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Sorry, just not buying into this university crap anymore. I just graduated high school and spent almost my entire life so far in school. And now I'm expected to go to college for AT LEAST another half-decade? And might not even snag a job afterwards? No thanks. I'll pass.
And I cannot stand people who tell young people to go to a university for the "college experience". Also known as being stuck in a tiny dorm resembling a prison with people you don't known, partying, clubbing, doing those ridiculous frats/societies. That's the "college experience". Yeah, pretty sure I'll be fine without that.
So an associate's degree sounds good right now. Looking into getting a associate's degree, which is better than my old plan: spend 5+ years getting a social work degree and then getting crap pay if I even got a job.
I'm not putting down anyone who chooses to go to a university, but please know it is not your only choice. You don't have to spend years of your life in school.
An AA degree won't get you very far. Why not do the BA part time after you finish your AA? Take a couple classes each semester. You don't have to commit to a college lifestyle to actually get a BA.
I worked for a family business out of high school and then decided to get my degree in my mid-20's. I did it part time taking a two classes a semester. If i was feeling really burned out I would take just one class. But I was always moving towards that goal. By the time I was 29 I had a BA and I transitioned to another career. I wouldn't have been able to do it without a BA.
Education is important. For some it means a full time four year commitment. But there are many other paths.
USAID does not have hardly anything open, nor have they for a while. They have one open, but requires a graduate degree, and it is not anything specific that would utilize language skills, though the skills might get him hired if he had a graduate degree, but it is not a "language" job.
Why would you spend 5+ years for a BA? If you know what you want to do you can finish in 4 easy and 3.5 even with a little effort.
Reality is, every place I've worked at for the last 15 years won't even interview someone without a bachelors for secretarial jobs.
The number of secretarial and office assistant jobs has shrank substantially. You don't want to spend large sums of money on a bachelors to get a job you could do with a junior high school education.
The number of secretarial and office assistant jobs has shrank substantially. You don't want to spend large sums of money on a bachelors to get a job you could do with a junior high school education.
First off, secretaries have always needed a larger skill set than a junior high education.
Furthermore, secretaries have morphed into admin and exec assistants. Admin assistants need an AA and exec assistants need a BA. The field is less important than having the appropriate degree and the minimal skill set which includes proficiency with MS Office: WORD, EXCEL, OUTLOOK, POWER POINT. By "proficiency" I don't mean just typing a document or creating a spreadsheet, either.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
41,936 posts, read 37,202,891 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by boxus
USAID does not have hardly anything open, nor have they for a while. They have one open, but requires a graduate degree, and it is not anything specific that would utilize language skills, though the skills might get him hired if he had a graduate degree, but it is not a "language" job.
I think you're missing what I'm saying. Oh well. I thought I made it pretty clear.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
41,936 posts, read 37,202,891 times
Reputation: 40641
Quote:
Originally Posted by Linda_d
First off, secretaries have always needed a larger skill set than a junior high education.
Furthermore, secretaries have morphed into admin and exec assistants. Admin assistants need an AA and exec assistants need a BA. The field is less important than having the appropriate degree and the minimal skill set which includes proficiency with MS Office: WORD, EXCEL, OUTLOOK, POWER POINT. By "proficiency" I don't mean just typing a document or creating a spreadsheet, either.
Thank you. Many of the EAs I dealt with had Masters in fact (as did I), and more than a few earned into 6 figures. I topped out at the low 80s in that field myself. I would add many more software packages to the short list above as expected skill sets.
I love academia as much as the next philosophical nerd - got an MA and racked up $60K worth of debt to prove my devotion to the Ivory Tower world. Personally, for me, the academic world was a great experience in a lot of ways, and less so in others. I was truly inspired by some of the great teachers at my school, and at the same time oscillating between occasional bouts of minor depression over the fact that I was socially isolated due to working a job and busting my butt in school to get good grades in case I wanted to go to grad school, which I later did.
Having hashed all that, college isn't for everyone. I don't say that to be condescending, either. I mean what I said and nothing more, and I think it's great that the OP realizes that, for the moment, he doesn't see the value in it. "Stupid" isn't avoiding college nor is "stupid" going to college. In my mind, "stupid" is doing something you know you don't want to do - something you freaking dread and hate - but you do it anyway. You can always decide on a four year degree later once you've had some time to get some perspective in the business world.
College is not at all necessary in order to become a productive technician. I think there are lots of people who, with the right skill set, can excel in a specialized field, provided that they have the discipline, motivation, and ability to adapt within their field. I think the advantages that a college education provides are very real, but they're subtle. Things like exposure to different ways of thinking. Critical thinking. Being able to make analogies and judgments. Hopefully more refined communications skills and social polish. Understanding that there's such a thing as diversity of opinion. I'd say that those are advantages that apply to an average person, but there are plenty of mature individuals who will be just fine without college.
I had no plans to go to college, but ended up doing so after the Marine Corps. I did it partly for the career opportunities available to college grads, but partly because by age 24, I had found some things which interested me and which I wanted to learn more about.
I think that after some times passes, you may find some interests of your own (you're not the first high school graduate to not know what they want to do with their life). At the very least, you'll probably have enough life experience to not chalk up certain degrees to the narrow career fields that you did in one of your posts - a la "English: LOL" and "Teaching: seriously?" Criminal justice degrees also do not equate to working in a prison (?).
Many people get degrees in these fields and do very well for themselves, if not financially, then simply for career satisfaction or doing something they're not only interested in, but find to be meaningful. I studied history and German, which would probably also rate an "LOL" from you, but I liked the subjects, did well, and had the GPA to reflect that (which helped me when applying for a job).
No, I don't 'use' the degree to the exact purpose, but I learned a lot from what I studied, broadened my horizons, gained some excellent analytical and writing skills, and ended up with a fun and rewarding (to me) career as a result.
Also, just because you go to college doesn't mean you have to go "clubbing," spend all your time doing the same things everyone else does, or live in a "tiny dorm." I chose not to do any of those things.
It sounds to me like you're making far too many assumptions based on what you see others doing - not on direct experience or, more importantly, on what you can/will/won't do, yourself.
Sorry, just not buying into this university crap anymore. I just graduated high school and spent almost my entire life so far in school. And now I'm expected to go to college for AT LEAST another half-decade? And might not even snag a job afterwards? No thanks. I'll pass.
And I cannot stand people who tell young people to go to a university for the "college experience". Also known as being stuck in a tiny dorm resembling a prison with people you don't known, partying, clubbing, doing those ridiculous frats/societies. That's the "college experience". Yeah, pretty sure I'll be fine without that.
So an associate's degree sounds good right now. Looking into getting a associate's degree, which is better than my old plan: spend 5+ years getting a social work degree and then getting crap pay if I even got a job.
I'm not putting down anyone who chooses to go to a university, but please know it is not your only choice. You don't have to spend years of your life in school.
Start a business if you can or work for the 4 years youy wouldve been in college save and then start a business.
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