Why College is Overrated

Trade school is definitely a great alternative to college which is highly overlooked. If you are extremely motivated and have any sort of entrepreneurial mindset you can really go far in them. Know multiple tradesman (a/c repair, heating, etc) who own houses in the hamptons and make a dam nice living.

The only way someone should go to college is with a STEM degree. Fuck creativity. Theres plenty of other "creative" majors that are useful like education, but this womans study and other bs majors have to go. Those people are the ones that are complaining
 
dude, so muchI got a bachelors from a 4 year school. I did get a job, but I could make just as much if not more if I would have just became a righand

and I'm doing well for people our age who recently graduated within the last year

it's sickening how our culture pushes the college degree. no degree? get one

don't have a masters? GET ONE

can't get a job with your bachelors/masters? get a masters/PHD

school is a fuggin huge gamble unless your parents are footing the bill. even if you are not a complete retard and go into it with a plan to get educated on a high-demand field, competition is still way fierce

I would always urge people to consider working their way up at their job, starting a company, getting a 2 year trade degree or whatnot over college. not that college is a no-no, but it's far from the only choice. IMO a lot of dumb fucks go to college with no plan, then fall for that "oh i'm sorry you can't get a job with this degree, get a masters in it"

worst thing is, college is a business. every person I know who goes into an absolutely retarded major does so because professors in that department say there are jobs. they are lying, but they have to because if not their department would fold and they would be out of a job. take a psych, sociology or philosophy degree. those professors will convince you that it is wise to go into said degree. and when you don't get a job, they say go to grad school. next thing you know, youre 1/4 million dollars in debt making 25k at best. you cant declare bankruptcy on student loans, they're with you until you die

i blame the universities a lot for the high rate of student debt. they arent looking out for your own interest, just thers
 
Mr. Dunbar was probably shitting his pants after he saw mike on tv all the time haha. That was a great read though.
 
I'm 22 years old and clear just shy of 1900 dollars a week as an electrician. I got my journeyman ticket 2 months ago. I didn't pay a dollar for technical training and I take the entire winter off to ski. I don't have to start from the bottom at some company and work my way up, my wage is set. My working conditions are excellent and I'm doing cool shit everyday, not stuck in some office or whatever. The odd day at work sucks, but thats like every job.

If you have no idea what to do out of high school, go get a trade. Once you have your ticket, you'll have it forever, you can go do whatever the hell you want, and you'll always have your trade to fall back on.
 
The ludicrous price of school and prerequisites that you already know should be enough to turn people off. Being a apprentice seems to make sense to me, get paid to learn? Fuck yeah that sounds like a damn good deal.
 
I respectfully disagree. I still think there's a place to go to college to get an education, as opposed to learn how to do/be trained for a job.
 
yes you can...trust me I actually have student loans.

College can be a huge waste of money if you go into it the wrong way. Paying absurd amounts of money for an undergraduate degree is not a good idea unless you have parents that can pay for it. Going to an in state school can save you a ton of money as opposed to a private school somewhere out of state. That being said, a college education isn't just something that you use to make money. A college education makes you a more educated, and thus better informed, person. It's true that a Woman's Studies degree won't get you very far in the job market, but some people believe that learning for the sake of learning is worth that cost. Life isn't a game to see who can make the most money.
 
Im sure that article isnt slanted whatsoever, especially considering hes being PAID by the trade industry to do these articles, along with various ads in different states.

Heres an example from where I live:http://www.gobuildgeorgia.com/

Wow, hes on the front page!

Regardless, yes you can make good money in trades, if you get the apprenticeship, and if you get through the process.

Last I checked, when trying to become a pipe-fitter, I had to pay $100 deposit, they accepted students once a year, theres no guaranteed chance of getting in, and its a 5 year apprenticeship.

Along with this, theres no guarantee of work once graduating, and when they DO guarantee work, they dont include the part of some work being 6+ hours away from home, and having to stay overnight in shitty areas.

Electrician/Plumbing is a different story if your in a good area.

But I think Id much rather stick to working for my Sociology degree, and then doctorate.
 
I hate those anecdotes about a few people who make big bucks without an college education and then use that as means to justify not educating yourself, simply because they make some money, however those are the exceptions and for millions that's not true.
 
This, the proof is in the numbers, you will find exceptions in every category, but in general those are meaningless to the vast sum of people. As much as I like Mike Rowe, using a personal experience or an isolated example instead of a sound argument or compelling evidence is a logical fallacy.

EducationSalaryGraph.jpg
 
I would argue that referring to a chart from 1997 is a fallacy as well. its 2013, times have changed.

