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In terms of the people featured in the story, I can't say I'm surprised that they landed these jobs.
I have heard way too many stories of people getting themselves into a LOT of debt for these Art Institute "degrees".
If you major in liberal arts, don't expect to come out of college and land a high-paying job-at least not a job relating to your field. I don't think English, Sociology, and Gender Studies majors are in high demand. I say this as someone who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology.
My friends and I a few years ago were having a conversation about the college degree being the new high school diploma. In some ways, this is true. At the same time, I think if one is smart about college: picking a degree that is in-demand and/or highly marketable, choosing to attend an affordable college, taking advantage of the resources on your campus (career services, internship opportunities, making connections with professors, leadership opportunities), etc. then it can be a great investment.
I just don't understand people in my generation [I'm 22] who are going into debt for generic degrees. Do you really expect to be in demand when you're majoring in English or Anthropology?
I started out in community college with my tuition and fees fully paid for. I applied for a transfer scholarship and my tuition and fees were covered to finish up my B.A. I applied to a few grad schools and picked the one that offered me the best financial deal AND made sense professionally.
My advice to any high school student is to start out at community college if you cannot have all of your tuition, fees, AND room + board paid for at a four year university. Check into scholarships at the four year university you want to transfer to. Some colleges have them; some don't. In my state of Arkansas, many of the four year public universities offered a transfer scholarship.
Sure, attending community college you won't have the college experience that you see in television shows and in movies BUT at least you won't be saddled with a lot of debt when you graduate. All the money you're not putting towards paying off student loans can be used for things you enjoy.
Sorry for the lengthy post but it's my hope that a few people will see this and put this info to good use.
I just don't understand people in my generation [I'm 22] who are going into debt for generic degrees. Do you really expect to be in demand when you're majoring in English or Anthropology?
Society as a whole (politicians, teachers, parents) tell kids to go to college and get a degree so they can get a better paying job. So yea, those people who pick those degrees and went to a regular state university think they're going to do better than other people with just a high school diploma.
If you're pointing fingers at college graduates who leave college with a lot of debt, then you can point fingers at the parents. An 18/20 year old isn't going to know much about finances, loans, and debt compared to their parents.....at least one would hope.
At what point will a BA not be enough and we'll all need master's degrees to put a piece of paper in the appropriate folder and place it in alphabetical order for minimum wage? What a racket by the college industry!!
That article is actually pretty interesting. While I don't agree with the hiring practices of the law firm highlighted in this article, the redeeming factor is that they are willing to promote from within.
I think it would be wise to admit that a college degree makes you competitive in today's workforce -- which has a glut of workers in it (not across all industries; but in general). The bigger travesty is that college now cost an arm and a leg. So essentially, you have to have (or borrow) the cash to get the degree. Or you are disadvantaged.
Better to get a college degree to be employed even if it pays little,rather than unemployed with no job.
I guess the woman featured in the article was able to move up faster to paralegal because she had a dgree vs someone who didn't have one.
You can't call yourself a professional without a Bachelor degree.
At least that's the way it is in Nursing.
I would just tell any nurse today to get a Bsn.
The employment numbers say it all.
We could kick and scream its unfair,but its going to happen regardless.
What are you going to do,get mad at the employer's?
Better to get a college degree to be employed even if it pays little,rather than unemployed with no job.
I guess the woman featured in the article was able to move up faster to paralegal because she had a dgree vs someone who didn't have one.
You can't call yourself a professional without a Bachelor degree.
At least that's the way it is in Nursing.
I would just tell any nurse today to get a Bsn.
The employment numbers say it all.
We could kick and scream its unfair,but its going to happen regardless.
What are you going to do,get mad at the employer's?
Tell that to a good plumber... He will laugh in your face.
If current trends continue, eventually a Masters degree will become the new high school diploma. So, basically, it now takes 17 years (K-Bachelors degree) to educate people to be qualified to obtain entry level jobs today when in the past it used to take just 13 years (K-12). It's a sign of our society becoming increasingly wasteful and inefficient.
The day may come when you need a Masters in Janitorial Science to work as a janitor.
What's really driving this is that businesses are, understandably, using possession of a college education as a "signaling factor". It signals that someone is a hard worker and has at least an average IQ and some minimum amount of ambition. Businesses can get away with it because they do not have to pay for the costs of the higher education. Instead the general populace is subsidizing it.
Why would anyone spend $100,000 on a fashion degree or any undergraduate degree? She probably would have gotten the same results spending $40,000. Did the school really cost $100k or is that how much she borrowed?
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