Is there any point in going to college? Is it even WORTH IT? Please help!

[St_Francis]

I’ve been out of school for about 2 years.No college plans, no job. I apply and apply and nothing.I’m not the smartest kid. I have no amazing talent. I have absolutely NO IDEA, NOT ONE BIT of what to college for, or to even waste my time and go!!..I can’t stop beating myself up, i go through so much feelings of worthlessness daily… I live with the fear of the world ending soon and all this being completely worthless. I am a mess

Maria,
Actually, I think this is your true problem: you are currently not doing anything, and we are made to do things.

From your post, it is clear that you love your parents, so I will assume that you are helping around the house, etc., not just lounging around playing video games

I think that you need to move forward in some way. You can’t find a job–that is not surprising in this difficult time. You can’t get to your community college regularly because of the bus situation.

These are my suggestions, what i would suggest to my daughter if she wre in your shoes:

1. You need to get out and interact with more people. Do some volunteer work. In fact, I would suggest that you go to a couple of different places and get totally different types of volunteer work, for example: volunteer in your parish office and volunteer at a soup kitchen near a college (if that is possible). Or a vet’s office or animal shelter, or tutoring elementary school children or teaching adults to read, o, with your background, helping immigrants… These would give you very different kinds of experience, and you would meet a wide range of people. If you volunteer at a place where some college students are likely to volunteer, that will help you to meet people who are in college and be helpful to you in figuring out about college.

If you find a job with only a few hours a week, take it. Just having a few dollars you earned on your own will lighten your state of mind! If you have any neighbors with dogs, they might pay you to walk the dogs during the day; or babysitting during the day (you would be available where high schools kids would not be).

1. Get someone take you driving so you can improve your driving skills. This will help widen your potential job area, and maybe even help you get a job. Practice will definitely increase your confidence in this area.
2. Is there room for your music at your parish? Do you play or sing with other people outside of Mass? I think that doing that type of thing would be a really good way to explore that aspect of your life. My son plays violin, and he loves to get together with other people and just fool around with music, and he learns a lot too; he is exposed to different types of music, as well.
3. Go outside (if possible) and get some exercise every day. Take a walk with your parents, join a neighborhood walking group, or just go by yourself. My daughters get a little bit crazy if they don’t get their exercise, esp at “those times.”

You are in a tough situation at a tough time; this calls for imaginative solutions!

 

[TheRealJuliane]

I kind of selectively read through this.

**I will say don’t be like these losers who dropped out of college: Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Michael Dell, Lawrence Ellison and of course Bill Gates. Think what they could have done if they stayed in college and got their degree?
**
Seriously, the job market is very tough right now. No one is safe not HVAC, auto mechanics not anybody. Maybe it will change but right now it looks bad.

But if you want to know about high education, well in Europe they have the most educated escorts. Countries like Romania has the most educated webcam “models.” Ukraine is exporting their highly educated women throughout Europe as prostitutes. When economy is bad this oldest profession is always on the rise.

As for what you can be doing in life? Who knows? I run a small business that I thought I would never have, and I do plumbing, HVAC, Auto repair, Small engine repair, Drywall, painting, web page design and in my spare time I write some lousy poems, and sometimes I draw. I have also been an aircraft mechanic and a college drop out.

The thing is you will find something you like and you will do it well. There is enough time to learn many thing that will be usefull to you or you can pay someone else to do them for you. But then you need a good paying job and there aren’t many of them around right now.

Just don’t give up!!

A very good perspective to keep in mind.

Also, weren’t all those “Occupy” protests based on young people coming out of a 4 year college program with 100K worth of debt and no great job prospects? At least, that is what they were promoted as being about.

I would never take on that kind of debt unless I were absolutely positive that I could get employment upon graduation. In other words this isn’t the time to get a history or English major! You can read whatever you want in your spare time, and have an artistic avocation, but there’s nothing wrong with actually targeting a career field instead of simply “knowledge for its own sake.”

In the end, no matter what someone chooses to do, there aren’t any guarantees, and we all had better be ready to stay flexible and do whatever it takes in order to survive.

God bless you OP, you’ll find your own way.

p.s. Did your high school not give you any help or guidance about college? No information about financial aid, scholarships, etc.? No vocational testing at all?

 

[Patavium]

I recommend to do some praying, and spending time with God. Test the waters, and see if there is a career you like.

You are likely to not finish college with little motivation on what you are doing. I know I was able to get far in my studies, because I absolutely love what I do. I have amassed about 100 textbooks in my area study throughout my times at school, and as a professional.

God bless you! Don’t despair, Just pray!