Would you say getting a trade is not educating yourself? sure its not the traditional route that most people take out of high school, but in my mind, learning a skilled trade is definitely considered an "education".

I would see your argument here if Rowe was giving examples of people making tons of money without nothing more than a high school diploma, but every example he gave was someone who had a trade.

That's just my opinion though, I don't see any problem with Mike Rowe trying to shed some light of the real world to people just getting out of high school with no idea what take on for a career. There is plenty of ways to make a respectable living without going the college route.

 
Thats exactly what the problem is. People are going to "get an education" in some BS field. I am about to graduate college this coming semeste rwith a double major in finance and economics, solid gpa, and already have an offer for a 60,000 a year job plus signing bonus plus year bonus.

College is a place to get trained for a job so you can be employed as well as a networking tool

If you want to learn about religious studies, go do it on the internet.
 
That's great for you, really, but it's not necessarily what everyone wants, is it? It's a little frightening that you put "education" in quotes like that.

It's extremely naive to think that you can learn nearly as much about something searching the internet or a library on your own as you could with someone who has spent a large portion of their adult lives studying something guiding your efforts.

And really, why is kids majoring in a BS field "the problem?" Why does their choice of major effect you or anyone else negatively? Apart from their own life path, who does having such a major prove problematic for?
 
its not a problem, they can spend their money on whatever major they want. but if you are an art major you should not expect to make as much as an engineer or doctor or earth scientist. (by that i mean dont expect to make much money at all)
 
College is important to foster critical thought. It is very useful to many people to spend 4+ years of thought on a specific subject.
 
This. But also factor in the issue of loans. Default rates are sky-high and that comes from uneducated decisions about going to college, taking on these loans, and then ending up in a situation where one has zero job opportunities due to a poor major choice.

IMO if you want to be an elementary or high school teacher, art major, sports nutrition, or physical education teacher, go instate if you are paying for your own education. Dont take out HUGE loans you cant pay back on a salary when you acquire the jobs from those majors above.
 
Who says they do expect that? The only people who seem to get upset at art majors for majoring in art and making no money are engineers, doctors, earth scientists, econ majors, etc.
 
There are reasons other than job placement to go to college. I've learned a lot academically so far as a college student, but honestly I've learned more socially
 
I find its mostly arts majors that are upset that they can't get jobs or make any income after dropping a fortune on an education.
 
I dropped out of university. I went skiing and sold boots for a few years. Spent my summers as a brick layer. Then I got tired of that and decided that I needed to get a real job, or a job I could turn into a career. I went to work for an engineering firm, testing gravel for a gravel crusher in northern BC on the night shift. I worked hard, asked lots of questions, and learned as much as I could.

Fast forward 10 years, I'm still employed by the same engineering firm. I'm now a Project Supervisor/Senior Inspector and I have a staff of 35 working under me, including 4 P.Eng's.

654383.jpeg

I got to build this^^^
 
Look at the thread. I don't see anyone majoring in a so called "useless" major complaining about how they aren't going to be making tons of money. It's the kids who have degrees in majors that make lots of money who are doing so.
 
I guess it does haha, I am only basing my views two people with arts degrees, sounds like my brothers fiancee is going to bail on her masters because she feels it wont be worth it when shes done, another friend just finished an environmental studies degree and can't seem to find a job. They both joke to us that they should have just taken a trade.

 
Im doing the college thing. Got my associates then went to the 4 year state school to finish of my bachelors. Have a job set up after college, but it's not something i'm ecstatic about. If I don't like it ill try different fields. My back up from all of that is to go into trades, maybe learn how to run excavators and other heavy machinery. You can make damn good money depending on where/who you work for, but after a while the work starts to take a toll on your body.
 
A. Not sure what that means.

B. Are art majors now the only "useless" majors? I just used art as an example because you did.

There are multiple people talking about the value of an education vs. being trained for a job. I'm going to guess these are the people who have "useless" majors. None of them seem to be complaining about not making as much money as a business major. On the contrary, multiple people who do have a profitable major are complaining about people with "useless" majors not making money.
 
My sister's boyfriend went to an art school for photography. He's doing freelance work now and obviously not making a ton of money, but he's still happy with it because it's what he loves to do. I have other art major friends with the same attitude.

Beyond just art majors, though, I have plenty of friends who majored in "useless" non-STEM things (english, classics, sociology, education, gender studies, etc.) who either don't make lots of money but are still happy doing what they love, or are about to graduate and accept that they aren't going to be making tons of money after college.

