# Is College a waste of time?



## CopadoMexicano (Aug 21, 2004)

Is college really necessary?


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## Futures (Aug 27, 2005)

For the most part, yes it's a waste of time. People that major in a few select fields will benefit from it, but most others who go to college without a direction and wind up majoring in a worthless field will be in for a rude awaking when they graduate and realize nobody cares about their history or communications degree.

After entering the corporate world, I quickly found out that success has a lot more to do with how outgoing and driven you are, and also how much you kiss the bosses ***. Outgoing people have all the connections to go far in their career with or without a degree.


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## Jaynie (Jun 7, 2010)

It totally depends. I'm in the sciences -- can't do anything fun in science without a degree (and probably at least a masters). I've got friends who are studying history, but because they love it. One of them is going to get her masters and probably her doctorate (at a guess) but either way, they would have been happy getting the education and then working minimum wage (so would I, incidentally). I have a professional writing diploma as well -- the learning was quite useful to me, and the diploma is a good resume boost. Trades degrees or diplomas are really great, economically speaking.

OTOH -- business degrees are overrated. English majors, unless you really love English or go to graduate school, are sodding useless. A bachelors degree in psych is the same. Degrees in theology or philosophy are not worth the paper and ink they're made with, again, unless you love it. 

Don't go to college because your teachers said you should. Go because you love learning about a particular subject, or because you have career goals that definitely require it.


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## LALoner (Dec 3, 2008)

There are a lot of stats out there showing that getting a non-technical degree from anything but an elite college won't improve your lifetime earnings. Unless your at an elite school any major with the word studies in it is a waste of time. Examples would be Media Studies, Gender Studies, Environmental Studies, Chicano Studies, Afro-American Studies of Color, etc.


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## stranger25 (Apr 29, 2010)

So many people just go and pick a random major and take out loans and end up trapped in debt for the rest of their lives for thousands of dollars. And to top it all off, they find out the degree they have is practically worthless and they still can't get a good job. They end up working at mcdonald's just so they can pay off loans. 

There was a news report a few years back that talked about this.


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## mbp86 (May 11, 2010)

It's not what you know, it's who you know.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Any degree program that doesn't provide you with a specific set of readily marketable skills is worthless (I'm assuming that's what most students go to college for). Degrees with value would include things such as engineering, nursing, computer science. Actual jobs exist that require such degrees. Ever seen an ad asking for someone with a BA in philosophy?

For the most part, undergrad degrees are one of the biggest ripoffs in America. Where does a philosophy degree lead? To working at Starbucks while paying off a massive student loan, all with the ability to think deeply about why you made such a monumentally stupid choice as live in your parent's basement.

The young are fed a line of crap and they eat it. I know as I had the same meal a generation ago.


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## successful (Mar 21, 2009)

for the most part it's a waste of time and money, but it depends on your major.

a lot of times a college dropout can be just as successful if not more successful then a graduate.for example, a employee would hire a person with "some college" experience and 5 years of work experience rather than a college graduate with no work experience.... and a business teacher at college told us that lol

if your determined and motivated enough you don't need a degree to make it...most people who made it big never had one


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## AussiePea (Mar 27, 2007)

Well if you go in with direction and a specific goal in mind then no, it is worth every penny, there would be no way I would have had the experiences and opportunities that I have had without it.

That being said if you go in without any real direction simply for having a piece of paper at the end it then you might have been better off learning skills and gaining experience through general jobs because a lot of the time people end up pursuing a field completely unrelated to that which they studied.

So it really depends.


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## creativedissent (Oct 25, 2008)

mbp86 said:


> It's not what you know, it's who you know.


Right! Exactly!


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## mcmuffinme (Mar 12, 2010)

I think it's a big rip-off, but it can give you some security in your future if you can get through the bullsh- system. For me, having SA, it is essential, because I am not the entrepreneur type.


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## Amocholes (Nov 5, 2003)

It may be a waste of time and money but in today's corporate world a degree is a necessity for advancement.


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## Amelia (Nov 24, 2003)

Instead of "is college really necessary?", perhaps the question should be "can I skip college now and not regret it later?" If you don't get a college degree early in life, it will be more difficult to find a job with the earning power that will help you to finance a college education later on.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Amocholes said:


> It may be a waste of time and money but in today's corporate world a degree is a necessity for advancement.


Oh, yeah, I forgot. You're the one with the totally insane employer who demands a degree in ANYTHING, even if totally unrelated to your job.

You could have a degree in fine arts such as playing a violin, which I guess might come in handy should classical music be called for at an office party. Employers are insane.