 

[jc4751]

The biggest objection to education is the cost and debt you can potentially incur. Government underwriting of college loans has saturated the job market with people who have lots of 4 year degrees and little to show for it but huge student loan payments. These loans are a collar (the wrong kind) around your neck and can take the better part of your lifetime to pay off. The only kind of degree worth getting is one that translates to a tangible professional skill (such as computer science or mechanical engineering). Getting a philosophy or English degree is going to lead to one of two paths – trying to get more advanced degrees and break into teaching, or stopping and trying to find service work to pay the loans back.

My wife works in education. Prior to going to college, she made as much as she does now working in sales, had shorter hours, and did not have hundreds of dollars of student loan payments.

This isn’t to knock higher education, per se – but the way it has changed in society and how it can make a “student loan serf” out of someone if they’re not careful. I’m with the people who suggest learning a skilled trade, if you’re not certain about what you want to do in college, or why you’re going. If you do decide to go, I would still suggest working and saving for it, and doing it locally to avoid getting student loans. Those things are usury at best.

 

[ringil]

Not one of you will encourage her/him to talk about their passion and interest and talent?
Or how to find it?

It looks like issues of passion and vocation are being glossed over and concerns of $$$ are being placed in the forefront.

Some do find great passion in trades- like a poster mentioned above related to aspects of fine construction. People will live a happier life if they love what they are being paid to do.

I am a social worker and I get paid squat- have a Masters and make half of what an average plumber makes in a year- but I do receive enormous satisfaction from helping people meet their potential.

 

[ringil]

Thank you all for your diverse opinions.

I live in a really populated city, So jobs are scarce, I’ve applied in numerous places and nothing. I would love to work, but it’s better
said then done.

And the only things I am passionate about is my faith and music.

I’m somewhat of an Artistic person, I just don’t see what to do.

Take art in college if you are REALLY passionate about it as majors in arts, painting, crafts aren’t especially marketable outside of that focus. Some schools have better art programs than others and you will likely have to take some basic stuff as well- English, History, Critical thinking/statistics, Science.

Like others have said you could do this at a community college and save some money.

My advice is just take out loans and get into College. College is fun. I, and many others found our college years to be some of the most enjoyable in our lives.

Comraderie, culture, learning, travel- it’s all there. Much more exciting than waiting tables down at the TGIFs.

 

[signit]

Going to college after HS isn’t rushing things. That’s what kids are supposed to do.

Don’t get me started on the peer pressure and parental pressure that encourages this.

Maybe packing up and going away to college in a different town and going into debt to pay for it is the best thing for some 18-year-olds.It’s not for everyone, and certainly wasn’t a good experience for me.

Taking “a year off” is also the path of millions of the young leading into a lifetime of waiting tables.

Parents may say that.

Sometimes it’s true. The “year off” turns into three years, four years, and the person doesn’t want to give up the job and the spending money.

On the other hand, when I was underemployed after college and doing low-paying work it only enhanced my desire to get out of that situation and further my education so I wouldn’t have to live that way.

 

[St_Francis]

Take art in college if you are REALLY passionate about it as majors in arts, painting, crafts aren’t especially marketable outside of that focus. Some schools have better art programs than others and you will likely have to take some basic stuff as well- English, History, Critical thinking/statistics, Science.

Like others have said you could do this at a community college and save some money.

My advice is just **take out loans **and get into College. College is fun. I, and many others found our college years to be some of the most enjoyable in our lives.

Comraderie, culture, learning, travel- it’s all there. Much more exciting than waiting tables down at the TGIFs.

The weird thing about taking out loans is that there comes a point at which you have to pay them back. You are suggesting that she mortgage her late 20s and 30s in order to “have fun”? Study something she may not be able to earn money with?

Are you just playing devil’s advocate here, or what?

 

[ringil]

The weird thing about taking out loans is that there comes a point at which you have to pay them back. You are suggesting that she mortgage her late 20s and 30s in order to “have fun”? Study something she may not be able to earn money with?

Are you just playing devil’s advocate here, or what?

No, but your thoughts appear to be shaped by the anti-intellectualism of the Right.

“Don’t go to College.” It’s the newest trend in the Right- pretty shameful.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

No, but your thoughts appear to be shaped by the anti-intellectualism of the Right.

“Don’t go to College.” It’s the newest trend in the Right- pretty shameful.

Please don’t politicize this issue. You are bringing your own agenda and bias into this discussion and blurring the issue for the OP. There is no such thing as the “anti-intellectualism of the Right.”

