# Are degrees worthwhile?



## cooldude03 (Jul 28, 2007)

I know a lot of people are asking themselves this question and I'll tell you why I say yes. 

A lot of opportunities are closed unless one has a degree. Want to join the peace corps, they prefer a degree. Want to teach english overseas anywhere that pays a nice salary, you will need a degree. Almost any degree from an accredited University will do for the examples above. Many professions require formal training or require tests or clinical hours that would be difficult to obtain outside of a University setting. 

What if you don't want to go in debt? Often the government grants will cover all of a community college bill. For Universities, one can get a job with an employer like UPS that offers reimbursement. Most Universities offer various programs to help reduce the amount of borrowing needed such as work study and various government programs. There are lots of interesting summer jobs for students to work in various areas of the country and there is always local temp agencies if all else fails.

Above all else, if borrowing for a degree make sure you get the most of it. Take those internships, get involved with various happenings in and take any work available within your department, write for the campus newspaper, go to your professors and help organize projects above and beyond classroom required activities. Face it, most of these professors are bored and will be floored to have a chance to make the campus or local paper because a student organized some kind of project with the professors guidance. They cannot wait to have a chance to mention it to their coworkers.


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## seafolly (Jun 17, 2010)

I'm not questioning this post, I think it's a good one, but since we're all battling mental disorders I think it's worth adding something. Make sure you can handle it, that three or four years in school is worth it for you. Not all Disability Centres are helpful. Some are wonderful and supportive but others are completely dysfunctional and will set you back. Evaluate your needs, be 100% certain that your potential school can handle it (try and connect with disabled folk who have experienced it personally), and then try it out. You won't get far if your basic exam accommodations cannot be met by a bureaucratic system.


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## opalsky (Dec 6, 2010)

Advice: don't get a philosphy degree = worthless

lol


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## matt20 (Apr 22, 2010)

The problem is, society has made it where a degree is a necessity, even though recent studies have shown many people show little to no improvement in skills. (Now I'm not talking about the doctor or hardcore scientist, but the average Joe pushing through to get a "Liberal Arts' degree). 

What happened to on-the-job training? Maybe you'll get some, but you won't get there without a piece of paper, which basically shows that you know how to cram and pass for tests. 

Let's be real...the majority of jobs out there really do not require such "skills" that are taught in college. But employers don't want to teach; they want to push the job on someone else, so they get a set of similar, semi-brainwashed 'employees', to do simple tasks. 

I have friends with more specialized degrees from well-known schools and what are they doing? One works in a grocery store meat department while the other one is a manager of a cell phone store. Neither of these required a 4 year degree.

Face it...the jobs aren't there, and they aren't coming back. Not to say there isn't some value in a college education, but with a struggling economy, it seems schools are becoming more and more like businesses...taking your money, teaching you some things that really don't matter to survive in this world, and dumping you in the street.


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## Steve123 (Sep 13, 2009)

My degree isn't worth the paper its printed on. If I could go back I probably would have become an apprentice in some skilled trade, I'd be a hell of a lot better off for it.


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## seafolly (Jun 17, 2010)

I think the modern view is it's the necessary stepping stone forward. There's a lot of post-grad diplomas (such as in radiology or ultrasounds) that I'd love to think about but I need to complete a biology degree first to even apply. 

I know people in both camps (high school diploma vs. Master's degree) who are hopelessly stuck with waitressing jobs or working at a cash register. A lot of it is networking and putting yourself out there. My degree doesn't HAVE to give me hands on training but I ensure that I take the courses that provide it. I keep in touch with the professors, I keep an eye out for opportunities to work with the MNS and other major groups that's available to students. No, a degree won't hand you a job on a silver platter. But it sure is helpful in keeping doors open. Personally I don't want to settle for a career that came second to one I would have loved but didn't have the requirements to pursue. Those that manage to find a job that they love to get out of bed in the morning for are lucky people.


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## room101 (Nov 5, 2010)

If you plan on becoming any type of professional, then yes. Not only is it then worthwhile, but you're also required to go through an accredited program whereupon you have to maintain certain standards throughout your working career e.g. think of doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc.

I think when it comes to getting a liberal arts degree, like say philosophy or cultural studies, you should have a high personal interest in the subject and consider further pursuing a master's or phd. More and more people are looking for work and with all the competition out there you'll likely need more than just a bachelor's degree to land a semi-decent paying job. If not another degree, then at least a couple years of quality work experience. These days there's not even a guarantee that you'll be earning above poverty line income, but as seafolly said, it helps keep doors open.


