Is College Degree Worthless? (2009, applying, average, payments)

[zman0]

Originally Posted by TKramar

That may be...but your degree in electrical engineering won't make you a "master electrician".

And a master electrician will never be an electrical engineer.

Like a previous posters said, there is some overlap between technical and theoretical areas.

Engineer, technician, and physicist, they all have areas which overlap, but they also have areas where the others can't do the work.

[eggalegga]

I don't feel my degree is worthless. I feel it has opened many doors for me throughout my working years.

I have a BS in Accounting and feel I'm well paid for my job (Accountant) in the area in which I live. I work for a government funded agency so my benefits are really good....for now at least. I chose accounting because it's about the only profession I have an interest in. My second choice would be preparing tax returns - - both personal and corporate. I didn't get my Masters because I ran out of money and struggled to finish my Bachelors as it was. I've been able to keep a job and make a decent living since graduating. I feel I live within my means and I think (in some instances) this is not the case with other people.

I do not want to be a CPA as public accounting doesn't interest me.

[CdnNewbie1]

Originally Posted by kattwoman2

That's been my problem. I have a degree in Communication and I am trying to work on a Masters for Marketing, but like the orignal poster I can NOT afford to do this on my own. I've been rejected by retail stores b/c of my degree since they want someone who will not leave after they get their degree. It sort of sucks that now having a degree is more of a hinderance than a benefit. I mean, yes experience is important, but how are we suppose to get experience when no one is even going to give us experience?

Some people are recommending just getting rid of the "education" portion of the resume/CV if you want to apply for grocery, retail, fast food, etc. I have a hard time doing it b/c to be honest it feels like I'm betraying all those years I put into my degree, but at the same time it's a competitive job market.

What kind of jobs were your refused? Maybe you can look for temporary positions for now. Don't worry that it is not related to your craft. My husband started working as a call center guy (which he hated) even though he had a degree in computer engineering. But gradually, he got promoted to a job that required programming and other things that challenged him. Are there grants, bursaries or scholarship you can get your hands on? Best of luck to you!

[kattwoman2]

Originally Posted by CdnNewbie1

What kind of jobs were your refused? Maybe you can look for temporary positions for now. Don't worry that it is not related to your craft. My husband started working as a call center guy (which he hated) even though he had a degree in computer engineering. But gradually, he got promoted to a job that required programming and other things that challenged him. Are there grants, bursaries or scholarship you can get your hands on? Best of luck to you!

I was refused a job at a video store (similar to blockbuster), two small retail stores, and numerous office jobs. My first job was a computer call center for my Bachelors college, so I have an idea of what he's had to put up with. My dad wants me to work as a cashier at Wal-Mart and work my way up into management and become a CEO of Wal-Mart, but I'm not really interested in spending the rest of my life working there (especially since my mom and sister work there and the way they treat their employees sometimes is ridiculous). There's no shame in working there and if I need to I will work there, but it will not be what I do for the rest of my life. I have most of the application filled.

I live in a small town, and my Masters Degree is from an actual state university that offers online courses. So they are less inclined to offer any sort of grant or scholarships. I was offered an internship for CSPAN but I was unable to do it since it was unpaying and my Bachelors school has this ideaology: "once you graduate, we no longer care about you except for donations and loan repayment." They were the ones who encouraged me to get the internship and told me they could pay for it, only to tell me a month before I left for my internship that they would not pay b/c I would have graduated.

Some good news is that I had an interview last friday with a telecommunications company. There's a lot of competition, but I was one of the finalist and they told me I should hear something next week since they were both gone this week. So, fingers crossed and after a year or two of experience I hope to find something better in a large city and have money saved for the move.

[Willy-Bill]

A lot of jobs I look at seem to demand a BS degree but the salaries are shrinking, are they not?

[smoky_topaz]

College degree-I agree.

Now technical and trade school certificates...yes they may open more doors.

[tigerwoodsyall]

Originally Posted by Willy-Bill

A lot of jobs I look at seem to demand a BS degree but the salaries are shrinking, are they not?

Most of the jobs that require degrees also require experience

[OneDayAttaTime]

In Pictures: Tips For A Small-Town Job Search - Forbes.com

[Jackyfrost01]

Originally Posted by AngelEyez02403

Apparently, I wasted years of higher education because it's unlikely I will be able to secure a job of any sort when I graduate in May. I'm glad I spent four years studying pre-law to be rejected for a job by a grocery store.

Should I have not gone to college?

Yes and no. Depends.

For me it was. Wish I could get that money (if not the time) back.

Also depends how much time passes since the degree was earned.

Technology is advancing so fast nowadays that a degree that could once go for several years, isn't as useful after a short time anymore.

[censusdata]

If I didn't have $60,000 (that's 4 zeros) in student loan debt I wouldn't finish college. At this point my only options are
1. Finish school and hopefully get a job in the $40/50,000 range so I can afford a 1 bedroom apartment and my loan payments or

2. Have my credit ruined and possibly be put in jail

I think when you consider how much loan payments cost a job paying $30,000 from a 1 year degree (like LPA or RN) is worth as much as making $50,000 as a Social Worker with $10,000 in loan payments per year.