College... is it really worth it?

Is it worth the $$$ and the extra time that you have to put into getting a bachelors?

I have 2 1/2 years of college exp. but am still only a 2nd sem. soph. right now (due to transfers, etc.). I'm getting tired of school, and plus, I ran out of stocks and bonds to finance my education. Everytime I file for FAFSA, it comes back saying it's incomplete and lists 800 more things I need to add. I applied for a loan, was rejected (due to credit history and income) and my parents won't/can't take out loans. So, basically, I have no $$ for next semester and I missed the FAFSA deadline.

ANYWAY, my dream is to be a clinical psychologist and work in the psych ward of a general hospital. But, that's going to require I get at least a PsyD. I don't have the patience (I'm a very instant-gratification type person) to be in school for another 8 years and I obviously don't have the funding.

What can I do that doesn't require college, never will and will make me lots of $$$? I wanted to be a flight attendant back in high school, but never tried it out. Now, I'm looking at training to be a travel agent, or maybe a real estate agent... I'm not real aggressive or motivated, and I like travelling, and, like I said, I'm looking for something that I can take maybe 90 hours of class and graduate and go on to making buttloads of money.

What does everyone else do for a living here at BL? What do you guys think about college v. the job industry? Any suggestions?

Yes

OMFG, college is worth it.

:D

I know there will be some who say no, but of all the experiences I've had from college it is worth it. ESPECIALLY in clinical psych - I'm in clinical counseling right now and what I'm learning is totally rewarding.

I would never say to NOT finish college. it has been the most life changing experience I've EVER had. Every rewarding experience I can tie back to attending school.

it's hard to constantly deal with loands and crap I'm sure - but do waht you can do finish. Live out your dreams. Do what you can to reach them. You will feel unfulfilled if you don't.

If you want to feel unfulfilled - do whatever it takes to make you $$ - good luck - but I couldn't do it. While I really really enjoy money, I must be in a field I enjoy or i couldn't respect my attempts to make money in that field.


Stick it out. You WILL regret it if you just ditch it. Believe in yourself.

btw sorry for all the typos. i was just really into getting my point across asap.

Its worthit if you can afford it. If you cant you cant so its out off your hands anyway.
If there is a small chance of getting the funding than do it by any means..ie get a job, relative, government support..etc
Benefits are you get to spend 8 years being a student, which is relatively fun...means you dont have to become an adult and worry abt your career for a while...some of the times anyway.
Most important thing though is once you have an education, its one thing that stays with you for life...it will boost your ego when least expected, give you a path too go when you need it and open alot off doors.
If you can help it, definelty worth time and effort.

YES YES YES

Completely agree with Randycaver.... I'm 29, and for the last 8 years since I finished uni, I've gotten down on my knees and thanked my lucky stars that I did.

I'm earning bucketloads of money for basically sitting on my butt doing nothing. It's so easy it's laughable. Obviously not all degree careers are "easy" but I'll guarantee you it's a damn sight easier than standing on your feet for 8 hours a day serving cappuchinos, or filing or answering phones. There are very few careers in which you need no qualifications to go far. That little piece of paper is your ticket to paradise. I think people at my local Macdonalds work physically harder than I do, and with far less mental stimulation and job satisfaction. I know my boyfriend does, and he works longer hours than me and gets paid half what I do.

I've travelled, I have an office and a great car and so many options.

I shudder to think where I'd be now. You have to try to find a way.... dammit girl, c'mon, put your lateral thinking cap on.

So being a travel agent is out of the question?

^ It's a medium-pay career even at the highest levels, but it's probably your best option if you really don't want to complete uni. To gain access to a Professional Travel Consulting career you will still require a Certificate III or Diploma in Tourism, which could take up to 2 years.
But if you want to check it out, why don't you check at your local adult college website or careers advice website.

University is an excellent option depedant on the career path one choses. For instance, if your willingness is to be someone who mows lawns for a living, then is a university degree worth it? no!

If your wanting to be an Enterprise Account Manager for a large corporation and earn lumps of money, then maybe a degree in business might be worth it!

It all depends what you want from your career. Then again, I know several people in the I.T industry who have minimal qualifications, but have years of experience and would beat the pants off any uni grad in an Interview, basically because they have industry knowledge and previous business practices. Sometimes employees dont want to train a newbie in the field even though they have a piece of paper to say "I'm good in textbooks"!

shals :D

Oh God DONT become a travel agent!! I worked in a travel office for 2 years and it's low pay, high work load and NO benefits. That's right NO benefits. Everyone still thinks that you get free or near free travel if you work in a travel agency. That was over in the 80's. You DO NOT get those benefits anymore. And now with the internet deals, travel agents are almost not needed (which means it would be hard to find a job).

Now on the subject of college. I totally agree with RandyCaver and SLG. But I'm coming from the opposite side. I didn't get a college degree. And I regret the hell out of that fact. Now at my age, 33, I'm desperately trying to balance working full time and going back to school. And let me tell you something - it's hard. I know that if I had gotten a degree I would be doing so much better career wise. And I know it's not too late, but it would have been so much easier if I had done it when I was younger.

I'm a recent college graduate, and while I am proud of my accomplishments in school I can tell you that they are not as highly valued in the job market as you might think.

I've been out of work for over a month now, and am applying to places like gas stations, supermarkets, etc. This is with a four year degree in psychology from an expensive private institution. A lot of lower end jobs will say I am overqualified, and a lot of higher end jobs want previous experience or drug testing.

Prior to my graduation I never went more than a couple weeks without a job. I have a pretty good resume and am shocked at how difficult this stretch has been for me. Right now I am having a lot of doubts about the worth of this expense, but I am trying to stay confident that in the long run it will be more than worth it.

The economy is not in a strong place right now (contrary to what some of our elected leaders will have us believe), yet rates of college graduation are up in most places, which means there are fewer jobs for more qualified applicants, thereby decreasing the value of your degree. If I could do it again I would seriously consider going for a public college. I am most likely going to try to go to graduate school next fall (help me defer the college loan payments I can't afford right now) and am planning to search for a state school.

Education has changed my life for the better, and I can't say enough about its value to me on a personal level, but in the job market I'd be doing a lot better now if I had four years of experience doing something practical (construction, etc.) than four years of schooling.

AstridAsteroid said:

Is it worth the $$$ and the extra time that you have to put into getting a bachelors?

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ABSOLOFUCKINGLUTELY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good luck and keep plugging away!

P.S. the money you spend on college is the best investment you can make in a lifetime.

JerryBlunted said:

I'm a recent college graduate, and while I am proud of my accomplishments in school I can tell you that they are not as highly valued in the job market as you might think.

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this is partly do with the fact that when the economy went down many companies had hiring freezes. In this time, most of the college grads went back to school for grad school (because they couldn't find the jobs that they wanted and deserved.)

Now, we are at a time when many of the hiring freezes have been lifted...but we have the same college grads from 3 years ago now with graduate degrees competing with recent undergraduates students.

The fact of the matter is...everyone should obtain AT LEAST an undergraduate degree to be somewhat successful now. There are many current executives that do not have degrees...but, they also started in their careers during the beginning of the educational boom and therefore obtained a substantial amount of experience that out weighs the fact that their education background is lacking.


If you want to be competitive you MUST get your education!

I'm doing part-time studying which is going to take me at least another 6 years to finish, many of the courses I'm doing seem trivial and a lot of them are boring as hell.

Beyond the final gratification of your degree, the good thing about any form of studying is that it expands your knowledge - even if just a bit - and gets you thinking in ways you normally wouldn't, broadens your horizons if you like. I know that helps me in IT and i would image it would be extremely beneficial in psychology.

If funding is a problem check for distance education - if there is a good college here in SA there must be hundreds over there. Then you can study at your own pace as finances allow. The other good thing about this is that you could also work during this time - i.e. live and still pay for studies.

Best of luck!

AstridAsteroid said:

Everytime I file for FAFSA, it comes back saying it's incomplete and lists 800 more things I need to add.

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This is typical red tape that you have to wade through when you deal with any government agency. I am dealing with a similar problem right now. Every time I send in the requirements, they send it back INSTEAD OF CALLING ME with a thousand different, bizarre requests. Yes, you missed the deadline this time, but that means you will be super prepared and anticipating the upcoming one. Just be persistent and remember that it is worth it!!

Are you filing for the FAFSA online? Honestly they have a very very very simple online filing process that so beats the paper filing, and will inform you of any other things that they need much more quickly. Once you get it filed once, it's mostly updating each year from that point on.

A 4 year degree in psych isnt going to really get you anything...

^It will get you a foundation for a lot of careers and it will prepare you for grad school.

There aren't too many careers paths anymore that don't suggest/recommend/require a graduate degree

I sort of have the same type of question...

What do you guys think of certificate programs? Do they mean anything? Right now I have the option of getting my certificate in Graphic Design (and getting done WAY sooner) or being in school and working for a LONG time and getting my associates in Graphic Design....I don't get the difference.

Overall, I would say that college is worth it, from my experiance so far. It makes me feel like I am doing something productive with my life, not neccessarily for monetary gain, but just for my own brain.

^ Art/Design careers depend a LOT on the strength of your portfolio, and you can get a perfectly good portfolio in a certificate course.

The other thing with design is a heap of luck/networking is involved. My partner's just finished a 3-month Graphics Certificate and a few of the people who got good jobs out of it, knew people in the business or had done freelancing. But a couple got top level positions just on the strength of their portfolio alone.

I think it's one of the few careers in which your contacts, experience and your creativity are worth more than your qualifications.

I can't speak from experience to declare college being "worth it" however I can speak from my lack of experience. I generally try and not have any regrets in my life... however I am IMMENSELY regretting that I am now 22 years old and never went to college. Never even applied to any real schools, although I did a week at community college the fall after graduating high school but decided if I was going to go to college, I wanted to go to a REAL college (not to say anything negative about community colleges... it just wasn't for me).

I thought my decision to take "one year off" after graduating high school was a good decision. I know of people who took time off and actually did go back. But here I am... 4 years after graduating... my younger sister just started HER freshman year at college and I couldn't possibly have more regret about not ever going to school

Basically I've missed my chance to get any financial support from my family. I can't handle the debt of a loan, and I wouldn't even get one if I applied, what with the fact I had to file bankruptcy last year.

Sure I got life experience in the past 4 years... but its not the same. I really just wish I went to school. I wish I at least gave it a real chance. But I try and believe all things happen for a reason... and since I'm not UNhappy with my life right now... I guess I'm doing ok.

If I could have done it all over again though, I would have