I believe Obama has even said we need more college education, perhaps so we can have expensive coffee served by people who are well-versed in medieval history and other such trivia useless unless playing Jeopardy.


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## Amelia (Nov 24, 2003)

These employers probably think that a degree in itself proves that the person has a certain level of skills, as well as commitment, staying power, a willingness to learn, etc. To get a good degree in medieval history, the person would presumably need to be able to absorb and analyse copious amounts of information for several years at a stretch. Someone without a degree or years of work experience would find it more difficult to prove that they could do this. The medieval scholar could just wave their piece of paper!


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## flinty (Apr 11, 2009)

well,,,,i have a useless college degree that i used years ago-i, however, do not use it at this time. but, i do concur. many employers just wanna see a piece of paper stating that an individual put in his/her 4 years doing something....anything scholastic. i suppose it indicates that one committed to, and completed a particular goal. 

it's a tough call, though. my college degree taught me how to read, write, think, and use a library. so, is the whole thing necessary? i have no idea. i'll have to put a couple neurons together and think about it-and get back to ya all


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## BeatingSAwithastick (Jan 6, 2009)

As someone without an university degree, I can tell you that you WILL regret later in life if you don't get one. Even the worthless ones are worth more than not having one. As others have mentioned, people with degrees are given much more respect by employers than those without.


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## quietgal (Oct 18, 2007)

I think if all you care about is money and "earning power" then yeah, it depends on the individual experience. If you're passionate about a field and really want to dig deeply into a subject, the resources and access to knowledge, knowledgeable people and peers that many colleges provides really can't be found anywhere else. But nothing is guaranteed unless you put in a lot of your own effort in order to take advantage of those resources. 

In my case, SA and depression held me back (and is still holding me back) from taking advantage of a lot of those resources, and that's something I really regret. But speaking for myself, I don't think I would've gotten very far on the piss-poor education I received in public high school, which I spent much of my four years as an undergraduate making up for.

If you can go to college without taking on a whole lot of debt, do it. But only if you have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish, and are willing and able to give it your all.


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## VagueResemblance (Apr 17, 2010)

The worth of the education is debatable.
The worth of the social interaction, networking, whatever you want to call it, is really not.

Giving in to social phobia and dropping out was the greatest mistake I've ever made. I'd gladly take working at Starbucks with five hundred zillion debt compared to where I am now.


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## pita (Jan 17, 2004)

Depends what you want out of it and what your financial situation is like. I'm glad I went, even though I have one of those 'useless' degrees. It's not entirely useless. Most job ads that aren't in food service or retail ask that you have an undergrad degree.

I have a lot of good memories from undergrad, and I learned some pretty cool stuff. I'd probably be bitter if I had a big loan to pay back, however.


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## estse (Nov 18, 2003)

It cun bee, depens on yur cumitmant too edikatshun.


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## Canadian Brotha (Jan 23, 2009)

If you know what you want to study & can afford the classes it's good to get a degree but if you're not really sure it can get overly expensive very fast if you're figuring it out while there. The real value is likely more in the experience, making contacts, etc


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## EagerMinnow84 (Sep 1, 2007)

My school was lousy at teaching as the business aspects of the arts. Being very socially anxious during this time, I didn't "make connections," but I don't even know what that would have accomplished. 

Someone once asked an idiot teacher of mine about having a "regular" job during the day and then do photography on the side and she was completely against that. When asked about health/dental insurance she simply said "well, don't get sick then that won't be an issue." When asked about where money would come in every week/other week, she simply said (assuming you are an assistant to the photographer in photoshoots) "take the food that they have in photoshoots. or go dumpster diving." I wish I could say she wasn't serious but she was. 

Degrees in the health field, law, teaching are essential, of course. A business degree looks like it is loosing a bit of its edge since many people that have business degrees (and much higher education business degrees), are out of work now. 

Teachers tend to glorify college while you are in high school. "You can study whatever you want and you can do anything you want and you will get a job in your major!" And then towards the end of your time in college, you realize that is a bunch of crap.


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## CopadoMexicano (Aug 21, 2004)

I have seen people with college degrees in the sciences and yet still below poverty level. I always thought of getting a degree just for the money not really for the education.


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## thesilenthunter90 (Mar 18, 2010)

yes, oh yes. College is a waste of time and money and brain power


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## Belshazzar (Apr 12, 2010)




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## Hot Chocolate (Sep 29, 2008)

Sometimes. Depends. 

But I'd say it's not entirely useless in today's world.


