College

[b00mSkis]

I think college is the biggest waste of time and money when you can learn anything you want on the internet. There's exceptions of course, for things that are better to learn in person. but 90% of the things people learn in college, you can learn on the internet. like why would you pay 10,000 dollars for a math class, when you can learn math for free on the internet? it's pretty dumb lol

what do you guys think? did you go to college? do you think it's good or dumb to go to colleg?

 

[ReturnToMonkey]

It's possible but the main issue is you don't know what you need to learn. Like for math you could spend 5 months hours a day reading about and practicing math but the content that you're learning might be pieces of a few different classes and some of it you don't find everything out about or even might miss entire concepts. Also colleges have a ton of resources available to use outside of the classroom

 

[b00mSkis]

It's possible but the main issue is you don't know what you need to learn. Like for math you could spend 5 months hours a day reading about and practicing math but the content that you're learning might be pieces of a few different classes and some of it you don't find everything out about or even might miss entire concepts. Also colleges have a ton of resources available to use outside of the classroom

well yea i know what you are saying, but course descriptions are available online, and textbooks are available. some textbooks are available for free, or else you can buy a textbook, and if you read for example a whole calculus volume 1 and volume 2, then you know you are covering all that is taught in a few semesters of calculus. normally a class will follow what a textbook covers pretty closely. and with the internet there is so much resource available online, you could even go on a math science forum and say "these are all the topics i am studying, these are the books i am reading, will this cover everything i would learn in a 3rd semester calculus class?" and then someone who knows more can say "yeah almost except there is this one thing you also need to study". it just means you have to take initiative yourself. it is 100% doable.

if you miss concepts then you probably just aren't reading the book thoroughly enough, or you can ask online on a math forum.

but for resources outside the classroom, for math i disagree with you, but for science i agree with you that it can be helpful to have access to a lab, it just depends what you are studying and what resources you have available.

 

[BrandoComando]

well yea i know what you are saying, but course descriptions are available online, and textbooks are available. some textbooks are available for free, or else you can buy a textbook, and if you read for example a whole calculus volume 1 and volume 2, then you know you are covering all that is taught in a few semesters of calculus. normally a class will follow what a textbook covers pretty closely. and with the internet there is so much resource available online, you could even go on a math science forum and say "these are all the topics i am studying, these are the books i am reading, will this cover everything i would learn in a 3rd semester calculus class?" and then someone who knows more can say "yeah almost except there is this one thing you also need to study". it just means you have to take initiative yourself. it is 100% doable.

if you miss concepts then you probably just aren't reading the book thoroughly enough, or you can ask online on a math forum.

but for resources outside the classroom, for math i disagree with you, but for science i agree with you that it can be helpful to have access to a lab, it just depends what you are studying and what resources you have available.

I think you're entirely correct. However, there's something to be said for instruction from an expert. It's much easier to progress and learn with the help of an instructor. And universities put a price on that.

The goal of a university isn't to prepare students for the working world. It's to further knowledge. New academic discoveries bring grants, patents, and tons of money to an institution to continue funding that research. And a university will be happy to pay professors and sponsor PhDs to further that research. Undergrads are a different story. They're using university resources and aren't contributing back at the same level, so they have to pay for those services.

Community colleges are a little different. They typically aren't in the pursuit of academic greatness and focus on preparing students for specialized careers. Their class offerings and lower tuition costs reflect that.

Finally, the biggest argument for getting a degree vs. being self-taught is accreditation. Say Student A goes to school and graduates with a degree in Math. That degree has been accredited by third-parties. It means something. It's proof that Student A has understanding of Math. Student B, who taught themselves the same material on their own time, might have done the same amount of work and have the same knowledge as Student A, but there's no proof. No accreditation. And jobs want that proof.

 

[snowfinder]

During an interview.

Boss - So here under education you have your high school and after that you listed the Internet? Care to elaborate?

You - I self taught myself from source I found online.

Boss - Thanks... we will be in touch.

 

[ski_salmon69]

Currently driving a road designed by a self taught engineer on the way to my operation being performed by a self taught surgeon. At least if anything goes wrong, my self taught lawyer has got me covered.

 

[b00mSkis]

I think you're entirely correct. However, there's something to be said for instruction from an expert. It's much easier to progress and learn with the help of an instructor. And universities put a price on that.

The goal of a university isn't to prepare students for the working world. It's to further knowledge. New academic discoveries bring grants, patents, and tons of money to an institution to continue funding that research. And a university will be happy to pay professors and sponsor PhDs to further that research. Undergrads are a different story. They're using university resources and aren't contributing back at the same level, so they have to pay for those services.

