Is college worth it? A different look...

[ken nubo]

Is a college degree worth it? It goes back to the good old age answer: it depends on how you apply yourself, baby!

Here is GS from gamefaqs, his comment on “if one should go to college”:

It’s truly all about the effort you’re willing to give.

I know three different people with three different situations in three completely different places.

My father came to the US with a student visa from Mexico. He worked as a busboy and took a few classes at an adult school. Finally, he got a job as a garbage man, worked his ass off, became a supervisor and is now making around 100K a year. Granted, he’s been there a long time, but he puts all his effort and even more to get his job done.

My neighbor is a Liberal Arts graduate from the University of California (I live in Berkeley). Y’know what job she has? None. She worked at the Oakland A’s colosseum selling tickets for a couple months, and that’s all she’s really got. She’s doing terribly, she has no self esteem, she’s not willing to put any effort to get anywhere in life, and it’s slowly killing her. You can just tell.

My brother graduated from USF with a degree in Architecture. He’s now working in LA with a firm, earning about 40K or more, just in his first year of being there (and second year after graduating). He’s doing relatively well with himself and he’s getting somewhere, especially with the insane amount of work he puts into his job.

In the end, it’s truly just about how much you’re willing to give to become successful. College degrees help getting much higher paying jobs, but that doesn’t mean that it requires less effort to land a job than not having a degree.

__________________
List of Good Paying Jobs That Don't Require a College Education

[saif]

I cringe when I see people compare others based on their job income. His neighbour might not want to pick up trash(nothing wrong with it) or she might not be willing to work the same shifts or move towns if she can live comfortably with what she has now. This might come off as being lazy to some people as they equate happiness = money = job

I don't think that's an appropriate answer to the question 'is it worth going to college?' College for me is meant to give you the fundamentals and teach you how to study rather than teach you the complete subject as most subject evolve with time. So the question shouldn't be 'is it worth going to college' but 'Can I teach myself the fundamentals of the subject and how to study it'.

[aphorist]

There's a totally different reason for going to college which isn't mentioned here. For a young person, or maybe even an "untraditional student," college can be a great time of self-discovery and finding. I think that's probably one of the most important parts. Education may get your foot in the door at some jobs, but it's your attitude and output that will get you far in a job, degree or not.

To be honest, most degree requiring jobs don't require the education. Most jobs you learn what you really need to know on the job. It doesn't take a brainiac to be a CEO, it just takes some business sense.

[SchoolisHard]

It depends what your definition of "it" is:

• Expense?
• Time Investment?
• Liver Damage?

[aaronsalls]

I'd also disagree in terms of college being "worth it" in terms of income down the road. I'm down at UVA, which is by all means a fantastic school. But you look at some of the kids here, and they just drink, party, and skip classes. To me, that seems to be a colossal waste.

At the same time, there are kids who just spend time memorizing math formulas in the library. I also believe that this misses the key point of college.

I think the mark of education is giving people structured skill sets and perspectives. For example, at the undergraduate business school at UVA, they teach public speaking, critical thinking, and strategic thinking. Before taking these classes, I wouldn't have thought there were structured frameworks for learning these skills; I was wrong.

Now, do you need this formal instruction to succeed? Of course not. But it doesn't hurt to have these skill sets. The value of college lies in how much more you're able to takeaway and apply to increasing your income.

[Eric Roosevelt]

College is worth it for an overwhelming majority of people. A higher education is generally a good thing to have.

[Zerox]

What if there is nothing you can think of doing?
Nothing in terms of education interests you the least bit.

[Andrew Brunelle]

Hard work is satanic if it's not what you love. If you're going to college to pursue what you love, you'll be naturally inclined to put in effort if you're focused enough. If you're just going because you're scared that you won't get "ahead" without a college education, then it's probably not for you. You have to have a direction in college and a passion that you can pursue and get better at by being at the college.

As a college dropout, I can tell you that college was not for me because I was not willing to put forth the effort to become someone I didn't really want to be. My passions are writing and comedy and I've gotten along pretty well without a degree. But it's only because I pursue these things with all the fiber of my being because it's something I love to do.

People who don't put effort into things are resisting something about the whole situation. A half-ass job has a root cause.

[MisterEThoughts]

Definitely depends on the person and what you put into it.