My school is r3v

[gstuning]

Linus and StereoInstaller hit the nail RIGHT on the head.

I can give you dozen of examples of why school will make things easier down the road.
Hell I´m one of them. Two times over even.

Don´t look at right now and the next two years as how it´s going to be, are you going to have solid vacation time when you turn 50 if you keep in the trade?
What happens when you go on retirement?

People make their own futures and make their own choices,

[Farbin Kaiber]

Just to clarify, I never said dont go get a degree/go to trade school, just stated where I'm at, good luck to each of you with your own choices.

[Turf1600]

ok, what does an ira have to do with education, i'd say thats more of a matter of ones financial allocations wouldn't you? the post isn't "r3v is my financial advisor." wow, what a great argument, its hard to reply when the statement has so little to do with the discussion. at what point did i or anyone say that you can't lead a fullfilling, successful life & career without a degree? it's been proven that college graduates make more, on average, that non college grads, repeatedly. your an exception, congrats, way to not brag. not everyone will be so lucky. are you picking me because i'm "new" here, because i'm not really new to the intraweb, or petty, insecure statements. get over yourself. those with educations seem to understand that we're not all cut out for higher education, while those without continue to justify themselves, while no one is arguing with them. and if you are in the process of getting a degree, what kind of anti-education leg do you have to stand on anyway. why not retire and let some other guy have your office & sweet job to better those who chose not to further their education, those you defend.

seems linus hit that nail, imo.

oh, and i get to paid to post to, while i work from home. the couch is my office, so is the chairlift.

My point is this: Don't act like you've got a leg up on everyone without a degree because you don't. As for bragging - I'm the LAST person to openly state how well I'm doing. IIRC you were one of the first. I've been an advocate of education all along - if you would bother to read everything I've said. My only point is that with some creativity and hard work people without degrees have boundless oppertunities. Don't come in here and talk about how long it will take someone without a degree to catch up with your experience - because it's BS. People like myself have been working full time and going to school since they were 18. Pampered, parent paid college life cannot compete with that. Sure, it will take me 2 extra years or more to get my degree - but I've already got people working under me.

What pisses me off about this thread is everyone is picking and choosing tid bits of info to argue against - and also everyone is assuming this is a trade school VS college debate. It's not. This guy is still going to school - or so he says.

[Ryan Stewart]

Exactly. We have a 100% placement rate for the last 5 years for industrial engineers here. Guaranteed job w/ benefits + $50K or more first year + excellent job security = FTMFW

Aint that the truth.

My brother's company (MechE) had to stop shopping for new meat at the college he came out of because the fuckers were getting too damned expensive. He had to get his new staff from second tier engineering schools (like mine, which is mostly Business and Journalism).

And that comment about college grads making $7 an hour. YOur friends must be utter morons or have a degree in basketweaving (redundant since they are morons for getting a fluff degree). Go be an accountant or something if you want to make money out of college. An african American history degree wont get you shit.

[CorvallisBMW]

My point is this: Don't act like you've got a leg up on everyone without a degree because you don't.

ummmmmm yeah I do. If an employer has 2 equal resumes, one with a degree and one without, which one do you think they will pick? That's called a leg up. Just because you are doing well without a degree does not mean that they are useless and people are wasting their time by getting one. I guarantee you I will make more money, have more benefits, retire wealthier and have better working conditions. Period.

[Turf1600]

ummmmmm yeah I do. If an employer has 2 equal resumes, one with a degree and one without, which one do you think they will pick? That's called a leg up. Just because you are doing well without a degree does not mean that they are useless and people are wasting their time by getting one. I guarantee you I will make more money, have more benefits, retire wealthier and have better working conditions. Period.

Holy freaking shit. Did I not mention that I'm still getting my degree? And that I encourage EVERYONE to go to school? I'm the only person who even bothered to reccomend that this guy go to night school for business.

