College Student Majoring in Magic

At some universities, students can design their own majors. Jordan Goldklang of Indiana University is an illusionist, and is majoring in magic:

Known as The Great Jordini to some, Jordan Goldklang is a senior from the San Francisco area. He is the only student at IU, and the only one in the U.S., who is majoring in magic — a major he created through IU’s Individualized Major Program.

Since then, he has devoted his time at IU to the major.

Tonight Jordan will present a magic show in Alumni Hall for his final project as an undergraduate. He’s hoping to sell out the venue, which holds 600 people. So far, he’s handed out 1,000 flyers, put up 3,000 posters and invited more than 1,000 people to the event on Facebook.


Link via Geekologie | Photo: Sevil Mahfoozi, Indiana Daily Student

Last time I questioned the validity of a foo-....ummm...ahem...'non-traditional' degree, I was accused of being an elitist. So let me say that this is just great! Maybe the guys who mow my lawn can get degrees in lawn mowing and ground ivy removal, and the Molly Maid can get a BS degree in Molly Maiding.
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I think that I read a bit about his curriculum on themagiccafe.com (a forum for magicians). His class load included, if I recall, psychology, English and acting classes. Now one could argue that none of those classes alone equals a paying job (how many BA's are commonly heard asking "You want fries with that?") but the combo puts him in the same position as many people who became actors. Yes, he may spend many a night eating Ramen and bologna-on-hand, but he is living his dream.
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I wouldn't brush off the individualized majors so quickly - one notable graduate from that program majored in cryptology (puzzles) and is now the writer of the NYT crossword puzzle.
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I say, more power to him. I know lots of people with PhDs who aren't working in their degree field. May as well get a degree in something you love, since you may end up in an unrelated job anyway.
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The value of a basic college education has been diluted to the point of a basic high-school education in 1960.

The sheepskin is being reduced to a paper towel.
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I'm sure someone, somewhere, would get a Doctor's degree, and legally change their last name to Strange... or Strangelove, that would be equally awesome!
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@Gerry: Increased education is the cost of modernity. If you don't like it, stop using the goods and services that are the consequence of widespread college education. Like, you know, everything invented after maybe 1975.

Granted, not everyone should need a college education, and we need to do a better job of appreciating that. As a society, we need to put more value on crafts and trades, as well as the (decreasing, but hardly disappearing) necessity of unskilled labor.
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