College Education: Unimportant or of the Upmost Importance?

[bickelz]

I guess something that I've come to realize within the past few months, and I feel many other people hear feel the same way, that college isn't actually all that important given how college degree has pretty much just become a product on the shelf of a retail store that you can buy as your one-way ticket to "success". Not to mention the phenomena come to be known as degree inflation, meaning that many degrees are almost worthless in the job market today.

That's not the entire argument but we need to move on and consider the above while we move forward.

Within the past few months, there have also been a few threads and posts within them that raise concerns about how, particularly in America, the system is never going to be the same and it will eventually need to be reset through a revolution of sorts.

Assuming there is an impending revolution and we truly are on the verge of 1984, wouldn't an education be one of the most important things you can have? If you are educated, aren't you more likely to resist?

Thoughts?

 

[Vicarious]

Having a degree definitely carries less prestige than it used to, since so many more are able to continue their education after high school. I believe college is completely worthwhile, IF you are going to learn a particular trade, such as medicine, business, IT, etc. Liberal arts degrees and the like are a waste of time and money, in my opinion. One is fairly limited as to what they can do with a degree of that sort, jobs are basically non-existent in this job market. At best, it may give you an advantage over someone without a degree for a job that may or may not be completely unrelated to your degree. In my experience, these days in order to get ahead, it's more about who you know and if you're kissing the right asses.

 

[Lerxst]

I've sorted jobs into two categories in my unemployment these days - 1) No degree, AA or BA/BS required 2) MA/MS or PhD required

All the jobs in category 1 pay about the same, involve the same tasks and same requirements. Jobs I used to be qualified for 10 years ago with just a BA are now pushed into category 2, requiring a Master's. The problem is, the cost of education has only increased along with the cost of living, beyond anything I can afford given the job market lately. If this keeps up, only the richest will be able to afford a higher education while the middle-class slides its way towards lack of education and poverty - then you'll have all the makings of a revolution on your hands.

 

[Wyote]

[MENTION=2890]Lerxst[/MENTION]

I think it's already happened, a lot of people are just in denial. If you don't have a Masters or Doctorate then you might as well get cozy sitting at a desk earning a less than mediocre wage. I know a few people with Masters degrees who haven't even been able to find decent employment, much less earn a comfy salary.

It now takes $7mil to be considered rich. Even at $30 per hour and investing somewhat aggressively you will probably not acheive that.

 

[Lerxst]

@Lerxst

I think it's already happened, a lot of people are just in denial. If you don't have a Masters or Doctorate then you might as well get cozy sitting at a desk earning a less than mediocre wage. I know a few people with Masters degrees who haven't even been able to find decent employment, much less earn a comfy salary.

It now takes $7mil to be considered rich. Even at $30 per hour and investing somewhat aggressively you will probably not acheive that.

Maybe closer than we both think. After I wrote that, I was remembering a conversation I was having with a couple recent Medical School graduates. We figured they were as financially well off as I was with several years less of an education under my belt. Between Student loans, intern-ships, residencies, cost of living, cost of materials, books, etc. for the 10+ years they're schooling, they won't be free from payments until they're well into their 50's. Even though they may make 2-3 times as much as I do, they have 2-3 times as much in payments to pay out each month since every phase of their education milked as much money as it could out of them.

Then, in order to make those higher salaries, they're forced to live in/near the bigger cities that pay more but have a higher cost of living. It's a sad state of affairs when a young doctor with 10+ years of an education still brings home as much as a dock worker with no education with each pay check.

 

[This]

That depends very largely on the field you're going in to. If all you care about is just how much money you're going to make I'd say getting a college education is likely counter productive. You'd be better off taking that money and looking for product opportunities and then getting into the outsourcing market. There are companies in china making products for literally pennies on the dollar and nearly anything can be outsourced the biggest problem in a physical market is the shipping so it is a risk if your product doesn't sell however in virtual markets where what is needed is man power rather than an actual product you can stand to make quite a lot in a relatively lower risk environment.

