Do any of you ever feel like if you had college to do all over again now that you would do something completely different?
I majored in English and got my teacher certification. If I had it to do all over again, I am almost positive I would major in Anthropology with a concentration in linguistics. I know I CAN go back and get that, but I'm so tired of school. I'm in grad. school getting my masters in English now--the thought of more school... ick!
Lately, though, I've been wondering if there are some classes I could take that would help me transition over to the linguistics side of English--and maybe even get closer to anthropology. I would LOVE to study old cultures, artifacts, and above all, their language and literature. Is it any wonder that Daniel Jackson is my FAVORITE character on Stargate?? I wanna have his job!
So, what would YOU do if you had to do it all over again? I went to college straight after high school, so I didn't really know what was available or what I wanted. It makes me want to encourage newly graduated high school seniors to NOT go to college if they don't know what they want to do. (I used to say take your generals for 2 years, then you'll know by then... but I didn't.)
-Katarain
Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
Ya know, tough one.
If I knew then what I know now, I'd have joined the Service for a couple of years before college.
-Trevor
Posted by xnera (Member # 187) on :
I kind of wish I had chosen English as one of my fields of study. But I don't know which major I'd drop, then. I loved both my math and computer science classes, and am glad I had the experience of them. Hmm... although the compsci classes were more practical and actually used, I think I would lean towards keeping the math, because I enjoyed the classwork more. I really, really miss being in math classes.
I think someday I might go back to school for a masters in English. Or heck, just take some English classes for fun. That'd be a while yet, though.
Posted by eslaine (Member # 5433) on :
I think I would just have finished.
(I was an Art major)
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I never got to go to college.
Honestly, I don't care about getting a degree. I'd get my child care certification, and take classes for fun (like German and maybe some biology and/or chemistry and some sociology or something).
Posted by Mormo (Member # 5799) on :
If I had college to do over again from scratch, I wouldn't have picked math/physics minor. I love math, but don't really want to teach. I have limited abilties in applied math, so my job prospects are limited. Rivka has encouraged me to take some actuarial exams, I'm still considering that (many moons after we first discussed it). I think I would pick either physics/astronomy, comp. sci, or statistics. I may go back for astronomy or statistics, probably not comp. sci., at least not a 4-year degree. I would like to get some compter certifications as resume fodder, though.
Also, I should have co-oped, worked one semester at a good company then gone to school one semester. It takes slightly longer but pays off in real-world experience and an easier transistion to the work-force.
And I shouldn't have sold so many of my textbooks. Morbo
[ March 18, 2005, 01:13 PM: Message edited by: Mormo ]
Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :
Anything? Music.
But I chose engineering over music many moons ago.
Posted by Lady Jane (Member # 7249) on :
Actually...I wouldn't do anything differently. Maybe take Greek as well as Latin, so I could get a Master's in History more easily, but I loved college and I love all the classes that I took. I like the opportunities my degree gives me, and I like all background knowledge my innumerable minors give me. I'd do it the same, maybe with better grades in a couple of classes.
Posted by jeniwren (Member # 2002) on :
If I could go back, I'd work for a BA in Business Admin with a minor in Computer Science and concentration on accounting. Then I'd go for an MBA.
Posted by Jay (Member # 5786) on :
They started the first in the nation Forensics Science Degree at WVU just as I was finishing my degree in Computer Engineering. Dang it… Might be nice to go back and get a masters in that. But I really hate school.
Posted by Vána (Member # 6593) on :
If I could do it over, I would have stuck out the bio degree. It would have been hard, obviously, but the music degree didn't do anything for me except make me not enjoy playing as much, which is just sad.
Posted by TheHumanTarget (Member # 7129) on :
I would probably have gone to college straight out of high school rather than going while working full time. Other than that, no major changes.
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
Hmm. First I would try to get into the Graphic Design program. Failing that, I would probably go for Marketing Communications or something similar. Either way, I would try to take more Computer Science courses. Programming classes are like a good, scratchy wool shirt worn for penance.
