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Nursing majors are pretty much guaranteed a job once they pass their exam and obtain their nursing liscence regardless of how much experience they have because that is a highly technical degree that provides on the job training. Same for engineering once an engineer obtains their liscence they are good as gold for jobs. Any job that requires a liscence or you to pass a difficult exam is going land a job easy without the experience. My field chemistry, is somewhat technical but chemist jobs don't require a professional liscence so they depend on experience. All the posting for chemist jobs I see demand 3-5 years of experience using specific analytical equipment.
I would just like to say that this is a popular myth perpetuated in a number of careers. There is no doubt that the job outlook for nurses is better than the average, but the above just isn't true. Even the BLS has come out to show that nursing is not the guaranteed high paying job that some incorrectly assume it to be. As a matter of fact nursing is far behind occupational therapy and only equal to speech-language pathology.
Is college still worth it???? Seriously. Try getting a job that pays much more than $10k an hour ($20k a year) with just a HS diploma and your good looks. Contrary to claims made by certain anti-education advocates, all those supposedly high-paying blue collar jobs require years of learning the necessary skills at barely above minimum wage jobs ... and still, the actual number of those jobs continues to shrink annually due to automation brought on by technological innovations.
The best way to get a job and to insulate yourself from job loss is to learn to read, write, and speak well. You also need to learn to present yourself as a professional and to develop good interpersonal skills so that you not only interview well but you work in groups successfully. Then add relevant technical skills.
I'm not sure where the idea among some on this forum and in the media came from that at one time any college degree somehow "guaranteed" the holders good jobs but it hasn't been true for decades if it's ever been true. When I earned my BA in 1972, liberal arts majors were facing the same challenges in getting their first professional jobs as they are now
It's worth it if you get experience in your field while you are in school. Most jobs that require a college degree require relevant professional experience in that field. Even entry level white collar jobs request a minimum of two years of experience. A college degree with no experience in that field is not worth the piece of paper it's printed on. In today's job market even one or two summer internships is not enough to obtain a good paying job anymore. Most college students need to plan their first internship after their freshman year and they better do another three internships their sophomore, junior, and senior year. Also, these internships better be relevant to their major and giving them practical skills, not some internship making copies and handing the boss coffee. I worked as an research assisatant and did a summer internship and it was barely enough for me to get my first chemist job. The R&D manager even told me that I was still a little light in the experience department but because of my ethusiasim and character he decided to give me a shot. So with that said college degree with no relevant work experience= not worth it. College degree with a lot of relevant work experience= worth it. P.S. Advice for college students, get those internships in you field lined up for your freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior year so you can have those 2 years experience that those picky employers demand.
For a different take on a college education---http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-05-07/presenting-best-and-worst-college-majors and---http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-07-18/how-student-loans-create-demand-useless-degrees
Thoughts?
Depends on ...
* the major
* the band of the department
* the price
* the terms of the financing
* the quality of education
* the approach taken by the student
* the certainty of students together with likely alternative majors (should they switch)
* the abilities of the student
* the promotion of the school to the business and government communities
* the ability to pay
* the support of the family
* alternatives for time and money
* the economy at large
In my experience, university makes sense for perhaps 20% of students. For another 20-30% it is not clear but not bad decision. For 50-60% it does not serve them well at the time they enter. Of the top 2-5% college is totally worth it. What troubles me is the numbers seem to be skewing downwards toward growing the bottom 50-60%. Kids 30 years ago that could waltz there way through HS and college and still find gainful employment can no longer afford to take the same approach today in this hyper competitive globalized economy.
Majoring in whatever, leaving with huge debt bills and the loss of 5+ years of one's young life is far too common today. For them, not only is college not worth it, but it becomes an albatross around the neck for decades to come.
I would just like to say that this is a popular myth perpetuated in a number of careers. There is no doubt that the job outlook for nurses is better than the average, but the above just isn't true. Even the BLS has come out to show that nursing is not the guaranteed high paying job that some incorrectly assume it to be. As a matter of fact nursing is far behind occupational therapy and only equal to speech-language pathology.
SLP requires a master's, you can get into nursing with just an associate's. Granted, you don't have much opportunity for advancement with an AAS, but you can go back to school and get that BSN. About 50% of nurses in Colorado have a BSN.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Linda_d
Is college still worth it???? Seriously. Try getting a job that pays much more than $10k an hour ($20k a year) with just a HS diploma and your good looks. Contrary to claims made by certain anti-education advocates, all those supposedly high-paying blue collar jobs require years of learning the necessary skills at barely above minimum wage jobs ... and still, the actual number of those jobs continues to shrink annually due to automation brought on by technological innovations.
The best way to get a job and to insulate yourself from job loss is to learn to read, write, and speak well. You also need to learn to present yourself as a professional and to develop good interpersonal skills so that you not only interview well but you work in groups successfully. Then add relevant technical skills.
