Thoughts on a college degree??

i only applied to one school Humboldt Uni because it was the only school i was really interested in (instate tuition, not too far away to visit from, far away enough not to be bothered, rad weather and area) and i got in for a major in Physics-- Astronomy. A part of me is like really grateful i managed to get accepted but at the same time i'm not even sure if college is worth the hassle. For a while i was really sure i wanted to go to massage therapy school and right now i'm not sure about going to either and filling up on debt.
So what are anyone's thoughts on a college degree in general? Is it worth it just to get one? Has anyone had any bad experiences from not having one? Any thoughts, comments, or advice on college, life & careers would be greatly appreciated many thanks :sunny:

 

NASA is planning to grow plants and vegetables such as turnip and basil on the Moon, by 2015.

Sound interesting?

 

Major in something useful, easily accessible. Like Business or Human Relations. You can narrow down your field of study with a Masters degree later. Other wise, you'll be stuck with a useless degree.

 

I think that the main thing is that you not just go to school and go into debt just because you think it's what you're supposed to do.

I think it's worthwhile to consider what you want to do, what you're good at, what your goals are, what jobs will be available, and the cost of education.

 

I don't agree with getting a college degree, just to get a college degree, unless you just love throwing money away. I think it's a bad idea. Maybe live a little and give yourself time to figure out what you want to do, before you invest a lot of money, time and inconvenience in an education or training program.

 

life is a crap shoot anyways

do what makes you happy

 

I finished mine in 2001, back when everyone still seemed to think that all degrees were somehow valuable. It hasn't been completely useless, but it has been pretty useless... it's in the arts and that's all I'm gonna say. I'm more ashamed than proud of it... but I didn't go into debt or anything, and it did open doors that wouldn't have otherwise been open and I have had opportunities that others haven't.

I don't think there are any guaranteed 'I'm gonna be rich' degrees, because people are catching onto the whole 'useless degree' thing and when it comes down to it no matter what you go into chances are the market is going to be flooded with grads when you're done.

If you ask me, you shouldn't JUST follow your dreams and you shouldn't JUST chase after the money.
Find a nice compromise and you'll be golden... and have a long-term plan.

 

I would encourage you to go for it! Do what you want, seriously. Don't waste too much time making other people happy. If you can afford it with relatively small amounts of debt, live on campus. You'll learn a lot about living on your own, without being completely immersed in "real life."

Physics seems like a really solid major. Even if you don't like it, you'll learn what you do like and go from there. Sadly, these days a college degree is what a high school diploma was 40 years ago. You almost need one to do just about anything.

The thing with massage therapy is that is can be a dead end. You might live paycheck to paycheck forever. Why live that way? At least a BA can get you a more diverse range of jobs.

This post was a bit scatter brained, but let me know if you have any questions. I went to college and really enjoyed the academics, if not the social aspect of it.

 

she's right. you can spend an extra year specializing in something else. double major or get a double bachelor.

be prepared for the journey. harvard has a clinic called "the happiness clinic" which measures just that - happiness. they found something like 5% of people choose a career for life, while the rest of us switch an average of 3-4x in our lifetime. the 5% is made up of those who are typically more regimented while the opposite is more creative and risk taking. its perfectly ok to switch gears and paths in your lifetime so don't put too much pressure on yourself. for this reason, choosing a more broad path of study is helpful because you won't be pigeon held to one specific occupation in the job market. in fact, the process of figuring out what you want to do is organic and…ahem..a process. this means you will need to take steps to confidently decide what to do. research careers, apply to work studies, intern, see if you like it or not and whether its a realistic path to achieve even more longterm goals.

also, I will say that its entirely what you make of it. you will need to apply yourself once you graduate and be innovative with your career path to set yourself apart from the competition. the job market still isn't that great. more and more, employers are requiring 1-2 years of work experience from graduates. the expectation is higher because the job pool is smaller, and employers know this. again, interning is a great way to get course credit and time on your resume.

 

If you can, at least get your general courses out of the way. Even if you don't get a degree now, you can always go back to school later if you decide you want to major in something else later. If you are sure about what you want to do, go for it all now. No matter what it takes - even if you have to work and give up your social life for a few years.

