Success is NOT related to education!

[Mai72]

I came across this video today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m38Bt8xaZFE

I agree. Dave isn't saying education isn't important. Education is important, but at what cost? Is it smart to go $60,000 in debt to obtain a History degree?

He also states that 1/5 of young males live in their parent's basement.

Finally, he touches on an important topic. Young people have poor relational skills today.

 

[Zeze]

I hate these sweeping blanket statements.

It's not 100% related or 0%. It lies somewhere in between and getting that degree certainly helps in the eyes of your employers.

It all comes down to PEOPLE & opportunity.

I personally know people....

-That went to Harvard GSE (my ex) and holds a nice director job for city of Cambridge education dept. She 'only' makes 90k. Is she not successful then?

-That went to Northeastern (more than good enough school) and didn't hold a single job since graduation. That's because he's a lazy ass bum that's spoiled.

-That didn't go to any college and started a nice restaurant- opening a third one in 2014.

-That didn't go to any college and works at Starbucks.

All combinations exist.

 

[Meghan54]

Success may not be directly related to education, but having an education surely doesn't hurt.

 

[nickbits]

Good will hunting.

 

[mmntech]

Success may not be directly related to education, but having an education surely doesn't hurt.

I think we can all agree that there are more successful educated people than non educated. Though education doesn't guarantee success, which is a mistake a lot of young people make. It takes a lot of hard work, careful planning, and a healthy dose of luck.

 

[brianmanahan]

ugh, i hate dave ramsey

he is a crutch for people who cannot think for themselves

 

[Soundmanred]

I've learned over the 14 years here at Anandtech to not listen to people named Dave.

 

[brianmanahan]

I've learned over the 14 years here at Anandtech to not listen to people named Dave.

words to live by

 

[child of wonder]

Getting a college degree is important and definitely improves one's chances of starting a successful career, however the more you spend on college definitely yields diminishing returns. Typically a college education opens the door to a career path but the individual has to work hard, excel, and have some luck to achieve high levels of success.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Getting a college degree is important and definitely improves one's chances of starting a successful career, however the more you spend on college definitely yields diminishing returns. Typically a college education opens the door to a career path but the individual has to work hard, excel, and have some luck to achieve high levels of success.

Exactly.

Also, where you went to school only matters one time -- when you graduate and are looking for a job. Once you have that first job, it won't matter where you went in all likelihood. Your work record and accomplishments will speak far louder.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

-That went to Harvard GSE (my ex) and holds a nice director job for city of Cambridge education dept. She 'only' makes 90k. Is she not successful then?

I know a girl whose parents are both doctors and she decided to go to Harvard for her Master's degree in something lame like Comparative Far Eastern Religions. She might make $40K, maybe a tad more. I don't understand going to an Ivy League school for lame stuff like that as it definitely didn't pay off for her. My wife has other friends who went to places like Boston College for similar sorts of degrees and they all make in the $30K and $40K range. I mean, why bother? That's great if you have interests in things like Classical Rome, Far East Religions, etc -- I do too, but I won't spend tens of thousands of dollars to learn about them when I can read a few books on my own.

 

[Xed]

Success is proportional to how much money you send women in Thailand that you think you are dating.

 

[Svnla]

It is not just what you know but how do you apply what you know.

 

[madoka]

Education is important, but at what cost? Is it smart to go $60,000 in debt to obtain a History degree?

For me, it was very worth it. I went to a top five college and to a top five professional school. Not only did my education open doors for me throughout my life, it increased my income to a level I would otherwise not be able to reach. It took me about six months after graduation to pay off my professional school debt. Now I can do that in a matter of weeks. So for me, it was certainly worth it.

If you went to a crappy school and/or are lazy, then yeah, maybe school is not for you.

 

[OverVolt]

I don't even know what to think honestly, lol.

Okay, watched the video, he is a bit crazy.

 

[Udgnim]

education opens doors

being smart enough & having people skills will determine how far most people go in terms of success though

 

[unokitty]

Perhaps a better way of saying it would be to say that the student loan program enables too many people to become educated beyond their intelligence.

After all, if education worked for everyone, the student loan default rate wouldn't be increasing...

Just a thought.

