Can I succeed in anything without a college degree?

[MinglewoodBlues]

Most of what people post around here deals with life choices for people who have a degree of some sort. I went to college years ago but never finished a degree. I still owe some on my old school loans and I pay it little by little since I don't make much money. Essentially I wash cars for a car rental currently. $8.85/hr. It sucks bad. I'm closer to 40 than to 30 now. Yikes! I have a lot of "self improvement" to do. Big time. But I need a little input. Is a degree absolutely vital in this society?

[jwh335]

Degree is not necessary at all.

But, if you don't know how to do anything, you're not going to get far without one. I can't feel sorry for you because as you say, you're closer to 40 than to 30. That is a lot of years to learn some skill that is worth something. Ex: programming. You can't go blame your failure of success on not having a college degree. This is something that is entirely your fault and entirely in your hands to fix.

It isn't impossible to fix and you shouldn't use the excuse of not having a degree hold you back.

[fellowtraveler]

Originally Posted by MinglewoodBlues

Most of what people post around here deals with life choices for people who have a degree of some sort. I went to college years ago but never finished a degree. I still owe some on my old school loans and I pay it little by little since I don't make much money. Essentially I wash cars for a car rental currently. $8.85/hr. It sucks bad. I'm closer to 40 than to 30 now. Yikes! I have a lot of "self improvement" to do. Big time. But I need a little input. Is a degree absolutely vital in this society?

Like the man says, it's our own fault - I make a decent living but I could have done a lot better. Couple things:

If you smoke dope or drink, stop or cut back to weekends only. Don't kid yourself about it.

Talk to people who make a decent living and find out how they started out.

See if these technical colleges have any programs you're interested in. If you triple your income you'll be able to pay off the loans OK. And if you pick something you really like, someday you can do it on your own and be your own boss.

It's OK to be a rebel, but the rest of society has the money you want, so you have to play the game (or appear to be) to get it.

Hang out with a better crowd. You don't have to drop your friends, but if they have no ambition and you want to get out of the poverty cycle, they won't be real helpful.

Good luck.

[MyEyeIsOpen]

You don't need a degree, but if you aren't a self-starter then what do you expect to happen? Success is something you do, not something that happens to you.

[MinglewoodBlues]

Originally Posted by fellowtraveler

Like the man says, it's our own fault

Correct. I understand that. I know I'm ultimately responsible for the state of my life. So I don't really have any problem with facing the raw facts.

Originally Posted by jwh335

You can't go blame your failure of success on not having a college degree. This is something that is entirely your fault and entirely in your hands to fix.

You are right. I'm not going to play a blame game on anyone or anything. But maybe myself. Again, I don't really have a problem realizing that I am ultimately the one responsible. I'm looking to move forward and gain. Not wollow or play blame games. I did a vipassana meditation retreat back in 2003. Even though I don't currently meditate I haven't forgotten what I learned and came to realize through direct experience. Anyone who has done vipassana meditation should know what I mean.

I guess I was just looking for some input because there is always a lot of emphasis on degrees in this society. So I keep coming back to that question. I don't however question my abilities or intelligence at all. But sometimes I wonder about how to best convince others I have the goods to offer.

Originally Posted by fellowtraveler

If you smoke dope or drink, stop or cut back to weekends only.

Luckily for me I don't have to worry about these things. I don't do any drugs. And I never drink alcohol. Actually I don't feel I can spare the money for even an occasional beer or glass of wine. I think if I were to have a glass of wine, I'd probably get wasted on it. One thing I have going for me is my health. I love being dedicated to lots of exercise and healthy eating habits. I've become a bit of an exercise nut. It's like that saying "at least you have your health." Kind of like that. My body's health is what I have most control over at the moment. I just want to be able to get more control over matters of making money.

But you know? I've been thinking about this today at work.(yes I work on sundays) I think I really do want a degree. Not only that, but I think I won't be satisfied unless I have a master's as well. I don't know yet how I'll manage it but I just can't settle for less. I'm on a different timeline than other people. That's all. And my aging seems to go in reverse. I'm more capable, stronger, energetic, intelligent than when I was in my 20's. I couldn't do anything and had no energy in my 20's.

Thankyou all, and I think I ended up answering myself. I feel like I could go out and wrestle a grizzly bear. But I'll settle for fitting in some weights, aerobics and running instead.

[psychicbilly]

Originally Posted by MinglewoodBlues

Most of what people post around here deals with life choices for people who have a degree of some sort. I went to college years ago but never finished a degree. I still owe some on my old school loans and I pay it little by little since I don't make much money. Essentially I wash cars for a car rental currently. $8.85/hr. It sucks bad. I'm closer to 40 than to 30 now. Yikes! I have a lot of "self improvement" to do. Big time. But I need a little input. Is a degree absolutely vital in this society?

I think its all about self promotion. What can you get out of washing cars for someone else? Well, you could now promote your own car valeting service and charge twice as much as that, until it takes off so you can drop the job. From there you can probably come up with something else that takes your fancy. A big kick up the backside for me was learning about teenage entrepreneurs on youtube. You just do it. A degree might get you a job on a fixed income that can lead to a promotion but I think you're better off being your own boss and building a business.

