Is a college degree really worth it anymore???

[Gerta]

Hit it right on the head, and I guess this answers my question too about continuing to pursue it. Idont plan on opening my own business, because a Financial Advisor is a commission job and though it can pay very well, its not something Im after.

My previous manager was an idiot (and got fired) but because she has a degree, (and all other things on paper were equal) she earned quite a bit more than me.

You get after it Simone.

[lambo]

seriously? I mean with all the "triggering" episodes at schools nationwide?

it seems obvious to me that institutions of "higher learning" promote groupthink intolerance. I do not believe the goal of most modern faculties is to promote independent thinking.

BA History University of California, Irvine 1985.

not that it has really proven it's worth.

Ok. Maybe in a liberal arts setting. I do not see that at all in a stem setting.

[Gerta]

http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2014/02/11/new-study-shows-value-college-education/3IWWEOXwQEAcMFSy09msOK/story.html?p1=Article_Recommended_ReadMore_Pos13

Interesting article. Would bear looking at the underlying data.

[mr.vang]

Originally Posted by ak- View Post
I skimmed the thread, but read your post. Talk to the counselors of the schools you got bad grades in. I think you are allowed to remove 3 D's or F's through "academic review". I've done this with two D's in my college career.
I was shocked how easy it was for them - literally just a signature from the counselor, and it's off your transcript by that week..
Especially for your current reason, I don't see how they will say no. Most counselors are pretty human and empathetic.

Ive actually tried this twice with Fresno State and was denied both times. So if you ever hear me talk shit about Fresno, this is why

It is way easier to removed a bad grade at a community college than a 4 years college. At Sac state you have to go through 4 steps to get a bad grade removed.

[mrsleeve]

Yes, because it's expected to come out of college with 10 years field experience. I forgot that's how it worked. I didn't realize you could forgo college and gain the field experience in that 4-5 years to work a technical field at $65-80k a year. Boy... why didn't I just do that?

You could have, I did...... Though I do considerably better than that if I work more than 6 months a year................

[lambo]

You could have, I did...... Though I do considerably better than that if I work more than 6 months a year................

Let me add this stipulation: I don't want to live in butt fuck nowhere Montana. Still possible with only 5 years field experience in this age (2016)?

[mrsleeve]

Let me add this stipulation: I don't want to live in butt fuck nowhere Montana. Still possible with only 5 years field experience in this age (2016)?

I dont have to live where I do for my job, I have not worked one day with in 5 hours of my house. Hell I have not worked West of the Mississippi in the last 5 years, I CHOSE to live where I do for my own reasons.

Yes it is, depending on the trade, and how busy the trade is in a particular market yeah you can I was doing very well in 3 years

[lambo]

I dont have to live where I do for my job, I have not worked one day with in 5 hours of my house. Hell I have not worked West of the Mississippi in the last 5 years, I CHOSE to live where I do for my own reasons.

Yes it is, depending on the trade, and how busy the trade is in a particular market yeah you can I was doing very well in 3 years

Could you get into the field you are working right now as an 18 year old, and then, subsequently, work your way up to a $65k+ position in 4-5 years, all the while living in a large city (Denver, Seattle, etc.)?

[mrsleeve]

yup My helper last summer was 22, been in since 18 and made at least that last year. Denver your going to be front range and working 6-7 days a week in the oil fields and not home much. Seattle is going to be aerospace work, more of a 9-5 fixed location job and your going to top out in that 55-65 range due to the lack of OT since aero does not pay like the energy sector

I turned down a position that would double what I earned last year (a 6 month work season) 5 years ago because I would have had to relocate to Chicago and live and work in that market..... I dont like big cities and HATE IL, it all depends on what your client base is and how much your willing to work. 95% of guys that try to do what I do cant take the hours or time away from home, the work is not that hard.

[lambo]

If this kind of career growth is possible, what would you say is the reason this job sector isn't being saturated?

[Exodus_2pt0]

Yes, because it's expected to come out of college with 10 years field experience. I forgot that's how it worked. I didn't realize you could forgo college and gain the field experience in that 4-5 years to work a technical field at $65-80k a year. Boy... why didn't I just do that?

So did your way work? Are you at your specified income straight out of College?

It took me a while to reach the range you have listed. I spent from 18-27 working the Automotive repair industry and never came close, but I spent that time honing my skills. Now that I've found a worth-while career that my skills transfered well to, the climb to that range has been drastic. I haven't even been here for 3 years.

The problem as I see it, is people believe that if they go to college they are guaranteed a 60k+ salary, and it just doesn't work like that. Racking up mountains of debt in the hopes of snagging a job good enough to pay it off is a gamble.

There are millions of other legitimate opportunities out there that will easily attain your dreams without following the beaten path.

I will be going back to school, don't get me wrong, but I will be paying for it up front and taking my time. I'm definitely doing it backwards, but I, and many others are managing just fine without a Degree to help us along.

[e30onBBSs]

Go to community college for two years on the cheap, while working locally. Work hard and get good grades. Then go to a real school and have basically 50% the student loans of everyone else. Profit.

Idk if if's going to be worth it but instead of 200k+ a lot of kids do out of state I'm going to get a bachelors for like 80k total

[alas]

I just stumbled upon this thread... So what did you end up doing, 2mAn?

I would say if you're already in a career you enjoy, and school isn't required for you to move up, then what's the point?

If you're looking for a new career or a move other than lateral requires further education, then keep trying. Obviously this was a couple years ago, so I'm sure you've already made up your mind by now. :)


-E

[2761377]

If this kind of career growth is possible, what would you say is the reason this job sector isn't being saturated?

the growth you're talking about is available in my trade, and I live in SoCal. it involves a union apprenticeship, with 6 or 8 semesters of mandatory classroom instruction. it's nearly impossible to find 18-20 year old's motivated to negotiate all the hoops.

and in sleeve's case, his trade is physically demanding, so there's that.

[lambo]

So did your way work? Are you at your specified income straight out of College?

Sure did. The minute I graduate in May, I walk straight into a job at that level and I'm not the only one.

The problem as I see it, is people believe that if they go to college they are guaranteed a 60k+ salary, and it just doesn't work like that. Racking up mountains of debt in the hopes of snagging a job good enough to pay it off is a gamble.

You talk about college like everyone is some art or english student at NYU. There are plenty of level headed people out here that are going to reasonable schools and studying things that have a prospective future. So, can we stop making this generalization?

There are millions of other legitimate opportunities out there that will easily attain your dreams without following the beaten path.

I will be going back to school, don't get me wrong, but I will be paying for it up front and taking my time. I'm definitely doing it backwards, but I, and many others are managing just fine without a Degree to help us along.

I never said there weren't and I never said you can't get along just fine without a degree. I did say that it is not possible to get to the higher ranks a technical field, and by technical I really mean engineering, with just "life experience". Sure, you could have done that in the late 80's and early 90's. But, despite what year it is in the forests of Montana, it is 2016 in the real world. You can't walk up to an aerospace firm in Seattle and just willy nilly into a job right out of high school. Even if you do manage to land something, you're going to reach a salary cap that, as you have found out, requires a degree to surpass.