Colleges are pulling the biggest con job (scholarships, pay, graduated)

[stan4]

Originally Posted by ryhoyarbie

No one expects to get paid 100k right out of school unless you're working in the medical area as some sort of doctor. As the person above me said, you come off as a di**/jackass when you say that.

A decent wage one could assume after they graduate from college could be 14-15 dollars an hour, work full time, gain more skills and experience, and grow as a person within the company. Sounds good to me.

Maybe not 100k, but I know an awful lot of whiny grads who are cheezed their C+ liberal arts majors aren't getting them $50k jobs right out of the gate.

Try to explain to them that even architecture majors don't get that starting...they look at you like you're from the moon.

Btw, in 'the medical area,' you are at least SEVEN YEARS out of college before you even approach 100k.

[TabulaRasa]

Originally Posted by UNC4Me

It makes me sad to think of all the kids graduating with huge loans. Yes, part of the issue is the increasing cost of college attendance. But, there is another part of the problem that I think many have disregarded. Parents who put things like expensive homes, cars and vacations ahead of saving for their kids college educations.

My parents (neither of whom had the opportunity to attend college) made it very clear that I was expected to attend college. They expected me to do well in school and they expected to pay for my college education. When I had kids, had the same expectations of them and of myself. DH and I always made college savings a priority in our budget and were able to pay for our kids to attend college. Why is it that so many whose parents scrimped and saved to send kids to college back in the day are not willing to do so for their kids? Is this just another symptom of Americans not valuing education?

I'm part of the Baby Boom generation, (although some think that those of us at the tail end (1960-1964) really don't belong in that generation since those born at the beginning of the Baby Boom (1946) could literally be our parents) and I think many of us have failed to pass on the gift of the "free" education we received.

I think it probably depends on where you are, what the norms are, etc. My parents are both Boomers (dad b. 1947, mom b. 1952), and neither of them got a free education courtesy of their parents. They were raised in a rural/small town area in the interior of the country to Greatest Generation parents who were a factory foreman, a millworker, a waitress, and a homemaker. Their parents were in no position to fund higher education for them...as was the case for most of their peers, as well, in a blue collar ag-industrial population. Their parents didn't sink money into expensive houses, cars or vacations, either.

[ryhoyarbie]

Originally Posted by stan4

Maybe not 100k, but I know an awful lot of whiny grads who are cheezed their C+ liberal arts majors aren't getting them $50k jobs right out of the gate.

Try to explain to them that even architecture majors don't get that starting...they look at you like you're from the moon.

Btw, in 'the medical area,' you are at least SEVEN YEARS out of college before you even approach 100k.

No one expects to get paid 50K once they graduate either. 50k a year for someone who has an bachelors in electrical engineering I can see, not for other majors. But then again these are people you know of who are complaining.

People in the medical field who have doctorate degrees get paid that much. My brother who is a pharmacist makes around 200,000 a year. If you think I'm lying I can give you his email address and you can ask him yourself. He and his buddies don't work at a CVS or Walgreens, they have their own business and make a lot more than the average pharmacist.


As for me, I'd be happy getting paid 13 dollars an hour right now, and I've been out of college for over 6 years now.

[WildCardSteve]

Originally Posted by deepimpact2

These kinds of threads are getting really old. I don't understand the sudden attack on higher education.

Oh, you mean what I call "the schooling industry?"

They'd have you think their product is synonymous with education. It isn't.

For free, I can go to the library and educate myself about anything. The idea that I need some degreed windbag to spoon feed it to me is absurd.

That should be legally required to let you just go take the test, then get credit if you pass, for a nominal fee.

[northstar22]

Originally Posted by Chemistry_Guy

You don't get it. Some people, obviously not you, value education for reasons other than a paycheck. You don't go to college for access to information, you go to be taught how to think critically and evaluate ideas by experts in the field. Education is not technical job training. The fact that critical thinking and education frequently leads to financial success is just a byproduct of the process, not the singular goal.

Obsession with money is good indicator that someone has low self esteem. Who cares how many zeroes are in your bank account? Personality, friendships, health, family, ideals and self respect are far more important than money to most well adjusted people. Money doesn't buy happiness. Many people have both happiness and money, but plenty of people have money but are miserable.

Beautiful post. People really need to grasp that education is not a means to an end, but it is valuable in and of itself. Colleges teach skills that nothing else could ever replace, and no, renting books from the local library is no substitute from taking university courses from real professors, completing real projects, performing real research and making real connections with other learners.

Personally, I'd rather be poor and educated than rich and ignorant.

[WildCardSteve]

Originally Posted by northstar22

renting books from the local library is no substitute from taking university courses from real professors, completing real projects, performing real research and making real connections with other learners.

Personally, I'd rather be poor and educated than rich and ignorant.

Real professors...who are off doing research while grad students teach the actual course?

I completed numerous real projects and did a bunch of real research...on treating hazardous waste...without coming a mile of a college.

The fact is, some people hate/are bored by school, and I'm one of them. Search the annals of science and technology and you'll find many others.

[ryhoyarbie]

Originally Posted by northstar22

Beautiful post. People really need to grasp that education is not a means to an end, but it is valuable in and of itself. Colleges teach skills that nothing else could ever replace, and no, renting books from the local library is no substitute from taking university courses from real professors, completing real projects, performing real research and making real connections with other learners.

Personally, I'd rather be poor and educated than rich and ignorant.

So what you're telling me is that you would want a college degree that costs 30,000 (just to throw in a number) and a 8 dollar an hour job?

[Megadell]

You don't need to spend thousands of dollars and years in what is often adult daycare to "find yourself" if that means isolating yourself from the real world as it so often does.

Anyone who goes to school to find themselves isn't worried about paying for school. For the vast majority of people, I'd say the goal is a job. A good job. A well paying job.

And saying those who aren't college educated Or go to school to earn a living ignorant is the sign of an ignorant jackass. That degree won't keep you warm if it doesnt land you a job to keep a roof over your head.

[northstar22]

Originally Posted by WildCardSteve

Real professors...who are off doing research while grad students teach the actual course?

I completed numerous real projects and did a bunch of real research...on treating hazardous waste...without coming a mile of a college.

The fact is, some people hate/are bored by school, and I'm one of them. Search the annals of science and technology and you'll find many others.

College isn't for everyone . . . that was not my point. I was saying that the point of college is to get an education, not to get job training.

Also, real professors teach classes at many smaller colleges and universities. The Ivies and big state schools are where you'll find classes taught by grad students (and grad students need teaching experience . . . we have to get it somewhere).

[Megadell]

Yea, education for a job. Now, maybe for more liberal arts courses. But even then the goal is often to teach. Otherwise you wouldn't enter a degree program. You'd just take courses in the classes that interest you.