The College Degree: Is it worth it?

[Shift]

After putting off school for several years, I've been enrolled in my first quarter of college this past fall.
I'm starting to question whether or not it is worth it. I run into so many people in my life who don't have jobs in their field, and are often working the same jobs/similar pay I got with a high school diploma and a bit of work experience.

I've started to think about dropping out, working up in the ranks a bit at my lower-middle class entry level office job, and living at a lower standard until I have enough capital built up to start a business.

Does anyone come from a similar background who has a success story they would share?
Thoughts?

 

[Bible_Belt]

It's not that all education is bad, but the list of degrees that will actually get you a job grows shorter every year. Most of them will be master's and other graduate degrees.

 

[speed dawg]

After putting off school for several years, I've been enrolled in my first quarter of college this past fall.
I'm starting to question whether or not it is worth it. I run into so many people in my life who don't have jobs in their field, and are often working the same jobs/similar pay I got with a high school diploma and a bit of work experience.

I've started to think about dropping out, working up in the ranks a bit at my lower-middle class entry level office job, and living at a lower standard until I have enough capital built up to start a business.

Does anyone come from a similar background who has a success story they would share?
Thoughts?

I have an engineering degree and make a decent salary. Without it, I wouldn't really have any other discernible skills. I am good at math, administrative type things, and judgement.

What is best? I don't know. Richest people seem to have a dynamic aspect to their personality. I am going to recommend to my kids to learn some type of trade (can be a number of things) in addition to getting their education. But yeah. like BB said, your education must be in a needed field or it's useless. STEM, healthcare....those seem to be the way to go as far as having a background education. But those are also the hardest and least 'fun'.

 

[Shift]

I have an engineering degree and make a decent salary. Without it, I wouldn't really have any other discernible skills. I am good at math, administrative type things, and judgement.

What is best? I don't know. Richest people seem to have a dynamic aspect to their personality. I am going to recommend to my kids to learn some type of trade (can be a number of things) in addition to getting their education. But yeah. like BB said, your education must be in a needed field or it's useless. STEM, healthcare....those seem to be the way to go as far as having a background education. But those are also the hardest and least 'fun'.

Engineering eh? I've always thought that would be interesting. Do you actually enjoy the things you design? Because I imagine it would be really cool to design things like new cars and such. I've also heard of engineers who get stuck designing really mundane things like pen caps or door handles though.

I'm kind of finding that out as I look more into my current area of study, bio/environmental science. I think everyone imagines being Steve Irwin or something. But I've read some really boring scientific papers. 15 pages on slight precipitation differences in California over several years and how it affects the drought. I don't want to be the guy that writes those papers.

I would really like to know if anyone here has a degree that has brought them a fulfilling career that they really enjoy, and make a decent living at.

 

[Tenacity]

I have 4 degrees....so I can provide you some information:

After putting off school for several years, I've been enrolled in my first quarter of college this past fall.
I'm starting to question whether or not it is worth it. I run into so many people in my life who don't have jobs in their field, and are often working the same jobs/similar pay I got with a high school diploma and a bit of work experience.

College is just ONE tool in a toolbox of tools, that you use to CONSTRUCT a career. Most college students today I would say have no business acumen and are brain dead when it comes to strategic management of a career.

So with that being said I must ask you, what are you looking to do and become? For example, if you said you wanted to become a CPA at a Big 4 Firm, then the strategy would be the following:

- Get into a Top 10 Business School, major in Accounting
- Get good grades
- Get an Big 4 internship while there
- Sit for the CPA Exam while in school and pass
- Graduate with honors, a degree in Accounting, and a CPA License
- Get hired for a full time position in Big 4

So with this strategy, you answer your own questions of is college worth it, what college do you attend, what do you major in, and what do you do while you are in college.

If your career strategy is to become a Plumber, you don't need to go to college for that.

I've started to think about dropping out, working up in the ranks a bit at my lower-middle class entry level office job, and living at a lower standard until I have enough capital built up to start a business.

Do you know what type of business you want to start? If so, what are the requirements in terms of capital, marketing, time, energy, licenses, product/service development, networks, etc., that will allow you to be successful/productive/profitable in said business? Get the answers to these questions BEFORE starting a business and don't start a business in something that you haven't at least worked as an employee in or did an apprenticeship in.

 

[speed dawg]

Engineering eh? I've always thought that would be interesting. Do you actually enjoy the things you design? Because I imagine it would be really cool to design things like new cars and such. I've also heard of engineers who get stuck designing really mundane things like pen caps or door handles though.

I'm kind of finding that out as I look more into my current area of study, bio/environmental science. I think everyone imagines being Steve Irwin or something. But I've read some really boring scientific papers. 15 pages on slight precipitation differences in California over several years and how it affects the drought. I don't want to be the guy that writes those papers.

I would really like to know if anyone here has a degree that has brought them a fulfilling career that they really enjoy, and make a decent living at.

Short answer, no. I don't particularly enjoy it. Could be my particular job, which comes with a fair amount of stress though. Looking back, I probably should have gone into accounting or finance. But at the end of the day, the job isn't physically demanding and I will always somewhat be in demand, which is good.

 

[BeExcellent]

I got a bio degree (one of 2 bachelors that I hold) and was accepted to med school. I decided last minute not to do med school & went into research instead. I do very well now as a consultant in the healthcare field.

I'm 25 years into my career & it has done remarkably well when you consider I do not hold a masters or doctorate. You couldn't pay me to go back to school for an advanced degree, I'd lose too much $.

I have a sister with a masters in environmental science. She has worked in alternative energy, which she finds fascinating. She is also an aerospace engineer. She finds jobs to be abundant in those sectors.