My younger brother knew 100% what he wanted to do when he started college. He sacrificed a lot but he got his masters, he loves what he's doing and he's really well off.
I kept changing my major, partied my ass off, was in school for 7 years got a bachelor's degree. I make good money but I hate my job. However, since I do have my general classes out if the way, I'm going back to school now about ready to finish an associates degree hopefull going on to get a degree in anthropology to retire into.

With that I say, if you really know what you want to do, do it and stay with it all the way. If you don't. Really know what you want to do but have the opportunity to go to school, at least get general studies out of the way - maybe later You'll know what you really want to do.

If you know what you want to do and it doesn't involve college or if you don't think that you will be a good student, don't waste your money. There are guys in my dept. that didn't go to college that aremsking 120,000 a year, and have good retirement plans. They just stick with their jobs and do their. Best.

Sorry for the rambling, I had several drinks to help me sleep.

Just a little more advice: kindles effing suck when it comes to posting in forums...worse than my phone

 

Please disregard my post and listen to this advice from Happilyinlove and from Dixie_pixie. They make a lot more sense.

 

Lol thanks

I have the same problem when I post from my phone.

 

I think college degrees are a joke, really. Getting ahead in this system by paying vast amounts of money/getting into perpetual debt to be told what to think doesn't really appeal to me. But I guess it's necessary to have a "good job" and make "lots of money." Or simply enough money to live comfortably off of... for most people.

 

I enjoyed the education itself, some people don't care about knowledge and just go to college because it's what's expected to live in a rich society. I did it because yes I want a rewarding career, not a lot of money, just something I can say I worked for and spent my life developing. A degree is only the first step in a process.

 

I got a college degree for my own personal reasons, just to get one so to speak. And I don't regret it one bit.

I work with my hands and get dirty at work but I will never ever consider an education a waste.

 

If you want a college degree so you can claim higher wages, there are many free online courses and textbooks by top universities

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18191589

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-17012968

http://www.openculture.com/freeonlinecourses

https://tagteam.harvard.edu/hub_feeds/928/feed_items/41183

Harvard And MIT Create EdX To Offer Free University Courses To The World (VIDEO) http://huff.to/LBucd3

http://www.pinterest.com/geteducated/free-online-classes/

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/02/07/rice-university-announces-open-source-textbooks

free college textbooks online:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUPsb5JXzBQ"]Free College Textbooks Online (September 2013) (PDF/iOS) - YouTube

OR you can save money by living at home and taking basic community college courses then transfer to a university later (check first to make sure the university will accept ALL your credits)

but there is money to be made in blue-collar work..in fact statistically, people living below their means are more likely to be millionaires than flashy doctors and lawyers with high living costs; a likely millionaire can be an unassuming neighbor with a string of mechanic shops, hardware stores, etc.

http://beginnersinvest.about.com/od/wealthmanagement1/ss/independence_6.htm

I have a Masters in English and have taught at universities, high schools, language schools, and am currently teaching online for a US community college while teaching at a school in Thailand, but those jobs just pay the bills. If I want to be financially independent I could gather my courage and start licensing my many inventions. Getting something licensed and the company aggressively marketing and making a profit is a big gamble, but the future payoff could make me plenty...possibly. But the ideas keep coming, and I keep testing prototypes, writing up provisional patents, researching companies, making videos, but so far have been too afraid to start the stop watch on my 10 month window to get a licensing company to agree to pay the patenting costs, or I have to pay myself. I've been making excuses for years, while using my inventions, improving them, making more..had two great ideas yesterday I plan to test ASAP. All the prototypes work, no matter what version, so deciding on a patent description and drawing has been torturous for me. Everytime I've had something ready, I've rebuilt it better and then redo the drawings. I must STOP and just do it already.

 

But there's no real degree after those programs. It's a waste of time unless you are purely doing it for knowledge sake.

 

I'm thinking a university environment could be the perfect venue for a profitable 420 gro and sell op. Higher education still has it's positive aspects.

 

Aren't you in college right now?

 

I was taking classes and then there was an illiterate person in one of them. That degree would be worthless and it was Ashford too, a supposedly "all the bells and whistles" school. Now, I have a debt, some credits from a school that can't be respected and thinking I'd be better off and happier in life opening a ski shop. You have to really scrutinize, because people with degrees are tending bar on bourbo street to pay for loans. So not only does the school matter but the job market and trends. A lot of the current college thing is primarily about getting big bucks out of the gov, not the best in education. "Buyer Beware" is the best thing I can say besides think about a ski shop.