How Important Is It To Earn A College Education?

[KCT]

I think it depends on what one wants to do. My hubby was out of high school for 5 years before he realized he wasn’t going to get where he wanted w/o a college degree. Our son wants to become a police officer, which he can do w/ an AA degree (or not, depending on where you want to start). There are respectable trades that one can train in w/o college. I’m told plumbers can make enough money to support a family and they don’t have to go to college. What are your goals and what will it take to get there? —KCT

 

[Exporter]

If being able to support yourself in later life is important to you, look at these statistics.

The amount of money earned during your working lifetime.
This is an average of almost 40,000 people.

College graduates will earn almost three times more that high school graduates.

 

[Lisa_N]

Augustine:

My point is that I disagree with you that college helps one setting the goals or any discipline. Only the family can do that.

But I digress…

Augustine I did not say college helps you SET goals or MAKES you disciplined. Achieving a college degree does INDICATE you can set and achieve goals and have the discipline to do this without someone holding a gun to your head. After all no one can attend class for you or take your tests or get your grades. You actually have to make an effort. For many young people college is their first experience where they are only answerable to themselves. Mom and dad aren’t there to make them study or attend class. Some revel in this environment, others fail without having some outside inspiration.

The point my advisor made was not that college was like trade school where you could walk out the door and start practicing the trade. Rather it was a way of developing critical skills and work habits that would be beneficial regardless of the career path. No one wants to hire disorganized, undisciplined, sloppy thinkers or doers. College is one way of helping to weed them out. I thought college was the best investment I ever made. YMMV
Lisa N

 

[puzzleannie]

I read this question another way, how important is it to earn a college education rather than have it handed to you on a silver platter? The person who works for their education will be far less likely to waste time in college on trivialities, partying, wasted courses, and will be more likely to place a value on the process as well as the degree. Frankly college is no place for someone who is not serious about intellectual discourse with great minds of the past and present, about discipline, time management, self-control, and expanding knowledge about God’s created world and the people in it.

 

[Augustine]

The amount of money earned during your working lifetime.
This is an average of almost 40,000 people.

---

An acquaintance’s son makes about $5000 a week as a tile contractor. Is this the norm, perhaps not, but a high school teacher makes typically ten times less, and this is the norm, college degree and all.

 

[Augustine]

Lisa N:

Achieving a college degree does INDICATE you can set and achieve goals and have the discipline to do this without someone holding a gun to your head.

Not what I’ve observed in myself.

 

[chicago]

puzzleannie:

Frankly college is no place for someone who is not serious about intellectual discourse with great minds of the past and present, about discipline, time management, self-control, and expanding knowledge about God’s created world and the people in it.

Which would seem to disqualify much of what goes on, itself, at the typical American University.

 

[chicago]

Augustine:

An acquaintance’s son makes about $5000 a week as a tile contractor. Is this the norm, perhaps not, but a high school teacher makes typically ten times less, and this is the norm, college degree and all.

Reminds me of how the renowned clarnetist Pete Fountain got started out. His family was poor so, as a high school student, he started playing gigs at night to make a little money on the side and help out. But, then, he would tend to fall asleep in class the next day. His teacher, who would get really upset about kids sleeping in his class, started yelling at him one day:

“Why are you always sleeping in my class, Peter!”

“I’m sorry, sir, but you see I have been working at night.”

“Oh, really? So you have a job, huh? Well, how much does that pay you?”

(Pete tells him his cut of the cover).

“Whoa!” the teacher responds. “That is more than I make. What the heck are you doing here in school? Go home and get some rest!”

And so a prodigious career was begun. I am thankful that Pete didn’t continue his schooling, instead.

 

[LabChick]

I had to vote “none of the above.” I don’t think people without college degrees are ignorant, nor do I think they are overrated. It all depends on what one wants to do with his/her life. I think a college-level education is essential for some jobs in the present day, especially those in the life and physical sciences. Those who want to become doctors, lawyers, or other professionals also need a college education.

I’ve read some reports that indicate college grads tend to earn more than those with just a high school diploma. The difference is decreasing, as more people earn associate’s and bachelor’s degrees.

But I know plenty of exceptions to this. I have a friend who is an eletrician with a major automobile manufacturer. She earns more than I did as a surgical resident with three college degrees (BS, MD, PhD).

