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Yes, that's why I was careful to use the word "some." The poster I quoted was openly mocking and perhaps disbelieving of the anecdotes about people who became successful despite having college education. It's really not very hard to find more examples of this kind. They don't negate the fact that higher education is valuable for many, probably the majority, of people, or that I will steer my own children in that direction.
Why are you so threatened by the idea that some people have become successful without higher education? Are you an educator?
Because I think it's dangerous to lead kids to the idea that plenty of people out there make lots of money without a college degree, so therefore one shouldn't go to college. Many kids choose not to go to college for legitimate reasons, such as desiring a career in the trades. That's great. But telling a kid who actively desires a college education that it's not necessary because hey, Uncle Tommy was only educated through sixth grade but makes millions? Really, really unwise.
Yes, that's why I was careful to use the word "some." The poster I quoted was openly mocking and perhaps disbelieving of the anecdotes about people who became successful despite having college education. It's really not very hard to find more examples of this kind. They don't negate the fact that higher education is valuable for many, probably the majority, of people, or that I will steer my own children in that direction.
The plural of anecdote is not data.
You can give me examples of people who are successful without college degrees for as long as you want and I could give you plenty too. But, that does not in any way negate the fact that college grads, on average, will make significantly more in their lifetimes and enjoy far lower unemployment rates than do non-college grads.
Not at this point, because she has HER loans to pay back. She took out the maximum federal loans allowed, and she is making her payments. What her father and I took out was to cover the rest. I got screwed a bit because her father lost his job halfway through her college years and I ended up with two semesters that should have been his. He's working again and paying off his loans, but he isn't the sort of person who is going to step up and pay me for those two semesters worth. This is a guy who did backflips to avoid paying child support as much as possible. It's mostly on me.
She has said that she does intend to continue to help me pay back the loans once her own loans are paid, but meanwhile, payments are due.
That's nonsense. There are plenty of decent paying, unskilled labor positions. A friend of mine makes over $60k a year delivering for UPS.
While a college education does indeed make it easier to get a higher paying job, saying it's impossible to do so without one is an ignorant statement. Hell, I have a millionaire distant cousin who owns a business and his education doesn't exceed sixth grade.
What do you think will happen when EVERYONE gets a college education? Do you think there are that many prerequisite jobs open out there? How many college graduates are currently underemployed already? It's a tough decision to make. IMO, it's not worth going to college unless the field is lucrative and in high demand. I can spout out a multitude of people that I know that went to college and work jobs that don't require a college education, simply because they chose a field that either has low demand or simply doesn't pay well enough.
Well, OTOH, what do you think will happen if EVERYONE starts their own business? How many people have opened businesses, borrowing thousands of dollars and beyond, and failed? Hard work will get you only so far if there just isn't enough demand for your goods and services when competition's fierce on this end too.
Push come to shove, there is no "one solution fits all" answer to this age old question. It's up to the individual to assess if college will give him the best shot, trade school, or taking course or apprenticeship into running your own business, or a combination of those paths. Heck, even joining the military can be apart of that.
i'm a senior in college, and my parents paid the full amount. However, I've already gotten (and accepted) a job offer from a major company with a decent start salary (60k). It wouldn't have happened without college (and really my parents supporting me).
As a side note, my parents are telling me to give up the job and to continue on getting a masters degree (on their dime).
I'm sure you really thought about how serious you'd be taken when you finished class today, turned on a computer you never paid for, and posted something about how people who don't toss money at kids shouldn't have kids. Your wisdom is unsurpassed.
Because I think it's dangerous to lead kids to the idea that plenty of people out there make lots of money without a college degree, so therefore one shouldn't go to college. Many kids choose not to go to college for legitimate reasons, such as desiring a career in the trades. That's great. But telling a kid who actively desires a college education that it's not necessary because hey, Uncle Tommy was only educated through sixth grade but makes millions? Really, really unwise.
I agree. Silly, dangerous, and misleading. The only people I recall stating that a college degree is unnecessary to earn a decent living wage are people who themselves have a college education, or the teensy percentage of people who are lucky or whathaveyou. The majority of people without a college education are working very hard, and would be making more money with better education credentials, fact of life.
I'm sure you really thought about how serious you'd be taken when you finished class today, turned on a computer you never paid for, and posted something about how people who don't toss money at kids shouldn't have kids. Your wisdom is unsurpassed.
i actually paid for this computer. judging by the amount of replies, it was taken somewhat seriously. anyway, it's an anonymous message board. I get to say (write) things that are very politically incorrect to say in real life and see how people really feel. I obviously can't tell someone in real life "maybe you're just too poor to have a kid". i grew up in a "privileged" area and associate with people with the same background as me. I only found out people didn't have their parents pay for college my second year of college (2 years ago).
i actually paid for this computer. judging by the amount of replies, it was taken somewhat seriously. anyway, it's an anonymous message board. I get to say (write) things that are very politically incorrect to say in real life and see how people really feel. I obviously can't tell someone in real life "maybe you're just too poor to have a kid". i grew up in a "privileged" area and associate with people with the same background as me. I only found out people didn't have their parents pay for college my second year of college (2 years ago).
When I was at university there was a large Asian cohort - they all drove very nice cars and one day when I mentioned I had to hurry to catch the bus home, one said - "I don't understand, why hasn't your father bought you a car?"
He could speak English well enough to cope with university, but could not make sense of me saying "my dad would never buy me a car, nor do I expect him too..."
That's nonsense. There are plenty of decent paying, unskilled labor positions. A friend of mine makes over $60k a year delivering for UPS.
While a college education does indeed make it easier to get a higher paying job, saying it's impossible to do so without one is an ignorant statement. Hell, I have a millionaire distant cousin who owns a business and his education doesn't exceed sixth grade.
What do you think will happen when EVERYONE gets a college education? Do you think there are that many prerequisite jobs open out there? How many college graduates are currently underemployed already? It's a tough decision to make. IMO, it's not worth going to college unless the field is lucrative and in high demand. I can spout out a multitude of people that I know that went to college and work jobs that don't require a college education, simply because they chose a field that either has low demand or simply doesn't pay well enough.
I can as well, and they all have degrees that are not worth anything to employers. For example, Russian Literature, Internet Tech Business Associate, Business communications, Philosophy, etc etc etc.... I don't think it's impossible to live without a college degree either as I know many people that do. However, I do think it's going to be harder to do in the next 20-30 years because as more people get degrees more jobs will simply increasingly require them. As the people with degrees move into middle management they will expect the people they hire to have the same qualifications.
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