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I graduated with an Accounting degree, and actually spent more time in school to accumulate the credit hours/coursework required to qualify for the Uniform CPA exam. My degree and qualification has afforded me a decent standard of living, a nice salary, great benefits, and an exciting job. Yet, I still run into people who say "Why waste your time in college? Some people make more without a degree." I agree that you may be able to make more money without a degree, but it seems that most I know who chose post-secondary education aspired more than to just make money...some of us dreamed of engaging in specific occupations.
I went to a catholic prep high school...most of my peers wanted to go into careers in medicine, law, business, aviation, natural sciences, the arts, etc. If someone told us "but you might be able to make more money running a plumbing company", we would have probably agreed, but it wasn't what most of us wanted to do with our lives. There is absolutely nothing wrong with running a plumbing company, mind you...it's a valuable and necessary occupation. But I would hope that only those who want to spend the rest of their lives doing that particular thing would enter into it.
This is what bugs me about the criticism of post-secondary education. Of course there are no guarantees. However, for those of us who wanted to enter into a particular profession or occupation, it is often required. While I also agree that it is insane to rack up hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt with no prospect of a financial return, it certainly can be done in a smart way.
I graduated with an Accounting degree, and actually spent more time in school to accumulate the credit hours/coursework required to qualify for the Uniform CPA exam. My degree and qualification has afforded me a decent standard of living, a nice salary, great benefits, and an exciting job. Yet, I still run into people who say "Why waste your time in college? Some people make more without a degree." I agree that you may be able to make more money without a degree, but it seems that most I know who chose post-secondary education aspired more than to just make money...some of us dreamed of engaging in specific occupations.
I went to a catholic prep high school...most of my peers wanted to go into careers in medicine, law, business, aviation, natural sciences, the arts, etc. If someone told us "but you might be able to make more money running a plumbing company", we would have probably agreed, but it wasn't what most of us wanted to do with our lives. There is absolutely nothing wrong with running a plumbing company, mind you...it's a valuable and necessary occupation. But I would hope that only those who want to spend the rest of their lives doing that particular thing would enter into it.
This is what bugs me about the criticism of post-secondary education. Of course there are no guarantees. However, for those of us who wanted to enter into a particular profession or occupation, it is often required. While I also agree that it is insane to rack up hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt with no prospect of a financial return, it certainly can be done in a smart way.
Is anyone else tired of the criticism?
I have an accounting degree, MBA, and am a CPA. I have never had a single person question my choice in going to college nor have I ever had anyone say you could make more as a ____ (insert plumber, mechanic, whatever). Even early in my career when I wasn't making much money people were beyond complimentary about my choice to go to college.
Is this a new phenomenon? I haven't been out of undergrad that long (graduated 2004) so it seems odd to me that you're hearing this so often that you feel the need to post about your frustrations with it. Maybe you need new friends/acquaintances?
I have seen it on this board; my SO has heard the same criticism from people in her hometown; I have also heard this from others criticizing what they perceive as the "higher education industry".
I am not saying college is for everyone...but it is for some people.
I have an accounting degree, MBA, and am a CPA. I have never had a single person question my choice in going to college nor have I ever had anyone say you could make more as a ____ (insert plumber, mechanic, whatever). Even early in my career when I wasn't making much money people were beyond complimentary about my choice to go to college.
Is this a new phenomenon? I haven't been out of undergrad that long (graduated 2004) so it seems odd to me that you're hearing this so often that you feel the need to post about your frustrations with it. Maybe you need new friends/acquaintances?
Yes, I haven't heard about people saying that college isn't worth it. The best possible investment you can make is in your education. Best money spent, ever.
I know it is possible to make more money without a degree (such as some business owners), but there is a saying "Do what you love, and the money will come". Personally I believe it is more important to do what motivates and drives you, rather than what your paycheck is.
Whoever is telling you that schooling isn't worth it is, well, I can't post what I think of them on this forum.
Higher education is a class issue in the US. You went to prep school, as did I. I don’t know anyone who even considered not going to college. However, for someone who did not have our advantages, I’m sure there’s a certain resentment. It’s more socially acceptable for people to say that one doesn’t need to go to college rather than to talk about why they couldn’t.
Why is it more prevalent now? For better or worse, the golden age of the American blue-collar worker is over and is never coming back. It had been declining for a very long, but I think when historians look back, the 2008/9 recession will be seen as a turning point.
In October 2010, 68.1 percent of 2010 high school graduates were enrolled in colleges or universities, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.
I have seen it on this board; my SO has heard the same criticism from people in her hometown; I have also heard this from others criticizing what they perceive as the "higher education industry".
I am not saying college is for everyone...but it is for some people.
The people who criticize are typically the ones who didn't go. They are justifying, to themselves and to the rest of the world, why they didn't go. Don't worry about them. Keep making that cheddar.
I've never heard anyone question the value of a college education in real life.
Exactly. Talk is cheap, especially on web forums.
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The majority of HS grads go: 
