# Is College worth it?



## Ashitaria (Jul 4, 2010)

Business & Technology | Does going to college pay? Answer isn't simple | Seattle Times Newspaper

I guess not?


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## Harley (Jul 5, 2009)

Well, you also don't want to enter the workplace with just a high school diploma (or even worse...). I think the reason college may not work out for some people is that, they don't take the time to build up their resume _while_ they're in college, though for some it's understandable seeing as juggling classes and volunteering/work is not the easiest thing to do. Also some colleges have no/shitty internship or co-op programs so that might exacerbate the problem.

With that being said, I still think it's crucial to start career building while you're in school, whether you're just volunteering or actually working (and I mean anything aside from the food service and retail sector). I haven't graduated so take my word with a grain of salt, but based on what I've read employers mostly care for experience and to some extent your personality, so don't base your whole college experience on academics unless you want to stay in academia and network, network, network. I think some people go to college with this mind-set that if they just attend and get good grades they'll somehow have plush jobs immediately after they graduate. Unfortunately this is not the case, and those individuals tend to be sorely disappointed.


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## jack london (Aug 27, 2010)

The college degree on your resume will get you past the human resources department because they have stacks of resumes and they have to use something to weed through them.

Once you get to the interview its all about the creepy factor. Just how much you put the people interviewing you at ease, the more they can see themselves working with someone like you the more likely you are to get the job. Remember they have to get up every morning and come into work to work with someone like you. :tongue: So make it a pleasant experience for them.


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## temporary_member (Jan 18, 2011)

No, it isn't worth it.

All of my friends make more money than me and only one of them has a degree, but he's a police officer. One works at Microsoft and the other two are in sales.

I have a BA in English and am making $9.50 working retail.

The more important thing is making contacts. Start by interning and focus on networking during your internships. Volunteer and travel. Get away from home for a few years.

Don't go to college until you specifically know what you want to do, and even then it would be wiser to obtain a cheap technical degree.

College is a business. Don't let them sucker you like they did me.


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## topgun31 (Nov 23, 2010)

Depends on what you want to do. It also depends on your dreams, aspirations, current knowledge, etc.

i.e. if you want to become a doctor, then yea college is worth it. 
if you want access to top-notch research facilities and faculty doing break-through research, then, again, yea it is worth it (although Steve Jobs did "drop-into" college after dropping out, so that's another option)
If you want to go into sales, probably not if you can get the right connections out of college or if you're already good with people. Although a prestigious institution can help get you connections. 
If you want to become a musician then probably not (unless you have a screaming interest in music theory)
If you don't know what you want, then I suggest holding it off, unless you want the "experience"

And networks matter. alot.


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## Arbite (Dec 26, 2010)

It really depends on what you want to do. A friend of mine dropped out at the end of year 11 and is now working as a mechanic and loves it, thinks it was the best life decision he ever made.

I love learning and for me science/engineering is probably the thing I will enjoy the most. That and average pay for an Australian mining engineering graduate first year out is 76000+


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## prplchknz (Nov 30, 2010)

yes the important thing to do while in school is apply for internships, I'm going to apply for internships for this summer than do one my senior year aswell.


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## entropy (Mar 31, 2010)

College by itself doesn't seem worth it. You better focus a lot on networking and getting any experience you can. I would go back to school if I could just because the economy is so bad here I can't find a stable/full time job. I know someone with a Bachelor's degree in IT from SU who made about 9/hr doing lifeguarding last I knew. Another friend of mine got her B.A. from a good private school and works in a food court doing the same thing she did prior to her degree. Someone I worked with had their Masters degree and was working in retail making minimum wage. I know another guy with a Masters who washes dishes at a restaurant. All I have is my A.A. which honestly isn't worth much. A lot of decent jobs say their minimum requirements are a Bachelor's degree + X amount of experience. A lot of college degrees themselves are not particularly useful at a Bachelor's degree level either.

There are plenty of possibilities. You could go to school and graduate and then end up only being able to find entry level/low paying jobs. On top of that, you'd likely have a huge amount of debt just from going. You could not go and find an entry level job. They're more likely to take someone without a degree for those. 

Degrees are worth significantly less than they used to be. College IS a business. Despite my cynicism on our education system and economy, I would still recommend attending. You get to meet people from all over the place and just learn things you may not get a chance to if you don't attend. The life experiences might be worth more than stuff you learn in classes.


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## strawberryLola (Sep 19, 2010)

I think it's worth it. The knowledge that I've gained helped to to find a greater appreciation for the simple things, in general. It's opened my eyes to possibilities/unknown territory that I want to discover.