Those of us who put ourselves through college by working are proud of that achievement. I would advise my own sons to beware of doing anything just for the sake of it, including college, just because society says, “That’s just what you do.” Society also says it is perfectly fine to be thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt just for materialistic desires. Society says it is fine to abort a baby if contraception fails while you are having extra-marital sexual intercourse. Society says all sorts of things that go directly and indirectly against our Church’s tenets.

Both of my sons are in college at the moment and my husband and I are reinforcing to them that they need practical skills and a job path as a focus. It’s not just going for the fun and excitement, there’s a goal of being able to provide for their future families. We endorse a one-income family and that income will be theirs, not their wife’s income. So yes, they’d better find something to put food on the table. They can have avocations such as music, art, etc. in their spare time (while they are still single and childless).

 

[signit]

No, but your thoughts appear to be shaped by the anti-intellectualism of the Right.

“Don’t go to College.” It’s the newest trend in the Right- pretty shameful.

I didn’t say “don’t,” of course; just that it might be better, at least for some, to do it as a 25-year-old, when you’ve had some time to think about it, instead of as an 18-year-old just because your friends are doing it.

And increasingly, people are going part-time, maybe while working, rather than the traditional four years full time all at once.

 

[ValPal]

Thank you all for your diverse opinions.

I live in a really populated city, So jobs are scarce, I’ve applied in numerous places and nothing. I would love to work, but it’s better
said then done.

And the only things I am passionate about is my faith and music.

I’m somewhat of an Artistic person, I just don’t see what to do.

I’m also an artistic person (musician). The differences between myself and many of my friends is that I went college, and they didn’t. They figured they’d go out and be rock stars.I figured I go to college for four years just in case, and when I got out I’d still be young enough to be a rock star. Well, the rock star thing didn’t work out for anyone, and since I was the only one with the college degree, I ended up being the most financially successful.

FWIW, some of these folks are seriously talented. It’s just that by the time the got recognition and the opportunity to play with some big names, they were too old to become the focus of the band and simply got paid scale.

 

[teresadeavila]

Maria, First, trust in God and take a deep breath. You’re 19, and have time to research options. Did you sit down and talk to any of your school guidance counselors from high school? If not, as an adjunct professor in a local college and former law school instructor, I can tell you that getting an education, even just a bachelors degree, is crucial in applying for many good-paying jobs out there and the stepping stone to a masters degree, PhD, and other graduate programs.

If money, like many students out there, is a real issue, then start with visiting your local community college and talking to an admissions counselor about your interests and their programs. Perhaps you can start out with a 2 year associates degree than apply to transfer to a 4 year college or university in the future. A local community college can also help you find federal grants or aids that you do not have to pay back or other financial options; it can’t hurt to at least find out what’s offered and what financial options you have. There are many careers in the arts, graphic art design, marketing, or how about combining that interest with a business degree? Take 1 step at a time, learn what is offered out there, then look at financial options. Maybe there’s even a scholarship for you, if you did well in high school, you never know…Good luck and God bless! God will be with you every step of the way.

 

[Kenny_Kamel]

That’s not what I posted.

There are many benefits to working for a few years before entering college, or working while going to college part time. Plunging into it immediately before knowing what degree to pursue or developing interest in a field is an easy way to rack up thousands in debt and get very little in return.

I agree, I joined the Army at 17 and didn’t do any college classes until 4-5 years later. I’m very glad for it as well, not because the military paid for my college education but primarily because of the structure and discipline that my time in service instilled in me. I was far more focused and had an actual vision of what I wanted to accomplish. Many have either stated or at least eluded to the fact that many late teens and early 20’s folks simply don’t possess any idea of what they want to do let alone how to best pursue whatever it is that they want to do. I’m 30 and I still don’t have hardly anything figured out yet!

That all being said, I think college is overrated in many ways for a great amount of people. I feel like having a degree is being forced down people’s throats for years along with the debt one has to incur to obtain that end. That is not to discourage anyone from pursuing higher education but you truly need to have a good idea of what your goals are and a realization of what it is going to take to meet them (financially and intellectually). Also there are so many “personal enrichment” degrees out there that people get that do next to nothing in helping them to get a job, in a job market like the one we have now having a more highly specialized vocational degree counts big time among a sea of people who simply have lesser degrees.

 

[LisaA]

No, but your thoughts appear to be shaped by the anti-intellectualism of the Right.

“Don’t go to College.” It’s the newest trend in the Right- pretty shameful.

