Is a college degree worth anything?

[kahiljabroni]

Obviously the answer is yes and no.

If the occupation you want requires a degree and you know you are capable of completing it then get it in the cheapest way possible. Community...then in- state, then graduate of necessary.

To go with no plan or for some horse shit like psychology then yes you are wasting your money.

 

[n...not crazy]

in here some even dont hire engineers if they dont have "field experience"

for example if you dont have x amount of years as an electrician, good luck trying to get a job as electrical engineer.

Yeah I like those guys better. People who have used a shovel at some point in their lives. People who have been low on the totem pole at some point. Bonus points for that.

 

[DariusTheGreat]

even with the right degree you still need connections or a lot of luck to get a decent job in your field

 

[panamaican]

Yes. But you still have to be smart about it. It's not a golden ticket.

Don't take on unnecessary debt to get one. Don't worry about the status unless it's a terminal degree.

And you don't have to get it right after high school. You can wait until you're employed and then get it when you think it will open new opportunities.

The college campus experience is another question - is that worth it? Probably not worth the debt.

 

[sloppypie]

You are a retard if you think it’s worthless. But we don’t value education, we value job training, so you have to approach college that way. Also, college is now a predatory business and not there in your best interest, so you have to take care of yourself.

But as a whole as technology grows you have to be a skilled worker. College grads as a whole make significantly more money than non college grads.

However, I don’t include trade schools in the non college category. There’s still a lot of specialty fields in manual labor that pays super well.

Short of it, you gotta know what the world is like and how to navigate it. Blindly thinking any college degree = success is an old perspective from the 60s-80s when that was true. So don’t listen to fuckin baby boomers that say that shit Bc it’s archaic and just not accurate any more.

 

[MetalGearTrump]

Well, I won't be hiring any Engineers who aren't Engineers. So there's that.

Funny you say that. I work for a huge multinational company. We make titanium. The number one engineer at our plant has no degree. Given hes worked here for 50 years... the guy knows everything, all the engineers with degrees consult him.

I know that's no longer common at all, but I think it's pretty cool, the guy is down to earth but probably knocking down high 6 figures yearly.

 

[Grassshoppa]

People that comment in this thread should post whether they have a degree, what kind, and what job they have so the validity of their statement can be evaluated for free.

 

[breadfighter]

Adam Carolla always talks about how the most important thing is to "learn how to work". He never went to college and his parents had degrees in art or someshit, and he's done really well for himself (wealthy, beautiful family, enjoys his hobbies)

 

[JudoThrowFiasco]

Of course it is. However you have to be prudent in selecting a major vs the institution you will be attending. Unless you're going after high tier firms and corporations - you don't really have to go to huge private colleges when a small state school will provide value for cheaper. Humanities / liberal arts degrees are not well respected but hold more value than a high school degree - so don't go into huge debt to obtain it.

The real value comes from either obtaining stem or medical degrees from top institutions but that is a very tough and finite road. The other is networking and making life long connections which can be done at a variety of different schools and in most ways, more valuable than the actual degree.

 

[ralphc1]

It is worth something if you pick a degree that has a job connected to it.

Science/Engineering/Business/Law/Medical should get you a decent job as long as you aren't a dumbass. But if you go to college to get a useless liberal arts degree because "your heart was in it" and didn't have a real plan after graduating, then I'm not sure that I can feel too sorry for you.

There appears to be an overabundance of engineers and not many opportunities in science either. Business schools turn out graduates who run businesses into bankruptcy. Engineers design things that don't work properly.

The high demand jobs seem to be in nursing but there is a shortage of teachers of nursing so there are very few openings to get into nursing schools. The people who do get in find better pay and working conditions in places like schools where they work days and have weekends free.

Manufacturing has become more automated but there is a shortage of people who can troubleshoot and repair the automated equipment.

 

[Sensei Student]

Depends on what the degree is and what you do with it. I know many college grads who did nothing with them.