You assholes also have it hammered into your mind that you have to work for someone your entire life. My point has been and will always be - people without a degree have just as many oppertunities. This is the truth. They have just as many avenues (maybe not the same ones) to wealth as everyone else. will it be harder? Yes. Can they still do it? Ofcourse! Mariano had it right - you guys are dead set on the beaten path to mediocrity.

And as for your guarantee - meet me back in 30 years and we'll see. I can promise that I probably have the easiest working conditions and BY FAR the best benefits on here. And retirement - I've got 2 fully funded roth IRAs yielding a minimum of 12% annually. Compound that for 40 years, please.

[PiercedE30]

Linus, I absolutely agree with you on everything you said. When I was at Formosa, I had a 20 ton pipe, about 40 - 50 feet long that we were bull rigging into a pipe rack, fall on my foot. Luckily I had my steel toes on. I was standing on the edge of the pipe rack disconnecting it from the crane. It was balanced just perfectly to be able to go either way if weight was put on either side of it. It wasn't the full 20 tons on my foot, but it was definitely enough to bruise the inside of my foot pretty bad. I was limping for a good 4 months. If I stepped on anything bare foot, it would shoot pain through my leg. It sucked. But the money is good, I was able to save up close to 25 grand and went back to school. I know that once I do go back to blue collar work, I will be putting about 75% of of each check into a savings account and then into a CD or IRA or something. Then when I feel the time is right, probably a couple of year, then I will be ready to go back to school. I want to be able to build a house, a garage, still be single, and then go back so that I don't have to worry about housing and shit like you do when you are young and in school.
If you have the drive and determination, then hell yea, get a degree. But my point of view has be tainted, as Linus said, by the money.

[CorvallisBMW]

My point has been and will always be - people without a degree have just as many oppertunities. This is the truth.

Really? Can you be a doctor, lawyer, engineer or dentist without a degree? What can you do without a degree that you cannot do with one?

[Turf1600]

Really? Can you be a doctor, lawyer, engineer or dentist without a degree? What can you do without a degree that you cannot do with one?

Back to my point about choosing single sentences rather then my main point to argue - read the fucking sentence after the last one that you quoted.

[Turf1600]

I'm going to bail out of this argument. Apparently you guys are set on working for someone your entire life and making them rich. I guess so long as you're happy with your little slice of the pie that's fine. That's cool for me right now - but I have much larger plans. My degree will be for education rather than talking someone else into using me.

[hugh jass]

Just a side note - college doesn't do shit. Period. I was at a strip club the other night and one of the dancers said she had a degree from The university of texas but couldn't find a job. I'm still in school and get paid more than alot of people. Plus, the average college grad makes between 30 and 40k a year. the average college student anticipates nearly 100k salary upon graduation. Jokes on you guys.

keep telling yourself that......

[nando]

Just a side note - college doesn't do shit. Period. I was at a strip club the other night and one of the dancers said she had a degree from The university of texas but couldn't find a job. I'm still in school and get paid more than alot of people. Plus, the average college grad makes between 30 and 40k a year. the average college student anticipates nearly 100k salary upon graduation. Jokes on you guys.

that's because going to school isn't a gaurantee. lots of idiots go through school and don't learn a thing - they still get a degree, but they have no work experience, no common sense, no abilities or skills. why would anyone want to hire them? she was obviously destined to be a stripper - she should have just dropped out of high school and went straight for her destiny.

[Turf1600]

keep telling yourself that......

Once again for those of you who can't read - I'm in college. Read plz

[Turf1600]

that's because going to school isn't a gaurantee. lots of idiots go through school and don't learn a thing - they still get a degree, but they have no work experience, no common sense, no abilities or skills. why would anyone want to hire them? she was obviously destined to be a stripper - she should have just dropped out of high school and went straight for her destiny.

Thats pretty much my point.

[nando]

Thats pretty much my point.

so basically you're saying you're an idiot with no skills or abilities and you're not capable of getting anything from an education? you should be nicer to yourself.