 

[Penny_Plain]

chicago:

That has been a key song in the soon concluding 133rd Edition of the “Greatest Show on Earth”. Which offers us here another possibility… run away and join the circus!

Uh…hi?

What with distance education and all, you can run away to join the circus AND get a college degree. I’m working on my master’s. I have yet to figure out exactly WHY, but I am.

 

[buffalo]

Lisa N:

While it’s not for everyone and not everyone needs a college degree, I recalled some wise words. A college degree doesn’t mean you are smart but it does mean you have enough discipline, organizational skills and work ethic to set a goal and reach it. Regardless of your career, these qualities come in handy. Now please no one try to twist the statement that those who don’t have a degree are a bunch of irresponsible slobs. That isn’t the truth either. But rather than simply educating the person, college helps a person think long term and stick to a project. THere is more to it than simply the stuff that goes into your head in four or five years. That someone has a degree IS proof of something and given two candidates one with (even a totally unrelated) degree and another with no degree, I’d pick the candidate that has the sheepskin every time.

Lisa N

Today’s employers discount this as so many admit to cheating their way through.

 

[Lisa_N]

buffalo:

Today’s employers discount this as so many admit to cheating their way through.

Maybe so, but understand that for MANY careers a college degree is essential for licensing. So if someone wants to be a doctor or a lawyer or pharmacist or nurse or teacher or social worker or …well you get the drift, you MUST have a degree. So a person looking at whether just to get a degree because it sounds like fun is making a completely different decision than someone who aspires to a career requiring upper level education.

I got a lot from my college classes and it was the first time I ever had to work hard and study. I became far more disciplined, far more able to set and achieve goals than the sugar frosted flake I was in high school. For those who seem to think all college grads cheated, drank and toked their way through school, I guess you can speak to your own experince. I worked hard, got a valuable degree, had seven job offers and my first day of work I made more than either of my parents. It was definitely worthwhile for me YMMV

Lisa N

 

[Almeria]

I think that a college degree is needed to get a job in many fields nowadays. Of course, there are stories of people without degrees doing well, but the majority of the time, you need a degree. I’ve seen that being a graduate looking for a job, having a spouse without a degree unable to find a job, and being an employer looking for a job. I work for a state school. For one job we were hiring for, we made the mistake of saying in the ad that they needed a bachelor’s degree. Wouldn’t you know it, the most qualified and experienced candidate only had an associate’s, and due to the wording in the ad, we couldn’t legally hire him.

If I had two applications in front of me for a particular position, both went to college for the same major, and one went to a liberal arts school–I’ll hire the liberal arts over the other the vast majority of the time. After attending both a liberal arts school and a non-liberal arts school, I can see that the array of knowledge the liberal arts education gives the student is superior. They teach kids how to think, which in my opinion, is priceless.

 

[buffalo]

>>>

Maybe so, but understand that for MANY careers a college degree is essential for licensing. So if someone wants to be a doctor or a lawyer or pharmacist or nurse or teacher or social worker or …well you get the drift, you MUST have a degree. So a person looking at whether just to get a degree because it sounds like fun is making a completely different decision than someone who aspires to a career requiring upper level education.

I got a lot from my college classes and it was the first time I ever had to work hard and study. I became far more disciplined, far more able to set and achieve goals than the sugar frosted flake I was in high school. For those who seem to think all college grads cheated, drank and toked their way through school, I guess you can speak to your own experince. I worked hard, got a valuable degree, had seven job offers and my first day of work I made more than either of my parents. It was definitely worthwhile for me YMMV

Lisa N

That can also happen when you become an adult, with or without college. I did not say all cheated, but many do.

Benchmarking against your parents doesn’t tell the whole story. Now factor in the cost, cost of interest, etc… This loan may affect your decision to work or be a stay at home mom.

 

[Lisa_N]

buffalo:

That can also happen when you become an adult, with or without college. I did not say all cheated, but many do.

Benchmarking against your parents doesn’t tell the whole story. Now factor in the cost, cost of interest, etc… This loan may affect your decision to work or be a stay at home mom.

