The problem is that the number of jobs that require a college degree is falling way behind the number of college graduates. What there needs to be is a greater emphasis put on getting kids into technical programs instead of full degree programs.
Metroid wrote:It absolutely depends on what course of study you're in, and even then a degree gives you an edge over those without.
If there is a fast track way for me to become an RN without college I'm all ears.
Vocational school.
As in nursing school? Yeah but to get into nursing school you have to meet a bunch of prerequisites that require about two years of college first. There's not really anyway around it.
Metroid wrote:It absolutely depends on what course of study you're in, and even then a degree gives you an edge over those without.
If there is a fast track way for me to become an RN without college I'm all ears.
Vocational school.
As in nursing school? Yeah but to get into nursing school you have to meet a bunch of prerequisites that require about two years of college first. There's not really anyway around it.
I meant some vocational school like American Career College. You know, those kinds of vocational colleges which advertise themselves on daytime TV but somehow get the feeling they're too good to be true?
On the bright side, college is worth it for the experience. I think it's natural that most people get wrapped up into thinking the reason to attend college is just to guarantee yourself a good job (and really that's not a guarantee these days like it used to). The college experience is beneficial on more levels than just that. So while I said college is worthless to an extent, the benefits do outweigh not going, in more ways than one.
Art Vandelay wrote:I think the idea that you have to leave college with huge amounts of debt is a myth. Sure, if you decide that you are going to go to school for four or five years and not work a day a borrow all of the money you need for tuition and living, you're going to have a lot of debt when you're done. If you work while you're in school, don't go to a ridiculously expensive private school, and don't live like you have all the money in the world, you shouldn't end up with much debt. I put myself through school, worked 40+ hours a week the whole time (except soccer season, when I only worked about 25 hours a week), didn't take expensive trips and vacations like Spring Break in Cabo is some kind of right, and when I graduated I would have had no debt if I hadn't taken out a student loan my senior year to buy a car.
Go to an in-state public school, maybe even start at a community college to get some general ed out of the way, work, and don't act like you have an endless supply of money to spend on whatever you want and college is affordable with little to no debt.
I agree that the idea that you have to incur giant amounts of debt to attend school is largely preposterous. I would have had no debt if the military hadn't screwed me over royally. My wife, who had no athletic scholarships or military money, managed to keep her entire school debt load under $20k by going to in-state universities. People who go to school and come out with enough debt to buy a rare car just baffle me, unless they're in a field that makes six-figures or have a PhD as a result.
But you do need to go to college. I have a buddy who could do what I do now and make about 150% more as a result, but he never went to college, so no one will even give him an interview despite having done the job for 3 years. They'd rather hire a college graduate who may not even be half as talented as him.
If people want to have a job where they use their hands in a skilled manner, college is not a requirement. Maybe a trade school or technical school, but not a four-year degree. If they want to sit in front of a flaybooz all day, they'll need their degree, but even then there are exceptions.
If I could do it all over again, I would have dropped out after my sophomore year and focused my efforts on building the next Google. I'm my own boss anyway and I still make bank, but I would have achieved world domination.
If I had it to do all over again I'd become a teacher: decent pay, full benefits, and 3 months off a year? Sign me up. Actually, I've been considering going back to school to become a teacher, but I honestly don't think I could deal with parents and administration.
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by Tavish » Tue Aug 10, 2010 3:22 pm 
As in nursing school? Yeah but to get into nursing school you have to meet a bunch of prerequisites that require about two years of college first. There's not really anyway around it.
