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I was only 16 when I graduated high school and my parents would have murdered me if I hadn't gone on to college. I bombed through and graduated at 20, before I could get distracted. THANK GOD.
I don't think it ever crossed my mind not to go, it was basically an expectation that i put on myself. I had excellent grades. My parents probably could not have cared less.
Without funds or transportation, college was a moot point. Besides, I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up. I'll be 60 next spring... I'll think about it then.
Since many jobs only hire college graduates even if the duties are stuff that basically any idiot can do, did you choose to go to college simply to get into the door of a job that makes a livable wage?
In my field no one takes you seriously without a degree, and I have yet to find a way to finish mine. Matter of fact at this point,I wish nothing more than to finish mine.
I wish someone pushed me to go sooner...but sooner what I do was ancient, so I need my degree now.
To me, "college" is not about the jobs I could have, it is about being qualified to do the job I want to do. Money is nice, but happiness is worth a lot more, and doing something you love for a living beats any amount of money you could make at a job you hate.
yes i was forced to attend a college. i was forced to live on a dorm surrounded by drunks, and druggies and adults that act like overgrown children couldn't do well because i have to work to get money so i could eat. i can't do a full-time college schedule and work. work leave no time to study and do assignments which take hours to do. i have to choose between work for money to eat or don't work in order to have time to study and do assignments. i had no choice but to quit.
In college you learn how to learn. Its a part of 'hardening', like how you subject delicate materials, ex: glass, to high heat to make it stronger. Such hardened materials are not easy to break under pressure. Our minds are molded the same way by putting us under extreme stress & see who is strong enough to make it. When you have been through juggling different subjects & go 48hrs without sleep studying for finals, then office work is a breeze. Only then it seems like any fool can do your work because it becomes so easy for you. Compared to how hard I worked in college, office work is like taking 1 class per semester. I dont use all the subjects I took to earn my degree but the deadlines, stress, frustrations that I learnt to manage in college come in handy everyday. You get into the habit of learning, become competitive & grow in your career. College is about building this habit. I would highly recommend it. Companies invest in college grads, not because of the subjects, but the learning skills you develop in college & your commitment to finish what you started. They can train you to become an expert in a subject but the skills & commitment needed to become an expert in that subject are built in college. Sure there are successful college dropouts like Bill Gates but he is a Harvard dropout, which is like 5times better than an average university graduate.
This is what is commonly touted by universities, but in my experience I've found this not to be the case.
In reality, the college is very much about teaching you how to think, to get you thinking in a particular preset paradigm so in the end, you will make an excellent yes man.
like a programmed robot..
and the programmed response will be something like.. well maybe at your university but not mine.. nope.. yours as well.
Society at large pushes college as the norm. The president of the U.S. believes the key to economic prosperity is a college education for everyone. The reality is this issue began long before Obama.
Here is the simple concept.
Government guarantees student loans - this eliminates the risk for banks to lend. Therefore they do not have to assess the ability to pay back the loan as they would in any other loan. They would evaluate what the market was paying and only loan out what the market would allow to pay back.
Long story short, there are way too many people with degrees that cost far above what the market is paying for the skill set that is being obtained. There are far too many people with degrees that are unmarketable.
If the government never got involved with student loans in the first place, we would not have this current problem that we are seeing.
And it is a BIG problem which ultimately the tax payers are going to (they already are) have to absorb as people will be unable to pay back their student loans.
As the Bible says... "the rich rule over the poor and the borrower is slave to the lender" (bible paraphrase)
The lender now is directly the federal government.
Since many jobs only hire college graduates even if the duties are stuff that basically any idiot can do, did you choose to go to college simply to get into the door of a job that makes a livable wage?
If you look at your current job market, most likely a vast majority of jobs that are being posted only require a high school education. Out of those minority jobs that do require a college education, there are generally a high volume of applicants for the position. Since so many people now have a bachelor's degree, a Master's degree is now more and more something people are pursuing to attempt to gain them an edge over their fellow college grad competitors. The problem is; however, that grad school is extremely expensive now. There are a number of people with MBAs that do not even have a job with over 100k student loan debt. Take this and the fact that many of these "hot jobs" seem to have a lot of turnover. The reason being the pool of applicants for the position. The corporate world can push people beyond their limits. To them its just another warm body to fill a spot. push the next one a little harder and pay them a little less money.
The point being.. there is a student loan bubble in this country.. one of many other bubbles looking about ready to pop.
For young people reading, my advise is to get your foot in the door with a good company. Show you will work your butt off and am ambitious to learn. Get that 30-40k/year job with NO COLLEGE DEBT! and do a darn good job at it. You will be thanking yourself later.
Don't believe the "those with college degrees earn million dollars more.. yada yada.." this advertisement is brought to you by the University of _______.
The best business to be in right now is the business of selling the American dream at our Universities.
Last edited by Mikelee81; 09-24-2014 at 08:01 PM..
Reason: typo
It is a lie that you cannot get a good job without a college education. Look at your local listings, talk to the manager directly, demonstrate a head on the shoulders and willingness to work hard.
A good attitude goes a long way in life. Employers will most likely see you as being smart for not doing what everyone else is doing paying way too much for college.
At my current place of employment, they have a program which trains current employees for entry-level management in the hospitality industry.
No degree is required. You could be making 30-50k/year for a good stable company with a long track record of financial success.
It just takes some initiative and a good head on your shoulders. NO COLLEGE DEBT to enslave you!
If I could go back, this is what I would have done.
]I went to college and graduate school in the mid 1970s[/b], because I wanted to in order to have a successful career. I had to work for it, no help from parents, worked full time the entire 6 years and only one small ($3,000) student loan that I used to get an apartment as a junior and paid off the first year of working. There were 9 of us kids, and only two of us made it through college.
We are also the only two that are making over 6 figures and will have a pension.
Also, we both had 3 kids, all successful now, and have been married 40 and 32 years respectively.
Back in the 70s it was well worth it to pursue an education because the cost of education adjusted for inflation was reasonable. It is next near impossible for anyone now to work during school to pay off their tuition as they proceed through it like they used to. Sure someone can work, but they aren't going to make much of a dent in their student loan tuition payment with how much it's costing now. LOANS are required.
And many programs (such as the nursing program that I'm currently looking to get into) will not allow you to work during the program (one year for this).
I have two degrees (Nutrition Science and Business Admin) and am looking to get a third so I can financially be capable of paying down these student loans (ie the market is not paying what I need to make). 220 credits and 90k debt (at least). 9 years total (worked while in school). It's an exhausting road with of course no guarantees.
I'll get out of school for nursing and walla Social Healthcare reform.. Medicare collapse.. Nurses making $10/hour. << the pay rate could be an exaggeration but who knows when one is talking healthcare "reform" with a social healthcare system already proven to be a failure. <<read that Medicare
They were different times back in the 70s...
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