College degree not worth cost?

[Pink Ranger]

I'd say that, if you want to go for a degree, don't major in something that doesn't have any job potential and be saddled with loans for nothing. I went for my interest (Psychology), and I discovered that I had a hard time getting a job after I graduated. Right now I'm working in administration. If I could do it all over again, I'd do some research to see what kind of careers that the employers are looking for right now, so I can make sure my degree will worth something later on. Of course, back when I was studying we didn't have such useful tools as Google to help us with answers, like students nowadays have. Kids don't realize how lucky they are right now.

I wish you all the best, but read one of my previous posts (#20). You might be working as an administrator now, but your education will better prepare you for promotion or a management role more than you can know right now.

Not everybody is cut out to be an engineer or doctor. Most of my friends I wouldn't trust them to open a band aid, that's just the way life is.

 

[Erzengel]

I was pretty much told, anything that you have to take a test to become a professional in, (medical, law, engineering) were worthwhile.

 

[amazingfantasy15]

Here's a fun statistic for you, 85% of college graduates move back in with their parents after they graduate.

85%! And that's graduates, not drop outs (maybe their parents wouldn't take them back?).

I moved back home, it was because I was just starting out, living at home was cheap while I looked for a job and started on my career. Moved out of my parent's house just after a year and haven't moved back and doing pretty well for myself. Moving back home isn't a bad idea, it can help you save some money when you're just starting out.

I think a college degree is definitely worth it, especially if you go away to school. Sure, you'll learn things in the classroom, but I felt I learned a lot more outside of the classroom. It broadens your scope of experience, gets you out of your comfort zone of family and high school friends. You do need to pick the right major though. If you're not planning on going further than a Bachelor's degree, don't pick physcology or philosophy.

 

[Erzengel]

I lived at home until after college, and then moved in with the SO then into our own home.

But I wonder how many of those college graduates move back home because they don't want the 1 bedroom apartment, giving up their first world indulgences like internet, video games and their comfortable way of life.

I mean if your parents are fine with it, and you do try and contribute to your parents? But I'm sure their parents made it work with a lot less back then.

 

[Manic]

I have two friends who graduated college in 2006. The one with the Chemistry degree is currently living in a scenic condo. The one with the Art degree is currently unemployed and I used to be his supervisor at a retail store.

Sometimes it just depends.

 

[venom892]

I'm graduating with a BA in English Lit this December. But I'm also getting a certificate in Public and Professional writing. That way I can find a job after graduation while at the same time pursuing a masters in Creative Writing.

 

[CConn]

Having a career path is more important than college itself.

My ex graduated from Drexel with Honors and a Biology degree and makes $10 dollars an hour at Nordstrom's.

I didn't go to school a day in my life, got a GED when I turned 18 and immediately got a managerial position making over $10 an hour. I now make way more than that jut through internal promotions, and once I get my degree, I'll be able to multiply my current salary by even more (potentially, I could make upwards of $300,000 a year pretty easily if my job performance warrants it).

The difference between those two is career path. At 18, I immediately got myself a career path, and - even though college is a requirement - I was more able to suceed than someone who was all about school from 5-21.

The other thing I think is overvalued is the quality of college you go to. In reality, I don't think most employers give a **** about where you went or what your major was, they care more about who you are as an individual, and them being able to say they only hire college graduates.

So, it would really be much smarter to go to a small school, rack up 30 grand in debt and get a good job, then it would be to go to a big name school, rack up 100-200 grand in debt, and still only be able to get the same job.

 

[Erzengel]

Some of the big name schools can open a lot of doors for you.

 

[CConn]

It some cases, sure. But everyone considers it a given, and it isn't. It's little more than a costly gamble.

I know people who graduated from Drexel, LaSalle, and Duke and and they all have **** jobs.

The people I know who graduated from smaller schools like James Madison, FIT and TCNJ all have way better jobs. And they're far less in debt.

 

[Spidey-Bat]

As others have said, it's really what your degree is in that matters. I went in to college intending to major in History. I enjoyed studying it but it doesn't really do much except make you slightly more interesting to talk to at parties. I didn't want to spend 4 years working toward a degree that gets me nothing, I wanted my time in college to actually prepare me for a career I wanted, so I chose Information Science. I did well and got accepted into a master's program. For the moment I'm unemployed, mostly because I have a pretty underwhelming resume, I decided my major beginning of junior year (kind of late) and never felt I had a good handle on the material to get a job in it.

 

[Raiden]

I wish you all the best, but read one of my previous posts (#20). You might be working as an administrator now, but your education will better prepare you for promotion or a management role more than you can know right now.

Not everybody is cut out to be an engineer or doctor. Most of my friends I wouldn't trust them to open a band aid, that's just the way life is.

Thanks for the advice. I might be promoted to a higher position soon (fingers crossed), and I hope my degree will eventually be of use later on.

 

[CConn]

Also.

All you people do know that the reason why most occupations require college degrees now is mainly just a big conspiracy with major universities, right?

 

[Thundercrack85]

This will cause real problems, when most jobs require an otherwise useless degree, which will leave everyone in debt, and underemployed (if at all employed).

Tuition has gone up 600% since 1980. If that doesn't change, you will see an economic depression the likes this world won't have seen since the late 1920's.

 

[CConn]

Yep, you're right. And werecalready starting to see that now.

It's really indicative of the woes of our overall society; everyone scrambles to be as successful and wealthy as possible in the now with a near total disregard of what impact that has on the future.

That's why the housing market crashed, that's why everyone is now underemployed, etc.

 

[Thundercrack85]

What would you suggest though? Make laws to lower tuition?

Really, the question is, where is all this money going? Why do college books cost so much? What the hell are we paying this much for? Soon regular colleges will cost as much as the Ivy League did a decade ago. And for what?

And the kicker is that a diploma is actually worth less now than it was in 1980.

 

[Manic]

Ugh. I've seen job listings where employers ask for bachelors degrees, even though the jobs are clearly easy enough for any moderately intelligent person to pick up with a day of training.

 

[CConn]

What would you suggest though? Make laws to lower tuition?

Really, the question is, where is all this money going? Why do college books cost so much? What the hell are we paying this much for? Soon regular colleges will cost as much as the Ivy League did a decade ago. And for what?

And the kicker is that a diploma is actually worth less now than it was in 1980.

Honestly, I think the problem is that we have a ridiculously weather elite class who have been slowly extorting money from the middle and lower classes for the past 50 years.

The problem is, most people in the middle and lower classes are too dumb to actually do or say anything about it.

For instance, the housing crisis was caused by banks giving out bad loans. Loans they never should have given. Conversely, if all those dumb ****s who applies for the loans were smart enough to not apply for them in the first place, there wouldn't have been a problem.

That's a sophomoric example, I know, but essentially, if those in the middle and lower classes were smarter in making their own small-scale decisions in life, the upper class would be less able to sap money away from them.

 

[Thundercrack85]

So, in other words, we're screwed. Well unless normal people wake up and realize that this can't work.

Maybe that'll happen after tuition goes up 1000%. Won't be long now. And we'll be paying for books what we once payed for classes. Even though you could scan it, and put it on a PDF... for next to nothing.

 

[Lighthouse]

How about this question: Is the opportunity cost of college worth it? There are so many well paying trade skills jobs that are available because no one has experience in doing them. Maybe we should start showing this as a possible career choice to kids instead of basically telling them they must go to college for a job.

 

[Thundercrack85]

But college shouldn't just be about the degree, or the drinking. It's supposed to be about an education. Broadening your mind. Knowledge for the sake of knowledge. Emphasis on supposed to be.

It has become a degree factory. That's part of the problem.

 

[Spider-Who?]

I attended art school and since graduating in 06, I make 95,000 a year, nor including income from freelance gigs. Out of all my college friends, I'm one of two that have jobs in our field. Yes, my college debt is killer, but it was worth it for me, absolutely.

Yes the terrible economy certainly hinders college grads finding jobs, which in turn hurts their finances, which in turn hurts the economy even more. But the truth is, even if the economy was fantastic, there would still be burger flippers with degrees for one reason or another. A lot of it has to do with people not understanding what they're getting themselves into when going to college. There are SO many degrees that are fruitless, and so many careers that require more than a bachelors degree, and for one reason or another, people ignore that. They think, "ok, I went to college. I did my time, now shower me with money." Getting that degree is not a magic wand that will majestically get you work. I think high schools should spend far more time preparing kids for college. Not just for the grades and state exams, but the reality of it...the options and careers and requirements for careers and job hunting skills, etc. It's a sham how little time is actually spent on it.

 

[CConn]

It's pretty impressive that you make that much with an art degree.

 

[Brother Jack]

As a bit of an aimless college student, reading all of this gives me conflicting feelings of hope and despair.

 

[terry78]

As a bit of an aimless college student, reading all of this gives me conflicting feelings of hope and despair.

Good. The plan is working.

 

[Thundercrack85]

It may work out for some people, but no one can ignore that college tuition is completely out of control. And that the college degree will soon be, or has already become the modern equivalent of a high school diploma.

Which is problematic since one is free, and the other costs an increasingly large amount of money, which is leaving millions in debt before they even enter the work force. Unless this gets addressed you will see worse social stratification and an unprecedented economic depression down the road (not too far either).

Combine that with everything else, and you can kiss your middle class goodbye.