us who get bachelor degrees in the humanities or liberal arts, our job search isn't much easier than those who only have high school diplomas but we unfortunately have much more debt than those who have only a high school diploma. I say this as someone who has BA in a humanities field and who now wants to pursue an MSW. This isn't to say that I didn't love gaining the knowledge that I did while pursuing my BA or love being in college. College helped my writing and critical thinking skills. I also became interested in feminism and religion by going to college. However, it honestly has not helped me in getting a job. The current job I have I got through a "connection" and trust me, you don't need a BA to do it. The one thing I am glad for is that having the BA obviously allows me to get an MSW, which will allow me to be more employable and also enter a field where I can help people and actually make a difference in their lives.

Ok, back to Tara. If she didn't want to get a college degree, it doesn't mean that she wasted her time or her talents. Not everyone wants to attend college and that's ok.

[OliviaPug]

Those folks saying they got a job through a connection and the college degree didn't help. Are you so sure? Maybe that connection wouldn't have worked out at all if the potential employer knew you didn't have a degree.

I worked in human resources for a large company while in college, and formal education was definitely considered, if not considered the determining factor.

A degree says something very important: Commitment to reaching a specific goal.

Tara has shown that commitment already by winning her Olympic Gold; however, since she didn't need the degree to get a job to earn money -- because she didn't need to earn money -- college, even a few courses here and there -- would have been a good idea and would still be a good idea for so many reasons.

I do believe a degree or journalism/broadcasting courses would help Tara if she is considering broadcasting. I think studying the performing arts in a college/university atmosphere would have also helped Tara's acting pursuits. I think what you gain from any sort of formal education is intangible, but formal education often forces you outside your comfort zones and introduces you to ideas and people that you might otherwise never have encountered.

It's never too late! That is, if Tara wants to go to school. If not, I'm sure she'll do fine. I do hope if she is considering skating again that she takes good care of her body. I personally would like to see her back on the ice, but not at the expense of her health.

O-

[Prancer]

Some people don't want to go to college. It's not a requirement, nor is it a guarantee of education, social growth or proficiency in an academic subject, any more than not attending college leaves one ignorant or socially inept. The worst students I have are the ones who are there because they think they should be but don't really want to be. All they do is put in time--time that, IMO, would be better spent elsewhere.

I think Tara is a decent commentator and will get better with experience, and I don't think there's anything wrong with her vocabulary. She has always been articulate and well spoken. I don't know why all of that is erased by this one email interview, but I guess it's the off season.

I believe that Tara has taken acting classes--something one doesn't have to enroll in college to do.

[RockTheTassel]

From what I've read, Tara never went to formal school----she was home-schooled by her mother. There are lots of reasons for pursuing college studies other than getting a job: for example, personal development and expanding one's own horizons.

Are you implying that Tara is less articulate because she was home-schooled? As someone who has been home-schooled and attended public school, I assure you that language skills are not hindered just because one receives an education at home.

Back on topic, I'd love to see Tara return to skating. She did a great job with the Worlds commentary, and I really enjoyed seeing her doing something skating related again.

[Artifice]

I think the people who consider college degrees to be the "back up plan" are stuck living in the 90s. In this economy a degree really means very little. You're 50,000 dollars in debt and it won't help you get a job. Most of my friends who've graduated college in the past couple of years either still cannot find a job, or are working at jobs they didn't need degrees for (read: retail). Unless one has a dream of becoming a doctor or lawyer (read: graduate studies, aka 8 years of school) a simple BA doesn't really help many people these days. Most jobs you get are through connections or previous experience. Sure there might be some companies that require degrees but those are usually corporate jobs that most skaters and other retired artistic/sports people might not be so inclined to go out for anyways.

Tara's qualifications from her previous accomplishments would help her get a job much easier than a BA would. Of course, she's better off staying in her field, but that would be true for anyone. Without experience no one will hire you these days.

