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I got my degree because I had specific career goals in mind. I didn't go to college straight out of high school because I didn't know what I wanted to do at the time. It took me a few years to figure it out.
The purpose of a degree is to prove formal education relating to certain subjects. Most people need it as a stepping stone into their career.
So why would someone go to school when they don't even have a career in mind, and then try to match up jobs with their degree after they graduate? That makes about as much sense as going out and buying a tool for which you have no use for. And then wandering aimlessly around the house trying to find something to fix that requires that tool. It's just non-sense.
Don't tell me it's because they just want to get "educated" or "enlightened". It doesn't take tens of thousands of dollars and years of your life to audit courses or go to the library.
And don't tell me it's because employers are looking for just any degree. The kinds of jobs requiring an arbitrary degree are just more of the same crappy ones you already have access to without a degree.
I agree it makes no sense. Wasted money, still if they feel they must go to college without knowing the exact career they want in life then they should just get a business degree, at least they can get a job with that while still deciding what they want to do.
because part of the college process is figuring out what you want to do...80%+ of all college students change their major at least once during their schooling....
because part of the college process is figuring out what you want to do...80%+ of all college students change their major at least once during their schooling....
the problem I've found with this is all the extra coursework you have to take when you make the change. You really have to choose your major early to have any kind of smooth progression through college, god forbid you change schools, then you have even more classes to take since they don't usually transfer too well. It's a frekkin' nightmare. Anything to keep kids in school as long as possible to suck as much money out of them as possible.
kids go to college without knowing what they want to do (and lets be honest, who REALLY knows what they want to do at 18 years old?) because you have so many closed doors if you don't get the degree. Employers are getting ridiculous nowadays, they are requiring bachelors degrees for jobs that an above-average monkey could do.
I hope our next president focuses on the educational system in this country because it is right up there with marijuana being illegal so far as destroying our country is concerned. We incarcerate 800,000 otherwise law abiding people every year for smoking weed, which then gives them a criminal record and makes them un-hirable. Sort of similarly(but not really), we are forcing kids to go to college, most of whom will go severely into debt that they can't escape(since tuitions are rising at insane rates and have been for awhile now), only so that they can have a SHOT at getting a mediocre job that doesn't pay well enough to support themselves and pay off their debt, which ends up meaning these people won't amass nearly as much savings over the course of life. So were basically creating a nation of people in debt (which fits considering the country itself is in crazy debt) and/or with criminal records for enjoying a substance less dangerous/harmful then cigs and booze. This country would be so much better off if just these two things were sorted out.
I think that society has set the expectation that it is not only normal to go to college right after high school but that it's also expected. The standard belief is that students will figure out what they want to do while in college. While I think that some students most certainly do figure out what they want to do prior to declaring a major, many more don't. I know that I would have made different choices regarding my college studies as a more mature adult then I did as an idealistic young adult but it is what it is. Maybe internships or full time employment prior to college would be a better path for some?
I waited. Didn't know what I wanted and didn't want to waste money and get into debt.
So I worked for several years. Found I liked anything math related so decided to go to college for Accounting.
Took a programming class as an elective and ended up getting a BS in Engineering (CS).
Glad I waited. At 18 I didn't know what I wanted or even what was out there or what my real interests were.
What is the purpose of this thread? The OP obviously knows what the purpose of a college degree is and we are not to tell him otherwise.
I did not go to college until I was sure about what I wanted to do with my life. I only wish I was a bit less closed minded back then. Curious if the OP will be just as sure about his life 10-15 years after college. I know few who are.
I waited. Didn't know what I wanted and didn't want to waste money and get into debt.
So I worked for several years. Found I liked anything math related so decided to go to college for Accounting.
Took a programming class as an elective and ended up getting a BS in Engineering (CS).
Glad I waited. At 18 I didn't know what I wanted or even what was out there or what my real interests were.
So am I. I went for BSEE and MSEE. The tech industry is so awesome. I can't even imagine what kind of worthless degree I would have chosen when I was 18.
Quote:
Originally Posted by changeisdue
Curious if the OP will be just as sure about his life 10-15 years after college.
Probably more likely to than those that just jumped straight in with no career goals in mind. They usually just pick the degree that looked the easiest.
1.) social life
2.) to figure out what they might like doing
3.) because they feel they have to get a college degree to please society
4.) because many jobs require a college degree today, they do not even care what the degree is in, they just want to make sure you have a degree.
Personally I think if one is unsure what they want to major in, they should go to the cheaper priced college. Community college, or a public college. After taking courses they ill have a better idea of what they like. Of course doing internships also helps to determine if they are really into their desired major as well. I mention internships because the work force in their declared major is very different from the courses in college.
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