# College Is The Biggest Scam And Waste Of Money Today



## UnknownUser0011 (Mar 3, 2011)

*delete please*

delete please


----------



## masterridley (Jan 20, 2007)

Yeah, at least in the UK they don't ask you to pay your debts until you find a job that pays above a certain threshold. Or so I've heard.

But I don't think college is that useless... or is it? I know that I had no idea whatsoever about IT when I entered uni (different?) and now I know a lot. Sure, maybe my job will require something completely different but at least now I know where to start.

Don't despair. 20k is nothing if you learn your sh-t and find a job with a good pay. Good IT professionals get paid handsomely in the US, no?


----------



## minimized (Nov 17, 2007)

It really is in America. Here people are still under the illusion that it's a necessity when really people would be better studying something directly, being trained, whatever. It's not like the old days where getting a degree means getting a job - more likely it amounts to debt and mere hope.

But there's not much we can do if everything feeds into this system - corporations require pointless degrees and refuse to do much lifting of their own.


----------



## Steestee (Feb 20, 2014)

I wouldn't say it's a scam necessarily, but it's definitely not for everyone. It's a shame that society puts so much pressure on kids to go to college. Some people simply don't belong there.

I definitely disagree about how school should be free. "Free" does not exist; it only means taxpayer-funded. Making a university nominally free will result in less financial accountability for universities, which incentivizes adding more costs, since the costs are not readily seen. Taxes will steadily increase. A more efficient way to use tax dollars instead of simply making school free would be to issue school vouchers to prospective college students to allow them a greater choice of what schools they can attend. Greater school choice will also encourage universities to drop tuition costs.


----------



## tooljunkie (May 31, 2014)

.


----------



## mr hoang (Aug 14, 2011)

tooljunkie said:


> That's exactly why I said screw college and joined the plumbers union. I did a 5 year apprenticeship. After I completed the apprenticeship and learned my trade, I took the test to become a master plumber, passed it and opened up shop for myself. $250,000 a year so far with my goal to hit three million within the next five years. Who needs college?


How did u do the apprenticeship without going to school lol. Over here school is part of the apprenticeship. 4 year apprenticeship. Then journeyman.
Sounds like you got a lot going for ya.
I did plumbing for 3 months but got let go  .....I didnt meet their "expectations"....


----------



## shwoop (Jul 6, 2014)

In Australia, you don't have to pay your uni fees until you graduate and find a job (that pays above a certain level)... So I guess I'm quite lucky in that respect.


----------



## tooljunkie (May 31, 2014)

The union sent me to school and put me with companies to work with. I just had to pay my monthly union dues.


----------



## mr hoang (Aug 14, 2011)

shwoop said:


> In Australia, you don't have to pay your uni fees until you graduate and find a job (that pays above a certain level)... So I guess I'm quite lucky in that respect.


Wow thats awesome. I wanna move there now lol...that definitely encourages more people to goto school.


----------



## tooljunkie (May 31, 2014)

.


----------



## wherecanigo (Oct 31, 2013)

I never understood this argument.

College being a waste of money is totally relative and subjective.


If I want to be a veterinarian, is college a waste of money?

No. Because without the schooling I cannot work as a veterinarian.

Apply that to any number of jobs that necessitate college degrees and edification.

That view point is a nonstarter.



"Well I can make as much doing xxxx that required no college as you make doing xxxx that took four years of school!"

Yeah..... but you're not doing what you want to do. I am.


----------



## Malek (Oct 4, 2012)

Still desire a degree yet I'm remaining cautious about taking student loans.

Sigh, I saved up almost 4k for college myself by working part time for 2 years now. This video is rather depressing and is just confirming most of my initial fears, I'll never willingly put myself in debt though. All I want is to own my own place and have enough money to survive... 

Yet even if I go through with this plan and don't get into student debt, I'll still be a victim of this whole ordeal by paying taxes for college students who abused their loans and spending money they can never pay back on non-educational purposes? Wow. :sus




Especially liked that quote: 

"All greatness of character is dependent on individuality. The man who has no other existence than that which he partakes in common with all around him, will never have any other than an existence of mediocrity. "

-James F. Cooper


----------



## tooljunkie (May 31, 2014)

.


----------



## Slytherclaw (Jul 16, 2011)

Ugh, I was already terrified and now I'm just more discouraged reading stuff like this. :/

I'm going to be majoring in computer science. I've been working crappy minimum wage jobs for the past 2 years and they've been going nowhere, so hopefully college will help. _Hopefully_. All I can do is see what happens and work hard..


----------



## Lacking Serotonin (Nov 18, 2012)

tooljunkie said:


> Society looks down on going to trade school. You can make the same money as some of these Fortune 500 companies. I know of a few plumbing companies who are doing around 25 million a year.