For me, more often then not, it's the business, econ., and science majors who complain about the kids with "useless" majors, telling them they're going to be broke, calling them stupid, etc. for having a major that isn't going to make them 6 figure salaries.
 
college is awesome if you feel fulfilled by what you're studying and feel it's an investment worth paying for what you receive.

by the way, 'work smart not hard' shouldn't be applied to the higher education vs trade school debate--both require smart and hard work. it's more like thinking through your challenge before diving right in, thus saving yourself unnecessary work. it should be made clear that 'trade school isn't for the intelligent and university isn't for the blue collar/hardworking' is entirely incorrect.
 
for every story about a trade school student making a six figure salary there's a story about a university graduate making a seven figure salary
 
obviously you would expect this graph to look like that, naturally, people willing to put in the time and effort to go through years of school are naturally going to be more motivated, harder working, and better equipped than the average guy who barely graduated high school. The argument here isn't just "dont go to college" or "college is bad" I think what the article is trying to say, and what other people are trying to say is that college isnt the only way, and it shouldnt be viewed as this required to be successful, thing.

like those same hard working, dedicated people who went through 6 years of school just because they're supposed to, could be just as if not more successful if they didnt go to school.

I learned more working and doing my own thing than i ever did in my 4 years of college, between high school and college i took 5 business classes and i learned more in my first year after college about buisiness than i did in all those years of school. it was a complete waste of time for me. in fact, i'll gladly admit that i wasted 4 years of my life in college when i could have been gaining more and better knowledge by getting out there and doing. if i were to do it again, id say fuck a degree and just purely take classes that interested me, id get so much more benefit from that.

im making 5k a month right now with a job that I spent maybe 60 hours total getting started, and now i put in MAYBE 10 hours a month, i got kinda lucky with making the connection but its because i was out there looking for it. and shit, this summer ive been doing random yard/handyman work purely through word of mouth and can bring in 4-5k a week if i put in a lot of hours.

ive got a good friend who has his own business making reinforcement plates and skidplates for work trucks, the guy never graduated highschool and is making over 100k a year at 24. another friend making 70k a year as a wedding dj at 23, he never went to college. another guy i know takes rich guys on 5-14 day backcountry hunting trips and will make 10k for a week long trip, he's 27. and this is just in my small network of friends/people i know.

I completely understand going to college if you NEED a degree to get the job you want, or because college is the only way to get the right education you need for a certain job. in that case im 100% for it. what i dont understand is why people feel like they need to go to college to get a degree so they can take that slip of paper to a company to get a job, like its the only way to go. or they'll be stuck working at McDonalds, its such a narrow minded way of thinking.

our schools and our culture do not promote entrepreneurism, all throughout high school and college i was always taught and told how to get a job, never how to go out and create one. growing up i was always told i need a degree so i can get a job, work for someone else, etc..

 
I hate threads like this.

Success comes from dedication. You can go to college and not have dedication and not be successful. You can also not go to college and not be dedicated and not be successful. In fact, success has nothing to do with college at all but instead the dedication people put into their lives.
 
Its not really my problem at all. My problem is the overall affect that this bs degree has on society. An arts degree is basically useless. These are the same people who complain and ask for handouts because they cant find a good enough jobs to pay off the " absurd cost of college ".

Personaly, I just feel that if your not majoring in a STEM or education, your really just minimizing your total earning potentials, as well as severely limiting the type of jobs one could get.
 
Sorry for the dub post

BUT

Market prices should dictate the price of tuition tos chool. If a school is gunna charge an arts degree 50,000, a year out of their own pocket, you really think they would actually give that student tuition? No shot in hell. The only reason school prices are sky rocketing is because of government subsidies. If market prices dictated tuition and schools loaned out money on their own we would see a MASSIVE drop in all of these retarded majors
 
No one in this thread ever said that you could be successful without dedication... the entire point of the article was emphasizing that you have to work smart AND hard.
 
I'm going into grade 12 and I know for a fact that i'm never going to university, I fucked myself over way too hard for it. I'm really interested in trades though, seems a lot more fun and exciting than doing a normal 9-5 job, sitting in an office building doing the same shit day after day.

 
you seem to undervalue the (generally) positive effect that art has upon society. Somepeople could give a fuck how much they earn later in life and just want to study something that actually interests them. A world where we all just search for the best wage is pretty colorless.
 
1- You will not get hired in the financial field as an analyst or anything of the sort without a good uni degree. I've heard of kids with amazing portfolios getting laughed at since they dont have a degree.

2- You will not be able to make a lot of money trading, unless you have a lot of money to trade. So in order to make money trading you could trade other peoples money, refer back to line 1.
 
Is fixing tractors really considered a skilled trade? I can fix about anything that happens to my zero steer and I never went to college for it. It's something I do just because it needs it.
 
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