College: Is it Worth it?

[Capt Caveman]

lol you and zeze are both PMs?

everything makes sense now.

In all professions, ability and performance can vary greatly. As a troll, you're an under performer.

Being a PM is not my first career and nor will be my last.

 

[Svnla]

Please don't be clueless and not sure what you want to do with your life then go to college and borrow a tons of money for a "general study" degree and then whine "but but but I went to college and now I can't find a job".

OTOH, if you know what you are doing and get one that you can use, then absolutely yes.

 

[brianmanahan]

Wasn't that the motto of the tea bagger movement?
Humans (most humans outside of Texas) want to further their knowledge thru education.
Attending college in hopes of getting a job is only a small part of it.
Attending college is the natural way to satisfy ones desire for knowledge.
Assuming one graduated from high school in the first place...
And naturally to most Americans today, what I just stated they cannot comprehend...
You can see that in the way they vote, the way they constantly are duped, and the way they constantly vote against their own best interest.

It's not the top 1% we need worry about, it is the GW Bush's, Cain's, Romney's, Bachmann's and the Gingrich's we should worry about. The "con-men". For they know their flock only too well....

back to p&n with you

 

[Engineer]

Depends on what you take and how much it costs you. Too many variables to give a straight forward 100% answer. For the most part, I would assume so...but YMMV.

 

[brianmanahan]

In all professions, ability and performance can vary greatly. As a troll, you're an under performer.

Being a PM is not my first career and nor will be my last.

trolling's just a side job, i excel at my Real Job.

so what's the big plan after PM, assistant to the regional manager?

 

[jingramm]

yes, it is worth it.

 

[Capt Caveman]

trolling's just a side job, i excel at my Real Job.

so what's the big plan after PM, assistant to the regional manager?

Probably, start another company or help another start-up go public.

 

[Zeze]

lol you and zeze are both PMs?

everything makes sense now.

Do you insist on being an online bitch only to be smacked around? WTF do you do- judging by your string of online meme avatars, a WOW farmer?

 

[brianmanahan]

Do you insist on being an online b**** only to be smacked around? WT* do you do- judging by your string of online meme avatars, a WOW farmer?

nope, software dev, but good guess, they both involve computers

also reported

 

[Udgnim]

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t04.htm

4.2% unemployment for people 25 years or older and have a Bachelor's or higher degree

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

In general, no, college is not worth it. The costs, amount of time spent and, opportunity to get side tracked are far greater than the usual benefit. An education is important but, should be disassociated from attending college.

 

[apac]

I'm 25 with a 6-figure job, and I don't live in NY or California. I have a bachelors degree. Would I be where I am now without going to college? Unlikely.

I'd also like to mention that the education you get from college only comes half from books and classes. The other half is social skills, independence, and growing up. Just like your career, you can learn these things outside of school, but if you make it through college (not living at home) odds are you have become a well rounded, interesting, socially capable individual. So much in life hinges on these skills - friendships, relationships, interviews, family, etc.

I say this as someone who was at one time your typical shy teenage nerd who could count his friends on one hand and spent 90% of his time playing MMOs. Now, while still a nerd, probably my favorite thing to do is go out and meet new people. I'm not sure I'd have have come out of my shell had I not gone to college.

 

[SKORPI0]

Depends if you're able to apply and use what you learned in college, and what you took is on demand. Just don't feel that you're entitled to a "high paying job" out of school. Experience and performance in the real world will always be more valuable in the long run, not just some piece of paper.

 

[slugg]

I entered college with no money and a minimal, roughly 25% scholarship. I paid the rest of the costs through drumming and computer work. I've never taken a student loan, but I did have to completely bust my ass to finish my undergrad.

I'm now in grad school with a full ride and then some. My tuition and books are 100% covered, plus I get (barely) enough money to live on. I still do some drumming stuff on the side, but haven't really been doing any computer work.

So what's my point? If you're like me, and you're able to finish your degree without any debt, then you're doing it right. If you're responsible and driven enough to do things right, then yes, college is completely worth it FOR YOU.

College is not for everyone. I wish society would realize and accept that.

Employers should also be blamed. They have ludicrous requirements for a lot of job positions. For example, if there's a management position that requires 10 years of experience in the field and any bachelors degree, then why shouldn't a person with 15 years of experience but without a degree be eligible? This puts pressure on a lot of adults; they think that a bachelors degree is the way out of a dead-end job. But they have a day job, so their only option for school is to pay ludicrous amounts of money for sub-par online education that's not accredited by any meaningful organization.

In the end, we're left with the same business model that's existed since the beginning of history: supply a product that caters to insecurity. Education has turned into a vile market. It's getting to the point now that I believe a couple years working for a respectable company is more valuable than a degree.

 

[the DRIZZLE]

It's important to get a good value in your college education like any other good or service. For example, Ivy's are generally worth the high price because of the network and it signals that you are smart enough to get it. If you are going to a state school stay in state unless you get a scholarship elsewhere. IMO private schools outside the top 20 are a poor investment and not worth the price premium over state schools.

 

[CRXican]

no but I chose a crappy major

 

[ShawnD1]

The value of education depends on you. Can you make a good living without this education?
My education is worth a lot. I'm a small framed person and I hate people. A career in construction would go nowhere because I'm just not big enough. I would consistently be one of the worst guys on the team no matter how hard I try. I can't sell things either because I hate people, but at the same time I find it difficult to lie to people. I wouldn't be able to recommend Monster Cables or an extended warranty unless I was on the brink of homelessness; I lose sleep after doing evil things like that. Being educated is really my only option.

Some people don't need the education. One of my friends doesn't even have a high school diploma but he makes more money than me. He's a large framed guy who does a good enough job of mingling with various crowds, even if it included mingling with people he absolutely hates. With his physical strength and people skills, he's the assistant manager of an industrial parts store. It's a job I would never be able to do, but he does great at it.

 

[Veliko]

No, get a job in McDonalds ASAP.

 

[sonambulo]

Depends on what you take and how much it costs you. Too many variables to give a straight forward 100% answer. For the most part, I would assume so...but YMMV.

Pretty much sums this debate up nicely.

 

[gorcorps]

For me, undergrad was very worth it... but between scholarships and grants I didn't pay a dime. It still got me several good internships and my current good career. My grad degree put me in 30k worth of debt that hasn't helped much, but did add 6k on to my starting offer which is nice.

I like my field and my job enough... plus it pays well enough for now, so I'm happy.

 

[Doppel]

People that I talk to say to stay away from taking out a loan for college. You can end up so far in debt that it is very difficult to pay it all off. Imagine going through four years of college at $10k a year and then getting a job that pays $40k a year.

A $40k car shouldn't be purchased by somebody making $40k a year. It just isn't a smart idea. You don't even have the option to sell anything to help pay off the loan! The college loan is money borrowed without any physical item to sell back.

That's good advice not getting out a loan, but kind of like telling a person falling off a building to not succumb to gravity.

For many a loan is unavoidable and the statistics are damned clear: a college degree pays for itself many times over, even if you need debt. Even if the debt is a bubble (which I think it is).

People need to realize that although SOME People have 100k in debt and make coffee the average college debt is only about $26k after a college degree. You can possibly get some credits at a community college or even if not go to a state school.

Be VERY careful taking advice from people without degrees with crappy jobs who espouse the virtues of not getting one.

Doesn't matter if your four years is spent drinking and skipping classes, at the end of the day even a toilet paper degree is worth SOMETHING, although you'd do damned well to not get one; get a real degree with real skills.

Don't forget also the irony that if you're too lazy to get a degree (this in a general sense--many people just are too lazy), you'll probably end up working harder many times over. I can tell you with total honesty that my job is far less taxing on me than many blue collar jobs. I go to work in an office and listen to music while I work. At lunch I might go to a restaurant where people are making 1/3rd what I do and having to run around to do it. That sucks.

 

[brianmanahan]

I can tell you with total honesty that my job is far less taxing on me than many blue collar jobs. I go to work in an office and listen to music while I work. At lunch I might go to a restaurant where people are making 1/3rd what I do and having to run around to do it. That sucks.

it can be taxing in a different way though. some days i want to switch places with people serving food in the cafe because my job is making my brain explode.

 

[PrinceofWands]

Student loan debt in the United States is now higher than credit card debt. Yikes. Do you think that college is worth it? I say yes, so long as the person doesn't major in something useless at an overrated university.

I believe it's worth it, but for entirely different reasons.

College isn't about a job, it's about education. Education is its own reward, and improves all society merely through obtaining it. Therefore a person's 'major' is irrelevant. It's because school became seen as a business that everything got ruined (as it ALWAYS does where business is concerned).

I do agree that the overrating of universities is a major problem. Where you learn something is wholly irrelevant. Algebra at a community college in Alabama is the exact same formulas as algebra at Harvard or MIT. A lot of the classes I took at a state school here had far more rigorous requirements than many ivy league equivalents.

Yes, people take on too much school debt. That issue can be addressed without sacrificing education. In fact, education can be MUCH improved concurrently.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Just proceed with a life of hookers and blow. You can be anything you want, like a rock-star, rapper, a professional football player, etc. No need for college (unless it is to get a garbage degree to play college football to transition to the pros).

(Sarcasm)

 

[Oil]

Undergrad was worth it for me. No debt and six figures. Feels good man