School's a good experience but a pretty expensive one and these days more than ever it doesn't in anyway guarantee a job, especially not an undergraduate degree.

^ um lol wow I don't agree at all but I'm not going to get into this discussion

Me to.

Those folks saying they got a job through a connection and the college degree didn't help. Are you so sure? Maybe that connection wouldn't have worked out at all if the potential employer knew you didn't have a degree.

I worked in human resources for a large company while in college, and formal education was definitely considered, if not considered the determining factor.

A degree says something very important: Commitment to reaching a specific goal.

Tara has shown that commitment already by winning her Olympic Gold; however, since she didn't need the degree to get a job to earn money -- because she didn't need to earn money -- college, even a few courses here and there -- would have been a good idea and would still be a good idea for so many reasons.

I do believe a degree or journalism/broadcasting courses would help Tara if she is considering broadcasting. I think studying the performing arts in a college/university atmosphere would have also helped Tara's acting pursuits. I think what you gain from any sort of formal education is intangible, but formal education often forces you outside your comfort zones and introduces you to ideas and people that you might otherwise never have encountered.

It's never too late! That is, if Tara wants to go to school. If not, I'm sure she'll do fine. I do hope if she is considering skating again that she takes good care of her body. I personally would like to see her back on the ice, but not at the expense of her health.

O-

Yep !
When an employer has to choose between two equally experienced candidates, they always choose the most graduated one. And there are tons of reasons for that. Just an exemple of how studies can help... From my experience, those who said that studies and degrees mean nothing, were not holding any degree... And most of the time they had no interesting nor well paid jobs...

[kwanfan1818]

There was recently a newspaper article here (in Canada), but I can't remember whether it was one of the free ones ("Metro", "24 Hours"), "Vancouver Sun", or "Georgia Straight", etc., but it talked about how more and more people coming out of high school were skipping university and training for a trade (electrician, plumber, etc.) or going from university into trade training.

[BittyBug]

A college degree may continue to be a requirement for certain professions, but it is most definitely NOT a requirement to be educated. In fact, some of the most educated and well-read people I know did not attend college.

There are a plethora of professions (ooh, look at me - I have a graduate degree so I can use "big" words) that do not require a college education - one can become a plumber, an electrician, a mechanic, and so forth - and many of them are far more financially rewarding than being stuck in a middle management chain at some corporation. And one does not need to hold a college degree to start one's own business. Look at the guy who founded Kinko's. Or Bill Gates, probably one of the most famous college dropouts.

And for you college grads who are reading like you're supposed to , I'm surprised that you've missed the slew of articles recently questioning the ROI on a college education. At $50K and more a year for private schools, many are wondering whether it is in fact a good financial investment (which was tangerine_dream's point).

There are a lot of excellent reasons to go to college. But there are also a lot of very valid reasons NOT to go to college. And just because someone chooses the latter path does not mean that he/she will be unemployable, ignorant or dumb, or without opportunities in life.

[DickButtonFan]

I think people mentioned college for Tara based on how she speaks and thought college could really help her. It's not that those who don't go to college are dumb, it's that some obviously need some sort of an education if your holding a certain job and are lacking in essential skills, then an education would be wise. It's about respecting the field you're in. She's on tv, she should want a bigger vocabulary so that she can do a better job.

I think there are a ton of people who do go to college, so much so that it has now become as common or almost essential as a high school diploma. But obviously if someone already has strong skills they may not need college. However if you're trying to be a professor lmk how that hs diploma is working for you. But bill gates did go to college even though he dropped out.

[BittyBug]

It's only "almost essential" if one aspires towards an extremely conventional path of working for corporate America. It's a great big world out there, and thankfully, there's more to it than just being a cog in the machine.

ETA: And as for college improving how one speaks, as someone who used to type term papers for others while I was in college, I can assure you that college study does not necessarily cure one's limited vocabulary or one's inability to construct a complex sentence.