Majoring in English was OK, but in hindsight I wish I had gone for something with more direct application to a non-teaching career.
Posted by Katarain (Member # 6659) on :
quote: Majoring in English was OK, but in hindsight I wish I had gone for something with more direct application to a non-teaching career.
Yes! My sentiments EXACTLY!
I've done a little research on how I can get into a field I really love--I gotta do more. There's GOT to be something I can do that doesn't involve another bachelor's degree. Another masters wouldn't bother me as much.
-Katarain
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
If I could go back, yet still have my husband whom I met in college, I think I would have gone to a larger, more diverse school, rather than a small liberal arts college in the boondocks.
Posted by Ela (Member # 1365) on :
I would have majored in nursing right from the start, instead of waiting till I was in my 40's to go back to nursing school.
If I had done that, by now I would have a PhD in nursing and would be teaching in a university or college somewhere.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
I would have taken more probability and statistics and less algortithm/discrete type classes in my math major. I would have dumped poli sci, and taken a broad array of criminal justice and forensics type classes - not to become an expert, but to have a greater understanding of broad concepts.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
Well, seeing as I'm in college for the 2nd time, and changed my major for about the fifth I'd have to say I don't really know.
I started out with a major in English, planning on teaching high school. Then I switched to pre-law. Then I switched to biology (what was I thinking? That only lasted half a semester). My first trip to college ended with me switching back to an English major, this time a concentration in linguistics and plans to teach on the college level and do research.
Then, I went back to college this year and planned on getting my degree in elementary education and then getting an MLIS and working as an elementary teacher-librarian.
But now I've switched again. I decided that I was really, really looking forward to getting my MLIS and not really all that excited about teaching elementary school. When I examined it more closely I realized that the only thing that had me leaning toward a position as an elementary librarian over one in academic or public or medical librarianship was the schedule - and that wasn't a good enough reason.
So, I changed my major to communication arts, with a minor in linguistics. I'm planning on getting my master's in communications and my MLIS, so teaching at the community college level will also be open to me, plus a second master's seems to be a big plus when applying for a position in an academic library, or at least the job opportunities listed with the Alabama Library Association all say they prefer the applicant have a second master's.
Medical librarianship really interests me however, and I'm going to take some classes in medical communication as well.
So....I guess I'm still pretty undecided. All I know is that I love studying communication, I love linguistics, and I'm really looking forward to my classes. I hope to continue to enjoy my undergraduate experience (I'm having fun so far!) and pray I get into a grad school and get the advanced degrees I want.
Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
I'd do a Philosophy/Physics (concentrating on astrophysics) double major, and likely end up getting a minor in math just out of requirements for the first two.
-Bok
Posted by Irami Osei-Frimpong (Member # 2229) on :
Not a thing, and that's something considering my colorful college career. No, that's not true. I made a stupid mistake when I was student body president. I'd go back and fix that. It was stupid. In the long view, it taught me about democracy and ego, but it was stupid.
If I had to go back further, I'd find some way to be more involved in drama in high school. Those years were packed, but if I could have eeked out a few plays, I think I'd be the better for the experience.
[ March 18, 2005, 01:39 PM: Message edited by: Irami Osei-Frimpong ]
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
AFR, I think you really might have enjoyed the new English language major here at the Y (along with the editing minor).
If I had to do it over, I might go into linguistics instead of English language. I'd also like to have taken more web design and graphic design classes.
Posted by fiazko (Member # 5812) on :
I probably would have been an art major. *sigh* No offense to art majors/artists, but I am still coming to terms with the fact that I am more of an artist than a journalist. Then again, at this point, I'm more of just about anything than a journalist, but who's counting?
(<---BA in journalism and I work in a hospital )
Posted by jeniwren (Member # 2002) on :
fiazko, my mom has a BFA (Painting) and MFA (Illustration). And is chronically unemployed. She's never had a job in her field of education. I think she thought that getting the credentials at school would make her feel confident enough to get a job.
