# Do you guys think College is worthless?



## the_immortal_829 (Jun 27, 2017)

Considering the fact that a lot people especially the millennials have struggled to find work and money even after getting a degree. I personally don't dig college as I do view as a scam for most americans and I'm rarely impressed buy someone with a degree because that doesn't truly measure someone's intelligence. But anyway what do you guys think?


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## dizzycactus (Sep 9, 2012)

the_immortal_829 said:


> Considering the fact that a lot people especially the millennials have struggled to find work and money even after getting a degree.


Depends on the degree and area. I don't consider degrees inherently at fault for people getting useless degrees or degrees that aren't in demand from employers. 


the_immortal_829 said:


> I personally don't dig college as I do view as a scam for most americans and I'm rarely impressed buy someone with a degree because that doesn't truly measure someone's intelligence.


Nice irony there, with the simultaneous judgement of intelligence whilst talking about buying someone like a slave. 


the_immortal_829 said:


> But anyway what do you guys think?


Employers employ you often based on your degree. Good enough for me to get one. 
Now, from a higher level of abstraction/on a societal level, there's an issue with degrees in that what was once used for a niche academic purpose by a minority of people has now effectively taken on the role of trades-schools. This doesn't seem too sustainable. A degree shouldn't be the default qualification for nearly every job. Some sectors, degrees would be appropriate, other places the focus should shift more towards apprenticeships, trades-schools etc. For example, my sister needed a degree in social work to become a social worker. A social worker is largely practical, applied work. It's a trade, per se. I don't think a university is the correct place to be training social workers en-mass.


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## Cherry (May 28, 2017)

I agree that going to uni/college doesn't indicate anything about intelligence, however it is very UNFORTUNATE that most jobs nowadays REQUIRE that darned paper. I think that some courses/degrees offered by universities (Australian perspective) are somewhat pointless. For example, technically you could still become a writer without getting a bachelor in creative writing, but you'd still need to get a degree to be a doctor, for sure. A job is still not guaranteed either way...So I guess it depends how much the person values "college", further studies and/or _risking it_ as an individual. But it could also be argued that _everything_ is pointless, or even that _nothing_ is pointless.

If it's not for you, other options might include doing an apprenticeship/internship somewhere of interest and trying to immediately get into work?


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## Grandmaster Yoda (Jan 18, 2014)

Depends on the degree. You have to be somewhat adaptable. There seems to be this massive lie that college is your paradise for self-growth and doing what interests you. But if you get a degree that people aren't looking for or don't really respect then it's a complete waste of time if the goal was to get a job.

I know in my field having a degree is a bonus but not having any experience is much worse than having a lot of experience but no degree. Once you start working you are racking up experience, not degrees and that's what employers actually want in many cases. Certain jobs require a more in depth education than others. 

You can get a degree in philosophy, but personally I understand the philosophy behind that. A. You might not be as competitive as someone who got an engineering degree. B. On a different level, philosophy to me personally is something you should do on your own without some academic stature. If you hand somebody a hammer they aren't automatically a technician. But if you have a brain and you think about things you are a philosopher as far as I am concerned.

Think that certain jobs are growing faster than average. If people didn't have their personal reservations and preferences, you might be seeing more people going toward the jobs that are more in demand than others. But it's all about choice. Sometimes you think something will be a good idea but it ends up being bad. College is not limiting you in that sense. People with degrees and jobs tend to earn more money. It's only the people who rely on too many loans, can't afford it and don't make solid choices I think who are more prone to college as less valuable.


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## PowerShell (Feb 3, 2013)

It's only worthless if you go for something worthless that you can't market. My undergrad literally had a 2 year ROI in increased wages. I did IT, so it's something extremely marketable and needed almost everywhere.


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## martinkunev (Mar 23, 2017)

The answer is very dependent upon country and the domain you wish to work in.

I realize this is not a real answer, but I can only talk about Bulgaria and I doubt this will be useful for anybody.


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## ponpiri (Apr 30, 2017)

It's worthless if you're dumb and unable to market yourself. Some of the so-called scientists I've had to train would have been better off saving their parents' money and going to a trade school.


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## angelfish (Feb 17, 2011)

I think college is undervalued for the education it provides and overvalued as a career launchpad. For some reason at least in the US we're shooting kids straight from high school to college like it's always the next logical step. That makes very little sense in many cases. Intelligent, motivated individuals seeking a career don't need a college degree to succeed at their goals. At the same time - college itself is invaluable. Education is what changes worlds.


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## PiT (May 6, 2017)

Worthless, no. Demanding maturity and discipline beyond a typical 18-year old to ensure a good outcome from it, yes.



ponpiri said:


> It's worthless if you're dumb and unable to market yourself. Some of the so-called scientists I've had to train would have been better off saving their parents' money and going to a trade school.


I earned my Bachelor's in Physics, and one of the hardest things that I had to do (fortunately the more time that passes the less need there is to do it) is constantly explain to other people that it isn't a field I can realistically get a job in with my skill level and I lack the time, means, or talent to consider grad school. It never seems to occur to other people that majoring in the sciences doesn't automatically make you Stephen Hawking, or that being able to earn a degree in something difficult doesn't mean you can or should make a career in that field.