Although I didn't find any careers that I enjoyed with my B.A. (mostly because I wanted to go back), with my advanced degree I'm not even sure if I am going to land the career of my dreams. It doesn't matter though, because somehow I know things will work out.

When I look at 3rd world countries where kids ride bikes in villages for miles and miles just to learn something from a shanty building, it reminds me of all the luxuries I take for granted, how invaluable education is especially for those who don't have the privilege to it. It's definitely added new meaning/dimension for me in terms of personal growth.


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## Mutatio NOmenis (Jun 22, 2009)

College is worth it. A degree proves that you know something and can do something. The degree can be used in many ways too. My teacher has a BA in business management, yet she is a Special Ed teacher. My mom majored in Food Science, but she is an Aesthetician. Dad is a mathematician, he works with computers. Another teacher majored in ethics, now she's in guidance.


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## Cman (Sep 24, 2010)

You can't be an engineer without a degree, so it's worth it for me. If a degree is required for what you really want to do, then it doesn't matter too much about the earnings difference.

In my opinion, very few people get a real benefit out of the four years. Regardless of the earnings difference, I think college is just a waste of a part of their lives if no learning or growing occurs.


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## Chiguy (Jan 27, 2011)

Just for academics, for me no way. I can't speak for everyone else, but school is far too mundane. You learn stuff, but ultimately its just about who has the most resiliency to completing grunt work. There were so many classes where I felt ripped off for even spending money to be in the class. The thing's I learned that I felt were useful were far outweighed by the amount of menial tasks they expect.

Socially though, totally. I met very awesome people while there and have some pretty unforgettable memories.


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## ceembee (Jun 28, 2010)

Depends on whether your primary reason for going is to get a cushy job someday, or to become a more well-rounded person.

I can't imagine my life without having gone to college.
Academia is my..._home._

(I'm planning to go into psychological research, which one can really only do at a university or on behalf of the government...so I really AM going to be a lifelong student. :tongue: )


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## sonicdrink (Aug 11, 2010)

here's another article about it: Does going to college make you smarter?or poorer? - Manage Your Life on Shine

for some, it's really not needed, but it really does depend on what you're going into. I'm going with Linguistics, and so I'm going to need specialized education. I also need the resources and people's experience into how to specialize what field of that I'm going into. It will also be essential for me to have a network for finding a job in wherever I land.

of course, if my love was business, I think I would be just fine, but I want to do something to where I'll be interested every day, and I need academic material for that purpose.


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## antiant (Jul 4, 2010)

It is not worth it to me. I have a huge problem with how education is currently set-up and the so called "goals" of education. This is all I have to say on the matter:


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## snapdragons (Feb 1, 2011)

For me it was worth it. Having that little piece of paper has opened up a lot more doors for me. Granted I learned more in my job experience than I really did in the classroom when it comes to getting a job-- but I also believe that learning the theory, content, facts, etc. will help me with graduate school. 

Here's the deal-- college isn't a guarantee. However thinks that is living in lalaland. College is a gateway to other opportunities. It's supposed to provide one with options that they may or may not pursue. When you don't have a college degree and go from dead-end job to another dead-end job, a lot of those things can be taken away. I proudly know that my degree can never be taken away. Yes, the economy sucks but so does working a thankless 9-10 hour job without that piece of paper.


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## sprinkles (Feb 7, 2010)

As a life experience that you can just roll with, and maybe come out with some more knowledge, I'd say it's worth it. 

If you are only looking at it from an extremely pragmatic "what's in it for me?" standpoint... then you should be able to answer it for yourself. :laughing:

Take hold of your life. Seriously. If you are always looking at how you can fit in with just what's expected of you, then you are probably going to have problems with it no matter what you do.


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## Black Rabbit (Apr 15, 2010)

It can be worth it. Know why you're going to college and plan accordingly. Also, sometimes being successful is being lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. You're never entitled to anything.


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## trice (Nov 7, 2010)

for me, there has to be a balance between the cost of school and the benefit you gain and, most importantly where you are located, unless you plan on moving. Also as the others said, very much depends on what you want to do or if you are trying to change fields. I say if you don't want to go all the way for BA, BS, MBA, ect.., at least an associates is better for getting your foot in the door. :wink:


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## Darner (Apr 20, 2010)

College is definitely worth it! College/student life is so cool and unmissable. And I'm not talking about parties and screwing around ... even if you genuinly want to learn something, you have amazins opportunities if you're at the place where stuff actually happens. You meet amazing people that will be successfull later in life and it's always good to have connections, you can explore differences, meet people you probably wouldn't have a chance to talk with in everyday life ... I'm currently finishing my Masters and looking for a PhD and even though the topic interests me a lot, I know everything else will be even better.


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