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Actually, he is spot on for MOST people who get "Useless" degrees.
We all know that it is about personal motivation and desire, so yes, there are plenty of people who have a degree in History/Sociology/etc that are doing pretty well. They got there because they worked hard and made it happen. The bulk of people who finish college these days though, have this "I have a degree now, so I am OWED a high paying job!", even if the degree is in East African Rift Valley Cultural Studies. What has been lost is personal motivation and the drive to make it happen. Hard work and dedication is required, and loads of people simply do not have it. |
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18 year old wants to be a surgeon, so she's going now. 16 year old still has no clue what she wants to do, but talks of going to college. I remind her college isnt required.
I think a college education is over valued by most in our country today. My wife is in her last semester, getting a history degree. She says she knows it's useless, and has no plans of using it, but will be the first college grad in her family. |
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Got out of law school, went on some interviews, and guess what? I made 2x $, and much better benefits staying on my P.D. till retirement . Had that job since I got aff AD, with just my H.S. diploma. Either your PD has amazing pay and benefits, or you interviewed at some low-paying law firms. 
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i have 2 college degrees and ive never used either of them....my time spent getting my bachelors was a joke, 90% of what i had to take had nothing to do w/ my goal. The best part about college is the beer and the chicks....
ambition is worth more than a piece of paper to me. if u want it, you will find out a way to do it. |
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The problem is, everyone is told "YOU SHOULD GO TO COLLEGE!!"
But, people go for the wrong reason. If your goal is to gain knowledge in something you are passionate about, I see nothing wrong with that. More power to you. If your goal is to go get a degree in 13th century chinese art and then wonder why you can't find a job afterwards, well, you have bigger problems. We need to reevaluate, as a society, why we tell people to go to college. I went to learn how to program. It has paid off in amazing dividends. |
| IF everyone has a college degree what is it worth? Well the newest generation of college graduates is finding out. They are starting out adult life with student loan bills and barely any chance at getting a paid full-time job in the field they studied. If my daughters were at the college age, fortunately they are not, I'd recommend they also consider vocational programs. In 10 years they may mean something again, but at this moment in time my belief is they are nothing but an additional bill that has to be paid monthly without enjoying some benefit. |
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I can do my job- well- without a degree. I took the classes i needed to get a job with the intention of staying in school and finishing my degree. The job's hours didn't allow me to finish.
Fast forward 18 years: I was let go due to downsizing, and it's been difficult to find new work. I'm back in school now, and this time I will finish. No agency will hire someone with my experience that doesn't have a degree. |
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Quoted:
we need auto repair techs, heating and AC techs, electricians and plumbers. not everyone needs to or should go to college unfortunatley that is NOT the message we have been telling our kids in high school True. On the other hand –– just as we don't need a nation of undewater basket weaving history majors, we also don't need a nation of plumbers, ditch-diggers, street-sweepers, and AC techs. ...then again, the streets would be clean, our toilets would always work, and our A/C would always be blowing cold, so it wouldn't be that bad.
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This is true. The fact of the matter, however, is that in most parts of the country unless you own the business that provides those services (and are capable of running a successful business) those jobs will pay relatively low salaries.
The interesting thing is that as other posters have pointed out, those that go to college and get a degree in pre-renaissance art theater are initially not going to be as employable (or even as basically valuable in the market) as the trades you mentioned. However, if they decide to start applying for jobs with state/city/county/federal government, they will have access to thousands of jobs that will simply be closed to those without a bachelors. I won't bother bringing engineering, medical, legal, scientific degrees to the discussion because they have an obvious value (if not in the very short term after graduation) that can't really be argued. Quoted:
we need auto repair techs, heating and AC techs, electricians and plumbers. not everyone needs to or should go to college unfortunatley that is NOT the message we have been telling our kids in high school |
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That is an amazing achievement! What 4 fields did you earn full degrees in?
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College is great for two things Beer and Sex... I have 4 college degrees and use none of them to earn a living. Everything you actually learn in college can be found at your local library. |
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Dunno... its weird. Some people care, some don't.
I have one brother with no college, who was offered a job working with Sid Meier's team(Firaxis I guess), because he helped so much with bugs, exploits, and making a scoring method for the community.. among other things. I have another brother with no college, who has been turned down half a dozen times for high-paying IT jobs, solely because he has no degree. He's had interviewers tell him he's the most qualified candidate, but HR won't let them hire someone without a degree. |
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People need to understand that college is an investment in your future. So, obviously it's important to pick a major and obtain a degree in a field that will provide you with financial security for the rest of your life. Too often people pick majors because a particular subject interests them without understanding where it's going to take them in the future.
Moral of the story: Don't major in music or art. Receive a technical degree and play in a band or paint as a hobby..... 
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Quoted:
People need to understand that college is an investment in your future. So, obviously it's important to pick a major and obtain a degree in a field that will provide you with financial security for the rest of your life. Too often people pick majors because a particular subject interests them without understanding where it's going to take them in the future. Moral of the story: Don't major in music or art. Receive a technical degree and play in a band or paint as a hobby..... |
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This thread highlights a major problem with the American school system. We're very focused on college prep. We really should be focusing on life skills. There should be multiple accepted paths. The traditional K through college, and then some other K through vocational training routes that are all viewed as being more than acceptable.
I think this country would be way better off if we could teach kids how to count change in their heads, or how a good work ethic is important. In some cases, basic manners would be a good start. |
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I'm torn on this.
Neither of my parents attended college, and my dad has a successful union job as a mechanic, my mom never went to college but she works in home health. I, on the other hand, went to college, got an associate's degree, but no one was really hiring, so I took the first job that'd hire me, a job you really DON'T need a degree to do, and so far I love it. I wouldn't say my degree was a waste of money, but I really saw no other options than college. Mil. won't have me, and I'm not that good with my hands, so no trades for me. I'd go back for my Bachelor's but I don't want to get a piece of paper to get the same results as before. The other thing is I agree with a lot of the other posters, I know a lot of people that have degrees in art and literature, for instance, and they're either flipping burgers or doing other work. |