For Most People, College is a Waste of Time

re: For Most People, College is a Waste of Time

Lakeside_203 — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 14:37:46 GMT

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re: For Most People, College is a Waste of Time

Beccadog — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 21:37:19 GMT

Certainly if one transfers colleges 6 times in 6 years and changes their major 6 times in the 6 years, college was a waste of time and money. And, if one graduates with a degree in journalism without having practiced her education at any of the school's papers or yearbooks, it would seem her degree was only for a piece of paper. After graduation, she worked as sportscaster to two years prior to getting married.

That person was not me, although my education prepared me to become a professional photographer for a number of years.

College was not a waste for presidential candidate Obama either. Obama attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, then transferred to Columbia graduating with the class of '83. At the age of 27, Obama was accepted to Harvard University's law school, where he graduated magna *** laude - with great honors - and was elected president of the Harvard Law Review, responsible for editing the most prestigious publication. After graduating from Harvard, Obama returned to teach at the University of Chicago and work for a law firm specializing in civil rights. He created a voter registration drive that registered 150,000 new voters, spent 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, 8 years as a State Senator from Illinois representing a district with over 750,000 people, became chairman of the state senates Health and Human Services Committee, spend 4 years in the U.S. Senator representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees.

I would say that Barack Obama did not waste time in college and put his education to work.

re: For Most People, College is a Waste of Time

BecomingChloe — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:27:20 GMT

Whether or not a college degree is important is largely dependent on your career choice. I work in computer graphics, and employers in this field could care less if you've even spent a day in college. They just want to see what you can do on a demo reel. Too bad I found that out after earning 2 degrees!

re: For Most People, College is a Waste of Time

Lenette — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 03:15:42 GMT

College is not a waste of time unless you are a no brainer punk and have no common sense except to waste your parents money on a good education . A good education is hard to come by these days because its so expensive. Although thee are a lot of grants and federal aid to help someone who is serious about a good college education and having a successful life and a good future. In the job market they may just look at your resume for the fact that all you did was go to college for 2-4 years but it certainly helps to have the college experience and a good education behind you when you get ready to face the real world and looking for a good job in your field. So for those out there that are serious. Get the best education that you can!

re: For Most People, College is a Waste of Time

Conjeanneal — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 22:13:02 GMT

I can agree wholeheartedly with this premise. Perhaps 50 years ago, one could have had a good college education with a true liberal arts curriculum as the standard but instead of higher learning and true education today, we have the entrenched Marxist "professors" and their partners in the administrations of most colleges and universities to make sure the captive students get the proper world view and indoctrination! What passes for higher learning is nothing more than brainwashing with the intent to make the student a better one-world person.

There are so many sources for self education - and to acquire and hold common sense is priceless - not to mention character-building accomplished outside of these once noble institutions.

To start from the ground up, mentoring, networking, etc. accomplishes a better education than bankrupting oneself or family only to have the college for the sake of college-educated person really not fit for any job and left with a mammoth loan to repay.

I think the mad rush to go to college, should be deemphasized and more emphasis should be put on trade schools and other means of learning.

It is true as mentioned that very many of the world's most accomplished people never attended college!

re: For Most People, College is a Waste of Time

echopool — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:40:56 GMT

i think the important thing is to realize there's no sense in saying a college education is a waste of time or in saying that it is an absolute necessity. i believe there's a valid point to be made that a degree for the sake of a degree with no hunger to learn, no passion or drive to spur you on is a waste of time. we are able to collect more information than ever and have multiple paths available to us to pursue those things that bring out our gifts. i wasted 5 years in school before i dropped out after realizing all i wanted was to be a musician. it took plenty of time to get where i was going, but i make a comfortable enough living to support my family, and don't have to wake up loathing some tedious job that i abhor. i guess it comes down to how you define success...

re: For Most People, College is a Waste of Time

mooreb72 — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 17:59:01 GMT

I am going to have to disagree with parts of this article. I think most college kids waste the time they have, not the other way around. I decided to go back to school a couple of years ago, and I look around at my classmates now and I see maybe 1 in 50 that genuinely wants to learn and better themselves. Most kids just don't care, and are only there because it's "the next step".

In my field (Computer Science) it can be extremely difficult to find a job without a college degree. In most cases it is an immediate disqualifier if you don't have at least a B.S. because the field is competitive enough that there are plenty of applicants that have theirs and more. The ones who are getting by without a degree are the ones that got experience while industry was new and now they have loads of experience to offer. I was forced to go back to school because when I got out of the military with 10 years of experience, I was hard pressed to get any job that offered more than minimum wage. Why? Because I'm competing with other folks that have just as much experience as I do, but also have their degree. Certifications can be valuable as well, but they aren't a complete replacement. What I've done was to find a college program that also mirrors some industry certifications so that I can pursue both at the same time.

But all of this depends on where you want to work. Best bet is to do some research in your field, in your geographical area, and find out what gets folks hired.

re: For Most People, College is a Waste of Time

ToothChick — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 04:51:14 GMT

This is why you HOME-SCHOOL. So you get a REAL education before you go to college.

~Proud public school kindergarten drop-out, successful college grad twice over

re: For Most People, College is a Waste of Time

bforrest — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:40:50 GMT

I have to agree with FeeBird. I am extremely proud of my education. As a result of my degree, I increased my income significantly. At the time, I was a single parent, it not only contributed to a higher income so I could take care of my young children, it also broadened the scope of my thinking. It was an extreme esteem booster as you are validated with good grades, papers, etc. I found no politics involved in getting good grades. It was a refreshing diversion from the politics of the work environment.

