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Is a college education worth the money?

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Paul Keith:
Source: http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2010/06/07/100607taco_talk_mead

Professor Robert I. Lerman, of American University (Ph.D., M.I.T.), told the Times that high schools, rather than readying all students for college, should focus on the acquisition of skills appropriate to the workplace. According to the Times, these include the ability to “solve problems and make decisions,” “resolve conflict and negotiate,” “coöperate with others,” and “listen actively.”
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Renegade:
Wow. That's stunning. It sounds like he's advocating working after high-school. I find that incredible. A university education is pretty much mandatory to even think of escaping a dull life of poverty. What job with a decent income can you get without a university education? The only one that I can think of is being a drug dealer or getting into some other form of organized crime.

The skills he's advocating are surely good things, but not going to university?

According to the Times, eight out of the ten job categories that will add the most employees during the next decade—including home-health aide, customer-service representative, and store clerk—can be performed by someone without a college degree. “Professor Vedder likes to ask why fifteen percent of mail carriers have bachelor’s degrees,” the paper reported.

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Still... Chances for advancement in life come easier with education behind you.

The whole "job" thing is simply ridiculous. JOB = Just Over Broke.

I don't have a "job" and I most certainly make a lot more money than a lot of people, and it's all thanks to having an education.

Paul Keith:
True and I didn't find the article very compelling but his last paragraph did sum it up:

Indeed, if even a professionally oriented college degree is no longer a guarantee of easily found employment, an argument might be made in favor of a student’s pursuing an education that is less, rather than more, pragmatic. (More theology, less accounting.) That way, regardless of each graduate’s ultimate path, all might be qualified to be carriers of arts and letters, of which the nation can never have too many.
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It's also strangely popular on twitter and I got it from ycombinator's tweets so...there must be something to it.

As a person who lives in the Philippines, I could certainly understand and appreciate the necessity of the last paragraph.

With that said, I'm also speaking from the perspective of someone who has not gone to college but have witnessed the lack of influence intellectuals have on this country or if they do get farther in life, they use this as an opportunity to move away from the country (while just supporting their parents over here) rather than improve the country directly. That said there are many other factors related to their decision but I'm just saying...

Stoic Joker:
I have in my years met many people with college degrees that were (for all intent and purpose) practically useless (read dumber than a stump) in the real world. However HR types will fall all over themselves to get to these people.

Unfortunately, in todays job market, there is no way to get around the HR department barrier. HR goes through a stack of applicants (with approx half the skill of a basic keyword search) looking for a list of (bulleted) qualifications - Without the slightest understanding of what the qualifications actually are or mean. If the IT position requires a Masters Degree, and the applicant has a Masters Degree (in Lama breeding...) HR will accept the applicant instantly. IF the applicant has 10 of experience in IT and five star references, but no degree ... the applicant will be rejected by HR (instantly).

There is no substitute for a College Degree - Not because it makes you smart (because it doesn't), but because it makes you appealing to the chronically uninformed.

JavaJones:
1: Take the same 4 years you spend going through college and spend it at one job. Yes, you will start with a likely lesser-paying job (which does not require a degree), but if you pick the right company, within the 4 years you'll be promoted at least once, and have a couple of raises. Even if by the end you are not earning as much as you would with the degree you would have had, you have no college debt, you have in fact been earning money that entire time.

You're also gaining experience at the same time which many businesses do value as much as education in equivalent quantities. In other words imagine a job opening, and you have 1 candidate fresh out of college with a BA in a desirable subject, and another candidate with 4 years experience on the job in the field you're hiring for. Even an HR minion is going to have to pay some attention to those 4yrs of practical experience. Next imagine the scenario with an MA (6+yrs), or Ph.D. (8+yrs). 8 years practical job experience vs. a freshly graduated Ph.D. with no experience on the job outside of perhaps an internship? Hmm... Not to mention that it's 4 years for a BA if you're lucky these days, given recent cut-backs (at least here in California) resulting in fewer classes with less room, and thus needing more time to graduate (average is becoming 5 years).

And don't forget the debt is stacking up the whole time, so even if you're qualified for a higher paying position, you'll spend at least a few years paying off the debt, so you can tack those on to the job experience option too. Say you spend 2 years paying off debt, now we're talking 10 years on the job experience vs. the Ph.D. grad with 2 years experience. Which earns more? Which is more hireable? I'm not saying there's a clear winner, but I do think it's debatable enough that going to college shouldn't be a foregone conclusion for anyone. Sure, you'll have to accept a lesser position to start, but it can easily be worth it, especially at a good company.

We'll leave the possibility of company-sponsored education out of the consideration for now, but it definitely still happens... ;)

2: If the company you're applying for has a stupid HR department, try a different company. It's hard work, but we as the working masses can train the companies that hire us to value the right characteristics in how and where we choose (or choose not) to apply.

Now of course there are many jobs where the knowledge required to do the job is so specialized, a degree is virtually a necessity. But these jobs are generally in the minority. Practical education in high school and developing critical thinking skills would really be the best preparation for most jobs.

- Oshyan

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