Sorry maybe I should give up but to say many cheat is IMO irresponsible. Please tell me how you know this? I think it disparages all of us who earned our grades and diplomas through hard work and diligence.

As to the decision, certainly money comes into it although it’s clear one can make more money ON AVERAGE with a college degree versus high school only. If after college you are a social worker making ten bucks an hour, well maybe it didn’t pan out monetarily although from a personal satisfaction level some jobs have other benefits. OTOH I picked out my job from the newspaper because there was a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow so to speak. I had no problem getting a job out of college and do not think I will ever be unemployed because some skills are always in demand

Lisa N (who NEVER CHEATED and graduated with high honors)

 

[Lilyofthevalley]

well lily, one thing to remember is that there is an acute shortage of nurses in this country. If you feel the call to enter the profession, please do, because there’s a great need for you!​

Yes, there is. I did train in The National Guard and got some training as a medic. I.V’s did flip me out, but I could do them. I wasn’t enjoying it as I hate to hurt people, BUT an R.N gets MORe training than a medic.

 

[chicago]

>>>

Maybe so, but understand that for MANY careers a college degree is essential for licensing. So if someone wants to be a doctor or a lawyer or pharmacist or nurse or teacher or social worker or …well you get the drift, you MUST have a degree.

Why not bring back apprenticeships as a viable altrenative?

So a person looking at whether just to get a degree because it sounds like fun is making a completely different decision than someone who aspires to a career requiring upper level education.

A LOT of people go into college not knowing why they are really there. Many of them manage to get all the way through and still don’t know why they were really there.

Therefore, the degree alone doesn’t necessarily indicate anything in and of itself. It ultimately all depends upon both what the student and the school put into it.

 

[Lisa_N]

chicago:

Why not bring back apprenticeships as a viable altrenative?

A LOT of people go into college not knowing why they are really there. Many of them manage to get all the way through and still don’t know why they were really there.

Therefore, the degree alone doesn’t necessarily indicate anything in and of itself. It ultimately all depends upon both what the student and the school put into it.

As to apprenticeships, that might work for shoe repair or pipefitting but I suspect you’d want your children to go to a doctor who’d graduated from medical school, successfully got through his residency, passed all his tests and had a state license. But since you seem to have little respect for college maybe I am mistaken…

I do think trade schools, community college, certificate programs, etc are a viable option for many people. However if you aspire to certain professions and my understanding of Lily’s question that nursing was one of the choices, college is both necessary and helpful.

I agree there are some students who don’t know why they are in school. I feel bad for their parents if they are paying for it.

Lisa N

 

[LabChick]

>>>

As to apprenticeships, that might work for shoe repair or pipefitting but I suspect you’d want your children to go to a doctor who’d graduated from medical school, successfully got through his residency, passed all his tests and had a state license.

Exactly what I meant to point out. Up until the early 1900’s, all one had to do to become a doctor was apprenctice for two or three years with a practicing physician. After that, you could go out and call yourself a doctor. Medical schools were in existence but very few “doctors” actually possessed an MD.

Modern residencies are like apprenticeships, in a way. With the amount of stuff that is crammed into med school, residency, and postdoctoral fellowships, it would be next to impossible to learn it any other way. The technology boom and health standards have led to restructuring of the medical education system in the US.

 

[jess7396]

None of the options really worked for me. We plan to make college an “understood” as my parents did. I never really thought of college as an “option” for me, it was just what I would be doing after high school. My kids are 4.5, 3 and 9 months, the older kids already know about their college accounts and think of college as where they will go after high school.

So- you could say, our kids will be highly encouraged to go to college . Both dh and I really want all of our kids to get at least 4 year degrees. We are realistic though- if one of our kids realizes that college is their “choice” and they decide not to go- we won’t disown them or anything . I think a college education is very important, I have my degree in El. Ed. and haven’t used it in 5 years since becoming a SAHM, and it will be at least another 5 before I ever do use my degree, that is ok with me. I am very thankful to have my degree, as I know if something happened to dh, I could support our family.

There is also evidence that women with college degrees are less likely to stay in abusive relationships, so that is another reason we will encourage college for our kids.

All of this said, I wonder how we will ever afford it all. Our financial advisor said you need to put away $50/week/child from birth to afford 4 years at state school .