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Old 03-16-2009, 06:50 PM
 
4,253 posts, read 9,431,402 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by denverian View Post
Classes like Critical Thinking, Western Civ, several Psycology classes, Native American history, a law class, Accounting, photography, etc. are what really have helped to make me a well-rounded person, and I wouldn't give all that knowledge up for anything.
Books! You can learn about all these subjects from books.
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Old 03-16-2009, 06:59 PM
 
Location: Mesa, Az
21,144 posts, read 42,042,662 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nuala View Post
So very true. Some kids have the innate ability to connect with their nature and know what's good for them. But parents often override that because "you have to have a profession". A 12-year old boy told his father that he wanted to live in the nature, build a cabin, hunt and grow things. The father told him all the things he thought he was supposed to tell, so the boy grew up and worked unhappily, until at 42 he finally dropped everything and started his small farm, now happy as could be.

In a way, I'm glad to see that this current economic situation brought the "money is not everything" to surface.
Yeppers:

My family is still a tad disgusted with me since I said the hell with college. Oh well.

I too am more of a 'hands on' person----------possibly due to my (probable) ADHD also.
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Old 03-16-2009, 07:00 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nuala View Post
Books! You can learn about all these subjects from books.
Think of how many books you could buy for the cost of these courses....
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Old 03-16-2009, 07:04 PM
 
Location: Mesa, Az
21,144 posts, read 42,042,662 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by artsyguy View Post
To answer the OP, college for the most part is a lie.
In all fairness: the phrase 'supply and demand' comes to mind; why I say that is 40-50 years ago a BA/S* was the de facto ticket to the good life---------fast forward to the 21st Century and we are now dealing with a glut of college grads.

Again: supply and demand.

*and most folks in such school environments ca. 1964 were psychologically 'fitted' to do well in where a degree was mandatory (MDs, lawyers, etc).
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Old 03-16-2009, 07:04 PM
 
Location: SE Florida
1,194 posts, read 4,118,068 times
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I guess a child can get interested in books that teach them how to do the more complicated things in life but I am not sure if most children will heed to the advice. An average lifestyle may be good for most Americans but I would want the best of the best for my children. If I were lucky enough to have children I would force them to attend college.

College is not a guarantee for anything but I believe through proper education we can achieve a more satisfying process for thinking and find more resources to get along with others then deal with our problems in a more civilized manor..
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Old 03-16-2009, 07:35 PM
 
Location: mass
2,905 posts, read 7,335,238 times
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Interesting subject.

I have a bachelors degree in Geography, concentration in Global Studies.

My parents always expected me to go to college, it never appeared to be a choice for me. Never did they sit me down and ask if I wanted to go, firstly, or discuss finances with me, secondly.

After I started I dropped the Education major because I didn't want to be with kids all day then come home to my own. I thought that would cause me to be burnt out. Looking back, that was probably a huge mistake.

I then discovered that I loved Geography and Earth Science. But by then if I chose Earth Science it would have delayed me at least a year, maybe two because it required many heavy science courses, most of which started in the fall. I thought my parents would be "mad" if I didn't finish up on time. So I went with Geography, and of course the advisers gave example after example of what you can do with a degree in Geography. My parents asked what I was going to do with a degree in Geography, and of course I listed the same things the adviser told me.

After finishing school, my mother said "Wow, we were so surprised you actually finished in four years, you know, most kids now a days are taking more than four years to finish their degrees" and I found my degree qualified me for absolutely NOTHING specific.

My father now jokes that he sent me to college to have children.

I don't look back on my time at college as a waste, as I did meet my DH there, and I am able to say I have a college education.

Was it worth the money? Probably not according to my parents, who paid most of the loans off before I was actually able to finally take them over.

What I will do with my children is discuss with them what they think they may like to do, research with them what professions are in demand or what jobs certain degrees will qualify them for. I will attempt to steer my daughter towards a profession that will allow for well paid part time work, for example pharmacist or nurse, something that will allow her to have time for a family but still work and enjoy a good salary should she choose. I will discuss with my children how much higher education costs, what we the parents will be willing to pay for, the difference in such options as community college, state college, and private schools. I will not let them get there and if they decide that their chosen major is not for them, leave them to just come up with something else willy nilly, like my parents did. Ultimately the decision will be up to them but I hope to offer as much guidance as possible so that they do not end up in the position of being a college graduate and working at a retail store at the mercy of Christmas crowds! College age kids are very young still and need guidance.

I wonder about the value of a college education now because at this point it seems you can get a bachelor's degree in two years worth of Saturdays from a university, all online. (But if you attend an actual school you have to go for four years?) We have the Quinn bill in Mass for the police officers, and it seems like there is a number of schools catering to them to get them bachelors degrees as quickly and painlessly as possible, and it doesn't even seem like these schools are making them work for the degree. These types of programs make me REALLY nervous about the value of a college education.
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Old 03-16-2009, 07:40 PM
 
25,157 posts, read 53,856,366 times
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I don't mean to be rude but what is your point??

Quote:
Originally Posted by ArizonaBear View Post
In all fairness: the phrase 'supply and demand' comes to mind; why I say that is 40-50 years ago a BA/S* was the de facto ticket to the good life---------fast forward to the 21st Century and we are now dealing with a glut of college grads.

Again: supply and demand.

*and most folks in such school environments ca. 1964 were psychologically 'fitted' to do well in where a degree was mandatory (MDs, lawyers, etc).
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Old 03-17-2009, 08:37 AM
 
756 posts, read 2,214,532 times
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Here's just one of many links I found that show the higher the education, the higher the salary.

So, while college isn't for everyone, no, I doubt it is the Great America Lie.


Study Shows Higher Salaries for College Grads - washingtonpost.com

The annual census survey has documented the steadily rising value of higher education in the U.S. economy, and the steadily widening gap in earnings between those who have completed college and those who have not.
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Old 03-17-2009, 08:49 AM
 
Location: Texas
8,672 posts, read 22,231,145 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by regarese View Post
Personally, I don't think there is such a thing as a waste of education. My degree (BA in English) helped me get a foot in the door to a good company, but it is hardly a job that was created with an English major in mind. Although I can't say I "use" my degree, I would not want to undo all that I learned in college. That said, though, it is not for everybody and if you don't have or want the desire to go to college, I don't think it's necessary to pressure somebody into it.
Totally agree. I worked for about five years "in my field of study" after graduation. I don't now (work in a field related to my major that is), but I have always felt that, like regarese said, it helped me "get my foot in the door" to jobs where a degree was really not required. No, I don't think it's for everybody but they should have some kind of plan for vocational study if not college. Like one of the other posters said, I think it's good in general for kids to go ahead and go to college if they can swing it financially. I truly don't think it's ever wasted. Is it worth going into debt for thousands and thousands of dollars? I don't know, but I do think it still has a great deal of value in the job market. Will it guarantee someone a job? No, obviously not, especially in today's economic times, but I still think it helps. It really helps.
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