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I graduated with a 4 year degree from a Liberal Arts college in Upstate New York a many (25) years ago and have found that it has been absolutely no benefit to me whatsoever in the job market. I have worked in sales and customer service over the years and now work as a dispatcher in logistics that pays approx 28K per year.
I have often believed that vocational tech and 2 year colleges offer far more career options to students who want a real decent paying job at graduation by actual career preparation (hands on training that leads to a marketable skill) than a 4 year degree-well rounded education.
I see so many recent grads who are unemployed due to the fact that their 4 year degrees failed to give them the skills employers are looking for. Employers also cannot find qualified applicants for this very reason...
I graduated with a 4 year degree from a Liberal Arts college in Upstate New York a many (25) years ago and have found that it has been absolutely no benefit to me whatsoever in the job market. I have worked in sales and customer service over the years and now work as a dispatcher in logistics that pays approx 28K per year.
I have often believed that vocational tech and 2 year colleges offer far more career options to students who want a real decent paying job at graduation by actual career preparation (hands on training that leads to a marketable skill) than a 4 year degree-well rounded education.
I see so many recent grads who are unemployed due to the fact that their 4 year degrees failed to give them the skills employers are looking for. Employers also cannot find qualified applicants for this very reason...
I honestly believe many employers are opportunists looking for Purple Squirrels or cheap labor foreigners. That said, college, especially the longer you go, does seem to be increasingly a waste of time for your return on investment.
It's much different today compared to 15+ years ago. That long ago people could get good jobs without needing a college degree. Then they got good experience, so they could switch jobs.
Today a young person often needs a college degree just to get a stepping stone white collar job. This is the same job that long ago didn't require a degree. But now you gotta have the degree just to get your foot in the door. Then you need the degree and experience to move up and also to switch companies.
Even for people that have been in the workforce for many years, those without college degrees qualify for fewer job openings versus a comparable person with the same experience with a degree. In some cases there are 3-6 times as many open positions for the person with the degree AND experience versus the person that only has the experience. This means even the middle aged people that don't have degrees - they often are stuck in a job because it's too hard to find another comparable job that doesn't require a degree. However, the person that has the degree can swap jobs a lot easier and also get decent pay increases.
The biggest problem is more and more college grads, including some STEM, are becoming underemployed after graduating and while this is happening the cost of education is going UP, UP, UP.....
It is great for the people who land that career job in their field of study, but way too many aren't seeing any return at all and are stuck with huge student debt with no way to pay it off or BK it off the books.
Going to college is becoming more of a risk every year.
I graduated with a 4 year degree from a Liberal Arts college in Upstate New York a many (25) years ago and have found that it has been absolutely no benefit to me whatsoever in the job market. I have worked in sales and customer service over the years and now work as a dispatcher in logistics that pays approx 28K per year.
I have often believed that vocational tech and 2 year colleges offer far more career options to students who want a real decent paying job at graduation by actual career preparation (hands on training that leads to a marketable skill) than a 4 year degree-well rounded education.
I see so many recent grads who are unemployed due to the fact that their 4 year degrees failed to give them the skills employers are looking for. Employers also cannot find qualified applicants for this very reason...
I was too young and immature to choose a career pathway at 18-23...I wound up getting a degree in something useless TO ME. In my mid 40's I found my niche and it has absolutely nothing to do with my education. I guess the education didn't hurt me, but I wish I was able to figure things out sooner rather than work in jobs that didn't fit my personality as well as the ones I have had lately.
Seems a lot of todays kids do no research on what job opportunities are available to them once their 3-4 year college degree has been attained so they end up realizing there are no jobs in their chosen field of study after graduation..Many would have been better off going to trade school rather than college for some meaningless degree.
I graduated with a 4 year degree from a Liberal Arts college in Upstate New York a many (25) years ago and have found that it has been absolutely no benefit to me whatsoever in the job market. I have worked in sales and customer service over the years and now work as a dispatcher in logistics that pays approx 28K per year.
Wow. We could be twins. I graduated from a state college in Upstate NY with a B.A. degree in Fine Arts and a A.A.S. degree in Graphic arts - 25 years ago. I have worked in graphic arts/printing, customer service, office administration, database design and retail/food service. The most I have ever made was 31k a year. I just had an interview at a logistics company a week ago for an import coordinator. I'll never hear from them again. I am still unemployed - joy!
I have NEVER, EVER, EVER had an interviewer comment about my bachelor's degree. NEVER. Even when I apply to jobs that require a bachelor's degree, the interviewers NEVER ask me about my college education. When I was employed my bachelor's degree never gave me a heads up for promotions, I mainly worked with people who had only high school educations. Most of my supervisors did not have college degrees.
I understand my bachelor degree in Fine Arts is not highly sought after, but at least my obtaining any 4 year degree should show employers I have potential as I spent the time and money obtaining my education. Unfortunately, I don't think the world cares about "potential."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zoggin
I have often believed that vocational tech and 2 year colleges offer far more career options to students who want a real decent paying job at graduation by actual career preparation (hands on training that leads to a marketable skill) than a 4 year degree-well rounded education.
If I was a youngster I would look at getting a trade, such as auto mechanic, electrician. Of course there is no guarantee that even trade jobs are hiring or have decent pay. Well paying jobs in America are few and far between (OK, maybe just in the rust belt where I live).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zoggin
I see so many recent grads who are unemployed due to the fact that their 4 year degrees failed to give them the skills employers are looking for. Employers also cannot find qualified applicants for this very reason...
Most jobs are not rocket science. Employers could find qualified applicants if they hired on "potential" and were willing to train. Most people can pick up on what is required for the job within a few weeks. Most jobs have the same tasks that are repeated each day. I have interviewed for 18 jobs in the past 6 months. I know, I could do ALL of those jobs with no problem. But for some reason the interviewers determined I was not the best "fit" for the jobs. I am qualified for all the jobs I apply to, and I still can't get a job offer. I am tired of the whole "employers can't find qualified applicants" lie.
I see so many recent grads who are unemployed due to the fact that their 4 year degrees failed to give them the skills employers are looking for. Employers also cannot find qualified applicants for this very reason...
It's not that their liberal arts degrees "failed" to give them any marketable skills. It's just that employers expect fresh grads to already have 2 or 3 years of actual working experience --either in the form of part-time work, or internships. If you want to major in History, that's fine. But if you don't plan on teaching, or even if you do, you better have second and third options to fall back on just in case. This is why its always important to look at internships, even if its not directly related to your field, while in college. And working PT also helps a lot not only with financial situation, but giving you some more experience.
The other problem is that fresh grads are really poor at creating resumes and have trouble selling themselves in interviews. That is another subject in itself, though.
have u ever heard of Civil Service jobs/tests?
U might be doing a job that doesnt require a degree which is a waste of time..and underpaid
U only need a 4 year degree in ANY major to qualify or take some exams.. jobs start at 40k-52k+.
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