Is College Worth It?

Kuzzle · October 2006

Ok, well let's just assume my "Drop out, get a GED, pass other necessary tests, get into college" plan actually works... Is it worth it? I mean, the most interesting major I saw, in the overview, was Sociology, followed by Psychology, but... Those things don't really seem like very employable skills. Plus, upon readinf further into Sociology, it seemed like it lead mostly to the line of Social Worker, and that's not something that I'm interested in.

While both of those fields could likely help me grow as an individual, and allow me to gain a new perspective on life, I don't think that that alone justifies the cost. I was wondering about the employment opportunities for someone with a Bachelor's Degree in these fields. I mean, sure, if someone got a Ph.D, they'd probably have plenty of options, but I don't want to spend that much time working towards a single goal.

Anyway, any information would be useful... And yes, I understand the irony in someone with a social disorder getting a degree in social sciences, but... *sigh* I don't know, nothing else seems at all interesting. I mean, most other things involve all sorts of math and stuff. That, or the reading of some obscure old books that don't interest me at all. Plus, the human condition interests me slightly.

Again, thank you for any information provided. I know that I've been making a lot of rather boring topics, and I do hope that you'll forgive me, but this is what's going on in my life, so this is what I'm thinking on.

abbaba · October 2006

Yes it's worth it...but if you think you're going to get into a decent college by dropping out of HS and getting your GED, you need to rethink that.

modjoe86 · October 2006

Well, I would look at college as an investment. If you're like me, there won't be very much individual growth or new perspectives gained. With our generation, with a few exceptions of course, you have to have a Bachelor's Degree to make a decent living. By decent living, I don't mean living in a mediocre apartment and driving a 1994 Toyota Camry. If you're OK with that, you probably don't need college. But if you're like me, and you want to live comfortably in life, you need a Bachelor's. It's the equivalent of a high school degree in our parent's generation.

You also said sociology was the only thing that interested you. What I would suggest is looking at what you want to do, and finding a field that allows for that interest. Now me, job interest isn't all that important as long as I'm making a suitable amount of money, so I found a field that makes decent money and I hold a little interest in. If you're picky about having a job you enjoy, and all you have is a GED or HS Diploma, think about how you'll be even more limited than if you had a bachelor's. When you get above the level of blue collar and technical degrees, the work force is very, very competitive.

If you got anything out of that ramble I hope it helped.

Kuzzle · October 2006

Originally posted by abbaba
Yes it's worth it...but if you think you're going to get into a decent college by dropping out of HS and getting your GED, you need to rethink that.

I live in Alaska. There aren't any decent colleges within quite a ways, and even if I did complete high school, my chances of getting into one are slim to nill. The school that I'm in right now has screwed me over in so many ways... I just can't deal with them any more.

Supposedly, my "case manager" at my school got a GED, then went to college. I was just working off of that, I guess. As I may or may not have said before, I was looking at a site for a local college, and it said that they accept people who have GEDs, so long as they pass some oter tests. A friend of mine said that that college sucks, though... It's pretty much the biggest one in the state, though.

I just want more info... I mean, I don't know anything about any of this, and... I don't know. I just know that I don't want to just get my GED, and rot in some dead end job, and I can't keep going to high school.

Kuzzle · October 2006

Originally posted by modjoe86
Well, I would look at college as an investment. If you're like me, there won't be very much individual growth or new perspectives gained. With our generation, with a few exceptions of course, you have to have a Bachelor's Degree to make a decent living. By decent living, I don't mean living in a mediocre apartment and driving a 1994 Toyota Camry. If you're OK with that, you probably don't need college. But if you're like me, and you want to live comfortably in life, you need a Bachelor's. It's the equivalent of a high school degree in our parent's generation.

You also said sociology was the only thing that interested you. What I would suggest is looking at what you want to do, and finding a field that allows for that interest. Now me, job interest isn't all that important as long as I'm making a suitable amount of money, so I found a field that makes decent money and I hold a little interest in. If you're picky about having a job you enjoy, and all you have is a GED or HS Diploma, think about how you'll be even more limited than if you had a bachelor's. When you get above the level of blue collar and technical degrees, the work force is very, very competitive.