Computer Science is hot right now and you can make 6 figure easy right off the bat. A degree in liberal arts will get you nothing. But it's not to say it's completely useless because most jobs even low end ones require a college degree. Because why would I hire a high school grad to clean my dishes when I can hire someone with a degree? Sad thing, there are plenty of degree holders stuck doing dishes cuz their degrees are worthless.

I also know plenty of high school grads making more money than degree holders.

Bottom line: Degrees open up the doors, whether you go in or not is up to you. And how many doors and what kind of doors depends on your degree.

 

[bushman505]

The only people who will say college degrees are useless are the losers that didn’t or couldn’t graduate from a university.

 

[tmnpothead]

Is a sociology degree worthless these days? I've been thinking about getting into school to be a social worker or case manager. I'm sure the pay isnt the greatest but I'd at least enjoy helping out the less fortunate and have a passion for what I'm doing.

 

[Pepper]

Location is a big deal with this sort of thing.

I just graduated college at the ripe age of 32 and got a degree in biology. Also did a 4 year stint in the US Army as an intelligence analyst including a deployment to Iraq when I was in my early 20s. Meanwhile I'm working on an assembly line in a sandpaper factory making less than some kids fresh out of high school, doing menial work that any 16 year old idiot off the street can do. Maybe it's because I'm in a town with nothing going on (Dayton, OH) or maybe it's because people don't really appreciate hard workers that know how to stay off their smart phones (that's me being salty).

Whatever the case, I have found that college degrees and military experience don't mean shit in the real world. If you're me anyway.

 

[ineverpost]

Question does not work in a vacuum. You need to be able to explain how the investment will pay off. If you can do that, then it is worth whatever you have to put in to turn the profit. The problem in my opinion is the public school system, which doesn't teach you anything about applying basic math to the real world.

 

[mb23100]

The only people who will say college degrees are useless are the losers that didn’t or couldn’t graduate from a university.

My buddy who graduated law school 500k in debt and couldnt pass the bar disagrees

 

[Uber_Noober]

I wouldn't know, I got a GED and now I'm retired at 55 after 35 years on the job.

 

[ralphc1]

You are a retard if you think it’s worthless. But we don’t value education, we value job training, so you have to approach college that way. Also, college is now a predatory business and not there in your best interest, so you have to take care of yourself.

But as a whole as technology grows you have to be a skilled worker. College grads as a whole make significantly more money than non college grads.

However, I don’t include trade schools in the non college category. There’s still a lot of specialty fields in manual labor that pays super well.

Short of it, you gotta know what the world is like and how to navigate it. Blindly thinking any college degree = success is an old perspective from the 60s-80s when that was true. So don’t listen to fuckin baby boomers that say that shit Bc it’s archaic and just not accurate any more.

The cost of 4 years of college now will likely be more than a person can pay off in 10 years if they can find a job. Companies aren't stable so the chances of working at one job for 10 years aren't as likely. When I retired, the company I worked for was trying to hire a replacement but the starting pay they offered was less than what I started at 35 years before. Nobody wants to do anything that involves work and managers that don't do anything don't want to pay the people who do work. That's why they have moved manufacturing off shore.

Products can be made cheaper off shore but if people in the US aren't making enough money to buy the products it won't matter. I'm glad I'm reired with no children. I see my friends with children and grandchildren constantly moving from job to job trying to make ends meet and pay off their student loans.

 

[loyalyolayal]

Is a sociology degree worthless these days? I've been thinking about getting into school to be a social worker or case manager. I'm sure the pay isnt the greatest but I'd at least enjoy helping out the less fortunate and have a passion for what I'm doing.

You don't need a sociology degree to help the less fortunate but I get what you're saying. You could probably find gainful employment as a teacher or government employee for HHS or HUD. My pops has a liberal degree but he was already set into being a lawyer so he just took the easiest path before he took his LLB, LLM and D.P.A.

 

[bushman505]

My buddy who graduated law school 500k in debt and couldnt pass the bar disagrees

The opinion of somebody who would borrow 500k and not be able to pass the test that they spent all the $$$ preparing to take dosent matter to me or anybody else.

Your “buddy” is clearly a stupid person and a fucking loser. Lol @ being “friends” with a guy like that.