Community colleges are a little different. They typically aren't in the pursuit of academic greatness and focus on preparing students for specialized careers. Their class offerings and lower tuition costs reflect that.

Finally, the biggest argument for getting a degree vs. being self-taught is accreditation. Say Student A goes to school and graduates with a degree in Math. That degree has been accredited by third-parties. It means something. It's proof that Student A has understanding of Math. Student B, who taught themselves the same material on their own time, might have done the same amount of work and have the same knowledge as Student A, but there's no proof. No accreditation. And jobs want that proof.

Everything except your last few sentences is mostly true, but it depends on the person. some people learn better from teachers, some people learn better by studying on their own, it really depends on the person.

but the accredation argument is the dumb part of your post, unless you are just acknowledging that other people are dumb then yea i agree, but someone can easily prove their knowledge with a conversation or whatever. if someone doing the hiring is an expert, they can easily in a few minute conversation get an idea of if someone knows their stuff, and someone self taught might be 200x smarter than someone that learned in college.

so yeah you are kinda right but it just depends on the person, and any smart job owner would want not just a resume but instead to have a chat with the job candidate and see if they know about the subject

 

[b00mSkis]

Currently driving a road designed by a self taught engineer on the way to my operation being performed by a self taught surgeon. At least if anything goes wrong, my self taught lawyer has got me covered.

um bro people learn how to build roads from their employer, not from school. JOBS teach people how to do jobs, school doesnt.

 

[BrandoComando]

Everything except your last few sentences is mostly true, but it depends on the person. some people learn better from teachers, some people learn better by studying on their own, it really depends on the person.

but the accredation argument is the dumb part of your post, unless you are just acknowledging that other people are dumb then yea i agree, but someone can easily prove their knowledge with a conversation or whatever. if someone doing the hiring is an expert, they can easily in a few minute conversation get an idea of if someone knows their stuff, and someone self taught might be 200x smarter than someone that learned in college.

so yeah you are kinda right but it just depends on the person, and any smart job owner would want not just a resume but instead to have a chat with the job candidate and see if they know about the subject

It's true that in a conversation you can 100% weed out who knows their stuff and who doesn't. However, in order to get that interview, you gotta submit your resume. If there's no relevant education or work experience, that resume goes straight into the trash. Doesn't matter if the applicant is a savant or not. You need proof and that's where a degree comes in.

Why would a hiring manager waste an interview on someone with zero relevant education when there are multiple other applicants with degrees? That's not how the corporate world works.

 

[BrandoComando]

um bro people learn how to build roads from their employer, not from school. JOBS teach people how to do jobs, school doesnt.

Designing roads requires a highly specialized PE license in Civil Engineering. 4 years of schooling for a BSCE and another 6 years as an apprentice to earn the PE license. Roads are a lot more complex than you think.

The contractors pouring blacktop and painting lines don't need degrees. They just follow the plans made by the engineer.

 

[ski_salmon69]

um bro people learn how to build roads from their employer, not from school. JOBS teach people how to do jobs, school doesnt.

ok then, go get hired to design a road without college, report your findings

 

[Casey]

100 percent you are buying a piece of paper. But would you rather hire someone who sacrificed all that energy time and money to play the game, or some dipshit that claims to have watched a bunch of YouTube videos.

the thing is, there’s no shortage of people that are really smart, try really hard and don’t bitch about it.

 

[b00mSkis]

100 percent you are buying a piece of paper. But would you rather hire someone who sacrificed all that energy time and money to play the game, or some dipshit that claims to have watched a bunch of YouTube videos.

the thing is, there’s no shortage of people that are really smart, try really hard and don’t bitch about it.

i never said anything bout youtube. and to answer your question, NOT about youtube but someone who studied on their own through any means like reading books, i would rather hire someone who is smart enough and motivated enough to teach himself a topic, than someone dumb enough to spend 10000000 dollars on a piece of paper. like you said yourself "to play the game', i rather hire someone who spends time LEARNING and BETTERING HIMSELF than someone that plays GAMES all the time, and college is just that: A GAME.

 

[Casey]

i never said anything bout youtube. and to answer your question, NOT about youtube but someone who studied on their own through any means like reading books, i would rather hire someone who is smart enough and motivated enough to teach himself a topic, than someone dumb enough to spend 10000000 dollars on a piece of paper. like you said yourself "to play the game', i rather hire someone who spends time LEARNING and BETTERING HIMSELF than someone that plays GAMES all the time, and college is just that: A GAME.

