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I didn't, and can't read all the followup to the original post but I hope some of you ripped the toad a new one. We now have the second graduating class of the Recession. How did the first one do? Last I heard 20% of them got work. How is the class of 2010 doing? O.P., if you want to feel superior about minor accopmplishments, get a dog. It will worship your every utterance. Here, not so much.
I did not have the opportunity to go to college, or rather, I should say, I chose to work and be able to see my son for a short period of time each day. Just to let you know, I am 56 and things were different back when I started working. And I was a single parent.
Now that I am unemployed, I wish I had gone to college as it would have made a difference I think. Yes, I am educated as I have taken many courses over the years. But, I do not have a degree.
I do not know if that would have made a difference and I guess I cannot say I would have done it differently. Raising a child and seeing him for a few short hours, vs never seeing him unless he was asleep. I am still unsure as to whether I made the right decision because, altho he & I have a healthy loving relationship, I still feel guilty that I could not give him the 'good life'.
I do not know if that would have made a difference and I guess I cannot say I would have done it differently. Raising a child and seeing him for a few short hours, vs never seeing him unless he was asleep. I am still unsure as to whether I made the right decision because, altho he & I have a healthy loving relationship, I still feel guilty that I could not give him the 'good life'.
Well, if you ask him I am sure he will tell you you made the right decision. My wife is a homemaker and without 2 incomes we sacrifice some of that "good life", although I make a pretty decent living.
However having my wife at home for the kids definitely made a difference in my mind, when I look at them and most of their peers.
See you people with higher I.Q.s are the problem because you lack the most important trait mankind possesses....good common sense...also your one step from genuis to insanity. Do not come to Appalachia with your elitism...
This has always crossed my mind. I have had some friends who never went to college. They work minimum wage jobs like at Mcdonalds or at a grocery store. They often times complain and gripe about their job and about how they aren't making enough money and in my mind I think "well then you should have gone to college and you might be a lot hapier" It just bugs me and then I've had people in those jobs who have told me that college can't be anywhere near as hard as working at a grocery store, mcdonals, etc. it just really grinds my gears when people complain about their minimum wage jobs when they had the choice to go to college and try to make the best of life. I don't know if I'm the only one who feels this way or not. I am not talking about people who do construction, or work in mines, or dangerous jobs like that. I am talking about the people that work these so called "hard" jobs at fast food chains, stores, etc.
LOL@ "i'm special cuz i went to college!"
Not everyone had the chance to go to college. And not everyone is college material. This is the only country on Earth that has a "college is for everybody" mentality that permeates the culture. Besides, college isn't a guarantee of anything except that you'll be out of a nice amount of money when it's all said and done. Someone has to hold unskilled labor positions...and that doesn't mean that those people should have miserable lives and have their contributions undervalued simply becase they didn't go to college.
Besides, most people don't even work in the field of study that they attended college for.
See you people with higher I.Q.s are the problem because you lack the most important trait mankind possesses....good common sense...also your one step from genuis to insanity. Do not come to Appalachia with your elitism...
I sure as heck would like to see somebody prove that for a change. I'm not saying I have a higher IQ than you, nor am I saying everyone in Appalachia is stupid (I grew up there), but I just don't see what Appalachia has on "common sense" as opposed to anywhere else.
This has always crossed my mind. I have had some friends who never went to college. They work minimum wage jobs like at Mcdonalds or at a grocery store. They often times complain and gripe about their job and about how they aren't making enough money and in my mind I think "well then you should have gone to college and you might be a lot hapier" It just bugs me and then I've had people in those jobs who have told me that college can't be anywhere near as hard as working at a grocery store, mcdonals, etc. it just really grinds my gears when people complain about their minimum wage jobs when they had the choice to go to college and try to make the best of life. I don't know if I'm the only one who feels this way or not. I am not talking about people who do construction, or work in mines, or dangerous jobs like that. I am talking about the people that work these so called "hard" jobs at fast food chains, stores, etc.
My husband never went to college and he has been working in food since high school. He's now the owner-operator of a major restaurant franchise. College was not something he even considered since he wasn't raised by a mother who instilled the value of education in him. But he has worked hard and worked his way up to be what he is today. I have a 4-year degree that I also worked hard for, it took me 9 years to get it but I did it. I make like 1/4 of what he makes (we work at the same place); even if I got a job in my field, I'd still make less than half what he makes and I wouldn't be able to move up very quickly. In my field, you're basically worthless without a master's degree. But that was what I chose and I'm not going to complain, I'll just work harder to get to where I want to be.
Working in fast food at entry-level is a joke. It's extremely easy; aside from maybe having achy feet or a sore back after a day's work (like a 5 hour shift), there's nothing that's hard about it. College can be really tough. There's no one there to coddle you, you don't have to show up to class but you still have to be able to pass the tests, so it's largely up to you to figure out how to succeed.
I don't think the people who are griping about working at McDonald's have any clue about reality. If they make minimum wage, they likely don't have bills to pay, either, so they don't quite understand the value of hard work and how much it can affect your lifestyle. They also don't realize they can probably qualify to go to tech school or college on the taxpayer's dime. Cheers to them for being too stupid/lazy to take advantage of an opportunity being handed to them. These are the same types who usually think everything should be given to them, yet they can't even go to college?! Such is life, let 'em whine and cry and see how far it gets them.
Location: By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Maryolson929
I do not know if that would have made a difference and I guess I cannot say I would have done it differently. Raising a child and seeing him for a few short hours, vs never seeing him unless he was asleep. I am still unsure as to whether I made the right decision because, altho he & I have a healthy loving relationship, I still feel guilty that I could not give him the 'good life'.
I think the OP offers a false choice. It's not go to college or work at McDonalds. There are plenty of high school grads who own businesses took up lucrative trades or simply got jobs in which they can support themselves well and worked up the ladder.
You can do just fine without a college degree.
What bothers me, however, are comments like GalileoSmith's. A well written, well thought out argument... Reading and writing comprehension are the number 1 skills that make for a successful college career... His writing belies his academic ability.. You certainly are college material, GalileoSmith and I don't know why you believe you're not.
There are certainly people who are not academically able to cope with college. However, I believe, there are a certain segment who demonize college and believe that blue collar work is somehow more real or legitimate. I reject this argument completely. I am a college graduate who owns a business that provides a necessary, and in-demand service for companies, organizations and government agencies. I learned the skills needed for the business in college. I work my ass off, travel 280 days per year and make a good living. My work isn't less legitimate than a guy who digs a ditch because I went to college.
Good post.
And I don't think the op realizes his problem isn't with people who didn't go to college. It's with people who don't take advantage of opportunities to better their life (in a variety of ways - college is not the only option) and use this as a crutch to justify their lot in life and whine and complain.
You don't have to go to college to become a success in many fields. But those guys who do nothing more than gripe about their minimum wage job aren't likely to ever get anywhere.
Avoiding flu shots doesn't mean that you're autistic, either.
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