# College is NOT worth my time and money..



## Slytherclaw (Jul 16, 2011)

I'm so angry about the cost of tuition in this country (US). It feels like I'm already late to the game, and by the time I would have a degree, I'd be in my mid-to-late 20s...and then, *if *I manage to get a decent job after graduating, I'd just spend years and years paying off student loans. So basically, go to college so I can get a good job to pay for college.

Um...something seems wrong there...

So, in my opinion, all that debt is _not worth it_. Not to me. Especially when you consider about half of college graduates are either unemployed or working the same crappy jobs as I am.

But I value education more than you could possible imagine, which is why it makes me so angry. We should be getting a college education for free, or at least nearly free, like they do in other countries. As soon as tuition comes down by about 500% nationwide, I'll be the first to sign up.


----------



## anxious87 (Oct 6, 2013)

Yeah, if it were "free" I'd go back. I would prob get a few diff degrees and give myself time to find something more meaningful to earn a living on.


----------



## llodell88 (May 15, 2011)

Most people aren't getting what they're pay for if they go to university. I think I read somewhere that there are twice as many people getting bachelors degrees as there are jobs that require them. I picked a safe major but I'm not even sure how safe it is for me because my anxiety is that bad. I feel like I've wasted not only money but time that I needed to focus on other things that are more important (like getting better for one).


----------



## Cenarius (Aug 2, 2014)

Even if cost:benefit makes college not worth it financially, there are no jobs that I would be willing to take, that I could get without college.


----------



## AussiePea (Mar 27, 2007)

Well it depends what you're going to do. If I hadn't gone to college I certainly wouldn't be enjoying the career I currently am, any for that the debt is worth it to me. It really is dependant on the individual and what their goals are. 

That being said, courses do seem rather expensive.


----------



## Nylea (Aug 7, 2014)

I understand your frustration all too well. No offense if this is anyone's thing, but if you're _really_ going to attend an expensive university for art or "gender studies"...then you are making a terrible, terrible choice. Maybe I'm a bit biased, but college is definitely worth it if you're going for a degree in a STEM field.


----------



## DanTheOutlaw (May 29, 2014)

If you don't want to do it then don't do it.

Are you worried what people think or something?


----------



## Slytherclaw (Jul 16, 2011)

DanTheOutlaw said:


> If you don't want to do it then don't do it.
> 
> Are you worried what people think or something?


I'm not sure where you're getting that.

I thought I made it pretty clear that my issue is with tuition prices.


----------



## AussiePea (Mar 27, 2007)

The Scandinavian education system intrigues me but I'll admit I'm ignorant on how it functions. They seen to have a pretty great system going though with respect to costing.


----------



## Wagnerian (Aug 5, 2014)

Nylea said:


> I understand your frustration all too well. No offense if this is anyone's thing, but if you're _really_ going to attend an expensive university for art or "gender studies"...then you are making a terrible, terrible choice. Maybe I'm a bit biased, but college is definitely worth it if you're going for a degree in a STEM field.


The system is designed to be that way. Private industry wants a lot of STEM-field degree-holders so that they can ultimately suppress wages for the people who they do decide to hire.

The education system isn't for you or for me, it's for them.


----------



## Swagonite (Jun 24, 2014)

my community college is $1800 per semester 1800x4 = 7200 books this semester is $750 so assuming the same for 4 semesters is 3000. Add together 10,2000 for a 2 year degree which is almost guaranteed to be 100% paid if im fulltime student and maintain 2.0 gpa or better. Doesnt sound too bad to me. 

University degree is about 30k for what I want, but if you get a 2 year degree from your community that transitions into the same at university then thats just another 2 years at the unversity so in the end saves you a lot of money. So im looking at like 25k for 4yr degree not bad.


----------



## catfreak1991 (May 24, 2014)

Okay... well if you're in a position to support yourself & your satisfied with your current lifestyle, then don't go.


----------



## HenDoggy (Jul 26, 2014)

Slytherclaw said:


> I'm so angry about the cost of tuition in this country (US). It feels like I'm already late to the game, and by the time I would have a degree, I'd be in my mid-to-late 20s...and then, *if *I manage to get a decent job after graduating, I'd just spend years and years paying off student loans. So basically, go to college so I can get a good job to pay for college.
> 
> Um...something seems wrong there...
> 
> ...


