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I know people who are truck drivers who are high school dropouts and they are making as much money as I am. A degree such as psychology, anthropology, or history isn't going to teach you a specific skill.
My GF's mom dropped out of high school in tenth grade. After my GF was born she figured that she (she being my GF's mom) better do something with her life career wise, so she taught herself computer programming. Never went to college for even a day and she now makes over 100 grand working as a project director.
Psychology, anthropology, history, biology, chemistry, and so for forth are just blanket terms to describe very large fields. If you got a B.S. in biology, for instance, all you really received was a basic survey of the subject. A little bit of this and a little of that; nothing really substantial enough to land you any specific job outside of research assistant or lab technician (basically doing all of the menial labor and none of the actual cool stuff) unless the particular school that you went to allowed, or encouraged, undergrad research projects. That is why people go to grad school; to focus on one aspect of, again -something like biology, and specialize.
I think it really comes down to proper planning before you graduate, especially if you're graduating from a B.A OR B.S program. You have to have a very clear and well defined goal of what you expect to achieve when you graduate. All to often you see a bunch of these university students who are in robot/high school mode, and are only concentrating on getting good grades, and a good experience, but aren't focused on attaining technical skills that are marketable to employers ie.volunteering,coop, practicums, a job in a related field. It's time people got their heads out of their *** and get a little bit more serious about career options well before graduation and evev during high school
I think it really comes down to proper planning before you graduate, especially if you're graduating from a B.A OR B.S program. You have to have a very clear and well defined goal of what you expect to achieve when you graduate. All to often you see a bunch of these university students who are in robot/high school mode, and are only concentrating on getting good grades, and a good experience, but aren't focused on attaining technical skills that are marketable to employers ie.volunteering,coop, practicums, a job in a related field. It's time people got their heads out of their *** and get a little bit more serious about career options well before graduation and evev during high school
I have to agree with this. In today's world, you need every bit of experience possible. We were advised all throughout undergrad to intern, and lots of people--myself included--didn't. As a result, I never went into the field that I went to school for. It's a competitive job market and you have only one chance to "Wow" a potential employer. If you're going to invest thousands of dollars in an education, then make sure you reap the benefits of all that money and work. And network, network, network...most of the time, it's not about what you know--it's about who you know.
I almost regret going to college. I'm only two quarters from graduating, so I think I'll at least finish my BS. I just wish I would have known this kind of stuff years ago. If I did, I probably would never have gone. Seems to me like four years of work experience in anything is more useful than four years in college.
I almost regret going to college. I'm only two quarters from graduating, so I think I'll at least finish my BS. I just wish I would have known this kind of stuff years ago. If I did, I probably would never have gone. Seems to me like four years of work experience in anything is more useful than four years in college.
I hate this world sometimes. No, all the time.
Don't take everything you see here at face value.
A college degree makes a lot of things far easier than they would be without the degree. It isn't everything, but it's sort of like seat belts.
There are car accidents in which the seat belt makes things worse. There are other accidents in which the seat belt makes no difference. But the vast bulk of the time, a seat belt is likelier to save your life than having it off would be.
So, too, a college degree - on average, a degree recipient will earn significantly more over a lifetime than the person without the degree - more than enough to pay for the degree.
I just think high schools and parents should stop glorifying college so much, or at least include a warning that it may be risky. They simply lived in a better time when they were college age, when a college degree was above and beyond..
I'm not sure that it ever did; but no, it definitely doesn't now.
The "value" of your degree can really vary. A B.A. in English from a large public university is a totally different ballgame than a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the same institution.
As far as getting a job goes, it depends on your field, but in order:
1. You usually need a college degree to even be considered.
2. Then you need a college degree that is relevant to the job to seperate yourself from all the Basketweaving majors.
3. Then you need a good resume (with experience/internships, good spelling and vocabulary) to seperate yourself from the competition, and get an interview.
4. Then you need to be well-socialized, personable and confident to knock out your interview, and get the job.
As a recent college grad, that's my opinion. I think if you're missing any of those four, you'll have a difficult time.
I agree on the basket weaving degrees. Way too much money is spent on degrees where there is no demand for it.
The best thing to do IMHO is to find a recession proof career (if there really is such a thing). Something that will be in demand and continue to grow for the life of your career and hopefully something that interests you. Then find out which States prosper in that area of industry, determine what education/skill set you need, go to school and then move to that state
Medical will probably always grow as each generation lives longer. IT might be another choice. I am an Automotive engineer in the Detroit area and can say the good times are long gone. Right around 2000 is when jobs I was qualified for started to dissapear. Luckily I was in school and kept working at it until I got my BS. You have to keep up on your education and skill sets. There are still jobs even here in Michigan.
Of course, no matter what you train for there is always somebody better at it and willing to work for less.
But as others have stated, degrees, training or certification does not get you a job. Maybe it opens a door for you but thats about it.
Work hard, know your industry and what it takes to be successful in that industry.
Terrific post. I have been preaching this to my friends and family for years.
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