I'm not sure where the idea among some on this forum and in the media came from that at one time any college degree somehow "guaranteed" the holders good jobs but it hasn't been true for decades if it's ever been true. When I earned my BA in 1972, liberal arts majors were facing the same challenges in getting their first professional jobs as they are now
Is college still worth it???? Seriously. Try getting a job that pays much more than $10k an hour ($20k a year) with just a HS diploma and your good looks. Contrary to claims made by certain anti-education advocates, all those supposedly high-paying blue collar jobs require years of learning the necessary skills at barely above minimum wage jobs ... and still, the actual number of those jobs continues to shrink annually due to automation brought on by technological innovations.
The best way to get a job and to insulate yourself from job loss is to learn to read, write, and speak well. You also need to learn to present yourself as a professional and to develop good interpersonal skills so that you not only interview well but you work in groups successfully. Then add relevant technical skills.
I'm not sure where the idea among some on this forum and in the media came from that at one time any college degree somehow "guaranteed" the holders good jobs but it hasn't been true for decades if it's ever been true. When I earned my BA in 1972, liberal arts majors were facing the same challenges in getting their first professional jobs as they are now
Well paying blue collar jobs often have to get associates degrees or some other form of schooling. Then they have to join unions AND/OR get professional licenses. Or if they work for government jobs like the sanitation department they must past civil service exams and join unions. All of this requires a good amount of education and skills (though not an advanced degree). But aside from that basically you are right, try getting a job that pays more then $10 an hour. For many pathways you'll need a graduate degree to get anything that has stability, pays benefits, and more than $10 an hour.
Is college still worth it???? Seriously. Try getting a job that pays much more than $10k an hour ($20k a year) with just a HS diploma and your good looks. Contrary to claims made by certain anti-education advocates, all those supposedly high-paying blue collar jobs require years of learning the necessary skills at barely above minimum wage jobs ... and still, the actual number of those jobs continues to shrink annually due to automation brought on by technological innovations.
Complete and utter B.S. First, I assume you meant $10/hr, not $10,000/hour?
Skilled labor jobs do typically require 2-4 years of training, but pay significantly more than minimum wage. Electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and other trade professions typically make a minimum of $20/hr, and in most areas $30+/hr. This is more than the vast majority of LA majors make.
I'm so sick of older persons like you who have a completely dated understand of the contemporary economy. 40 years ago a BA was far more valuable than it is in the current post-industrial economy.
I have a BA and make $31/hr. Most of my coworkers don't have a BA, but make exactly the same wage. The main requirement for our job is a CDL; if you have that it doesn't matter if you have a degree or not.
Automation and other technological advances will effect virtually all sections of the job market, so it's a misconception that college will somehow insulate you from this trend.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NyWriterdude
Well paying blue collar jobs often have to get associates degrees or some other form of schooling. Then they have to join unions AND/OR get professional licenses. Or if they work for government jobs like the sanitation department they must past civil service exams and join unions. All of this requires a good amount of education and skills (though not an advanced degree). But aside from that basically you are right, try getting a job that pays more then $10 an hour. For many pathways you'll need a graduate degree to get anything that has stability, pays benefits, and more than $10 an hour.
This seems like a fair assessment. It seems there are only a few plausible pathways to make decent money:
- Learn skill that's in demand. In addition to skilled trades, community colleges have programs for health care-related jobs like radiology and ultra-sound techs, dental hygienists, etc. For those who don't want to spend years in school this is the most practical pathway.
- Get a practical college degree. Already discussed, but STEM degrees are generally more practical than liberal arts.
- Get a practical graduate or advanced professional degree. While a BA in and of itself might not be that practical, going to grad school can be, though this largely depends on the field of study.
Last edited by PanapolicRiddle; 10-19-2015 at 12:35 PM..
While there's no doubt that a college education can further life skills, here's a sobering statistic from the government's Bureau of Labor Statistics:
There are 6,455,300 more students with bachelor’s degrees today than jobs available for them, including jobs that would be created in the next seven years, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the National Center for Education Statistics.
While there's no doubt that a college education can further life skills, here's a sobering statistic from the government's Bureau of Labor Statistics:
There are 6,455,300 more students with bachelor’s degrees today than jobs available for them, including jobs that would be created in the next seven years, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the National Center for Education Statistics.
The KATO institute is a libertarian organization, so this piece definitely has at least somewhat of a slant. That said, it does makes some legit points.
If there are more college grads than there are jobs, and if there are fewer jobs being created that require a college degree than there are persons graduating from college, then why should we encourage even more people to go to college, especially for LA? Economically, that doesn't make sense. I know some of these persons eventually get a more practical graduate degree, but this is a small minority.
Instead, it would seem to make more sense to focus on teaching students skills needed for the 21st century economy, either during high school, or immediately afterwards. I hate to keep repeating this ad nauseum, but there is a shortage of skilled-trade persons relative to the number of jobs in demand.
Take this from a guy who was always very "bookish" and never good with his hands, etc.
I enjoyed college and graduated when I was 24 with an economics degree. I'm 29 now and this is the first year I've reached a positive ROI.
If you enter a program that directly trains you for industry like nursing, you'll be okay. General degrees are much tougher, and if you graduate in an area with a bad economy (like most of the South) or in bad economic times, it's truly a tough road.
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