If you got anything out of that ramble I hope it helped.

Wow. I think that ban did you good, man. Your posts have been more meaningful since you got back. I mean, at least that's what I've observed...

Honestly, I haven't been able to find a job that I'd be interested in. By that I mean that I haven't even really heard of anything that interested me. They're pretty much all in the negatives, so I've basicly just got to try and find one that's the least horrible...

Sucks that it's competitive. I mean, I'm not a very competitive person...

nthnaoun · October 2006

Both Sociology and Psychology interest me too. Both help you gain knowledge and skills that you can use in the workforce. The question is more along the lines of how creative you are and what kind of drive do you have. Many college degrees don't land you in a job perse, but rather gives you knowledge and opens up doors for you to use that knowledge in whatever it is that your goals are. But I wouldn't worry yourself about what you want to do in life so much right now. It is something good to think about, but there is so much knowledge out there that it is impossible to really know what you want to do until you start taking some courses. This brings me to my next point.

College is highly important if you want to live an informed and good life. Without a college degree, you are looking at manual type labor for the rest of your life. If you have some skills, such as painting, carpentry or whatever that was passed down from your parents to you or learned in school, than you might have a chance at sub-contracting which can make you a lot of money without having to have a degree.

I know the concern you have about wasting money on a degree that may or may not land you a job right after college. I've been there. But believe me when I tell you this, it is worth the money and your time. Besides, EVERY college student has changed their major numerous times. There is just so much knowledge out there and so many ways to implement that knowledge. The key is to take introductory course in your first couple of years college on the course that you might have an interest in. This provides you with elective credits and possibly credit towards your core classes that you need for your major if you decide to major in whatever it is you are taking.

A few things to think about though. College is hard work. You will have to study, talk to people that you do not know, research, write papers, conduct projects, and more than likely present material in front of a class. But don't worry, they will build you up for this. You won't be thrown into the wolves like it sounds. I just want you to know that it is not a cake walk. Also, you should have a drive to gain knowledge and to want to be somebody. Colleges teach their students to become our worlds future leaders in whatever it is you are majoring in or related fields. They also train you to become a life long learner. Someone who spends their life learning new things and bettering themselves.

College is worth it. You will gain so much knowledge and your eyes will be opened to so many things that they are closed to now. Once you start your education, you will wander how you ever managed to live without that knowledge and how stupid you sounded when talking about things you thought you knew about to other people. Just do it. You won't regret it.

modjoe86 · October 2006

Originally posted by Kuzzle

Originally posted by modjoe86
Well, I would look at college as an investment. If you're like me, there won't be very much individual growth or new perspectives gained. With our generation, with a few exceptions of course, you have to have a Bachelor's Degree to make a decent living. By decent living, I don't mean living in a mediocre apartment and driving a 1994 Toyota Camry. If you're OK with that, you probably don't need college. But if you're like me, and you want to live comfortably in life, you need a Bachelor's. It's the equivalent of a high school degree in our parent's generation.

You also said sociology was the only thing that interested you. What I would suggest is looking at what you want to do, and finding a field that allows for that interest. Now me, job interest isn't all that important as long as I'm making a suitable amount of money, so I found a field that makes decent money and I hold a little interest in. If you're picky about having a job you enjoy, and all you have is a GED or HS Diploma, think about how you'll be even more limited than if you had a bachelor's. When you get above the level of blue collar and technical degrees, the work force is very, very competitive.

If you got anything out of that ramble I hope it helped.

Wow. I think that ban did you good, man. Your posts have been more meaningful since you got back. I mean, at least that's what I've observed...

Honestly, I haven't been able to find a job that I'd be interested in. By that I mean that I haven't even really heard of anything that interested me. They're pretty much all in the negatives, so I've basicly just got to try and find one that's the least horrible...

