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College... is it really worth it?

there is SO much more to life than college and where it may take you. if you feel you can't make an income without a college degree, then by all means get one .. but much much more can be gained by spending your time reading books and learning on your own. I know more about several fields from reading quality material than i do about my stupid economics/finance degree. University is just an expensive reference list.
 
^ that's all true, but at least you have your stupid ecconomics/finance degree right? :) At least that allows you to apply for jobs you would otherwise be out of the running for, and gives you greater freedom and earning capacity.

I totally agree that in terms of practical knowlege and life experience, a degree means diddly-squat compared to your individual learning. I've learned more travelling overseas than I ever did in a classroom.

But we're talking career options here, and most higher-level jobs still require that piece of paper. Once you've got it, you have the luxury of choice... which doesn't seem that important now, but it gets a helluva lot more so when you're 30, 40 years old and have limited choices.

My mum's in her late 40's and has just gone back to university to study what she'd always wanted to study, after YEARS breaking her back as a pharmacy assistant. The one thing she always passed on to me is to do it NOW while you're young, don't wait until you get to that stage.
 
MynameisnotDeja said:
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.
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A degree isnt necessary in the design field, but it does help you get your foot in the door. Some companies may require a degree, but not all. The key thing is your work. Now, it helps to be in school and to learn things about design and art in general, but there is a lot that you can teach yourself. It's really about how well rounded you would like to be, if you want to be around artistic peers to bounce things off of, if you want to gain knowledge from other talented folks and if you want someone to dictate coursework and challenge you.

I could have learnt a lot on my own in the time that I spent at school, but there is something quite satisfying and inspirational to be in that environment. I dont really find much merit in those certificate programs. They teach you the tools, but they dont teach you how to create good design. An associates program will teach you both, and a bachelors will teach both as well as learning other forms of art and the history of art and design. I found learning other forms of art to be quite beneficial and satisfying. The only thing I regret is that my uni didnt teach much about the business of design, which is also necessary.
 
I have never in my life met anyone who has regretted the fact that they furthered their education.

The most underappreciated thing in the world by young people is THE VALUE OF HAVING OPTIONS.
 
AstridAsteroid said:
[ What do you guys think about college v. the job industry? Any suggestions? [/B]
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i figure you have nothing to lose by going to college. A lot of my friends went straight to industrial type jobs after high school, yeah they make more money than me, but are they gonna be happy going bullshit physical labor for the next 50 years of their life. i figure everyone should go to college, just cuz if you fuck up, hate it, or wanna quit, you can still always work an job that is labor intensive as a back up....but if you go straight to physical labor job, and end up gettin hurt or disabled you have nothing to fall back on.

i'd try to figure out a way to pay for college, you'll be glad in the long run....how about trying a cheaper school, like a community college?
 
I don't regret going to college...but school is all I do well.

ebola
 
Like I was told when I was 18. You get what you put into it back threefold. If you put all kinds of effort into the work you do there, and do extremely well, you get a damn good job afterwards, on the other hand if you coast through it, and don't do much at all, you'll be hard pressed to get much at all afterwards, unless your last name is Bush that is..
 
Yes it is..it may not seem like it right now but later when u graduate with ur degree u will be glad that u sticked it out.
 
from reading this thread it seems like most of the super positive omfg yes college is so worth it is coming from people who are already finished with college, and not in the middle of it or haven't started at all.

my point is, it is easy to say something is so worth and blah blah blah when you are done with it and not doing it anymore and already have the benefits of it being finished.
 
i think i'll move this to the college forum, cuz i'm not sure it existed when this thread was started...
 
birthdaycake said:
from reading this thread it seems like most of the super positive omfg yes college is so worth it is coming from people who are already finished with college, and not in the middle of it or haven't started at all.

my point is, it is easy to say something is so worth and blah blah blah when you are done with it and not doing it anymore and already have the benefits of it being finished.
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are you dense? of course that's how its going to be and of course college is worth it. As lovelife said 3 years ago - having options makes life worth living. having a degree opens up doors that would otherwise remain closed your entire life.

college is easy compared to the working world. sack it up, fill out the forms, jump through the hoops, and graduate. then enjoy making decent money in a legit career.
 
Mhm. Same could be said about any decision.

"Is it going to be worth it to ask out that girl?"

Uh... I don't know. Maybe? We'll see? Nervous/stressed out right now?

"Was it worth it to ask out that girl?"