I had money from family to go to college, but I felt it would be a waste going to school again so I went to a railroad school instead. The school was 6 weeks and the career pays extremely well.


----------



## Perkins (Dec 14, 2010)

It definitely is a scam in America. At least that's been my experience.


----------



## tooljunkie (May 31, 2014)

Lacking Serotonin said:


> I had money from family to go to college, but I felt it would be a waste going to school again so I went to a railroad school instead. The school was 6 weeks and the career pays extremely well.


Funny, I was considering being a train mechanic or a conductor before I settled on being a plumber.


----------



## Paper Samurai (Oct 1, 2009)

Slytherclaw said:


> Ugh, I was already terrified and now I'm just more discouraged reading stuff like this. :/
> 
> I'm going to be majoring in computer science. I've been working crappy minimum wage jobs for the past 2 years and they've been going nowhere, so hopefully college will help. _Hopefully_. All I can do is see what happens and work hard..


 Don't worry too much about it. Comp-Sci (& Stem degrees in general) are some of the best to get in terms of job availability and salary. They are one of the few degrees that are actually worth getting into debt for !


----------



## anomnomnom (May 28, 2013)

Good that UK doesn't ask for it back till your earning decent money, I'd be absolutely screwed otherwise. I feel like its a scam/waste too, but I guess it depends how much you want it, if your degree is essential to your career and you will do anything to get into said career, unpaid internships or moving city/country then I'm sure its useful to an extent. 

If your like me, not really career driven and just want a "job" that you dont find soul destroying, then yes its a bit of a waste as you still need to push/get lucky even with your fancy bit of paper, something I'm not prepared to do (Well to be honest I just have a useless degree that I can't/won't do as a job anyway so..) 

Do wish I'd never gone though, with my **** up year and "the year I couldnt afford" thats 5 years I wasted in university that could have been spent in a job earning at least what I'm on now if not considerably more, 5 years of saved money and no debt, I'd be in a vastly superior position in my life now (I'd easily have my own house/mortgage for starters!)


----------



## Jesuszilla (May 26, 2013)

tooljunkie said:


> Society looks down on going to trade school. You can make the same money as some of these Fortune 500 companies. I know of a few plumbing companies who are doing around 25 million a year.


Yeah I tell people all the time to learn a trade. It's something my dad thought me that I wish I jumped on at a younger age.


----------



## crimeclub (Nov 7, 2013)

Considering my natural talents seem to be more in the "artsy fartsy" department, I'll take all the help I can get at making it into a field that actually pays.


----------



## ericastooge (May 20, 2009)

I tried it, have credits, but dropped out, and I don't care. I'm not going back because I don't need it after all. I already know what makes me happy. Besides, If I finished it, I probably wouldn't even use my degree, and I would have been stuck with a even bigger school loan than what I have right now.


----------



## tooljunkie (May 31, 2014)

.


----------



## knightofdespair (May 20, 2014)

The problem with IT is that the good jobs don't really open up until you have about 10 years of experience.


----------



## nubly (Nov 2, 2006)

It's not a scam if you choose the correct field to study and don't go to a for profit school. My gf is currently studying to be a nurse and it's less than 20k. Whats the alternative? Getting a job at McDonald's and whining that you don't make enough money for your zero skills?


----------



## Just Lurking (Feb 8, 2007)

nubly said:


> It's not a scam if you choose the correct field to study


Mmm...

Nothing like wasting away 4-5 years of your life, coming out $50,000 in debt that will take 10 years to pay off (under the best of circumstances)... for a degree in... Philosophy...

Durrrrr...

Good luck in your career as a... ummm, museum curator...? Yeah... They got you hook, line, and sinker... Good business for the college, though, when so many students are made to return for something more practical.


----------



## TheJamesGatz (Mar 22, 2014)

It's only a scam if you look at it that way. Over the long haul, assuming you didn't choose a major with poor employment prospects, college is an investment. Over the course of your working career, you should make more than enough to cover the loan debt, again assuming you chose a solid major; plus, while in college there are scholarships and grants, etc. The only people who argue that it's a scam are those who fall in the instant gratification and ' I chose the wrong major' categories. 

A college degree doesn't guarantee employment; it's a means of separation, which demonstrates to employers that I spent this many years completing coursework at the tertiary level. Now, it's just the case that so many people have college degrees that it alone isn't enough to give you the needed separation; things like internships and networking are more important than ever. 

Trades are fine too, but in today's world, only a handful of people make meaningful income out of learning a trade and it's not like past decades where you had less people competing for the jobs. Plus, there's the "trade" stigma. 

Not saying that the fees for colleges aren't needlessly increasing annually or that they aren't ridiculous, especially compared to the past, but the past is just that. I'm also not saying that college is for everyone.