If your goal is to help others through medical or educational fields a college education is an absolute necessity and rightfully so. There are also now technical colleges that train in specific fields from what I've heard this is where the real job opportunities lye.

 

[Nixie]

Broken record rant: College is not job training! It is education. It is a system originally designed to prepare the male children of the wealthy for their "position" in society by teaching them all the great thoughts and ideas--particular emphasis on classical thinkers

The translation to the job market was that individuals with college degrees were considered educated. Not necessarily experienced but with a base knowledge of education with an emphasis in one are of study (business or whatever you study in your junior/senior year).

IMO, the backlash against college follows a pattern of devaluing intellectuals and intellectual pursuit. It is much easier to control an uneducated population with misinformation and double speak. Any government that has attempted to exert military control over it's population had persecuted intellectuals--killed them, thrown them in prison---my favorite was re-education camps.

 

[Lerxst]

Broken record rant: College is not job training! It is education. It is a system originally designed to prepare the male children of the wealthy for their "position" in society by teaching them all the great thoughts and ideas--particular emphasis on classical thinkers

The translation to the job market was that individuals with college degrees were considered educated. Not necessarily experienced but with a base knowledge of education with an emphasis in one are of study (business or whatever you study in your junior/senior year).

IMO, the backlash against college follows a pattern of devaluing intellectuals and intellectual pursuit. It is much easier to control an uneducated population with misinformation and double speak. Any government that has attempted to exert military control over it's population had persecuted intellectuals--killed them, thrown them in prison---my favorite was re-education camps.

Which might all be true, but when colleges start advertising the % of graduates working in various fields right on their very own brochures, recent graduates can't help but feel betrayed. I even convinced my college to allow me to take the last course I needed online (before it was a popular choice) due to helping them inflate this statistic (IE - the free time would allow me to work a full-time job without a 2 hour break in the middle for a single class).

 

[technics]

Education years have higher returns than working years.

 

[bamf]

Broken record rant: College is not job training! It is education. It is a system originally designed to prepare the male children of the wealthy for their "position" in society by teaching them all the great thoughts and ideas--particular emphasis on classical thinkers

The translation to the job market was that individuals with college degrees were considered educated. Not necessarily experienced but with a base knowledge of education with an emphasis in one are of study (business or whatever you study in your junior/senior year).

IMO, the backlash against college follows a pattern of devaluing intellectuals and intellectual pursuit. It is much easier to control an uneducated population with misinformation and double speak. Any government that has attempted to exert military control over it's population had persecuted intellectuals--killed them, thrown them in prison---my favorite was re-education camps.

+1!

The problem with college now (that I'm noticing at least) is that so few classes and programs push the students to think, and it has become a system of parroting others to obtain a twisted version of what an education should be.

 

[bickelz]

+1!

The problem with college now (that I'm noticing at least) is that so few classes and programs push the students to think, and it has become a system of parroting others to obtain a twisted version of what an education should be.

Oh yeah, I've noticed that especially with grades and GPA. It's all about points. As for high school, I think that skyward is the worst thing ever invented because it does let your parents see how you're doing. We're micromanaging and trying to manufacture "success" but nobody actually learns anything. I was victim to this trap in high school and I wish I didn't care as much because it didn't actually get me ahead of anybody.

 

[Stu]

thought this was interesting https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DTMDlhuVMAAc6OW.jpg

 

[hush]

@Free

So perfect that Cali got Chile. ❤

 

[Free]

@Free

So perfect that Cali got Chile. ❤

I thought so, too.

 

[Stu]

for perspective

 

[Stu]

https://tedideas.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/slide-14-michael-green.jpg

 

[Pin]

Of the utmost importance, at least in order to reach high places.

 

[Reason]

Of the utmost importance, at least in order to reach high places.

No sir, that's a ladder you're thinking of, we were discussing education.