Thoughts on a college degree??

I went to cosmetology school. I wasnt cut out for a university and I knew that before I ever entertained the thought of wasting my money on it. I chose cosmetology because I knew that's what I wanted to do since I was little and haven't regretted it one second. I'm now a business owner and doing well for myself.

I think you need to decide for yourself. I don't think college is a waste of time or money. I think as stupid ad it sounds that degree will get you further in some jobs even if it has nothing to do with your major. Obviously you can succeed without it but most of the time it will earn you more money or give you an advantage over someone without a degree.

My husband dropped out of college and he's doing just fine but if he ever wanted to switch jobs he would probably need a degree of some kind. I think a lot of it has to do with the kind of work you are wanting to do. Not all professions require a college degree. Some jobs require more life experience.

 

I worked part time after school in a coin shop and two years later opened my own shop and cornered the market in one specialty field. This led a couple of years later to managing the 2nd biggest silver refinery in the state.

Figure out what you want to do and go do it. If you apply yourself and get good at it opportunities will appear and/or you will find a way to take what you learn and go into biz on your own.

 

Word, dev.

 

Yeah, but that doesn't mean I don't think it's a joke. There are a lot of things under this system I find to be a joke, but they're required to live some semblance of a normal life.

 

Fair enough.

 

I don't feel like I am any better off now than I was before I went to University, from an intellectual stand point. Everything I learned at UNI I could have learned for free at a library or bookstore. I found UNI to be easy. You pay, you get your degree, it is a business. Nearly impossible to fail or even get below a C. I partied hard and rarely studied and got by with a solid B average. I do not understand how anyone could get any worse than a B-/C+... It is between three to five 90 minute courses twice a week. Cake.

I also, finacially, do not feel like I am that far ahead. Yah I earn a little more, but the huge debt more than negates that.

 

Like many experiences in life, you get out what you put in.

 

^
That's a little misleading, I think. Certainly working hard and having a positive attitude will tend to give you better results with a lot of things, but working really hard at your unmarketable major will likely not make you any better at doing your future job. It might make you marginally more employable, in so far as you will have proven that you can work hard and have a certain level of intelligence, but that's about it.

If you are studying something marketable, the investment of your time and money may be justified. If you truly love an unmarketable major, you may find it worthwhile too. However, too many kids end up going to college because that's what they think they're supposed to do, end up with a debt that they will never pay off, and are no better off (or even worse off) for the experience.

 

It's a shame that the post-secondary education system in the US (and it seems to be starting to go this way up here as well) has seemingly become a marketplace to go buy the fanciest piece of paper you can by going into a huge amount of debt, with the hope that it will get you a job. Nobody can afford to learn for the sake of learning anymore.

 

^ I'm all for learning for the sake of learning, if that's what you want to do.

However, I don't think that most college kids go to school because they want to learn for the sake of learning. In most cases, they just don't know what else to do.

 

this is true because the cost of education is rising at rate 4% faster than inflation. costs of good are rising, while we become poorer and education more of a distant wish for many people.

 

I did not detect any passion regarding your choice of major and that is a red flag. College is at least a 4 year investment of your time and money. You should really enjoy your major. If you are not sure then bail out and work and experience till you realize what you really want to do and then follow it. It may be college, it may not be. Good news is that for the vast majority life is long and you have lots of chances to re-invent yourself.

 

There was a time when just having a degree guaranteed you a good job, but these days not so much. I believe the school you graduate from can carry more weight then the actual degree.

Schools like USC and Harvard tend to carry more weight, especially if a potential employer or business associate graduated from the same alma mater. You can either climb the corporate ladder or take the elevator.

 

here's some lyrical motivation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJGGzunxHmE"]Too $hort - Gettin' It - YouTube

 

More likely the elevator breaks down on the first or second floor, and you spend your whole life waiting for someone to fix it, but the asshole repair men spend more time fighting with each other than getting anything done.

 

If you're going to take the elevator, be sure you have the drive needed to pay for it. Or have a family member who is willing to fork over some of their bank roll.

I know a girl who just received her degree in broadcast journalism with an emphasis in marketing (relatively useless degree in an over saturated, very competitive field of industry) from Penn State, she's $80k in debt. But she's lazzyyyyy!! She works as a receptionist making $13.50/hr, 20 hours a week. I've asked her why she's not using her degree or working in marketing, interning somewhere during her free time. She has no real answer. Meanwhile, she can't deposit her paychecks into her bank account because Sally Mae has levied her account for student loans!

And by the way, we live in New York City. All the big networks have offices here so its not like we're in some remote area that makes it difficult for her to begin her career.

 

I've noticed that journalism in recent years has become a means of pushing agendas/selling products, but I didn't think they would go so far

 

It's great if you got accepted into a program, but it doesn't necessarily mean that it's a good idea to go. That some portion of the applicants were not accepted is really irrelevant.

If you are lukewarm about studying astronomy, I would recommend against it. If you burn with a passion to study the stars, go for it, but my impression is that it is tough to get a job in that field. There's a limited number of astrophysicists who have jobs, just a small number who are professors and university based researchers. You would not only have to have a Ph.D., you would also have to be among the best Ph.D.'s to get the job, and then you would have to work like a dog to keep it.

As long as the economy is shit, you need loans to pay for school, and you need to make a living, it's important to think about what a degree costs and what that degree will give you.