Sucks that it's competitive. I mean, I'm not a very competitive person...

Nor am I, and being lazy and wanting to live large is not a good combination, so I try to give myself every advantage possible.
Also, would you rather work 40 hours a week, or attend class 15 hours a week, and drink every night? I like the second option, so college is a good choice for me. I just shudder at the thought of waking up and going to work every day from 8-5. I'm going to milk my education as long as possible.

Bababooey · October 2006

Originally posted by modjoe86
Well, I would look at college as an investment. If you're like me, there won't be very much individual growth or new perspectives gained. With our generation, with a few exceptions of course, you have to have a Bachelor's Degree to make a decent living. By decent living, I don't mean living in a mediocre apartment and driving a 1994 Toyota Camry. If you're OK with that, you probably don't need college. But if you're like me, and you want to live comfortably in life, you need a Bachelor's. It's the equivalent of a high school degree in our parent's generation.

You also said sociology was the only thing that interested you. What I would suggest is looking at what you want to do, and finding a field that allows for that interest. Now me, job interest isn't all that important as long as I'm making a suitable amount of money, so I found a field that makes decent money and I hold a little interest in. If you're picky about having a job you enjoy, and all you have is a GED or HS Diploma, think about how you'll be even more limited than if you had a bachelor's. When you get above the level of blue collar and technical degrees, the work force is very, very competitive.

If you got anything out of that ramble I hope it helped.

What do you mean by "the level of blue collar and technical degrees"?

modjoe86 · October 2006

Originally posted by Bababooey

Originally posted by modjoe86
Well, I would look at college as an investment. If you're like me, there won't be very much individual growth or new perspectives gained. With our generation, with a few exceptions of course, you have to have a Bachelor's Degree to make a decent living. By decent living, I don't mean living in a mediocre apartment and driving a 1994 Toyota Camry. If you're OK with that, you probably don't need college. But if you're like me, and you want to live comfortably in life, you need a Bachelor's. It's the equivalent of a high school degree in our parent's generation.

You also said sociology was the only thing that interested you. What I would suggest is looking at what you want to do, and finding a field that allows for that interest. Now me, job interest isn't all that important as long as I'm making a suitable amount of money, so I found a field that makes decent money and I hold a little interest in. If you're picky about having a job you enjoy, and all you have is a GED or HS Diploma, think about how you'll be even more limited than if you had a bachelor's. When you get above the level of blue collar and technical degrees, the work force is very, very competitive.

If you got anything out of that ramble I hope it helped.

What do you mean by "the level of blue collar and technical degrees"?

I mean that when you get a job that requires more prowess than manual labor or a 2 year tech degree, the workforce gets much more competitive.
Blue Collar = lawn mowing, construction, ditch digging, etc.
Technical Degrees = Culinary, Carpenter, Electrician, *insert ITT Tech degree*, those commercials you see on TV about criminal justice degrees, etc.
Blue Collar and Technical aren't mutually exclusive , though, as you can be both with some jobs.

Tamalan · October 2006

Ok this is where i feel lucky, I managed to leave education at 18 and gain decent employment because of an innate skill i posess. Im artistic and have a good eye for composition, which enabled me to enter a career in the graphic arts, admittedly initially from the bottom up. But in such an industry, talent will always win over pieces of paper.

I get to work in a job i enjoy and get a more than reasonable wage, comparable to a worker with degree level qualifications.

BlazinBlades · October 2006

Is college worth it, yes it is, there is plenty of evidence showing that those with a University degree in anything do make more money then those who do not have a University degree. Another thing to take into consideration is what you want to be, in my experience I have noticed that for the most part, most people coming out of High School really have no clue what they want to do, once they go to university after about a year or two in they end up realizing that they are in the wrong field of studies, some change and spend longer in University, but many just stay in the same field and leave University with a degree in a field they do not want to work in. In most higher paying job position many of them regular that you have a degree and many times it does not have to be a degree that is related to the job, but just a degree period, the idea that you have a university education does in fact put forth the idea that you are smarter and better educated then people who do not have a degree, it sounds bad and is wrong however right and wrong do not matter in the world of business, that’s another thing you learn in University. Bring it on down.