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## atamagasuita (May 15, 2016)

Nopes. Because you can get this piece of paper called diploma that will take you advantageously in living in society


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## Westy365 (Jun 21, 2012)

In the United States, it just depends on what career path you want. If you want to go into a scientific or medical field, than you almost definitely need a college degree (usually even more than that). You also need a degree to become a lawyer, certified teacher, or the something along those lines.

I don't regret getting my degree, but it's not how it used to be—you aren't "practically guaranteed" to find a good-paying, relevant job in your field once you have your degree. And you can't just go up to someone and say "I want to work here" and get the job. The economy is rough. People keep living longer and retiring later, and more people need jobs than before. Additionally, companies are cutting back the number of positions they hire for, whether it's due to budgeting or technology replacing people. I wish I had known that or I would've gone in a different direction with my career.

I was always told that if I didn't go to college, I'd be making minimal money and working retail, telemarketing sales, or fast food for the rest of my life. Well, that's wrong. I know people without a degree that make more money than I do with my degree. In addition, they've been working their jobs longer, so they've made money while I was in school, but unlike I was told, I'm not "quickly catching up and going to surpass them." While millions have college debt, these guys have virtually no debt, have worked up to fairly-good management positions, and are still in charge (despite all those times I was told everyone will work for me since I'm working so hard and will quickly climb to the top). 

What I (and many others in my generation) heard growing up wasn't wrong back then, but things have changed a lot in the last decade. Most of what I was told is a load of crap now, and I'm wondering if I'll ever be able to afford a decent house or support a family in a reasonable amount of time. It sucks.

My advice to those thinking about college is this: Take some time to figure out what you want to do. That whole "it's okay if you don't know what you want to do when you go to college" is crap. You'll incur debt that you might not even need. Work a job while you figure it out (unless you already know), save some money, and then go if it's necessary for your career path. 

I think trade schools and apprenticeships are the way to go now. Everyone wants someone with experience anymore, which you can't seem to get if nobody will hire you (many companies today are full of impatient idiots and instant-gratification whores, don't even get me started). Those seem to be the easiest way to get into a field, if it's what you know you want to do on the front end.


Just press on, work hard, and hope for the best, which is sometimes seemingly the only thing we can do. Sorry if this turned into a little bit of a rant (I'm still a little bitter about it hahaha).


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## PowerShell (Feb 3, 2013)

Westy365 said:


> I think trade schools and apprenticeships are the way to go now. Everyone wants someone with experience anymore, which you can't seem to get if nobody will hire you (many companies today are full of impatient idiots and instant-gratification whores, don't even get me started). Those seem to be the easiest way to get into a field, if it's what you know you want to do on the front end.


My bachelor's in technology management and my MBA also focuses in that. I ironically got started in the youth apprenticeship program at my high school. While I do make a good living, part of me says I should have picked a trade and chased the oil boom in North Dakota when I graduated high school in 2007. I wonder if I'd have enough money to retire right now if I did that lol


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## SgtPepper (Nov 22, 2016)

depends on what type if experience you are looking to get in college and how you plan on utilizing your degree and education that will determine if it is a complete waste or not.


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## Cherry (May 28, 2017)

Only for certain degrees. 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk


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## Zeus (Oct 8, 2011)

Excuse my language here, I personally found almost all of the concepts to be common sense and equitable with mental masturbation. The school I attended had a unscrupulous agenda of changing students political ideologies which I personally didn't care for much. Don't use much of what I learned in my business acumen.


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## PowerShell (Feb 3, 2013)

maenad said:


> Don't use much of what I learned in my business acumen.


How so? Experience definitely does help, but having a certain level of base knowledge obtained from college also helps. I've found way too many people shooting from the hip and eventually figuring things about but completely driving their businesses or careers into the ground because their mistakes bury them. If they would have went to school, they would have learned a lot of stuff that would have helped minimize the mistakes.


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## Grey Wolf (Sep 9, 2017)

In many European countries college is now only three years for a bachelor's degree, which helps reduce costs. I would suggest other countries jump on the bandwagon. I don't think it's worthless, but I would agree that it's sometimes for some occupations redundant. For my personality type we don't memorize facts and figures like an xSTJ, but we need a solid knowledge base to work from or Ti can't do it's a job, because we have nothing to feed it. Given the field I'm planning on entering I have so far felt my education was helpful.


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## Aqualung (Nov 21, 2009)

For what it's worth; my parents had masters degrees, my brother & sister have bachelors degrees & I have a 2 year technical degree. Their salaries: $35-52, mine $89,500. I do have more college hours than any of them (192) but they're too spread out to put toward one degree. Anyway, it's not always about money though, I would take a job I love for half the pay. No matter now, retiring next month.


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## Zeus (Oct 8, 2011)

PowerShell said:


> How so? Experience definitely does help, but having a certain level of base knowledge obtained from college also helps. I've found way too many people shooting from the hip and eventually figuring things about but completely driving their businesses or careers into the ground because their mistakes bury them. If they would have went to school, they would have learned a lot of stuff that would have helped minimize the mistakes.


agreed. Saying that I didn't find much of the information to be worthwhile outside of business classes which ironically were like a 2nd nature to me, my ISTP grandfather groomed me into it from a young age.


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