Maybe, not everyone is inclined towards a formal education, however, I have always talked about it with my kids and they both have already picked out their university choices. Another reason that I believe that education is important is that the typical 18-22 year old does not yet know what they want to do. In many cases, being on the academic path will help you figure that out.

Sure, there are alot of college students partying like crazy, but then again, when I was in my early 20's, I wasn't in college, but I was partying up a storm too!

It's like everything else, you have to figure out what is best for you.

re: For Most People, College is a Waste of Time

Vixxen — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:45:18 GMT

My husband is a brilliant mechanic and race car builder. He can build the fastest cars around here but because he only has a couple of certificates for ODBI and ODBII in Ford its hard to get a good job where he's appreciated and paid well. He's working part time at Advance for 7.50 an hour trying to get on full time so he can move up to a shift manager. Even then he won't make more than 9.50 until raise time comes around and its hard to get more than a .50 raise even when your doing an awesome job. He should be running the store making 60,000 a year because he's got all the experience and knowledge, its just not on paper.

This country is all about paper. It has to look good on paper or its out.

I'll never finish school because I can't afford it even if I get financial aide. I've got too much to do with working full time and taking care of 2 step-daughters and since my husbands schedule is different all the time its just too much. I'd rather say where I am and work my way up here than spend the next 5 years taking night classes to get finished.

re: For Most People, College is a Waste of Time

Duparc — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:19:57 GMT

My education never progressed beyond that of primary level. I was an appalling truant! I just managed to master the 3Rs before becoming an office junior (1945) aged 14. On retirement (1989) I was the chief excutive officer of a government orgainsation.

My only ambition throughout my working life was a tad selfish; it was to earn as much money as I could to feed and cloth my family of wife and three daughters. Following a topic of interest could only be a dream. Life taught me that teriary education is solely that of opportunity and nothing more.

While in harness I had the task of lecturing to recruits. I was obliged to teach them what was in the organisation's manual which served only to confuse as what occurred in the field was entirely different!

A young single mother (an intelligent but neurotic female) took up teriary education at the local university as it provided her with more income than she could get from State benefit while unemployed. During the course of her studies I assisted her in compiling her essays and final thesis and she gained her degree. She then progressed through to an honours degree and again I assisted her with her studies and essays and she succeeded in obtaining this degree. She is now employed as a lecturer in an unrelated subject of which she knows almost nothing! How more crazy can this world become?

Interestingly, when helping her with her studies I discovered the same ignorance that existed when I was lecturing. The university subject matter being taught was 'old hat' and her learning was restricted to book lore of which the university, through lack of practical life experience, seemed incapable of advancing beyond what it was teaching!

Problems that I frequently encountered throughout life were those who set themselves up as being 'professional' but who were remote from reality and from what was happening in their own field of interest but, in particular, being inundated by propaganda from all sources.

re: For Most People, College is a Waste of Time

make-it-stop — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 10:42:06 GMT

For those of you who read to learn and have any amount of time I strongly encourage you to enlighten yourself (and others) about the history of education and mass schooling. You will be shocked and truly enlightened. This is not a conspiracy theory, this is factual, verifyable information presented by a very respectable inside source. I hope it makes you as angry as it did me ;P

enjoy

www.johntaylorgatto.com/.../toc1.htm

re: For Most People, College is a Waste of Time

Julieanne — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 09:02:42 GMT

alfalfa31

So true - critical thinking should be what education is all about. After all, many 'facts' change over time. Most of the facts I was taught at school are completely out of date now, so are useless.

I studied for a year to gain entrance to university (mature age entrance), then completed a year before a family crisis was so devastating I had to drop out. But I learned so much in that time, mainly to analyse and think critically about everything I heard and read. I continue my education by reading, and am forever thankful for what I learned in that two years.Unfortunately, I doubt that I would learn as much if I was doing the same thing today.

re: For Most People, College is a Waste of Time

B12 — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 03:41:29 GMT

If you are too young and immature(ie immature frontal lobes) forget university until you grow up. Starting at 19, I spent 3 of the best years of my life learning absolutely nothing,except how to be a complete jerk.I should have hired on a tramp steamer and seen the world. Don't try to get a degree in order to look good.Nobody I know "found themselves" at university.

re: For Most People, College is a Waste of Time

webwitch6 — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:41:17 GMT

College didnt do much for me except to kill my self esteem and bore me to tears. I was an honors student in high school, went into college for two years and hated it. For me it was pointless.

I didnt want to be an accountant, doctor, lawyer or secretary. Back in the day that was what my choices seemed to be. I was never a partyer-either.

I have had every job you can imagine, including receptionist and make up artist at a funeral home, paint matcher at a home improvement store, (when that was a real job), toilet bowl scrubber, dog groomer, donut fryer (that lasted two weeks as I started to look like a donut) healthcare assistant, accounts receivable clerk, secretary in training-several times, used car salesperson (ugh!) toy seller, plant specialist (ferns, not nuclear) beauty supply store manager, salesperson for dog food, ladies shoes and fake perfumes. Aaaahhhh.....OH YEAH. I also sold real estate, ran a small farm stand in NJ (yep, they have 'em there) and counter clerked for a dry cleaner and worked as a companion for people with senility or Alzheimers (sp).

College didnt offer as much as my experiences in the field did. Of course I am not a millionaire, but then none of my college educated friends are either. Most are looking at foreclosure or job losses now.

So, I am not sorry for my anti-college perspective.