Uno

 

[child of wonder]

I know a girl whose parents are both doctors and she decided to go to Harvard for her Master's degree in something lame like Comparative Far Eastern Religions. She might make $40K, maybe a tad more. I don't understand going to an Ivy League school for lame stuff like that as it definitely didn't pay off for her. My wife has other friends who went to places like Boston College for similar sorts of degrees and they all make in the $30K and $40K range. I mean, why bother? That's great if you have interests in things like Classical Rome, Far East Religions, etc -- I do too, but I won't spend tens of thousands of dollars to learn about them when I can read a few books on my own.

An Ivy league school is definitely a waste of money unless you plan on pursuing a career in science, politics, law, etc. When it comes to school, too many see it as a golden ticket to a career when it should really be viewed as an investment. I went to a small technical school that no one's heard of and came out with only an Associate's degree, yet I've still managed to have an outstanding career so far. And my degree only cost $10,000 including books, laptop, and tuition.

While I could have spent another $20,000 going after a Bachelor's degree or another $40,000 for a Masters, I had to get into the workforce ASAP to support my family. Now, 8 years later, I see how much more valuable experience is over education and I definitely won't waste my time trying to get a Bachelor's or Master's degree unless it's to start a new career path, such as shifting to management with long term goals of becoming a corporate executive.

Point is, in most scenarios I'd view expensive colleges as a waste of money. As you said, it helps you with your first job and that's all.

 

[OverVolt]

For me, it was very worth it. I went to a top five college and to a top five professional school. Not only did my education open doors for me throughout my life, it increased my income to a level I would otherwise not be able to reach. It took me about six months after graduation to pay off my professional school debt. Now I can do that in a matter of weeks. So for me, it was certainly worth it.

If you went to a crappy school and/or are lazy, then yeah, maybe school is not for you.

Haha okay old man maybe get with the times a bit.

Doing things properly for a bachelors runs you $40k for four years where I live, short of scholarships, which are stretched right now. I went to CC for the first half and university for the second half and it ran me $20k. For a private school it costs $200k.

The state schools are so-so, not the greatest connections, very hit or miss depending on your area of study. In my opinion at least 50% of the 30-40,000 people in college for the schools around here are completely wasting their time, anthropology, zoology, psychology, sociology, english, etc. (hopefully they are fluent when they graduate)

At the private university they can actually line you up with a job no matter the area of study AFAIK. You could still be a journalist or historian today if that was your passion, its just that it probably pays $50k or less and costs $200k to get there at a good private non-profit school.

The local law school runs you $150k, not everyone who graduates gets a job. Some get lucky, and some get very mediocre wages. Depends entirely on connections. It is not a top tier school. BYOC, bring your own connections.

Professional schools run about $35k/year minimum and these days at least $10-15k on living expenses depending on locale and health insurance/transportation needs etc. And that is being very frugal. Never going out. Rolling that into your student loans with interest you're talking like $180k-$220k+

Its difficult to get a decent job to work while in college these days. Internships are trending towards unpaid, etc.

So you made $400k starting? Wow nice, what specialty? Cardiology? They deserve that salary because they don't begin working until 30+ and have lost ground to catch up so I get that. Did you found Google or something? :awe: Wow! Amaze!

 

[halik]

Yeah, highschool dropouts are doing great.

 

[The Day Dreamer]

You do need basic education (Graduation) at-least to fully develop your mind and thinking.

Meanwhile getting education, you come across a lot of personalities and situations which shapes your thinking and personality.

And yah, as said above. It also depends on what you doing.

 

[ponyo]

Yeah, highschool dropouts are doing great.

I know plenty of college dropouts doing great.

 

[The Day Dreamer]

I know plenty of college dropouts doing great.

Yes, but not all can do great. It depends upon their skills and talent.

 

[Capt Caveman]

I know a girl whose parents are both doctors and she decided to go to Harvard for her Master's degree in something lame like Comparative Far Eastern Religions. She might make $40K, maybe a tad more. I don't understand going to an Ivy League school for lame stuff like that as it definitely didn't pay off for her. My wife has other friends who went to places like Boston College for similar sorts of degrees and they all make in the $30K and $40K range. I mean, why bother? That's great if you have interests in things like Classical Rome, Far East Religions, etc -- I do too, but I won't spend tens of thousands of dollars to learn about them when I can read a few books on my own.

What types of careers do they have? Personally, I don't measure one's success by how much money that they make. If they're happy, helping to make this world a better place, raising good children, etc., they're successful in my book.

 

[DAGTA]

ugh, i hate dave ramsey

he is a crutch for people who cannot think for themselves

Maybe, but his Financial Peace University plan does work. People that follow it get out of debt and into sound financial positions.