Posted by Zeugma (Member # 6636) on :
I definitely would take every drawing and acting class I could. I'm kicking myself for not taking advantage of "free" art classes while I was an undergrad, not only because they would have been a lot of fun, but because now I need those skills and don't really have the time or money to take classes!
Posted by fiazko (Member # 5812) on :
Well, jeni, my logic is that I'm already not using the degree I have, so what would be the difference, but I also would have done photography most likely, and that has a few more applications than painting. At the very least I would have concentrated more on photography as a journalism major. Oh well. I'm still young. Ish.
[edit to add: My college roommate's degree is in art--stained glass. She works for the American Heart Association.]
[ March 18, 2005, 01:53 PM: Message edited by: fiazko ]
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
*chuckling at Belle's decriptions of all the different focuses*
I was one of those "major-of-the-week" types the first time around in college. What I really wanted to do was get my degree in sound recording technology (since I spent ALL my time in the studio or doing techie things for live shows.) However, that degree was a very intense degree that was pretty much a combination of three majors: mathematics, music, sound technology. Having good ears was no substitute for having no calc/physics ability. *sob*
What other things appealed? anthropology, english, history, recombinant gene technology, creative writing, theater, music theory/composition, special education, broadcasting, audiology, elementary education, dance, journalism . . .
What is my degree in? Social Work. At the "macro level", with an emphasis on political science and history - So I do program development, administration, contract monitoring.
If I went back to college? I'm more likely to become a nun first.
(Edit: missing "m")
[ March 18, 2005, 01:55 PM: Message edited by: Shan ]
Posted by Astaril (Member # 7440) on :
Wow, a thread for people just like me. Funny, I was just in need of some reassurance that it's perfectly normal to change your mind just as you graduate...
Let's see, I started in Music and Drama, then went to Religious Studies, then Music Performance at a different school (Laurier), then English/Linguistics at a different school (Western) -- in neither of those different schools did I actually make it to classes before I changed my mind again incidentally, though I did wind up paying for an empty apartment in London for a while -- then Classical Studies (Languages), then Classical Studies (Archaeology), then I added a joint major in Anthropology which I'm finishing up right now, along with a Performing Arts minor. So Katarain, I can point you to some good archaeology/ancient language sources to start learning if you like!
And if I could go back and do it all again? Dance.
Posted by Lost Ashes (Member # 6745) on :
Honestly, it's a tough one. I went for History, but a Journalism degree would have served me better, maybe. J-school grads are actually having a harder time in the marketplace now.
But for rewarding and fun, I wish that I had taken the chance to go to Johnson and Wales or CIA (Culinary Institute of America). Some of my fondest memories are from working in restaurants.
A chef, that would have been great.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
Seems quite a few of us have mentioned linguistics. I wonder if jatraqueros are more likely to study such a field than the normal population.
Posted by Stray (Member # 4056) on :
I don't think I'd change my major if I could do college over again, but I think I'd try to get more involved in the whole "college experience." I took about three years off between high school and college, and when I finally did go I lived off-campus the whole time, didn't socialize with classmates much, didn't get to know my professors much, didn't get involved in any extracurriculars or anything...basically I just rushed through the whole degree program as fast as possible so I could get it over with and get a real job. In retrospect, I think I probably missed out on something pretty valuable.
Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
I would take more philosophy classes. possibly double major in it. I would definately have taken the last class I needed for a minor =(
I would learn japanese at a good school rather than the one I tried to learn it in... knowing full well I'd never speak it well because I just don't have anyone to converse with.
I would take some creative writing courses. Especially ones that center around writing a decent dialog.
Pix
Posted by Katarain (Member # 6659) on :
quote: So Katarain, I can point you to some good archaeology/ancient language sources to start learning if you like!
Definitely!! Thanks! Either reply here or send me email. katarain@yahoo.com
On an only slightly different topic... have any of you found that a bachelor's degree isn't as valuable as it used to be in finding a job? To get my current job, as a library serials assistant, I had to have a bachelor's degree plus library experience. I find it ridiculous, because I gross so little every year. Currently they're advertising a part-time night supervisory job here, and THAT requires a bachelor's too. It's really strange to me. I would expect that with any job that requires a bachelor's, you'd be making at LEAST $30,000/year. I'm certainly not.
