How many of you have gone to college? Was it worth it?

[XutvJet]

If you want the highest potential to the most money, the odds HEAVILY favor someone with a college degree vs someone without. On average, lifetime earnings of a college grad exceed the HS grad lifetime earnings by around $1M. That's very significant.

For me personally, college was half about the education and half about the college experience. Some of my best years were my college days outside of my school day. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I hardly remember much about my classes, but I certainly remember much about what went on outside of class. It was a freaking blast. If you're older (21+), you're probably past the "college experience" phase.

College was simply a ticket to get into my field; environmental consulting. In my career, I haven't applied much of anything from my degree and that applies to most college degrees. Usually what you're taught in college is years behind what's being applied in the field. The degree is simply proof to an employer that the recent grad can apply themselves to complete a higher education over a number of years of focus. Sad that it comes down to this, but it's true. There are plenty of wasteful college degrees too which can leave you with massive debt and little to no job options. Consider wisely.

There are plenty of trade school degrees and certifications that can land you VERY lucrative careers. However, one must consider what comes with some of those jobs such as risky work environments, strenuous or very tedious/repetitive work conditions, long or weird hours, lots of travel, little upward mobility, little to no benefits, etc. One must really consider how long they can handle a job like that and/or what their body can handle. I know many people that have physical, high paying jobs that are now having trouble doing their job because they are getting older and their body isn't handling it well. I also know plenty of white collar workers in their 40s and early 50s that have extremely high stress jobs (me included) that are wavering on moving on to something else.

Sales jobs can be extremely lucrative, BUT your income isn't guaranteed month to month and can be influenced by the economy more so than most jobs. If you're in sales, it's best you be good with saving and rainy day planning.

If one is seeking a decent to well paying job, I don't think you can go wrong with a standard business or engineering degree. Everyone I know with these degrees have always done quite well. However, the jobs can be boring as hell with you being stuck in a cube/office all day punching at the keyboard.

In the end, it's give and take. Think carefully. IMO, happiness should outweigh money. If your job doesn't make you at least somewhat happy, what's the point?

[4Hockey4]

As my eldest said, I'll do first 2 years at Community College, think of all the "experiences" I can have with all the $$ saved, post graduation, and way better then any college exp. (of course he did a year of prep and grew up fast in hockey world, so for bumpkins stuck at home with nanny state, I can see college being an "experience")

Unless parents are footing the full bill (we were close) save your $$ for something else. The final degree from said University doesnt have an asterisk on it.

[pennsiveguy]

Originally Posted by tgrundke

Quite the opposite in the 21st century: modern academia has become a religious institution of leftists, pushing a specific dogma. Critically challenging anything that is considered heterodox is verboten.

"Universities are places where new or different ideas and world views grow. This, by definitions is the opposite of conservative thought. It has been that way for hundreds of years. Hard to change the world if you’re confined to old ways of thinking."

Conservatism is not simply about "old ways of thinking". It is a recognition of basic natural laws, human nature, and fundamental rights that do not change.

Academia has been transformed in the last 20 years into a place I no longer recognize - it's no longer a place where ideas are challenged, it is where students who express contrary thought are shut down.

I think an even more destructive trend on university campuses has been the infantilization of the students with "safe spaces" and other means of creating snowflakes who think they're entitled to, among other things, never hear or read anything that upsets them at all.

Campuses used to be a favored performance venue for stand-up comics. Now - long before the COVID crisis - they're much less likely to play universities. Comedy relies, in part, on shock and controversy. Campuses no longer welcome those concepts, it seems. They're afraid that their fragile little students might be triggered. What a joke.

The minute nobody can say anything that might upset somebody else, all debate ends. Everything has to be sanitized to the level that the most insecure and spineless person can accept without the least discomfort. If we can't talk about controversial topics and entertain all viewpoints, then there's no marketplace of ideas.

That's not the real world and it's not how an adult realistically expects the world to be. They're doing their students a great disservice in mollycoddling them this way.

[sygazelle]

Originally Posted by pennsiveguy

I don't have disdain for college graduates. I am one myself (a BA and a BS), as are both my parents and all 4 of my grandparents. I have disdain for the systemic infestation which has turned former hotbeds of rigorous debate, and bustling marketplaces of ideas, into indoctrination depots.

Discussions can end quickly for any number of reasons. On rare occasions, one side's arguments and assertions are so well-crafted and compelling and self-validating that they instantly and forever vanquish the opponents' arguments. More often, one side quickly realizes that the other side is ideologically possessed and rigid, and that the discussion is doomed to be fruitless despite their own good will and sound ideas and thus leaves the discussion. I'm sure all of your quickly-concluded discussions are the former case.

