Wednesday, October 21, 2009

We all know Elly will never get her degree

7 comments:

DreadedCandiru2 said...

If they'd told her to go home and play with her crayons, would she be doing that too?

April Patterson said...

If they'd told her to go home and play with her crayons, would she be doing that too?

Probably. :)

howard said...

Very funny and quite believable.

The strange part of the Elly story is how she often moans about how she can't get a job like Connie, because she didn't finish her degree. However, when you think about it, a Bachelor in English is one of those degrees often mocked for its inability to get its degree-holders a job. It certainly would not have qualified Elly for the job Elly liked doing in John's dental office, for example. When Elly talked about how much she loved doing that job, would you ever think her career choice would be "writer", which is pretty much the exact opposite as far as going to work and interaction with adults?

April Patterson said...

Very funny and quite believable.

Thanks! :)

However, when you think about it, a Bachelor in English is one of those degrees often mocked for its inability to get its degree-holders a job.

To be fair, someone with an English degree can get an entry-level "office" job--reception, secretarial. However, that's not typically what they'd hope to do upon completing their degree. And if Elly had really enjoyed such work, it would probably have been possible for her to get work as a receptionist with just her high-school diploma--moreso even in 1980.

When Elly talked about how much she loved doing that job, would you ever think her career choice would be "writer", which is pretty much the exact opposite as far as going to work and interaction with adults?

Good point--writing is very solitary work.

Clio said...

People with English degrees can get good jobs in nearly anything based on writing and communication, and that covers a lot of stuff. Of course, this is assuming the economy is not in the tank. When newspapers are laying off copy editors, people with English degrees are in trouble. And in any economy, a nurse with Connie's credentials would most likely have an easier time finding a job than -- well, than almost anyone else, imo.

I almost feel sorry for Elly in this strip. Her expression is so confused and desperate in the last panel. However, if she wanted to write, she would write, and she would do what was needed to improve her writing, including taking classes seriously. But she just wants to be a writer. Elly is a plagiarist in the making.

April Patterson said...

However, if she wanted to write, she would write, and she would do what was needed to improve her writing, including taking classes seriously. But she just wants to be a writer. Elly is a plagiarist in the making.

Heh--which she already is in FOOBAR continuity, having tried to pass of Michael's "Sheilaucccch" abuse porn as her own. But yes--I think it comes down to her liking the idea of being a writer and, for that matter, the idea of being a person who loves literature. In actuality, she seems apathetic, at best, both to writing and to reading.

Holly said...

I think it comes down to her liking the idea of being a writer and, for that matter, the idea of being a person who loves literature

I think Elly also likes the idea of a career as a writer because she believes that it's very easy to do: you just sit down, commune with your muse and the story pretty much writes itself. A few editorial touches here and there, then a whopping big cheque and contract land on your desk within days. A second book? Mere months away.

Her idea of writing appeals to her innate laziness. ("Her" can refer to Elly or Lynn.)