kbordson 8 #26 January 30, 2008 ABSOLUTELY worth it. Money/Debt for Knowledge. A safe bet any day of the week. With knowledge, you have the potential to make more money. With money, you just spend it (sometimes wisely... most of the time...) Time for Knowledge. Remember, in the end, we're all going to die. Why not take the years to learn as much, do as much . . . push it. Effort for Knowledge. I would LOVE to just have the knowledge inserted into my mind (like in the Matrix.) but I also enjoy reading and having that spark of "THAT'S WHY!" There are papers and tests and boring lectures... trust me, I've had them. But with the papers, you learn so much more about that subject. With the tests, you're challenged to show that not only did you sit like a lump in the class, but you understood it. (the boring lectures, you just have to endure) My husband has become VERY successful in his business - without a college degree. BUT he has worked VERY hard (his idea of reward for hard work is more hard work). He is a very skilled machinist. Has become a very intelligent design engineer. Has learned GREATLY from prior employment (using their money to learn about marketing and then applying that to his company). So do you NEED a degree to be "successful." Of course not. Just be willing to work harder for it. But you should always endeavor to keep learning. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Unstable 8 #27 January 30, 2008 I'm cruising away right now, and I'm never going to look back. Even if I get paid pennies, for me, the satisfaction of completing this is worth it. I grew up in a home where "Are you going to college" was never asked, it was always assumed, and I'm grateful that my padres put the value of education in my mind at a young age.=========Shaun ========== Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
livendive 8 #28 January 30, 2008 Quote My daughter is in her first year and wants to drop out. I keep telling her that working full time sucks and she's crazy not to take advantage of living off her parents for 4 more years. She wants to get an apartment with her friend. They think $10/hour jobs are going to give them enough money to do that. Therein lies the point of this post. My daughter's just finishing up her AA in business and wants to stop with that & just open a restaurant (rather than getting her bachelor degree.) I'd like to have some new arguments in my back pocket when we discuss this again (it won't be the first or second time the subject has come up). Blues, Dave"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 24 #29 January 30, 2008 Well, I'm one of those multi millionaire professionals, so it may not be that applicable, but in most case, I cant see how it wount be worth it. There are some degrees that, arguably, dont make you more employable or can guarantee more income, but most of the people going that route dont do it for money either (music, art, etc). Other then that, It adds a lot of flexibility. I'm doing my masters now just for that reason.Remster Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wmw999 2,123 #30 January 30, 2008 I have one of those "useless" degrees. BA in sociology, with a minor in romance languages. I enjoy the insights that I get from that education nearly every day in my life. While technically I don't work in my field, I use it every day. It's how people react, how they think, and it's fun to think that way. College isn't just to prepare you for work, it's to enhance your life. And while she probably can't open a restaurant while she's in school, if she hasn't been involved in a startup yet, she should definitely do that before opening her own. It's an eye-opener (my son just did that). Wendy W.There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gmanpilot 0 #31 January 30, 2008 The most important things college did for me is to teach me to be analytical and sceptical, and it also opened some employment doors that otherwise would have been closed. It has become increasingly clear that good jobs for untrained workers are becoming a thing of the past. Get training in something._________________________________________ -There's always free cheese in a mouse trap. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BIGUN 1,053 #32 January 30, 2008 QuoteMy daughter's just finishing up her AA in business and wants to stop with that & just open a restaurant (rather than getting her bachelor degree.) I'd like to have some new arguments in my back pocket when we discuss this again Well, getting a degree will enhance her opportunities for employment. However, 100% of the millionaires I know work for themselves. Some have degrees; some do not.Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mamajumps 0 #33 January 30, 2008 I have a BA in Business Management with a minor in Accounting from Texas Tech. I graduated in 2000. I am working in a job now that kinda sorta but not really uses my degree. This is the first job (been here a year and half) that even remotely comes close to using it. My experience is that my degree didnt really matter, that the jobs I was applying for wanted experience. I even used a recruiter for awhile. Even tho I have a degree, I am only making $12/hr. I also have $21 thousand still owed in student loans. However, I am currently back in school, seeking a new career as an EMT and eventually as a Flight Nurse. (EMT+Fire Standards+Paramedic or RN School + 5 yrs exp min=Flight Nurse). This education will be more than worth it. If I could go back and change it, I would flush my BA down the drain along with the student loans.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 259 #34 January 30, 2008 QuoteMy daughter's just finishing up her AA in business and wants to stop with that & just open a restaurant (rather than getting her bachelor degree.) I'd like to have some new arguments in my back pocket when we discuss this again (it won't be the first or second time the subject has come up). You've probably already said some or all of these things but... A bachelor's degree will give her additional, better paying employment options in the future should owning a restaurant turn out to be something she doesn't enjoy. What most consider the worst part of college (the general ed classes as opposed to the major specific classes) is pretty much done after getting an AA. As I understand it, upper division courses are more specific to the major and should therefore be more fun. In addition, what she'll learn in those upper division courses could be an important part of making her future business a huge success. Part of the college experience is social, and much of that social experience depends on being close in age to your classmates. Most college students are in their late teens and early twenties, thus those who go back to school later in life miss out on a lot of the social part of college. Some of the people she might meet there could be important business contacts in the future as well. If she really wants to try her hand at her own business right now instead of waiting, maybe she could she run a part time, small food concession at the dz (in addition to going to school, of course..). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cocheese 0 #35 January 30, 2008 College is a scam. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kbordson 8 #36 January 30, 2008 Quote College is a scam. How so? Sometimes it's necessary. Do you want your Dr to have skills that he/she "just picked up"? Or how about your teachers just saying "well, I don't know for sure, but lets see what happens here"? Or engineers designing a bridge without knowing about harmonics or tensile strength? Shared knowledge is very important for many occupations. But you are right, not all... And some programs do just take money and give a piece of paper that is hard to use in the "real world." But that is why it's important to think about what you want to learn about and why. With that, direct your energy and education to that goal. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jewels 0 #37 January 30, 2008 A few year's worth of effort now is much easier to put in than to try to pick it up again later, should she decide that she needs to or wants to. There's nothing wrong with wanting to own and run a restaurant (very entrepreneurial!), but in many ways a college education is fairly basic and restaurant owners need to be savvy business people. A college degree can help. In fact, many schools offer degrees in such things as hotel and restaurant management. That seems like an excellent foundation for starting her restaurant, and she'll learn to think, to put a business plan together, to manage . . . . I think that degree should be a minimum requirement that she asks of herself, especially since she has a family supporting and encouraging her along those lines. This isn't a slam against anyone who has made different choices. There are plenty of very successful non-college graduate business owners out there and it doesn't mean your daughter wouldn't do a great job of it without a degree as well. However, she'll never undo the education and it's a good thing to have on a resume no matter WHAT she ends up doing over the course of her career.TPM Sister #102 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cocheese 0 #38 January 30, 2008 There are several other ways to learn or educate oneself besides college. And knowledge without action is just knowledge. The problem with engineers (for example) today is that they never tested or used the freakin product. They never had to fix it either. Give me real world wisdom over never-never land anyday. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jewels 0 #39 January 30, 2008 "Just" knowledge? I'd still say it's better than the alternative.TPM Sister #102 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cocheese 0 #40 January 30, 2008 Wrong. Sometimes it's the people who don't know any better that succeed rather than the ones who think they know it all. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 24 #41 January 30, 2008 QuoteThe problem with engineers (for example) today is that they never tested or used the freakin product. They never had to fix it either. As an engineer, I completely dissagree. Do you know many engineer who: - as a mining engineer, dont work in or with mining companies? - as a electrical engineer, dont fly in ariplanes that they helped design? - as a mech engineer, dont drive cars they worked on? I could go on... PS: a microsoft certified engineer isnt an engineer in my book. Not that they cant be an engineer, but what they do isnt engineering.Remster Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 24 #42 January 30, 2008 QuoteWrong. Sometimes it's the people who don't know any better that succeed rather than the ones who think they know it all. Ah, yes. The "I made my fortune having never gone to college" exception. Sure, and some people make thewir money playing the lottery. Works well for 1/14,000,000 people.Remster Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cocheese 0 #43 January 30, 2008 How many products have you owned that made you want to kick the engineer in the balls? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FreeflyChile 0 #44 January 30, 2008 Quote Give me real world wisdom over never-never land anyday. Such as home-style cures for ailments over someone that went to med school and studied to become a doctor? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FreeflyChile 0 #45 January 30, 2008 QuoteHow many products have you owned that made you want to kick the engineer in the balls? Of course...but how many products have you used in your life that you have had no complaints about? is it as many as the ones that made you mad at the engineer that designed it? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 24 #46 January 30, 2008 Quote How many products have you owned that made you want to kick the engineer in the balls? Well, for one, how the hell do you know they were designed by an engineer, and not some guy who just knew stuff from experience? Remster Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cocheese 0 #47 January 30, 2008 All I'm saying is that i would rather hire someone who got their education and proved their motivation in the real world. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FreeflyChile 0 #48 January 30, 2008 On that, I agree with you... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sharimcm 0 #49 January 30, 2008 Well... I went to a kind-of trade school. I went through and completed the massage therapy program and passed the state board shortly after. As for 'real' college, I haven't been, but I told my boss yesterday I was considering night classes to become a CPA. I would do it for personal growth instead of professional growth. I make more now than I have in the past with no college degree and I make more than others in the same field. "I had a dude tip his black cowboy hat to me after I provided him with a condom outside my hotel room at 3-something in the morning." -myself Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Foggy 0 #50 January 30, 2008 Degree from the University of Life Diploma from the school of hard knocks Certificate from the Kindergarten of getting the crap kicked out of me - Blackadder Foggy D21109 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
