Is a college degree overrated?
#1
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Is a college degree overrated?
I'm an undergraduate at UCLA. While it's certainly a fine institution, I commonly feel like my time, money, and effort could be better provisioned. I just have this sinking feeling that my life is actually being marginalized by a system that ostensibly serves to prevent just that. When I graduate, the meager salary I'm offered (assuming I can even find a job) very likely will not justify the paralyzing debt I will have amassed. Several years of my life will have passed and, even with my impressive "education," I'll still be struggling to breathe (maybe even struggling harder).
For those who have a college degree, has it proved to be worth every penny and second of your life you threw at it?
For those who don't have a college degree, is life generally bearable (maybe even wonderful), or do you oftentimes wish you had gone the college route?
For those who have a college degree, has it proved to be worth every penny and second of your life you threw at it?
For those who don't have a college degree, is life generally bearable (maybe even wonderful), or do you oftentimes wish you had gone the college route?
#4
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A college degree into a feild that is over populated isn't going to get you much! If you were to get a college degree in a feild that is constantly being used you'll find that it's pay off is great
Don't get a cookie cut degree, doing physc, business, communications is pointless.. you'll end up not using it and you'll have nothing to show for it.
I have an AA and I've been in and out of college since because I can't pick a career I can see myself doing for long enough to get something out of it.
my 0.02 = get a degree in a specific feild you can work in to rep the benefits of your schooling.
Don't get a cookie cut degree, doing physc, business, communications is pointless.. you'll end up not using it and you'll have nothing to show for it.
I have an AA and I've been in and out of college since because I can't pick a career I can see myself doing for long enough to get something out of it.
my 0.02 = get a degree in a specific feild you can work in to rep the benefits of your schooling.
#6
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i just went to a community college (DVC) for a year because i wasnt sure what i wanted to do. then i decided school wasnt for me, not something that matters for what i want to do. i think it all depends on what the person wants to do.
for me, i thought time could be better spent by learning skills instead, i know car electronics, work on my own car, do side jobs. now i know CAD for jewelry designing which is what i currently do. if i wanted to learn something, i could learn it on my own, school is just for a "degree" for the job. i think a person with 2 years of field experience is worth a whole lot more than someone with 4 years of school training. i actually thought, in earlier in my life that time could be better spent if i spent 2 years to planing the perfect heist instead of going through 4 years of college
for me, i thought time could be better spent by learning skills instead, i know car electronics, work on my own car, do side jobs. now i know CAD for jewelry designing which is what i currently do. if i wanted to learn something, i could learn it on my own, school is just for a "degree" for the job. i think a person with 2 years of field experience is worth a whole lot more than someone with 4 years of school training. i actually thought, in earlier in my life that time could be better spent if i spent 2 years to planing the perfect heist instead of going through 4 years of college
Last edited by Jin; 06-03-2009 at 08:37 PM.
#8
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the catch is that in some fields you can't get a job without that degree.
i have a degree. which i don't use (elec. eng). and i forget most everything i learned in my major. but there's no way in hell i'd have my current job (in finance) without a college degree.
i have a degree. which i don't use (elec. eng). and i forget most everything i learned in my major. but there's no way in hell i'd have my current job (in finance) without a college degree.
#10
Having a degree shows your prospective employer that you can be taught without them having to take a chance on you. My degree also (luckily) applies directly to what I do, so it works...
#11
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A college degree into a feild that is over populated isn't going to get you much! If you were to get a college degree in a feild that is constantly being used you'll find that it's pay off is great
Don't get a cookie cut degree, doing physc, business, communications is pointless.. you'll end up not using it and you'll have nothing to show for it.
I have an AA and I've been in and out of college since because I can't pick a career I can see myself doing for long enough to get something out of it.
my 0.02 = get a degree in a specific feild you can work in to rep the benefits of your schooling.
Don't get a cookie cut degree, doing physc, business, communications is pointless.. you'll end up not using it and you'll have nothing to show for it.
I have an AA and I've been in and out of college since because I can't pick a career I can see myself doing for long enough to get something out of it.
my 0.02 = get a degree in a specific feild you can work in to rep the benefits of your schooling.
What I've learned over the last 2 years (years I've been in College) is that if a person is really motivated to enter a particular career and is studying a major for that particular career, most likely they'll become successful.
But it boils down to personal motivation and ambition. Having a psych or business or "cookie cut" major may seem useless, but really it just sets you up to be in that field or get you exposed to that field. And in one form or another, psychology or business or any other major will have some use in the real/work world.
I think my best advice to the OP is to do internships. Internships are a great way of getting exposed to different work environments and help you narrow down your career choices. Good luck!
