Post College Disillusionment - a rant

[leoncour]

I thuroughly agree with the OP.

Every force in my early life - parents, high school counselors, society in general - told me to go to the best college I could possibly get into after high school. If I did not then it was implied that I was mentally inferior to my peers who did.

Well I did just that, and college was one of the most stressful, useless, and time wasting things I have ever done. I fell into a serious depression and had to take antidepressants because I hated being there so much. I was terrified of dropping out because I was afraid that I would be looked down upon and would not be marketable.

After floundering for a bit I majored in histroy. I sstudied for five years at a university. I graduated with about 40k of debt, no money in my savings, and no marketable skills. I didn't understand the real world or what was marketable. I moved back with my parents and worked at some ****ty retail job for a while. I finally pulled myself together and am now working towards my masters degree in something more practical (city planning).

I dream of the day when I can move out of my parents house and pay off that debt. But I can only look back with disgust at how I spent my early twenties and how I didn't know any better. I would concur with the others that said you should only go to college to learn something marketable or have the long range goal of going to graduate or professional school. But have a goal - if you don't you'll flounder and ultimately fail.

 

[ChrizZ]

what do you guys think about studying marketing and sales? cause that´s what I wanna do...

 

[Francisco d'Anconia]

I thuroughly agree with the OP.

Every force in my early life - parents, high school counselors, society in general - told me to go to the best college I could possibly get into after high school. If I did not then it was implied that I was mentally inferior to my peers who did.....

It's funny the advice that certain people give you. Sometimes you have to step back to see whether they had taken their own advice; the results are sometimes scary. I look at Donald Trump's kids and believe that he may not win a Father of the Year award, but his kids learned some very valuable and usable information from him.

 

[Colossus]

Im sure this thread has about worn itself out, but I read the OP and have to throw in an experienced opinion.

First of all, you have to have a gameplan. You got a very generalized degree, went through with no apparent direction, and are disillusioned that you cannot find a job. Whoever posted that colleges are a business is absolutely correct, BUT---you can make your time and money work to your advantage.

I went to art school a couple years out of high school, aimlessly and without any solid goals, and found myself in the same position as you. I am actually very talented in arts and graphics, but I had no experience, which is the currency of a job-seeker. It didnt matter that I had a degree, a non-professional portfolio and some talent, I had nothing "real-world" (read: work that made money) to show for it. So I found myself $25,000 poorer and getting $10.00/hr jobs. Slap in the face, i know.

Fast-forward 5 years.

I am now almost finished with my second undergrad in pre-med then im off to med school. Now if i were to just stop after this bachelor's and go look for a job, i would be in no better (probably worse!) of a place than before I started. You have to think long-term. I have a very specific goal and I know exactly what it takes to get there. If I stopped mid-way through all of the mountains of work and stress, I'd just be another indebted college grad.

I wish I would have known all of this 8 years ago, and so do alot of people, but I had my head so far up in the clouds I wouldnt have used that wisdom effectively anyways. This sounds trite, but college is what you make of it. Period.

Thats the paradox of understanding life backwards.

 

[Mr. Ballz]

Currently, Im aiming for an Exercise Science degree. Than moving on to grad school for physical therapy. this should create a secure job, but thats not why I'm doing this. I wanted something I was passionate about and found it to be the human body and the joys of helping people improve their lifestyle. If I am truly passionate the amount of work will be worth it. I dont want to do something Ill hate everyday wasting my time with bull**** jobs that leave no personal satisfaction.

 

[Zerix]

Currently, Im aiming for an Exercise Science degree. Than moving on to grad school for physical therapy. this should create a secure job, but thats not why I'm doing this. I wanted something I was passionate about and found it to be the human body and the joys of helping people improve their lifestyle. If I am truly passionate the amount of work will be worth it. I dont want to do something Ill hate everyday wasting my time with bull**** jobs that leave no personal satisfaction.

Wow, that's me right there! Except I'm not currently going with it... I'm a business major right now. My bro owns his own business, and wanted me to pursue it. It's not like I hate it, but it isn't my passion. I'll see what happens...

 

[GQ_Confidence_1]

It's been said before, but college is a gigantic scam. I think the faster you realize that, the faster you can do something about it, and improve your life.

The system is designed to turn out freshly minted worker bees that aren't much better than indentured servants that are heavily in debt, work for peanuts, and are expected to feel good about it!

That's a cynical view, but I think it's true.