-Katarain
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
I'd be really bored, we're on spring break.
Obviously I'd be doing exactly what I'm doing since I'm there now (Civil Engineering Major, CS minor). I was seriously thinking about getting a physics minor, but decided against it for time reasons. It's begining to look as if I might have time again though, depending on mission time-line, so I might start considering that again.
Hobbes Posted by Katarain (Member # 6659) on :
quote: Seems quite a few of us have mentioned linguistics. I wonder if jatraqueros are more likely to study such a field than the normal population.
Well, we probably all love reading here--I think that's a safe bet. And loving words and language is just a small step from that..
I get REALLY defensive when people start spouting off about people speaking the language "wrong." I point out that all dialects have their own grammar that isn't wrong. It's just different. But we ALL should learn American Standard English for speeches and writing--as I used to tell my English students.
-Katarain
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Possibly biology. Possibly vetrinary medicine. Possibly archaeology. I go back and forth between those three.
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
Yah, there's a lot of English majors too, this is an author's form after all. Of course then there's me who doesn't even speak fluent English, much less any other language!
Hobbes Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
With diploma mills abounding, the market is flooded with bachelors degrees...which in and of itself devalues the demand.
-Trevor
Posted by Katarain (Member # 6659) on :
I think it would be really nice if people had starting salaries based on how much education they have--and raises based on performance and further education. It certainly would fix the discrepency (sp?) between the salaries of teachers and other professionals (like lawyers, doctors, etc.) who often have an equivalent level of education, when you consider continuing ed. requirements.
Then this library couldn't be ridiculous and recruit people who have degrees and pay them as if they didn't.
But then I guess that would open up a whole bunch of problems when you consider that there are a lot of VERY skilled and talented people who don't have college degrees. I'm not trying to say it's all about the degree.
I'm going to revise what I'm trying to say...
NOBODY should work full-time and still have to worry about which bills to pay and whether to buy food or pay the electric that month. I work full-time and what I net only covers my bills--nothing left over for food, household supplies, or anything else. I'm married, but that doesn't matter because my bills are the same--no, LESS--than what they were when I was single. And that's just not right--I don't care WHAT education you have. Are we saying that those who work in the service industry, waiting on us, shouldn't have the peace of mind of knowing that their NEEDS are taken care of??
I'm getting all upset now..
*deep breath* *suppress suppress*
Okay..
-Katarain
Posted by Puppy (Member # 6721) on :
If I could go back in time to my college days, I'd take some computer science courses and make a world-changing Half-life mod Posted by Lady Jane (Member # 7249) on :
Would you be willing to do work that doesn't require a degree?
Specifically, my dad's business employs many people, and it does not require a degree or even fluency in English. It pays enough to pay the bills, although it won't be posh. It's also labor-intensive, incredibly boring, and...must be done by humans. Would you be willing to do a job like that?
My dad has always held that over our heads a little. We will never starve - we can ALWAYS work for Dad. It's just that no one wants to.
At least, the for the older kids. The younger ones have much nicer jobs that involve more resonsibility and fewer band-aids.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I would love to have an opportunity to develop skills in carpentry and woodworking, neither of which would require a college degree.
What do the people who work for you dad do kat?
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Oh, masonry too. That would be a lot of fun, I think. And landscaping.
Posted by Katarain (Member # 6659) on :
I would hope that any job I took that didn't require a degree would be one that I really could enjoy.
The problem is, it's very hard to get jobs that don't require a degree once you have one. I suppose no one wants to hire degreed people because they figure they'll leave at the first opportunity--and ya know, it's true.. they would.
I was so desperate for money last year I would have done nearly anything--but I didn't apply at retail places or fast food. I guess I wasn't desperate enough.
