College degrees

[texasnavy05]

other than the money, there is a difference in lifestyle between a lot of degreed jobs. i picture more air conditioned office jobs that are salaried for degrees. and more hourly wage labor intensive for non degreed. admittedly this is just a personal perception but there is some truth, right? and, im speaking in general. i realize there are always exceptions.

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[dagdog]

Not picking on Baylor. Just using those costs as an example.

[Mavrick_ET]

I'm in the boat with some others I would guess. I started college out of HS and it didn't' work out. Now fast forward almost 20 years, 15 of which have been active duty Electronics Tech, I'm back in college and about to graduate (BS in Technology Management).

I am of the opinion that the better I can present myself when I retire from the military in a few years the better. I also plan to have my MS in Management by then as well. I'm doing all this because I'm terrified to leave the military where I have security and stability for my family. I want the best possible job I can get so I can support my family. I want to do everything I can to put myself in the best position possible. I know that as mentioned, a lot of jobs now require a degree of some sort to even be considered. I figure with my service and a degree I will be more desirable to companies.
Now what I want to do? I have no idea, not really even sure what kind of job I would want to apply for.

[Dusty Britches]

College degrees give you options. It shows perspective employers that you can set a goal, find a way to accomplish it, and overcome obstacles to achieve.

As a woman, I can tell you this is very important.

However, as times have changed since I was in school, today's society is more accepting of women in trade schools and skilled trades, like welding, electrical, HVAC, EMT, firefighting, etc.

Either way, post high school education is important.

[The Cajun]

Undergrad was more about time for me to mature and enjoy life than it was the education. However Im not sure if I matured that much, but I sure as he** enjoyed life while there . With that said I believe in some instances a college degree can lead to a more stable career and a feeling of job security. In the end its all about who you are and what you need in your life. Plenty of jobs out there and just need to find the one that leads to your happiness.

[Burnadell]

A college degree is not always about the specific job/career you will wind up in. It's also about getting educated! That's why college degree programs also require non elective courses so graduates will at least have exposure to the humanities, English, sciences, civics, languages, social studies, arts, math, etc., etc., etc.

It is amazing to me how many people today cannot correctly write out a thought or punctuate a sentence or spell, let alone understand the processes of government. Just watch Waters' World or one of the "steet interviews" on the talk shows. Many don't even know who fought in the Civil War or who our Vice President is, yada, yada, yada.

It is pitiful how our country is so uneducated and dumbed down.

[bphillips]

A college degree is not always about the specific job/career you will wind up in. It's also about getting educated! That's why college degree programs also require non elective courses so graduates will at least have exposure to the humanities, English, sciences, civics, languages, social studies, arts, math, etc., etc., etc.

It is amazing to me how many people today cannot correctly write out a thought or punctuate a sentence or spell, let alone understand the processes of government. Just watch Waters' World or one of the "steet interviews" on the talk shows. Many don't even know who fought in the Civil War or who our Vice President is, Yama, tads, yards!

It is pitiful how our country is so uneducated and dumbed down.

Don't need college for that though haha. Heck most he asks questions probably did go to college. High school is plenty of education for 99% or more of the population IMO.

[Freight Mover]

College degrees

I didn't finish my degree and have done very well. If I would have competed my degree I probably would have been much further along the corporate ladder by now.

I have close to 200 employees and one thing that I do see is that the employees with a degree seem to move up the corporate ladder faster.

Also, nothing wrong with the trades. We should be encouraging this more and not pushing college on everyone. Just like many of the posts there are a lot of jobs where experience and drive count and not so much the degree


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[BuckSmasher]

A college degree is not always about the specific job/career you will wind up in. It's also about getting educated! That's why college degree programs also require non elective courses so graduates will at least have exposure to the humanities, English, sciences, civics, languages, social studies, arts, math, etc., etc., etc.

It is amazing to me how many people today cannot correctly write out a thought or punctuate a sentence or spell, let alone understand the processes of government. Just watch Waters' World or one of the "steet interviews" on the talk shows. Many don't even know who fought in the Civil War or who our Vice President is, Yama, tads, yards!

It is pitiful how our country is so uneducated and dumbed down.

This plus what others have already mentioned about the social connotations and career opportunities.

The wealthiest guy I know doesn't have a high school, much less college education. That being said with a degree in the sciences, business or engineering you can almost fall into a high paying white collar job with good benefits. If I ever have kids they are going to have to fight hard to not go to college.

[bphillips]

It all depends on the field you are going to go into. There are WAY too many kids going to college these days to get degrees that means very little. Unless you are going into the sciences or plan on teaching I just don't see the need. It's artificially inflating the cost of college too. Now, it you are going to be a doctor or an engineer you aren't going to learn that on the job. You can learn how to sell insurance or plumb a house on the job. Nothing wrong with doing that and you don't end up in debt to your eyes.

I think Mike Rowe hit the nail on the head when he said that we as a society have made it seem like having a blue collar job is a bad thing. I also agree that more kids should be attending technical school.

I think someone had a post on here the other day that their child was about to graduate A&M and was looking for a job. I may be crazy but there is no way I would invest in a college degree from a school like that if having a job locked down upon graduation wasn't all but guaranteed. The ROI on some of the degrees kids get today is just horrendous.

I think it cost me right at $38k to get my mechanical engineering degree from Texas. My daughter is La Tech doing biomedical engineering and if she wasn't on an academic ride it would cost close to $135k. My son starts at either A&M or Texas in the fall and I hate to see what that is going to come out to. He is doing mechanical engineering so at least the ROI us bearable.

Even some engineering jobs that can be learned on the job without a degree.

[J.B.]

can't go wrong with a degree in "Gender Studies" LOL

[12RingKing]

Dave Ramsey makes some statements that sound utterly stupid. Keep in mind he plays to his supporters, I would bet a large % of which don't have degrees. You have to be smart in degree choice like anything else in life. Certainly merits to degree, no degree, and a lot of merit to trade school. Brother is a diesel mechanic with the potential to outearn me easy. That school isn't cheap either. No substitute for hard work anywhere. I wouldn't even be considered for my job without a degree.

BBA accounting major and MBA with a management concentration FWIW.


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I completely agree. I just so happen to see a lot of the people strapped with ridiculous loan payments on low paying jobs.

That was more the direction I was going with my example

[JTRichardson]

I can honestly say that getting my BBA and minoring in operations has helped me out to some extent in my line of work.

It also gave me a feeling of accomplishment, knowing that I could commit to doing something that I might not see the immediate benefits from.

It may just be wall decor at the end of the day, but every time I see it I feel good about having it.

That's enough for me.

[hooligan]

I think having my bachelors has helped get me in some doors. I've been on the fence for a couple years about getting my masters because I don't know if it's worth it since I'm not in a science/engineering field

[HSULongbow]

Man, so many things going on here. I am a tenured university professor, with a doctorate. Let me address a few things.
No, i do not make the big bucks. Many without degrees make more than me. Why do i teach? Because I love helping others learn.That gives me joy; not money.
Ornamental piece of paper and not smarter than the guy below you? Well, I guess that depends on what you mean by "smart". I have yet to teach a student that already knew everything I needed to teach them, so in that context yes: I am smarter than the people below me. The degree on the wall is proof of my extra knowledge that got me the job and gives my students and colleagues confidence in my abilities.
BS degrees going extinct, but not graduate degrees? Maybe I misunderstood, but you have to have a Bachelor's degree to start graduate school, and we would have fewer and farther between advances in science, medicine, education, etc. without university education. It's all about passing on human knowledge. Nothing wrong with that.