It's been many years since I graduated. At the time, my experience in both my undergrad degree and my graduate degree studies are nothing like you describe. Since it's been so many years, I really don't know if the systemic infestation in higher education to which you refer is true or not.

Look, all systems and entities, education and otherwise, have good and bad players. For you to paint higher education with such a broad brush is probably not accurate description of the education system as a whole.

[izzyM2]

I have a 2 year A/A vocational degree. I was lazy to study and took life with a whatever attitude. The most I made in my life was 50k a year. My wife on the other hand has a 4 year bachelors degree in nursing and was always top 3 in her class. Nurses average 100k a year but she is currently making $250k a year not only because of her degree but because she always puts that extra mile all the time. My daughter just graduated last May with a 4 yr bachelors degree in Business and had a job even before graduating and is currently making 60k a year and even during this uncertain times retains her position because she has proven that she puts that extra mile and is needed in her current job.
If you have an exceptional talent in something and has that go getter mindset you might get away with dropping college.
This is my reality and though I have no regrets I do wish at times I studied well and knew about the importance of a 4 yr college degree.

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

If you want the highest potential to the most money, the odds HEAVILY favor someone with a college degree vs someone without. On average, lifetime earnings of a college grad exceed the HS grad lifetime earnings by around $1M. That's very significant.

For me personally, college was half about the education and half about the college experience. Some of my best years were my college days outside of my school day. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I hardly remember much about my classes, but I certainly remember much about what went on outside of class. It was a freaking blast. If you're older (21+), you're probably past the "college experience" phase.

College was simply a ticket to get into my field; environmental consulting. In my career, I haven't applied much of anything from my degree and that applies to most college degrees. Usually what you're taught in college is years behind what's being applied in the field. The degree is simply proof to an employer that the recent grad can apply themselves to complete a higher education over a number of years of focus. Sad that it comes down to this, but it's true. There are plenty of wasteful college degrees too which can leave you with massive debt and little to no job options. Consider wisely.

There are plenty of trade school degrees and certifications that can land you VERY lucrative careers. However, one must consider what comes with some of those jobs such as risky work environments, strenuous or very tedious/repetitive work conditions, long or weird hours, lots of travel, little upward mobility, little to no benefits, etc. One must really consider how long they can handle a job like that and/or what their body can handle. I know many people that have physical, high paying jobs that are now having trouble doing their job because they are getting older and their body isn't handling it well. I also know plenty of white collar workers in their 40s and early 50s that have extremely high stress jobs (me included) that are wavering on moving on to something else.

Sales jobs can be extremely lucrative, BUT your income isn't guaranteed month to month and can be influenced by the economy more so than most jobs. If you're in sales, it's best you be good with saving and rainy day planning.

If one is seeking a decent to well paying job, I don't think you can go wrong with a standard business or engineering degree. Everyone I know with these degrees have always done quite well. However, the jobs can be boring as hell with you being stuck in a cube/office all day punching at the keyboard.

In the end, it's give and take. Think carefully. IMO, happiness should outweigh money. If your job doesn't make you at least somewhat happy, what's the point?

I want to elaborate on your sales comment. Not all sales positions pay the same way. You can be slightly leveraged to being all the way leveraged. If you're an SE (sales engineer), your comp will always be less leveraged. The comp plans are usually either 80/20 or 70/30. I've heard of some SEs on a 60/40 plan. What this means in the case of 80/20 is that your overall comp is 80% base pay and 20% commissions based. I had one job where it was 80/20. My subsequent jobs have been 70/30. Factor in that your typical base pay is in the 6 figures, things are not as bleak as you make them out to be. If I were to not have a commission pay out at all, I am still doing very well with just base pay. Some companies offer accelerators where they pay out a multiple of what your normal commissions payout would have been. Think 2x, 3x, etc. There are also SPIF programs where if you do x and y to sell product z, you will get a bonus payout. I had one SPIF payout that was in the 5 figures. Also, your commissions payout could be solely your responsibility by achieving certain gates where you have a quota assigned to you. Other times, you may be on a team number where the entire group is assigned a quota and everyone gets paid out evenly based on the overall attainment.

The account execs are usually on a 50/50 or so number. These are the sales people. Their comp plan is set up this way to encourage them to work hard at selling more product. Many sales people choose to be more leveraged as they can make a butt load more money than a sales engineer with their comp plans. I know of one person I used to work with that knocked it out of the park for the half and was looking at a 7 figure payout. Yes. You read that right.

The comp plans I've described are what is par for the course with IT sales. If you're not a total blithering idiot with your finances, the potential volatility with your variable is not that bad.

[billnchristy]

I have a ba in management and an ma in teaching. Only worth it because it was paid by my military service. I suppose it does help get jobs easier but just as often makes you “over qualified “