I know right? It just baffles me the way tuition rates keep increasing at a time of questionable after school employment. I'm at the point were I want to attend school but right now I have a stable job that I would probably have to let go of if I do decide to go back. And the thought of paying absurd amounts of tuition isn't too enticing ether:blank.


----------



## Slytherclaw (Jul 16, 2011)

catfreak1991 said:


> Okay... well if you're in a position to support yourself & your satisfied with your current lifestyle, then don't go.


Do I detect a note of condescension? I'm pretty sure I do.

The entire reason I'm _not_ going is because I am not in a position to support myself. I don't have enough money to pay thousands of dollars in tuition every semester, and that doesn't even include housing and other necessities. Why in the hell would I potentially waste 4+ years of my life racking up that much debt (you know, since I don't have moderately wealthy parents to take care of it for me) on the off chance that I might get a decent-ish job after I graduate, then spend the rest of my life paying off those loans _anyway_? There are no guarantees and I'm not prepared to take that kind of risk until prices come _way _down. It's not about "lifestyle" or supporting myself. If I go to college, I definitely won't be able to support myself for the next few years & I don't have anyone else to do it for me, that much is for sure.


----------



## skittyonsocks (Jul 23, 2014)

College isn't really about education. Sure it's great to go and get all book smart but at the end of the day connections are what is going to get you a job.


----------



## catfreak1991 (May 24, 2014)

Slytherclaw said:


> Do I detect a note of condescension? I'm pretty sure I do.
> 
> The entire reason I'm _not_ going is because I am not in a position to support myself. I don't have enough money to pay thousands of dollars in tuition every semester, and that doesn't even include housing and other necessities. Why in the hell would I potentially waste 4+ years of my life racking up that much debt (you know, since I don't have moderately wealthy parents to take care of it for me) on the off chance that I might get a decent-ish job after I graduate, then spend the rest of my life paying off those loans _anyway_? There are no guarantees and I'm not prepared to take that kind of risk until prices come _way _down. It's not about "lifestyle" or supporting myself. If I go to college, I definitely won't be able to support myself for the next few years & I don't have anyone else to do it for me, that much is for sure.


My experience with college was bad. I ended up with a useless Associate's Degree. If I could re-do it I would definitely have chosen a different major. That's basically what it comes down to. You have to have a plan (i.e. nursing, medicine, law, engineering, etc.) if you want to come out with good job prospects. Majoring in something ambigous like women's studies or philosophy is a waste of time.

You have to decide if you're happy with the jobs that are available to you currently, because if you want to make more money you either have to be really luck with wealthy parents who have good connections with companies... or you have to go to school and get a useful degree to start your path in a lucrative profession.

I ended up getting a job that I could theoretically support myself with, and it didn't even require a college degree. It just depends on what you want to do and how much you want to make.


----------



## Slytherclaw (Jul 16, 2011)

skittyonsocks said:


> College isn't really about education. Sure it's great to go and get all book smart but at the end of the day connections are what is going to get you a job.


That's the part that kills me


----------



## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

Slytherclaw said:


> I'm so angry about the cost of tuition in this country (US). It feels like I'm already late to the game, and by the time I would have a degree, I'd be in my mid-to-late 20s...and then, *if *I manage to get a decent job after graduating, I'd just spend years and years paying off student loans. So basically, go to college so I can get a good job to pay for college.
> 
> Um...something seems wrong there...
> 
> ...


Tuition has run away in the last fifteen years or so.
Trust me, you do make it up when you finally get a job. I once thought it wasn't worth it.....until I got my job. Now I know a degree is worth it.


----------



## Slytherclaw (Jul 16, 2011)

Swagonite said:


> my community college is $1800 per semester 1800x4 = 7200 books this semester is $750 so assuming the same for 4 semesters is 3000. Add together 10,2000 for a 2 year degree which is almost guaranteed to be 100% paid if im fulltime student and maintain 2.0 gpa or better. Doesnt sound too bad to me.
> 
> University degree is about 30k for what I want, but if you get a 2 year degree from your community that transitions into the same at university then thats just another 2 years at the unversity so in the end saves you a lot of money. So im looking at like 25k for 4yr degree not bad.