#12
I absolutely think that it is worth it. It may not pay off $ for $ (although it may), but in the long run, I doubt you'll ever regret having gone to college. Don't think of it as just a way to make more money - college is NOT job training. There are very few, if any, jobs you will be able to do right out of college without some kind of additional training. That's not what it's about. It is a life experience - an opportunity to learn more about the world around you and about yourself.
Think about your high school education. Are any of those things you learned in high school directly applicable to any job? No. Do you regret going? Probably not.
As others have also mentioned, more and more employers are considering B.A.'s or B.S.'s as prerequisites, knowing full well that you'll never use 1% of that college education for that particular job. It's an easy way for them initially screen applicants. It's an arbitrary line, sure, but you probably don't want to be on the wrong side of it.
An undergraduate degree also opens up doors to further education, i.e. grad schools.
Quite frankly, in the grander scheme of things, an undergraduate degree is not that expensive (Last I checked, UC's tuition is $8,300/yr x 4yrs = $33.2k, about the same price as an STI) and not that hard to get (some majors are harder than others). What's there really to debate about?
________
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Think about your high school education. Are any of those things you learned in high school directly applicable to any job? No. Do you regret going? Probably not.
As others have also mentioned, more and more employers are considering B.A.'s or B.S.'s as prerequisites, knowing full well that you'll never use 1% of that college education for that particular job. It's an easy way for them initially screen applicants. It's an arbitrary line, sure, but you probably don't want to be on the wrong side of it.
An undergraduate degree also opens up doors to further education, i.e. grad schools.
Quite frankly, in the grander scheme of things, an undergraduate degree is not that expensive (Last I checked, UC's tuition is $8,300/yr x 4yrs = $33.2k, about the same price as an STI) and not that hard to get (some majors are harder than others). What's there really to debate about?
________
Vapor Genie Natural
Last edited by kyoung05; 03-30-2011 at 09:28 AM.
#13
Well to me it comes down to do you like your major field of study? There are plenty of ways to make yourself more employable (through a complimenting minor, various certificate programs and down the road post graduate work) in which ever career path you choose, but to me you need to find a program that you love. And yes, a college degree is extremely important, it's the best investment you'll ever make.
#15
There are stories both ways. Plenty of people have great successful stories with and without obtaining degrees.
The hand me down Budweiser Job that white people hand down to each other is still pretty racist and the son could be dumb as door nails and make his six or seven figures. Those kind of jobs are still hand me downs. You have to be a tall white guy to work at many of those. (or at least the well paying parts of those). A lot of the jobs that will survive are the hand me down franchises like window repair and carpentry, etc. That is the level that will always exist, and that's how people will hold their jobs secure. They don't need a degree for any of that, just know what they're doing, and obtain a good customer base and good recognition.
There are tons of people without degrees who are successful, working at areas for a long time and just moving up because they are just good at what they do. If someone notices you and likes you it's a pretty easy way up.
There are others who have gotten their degrees and been successful. IMO school is all about networking and clubs and getting to know teachers. Social networking I think is the only key in school. The degree really isn't worth junk unless you know someone who can put you in a good place with a certain degree.
Masters/PhD's. are still sought for as the common bachelors everyone has obtained (not really, maybe 25% of people). Sitting in an institution for another 3-10 years for a masters and/or doctorate isn't something I'd look forward too. Only if it was included while working at a job that I enjoy.
Times are tough, people aren't just buying houses out of high school because the economy sucks, and the government is making it suck worse. Hopefully with the voice of the high school and college graduates we can actually change the world, instead of being ordered around by these retarded leaders.
The hand me down Budweiser Job that white people hand down to each other is still pretty racist and the son could be dumb as door nails and make his six or seven figures. Those kind of jobs are still hand me downs. You have to be a tall white guy to work at many of those. (or at least the well paying parts of those). A lot of the jobs that will survive are the hand me down franchises like window repair and carpentry, etc. That is the level that will always exist, and that's how people will hold their jobs secure. They don't need a degree for any of that, just know what they're doing, and obtain a good customer base and good recognition.
There are tons of people without degrees who are successful, working at areas for a long time and just moving up because they are just good at what they do. If someone notices you and likes you it's a pretty easy way up.
There are others who have gotten their degrees and been successful. IMO school is all about networking and clubs and getting to know teachers. Social networking I think is the only key in school. The degree really isn't worth junk unless you know someone who can put you in a good place with a certain degree.
Masters/PhD's. are still sought for as the common bachelors everyone has obtained (not really, maybe 25% of people). Sitting in an institution for another 3-10 years for a masters and/or doctorate isn't something I'd look forward too. Only if it was included while working at a job that I enjoy.
Times are tough, people aren't just buying houses out of high school because the economy sucks, and the government is making it suck worse. Hopefully with the voice of the high school and college graduates we can actually change the world, instead of being ordered around by these retarded leaders.