Bababooey · October 2006

Originally posted by modjoe86

Originally posted by Bababooey

Originally posted by modjoe86
Well, I would look at college as an investment. If you're like me, there won't be very much individual growth or new perspectives gained. With our generation, with a few exceptions of course, you have to have a Bachelor's Degree to make a decent living. By decent living, I don't mean living in a mediocre apartment and driving a 1994 Toyota Camry. If you're OK with that, you probably don't need college. But if you're like me, and you want to live comfortably in life, you need a Bachelor's. It's the equivalent of a high school degree in our parent's generation.

You also said sociology was the only thing that interested you. What I would suggest is looking at what you want to do, and finding a field that allows for that interest. Now me, job interest isn't all that important as long as I'm making a suitable amount of money, so I found a field that makes decent money and I hold a little interest in. If you're picky about having a job you enjoy, and all you have is a GED or HS Diploma, think about how you'll be even more limited than if you had a bachelor's. When you get above the level of blue collar and technical degrees, the work force is very, very competitive.

If you got anything out of that ramble I hope it helped.

What do you mean by "the level of blue collar and technical degrees"?

I mean that when you get a job that requires more prowess than manual labor or a 2 year tech degree, the workforce gets much more competitive.
Blue Collar = lawn mowing, construction, ditch digging, etc.
Technical Degrees = Culinary, Carpenter, Electrician, *insert ITT Tech degree*, those commercials you see on TV about criminal justice degrees, etc.
Blue Collar and Technical aren't mutually exclusive , though, as you can be both with some jobs.

Oh I see.

But how about telling us a bit about yourself? What was the job that you said you have? Are you in college right now? Any tips for college and future careers for me and Kuzzle are appreciated, because I practically know nothing about it (but tell me if I'm being a little too nosy...)

Tamalan, you can join in if you want. =]

Tamalan · October 2006

Nah dont listen too much to me

Unless you have a real skill in a certain area, get yourself into higher education and find a subject that interests you and follow it through.

Like i said, i consider myself lucky but im not an ideal role model :P

hazmats · October 2006

The difference between going to college on a GED and going to college on a HS Diploma... if you did good enough, you get to go for free.... like i do

Not having to pay off thousands of dollars worth of debts has put me ahead of a lot of people.

Either be smart or have rich parents. The smart path worked for me.

Kuzzle · October 2006

Originally posted by hazmats

Either be smart or have rich parents. The smart path worked for me.

It's not just intelligence that get you through school. It's also your ability to effectively deal with the administration. I don't understand how so many people make it through without events...

Heh, on your post: I've neither...

modjoe86 · October 2006

Originally posted by Bababooey

Originally posted by modjoe86

Originally posted by Bababooey

Originally posted by modjoe86
Well, I would look at college as an investment. If you're like me, there won't be very much individual growth or new perspectives gained. With our generation, with a few exceptions of course, you have to have a Bachelor's Degree to make a decent living. By decent living, I don't mean living in a mediocre apartment and driving a 1994 Toyota Camry. If you're OK with that, you probably don't need college. But if you're like me, and you want to live comfortably in life, you need a Bachelor's. It's the equivalent of a high school degree in our parent's generation.

You also said sociology was the only thing that interested you. What I would suggest is looking at what you want to do, and finding a field that allows for that interest. Now me, job interest isn't all that important as long as I'm making a suitable amount of money, so I found a field that makes decent money and I hold a little interest in. If you're picky about having a job you enjoy, and all you have is a GED or HS Diploma, think about how you'll be even more limited than if you had a bachelor's. When you get above the level of blue collar and technical degrees, the work force is very, very competitive.

If you got anything out of that ramble I hope it helped.

What do you mean by "the level of blue collar and technical degrees"?