-Katarain
Posted by Bob the Lawyer (Member # 3278) on :
If I could do it all again? I'm not ready to say that I'd change my undergrad, I think I'd rather see how I turn out. Don't get me wrong, I hate biochemistry. If it weren't so easy for me I never would have done it. But I'm really grateful for the friends I've had during this university career, and I think getting the degree has been really good for me -- even if my ideal world sees me never using what I've learned here in any way other than impressing ze ladies.
Not that there's nothing I'd change. I love movement, I'm fascinated by it, and had I the proper artistic talent I'd have seriously considered animation. Sadly, my hands do not think in images. But I really wish I'd done more dancing as a kid, more gymnastics, more martial arts. I've dabbled in all those things, but I wish I'd paid more attention to them now.
What will I do come April? Not biochemistry that's for bloody sure.
[ March 18, 2005, 03:20 PM: Message edited by: Bob the Lawyer ]
Posted by Lady Jane (Member # 7249) on :
Noemon, my family runs a metal finishing place. Part of the process includes mounting the aluminum parts onto titanium racks. Each part has to be mounted and unmounted by hand, because each part is different. A machine could be built to do it, but it would take as much time to calibrate it for each job and would much more expensive.
Kind of like this. For some orders, there will be thousands of parts. That all has to be done by people.
[ March 18, 2005, 03:25 PM: Message edited by: Lady Jane ]
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
quote: I would hope that any job I took that didn't require a degree would be one that I really could enjoy.
The problem is, it's very hard to get jobs that don't require a degree once you have one. I suppose no one wants to hire degreed people because they figure they'll leave at the first opportunity--and ya know, it's true.. they would.
I was so desperate for money last year I would have done nearly anything--but I didn't apply at retail places or fast food. I guess I wasn't desperate enough.
I wish my husband had the luxury of a job he liked. The poor guy couldn't get a job anywhere that pays enough to support a family on. Ended up in sales, and was doing okay for a while, but now he's hit a rough patch, and we don't know if we're going to be able to make it through it. Comission bites. Especially when people keep "stealing" his customers, and he's too nice (and too principled) to do the same.
I really, really wish we didn't have to lie awake at night wondering if we are going to be able to make it through another month. It's very nerve-wracking. I cry a lot.
I think I said this in another thread, but one of the main problems is that he can't get a job without a degree, but can't get a degree without more time and money than he has now. Actually, he can get a job, but as a vet technician without certification, even though he's very skilled, he gets at most $9 an hour, and usually not full-time. The full-time, $15 an hour + benefits jobs all go to people fresh out of their certification programs, many of them without the experience he has. We're looking into an accounting asst./tax preparer job in CA, but there's about a 50/50 chance that will work out, as of now.
Sometimes I really wish I ran the world.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
And I realize that's a bit personal. Sorry.
I'm under a lot of stress right now. I guess I needed to whine.
Posted by Miro (Member # 1178) on :
quote: I would LOVE to study old cultures, artifacts, and above all, their language and literature. Is it any wonder that Daniel Jackson is my FAVORITE character on Stargate?? I wanna have his job!
I want Carter's.
quote: If I knew then what I know now, I'd have joined the Service for a couple of years before college.
The Service?
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Duh, the Service of Planet Earth. Didn't you know Trevor used to be a superhero? Posted by prolixshore (Member # 4496) on :
I think I would really enjoy working for your dad, Lady Jane.
I have always contended that the jobs which would most likely keep me the happiest are dull, manual labor jobs like that. Alas, most of those jobs do not pay the bills.
Most jobs do not appeal to me at all. The same is true with most majors. So I think I would stick with Criminal Justice and keep hoping for a federal agent position.
--APostleRadio
Posted by Katarain (Member # 6659) on :
kq, I certainly don't mind. Sometimes you just need to vent. My husband doesn't have a degree either--so I'm working full-time while I'm finishing grad. school while he goes to school. He just had to withdraw from an entire semester because of health--but he'll go back next semester. It's frustrating because he has excellent computer skills--including complicated programming knowhow, but not the certificates or degrees. But then, he doesn't want to work on computers anyway.
