So college is now worthless

According to "experts,"college is a waste of time. We have more graduates than jobs requiring degrees, student debt is growing faster than wages, and it causes slower growth in the economy. Take it for what it's worth.

It's true that a degree doesn't land you a job like it once did. Employers want experience in this economy, not potential. Where a degree does help for the average person with one is pay scale.

Oh well. I don't mind. It doesn't stop me from going. (Unless I can actually get into University.)

Well I'm convinced

*burns study material for 8am final tomorrow*

Going into a job interview with a degree is still better than going into one without, I guess.

I kind of wish they had a college for college grads - it could be like camp. I would be interested in reliving the college experience (perhaps a different way) without the pressures of getting a degree and good grades, etc.

Come to think of it, I probably would pay attention more in class and do better overall (relatively speaking) without the pressure...

College also provides a person time to discover themselves, sleep with countless women, and binge drink like crazy, so even if you don't end up with a great job at the end it's not a total loss.DJ_Lae

College also provides a person time to discover themselves, sleep with countless women, and binge drink like crazy, so even if you don't end up with a great job at the end it's not a total loss.DJ_Lae

I kind of wish they had a college for college grads - it could be like camp. I would be interested in reliving the college experience (perhaps a different way) without the pressures of getting a degree and good grades, etc.

Come to think of it, I probably would pay attention more in class and do better overall (relatively speaking) without the pressure...

But you cant rush graduate school, so maybe I'll have time to discover myself, sleep with countless women, and binge drink. oooo0000oooo000

[QUOTE="DJ_Lae"]College also provides a person time to discover themselves, sleep with countless women, and binge drink like crazy, so even if you don't end up with a great job at the end it's not a total loss.psychobrew

[QUOTE="oooo0000oooo000"]But you cant rush graduate school, so maybe I'll have time to discover myself, sleep with countless women, and binge drink. entropyecho

Yeah to bad. Thank god I'm a bit older.

[QUOTE="psychobrew"][QUOTE="DJ_Lae"]College also provides a person time to discover themselves, sleep with countless women, and binge drink like crazy, so even if you don't end up with a great job at the end it's not a total loss.bobaban

Yep, I have 4 friends who just got their bachelors, none of them can find a job. Thing is though once they finally do they will get teh moniez.

mmm, i dont care, im still going to college

Yep, I have 4 friends who just got their bachelors, none of them can find a job. Thing is though once they finally do they will get teh moniez.

SunofVich

[QUOTE="SunofVich"]

Yep, I have 4 friends who just got their bachelors, none of them can find a job. Thing is though once they finally do they will get teh moniez.

psychobrew

[QUOTE="psychobrew"][QUOTE="SunofVich"]

Yep, I have 4 friends who just got their bachelors, none of them can find a job. Thing is though once they finally do they will get teh moniez.

entropyecho

It had to do with job loss and a new job that pays much less money (and having to move to a much more expensive area). My days of driving Jags are over......for now.

But yeah, if it's controversial, there's a fortune to be made.

I've worked in recruitment for over 10 years, and although 'a waste of time' is a little extreme, a degree doesn't necessarily hold the same status as it did in the 90's. That being said it does depend upon the university you attend – a degree from Harvard or Cambridge is still a very powerful tool to open doors.

Aside from that, we're seeing a greater prevalence in MBA's and the like these days as candidates seek to distinguish themselves from the masses.

I've worked in recruitment for over 10 years, and although 'a waste of time' is a little extreme, a degree doesn't necessarily hold the same status as it did in the 90's. That being said it does depend upon the university you attend – a degree from Harvard or Cambridge is still a very powerful tool to open doors.

Aside from that, we're seeing a greater prevalence in MBA's and the like these days as candidates seek to distinguish themselves from the masses.

Regardless, people aren't going to stop going to college.

Considering the relative unemployment figures between highly educated individuals and those who only finished high school, I think the idea that college is worthless would be a pretty hard sell.

Considering the relative unemployment figures between highly educated individuals and those who only finished high school, I think the idea that college is worthless would be a pretty hard sell.

GabuEx

This is true for EVERY SINGLE JOB nowadays. The sobering reality is that a rapidly growing population means that it becomes harder and harder to get a job. Even for jobs in which you don't need a college degree it's now harder simply because there's more people vying for the same job that you want.

College isn't worthless. If you want to do anything in business, science, medicine, engineering, or law you still need to go to college. Now if none of those careers interest you and you decide to major in something like "human development" then yes, college is a waste of time and money for you. And that's the mistake a lot of people make because they think that simply getting a college degree increases their chances of getting any kind of job, when in reality you still have to be preparing for the specific job you have in mind. The college degree is just a pre-requisite for some careers.

Considering the relative unemployment figures between highly educated individuals and those who only finished high school, I think the idea that college is worthless would be a pretty hard sell.

GabuEx

[QUOTE="GabuEx"]

Considering the relative unemployment figures between highly educated individuals and those who only finished high school, I think the idea that college is worthless would be a pretty hard sell.

psychobrew

I'm not really sure if that logic works, because it's not as though a high school graduate can just sit around for four years, jobless, looking for employment, with no problems. A job is no less pressing as a high school graduate than as a college graduate.