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## Ambivert (Jan 16, 2010)

No it's not. Just got to target something that's in demand. A college degree is the minimum nowadays for employers...anything else, well enjoy flipping burgers unless you're entrepreneurial minded like Bill Gates (which is one in a billion)


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## BeNice (Jan 2, 2004)

I never went to college and I feel pretty comfortable, except for working all of the time. I don't really care about having things that everyone else has, though. I don't want a car. I don't even care about being fully independent. I don't ever want to consistently be a full-time worker. I just want to be able to have as much free time as possible, be able to ride my bike, hike in the woods, etc. I'm happy with reading books, learning new things on my own and just taking in the world. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have done well in college. I don't have that kind of drive or dedication.


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## Futures (Aug 27, 2005)

^ I wish I could live like that as well, but I know my parents won't be around forever to support me, so I have no choice but to find a full time job somewhere.


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## Toad Licker (Nov 2, 2007)

opcorn


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## TheCanadian1 (Sep 14, 2009)

It's not necessary... But why wouldn't you spend 4-5 years learning so that you can spend 20-30 years earning more than 50 k a year... You can live a pretty comfortable lifestyle on a good wage... I think life would be ****ty to if I had to live off of 25k a year.


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## Futures (Aug 27, 2005)

Phoenix87 said:


> It's not necessary... But why wouldn't you spend 4-5 years learning so that you can spend 20-30 years earning more than 50 k a year... You can live a pretty comfortable lifestyle on a good wage... I think life would be ****ty to if I had to live off of 25k a year.


That's the exact brainwashed mentality that all schools want you to believe (I believed it too before I went to college). I have a Bachelors degree and I'm currently unemployed. My last job paid me 27k a year...a far cry from the 48k they claim is the average starting salary for college grads. 48k to start is unheard of unless you're studying engineering or some other high demand field. Most others on this forum that choose a useless major, I bet most of them didn't break the 30k barrier straight out of college. And if you compare that to someone who never went to college and already has 5 years of work experience under their belt at that point, they're probably making just as much, maybe even more, and they have no debt in loans to pay off.


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## Amelia (Nov 24, 2003)

Best and worst paying university degrees


> On average, graduates earn an extra £160,000 [$250,000], or 23% throughout their lifetime (which is even greater after tax). That's an extra £3,600 [$5,600] per year, compared to non-graduates.


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## so_so_shy (Sep 5, 2005)

There are exceptions where non College grads became successful and College grads didn't amount to anything, but in general if you are ambitious and have a drive to succeed then that College degree will be a big help.


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## lonelygirl88 (Dec 25, 2009)

Kinda. Depends what you do with it.
Also depends how much you learned in high school and how smart you are in general.


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## danberado (Apr 22, 2010)

Unless you have the money upfront, college is nothing but a debt incurring mechanism. Trade a useless degree for a life of repaying loans.


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## Freiheit (Dec 8, 2008)

It depends. It COULD be a waste of time.


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## KittyGirl (May 14, 2010)

It depends on what you're taking...

also, I find that University is almost indefinitely useless unless you're going to medical school to be a doctor or law school to be a lawyer.
A bachelor in general arts is not going to do a whole lot for ya though. -__-


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## RJF (Mar 29, 2010)

Elementary School + Middle School + High School = Diploma 

Diploma + ACT scores + essays = College 

College + Psychology Major + Physiology or Biology Major = Graduation 

College diplomas + MCAT + Volunteer Experience = Medical School 

Medical School x 4 years = MD 

MD + Residency = License to practice 

License to practice + above residency = I'm a psychiatrist! Or will be. 

--- 

So yeah, college isn't a waste of time, in my book. Gets me where I want to go.


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## fingertips (Jan 11, 2009)

it's up to you.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

No - not a waste of time, even though I thought it was at one time (when I could not find a job).


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## offroad (Sep 9, 2010)

Depends - its a waste if:

1) You do not use it as a stepping stone towards advanced degrees in medicine, law, engineering, military, finance, acadamia. It is only a stepping stone and will not get you a job, but will allow more advanced work of study. Also you have to get A abd B grades minimum. If not, please quit now. You are wasting your time and money.

2) You create a lot of debt that you can not pay off in your lifetime; given you need a residence and a car, and insurance and food at the same time.

3) Go to a school that is not highly accredited and will transfer credits to somewhere else with ease. Need to check on this as many schools accreditations are not worth anything to other schools.


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## robtyl (Sep 2, 2010)

IMHO, it's as simple as determining what you want to do with your life, and then going from there.

What sort of career are you interested in? Depending on what that is, you then need to decide whether college is the way to get the qualifications to get a job in that field.

I study law, so yes, college/university is a no-brainer for me. But, obviously, if you were considering a blue-collar job, it would be a waste of time. There are some jobs where having a degree is generally advantageous, but not fatal - sometimes a diploma/certificate will do.


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