Even if you go along with the current model (go to school, get a "good safe job". Work 50 hours a week. Live happily ever after). There's still an aweful lot of kinks to be worked out.

Look at this mortgage mess. I'm sure plenty of college educated individuals got trapped in some of these exotic mortgages and "just having a nice job" doesn't mean anything to your overall quality of life. College doesn't teach anything.

It's a cynical view, but I think college is a full blown cult.

-There's no dissent.
-There's no questioning of anything. You're in a situation where, they're always right, and you have to make it on your own.
-There's no money back guarantee. You even have to pay for an application to enter! How many businesses can say that?
-There's no limit on anything. This is what's scary and what get's people depressed.

There's no limit on debt. How else do you get $25 or $50 k in the hole and told to feel good about it?

There's no limit on the cost of textbooks. Why not just print out pdfs and take them to class? Why in the world would you buy $150 textbooks you'll never use again?

There's no limit on the amount of work you get (projects on weekends, nights, etc).

All the bells, the social control (have to stay in your seat, have to stay for the whole class even though you might be finished with your work). It's all designed to make you into an employee.

Regardless of what your degree, I think everyone that went through college needs a massive dose of self education to make it in life. Finances. How to spend your time. Just some good ol' thinking for yourself.

Look at cost of living. Look at what's going on in the real world. Stores that close, trends, where things are going.

Look at networking opportunities.

I belonged to Toastmasters for awhile, great networking opportunity with other professionals. It cost $80 a year to join, I certainly didn't learn about it from college. And certainly alot cheaper than any communications class in college.

I'm still glad I went to college for the experience, but it's a full blown business, it's a scary cult, that doesn't let anyone out of their grip. They're ruthless (how else do you explain people leaving depressed with six figures of debt). Thinking for myself was way more valuable than what I learned in college.

 

[I'm Joe Dirt]

College is what you make of it. If you just go there, sit in class, do your homework, etc. you aren't getting your money's worth.

If you go to college, do the work, go above and beyond the work to really pursue knowledge, and network with people and have intellectual conversations with them, then you will get a lot out of college. You will become better informed and more mature.

As far as jobs go, you gotta do what you are good at. College is not a guarantee of any employment much less "good", "well paying" employment. It's a tool you can use to further your knowledge and give yourself a leg up in the real world (whether you use your knowledge to get a job or to start your own business or just enjoy yourself more as is the case with liberal arts majors that have absolutley no employment value).

If you believe that going to college is supposed to guarantee that you get paid well later in life then yes, you will be disillusioned with college and life. If that's all you went to college for, "to get a better job", you are wasting your time and money.

If you go to college for the experience, the intellectual growth, and to learn some things that really interest you then you will be happy with your experience and you will find college beneficial in your future working life.

 

[SmoothTalker]

GQ man, what college did you go to? I'm in Canada, and while I am not too thrilled with University here, that's mostly my own fault because I chose the wrong program.

Your college still sounds like high school. I mean, do you guys seriously have bells?

At my university, its quite different. Not a single bell, and you can come and go out of lectures whenever you want, though of course most people stay the whole time to not be rude.

During labs and tutorials where you're working on your own stuff, you're free to come and go whenever you're done. Here you can also have discussions with the instructors. I can't really say there's dissent, but I was in a very technical program where you can't really disagree lol. I mean unless the professor makes a mistake, calculus is what it is.

And yes, it IS a lot of work. But there is a lot to learn, so what do you suggest? Longer semesters? More years in school?

I'm sorry but if you can't get a job out of college, somethings wrong. At my school the employment statistics are about 95% of people are employed in their field within 6 months of graduation. Many even get job offers before they are finished. We have companies like Microsoft, Google, OpenText, and Research in Motion coming to campus and recruiting the best people before they even graduate, and even the average ones can get a job pretty soon afterward.

And I know these aren't manipulated statistics because I know people that have recently graduated and they are all doing pretty well for themselves. One guy even got a job starting at 70K a year.

It's pretty amazing because we have MUCH less money for education here. I think it's something like we have 1/3 of the money per student that schools like MIT have, but our grads seem to be top notch.

Maybe you guys should all come to Canada for your education. It's cheaper, and apparently better too.

 

[GQ_Confidence_1]

I went to Cal State Northridge in Southern California. At the higher end of the Cal State's, but no where near the UC's, or Ivy Leagues or anything.

I'm glad I went, the experience was good, I had some good professors....but the system itself, college, it's horribly overpriced...it's a gigantic scam, no doubt in my mind.