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## ValiantThor (Dec 6, 2010)

to many americans are wasting time and money on useless degrees and usually end up not even needing it in the long run


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## Zugzug (Jan 16, 2011)

The unemployment situation has little to do with the type of degree you chose and everything to do with the state of the economy. Businesses are all slimming their work force..


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## ValiantThor (Dec 6, 2010)

being in debt up to your eyeballs after getting outta college dosnt seem like a smart thing to me


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## pita (Jan 17, 2004)

Mine has been very useful to me so far, but my god it was a pain in the butt to get. Anxiety+higher education=kjfldkjsfd.

There are lots of fields where they don't care what kind of degree you have--they just want you to have one.


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## seafolly (Jun 17, 2010)

pita said:


> Mine has been very useful to me so far, but my god it was a pain in the butt to get. Anxiety+higher education=kjfldkjsfd.
> .


Amen to that.


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## VanDamMan (Nov 2, 2009)

If I could do it all over again, and had some adult guidance, I might not have gone to college.

This guy puts up some pretty good arguments.

http://video.aol.com/video/is-college-worth-the-investment-dailyfinance/36028864806035719


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## seafolly (Jun 17, 2010)

Honestly I think it depends where you want to end up and how badly (and if you can afford it). A friend of mine spends a great deal of time telling himself a degree isn't worth it but he's realizing that jobs at the cash are not what's going to keep him happy. He is one intelligent guy. At the very least he's finally admitting that the idea of an education in itself is something he needs to stimulate his brain. Not everyone wants a profession like doctors, technicians, nurses, lawyers, etc etc. Some are perfectly happy finding their own way. I just don't think a sweeping conclusion can be made for everyone.


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## Hello22 (Feb 10, 2010)

Some degrees are worthwhile, others aren't. I've seen some degree courses that would make you think 'what on earth is that?' and many of those courses do not have any career opportunities. They just seem to be dead-end degrees. (i.e some degrees in this country are completely pointless, and i often wondered why on earth anyone would waste their time, i.e A Bachelor of Arts in Celtic studies?? What exactly would you do with that after 4 years??) But many normal degrees are worthwhile imo.

My degree was worthwhile, as there are career opportunities for me, only problem is that i decided in 4th year that it wasnt what i wanted to do, but at least i can use that degree as a stepping stone into what i actually want to do in the future.


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## VanDamMan (Nov 2, 2009)

minneapolar said:


> All the billionaire drop-out examples he gave were essentially people coming from decent educated backgrounds who had some luxuries to be entrepreneurial. They also capitalized on relatively established ideas of their contemporaries and were brash/efficient/lucky partly because they were in position to.


Yeah that was my thought also. Gates, zuckerberg, et al all dropped out of school to start billion dollar companies. But they were all attending ivy league schools and had wealth parents and connections to help them get off the ground. 


> Business failure can only be taken lightly by those brash people that have trust funds. People given advice to start a business and are who not in a position who start businesses sometimes end up in much worst irreversible situations than school debt. Doubt bankruptcy is laughable.


 I disagree on this one. 18 years-olds are pretty resilient. At 18, your willing to do things you might not at 30 or 40, like eat top-raumen everyday. If we could change the paradigm that a business failure actually is a great learning/growing experience, we could accomplish alot more.



> Beside, a simple lesson in marketplace capitalization is good for the guy in the video's kids, but I would like to think that my kids (if any) are exposed to more complex sophisticated ideas than basic trading and efficiencies. Like the read a book idea though, but hard to do without milestones, goals, objectives an time-lines.
> 
> Sorry for the long rant. Will this server rebuild at work ever get done? I think the veru forst original post was semi-spam anyhow.
> 
> P.S. EDIT = The very first original post is not semi-spam. I am semi-spam. Should apologize before too late.


You sound like you blew a fuse here. I have no clue what you are saying.



minneapolar said:


> P.S. The man in the video:
> 
> *"James Altucher* is a hedge fund manager and author.
> He holds a BS in computer science from Cornell University and a master's degree in the same subject from Carnegie Mellon University." -- Wiki Entry
> ...


Few professors make $400K per year. When a school is regulated by the state, there are all types of HR logistics to prevent this type of thing. The whole MBA salary scenario doesn't really hold water. The cause of rising education prices is simply, a greater demand for education by students, and a declining revenue stream of funds being contributed by state governments. There has been a paradigm shift, from "college educated students benefit the economy as a whole" to "college only benefits the student that gets the education, therefore tax payers shouldn't contribute $ to financial aid"


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## pita (Jan 17, 2004)

Hello22 said:


> (i.e some degrees in this country are completely pointless, and i often wondered why on earth anyone would waste their time, i.e A Bachelor of Arts in Celtic studies?? What exactly would you do with that after 4 years??)