Well you will probably never be in a position to hire anyone for anything, but that is a nice thought

 

[b00mSkis]

Designing roads requires a highly specialized PE license in Civil Engineering. 4 years of schooling for a BSCE and another 6 years as an apprentice to earn the PE license. Roads are a lot more complex than you think.

The contractors pouring blacktop and painting lines don't need degrees. They just follow the plans made by the engineer.

yea that 6 year apprentice is actually WORTHWHILE, i said nothing about apprentice being a waste of time and money, i said COLLEGE is a waste of time and money. i do NOT mean apprentice when i say college. like compare high school to being a jedi apprentice, in highschool you learn how to pass a test by memorizing something, in a jedi apprentice you learn how to actually be a great warrior. its the same. with roads, in school you learn NOTHING for those 4 years for "BSCE" but in the 6 years of apprentice you actually DO learn stuff.

 

[b00mSkis]

It's true that in a conversation you can 100% weed out who knows their stuff and who doesn't. However, in order to get that interview, you gotta submit your resume. If there's no relevant education or work experience, that resume goes straight into the trash. Doesn't matter if the applicant is a savant or not. You need proof and that's where a degree comes in.

Why would a hiring manager waste an interview on someone with zero relevant education when there are multiple other applicants with degrees? That's not how the corporate world works.

"need proof"

"college degree"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAA as a really smart guy once said, college is about socializing and partying, and employers know this so they know they have to teach every new hire all the stuff as if they know nothing, because they do know nothing coming out of college. you learn NOTHING in college that you actually remember, if you are an average person. if you are above average and actually retain what you learn? cool good for you, but your resume doesnt tell the guy maybe hiring you that.

but if you tell them that you studied many topics on your own and list all the topics you are knowledgable in, and say you are happy to have a conversation to prove your knowledge, then ANY employer who is worth working for will be MORE interested in you than some random guy with a college degree. college degrees are all the same, but if you show you actually are responsible enough to learn on your own and study on your own, any good employer will LIKE that.

you seriously dont believe me cause you never even tried it, and because you dont know how to write a resume that is good that shows you didn't go to college but are smarter than someone who did.

seriously any good employer will talk to you, just call them, and in the first 20 seconds of the call, if you haven't impressed them with your knowledge and skill, you are probably too dumb for the job anywaty!

 

[BrandoComando]

yea that 6 year apprentice is actually WORTHWHILE, i said nothing about apprentice being a waste of time and money, i said COLLEGE is a waste of time and money. i do NOT mean apprentice when i say college. like compare high school to being a jedi apprentice, in highschool you learn how to pass a test by memorizing something, in a jedi apprentice you learn how to actually be a great warrior. its the same. with roads, in school you learn NOTHING for those 4 years for "BSCE" but in the 6 years of apprentice you actually DO learn stuff.

You're way off.

The first requirement for an Engineering Apprenticeship is passing the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam, or FE. What's on an FE? Literally everything they teach you in undergrad. It's a 6-hour-long exam with 110 questions divided into sections. Coincidentally, every section lines up perfectly with a required class in undergrad. Most states won't even let you take the FE unless you have a BS in your field from an EAC/ABET-accredited program. Having taken the FE myself, I can frankly tell you that the resources needed to pass that test don't exist outside of formal education. It's not just engineering either. NCLEX is a similar exam for nurses.

TLDR Without college, you can't design roads. Doesn't matter how many videos you watch online.

There are many careers that don't need degrees. There are many highly-skilled trades that don't need degrees. But it's pretty ignorant to argue that nothing requires a college education. A mechanic can fix your car's engine. But a mechanic isn't educated in heat transfer and material properties to design a motor from scratch. That's what classes are for

 

[BrandoComando]

seriously any good employer will talk to you, just call them, and in the first 20 seconds of the call, if you haven't impressed them with your knowledge and skill, you are probably too dumb for the job anywaty!

The fact that your argument involves cold-calling companies is proof that you don't have any idea how hiring works

 

[b00mSkis]

You're way off.

The first requirement for an Engineering Apprenticeship is passing the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam, or FE. What's on an FE? Literally everything they teach you in undergrad. It's a 6-hour-long exam with 110 questions divided into sections. Coincidentally, every section lines up perfectly with a required class in undergrad. Most states won't even let you take the FE unless you have a BS in your field from an EAC/ABET-accredited program. Having taken the FE myself, I can frankly tell you that the resources needed to pass that test don't exist outside of formal education. It's not just engineering either. NCLEX is a similar exam for nurses.