Being a grad is tough at the moment – even in a buoyant economy it's an extremely competitive market. Regardless though, getting job can be a full time job in itself – it's important to keep plugging away until you get your foot in the door and try not to feel despondent. Always look for an angle of how to differentiate yourself from the masses; if you get the chance call rather than just send a resume as it'll get lost in amongst the hundreds of other applications. Just my 2 bob. :)

Well, that depends on your degree. Also, is there a difference between "college" and "university" in the US similar to how those two are completely different in Canada?

[QUOTE="psychobrew"][QUOTE="GabuEx"]

Considering the relative unemployment figures between highly educated individuals and those who only finished high school, I think the idea that college is worthless would be a pretty hard sell.

I'm not really sure if that logic works, because it's not as though a high school graduate can just sit around for four years, jobless, looking for employment, with no problems. A job is no less pressing as a high school graduate than as a college graduate.

[QUOTE="psychobrew"][QUOTE="GabuEx"]

Considering the relative unemployment figures between highly educated individuals and those who only finished high school, I think the idea that college is worthless would be a pretty hard sell.

GabuEx

I'm not really sure if that logic works, because it's not as though a high school graduate can just sit around for four years, jobless, looking for employment, with no problems. A job is no less pressing as a high school graduate than as a college graduate.

Thing is if a high school graduate isn't just being lazy but is highly motivated, that means they not only get a four year head start on finding a job but also a four year head start on gaining work experience. It's actually the case that for some people it's more beneficial to skip college and go striaght into the workforce.

Another thing to consider is what happens if you get a college degree but have no job prospects anyway? For example, if you majored in science but didn't do well enough to go to grad school to get a PhD (or just decided it wasn't for you after all) what does that leave you with after college? A four year degree that is unrelated to every job you're going to try to apply for. True, you could try to stick around in science but the kind of jobs you get with a bachelors in, say, biology are about on par with being a stockboy at a grocery store as far as job enjoyability and pay are concerned. So for that person they essentially just wasted four years of their life and money.

I would actually argue that the reason unemployment rates are lower for college graduates isn't because their degrees allow them to get jobs more easily, but rather because, on average, a person with a four year degree is going to be more motivated than someone who stopped after high school. As a result, while the high school graduate might be the kind of person content to mooch off their parents or live on welfare, a college graduate is probably going to do their best to find any job.

[QUOTE="GabuEx"]

[QUOTE="psychobrew"] Just playing devil's advocate here, but a high school graduate has at least a 4 year head start on the job search. They might have a harder time finding a job, but they have much more time to find it and don't have the the education debt.psychobrew

I'm not really sure if that logic works, because it's not as though a high school graduate can just sit around for four years, jobless, looking for employment, with no problems. A job is no less pressing as a high school graduate than as a college graduate.

I don't understand why this matters. It's not as though there is a static number of jobs that are all the same such that high school students get first dibs, and all of those jobs are gone once college students start looking. The economy (except during a recession) is always growing, and college graduates and high school graduates pursue different job opportunities.

[QUOTE="psychobrew"][QUOTE="GabuEx"]

I'm not really sure if that logic works, because it's not as though a high school graduate can just sit around for four years, jobless, looking for employment, with no problems. A job is no less pressing as a high school graduate than as a college graduate.

I don't understand why this matters. It's not as though there is a static number of jobs that are all the same such that high school students get first dibs, and all of those jobs are gone once college students start looking. The economy (except during a recession) is always growing, and college graduates and high school graduates pursue different job opportunities.

mmm, i dont care, im still going to college

fear9204

[QUOTE="GabuEx"]

[QUOTE="psychobrew"] The point is, a high school grad starts looking right after high school. A college grad starts looking four years after the high school grad.psychobrew

I don't understand why this matters. It's not as though there is a static number of jobs that are all the same such that high school students get first dibs, and all of those jobs are gone once college students start looking. The economy (except during a recession) is always growing, and college graduates and high school graduates pursue different job opportunities.

I don't get why you're calling them four "extra" years. You graduate, you find a job.

[QUOTE="GabuEx"]

[QUOTE="psychobrew"] Just playing devil's advocate here, but a high school graduate has at least a 4 year head start on the job search. They might have a harder time finding a job, but they have much more time to find it and don't have the the education debt.psychobrew

I'm not really sure if that logic works, because it's not as though a high school graduate can just sit around for four years, jobless, looking for employment, with no problems. A job is no less pressing as a high school graduate than as a college graduate.

You also need to realize that people in University are still very much employed, usually in the form of part-time work; not to mention the four months off every year.

[QUOTE="psychobrew"][QUOTE="GabuEx"]

I don't understand why this matters. It's not as though there is a static number of jobs that are all the same such that high school students get first dibs, and all of those jobs are gone once college students start looking. The economy (except during a recession) is always growing, and college graduates and high school graduates pursue different job opportunities.

I don't get why you're calling them four "extra" years. You graduate, you find a job.

[QUOTE="GabuEx"]

[QUOTE="psychobrew"] The point was about unemployment rates. Higher unemployment rates equals a longer job search. With 4 extra years to search though, the difference in unemployment rates aren't as big of a deal as one might think.psychobrew

I don't get why you're calling them four "extra" years. You graduate, you find a job.

[QUOTE="GabuEx"]

[QUOTE="psychobrew"] The point was about unemployment rates. Higher unemployment rates equals a longer job search. With 4 extra years to search though, the difference in unemployment rates aren't as big of a deal as one might think.psychobrew

I don't get why you're calling them four "extra" years. You graduate, you find a job.

And what difference does that make?

It's not like you have a high school student and a guy just going off to college and they're in a race to see who can get a career first.