Totally. We've been married for 60 years.

Hehe. Of course you'll have more retrospective positive remarks. Although some might forget how challenging college is, those who think it has paid off have often moved on to even more challenging things in life. I think the fact that some people might "forget" is a small detail compared to the fact that those who haven't finished can't say for sure if it is going to be worth it or not yet.

Though, personally, I feel like it keeps me sane for the moment.
 
aanallein said:
are you dense? of course that's how its going to be and of course college is worth it. As lovelife said 3 years ago - having options makes life worth living. having a degree opens up doors that would otherwise remain closed your entire life.

college is easy compared to the working world. sack it up, fill out the forms, jump through the hoops, and graduate. then enjoy making decent money in a legit career.
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Elgr said:
Mhm. Same could be said about any decision.

"Is it going to be worth it to ask out that girl?"

Uh... I don't know. Maybe? We'll see? Nervous/stressed out right now?

"Was it worth it to ask out that girl?"

Totally. We've been married for 60 years.

Hehe. Of course you'll have more retrospective positive remarks. Although some might forget how challenging college is, those who think it has paid off have often moved on to even more challenging things in life. I think the fact that some people might "forget" is a small detail compared to the fact that those who haven't finished can't say for sure if it is going to be worth it or not yet.

Though, personally, I feel like it keeps me sane for the moment.
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At the moment, i dont see college being worth it to me. As much as i would like to go, when i really sit down and think about it, college would most likely just bring on stress and financial pressure that i cant deal with. Having to spend the majority of my free time from work at school, learning some bs that im not even interested in, then having to come home and study some more, lack of sleep, tired at work, repeat cycle again, no social life, just work and school and sleep. whatever. ill pass.

it seems ive missed the boat on college and it is most likely that ill never go. i should just quit even considering it from here on out.
 
birthdaycake said:
At the moment, i dont see college being worth it to me. As much as i would like to go, when i really sit down and think about it, college would most likely just bring on stress and financial pressure that i cant deal with. Having to spend the majority of my free time from work at school, learning some bs that im not even interested in, then having to come home and study some more, lack of sleep, tired at work, repeat cycle again, no social life, just work and school and sleep. whatever. ill pass.

it seems ive missed the boat on college and it is most likely that ill never go. i should just quit even considering it from here on out.
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ya college + working full time could definatly make life hard in the short term, on the other hand, once its done its just a memory of a hard time in life and you'll have a ton to show for it. not to mention better/more interesting job etc.
 
if you are working in a field that you want to work in, and that job is constantly challenging you, training you, and giving you the tools to learn by doing, then no... college may not be worth it.

not everyone has the luxury of having that sort of job, tho.

otherwise, college is definitely worth it

IF YOU MAKE IT WORTH IT.

i get tired of people complaining about uni, and then when we really get down to it, it's shit that THEY did.

they chose a major they didn't really like
they chose to take certain classes because OMG i just couldn't wake up at 9am!!
they chose to not get involved with student activities or student governments or anything of the sort.
they chose to not push themselves and go above and beyond what the professors are teaching you.

uni doesn't teach you everything. you take a programming class, for instance, and you'll get the basic theory behind programming, some basic concepts about the specific programming language, and some examples... from there, YOU have to figure out how to push the your knowledge to the next level... what are implications of this knowledge... "if I can do this with that, then it must mean that i can also do that by doing this..."

that's why teachers push math on students who don't even need math in their major -- it's not so you know trig, it's so your analytic skills are sharp... that's why you have liberal arts classes you have to take... not so that you can say "i read Chaucer" but so that you can think around problems and not just barrel your way thru them.

so, if you expect to be spoon-fed (and many of us do), then you're likely to starve.

college and college life is exactly what you put into it.

shit in; shit out.

ps. i can't stress enough the importance of internships if applicable by your field, by the way. seriously.
 
i think college is worth it. for me it's like I want to take as much time avoiding the 'real world' as possible. I took like 1 1/2 years off after my first year and i hated it. I worked at a warehouse making 7.50 an hour, working 40 hours a week and it was basically the same thing every day.

I'm a 23 year old almost junior and i really enjoy it. Learning stuff can be fun...it definately beats working my ass off for $220 a week. And i've been lucky to meet some really cool people too.

I know fafsa is bullshit, i missed the deadline this year too. But see what you can get together, theres always scholarships. good luck :)
 
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