Just reflecting...

[Fishindude77]

College is way over rated and way over promoted by the educational staff in our schools systems. They all have degrees, so they think all of their students should. If you pick up good reading, writing and mathematics skills sometime before getting out of HS, you have the basis to learn anything you want.

I went to work straight out of HS and was making good income while many counterparts were blowing their parents money at college and broke. That gave me a 4+ year head start. Bought first house in my early 20's, owned a business by 25 and have now comfortably retired at 57.

I have several friends who have operated similarly and have done very well. I do have a few college educated friends that have done well also, but on average I don't see a huge financial advantage with my college educated friends vs those with HS degrees. I do live in a somewhat rural low cost of living area which probably makes a difference. Seems like many that went to college moved off to bigger metro areas chasing the dollars.

When I sold the company last year we had 13 employees making salaries in excess of $75K and 2-3 of those were over $100K. About half of those folks have degrees. Meanwhile a 10 year teacher in this area that pushes college so hard is lucky to make $50K.

If I had a kid that was unsure today, last thing I would point them towards is college. I'd direct them towards a skilled trade of some type. Huge demand, the employer educates and trains you at no cost, you learn skills you can use the rest of your life, working conditions have never been better, and the pay is good and getting better every day due to a labor shortage.

This business of spending 4-6 years in college for some so-so degree and living under mom & dad's roof just puts off growing up. Most would be better served to just go to work somewhere.

[disneysteve]

If I had a kid that was unsure today, last thing I would point them towards is college. I'd direct them towards a skilled trade of some type.

It really depends on the kid. Some people are great with their hands, have artistic talent, like to take things apart and put them back together. If you have one of those kids, by all means, introduce them to the trades. Other kids are more academic - math, science, reading, writing. Those kids should be pointed toward fields that play to their strengths and that will likely involve college.

[Fishindude77]

Other kids are more academic - math, science, reading, writing. Those kids should be pointed toward fields that play to their strengths and that will likely involve college.

Plenty of jobs here that fit that skill set and don't require college also; surveying and layout, electrician, IT systems installer, tool & die, manufacturing equipment programming and set up, CAD draftsman, farm & heavy equipment trouble shooting & tech, construction superintendent or foreman, many types of sales, soil and materials testing, etc. These are just a few that come to mind. This work is much more technical than it used to be, things are cleaner, safer, everything operates off computers and electronics, etc.

Ever seen a modern corn planter? You don't just send a guy out with a box of wrenches to work on those things, it's all automated, air feed seeding, GPS controlled, etc.

[disneysteve]

Plenty of jobs here that fit that skill set and don't require college also; surveying and layout, electrician, IT systems installer, tool & die, manufacturing equipment programming and set up, CAD draftsman, farm & heavy equipment trouble shooting & tech, construction superintendent or foreman, many types of sales, soil and materials testing, etc. These are just a few that come to mind. This work is much more technical than it used to be, things are cleaner, safer, everything operates off computers and electronics, etc.

Ever seen a modern corn planter? You don't just send a guy out with a box of wrenches to work on those things, it's all automated, air feed seeding, GPS controlled, etc.

True. And there's a huge labor shortage in those areas. Of course, there's also a huge physician shortage. But just as not everyone is cut out to be a doctor, not everyone is cut out to be a service technician. There's no right path for everyone. We need the trades. We need college. We need technical schools. We need STEM majors. We need liberal arts majors. We need it all. Anybody who thinks otherwise is just plain wrong. If everyone decided to skip college and go into trades, that wouldn't work. If everyone decided to go to college and major in STEM fields and business fields, that wouldn't work either. Some people may think English or History or Art or Cultural Studies are worthless majors but where would we be without them?

[TexasHusker]

I do agree that, in terms of vocation, a college education is completely overrated. Then again, college isn't, and never was, intended as a vocational school.

On the other hand, we live in a world of credentials. If you don't have the credentials, then doors are closed for you. That's just the rules. I'm not changing them - I have to deal with them.

I think TSA screening passengers at the airport is completely overrated too, but if I want to fly commercial, I have to do it.

If you want to succeed in life, you'd better go earn some credentials, because that's the rules.

[~bs]

True. And there's a huge labor shortage in those areas. Of course, there's also a huge physician shortage. But just as not everyone is cut out to be a doctor, not everyone is cut out to be a service technician. There's no right path for everyone. We need the trades. We need college. We need technical schools. We need STEM majors. We need liberal arts majors. We need it all. Anybody who thinks otherwise is just plain wrong. If everyone decided to skip college and go into trades, that wouldn't work. If everyone decided to go to college and major in STEM fields and business fields, that wouldn't work either. Some people may think English or History or Art or Cultural Studies are worthless majors but where would we be without them?

well, the part of the issue nowadays is that pretty much all parents push their kids towards the traditional 4 years or more college even if the kid may be more well suited towards other types of work, and even has shown an interest in doing something besides "finding themselves" in college.

[Singuy]

Some people may think English or History or Art or Cultural Studies are worthless majors but where would we be without them?

I am betting the same place we are at now. Last time I checked, English is not being re-engineered to be better for mankind. You can write a book that revolutionizes storytelling without studying English. You can create art without going to art school, and you can learn about history by cracking open a book. Only the select few can self teach rocket science(Elon Musk for example)..the rest needs to really learn it from a higher institution. All that other stuff can be self taught...and since you are not obligated to cure cancer, engineer a synthetic heart, or put people on mars..no one really need you to be certified from a higher institution to write a book...or create music.

So if the individual is destined to do great things, then a useless degree is just wasted money and time. Do great things starting today..don't wait 4 years and 100k down before you start.

[Singuy]

I would have to go through my freshman and senior year yearbooks to get the correct numbers, but when I went to college, by the time I graduated, I was the ONLY female student that had been there 4 years straight! The stats may have twiddled the numbers and made it look like most of the girls became drop outs or Mrs. and so didn't complete college. What really happened to many of them was the took two years in the middle of college to get their nursing diploma and then came back for their fourth year and actually graduated with me. Others such as my roommate, took a year off to work so they could finish college. I would guess that close to 80-90% actually finished but not necessarily within 4 years. I wish I had thought about the nursing route for myself instead of taking four years of college where I got a somewhat useful degree and then having to go back to school in my 30's to become a nurse so I could get away from my ex.

Statistics never tell the whole story because they don't ask the whole story. I don't know how many polls I have come up against that never give any kind of leeway for unusual circumstances. And if I had unusual circumstances, then I am sure others did as well.

I can say this that my 4 years at college were four of the best years of my life. I may not have gotten a job paying out oodles of money but that was my intent in the first place. As I was at a very small college, I became surrounded by people that liked me and appreciated me. I hated to come home. So even though I didn’t come out making money, those four years were very special to me and left me changed forever.

Statistics doesn't tell the whole story so we should only rely on anecdotal evidence and gut feelings? No wonder there's an attack on facts that have gone through peer review and the scientific method...because you know..it doesn't line up with our anecdotal evidence and gut feelings.

[Thrif-t]

I just wanted to apologize to Thrift-t because this thread went totally off topic and became all about college, not what happens after college.

Personally, I don't think one's major determines whether or not they move back home. I think there's a lot more to it than that.

No apology necessary I'm enjoying reading the thread.