This was my plan as well, but the thing is, 25k is still a lot. It might not seem it compared to what other college graduates end up with, but it'll still take at least 15-20 years to pay off, and that's only if you're able to make regular payments. I don't know if this economy is getting better or worse in the next few years, and I'm not prepared to take that kind of risk. If you can do it, all the more power to you. I'm rooting for you.


----------



## SeanT (Aug 24, 2014)

One time i heard a story of some guy who had 2 Degrees One In Real Estate & one in Finance & at the end of it he ended up working in Starbucks so it was all a waste of time.


----------



## Higgins (Apr 19, 2012)

skittyonsocks said:


> College isn't really about education. Sure it's great to go and get all book smart but at the end of the day connections are what is going to get you a job.


Yep.

If I weren't poor enough to receive financial aid, you can bet your *** I wouldn't bother going to college. The debt incurred wouldn't be worth it to me, especially because I doubt I'd truly succeed in any STEM field (and even then, almost everyone I know is getting a STEM degree, so it'll end up being over-saturated eventually, and thus not worth it if you're not passionate about it in some way or another).


----------



## knightofdespair (May 20, 2014)

I'm freaking out about the amount of debt I have.. Guys like Mitt offshored a half a million good middle class jobs and the rest of us are all playing a brutal game of musical chairs for the few good jobs left. I don't see how it can not collapse in the next 10-15 years, but by then I'll probably owe more than I do now.


----------



## nubly (Nov 2, 2006)

Look into your community college. Here they are not as expensive as others and they offer RN and PT assist (forgot the actual name) degrees. They won't make you rich but people in Vegas with these degrees can start off with 50K.


----------



## nubly (Nov 2, 2006)

skittyonsocks said:


> College isn't really about education. Sure it's great to go and get all book smart but at the end of the day connections are what is going to get you a job.


Not always. Certain jobs require a piece of paper.


----------



## Nylea (Aug 7, 2014)

Higgins said:


> The debt incurred wouldn't be worth it to me, especially because I doubt I'd truly succeed in any STEM field (and even then, almost everyone I know is getting a STEM degree, so it'll end up being over-saturated eventually, and thus not worth it if you're not passionate about it in some way or another).


You should see how many delusional people think they can pursue an engineering degree... And how many dropouts there are during the first semester, even. These people fail Calc 1 & 2... At least those majors won't be oversaturated.

They all seem to go to computer science after that. Now that's a major I see far too many people in...even though you could maybe get certifications in different programming languages and be just as qualified. I feel like you can learn all you need to know about programming online, for free. These people are paying 50k a year at my university.


----------



## knightofdespair (May 20, 2014)

Nylea said:


> You should see how many delusional people think they can pursue an engineering degree... And how many dropouts there are during the first semester, even. These people fail Calc 1 & 2... At least those majors won't be oversaturated.
> 
> They all seem to go to computer science after that. Now that's a major I see far too many people in...even though you could maybe get certifications in different programming languages and be just as qualified. I feel like you can learn all you need to know about programming online, for free. These people are paying 50k a year at my university.


Engineering is saturated too, I know a lot of people who went for that and find that companies are hiring Indians or Chinese for half the normal rate, and little interest if they don't already have 15-20 years in the field. Computer Science changes requirements every 5 years and someone who self teaches will never have much chance of actually getting good jobs and contracts from any fortune 500 company. There are a ton of legal and insurance requirements that make these companies have to triple check every aspect of the process, including if the people writing their software are qualified (aka degrees). Good programmers often have as much education under their belt as a doctor, there are dozens of considerations that go into high end applications which require everything from encryption mathematics to user interface design theory. You will never learn enough of those by yourself without a standardized curriculum.


----------



## knightofdespair (May 20, 2014)

nubly said:


> Look into your community college. Here they are not as expensive as others and they offer RN and PT assist (forgot the actual name) degrees. They won't make you rich but people in Vegas with these degrees can start off with 50K.


Yeah great if you can mooch off the folks until you are 25 going to 5 different campuses 6 days a week at hours that will change every few months. There is a good reason most community colleges have a 60% dropout rate.


----------