----------



## MariLushi (Jul 13, 2014)

Well, it can get expensive but doesnt it depend on the coutnry you live in tho. In mine, public schools are supposed to be free but you pay a small fee and you dont need to buy books you can get copies but I dont really know much as I go to a private school. 

Mine costs 12k ( in US dollars) for the 4 years I'll be there and it includes text books, uniforms and material and even some conferences I'll have to attend abroad which are part of the curriciulum, among other things. Your system just sucks. 

Seriously, what i want to do I just cant learn on my own, I mean I could but I wouldnt be able to get paid fairly without a degree, so no I rather go to University. School is what you make it.


----------



## OutsideR1 (Mar 13, 2014)

It's difficult. In America, it's definitely not worth it if you dont know what you want to do afterwards and major in something silly like history because of how much it costs. But for a lot of jobs out there today, a college degree is a minimum requirement to even get in. It didnt use to be like that and I agree that in a lot of cases the system is rigged against us. You used to just be able to work your way up and nowadays, you can only go so far up in a company without a degree.

I respect having a trade but it is not for everyone either. Some of us like to work with our brains more.


----------



## jjj21 (Feb 24, 2012)

I completely disagree with the statement that college is a scam and waste of money. As someone here already said, usually the people that say that are people who majored in a non-employable major (like liberal arts majors).

College itself (in terms of classes) isn’t what’s most useful; it’s the internship experience you obtain that’s useful. Classes aren’t necessarily important for your job. In general, you learn more on the job than you do in classes. 

I learned much more from my internship in college than I did in my classes. That’s not to say that my classes were useless, though. The classes were more like background info that can help out with jobs. In all of my jobs, the things I learned in my classes helped out sometimes.

Of course college doesn’t guarantee you a job. The most important thing is work experience (obtained through internships in college). Also, nowadays networking is almost always necessary to get a job. There are people who have very little or no work experience who get jobs through networking.

College is about social education and work education. I think college itself (classes, interacting with professors and other students etc.) provides you with social education. That’s what people never mention. It teaches you things like social skills and gives you the opportunity to network. For some people, that would be impossible without college. College changes a lot of people for the better. Work education is obtained through internships that you can do when you’re in college.

Like another person in this thread mentioned, I think college should make it mandatory to do an internship. There is a major at the school that I went to that required that you did a specific type of internship before you graduated. This would be a lot more difficult for liberal arts majors because sometimes there’s not really an internship designed for a specific major. I don’t know what internships would have to do with philosophy, for example.

If it weren’t for college, I would be extremely socially awkward. Because of all the people who I interacted with in college, I learned basic social skills that I wouldn’t have learned otherwise. Also, because of my degree and internship experience, I now make much more money than I would have if I didn’t have a college degree.

College is only a waste of money if you major in something that isn’t employable or, even if you major in something that is employable, you never do any internships. Like I said, college is what you make of it. Some people take advantage of the opportunities and some don’t.


----------



## tooljunkie (May 31, 2014)

.


----------



## VeMuñeca (Sep 5, 2013)

I have to agree. What is even scarier is how some people graduating with engineering degrees are still in debt and have no job. It saddens me  For some people college is not a waste of time, but sadly for me it was. It was a constant cycle of not enjoying what I was studying, not understanding anything, feeling jealous of all the smart and not doing so well on exams. College does educate people very well though and I congratulate those who finished it. I am now going to beauty school in September which I am happy about.


----------



## heliotropicDissonance (Jun 20, 2014)

i wouldn't call it a total scam. i think of it more as a gamble, and you need to know what it is you want. some people go just for the sake of saying they have a degree (which, yes, having one will give you somewhat better of a chance finding a job). others know what they want to do, but _have_ to go to college to get that degree necessary. you've just got to ask yourself how worth it is, if you can manage the debt that comes with it, etc.

it's just unfortunate that the one thing said to be the 'great equalizer' perpetuated inequality on such an intense scale. sometimes i wonder myself if i can even handle this - the damage it's done to my mental health is insane.


----------



## Imbored21 (Jun 18, 2012)

Meh. I am going to college to avoid the real world for a few more years. I know I will never get anywhere in life because of my social anxiety. It's not really a scam, but it's not for everyone. Too many people go to college that shouldn't, because that is what society told them to do. It's kind of sad really.


----------



## TheAnguishedOne (Jan 2, 2014)

Depends on the person. I can tell you for a fact, that the SAT and similar tests are an absolute scam. 

Anyway, I heard somewhere that people that went to Harvard have much higher rates of success in life. Here's the catch. The people who go to Harvard have always been motivated and will take control of their own lives. They do what they can to make themselves prosper. 

That is not a trait shared by all college graduates, and it is a trait shared by many non-college graduates. You have to want it. Though I have to admit, going to college makes it easier to get into a field, even if you already know a lot about it. 