Honestly ringil, this is just plain silly. The “Right” isn’t saying don’t go to college. Nor is it anti-intellectual. If there is some discouraging of the knee jerk assumption that everyone “should” go to college, it is based on practicality. The fact that the more government support for colleges via loans and grants, the higher tuition prices is part of the reason. Another is the explosion of what I call junk degrees that simply do not translate into marketable skills or knowledge. Anything ending in “studies” for example is a one way ticket to barrista-ville. Many of the ‘soft sciences’ and sadly the arts are not going to result in a plethora of job offers either.

I think a decision to go to college should be made with the same thought and planning that goes into other life changing decisions. Students are encouraged to get loans without any consideration of their ability to pay them back. The reality that many who start college, drop out, and are STILL stuck with a huge debt burden worth considering as well.

I was very coldly practical since I entered college in an era of Jimmy Carter economics. Job prospects were hideous although college was much less expensive then. So I looked in the newspaper to see where there were jobs. I found two fields where there were always plenty of opportunities, engineering and accounting. I picked accounting. I had five job offers before graduating making more money than my college professor parents were making after 30 years.

If you don’t need to worry about making a living, have someone to pay your freight then hey, have fun, take underwater basketweaving or gender studies. But most students need to look further ahead than the weekend when making this decision.

Lisa

 

[WingsOfEagles]

Both of my sons are in college at the moment and my husband and I are reinforcing to them that they need practical skills and a job path as a focus. It’s not just going for the fun and excitement, there’s a goal of being able to provide for their future families. We endorse a one-income family and that income will be theirs, not their wife’s income. So yes, they’d better find something to put food on the table. They can have avocations such as music, art, etc. in their spare time (while they are still single and childless).

Even this isn’t clear cut. One can major in Art Education or Music Education and have a “practical skill” because you are then qualified to teach in the schools on top of enjoy your craft.

 

[teresadeavila]

A certain level of maturity must be attained to handle college studies as well. Whether it’s the right time for you now to pursue studies is a question you’ll need to try to answer yourself with good guidance and prayer.

But I highly and wholeheartedly disagree with those who think that college or education is overrated. While there are degrees not marketable in the job world, there are many degrees that are absolutely required to even just apply, most in the top 10 jobs in demand, such as health care, information technology, finance industry (computer systems analyst), occupational therapists, HR managers, software engineers. If being a professional is not your goal, then look to vocational schools, already mentioned on this thread.

Point is, at least look into educational opportunities out there, lots of free information and you can always visit the campus/admissions office or go online. Nowadays, getting a bachelors degree is more than expected, most professionals also have a masters or doctorate (graduate) degrees - there are many jobs that require degrees higher than bachelors. My hubby’s employer paid for his bachelors degree and MBA (masters in business administration). I paid for my own law school through student loans, which I don’t recommend doing if you can avoid it!

 

[TheRealJuliane]

Even this isn’t clear cut. One can major in Art Education or Music Education and have a “practical skill” because you are then qualified to teach in the schools on top of enjoy your craft.

This is true, but what I want from them is foresight to understand that they will likely end up teaching if they choose one of those majors. There is NOTHING WRONG with teaching, as long as it’s not “the only thing I can find with my degree.” If they CHOOSE to target teaching, then that’s wonderful and I will support them 100% in that decision. As long as they know and have some plan for their future. It’s not about making tons of money, either. But one does have to support oneself and if male, eventually a family (unless a vocation is discerned).

 

[Deo_Gratias42]

Terrible, awful advice.

But it would fall like honey onto the ears of a young person I will give you that.

Shame on you.

Actually, such as advice was pretty spot on. I’m currently $50,000+ in debt with student loans because I rushed into things and thought I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I started working in the career field, which was very much the wrong career for myself, and had to go back to school to get a different degree.

 

[Deo_Gratias42]

This is true, but what I want from them is foresight to understand that they will likely end up teaching if they choose one of those majors. There is NOTHING WRONG with teaching, as long as it’s not “the only thing I can find with my degree.” If they CHOOSE to target teaching, then that’s wonderful and I will support them 100% in that decision. As long as they know and have some plan for their future. It’s not about making tons of money, either. But one does have to support oneself and if male, eventually a family (unless a vocation is discerned).

I don’t know about what it is life for teaching where you live, but here as soon as a person has their teaching degree, unless they have some serious hindrance (a criminal record, a history of violence, etc) you can get on the sub-list almost immediately pretty easily, and start substitute teaching while waiting to apply for a more permanent position. I have several friends who can easily support themselves (new car, own their own place, etc) subbing and actually find it more enjoyable than teaching full time because it’s less stressful. You just have to remember to save for the summer months.

With a teaching degree you can also earn extra money on the side tutoring either privately or with a company.