If you took the brand name "college" out of the equation, and tried to sell the same classes privately, no one would pay $10,000 or $15,000 a year for what's being taught.

It's like a movie theater that gouges you for $4 popcorn just because they can. But they do it with application fees, tests (SAT prep), books, classes, everything.

You learn to accept things that you don't like. Costs you don't like, hassles, inconvenience, people you don't like. Hmmmm, a perfect way to prep you for putting up with employers you don't like...

There weren't any bells there, I was thinking of highschool, grade school. But still alot of control, following authorities, etc.

And besides the costs, all the stress, the late nights, the cramming for tests (that you forget about the next day), and all the fear and anxiety. You go through the ringer.

And definitely you can do well afterwards and get a job at Google or some place. But what "they" try to sell you and hype up is no where close to reality.

 

[DrMetallica]

Finishing up my undergrad in accounting this semester, applying to grad schools, and already have a job offer at a Big 4 accountancy firm.

The future is bright

 

[Suicide]

The people who are stressing out, cramming for tests and studying all night are the ones who have failed to properly plan their time. It sounds like you simply didn't schedule yourself correctly. I keep/kept a 3.95 honors GPA without needing a single all-nighter or studying marathon.

 

[Centaurion]

double post :cheer:

 

[Centaurion]

You want a job after college?

Here are some simple steps to help you:

1) Choose a good college, and not some ****ty state college.

2) Choose a good program - stay away from useless sh!t as arts, philosophy, history etc.

3) Find out everything you can about your program during the first semester. What's the job market like - future possibilities? Who are the best professors / TAs? What are the prerequisites for grad school? What's the work load like? This way you can plan ahead and even skip a semester or two if you know what you are doing. Are you going to write a master thesis? Why wait till the 5th year – start as soon as possible and deliver it at the start of the 5th year – boom you’re one year ahead the pack.

4) Be active - take initiative. Be active in class, get to know your professors (use them actively - they can be a great asset in your academic life) and your fellow students (networking - 'the Boys Club' is truly alive and working).

5) Always do your best – always try to get the best grades. When you get good grades, professors will notice you, they’ll see that you are motivated and will be more inclined to help you out with your potential master/PhD thesis. And they might also recommend you to potential employers.

6) Be friendly to everyone you meet – join a frat. Yes, drinking and partying goes hand in hand with being in a frat, and some frat boys can be douche bags, BUT if you are attending a good college, most of your ‘frat brothers’ will end up in good jobs – thus giving you a great networking opportunity. Refer to point 4. The boys club is active as ever.

7) Partying, drinking and getting nookie goes hand in hand with the college experience, but keep it moderate. There is nothing wrong with partying and drinking, but do not let it affect your grades. Remember you are paying sh!tloads for college, your education has to be top priority. You can party when you are making 200k usd/year and sniffing coke off some models boob. But in order to get there you need to lay the ground work. Do not squander off your college years with sorostitues and fratparties.


BOTTOM LINE : You're spending a lot of money on college and therefore you should try to get the best out of it.

 

[The Experiment]

A little late to the party but there's much I have to say about this.

The best example is that there was an ex-girlfriend of mine. She was drop dead gorgeous and never had to lift a finger because daddy and her boyfriends bankrolled her whole lifestyle. She rarely attended classes, took an easy major, and thought that because she was hot, doors would continually open for her.

I just saw her about a month ago, working at some retail management position for $11.25 an hour. She was thoroughly disillusioned because she got a LAS major and thought that since she was hot and had a college degree, that she could get a $40,000 to $60,000 job. As much as I don't like her, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her at the fact that there is one more poor sucker who thought that college meant piles of money.

I was headed down her path. I was a Civil Engineering major but I didn't take it too seriously. I'd do the bare minimum (C's get degrees) and then coast into a job where I'd then work hard. After seeing many people in my position not find a single job relating to their major after graduation, I ditched this bunk theory, and except for the last semester, have been getting on the Dean's List, doing extracurriculars, and taking a larger role in my education.

If you have a high demand major, unless you are a total **** up, you will find a job. It may not be the highest paying but you will find one. If you are in a low demand major, then you have to stand head and shoulders above the rest just to even get noticed. LAS majors have to do more than hit up the bars 4-5 times a week if they want a job to pay back their student loans.

College is not a drunken orgy. We all wish it was. We all wish it was like Animal House or Van Wilder where we can **** around, **** as many girls as possible, and then cram for the finals to ace the class in the end. Too many people do that only to find themselves booted out due to academic probation.