The production manager at Random House Canada has a BA in Celtic studies. He doesn't seem to regret it, from what I can tell.


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## leonardess (Jun 30, 2009)

I should be able to tell you in about a year and a half.


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## VanDamMan (Nov 2, 2009)

minneapolar said:


> Yeah, got off on a wierd rant while rebuilding failing systems at work on little sleep. Sorry .


no worries. A little crazy never hurt anyone.



leonardess said:


> I should be able to tell you in about a year and a half.


Don't do it. Once you earn a college diploma, you must always eat your escargot with the proper fork.

It also depend on your country. Europe and Canada have traditionally been pretty supportive of college. Although I remember a couple months ago, students rioting in the UK.


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## spaceygirl (Dec 4, 2009)

Interesting thoughts in here. 

I came from a background where it wasn't even questioned whether I would go to university or not. Of course I would (my dad is a professor, for one thing, and my parents offered to pay for my education). I wish I had had more information, read these types of threads and thought things through before I jumped into the university experience. I took things for granted, because my parents were paying and my only goal was to get a degree. Even after I realized half way through my program the career path I was aiming for was not for me, instead of re-evaluating things I decided to just finish my program since I was half-way there and then at least I would have a degree of some sort, rather than have to "start from scratch".

Looking back, I don't feel my university education was a waste, from both a personal persepctive and an economic one, but I would have made different choices and put a lot more thought into what my long-term goals were. I also would have made more of an effort to gain the extra experience that would set me apart from every other degree carrying graduate, because I agree with most here that having a degree is not in and or itself enough to stand out to potential employers nowadays (something they are likely not going to advertise to potential students as they want to make the big moneys...)


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## seafolly (Jun 17, 2010)

I come from a similar background. It's simply understood that you will attend grad school/become a doctor in this family, cousins included. It doesn't make the disability any easier, that's for sure!


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## farfegnugen (Aug 16, 2010)

Most of what you learn in school isn't applicable in the real world. It is more about establishing contacts and building networks. I have degrees and a job history, but it is hard to call me a success. I end up starting something different every few years as I search for something more out of life. I have found that good test scores aren't much of an indicator of your capabilities in doing a particular job. 

My older brother never stepped foot in a college classroom, but has great people skills and the sense and the will to do what needs to be done. He has a large network of associates that he can turn to, and he has become quite independently wealthy from taking advantage of opportunities. I scored very well on tests like the MCAT and GRE in my past, but haven't really taken full advantage of of it, despite doing quite a bit of hard work. I think education is important, but there is a lot more to educate yourself about that you don't find by just fulfilling the requirements of some degree. Work on developing you, not some miscellaneous degree.


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## Antis (Nov 2, 2010)

I personally have no clue what I'm going to do after I graduate (if I make it), but I have a feeling confidence is going to play a huge role in deciding my future. Without confidence to back it up my degree would be worth nothing. But obviously they're worth doing because pretty much everyone has one nowadays so not having one would put you at a disadvantage in the competitive job markets, unless you're exceptional.


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## CeilingStarer (Dec 29, 2009)

Depends what you consider "worthwhile." If I had my time again, I would have gone in to university looking to become a professor, and never leave. It would have been worthwhile for me in that instance.


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## VanDamMan (Nov 2, 2009)

If money isn't an issue, university isn't the worst place to go. 

Personally, ten years out of college, I'm still paying off school loans and probably will continue for the next 5 years.


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## lucyinthesky (Mar 29, 2009)

It's always been presumed that I would go to university. I think they're certainly worthwhile... but I'm a bit of a knowledge addict so may be biased


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## yelda (Jun 12, 2010)

I have a BS degree in physics from the best university of Turkey.
However, I have been unemployed for 20 years.


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## Zil (Feb 5, 2011)

opalsky said:


> Advice: don't get a philosphy degree = worthless
> 
> lol


My friend was supposed to become a chemist, but during university he decided to get a degree in philosophy and he's now teaching it in college. Most of his friends are engineers and make more money than him. To this day he does not regret his choice. He's the kind of guy you bring to a chill pub and drink a guiness while talking about life in general. I love him.

As for me well I have a degree in computer science and I can't complain. It can become tiresome since things constantly change but it's a welcomed challenge.


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