Do you have a college degree?

[Keshet]

I have an AAS in Nursing. in 1979 I paid $400.00 to do a 1 yr. LPN program. After I worked at a hospital for 5 yrs. they paid my way to get the AAS. I've been an RN for 36 yrs. I've never been unemployed. I'm in a supervisory position and make about $100k a year. That original $400 was the best investment I ever made.

[cooliemae]

I've got a BS in Anthropology, which all said and told cost me around $25k, room and board included, but I paid for it as I went which left me debt free after college.

I've also got a MS in Management, which was paid for by work! =)

I would love to go back to school for a MS in Natural Resource Management, but I don't know if that'll happen, given the cost. It's crazy to think that even some of the cheapest (but respectable) online MS degrees still cost $15k. It's an online course for pete's sake.

[Jazzmint98]

associate's degree in dental hygiene

[james.hendrickson]

Yes, I have a masters degree in sociology from the University Of Maryland At College Park.

[TexasHusker]

From my vantage point, a college degree, or two, or three, does not necessarily equate to economic success or better jobs. Education does not necessarily open opportunities. But as many have stated, a Bachelors degree is as common as a high school diploma was several decades ago.

That said, the lack of higher education is most certainly a disqualifier:
If a company has ten candidates for a position, and eight have bachelors degrees, it is a pretty fair chance that the two without the degree are out of the picture. That's because whoever is hiring has to whittle down the list somehow, and lack of education provides a handy means of accomplishing the first round of cuts. And whoever has a graduate degree, I would say they have a better chance of making the final interviews, just due to their credentials.

Right or wrong, we live in a world of credentials, at least in the white collar world. If you do not have credentials after your name, then certainly you can achieve economic success, but it is normally going to be a much tougher climb. Even if you are OK living in the blue collar world, occupational training is still going to be a necessity.

[Gailete]

I have a degree, but the most interesting set of degrees that I ever saw was my first orthopedic surgeon. He had a bachelor's in mechanical engineering I think it was and then his MD. If you are going to go to a doc and have him work on your joints and hinges, it is nice to know that he really understand joints and hinges. He was also a professional clown! Talented guy and then moved away and I had to find a new doc

[TexasHusker]

I have a degree, but the most interesting set of degrees that I ever saw was my first orthopedic surgeon. He had a bachelor's in mechanical engineering I think it was and then his MD. If you are going to go to a doc and have him work on your joints and hinges, it is nice to know that he really understand joints and hinges. He was also a professional clown! Talented guy and then moved away and I had to find a new doc

Interesting but not that surprising. Surgeons and engineers share a lot of the same aptitudes and interests.

I used to volunteer at a local homeless shelter here, and the director told me that many homeless have personality types similar to entrepreneurs. Among the similarities is the insatiable passion for being independent, and a somewhat maverick/anti-establishment mentality.

[corn18]

Most interesting set of degrees I saw was a guy I flew with as a test pilot. He was a doctor of medicine, a lawyer and a test pilot. How the heck he got all those degrees in was a mystery, but one hellofa great guy.

[disneysteve]

He was also a professional clown! (

I had a friend in med school who was a year or two behind me who was a clown also.

[disneysteve]

Interesting but not that surprising. Surgeons and engineers share a lot of the same aptitudes and interests.

I used to volunteer at a local homeless shelter here, and the director told me that many homeless have personality types similar to entrepreneurs. Among the similarities is the insatiable passion for being independent, and a somewhat maverick/anti-establishment mentality.

I can definitely see the connection between surgeons, or doctors in general, and engineers. Both are very detail-oriented and problem-solvers.

And the info about the homeless doesn't surprise me either. Barring mental illness (or even with it), successfully living on the streets and largely off the grid takes a certain type of person.

[TexasHusker]

And the info about the homeless doesn't surprise me either. Barring mental illness (or even with it), successfully living on the streets and largely off the grid takes a certain type of person.

That's another thing I learned. The majority of homeless have mental illness.

I also learned that there is situational homelessness (job loss, etc.), generational homelessness, and homeless that is simply by choice. Some want to rise out of their homeless state, and for that we would help them. Some preferred to stay in their homeless state, and for that we would love them.

That was a very difficult concept for me to grasp, coming from a middle class type culture.

[~bs]

From my vantage point, a college degree, or two, or three, does not necessarily equate to economic success or better jobs. Education does not necessarily open opportunities. But as many have stated, a Bachelors degree is as common as a high school diploma was several decades ago.

That said, the lack of higher education is most certainly a disqualifier:
If a company has ten candidates for a position, and eight have bachelors degrees, it is a pretty fair chance that the two without the degree are out of the picture. That's because whoever is hiring has to whittle down the list somehow, and lack of education provides a handy means of accomplishing the first round of cuts. And whoever has a graduate degree, I would say they have a better chance of making the final interviews, just due to their credentials.

Right or wrong, we live in a world of credentials, at least in the white collar world. If you do not have credentials after your name, then certainly you can achieve economic success, but it is normally going to be a much tougher climb. Even if you are OK living in the blue collar world, occupational training is still going to be a necessity.

Agreed. In the white collar world, and especially if you're just making your start now. I know of white collar professionals without 4 year degrees. Some only had 2 year degrees or even no degrees, but worked their way up from the bottom to be where they're at today. But that was decades ago. Nowadays, the kids coming out of high school have no such opportunity except in blue collar jobs. The degree is an easy disqualifier for HR, who is all too willing to cross someone's name out for not meeting all the qualifications.

As far as interviews, for me personally, unless there's a specific reason or need for the additional education, all else equal, I'd rather take the candidate with a 4 year degree and 4-8 years work experience than the masters or doctorate guy with little or no experience. It depends on the field, but extra education supplements work experience, and not the other way around.

[Starry436]

Bachelors in Business. First in my family. I couldn't of gotten the title I have now without it but I also may plateau here without further graduate education or certifications, "letters after my name". That being said I'm one of the very few in my company with a degree so my thinking on education is looking into the future, for future positions elsewhere in my location.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

It really is so expensive and incomes have certainly not gone up 5x since 1980 say and college is easily 5x the cost. If the average income was $30k in 1980 it's not $60k but college is way more than double.

biology bs
phd biology
-switched to finances and financial planning

DH - chemistry bs
phd chemistry
mba
-switched to data science

I don't know what to tell our kids. I think we'll just be supportive and tell them to do something they love.

[~bs]

Before, one could easily pay in-state college tuition with a part time job and still have decent amount of money left over for savings and fun. Nowadays many public colleges are 5 figured, and that is excluding cost of room and board, books, lab fees, etc.