Can my journalism degree make me Captain Planet??

When I first came here, all I knew is I wanted to travel abroad.

How could I get a rewarding job in South America, speak fluent Spanish, meet a handsome Latino man (preferably, who plays an instrument) and have a life that spans both hemispheres?

I dunno what I want to do in two years. But being Captain Planet would be kinda cool I guess.

I never would have guessed back then that:

A. I would spend five years in college

B. After graduation, I would spend two years just twenty minutes from where I grew up, as an elementary school teacher.

C. I would be dating an awesome white guy (who doesn't play an instrument), and

D. I would be completely happy about all of the above.

My, how things have changed.

So, how did my journalism career get me here? Does it really matter anyway, when a degree is just a degree?

First, undergraduate degrees do not, by any means, define us. There are plenty of journalists without journalism degrees, entrepreneurs without business degrees, and in my case, teachers without teaching degrees.

That said, here's a list of the most valuable skills and experiences I will take with me. Many of these are tied in with journalism.

1. Foreign language: In a world that is increasingly interconnected, being able to speak more than one language is immensely helpful. I will use Spanish every day as a bilingual education teacher, and plan to use it in my future career.

2. Study abroad: A big reason why I didn't finish on time, but definitely worth it.

3. Writing skills: The ability to research and write concisely and accurately will be an immense benefit in any job.

4. Leadership roles: Organizing events, working in teams and creating measurable goals will be valuable in the future. Working on campus, in student organizations and on the Kansan helped.

5. Presentational skills: Extremely important in any job, especially teaching.

Now, was the journalism degree worth the 40 grand? I think so. But really, so is any undergraduate degree. From my perspective, I gained greater work ethic and writing skills than I would have from being hunched over finance books for 2 years.

But realistically, knowing that the average person changes jobs at least 10-12 times and that a graduate degree is pretty much essential to getting a foothold in any career, I don't think the title of our undergraduate degree will make or break any of us.