 

[GQ_Confidence_1]

I wrote about college and public school, and it's basically a cult.

It's actually more true than I realize, I'm not sure if you guys are familiar with the BITE Model, it's a model of mind control.

http://www.freedomofmind.com/resourcecenter/articles/BITE.htm

If you go down the list, it's eery.

-Behavior Control hits every single mark.
-Information Control, hits the mark.
-Thought Control, hits the mark. Especially those last two...

5. No critical questions about leader, doctrine, or policy seen as legitimate

6. No alternative belief systems viewed as legitimate, good, or useful

-Emotional Control. Yep.

Especially #2. Any problems are always your fault.

If you can't find a job in your major, it's your fault, you're not trying hard enough. Maybe it's a major that never had good job prospects in the first place.

If you fail in school, it's your fault. You're not keeping up with everyone else (even though you may have a different strategy for learning, you might have personal problems, who knows).

#4, there is a ton of fear. If you fail and drop out, you'll be a nobody. If you don't go along with what "they" want you to do, your whole life will be affected. You'll be ruined.

#6. Ritual and often public confession of "sins". - Hmmmmm, when someone does something wrong, don't they confess to the class, "I'll never do it again".

#7. The person under mind control cannot visualize a positive, fulfilled future without being in the group.

That's pretty scary. Kind of sums it all up. Can you visualize a positive and fulfilling future if you aren't in school (and if you don't graduate)?

a. No happiness or fulfillment "outside"of the group.
b. Terrible consequences will take place if you leave. You'll be nothing, flipping burgers at McDonalds.
d. Never a legitimate reason to leave. From the group's perspective, people who leave are: "weak;" "undisciplined;" "unspiritual;" "worldly;" "brainwashed by family, counselors;" seduced by money, sex, rock and roll.

Hmmmmmm....

 

[Suicide]

^

bull****

 

[Mr. Highroller]

You want a job after college?

Here are some simple steps to help you:

1) Choose a good college, and not some ****ty state college.

2) Choose a good program - stay away from useless sh!t as arts, philosophy, history etc.

3) Find out everything you can about your program during the first semester. What's the job market like - future possibilities? Who are the best professors / TAs? What are the prerequisites for grad school? What's the work load like? This way you can plan ahead and even skip a semester or two if you know what you are doing. Are you going to write a master thesis? Why wait till the 5th year – start as soon as possible and deliver it at the start of the 5th year – boom you’re one year ahead the pack.

4) Be active - take initiative. Be active in class, get to know your professors (use them actively - they can be a great asset in your academic life) and your fellow students (networking - 'the Boys Club' is truly alive and working).

5) Always do your best – always try to get the best grades. When you get good grades, professors will notice you, they’ll see that you are motivated and will be more inclined to help you out with your potential master/PhD thesis. And they might also recommend you to potential employers.

6) Be friendly to everyone you meet – join a frat. Yes, drinking and partying goes hand in hand with being in a frat, and some frat boys can be douche bags, BUT if you are attending a good college, most of your ‘frat brothers’ will end up in good jobs – thus giving you a great networking opportunity. Refer to point 4. The boys club is active as ever.

7) Partying, drinking and getting nookie goes hand in hand with the college experience, but keep it moderate. There is nothing wrong with partying and drinking, but do not let it affect your grades. Remember you are paying sh!tloads for college, your education has to be top priority. You can party when you are making 200k usd/year and sniffing coke off some models boob. But in order to get there you need to lay the ground work. Do not squander off your college years with sorostitues and fratparties.


BOTTOM LINE : You're spending a lot of money on college and therefore you should try to get the best out of it.

great Fn post i wish ihad that i mind set 4-5 years ago

 

[nb pierre]

i guess it depends on your personality if you are outgoing then a degree will get you in supervisory positions and management positions quicker when the time comes but if you are more of an introvert like myself then you might decide that a more technical or mechanical background will be easier and more rewarding for you to have. make sure that your field has a demand before you sign up.

 

[PeterNorthisawesome]

After reading all the posts I still have a few quetions...

1. What is a "high demand" job?
2. How are doctors, lawyers and pilots suppose to get their certificate without college? College provides experiance and job opps during the summer.
3. Is grad school worth it? What kind of degree should you have to benefit for grad school?
4. I'm thinking of learning two more languages... right now I know two. (Chinese and English) Which additoinal ones should I learn?