I could have seen this, in a time where the economy is on the cut back fad, the schools can sell false promises if only you buy their degree... and dont get my started on online degrees and other bs, seems they are just selling diplomas now for their end of the profit. While this happens vast numbers of students sink in student debt and remain jobless, would it have helped to research your given job market before taking out all those loans?

http://finance.yahoo.com/college-education...nuing_education

 

Interesting topic.

I went to one of the top schools in the country, but NOBODY in my industry (Film making) gives two shits if you were a Rhodes Scholar or if you barely made it through Middle School -- nobody has ever asked.

I *do* believe that a proper education allows one to better hold his end of a conversation, and suitably impress those who need impressing.

But (regarding resume building) one school is not better than another in this industry -- it's all about how good you are at what you do. How hard you're willing to work, and how much bullshit you're willing to endure.

 

I totally agree here! I have no regrets not persuing my acceptances to some higher level schools back when I initially applied to colleges, went with a local state college because I was given an app expense paid ride!

Now in the market they could give a shit less if it was Notre Dame or USF, and the difference to me is no 100k student load debt to repay.

I feel like a tard now though, lol, scored a 1450 on the SATs back in 1999, and now my writing and grammar have gone to complete hell.

Even here moving towards grad school, its amazing the misconceptions people have towards my profession, they have this wild fantasy you will make 200k fresh out of school and are willing to accept 60k a year in loands when thats actually what you will make the first few years out.

 

My favorite is this stupid moron:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/29/your-mon...PJil3hjittzctvw

Cliff notes:

-chick goes to NYU and gets an interdisciplinary degree in religious and women’s studies
-chick racks up over $100k in student loans
-chick ends up getting a completely different job out in CA
-chick can't afford the payments on student loans
-chick is blaming the lender for her bad decisions.

 

Depending on the major, I agree and disagree with Kyushin. For some field a college degree is an absolute requirement. This is not blown out of proportion at all.
for some other fields, it's completely useless.

so it is too broad to generalize on the value of college degree without knowing more about what one's career is.

 

I agree with this. However, in my experience where you went to school (and even more importantly your GPA) doesnt seem to matter.

YMMV

 

A blanket statement about whether or not a degree is worth it is retarded. I don't care if you get a Liberal Arts degree from Harvard or University of Phoenix: it's still worthless!

People that get degrees that actually have a requirement for said degree tend to do quite well. Doctors, engineers, high-level nurses, accountants, top-level executives, etc, etc, all virtually require at least a four-year degree.

Students these days appear to be taking the silliest of paths (usually the easiest) with no idea as to their use when they graduate. Top it off with them living high on the hog in school with student loans and they now have poor job choices and lots of debt.

Smarter choices up front would move these numbers much higher. The nice thing is, as a degreed engineer, I make more money because fewer people choose the more difficult, less common degrees, especially technical degrees.

 

It's all relative.

Some areas only care about a degree while others experience is key. The IT industry for example is extremely experience based. I personally would never hire someone into a management position that did not have a BS/BA, especially in the business world. Could you imagine asking a high school graduate to prepare a critical financial analysis for presentation to the CFO?

My girlfriend for example is an NICU nurse and the only one in her unit with a Master's. This has instantly put her on track to a management position making well over $200k. While years of experience is always paramount in the healthcare industry, she is still the one manager's come to with complex questions

On the other hand, my masters degree has yet to pay for itself. But then again...I did not pay for it, my company did

I haven't done the online degree program thing, but I know many people that have and I would caution you from making ignorant generalizations. Many of the country's top universities now have online degree programs that bear no difference to a degree earned in the classroom. That is to say, the degree looks EXACTLY like the one earned on campus. The UC system, Purdue, even Notre Dame have online programs. Just to name a few and I could go on and on. I fail to see how showing up to class hung over, sleeping through most of class and then cramming for the final while doped up on caffeine pills offers any better education than online. You do realize that online program midterms and finals are administered at professional testing centers that verify identity and video record you, right?

In any event, like many things in life a college degree is a major accomplishment. Regardless of whether it gets you more money or a better job, you can always look back and be proud of your education. I personally would be emabarrassed to raise children on a high school education. Parents are children's biggest role models and it's basically teaching them mediocrity is always an option.

 

Talk about dumb. What kind of job would she expect with that degree? Become a nun?

 

try applying to law or medical school and say that GPA and alma mater doesn't count.