I am just curious to see what is really going on.

I am in college right now, I have a few friends who are graduating with a degree at the end of this year, I have a few friends who are taking classes at a community college, and I have a few friends who graduated HS and aren't in college, and I have a few friends who are in HS and planning on going to college.

I know college is important, I know it is imperative to have a degree. but with the job market the way it is I'm not sure if a degree really helps. One of the biggest reasons why I believe this is mainly because my friend who is graduating at the end of the year doesn't have any kind of career lined up.

 

College only helps, obviously. There are certain sales jobs and so on that you can get into without a degree, but in the long run, its definitely well worth it. And there is no wonder why your buddy with a degree hasn't lined anything up yet. Sh***y economy = Sh***y job market. Jobs are out there, you just have to find them!

 

its tough gettin a career no doubt about that...I got friends with degrees who graduated last year and are still not working or have jobs they didn't think they would be doing...BUT I also have friends who are in their career and making bank with their degrees. Its all about how dedicated u are in strengthening your skills, and getting yourself out there...and sometimes its not always about what you know, but who u know..

 

well the thing is that college will help, but nowadays it doesnt help if you JUST graduate from a regular college and get a bachelors degree. You'll need a masters and as this trend continues, jobs will only be offered to those with PhD.s. So many people go to college now that it well, basically it aint that credible if you only have ur bachelors haha. Lets just say college 10 years ago is equivalent to grad school now.

 

QFT

 

In my opinion, as others have suggested, a college degree will only help you. However, going to college should never be done just to get a job. Aside from a few majors, i.e. electrical engineering, computer engineering, etc., a college education does not prepare you for any job. By that I mean, you will not be able to just graduate school, step into a job, and be expected to do it well, or, at all. Employers know this. Most jobs are going to require some kind of training, and your college education may or may not help you. For instance, I graduated with a degree in political science and a degree in economics. There is no way I would have been able to begin working as an economist or a legislative analyst right away.

So, why go to college if it doesn't actually "teach" you a job skill? Because, it's a chance for you to grow, to develop as a person. It's a life experience. Because you've asked yourself the question "am I done learning after high school" and your answer was an emphatic "no." Go because you want to. Major in something you like. Going to college simply because you think it will get you a job is like an athlete playing only for a paycheck (as opposed to for the love of the game) or a musician playing gigs just to pay the bills (as opposed to for his passion for music).

Another part of going to college is to show employers that you're willing to learn and jump through hoops. Lots of jobs today ask applicants to have a college degree. However, a high school graduate would probably be able to do the job just as well as a college graduate, given the same amount of training. However, the employer may want to increase the perceived status of their employees. For instance, let's say a client looks at the company's website and sees your profile. Would they feel more comfortable dealing with someone who has a college degree of someone without? A college degree tells society (perhaps incorrectly) that you're "smarter," or that you're "a harder worker" than someone who hasn't gone to college. It may or may not be true, but it doesn't change the fact that when someone knows nothing about you aside from what they see on paper (i.e. resume, website, etc.) they are going to make superficial judgments about you. So, whatever you can do to make yourself look more impressive on paper, i.e. college grad, helps.
________
Nevada Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

 

College is an investment.

You pay a tuition to (reportedly) gain education: knowledge and skills to use in the 'real world'.

This initial investment comes to maturation after you receive a job that either requires the level of education you have completed or will compliment your degree with advancements in salary.

Here is a link for education levels and expected annual salaries: Here.

Keep in mind though, that just like an investment, college has no promise that will land you that job or that salary - it is just a correlation; ie. even if I get my Ph.D. - doesn't mean I will automatically get the job that I want.

Some people go to college for the 'college experience', some go for the sake of learning, but 90% of people go for the ability to make more money, get a better job and to get that dream job.

 

I'm in my 5th year of my 3 year accelerated program

At least we wont be diggin ditches.

 

I agree with you that college is an investment. No doubt about it.

Be that as it may, can you really say that the courses you took in college (think about the general education classes like calculus, literature/composition, history, etc. and even the upper division classes like intermediate/advanced microeconomics, political theory, etc.) actually provide you with "job" skills? Can you actually apply what you learned in the classes to your work?

I can think of 1 course in college that I took that may actually come in handy in the real world - econometrics. That's it. All the other courses were things I wanted to learn because I found them interesting, OR, things the University of California gods thought I should know.

Again, I'm not saying a college degree and better job/higher salary are not related. Of course they are. I'm only saying that employers are not hiring you because they think you'll be able to do a better job because of what you learned in college. Rather, there are other reasons, be it increased perception of their employees, the heightened level of maturity that comes with being a college grad, or whatever.
________
Watch free xxx movies

 

The courses you take in college don't necessarily apply to any relevant job skill, but who knows what they want to do for a living right out of the gates? It took me a few years of working in a professional environment to realize what I actually wanted to do. The most important thing is that a college degree shows an employer that the applicant is able to commit to something for the long term. Entry level jobs don't typically require advanced skills of any sort, but someone who has earned a college degree shows that they can finish something they started. I'm not saying that those who don't attend/finish college can't finish something, its just what employers see when the look at a resume.

 

any type of education is mainly just to prove you can do it...i cant tell you how many times i've heard students B****ing "When am i ever gonna use this? this is soooo pointless OMG" thats not the point you Ftard.

I'll be damned if im working below those retards^

 

I went to SJSU, scored a job right out of school. I took this customer service job cause I couldn't find a job related to my degree (MIS). I was competing against people who were laid off recently at the time, lots of talent out there with experience... something I didn't have.

My job now? Still here, doing tech support, and you know what... best ****ing thing I ever chose to do. I make more than I probably ever would've doing entry level database work or admin work at some huge company like Oracle or Intel or Cisco... I have fun, I'm a part of a team, of a small, small company. I got lucky, but what I found is having a career that shadows my interests makes me much happier, even if I was to make less, I would still be VERY satisfied.

Find the good things you like doing (getting high doesn't count) and find productive ways to be doing those things and getting paid at the same time. I can't work somewhere where I don't like the company or don't believe in their mission, or where I'm just unhappy all day long.

Do what you love (again, must be legal )

 

Yes and No.

Yes on the side that going to college and taking certain classes has re-routed how I think about a problem and how to solve it. This most certainly comes into play on a daily basis - job or no job. A good college, regardless of dream jobs should at the very least - teach you to think independently and find new ways to think about things - that will translate best into every job class.

No on the side that my Psychology training and Child Development education have yet to impact my job (unless you count counseling co-workers with their problems for free).

 

Agreed. A college degree is more of an exercise in "jumping through the hoops" than learning anything that will actually give you "job" skills.
________
BOX VAPORIZERS

 

Ah, that is something I failed to point out. I agree with you 100% here. Going to college teaches you how to learn and how to think independently. Contrast this to high school where you're just spoon-fed information and asked to simply regurgitate it later for the "exam." Learning where to find information, learning to question what you know and what you're told, learning to evaluate/analyze all the facts and coming up with your own independent assessment are very valuable skills indeed.
________
Headshops