I mean that when you get a job that requires more prowess than manual labor or a 2 year tech degree, the workforce gets much more competitive.
Blue Collar = lawn mowing, construction, ditch digging, etc.
Technical Degrees = Culinary, Carpenter, Electrician, *insert ITT Tech degree*, those commercials you see on TV about criminal justice degrees, etc.
Blue Collar and Technical aren't mutually exclusive , though, as you can be both with some jobs.

Oh I see.

But how about telling us a bit about yourself? What was the job that you said you have? Are you in college right now? Any tips for college and future careers for me and Kuzzle are appreciated, because I practically know nothing about it (but tell me if I'm being a little too nosy...)

Tamalan, you can join in if you want. =]

I major in Information Systems at the University of Arkansas. Granted, Isys majors are being outsourced like hell, I figured I would be better off with an actual career degree as opposed to something fluffy like Communications, etc.
Tips for college? Keep a good GPA in high school, and get a 28 or so on the ACT. My scholarship required a 30 on the ACT and a 3.8 in high school. I took the ACT 5 times, studied the 5th time, and got a 31. Now I go to school for free.
If you have any mathematical ability at all, which I dont, major in Engineering. Youll make plenty of money and always have a job.

Kuzzle · October 2006

Yeah... My mathematical school career sucks. I skipped between schools a couple time, and home schooled a couple times, so they skipped me forward and then backwards a couple of times. Like, I didn't get taught division when I was supposed to, so I had to go back and actually learn the stuff last year. Yeah, it's sad, but that's what happens when you skip around between schools.

I need to get my hands on the information from when they made me do all those tests. Also, I need to take some sort of a test to see what field suits me best. Not that those things have ever been correct in the past. I mean, I actually scored fairly high on math in one thing, I know that... don't understand it, though. Also, just because I score high in something doesn't mean that I can stand continued exposure to it. Some people don't seem to understand that. Oh well.

There was probably a point to this post when I started, but, yeah, pretty much none now.

cornoffcob · October 2006

Yeah I'm on a search for what college I"m going to and how i'm gunna pay for it...my family is at the moment broke, but last year I got a 3.9 gpa...this year I"m trying for 4.5, but I'm failing physics AP so thats hurting me tremendously...I don't know what I want to major in and I don't know what school I can get in...I think I might major in phycology but that gets you no where unless I go to med school....god college is so damn complicated...

Kuzzle · October 2006

Originally posted by cornoffcob

Yeah I'm on a search for what college I"m going to and how i'm gunna pay for it...my family is at the moment broke, but last year I got a 3.9 gpa...this year I"m trying for 4.5, but I'm failing physics AP so thats hurting me tremendously...I don't know what I want to major in and I don't know what school I can get in...I think I might major in phycology but that gets you no where unless I go to med school....god college is so damn complicated...

Quoted for truth... unfortunately.

Also, you might want to major in something that you can actually spell. Just kidding.

cornoffcob · October 2006

Originally posted by Kuzzle

Originally posted by cornoffcob
Yeah I'm on a search for what college I"m going to and how i'm gunna pay for it...my family is at the moment broke, but last year I got a 3.9 gpa...this year I"m trying for 4.5, but I'm failing physics AP so thats hurting me tremendously...I don't know what I want to major in and I don't know what school I can get in...I think I might major in phycology but that gets you no where unless I go to med school....god college is so damn complicated...

Quoted for truth... unfortunately.
Also, you might want to major in something that you can actually spell.

Just kidding.

sorry after the first gram i'm not much in the way of spelling...

zieen · October 2006

I don't know if this has been mentioned, as I don't want to read all of the other posts, but you're going to have a much easier chance at getting scholarships/grants as a high school graduate.

Also, I think you said you live in Alaska. I think that right there will get you access to a couple of grants.

Kuzzle · October 2006

Originally posted by zieen

I don't know if this has been mentioned, as I don't want to read all of the other posts, but you're going to have a much easier chance at getting scholarships/grants as a high school graduate.
Also, I think you said you live in Alaska. I think that right there will get you access to a couple of grants.