I've also heard that college graduates and non-college graduates in the same field are paid differently, and that people with a degree in that field are paid a decent amount more/year. But there are a lot of ways to approach this issue. 

But even more-so, I think you have to do what you can to make your own success and not live in a fantasy world where a college degree = riches or "the American dream" (if that term applies to you).

I've also heard (and would agree) that education is one of the greatest investments one can make, but that applies more to third world countries who have no education. 

Wow, I'm really contradicting myself on this, but I guess I have a mixed opinion and a number of ways to look at the statement, like I mentioned above.


----------



## Whatev (Feb 6, 2012)

Choose the field you want wisely. Other than that its who you know or who you'll blow.


----------



## Paper Samurai (Oct 1, 2009)

I'm reluctant to say it's a scam... but the whole higher education system is intentionally misleading. There are a lot of degrees out there that are not worth getting into debt for - in other words have very little chance of securing you a job.


----------



## tooljunkie (May 31, 2014)

.


----------



## DrPepper31 (Jan 27, 2013)

I think its all about how well people like you and how willing they are going to give you a good word to help you get a job. It all comes down to networking and social skills. I went to school for Business and during that time, I applied for several part-time jobs, even 2 internships, yet NO ONE was willing to give me a chance, I kept getting rejection after rejection. I thought I was going to easily get a job or internship since I'm attending college, but no, I would have thought they would at least consider me. So, I just got frustrated and dropped out. It all has to do with luck.


----------



## EddieDee (Jan 13, 2014)

I dunno, I like school because it forces me to study and learn. I don't care how much I end up paying, I just need someone to teach me ,etc. ^^


----------



## vanishingpt (Mar 9, 2012)

I wouldn't go as far as saying college is a scam. It really depends what you are going to college for. If you're looking for a guaranteed job at the end, that's not always going to be the case. College is a place for higher education. It's a place to develop critical thinking skills and broaden your perspective. Those liberal arts classes that some people think are useless? They help develop problem solving skills, condensing and internalizing difficult theories in a short amount of time, stronger writing skills, analysis, etc. Some of these skills are often overlooked but can become necessary when it comes to a job.

College can make you a well rounded person. That may not have a direct effect on your job, such as learning something from the trades which is more hands on, but if you learn to think quicker, approach problems from different angles, etc. you become a valuable asset to your workplace. And I would agree with the point that a lot of things are learned on the job. Each company is different... but having that background knowledge from college can become an asset. The work you do in 4-5 years for your studies isn't just a "piece of paper"... it's an accumulation of all the things you learned from projects, assignments, group work, trips, etc.

College is what you make of it. If it's all about grades then you're not getting as much as you can. It's a place to network, socialize, develop more skills, broaden interests, etc. If the only thing you want in the end is a job, perhaps a trades-school would be better... but learning principles and theories can come in handy when taking on large scale projects and negotiating with other clients/employers.


----------



## MrZetnek (Oct 12, 2013)

Thats why i became an independent business owner. Whats the point of going through all this stress to get a piece of paper that says you can work for somebody else for 60+ years...waste of time.


----------



## MariLushi (Jul 13, 2014)

Well, in some countries you cant get a job without one.


----------



## Higgins (Apr 19, 2012)

I'm so ****in' poor I get paid to go to school so for someone like me, it's not as big of a waste because 1) I like learning, 2) I won't go into debt, 3) I'll actually have the opportunity to network with people.

On the other hand, I dunno if I really wanna keep going for four years? Things are hard when you don't know what the hell you wanna do with your life.


----------



## Putin (May 21, 2013)

I think college is more for establishing social connections than education. social networking is absolutely everything. If you did not make a lot of friends in college, then it was indeed a waste of money, and you should not have gone. Employers won’t hire you over the guy who bulls hit ted confidently through the entire interview and showed up with a pile of references from his social network.


----------



## skys (Mar 14, 2014)

It's a scam if you can't find a good job afterwards.


----------



## The Blooding (Jul 1, 2013)

Not really, you just have to use it to make connections. Otherwise it alone won't get you a job.


----------



## Wagnerian (Aug 5, 2014)

I hate college. I didn't learn enough about what I wanted to.....I was too busy with all the stupid gen-eds and **** like that.......the things I could have done with that money would have been endless. Such a huge waste.

Then again, I have the questionable personality trait of actually wanting to be skilled and talented at something, as opposed to merely wanting a job.

Also, I think the idea that kids ought to leave their parent's house is just ****ing stupid. It costs so much money, and the kids will probably end up living in **** conditions unless their parents are already rich. 

Parents ought to be prepared for their kids to be with them until they die......IMO families should live together if they can stand it. The societal norm is just retarded.


----------

