D'oh! SA Makes List of Lowest % of Residents with College Degrees (San Antonio: loan, home)

[Neshomamench]

Originally Posted by DerpyDerp

A city isn't necessarily "smarter" because it has more degrees than another area. It's not as if they hand out a degree to everyone who is of above-average intelligence and I know plenty of people with degrees who are of below-average intelligence. My test scores are good enough for membership in Mensa (if I were so inclined) and I have only an AA degree.

Earnings are always tied to education, either. According to your figures I earn as much as someone with a doctoral degree, while my ex has a Ph.D. and 4 other college degrees and earns half of that as a university professor.

Then you should be smart enough to understand the solid math of large numbers vs. exceptions and anecdotes.

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by DerpyDerp

A city isn't necessarily "smarter" because it has more degrees than another area.

Tell me how much a city is investing in education, infrastructure and city planning.... and I'll tell you how smart that city is.

[thenewtexan]

None of this study surprises me. I work with countless adults who REFUSE to entertain sending their kids to college. What's even more shocking is the fact that many of these parents spend money to send their kids t private high schools! The mentality is if I can't afford to pay out of pocket then they will not go. It's only for "rich kids." S omany here are stuck in a world of limitations. When I asked if they inquired about financial aid, a couple of them were really insulted "WE'RE NOT ON WELFARE!" They don't understand that even an entry level position at a call center training class in a major company, the nod goes to the candidate with the degree 90 percent of the time. When I explained that over half of the students at Ivy League universities are on some sort fo financial aid, grants, scholarships and loans, they look at me in amazement. I don't know but it seems like sometines they let their pride get in the way of their kid's future. Before anyone says it, yes I know some coming out of college have poor grammar, spelling, etc. Still, though,the harsh reality is that piece of paper means something. Like it or not...

[majormadmax]

Originally Posted by DerpyDerp

A city isn't necessarily "smarter" because it has more degrees than another area. It's not as if they hand out a degree to everyone who is of above-average intelligence and I know plenty of people with degrees who are of below-average intelligence. My test scores are good enough for membership in Mensa (if I were so inclined) and I have only an AA degree.

Earnings are always tied to education, either. According to your figures I earn as much as someone with a doctoral degree, while my ex has a Ph.D. and 4 other college degrees and earns half of that as a university professor.

Well, someone with an IQ that qualifies them for membership in Mesa should know the difference between an average and exceptions!

Also, you should understand that the greater the percentage of college degrees, the greater the average intelligence of any given group.

Seriously, I have known PhDs that end up being bagel delivery men; but on average a person will earn a great income with the more education they have. And for the most part, they will also be smarted than an uneducated person.

If there is one thing I know firsthand, it is that education is more than academics, it's commitment. Everyone has differing levels of intelligence, and I am more impressed by someone with a lower intelligence that works their ass off to get a degree than someone who brags about how smart they are but have never bothered to gain the educational levels that their so-called intelligence could have easily obtained.

I don't consider myself to be much more than average intelligence, and I have seen a lot of people who were much smarter than I fail to achieve the academic accomplishments that I was able to earn; so yes, degrees are not handed out to those with above-average intelligence, they still have to be earned.

Employers do realize that, which is why so much importance is placed on advanced education in professional fields. It isn't an absolute rule, but for the "average" person it will always be more beneficial to obtain as much education as they can versus someone without any.

[doss1]

Degrees are a dime-a-dozen these days...and when the economy goes bad, what's the first thing people do? They go back to school!

The problem is that people lose the much needed experience when they go back to school. I think the most valuable thing college brings to a student is the chance to network and do an internship. Everything else matters very little. But the thing is, you can do those very things without going to college. Many federal agencies and other corporations like Microsoft, Halliburton, etc offer internships for anyone that is willing to do some hard work. Also, it depends on what industry you want to get into. Obviously if you're going to be a doctor, you have to have a degree. Same goes for a biologist, etc. But, for the emerging and fast growing IT sector (which includes everything from graphic design to computer security), it doesn't matter if you have a degree---we want to see experience, skills, and in some cases, certifications. In my public affairs office of 10, an agency that handles a million dollars in budget and the public face for the strongest military branch in the world, only 2 people have degrees.

I went to UT-Austin. Honestly, it was a waste of money for the field I eventually went into because we have been judged on our creative portfolios. I don't think my education ever had a play or reason for my hiring in any job I ever held. I've been assisting some friends with getting hired in the federal government and I have yet to see an application that strictly said "degree only". Nowadays, 3-5 years of real-world experience equals a PHd, according to the job descriptions.

I'm not against going to college, but I think a lot of what we thought about college is no longer true. I think people feel a bit too entitled to get a job these days just because they went to college. It doesn't mean they can start making 45k on their first job. It's not the 20th century anymore.

[svg210]

Originally Posted by majormadmax

Right. I usually hear that from people who don't have degrees...

On average, a person with a Master's degree earns $31,900 more per year than a high school graduate—a difference of as much as 105%!

Here's the data that supports that statement, released by the last U.S. Census Bureau (Average Annual Earnings by Level of Education). Specifically, on average annual salaries by degree were...

A Professional Degree = $109,600
Doctoral Degree = $89,400
Master's Degree= $62,300
Bachelor's Degree = $52,200
Associate's Degree = $38,200
Some College = $36,800
High School Graduate = $30,400
Some High School = $23,400

So over the average person's professional career (40 years), that equates to...

Professional Degree = $4.4M
Doctoral Degree = $3.4M
Master's Degree = $2.5M
Bachelor's Degree = $2.1M
Associate's Degree = $1.6M

So go ahead and tell me again how degrees are worthless...

Well I totally agree with you on the higher Ed = greater income, but to be fair most people can get a degree for just about anything these days. I dropped out of college because it was expensive, and in the long run I was going to keep going back as technology improves by the minute. and although I made a bad choice, but I am certanly happy at the path I've taken.

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by wCat

Just FYI.....that happens to "older" degreed professionals as well. It's called age discrimination.....it's illegal but it happens.

It costs companies more in wages, health care, training and future retirement to have an old professional.
When a company hires a young kid, the company doesn't have to train in on how to use computer programs, wage is low and is not going to retire anytime soon.

That's called capitalism,
companies try to maximize profits and minimize loses.

[Verio]

Originally Posted by LindaGrace

I doubt that every single teenager is becoming a pusher. I expect there are MANY more problems than that, including no family history of college attendance, no knowledge of how to get into college, no clue as to how one would pay for college, etc., etc.

I would expect that choosing drug pushing as a career path isn't the number one reason for a kid not going to college.

I don't buy the whole "no knowledge of how to get into college...". I came from a small town (5400 people) and knew exactly the path oh how to get into college, pay for it, get scholarships, etc. Not a single person in my family had been to college before me.

Some folks are either determined to get in to college, and some aren't. The bottom line is, in society, there will always be a janitor, the 50 year old mother working at the drive-thru at Mcdonalds, the car wash attendant, etc. I'm not dissing those jobs, someone has to do them, I'm just stating a fact. Some may be based upon their financial situation, most just don't care.

I grew up in a household with no money, yet still went to college. People need to suck it up.

[skeet09]

Originally Posted by Verio

I don't buy the whole "no knowledge of how to get into college...". I came from a small town (5400 people) and knew exactly the path oh how to get into college, pay for it, get scholarships, etc. Not a single person in my family had been to college before me.

Some folks are either determined to get in to college, and some aren't. The bottom line is, in society, there will always be a janitor, the 50 year old mother working at the drive-thru at Mcdonalds, the car wash attendant, etc. I'm not dissing those jobs, someone has to do them, I'm just stating a fact. Some may be based upon their financial situation, most just don't care.

I grew up in a household with no money, yet still went to college. People need to suck it up.

I work with a program that helps low income, first generation students enter college. A lot of it is cultural, what is said from parents and other family members. It's not that the kids don't want to go but a lot of pressures coming from the family as to what's expected of them. They are expected to keep bringing in money to the household and no importance to their future education. We've had some kids who are self motivated get literally kicked out of their homes when they tell their parents that they will be attending college out of state. Some go back home and don't go to college and some just leave college and their family relationship is very strained after that.
Then there's the family who is excited about their children attending college but are completely misinformed: from thinking Palo Alto College awards bachelor's degree, etc. It's very hard to convince these kids that Palo Alto does not when their parents told them all along. It's very difficult to erase that misconception.

[LindaGrace]

Originally Posted by Verio

I don't buy the whole "no knowledge of how to get into college...". I came from a small town (5400 people) and knew exactly the path oh how to get into college, pay for it, get scholarships, etc. Not a single person in my family had been to college before me.

Some folks are either determined to get in to college, and some aren't. The bottom line is, in society, there will always be a janitor, the 50 year old mother working at the drive-thru at Mcdonalds, the car wash attendant, etc. I'm not dissing those jobs, someone has to do them, I'm just stating a fact. Some may be based upon their financial situation, most just don't care.

I grew up in a household with no money, yet still went to college. People need to suck it up.

Some folks have different experiences than you. That's all. YOUR experience doesn't match everyone else's.

I read an article the other day in the Chronicle of Higher Ed that there are high schools here in SA who have one counselor to 300 students. That's a far cry from your hs in a town of 5400.

I agree that some people are determined to get to school, and more power to them. Some people need more help.

I come from a smaller town, by the way - 900 people. We had one counselor in our high school but we only had a total of 175 or so people in our high school.