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What is the highest level of education you have attained?

What is the highest level of education you have attained?

  • Doctorate Degree (MD, PhD)

    Votes: 2 3.4%
  • Graduate Degree (including MBA, JD)

    Votes: 16 27.6%
  • Bachelor's Degree

    Votes: 24 41.4%
  • Associates Degree or Trade Certificate

    Votes: 5 8.6%
  • High School Diploma / GED

    Votes: 8 13.8%
  • Didn't finish High School

    Votes: 3 5.2%

  • Total voters
    58
Depending on the field, I'd say the usefulness of some degrees are questionable. However, I think it's more of a sign of a possible work ethic versus gained knowledge (again depending on the field).
 
I'm starting to think a degree is worthless and and a total waste of time and money. The U of U requires at least an associates and preferably a bachelors for a job making $13-$16 an hour. WTF? You can make that much working in a call center. Jobs making $30K a year require a bachelors. Spending at least 4 years of your life and tens of thousands of dollars for $30K a year?!? Something is seriously wrong here.

I honestly feel like a lot of people are over-paper-educated in America. Too many young people go to school without having a goal of what they are looking to accomplish with it. They then graduate with little to no experience and expect to be making $60K right off the bat. It still takes time to prove yourself and earn a competitive salary.

That said, I have my Undergrad in Business Admin. from UAA (University of Alaska Anchorage) double majoring in Marketing and Management. Now I'm doing my Masters in Accounting. Kind of backwards from most people working in Finance/Accounting.
 
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I'm starting to think a degree is worthless and and a total waste of time and money. The U of U requires at least an associates and preferably a bachelors for a job making $13-$16 an hour. WTF? You can make that much working in a call center. Jobs making $30K a year require a bachelors. Spending at least 4 years of your life and tens of thousands of dollars for $30K a year?!? Something is seriously wrong here.

I think this is one of the most perpetuated myths in America, up there with the notion that we don't manufacture anything anymore. The student loan debt bubble is a farce. The vast majority of those who graduate in debt don't owe these catastrophic amounts the press likes to trot out nonstop. Graduates earn a decent living and are in much higher demand. 5% unemployment in the worst recession in 60 years isn't too bad. Higher earnings + job security + lower physical exertion = worth it. Go to school, kids.
 
The problem with education is that when the current generation that's in college and graduate school were young, the old line of "the more education you have the more you'll make". This isn't entirely true. It's true for select fields, but then people assume that whatever field it is more education is better. There are very few bachelors degrees that actually lead to specific employment (nursing, education, engineering, etc.) Most of the others are really quite useless. When people find out how useless it is they then assume that grad school will land them something good.

It's similar to when I was in high school all the teachers said "your grades in college don't matter, just the degree." Well, for education this is true; it, 90% of the time, being a terminal degree." This isn't generally true, which demonstrated their complete ignorance.
 
When hiring for a position, I never assume a degree means the applicant knows anything. It just is one indicator that they are trainable and follow through with things long term.
 
The U of U requires at least an associates and preferably a bachelors for a job making $13-$16 an hour. WTF? You can make that much working in a call center. Jobs making $30K a year require a bachelors.

$16/hour is better than $32K/year.
 
The problem with education is that when the current generation that's in college and graduate school were young, the old line of "the more education you have the more you'll make". This isn't entirely true. It's true for select fields, but then people assume that whatever field it is more education is better. There are very few bachelors degrees that actually lead to specific employment (nursing, education, engineering, etc.) Most of the others are really quite useless. When people find out how useless it is they then assume that grad school will land them something good.

It's similar to when I was in high school all the teachers said "your grades in college don't matter, just the degree." Well, for education this is true; it, 90% of the time, being a terminal degree." This isn't generally true, which demonstrated their complete ignorance.

This isn't true. There are probably 100 degrees that pay as well as a nursing degree. Yes, there is plenty of on-the-job training but the background understanding from a degree is quite useful. Philanthropy, marketing, logistics, actuaries (math degrees), physicists, human relations, economists, international relations, architects, chemists, industrial hygiene & safety, environmental scientists, zoologists, construction managers, finance, accounting, design, food science, medical technologists, geology, molecular bio., film production... all degree requiring positions that have mid-career pay above $70,000.

It's anecdotal, but I think it's more about finding out specifically what you want to do and then pursuing it as opposed to earning a degree and blindly hoping something falls into your lap. It's important to understand industry and what the jobs actually are.
 
I'm starting to think a degree is worthless and and a total waste of time and money. The U of U requires at least an associates and preferably a bachelors for a job making $13-$16 an hour. WTF? You can make that much working in a call center. Jobs making $30K a year require a bachelors. Spending at least 4 years of your life and tens of thousands of dollars for $30K a year?!? Something is seriously wrong here.

I've seen job postings for social workers with Master degree as a prerequisite offering 12/hr.
 
I've seen job postings for social workers with Master degree as a prerequisite offering 12/hr.

Degrees used to guarantee a career, now they guarantee you the opportunity to be considered for a position. I have a bachelors in marketing, it took me forever to find a job making only 13 an hour. The best paying job I've had since graduating was doing door to door insurance prospecting, it sucked ***. I finally got a great job, I wouldn't have been able to get it without my bachelors degree. I got lucky, I really did. My degree was like a ticket that got me an interview and I capitalized.

My wife has a social work degree, she might as well be working for free. She does it because it's something she cares about. The moral of the story is that a degree is still a good idea, but it doesn't guarantee anything anymore.
 
First, I wouldn't consider electricians to be manual laborers. Second, go **** yourself (and trout, too) and quit being such sensitive bitches.

You always have been, and forever will be the biggest douche I have ever seen on this board. And with how much education you have, it is really sad to see.
 
Btw, I felt I should post this, I like this illustration of Matt Might.

Imagine a circle that contains all of human knowledge:
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By the time you finish elementary school, you know a little:
pDAdQ.jpg



By the time you finish high school, you know a bit more:
RlOeW.jpg



With a bachelor's degree, you gain a specialty:
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A master's degree deepens that specialty:
CfHib.jpg



Reading research papers takes you to the edge of human knowledge:
cbfoy.jpg



Once you're at the boundary, you focus:
tpPKN.jpg



You push at the boundary for a few years:
C1kt5.jpg



Until one day, the boundary gives way:
E6t0Y.jpg



And, that dent you've made is called a Ph.D.:
AHasS.jpg
 
Of course, the world looks different to you now:
WoGMj.jpg



So, don't forget the bigger picture:
o0k0u.jpg


Keep pushing.


P.S. Please do not make an erection joke.
 
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