I also know someone, the son of a close friend, who is 21 years old and GM at a Chili's type restaurant. He tried uni at 18, didn't like it, wanted to make $$. He quit school. He worked oilfield for a bit and made good cash, but found the work hard & dangerous. So he went to the service industry & worked his way up to GM. He is 21! He is making about 36K per year and living cheap to save up to get into real estate investment.

I know someone else who runs one of the busiest high end places in Vegas who quit college & pulls down @ 300K. He too worked his way up.

You don't have to have a degree (and it's getting harder to justify the expense of college any more) to be successful. You need ambition and a plan. Then you work the plan. Rush Limbaugh & Michael Dell are two men for example who do not have bachelors degrees. But ambition they have in spades.

To work for Michael Dell you need a degree. You don't need a degree to BE Michael Dell.

 

[Shift]

Thanks for the input! I think I'm gonna stick it out a bit longer

 

[SummerNight]

It depends of the country a bit but mostly - people want to hire somebody who knows hot to get s*it done! Unless you are in a very technical area like doctor or some rocket scientist..

 

[speed dawg]

You just have to know where you want to end up, then you can make the right decisions.

I too went through a period where I wasn't sure if I wanted to go down the blue collar/trade skill route, or the white collar/college route. I hated the physical labor of trade work, but I like getting my hands dirty and I also knew there was a point where you make good money without getting dirty anymore. I hated the stress of many aspects of white collar positions, but I also knew I was smart enough and fully capable of more intelligent work, and would be bored and miserable if I didn't pursue it.

Eventually, I figured out exactly what I wanted: a career that combined the best of both worlds. I wanted white collar money and white collar working conditions where I can also get out into the field and get my hands dirty from time to time.

So I went to college and stuck it out for 2 years. I paid for as much of it as I could without taking on loans and I went straight for the courses that I knew would advance my career path. I took Chemistry, Calculus and Computer Science in my first semester, 3 four-credit courses at the same time while everyone else took only one, 4-credit course and a bunch of bullsh*t elective/core courses like basket weaving and photography. After 2 years, I might not have had that degree, but I sure as sh*t had the college education...with 2 years less of loans to pay off.

I then went into the trades. My employer paid for technical training and I earned state licenses and certifications galore. I also went to night school for a few hours a few times a week for computer programming. Eventually I landed a job with the power company at a power generating plant, and after 2 years I moved up into the control room position (same exact job as Homer has in The Simpsons). I now sit in a big, plush office chair (that reclines) in a temperature controlled environment, I tell people what to do over a radio and then I go back to playing Candy Crush while being paid $45 - $70/hr. When I get bored, I put on my hard hat and go get my hands dirty, which my boss loves to see because he thinks I'm going above the call of duty. And the guys below me respect me for jumping in to help them, so they never give me problems when I dole out jobs.

Best part is, I can combine my education and years of work experience to apply for degree-type jobs from the inside, which I'm in the process of doing now. And should I ever decide to go back to school to get an actual degree (or 2...or 3), the company will pay for all of it.

Know what you want. Realize the path to get there.

Great story and I agree on the plan. One question though - did you ever get an actual degree (associates or something)? I don't see the point in you taking those 2 years of classes if you aren't getting some type of paper that says you did it (ie, another 'certification'). Most people don't hire you based on what you know (no way of 'seeing' that). With a degree, they assume they can train you.

You seem to be doing well, so more power to you. I would encourage you though, to go back and complete that education, just for the sake of finishing and getting the paper.

 

[guugly]

If you can't retire (comfortably) after 20 years in a field, either you're a screwup or you have a swelled head about what it takes to retire comfortably.

 

[BlueAlpha1]

I went through a phase where I was in the camp that most college degrees were totally worthless, and I was bitter about my $29,000 in a dopey liberal arts field.

But the good thing I've noticed lately is often times a Bachelors degree, and I mean any Bachelors degree, is a supplement to experience when you're applying for a foot in the door, entry level job. Without the experience needed, they'll still consider you because here you've signaled to your employer that you're competent. Now, with no experience OR degree, you will never get a job.

Obviously if it's a trade, you need an advanced degree. But if it's a broad sales/marketing/corporate position, they often want 3-5 years experience OR a Bachelors degree. So absent the experience, that B.A. could in fact get you that entry level 40k position that can lead to much more, and you wouldn't have gotten the opportunity without the degree.

So my opinion is changing. I'm not prepared to say my $29,000 degree was totally worth it, but to say it's been irrelevant would also be a lie. For me, the jury is still out.

 

[dustmuffin]

My degree was really cheap. I think the most I paid was $500 a semester for a 12 hour load. Books were about $300. I lived at home and attended my states flagship university. When it was time to pay for school my dad just opened his wallet and gave me the cash. No loans

 

[Tenacity]

I have a STEM degree in computer science. It is not as difficult as most people make it. Dry as hell, sure. But if you know computers (even just simple networking) you can work anywhere. It truly is one of the few universal degrees you can get. Even front desk entry level jobs are paying $18/hr +. I have friends in silicon valley with STEM degrees from online schools like Devry and other for profit schools, and they are still making over 100k a year despite online colleges not having the best reputation. However, I also have a friend with a philosophy degree and a near 4.0 GPA from UCLA and is living with his parents.

So the question is, what exactly are you trying to major in? I can teach myself philosophy with Google.

Right, I believe the value of the college degree in general is decreasing rapidly because far too many people have one.

What's going to make you stand out is the same thing that's always made you stand out.....it's having UNIQUE skills that are in DEMAND, or, being connected to a large network to get overpaid for a position that would pay far less elsewhere.

Today you have to be very strategic with designing a career plan and picking a college degree that fits into it. Gone are the days where you can just WING it.

 

[nikkisixx]

no its a scam. they want your 8-ball for nothing. enough about rudys touchdown.