[nbrian]

Yes you can succeed without a college degree!

College degrees are over rated. You pay money and devote 4 years so you can be qualified to work for somebody else. Then you have to beg for raises.

Only a few professions really need college degrees, and some of those are doctors, lawyers, accountants etc.

Some of the richest people in the world are college/high school drop outs!

Once you can cut away from your past, you can truely realize that tomorrow hold boundless opportunities! That applies to everyone!



Take your future into your own hands and pursue your own education. Read great books such as Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, Cash flow Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki, and the Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale. Network, be motivated, live passionately and take MASSIVE action towards your goal!

[ydnab40]

Instead of going for a degree why not explore other, more vocational courses? You said you did some meditation a few years ago. I don't know much about meditation but couldn't you find a local evening class, refresh your skills and then offer classes in teaching meditation?

As a previous poster said, what about developing your knowledge of car washing into a valeting business?

How about approaching your boss to see about promotion? maybe there's a need for someone to drive the cars to and from other depots or to rental customer's homes? or see if they would sponsor you to go on a customer service course to become a salesman?

Just ideas but worth a try.

I'm 43 an I don't have a degree. I'm earning good money driving lorries but the money is the only good thing about it. I am most definately not aligned with my life values or purpose while I stay in this job. To this end I am taking a correspondence course to get some I.T skills (A+, Mcsa/e and network+) and in the meantime am exploring other income streams such as ebay and, shortly, blogging.

Go for it. and good luck.

[Brutha]

Here people on this forum who think that going to college is even a waste of time. Even through I think that college has some benefits there still a lot of people who succeed without it.

[Trustme]

It certainly helps but it's by no means necessary in my opinion. There are lots of successful people who are college drop outs and vice versa - lots of people with degrees who can't get anywhere in life.

In my opinion you shouldn't go for a degree but take an honest look at your strengths and weaknesses and what kind of service you can offer that someone is willing to pay for. This should determine your next steps.

[ar81]

Originally Posted by MinglewoodBlues

Is a degree absolutely vital in this society?

Nope.

It provides knowledge, but you can get the knowledge somewhere else.
New ideas for businesses are not taught at school, only old ideas.
A common cliche is that only people with a degree can handle business.
You should need some knowledge on finances, if you produce something you need knowledge about processes and technologies, and you need personal skills to sell and to turn plans into action and plan ahead.

To mount a business you need.
-Contacts (to find information easier)
-Customers (reason of your business)
-Suppliers
-Money (at least to survive with 2 years of losses)

The trick is to find a need in which people is willing to pay for enough money so you can make money.
You also need social skills to make people (good contacts) to help you.

[RichesWithin]

There are millionaires being made everyday online and by far the majority of them do NOT have a college degree.

What you do need is commitment, motivation, confidence and an understanding of your big WHY. Why do you want to succeed? What is it that you truly want in life and when you get it what will it mean to you?

I never finished college but I make far more money than my friends and family with a degree make and I am much happier.

Find your purpose and follow it with passion.

[jpmcgrew]

Depends on what you're good at, what you want to do, and the type of focus you have. If you just want a job that's going to pay you $50,000 a year, and you're not overly worried about doing what you want, then a degree will help. If, however, you're not sure where your talents lie, and you're looking for a job to get by on -- the future could be more challenging. But no, you do not always need a degree to succeed.

[Orange]

Even if your looking for a job your still self enployed your stil offering your service for a price. But to get a good sale to most big companys they need to see a degree to convice them to buy
Just sell your services to peopel that dont require that to conmvice them to buy your service.

[dannielo]

Originally Posted by Trustme

In my opinion you shouldn't go for a degree but take an honest look at your strengths and weaknesses and what kind of service you can offer that someone is willing to pay for. This should determine your next steps.

Very well said.

[MisterEThoughts]

Great advice! I went to college for 2 years and then decided it wasn't for me. I started a business. I believe it was the right decision.

[AttractIt]

Dear Minglewoodblues,

First, ask your self:
Can I succeed in everything without a college degree?

Start using the language of enabling and disabling,
Yes, of course you can, but like everything else in life you have to try,
and try, and try, and keep your thought on your targets.
I don't have a degree also, so what?
the real what is what we are going to do with it,
Focusing on not having, is not the right direction.

[Illumination]

Actually, I'm not going to advise about what you should do. I just want to point out to you that instead of asking "Can I succeed in anything without a college degree?", you should ask yourself :

"What must I do in order to succeed with or without a college degree?"

That's a more empowering question to ask yourself. It shifts your focus to a mindset of possibility, rather than one of seeming despair.

When you have the right mindset, you will find a way to make things work for you. If you are financially challenged right now, all the more you must find a way to wrestle away from the clutches of poverty.

How are you responding to your challenges today?

Do read this, it may shift your mindset :
How Do You Handle Adversity?