Chilicharger665

iTrader: (2)

That is great and all, but the "engineer" that learned more on his first 30 days on the job than his 5 years of school wouldn't have become an engineer without school...

I have been in blue-collar jobs for the last 7 years and I really want to go back to school. The price tag is simply insane, but to do medical research like I want to do, they don't hire people who studied at home.

leboeuf

iTrader: (1)

It's super funny because this is a classic millenial story of not being able to handle adulthood.
Yet our minister of propaganda sides with him for some reason? Lolz, I'll never understand the anti-education agenda.
"I'll just take everything that's been invented and created by our species for granted"
Sweet plan bro.

Luckily for every 50 of these millenials, there's one or two that are awesome and more importantly, are viable job candidates.
Last I checked **** doesn't design and create itself.

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

it really just depends what you're going to school for.

i would have been perfectly fine not wasting 6 years in school

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

^ This is true.

I completely agree that a University degree in the US is getting out of hand cost-wise, and that so many undergrads are flooding the systems that is basically the millennial equivalent of a HS diploma, AND that I learned more during the first few months of my first job than I did in four years of college.

HOWEVER, try convincing an employer to hire you, at 20 years old, into a professional / technical field, with no college degree. I'm not saying it's impossible (eg: you might be already friends with the guy who is going to turn out to be the next Bill Gates / Larry Page / Steve Jobs), but for 99.99% of the population, it's a nearly insurmountable barrier to entry.

I've long held, and still do, that earning a B.S. degree is just as much about proving that you have the skills and discipline to work and succeed in a highly structured environment as it is about actually learning about thermodynamics or compiler development. This seems to be the lesson which is being lost today.

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

i know a few people that have not graduated college and make 6 figures...

Chilicharger665

iTrader: (2)

I make 6 figures and I haven't graduated college. However, I hate my job and it is shift work. I want to go back to school very badly, but the price tag and way, way downgrading my lifestyle is going to be a system shock.

mgeoffriau

iTrader: (7)

LeBron James...

shuiend

iTrader: (24)

Until the gov contract you are on requires a degree to be on it.

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

been quite a few people here on this contract without a degree, the problem is the base pay rate is linked to it...

cal_len1

While this may be true, it's definitely not the norm.

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

and the new norm is: wasting 4 years, going into major debt, and still not getting a job...

rleete

iTrader: (21)

Yeah, and how many of those are in engineering, medicine, science, etc?

Getting a "degree" in woman's studies, history or philosophy doesn't count.

ridethecliche

iTrader: (2)

CC, any chance of doing things part time?

You don't go to school for 4 years to do medicine.

"Ask me how I know," he says, logging off MT and going back to taking a practice exam for step 1.

Realistically, 4 years of undergrad, 4 years of med school, 3-5 years of residency, 1-3 years of fellowship. Then you get your first big kid job. I worked for 5 years after undergrad to get some **** in order before starting school again. I don't regret it, but being in class with 22 year old peers that will have their first 'real job' at 30 while I will be in my mid to late 30's is worth considering.

Coding jobs are pretty much the only ones where you can prove you know what you need to excel at the job without a degree. I've yet to see that with engineering gigs. Machine shop, etc... yeah you might be able to get a gig, but all those certs are par for the course.

Also, one of my majors was in history/philosophy/social cultural practices of science. It's not a bad thing for someone in the sciences to have. Troubleshooting/designing experiments is a lot like playing philosophical games.
That said, it's not like the hard sciences pay all that much anyway. The phD/Postdoc/academia tracks are a joke even in the non-liberal arts...

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

So do I. They work in sales, and have a natural talent for it.

The median household income in the US is about $56k, and a person who was sufficiently dedicated could earn that income by taking multiple jobs at a $15 minimum wage totaling 10.2 hours a day, seven days a week. Certainly possible, in fact people who run their own businesses routinely put in that sort of time. But you don't see that sort of work ethic very much in the minimum-wage crowd.

I get the same vibe from the "college is a scam" crowd. They seem to want to jump straight into a cushy 9-5 office job without fulfilling the customary prerequisites.


Mike Rowe has spoken to this at length. If you're willing to learn a trade and work hard, then you can easily earn a very comfortable income well above the national average without any college education. But the "work hard" part is important (along with the "show up on time every day and don't complain or act like a bitch" part,) and it tends to drive off a lot of folks.

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

the norm is: going to college for a womens studies degree, then cry.

hector

I make six figures and I didn't graduate high school. Got a GED though. And yes, I work for myself in the construction industry.

My ex-wife was really close to making six figures like 10 years ago and didn't have a college degree, and yeah she worked her *** off to get there. And she was only 30.

My sister has a masters. I think working like three jobs she was making like $80k. One job might pay her like $50k. She does not work for herself. She does take a lot of vacations though.

I have had quite a few guys work for me that want to work only enough to not get let go and won't do **** else even after getting a raise. You always get out what you put in, but somehow so many people just don't seem to get that. Millenials or not.

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

mankind only refers to kinds of men:

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

A degree is simply a ticket to help you get to the next train stop where the prospective employer is waiting. Yes, it is expensive and takes time. But the alternative is (figuratively) walking to the next train stop, which can get you to the same place in many cases but is very labor intensive and you may look disheveled to the employer when you arrive in comparison to the one that rode the train. Conversely, you may appear more experienced because of your travels and travails. It depends upon the employer's needs.

My employer didn't care what degree I held, but that I obtained one. It was a ticket I needed to get punched to get there. My job is in sales and my area of education in school is of no consequence. My attitude and mechanical aptitude were more important, but I needed to possess the sheepskin to be considered eligible. Now my level of production is my meter of success.

If one was planning upon being self-employed there is no reason to pursue a degree.

If one plans on developing a marketable skill through a trade, whether employed by others or by one's self, trade schools are a suitable vehicle.

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

liberal professors love generous gestures:

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

how middle-schoolers learn about the evil **** president: