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College is worth it for some and not worth it for others. What's important is making the correct decision for yourself and behind honest with yourself.
I disagree that being a SAHM means college isn't worth it.
I knew one SAHM who had a master's degree. She said that she wanted the assurance that if something happened to her husband (death or divorce or disability) that she would be able to get into teaching.
For ME it was not worth it. I wanted to go to college to become a teacher--- I am one. I just dont get paid.
but in reality how many 17 or 18 year old know what they want to be "when they grow up"?
Most don't. I and other women of my generation were told, "You will take typing and business English classes in high school, as well as some bookkeeping. You will get a job as a secretary when you graduate from high school."
Okay, some were told to go into nursing, but you get my drift. We needed a job immediately!
I eventually went on and earned several degrees, paying for them as I went, but I entered college with two years of working at a job I hated. That both motivated me to study/attend classes and kept me from starving and going deeply into debt.
And that is not bad advice today. Pick something employable that the young person has some ability to do and help provide training for him or her. It doesn't matter that he or she may not love it! The point is to get out into the workforce and get some real-world experience.
Sure, they shouldn't loathe it, either, but a lot of youngsters today are clueless and a lot of us can't afford to have a 19-y.o. living in the basement trying to find himself!
I'm starting to think that if the young person isn't already motivated to become a/an "X" and it's realistic for him/her to become (name of career or trade), then several adults (parents, relatives, teacher, employers, etc) might be consulted and a decision made from that input.
In most cases, youngsters will have to undergo further training after high school. The question now is what is the best fit for the young person's skill sets vs. his/her chances of making enough money to be independent. Given the immaturity of many youngsters, their desires may or may not be able to be taken into account.
Four-year degree programs are highly expensive and any worth pursuing require a high degree of motivation. I'd rather support a young person in an 18-month certificate program at the community college in something employable, let him or her go do that work, and then see what happens. In the case of something like a CNA, some will like it enough to want to start pursing higher nursing degrees. Others may hate it and want to go into something like accounting. In the meantime, they are earning money, not sleeping away the day in their parent's house.
So, yes, college is worth it if there is a specific, realistic goal in mind. Otherwise, it might be more economically prudent to pursue another course of training.
Added: and the same applies to older people returning to college or going for the first time -- if there is a clear, realistic goal that only that training will prepare the person to do the job (or advance in a career) (for example, getting a CPA), then it's worth it.
College graduates have an unemployment rate 64% lower than that of high school graduates. That includes college graduates of all majors.
College gradates also have average earnings that are 71% higher than that of high school graduates. That includes college graduates of all majors.
Im a SAHM so going to college would not have been worth it, though I did try.
Why wouldn't it have been worth it? There are many studies that show parental educational achievement has positive effects on children. Children with better educated do better in school than children with less educated parents. College is about more than just money, although money is something that is more readily apparent than other less tangible benefits of having an education.
It's worth it for those who work their way through college to learn a lucrative trade.
It's not worth it for parents who pay for parties and overeducated entitlement brats who think the world owes them a living.
Certainly not worth debt/slavery to the government.
Yeah, I said trade instead of profession on purpose.
Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. Don't trust losers for advice.
This just isn't true. Read the article. College graduates with all majors earn more money than high school graduates. College graduates of all majors also have lower unemployment rates than high school graduates.
Added: and the same applies to older people returning to college or going for the first time -- if there is a clear, realistic goal that only that training will prepare the person to do the job (or advance in a career) (for example, getting a CPA), then it's worth it.
I disagree. We are living longer and can have multiple careers. Older adults with disposable income and a desire to do something else or those who may have been fired due to age related bias and need a job are a good demographic for college.
Some will go back to college having left without getting a degree, for others this may be something that they have always wanted to do. Lifelong learning is a good thing whether done for a specific job or career or just for the heck of it.
But all college students cannot pick the same majors/career paths. You still have to find a niche even in a growing profession. A student cannot look at their career as something that is needed now, but something that will be needed 4+ years from now.
College is still worth it you just have to be smart about it.
we will always need doctors, nurses, pharmaceutics, Cytologist, Histologist, X-ray tech.. etc etc..
we will always need doctors, nurses, pharmaceutics, Cytologist, Histologist, X-ray tech.. etc etc..
Need them yes but there will still be a limited number of positions out there that need to be filled.
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