Anyway... I wish your husband was doing something he enjoyed, too. Are you sure that he can't manage to get some training or education in a field he would enjoy? If college is what it would take, he can do something similar to what we're doing. I have a university job (staff at the library), and after I'm here 6 months, my tuition is free. (I take night classes.) And, we get lots of student loans. Debt sucks, but at least student loans are lower interest--ALSO, you can get more than just school expenses. My husband never knew how much assistance is out there to go to college. Now that he knows, he tells everybody he can.
Right now, we barely have two nickels to rub together, but it's a temporary situation.
-Katarain
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
My husband has been unable to get a student loan, and everything else will pretty much cover tuition, but would require him to go full-time, and that means we'd have nothing to live on. The cost of childcare for a almost-one-year-old is more than I could make at any job I'm qualified for (not that those would even be enough to pay rent and food and diapers, anyway ).
I guess it's just really, really scary to be me right now.
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
You know - there's nothing in the rule books that says you have to admit to having a degree.
I, too, wish that all people - whether they teach, drive taxicabs, scrub toilets, design water systems, set broken arms, change diapers, etc., would ALL be able to rest secure in the knowledge that their basic needs could be met through their hard work.
I also wish that all the homeless people I see could find homes and the help they need to live a healthy, happy, safe and productive life.
I wish the refugees and immigrants were welcomed with open arms, rather than scorn and below minimum wage apple and asparagus picking jobs - among others.
I wish that folks with special needs would be valued and accepted.
I wish that single parents would not be judged so harshly.
I wish that all children worldwide had access to medical and dental care, education, safe homes, supportive communities and opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive - not just survive - or die.
*Keeps wishing and but stops writing*
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
You know, I have a double major bachelor's degree and a minor and I never took one single English class at the University level? The closest I got was the freshman honors seminar, which I took and later TAed. My ACT score exempted me from the College Writing courses and I got the department head to waive my writing requirement to graduate because I had 20 credits of advanced art history and a degree in French.
So, while I've taken all kinds of literature, grammar and composition courses, none of them were in English.
That said, if I went back, I'd study Spanish.
Posted by Altáriël of Dorthonion (Member # 6473) on :
Well, I'm leavin' for college in a few months, and the only thing I can think of, besides my independence, is my financial aid. Thats the real kicker. How am I going to pay for college?
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
The same way most of us did - several PT jobs, WorkStudy, paid internships, college loans, scholarships, grants, and whatever assistance family may be able to provide. (In my case, they saved the recylable cans for me to turn in for money, and helped with food once in a blue moon. Hope your family is better equipped to help! )
Posted by Stan the man (Member # 6249) on :
Whew! Nope, haven't gone yet. Hate classrooms. As much training as I give everyday I can't even get in front and teach. Although the payment part I have taken care of. Except where Trevor didn't, I did join the service. I got the standard GI Bill, but also have a College Fund program from when I enlisted that gives me $50,000 for college. I just gotta figure a way to use it.
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
I'm a college freshman, so I can't say exactly what I'd change yet, but i know I wouldn't have gone to a community college for a year, which really was the best choice for my situation coming out of high school (money mostly, but also some worries about accidemics too). I'm tranferring next january, which will be good, and have a major picked out (elementary education) but no clue on a minor/consentration area, which is required, possibly english but I'm not sure, maybe history, or sociology, I might totally suprise myself.
Posted by Astaril (Member # 7440) on :
Katarain, in regards to books, I'll email you early next week with some good ones. (Busy writing essays all weekend, and I need to look some of my old textbooks up to get the authors anyway).
Any specific cultures you're interested in? Archaeology's a pretty broad discipline, what with spanning millions of years and the entire earth and all...
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I wanna have his job!![[Frown]](frown.gif)
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![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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Comission bites. Especially when people keep "stealing" his customers, and he's too nice (and too principled) to do the same.![[Wall Bash]](graemlins/wallbash.gif)
Actually, he can get a job, but as a vet technician without certification, even though he's very skilled, he gets at most $9 an hour, and usually not full-time. The full-time, $15 an hour + benefits jobs all go to people fresh out of their certification programs, many of them without the experience he has. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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