TLDR Without college, you can't design roads. Doesn't matter how many videos you watch online.

There are many careers that don't need degrees. There are many highly-skilled trades that don't need degrees. But it's pretty ignorant to argue that nothing requires a college education. A mechanic can fix your car's engine. But a mechanic isn't educated in heat transfer and material properties to design a motor from scratch. That's what classes are for

-I said in the op there are exceptions, so "nothing requires a college education" is not what I said

-a mechanic isn't educated in heat transfer etc

ok but you can learn that online, you could literally learn how to design a motor or heat engine from scratch on the internet

-how many videos you watch online

I SAID NOTHING ABOUT VIDEOS, yes videos can help, but books usually better

don't exist outside of formal education

I doubt that!

 

[Young_patty]

-I said in the op there are exceptions, so "nothing requires a college education" is not what I said

-a mechanic isn't educated in heat transfer etc

ok but you can learn that online, you could literally learn how to design a motor or heat engine from scratch on the internet

-how many videos you watch online

I SAID NOTHING ABOUT VIDEOS, yes videos can help, but books usually better

don't exist outside of formal education

I doubt that!

Okie dokie OP. I’m not gonna knock you cause you sound like you just started highschool but a college degree is often just an investment into your future/career.

sure you could “learn it all online” but try applying to a job that requires a specific degree and tell them “I didn’t need college because I watched lots of YouTube videos and read about it online”. They’ll probably laugh you out of the building.

College may not be for you but you’ve got a lot of time to figure out where you want to go with your education- could be a trade school or could be a full degree at a university. Don’t write off education so quick though, no one will take you seriously if you’ve only ever watched YouTube and read online articles but have 0 credentials or experience.

kind of like how no one in this thread takes you seriously now.

 

[danbrown]

are you 16 years old? and are your parents blood related?

 

[Casey]

Okie dokie OP. I’m not gonna knock you cause you sound like you just started highschool but a college degree is often just an investment into your future/career.

sure you could “learn it all online” but try applying to a job that requires a specific degree and tell them “I didn’t need college because I watched lots of YouTube videos and read about it online”. They’ll probably laugh you out of the building.

College may not be for you but you’ve got a lot of time to figure out where you want to go with your education- could be a trade school or could be a full degree at a university. Don’t write off education so quick though, no one will take you seriously if you’ve only ever watched YouTube and read online articles but have 0 credentials or experience.

kind of like how no one in this thread takes you seriously now.

OP is making a mistake in thinking that people that go to college seemingly can’t also watch YouTube videos or categorically cannot posses intellectual curiosity. He got a lot of growing up to do brother

 

[b00mSkis]

Okie dokie OP. I’m not gonna knock you cause you sound like you just started highschool but a college degree is often just an investment into your future/career.

sure you could “learn it all online” but try applying to a job that requires a specific degree and tell them “I didn’t need college because I watched lots of YouTube videos and read about it online”. They’ll probably laugh you out of the building.

College may not be for you but you’ve got a lot of time to figure out where you want to go with your education- could be a trade school or could be a full degree at a university. Don’t write off education so quick though, no one will take you seriously if you’ve only ever watched YouTube and read online articles but have 0 credentials or experience.

kind of like how no one in this thread takes you seriously now.

um i never wrote off education. you are just PROVING you are under 70 IQ if you think "education" and "college" mean the same thing. don't be dumb!

 

[Young_patty]

um i never wrote off education. you are just PROVING you are under 70 IQ if you think "education" and "college" mean the same thing. don't be dumb!

Calm down whippersnapper- before I call your mom up and tell her to take away your internet privileges.

 

[b00mSkis]

Calm down whippersnapper- before I call your mom up and tell her to take away your internet privileges.

i can pay for my own internet idiot

 

[AaronO.]

Did you go to college?

 

[Tripleblacks]

like why would you pay 10,000 dollars for a math class, when you can learn math for free on the internet?

I can not believe I am responding to this dumpster fire, but whatever... It is very very profession dependent. If you want to go into the NBA, then college is an avenue forward. While they are definitely in school, I would guess they are mostly focused on getting drafted (I do not know, my basketball skills are at the middle school level). If you want to become a surgeon, then you are going to be sitting in school for a bit.

I think there is some portion of school that is about you jumping through the hoops. I do not know your situation etc., but I can say that if you can learn math for free online, then you can probably navigate scholarships to learn math for free in-person... Again, I do not know your situation, but I would argue that being able to jump through the hoops does have value, even if the hoops are stupid.