Well, I know it would if I were a Native. As I'm not, I don't know...

And yeah, I know I'd probably have it easier if I graduated High School, but I just can't keep going there.

Infliction · October 2006

While I agree that having a college degree can open some doors that not having it cannot, I just can't lower myself enough to put myself through college... All my life most of what I've learned has come from personal research. I really think our society needs to get past this paper key (or whatever ya wanna call it) mindset. Sure, its important for some fields, but for some its just redundant. All of high school was review for me of what I already knew, except for the garbage I didn't want to know in the first place, and I feel college would be the same thing.

However, the idea that everyone needs a college idea is a flawed one. It all boils down to just what you want to do with life. I have many friends, some of whom are highschool dropouts, that are making over 80-100k a year, all are under the age of 25. Blue collar work may start out at low wage but if you get in at the right place, work your ass off, get to management or higher, you can make as much if not more than the average career where you need a 4 year degree or more to get into.

zieen · October 2006

Originally posted by Infliction
While I agree that having a college degree can open some doors that not having it cannot, I just can't lower myself enough to put myself through college... All my life most of what I've learned has come from personal research. I really think our society needs to get past this paper key (or whatever ya wanna call it) mindset. Sure, its important for some fields, but for some its just redundant. All of high school was review for me of what I already knew, except for the garbage I didn't want to know in the first place, and I feel college would be the same thing. However, the idea that everyone needs a college idea is a flawed one. It all boils down to just what you want to do with life. I have many friends, some of whom are highschool dropouts, that are making over 80-100k a year, all are under the age of 25. Blue collar work may start out at low wage but if you get in at the right place, work your ass off, get to management or higher, you can make as much if not more than the average career where you need a 4 year degree or more to get into.

Have your 'piece of paper' will only get you through the door. It shows you had the competency and the motivation, as well as basic knowledge, to perform your job. A degree doesnt' guarantee you a job, it just get's your foot in the door. Most employer's won't even consider someone without a degree. I don't know if it's viewed as a lack of motivation or just a lack of self-discipline in a society which a college educatin is the 'norm'.

modjoe86 · October 2006

Originally posted by Infliction
While I agree that having a college degree can open some doors that not having it cannot, I just can't lower myself enough to put myself through college... All my life most of what I've learned has come from personal research. I really think our society needs to get past this paper key (or whatever ya wanna call it) mindset. Sure, its important for some fields, but for some its just redundant. All of high school was review for me of what I already knew, except for the garbage I didn't want to know in the first place, and I feel college would be the same thing.

However, the idea that everyone needs a college idea is a flawed one. It all boils down to just what you want to do with life. I have many friends, some of whom are highschool dropouts, that are making over 80-100k a year, all are under the age of 25. Blue collar work may start out at low wage but if you get in at the right place, work your ass off, get to management or higher, you can make as much if not more than the average career where you need a 4 year degree or more to get into.

I agree with everything you just said. You don't learn anything new in college, don't worry.
Though my friends that make good money as high school dropouts tend to be drug dealers. It's easy money, but it's illegal. I've considered doing it as supplementary income, as the profit margin with xanax is 3:1.

Slickinfinit · October 2006

If you can handle hard work you can make alot of money as well by learning a skilled trade, I am a drywaller/plaster/painter and this summer was making 750+$ a week take home and am my own boss since I sub-contract my own work of bigger company's. Electricians make large, brick layers at the job I recently finished made 1.75$ for every brick they put up and labours were getting 25$ hr, plumbers make alot, framers can make over 550 a week, really good roofers can make over 1k a week in the summer and my trade has always been good paying and lots of work.

I love building stuff and to see some of the things I built standing is awsome, some days are tough as hell and some are easy but once I got used to it piece of cake. I started out as a labour at 16 for 10$ an hour and learned of my old boss all the skills I use now and its soo easy to learn. I was good in school just found this to be what I prefer but College has its major benefits, I would go to college just for the girls .

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