College Degree Value Decreasing

[deusavertat]

So you believe college is best suited for middle / working class folk? That’s interesting.

College is for upper class and upper middle class people who expect their children to have great white collar jobs. I don't agree with it but thats the way it is with exceptions (poor talented kids who get scholarships etc).

Some family's have to choose between a child going to college or helping run their small family business. The ceiling with for a college graduate is higher but it is too much of a financial gamble for many.

 

[deusavertat]

SUPER underrated alternative!

I know TONS of people who went to a community college for 2 years, crushed their courses and got perfect grades. Applied to Ivy league schools and have gone on to have fruitful careers. I'm not saying this is a "one size fits all" scheme. Obviously, you have to be considerate about what you study/career path you choose.

My favorite biology professor went to community College and transferred to Harvard.

Obviously you need to show you are Harvard material starting in high school. He was brilliant just couldn't afford it.

 

[KHUFU]

College was always more about the experience as opposed to simply getting a job after graduating. You learn more about being on your own, than you'll learn simply through study. It taught me to be able to manage my own money, take care of myself physically, maintain discipline, getting up in am even though I did not want to, getting to practice and then studying at the same time, also learning to be around people of different cultures, backgrounds.

I am not surprised that all of a sudden a degree is decreasing in value, when it is Black women who are crushing it and then graduating at a higher rate than everyone else in this country. It isn't a conspiracy, it is simply how the game is played in this country. I have always said that once Black people become Billionaires as in increasingly high rate, being a Billionaire will suddenly become immoral and illegal.

 

[Deleted member 42060]

It's really what you make out of the things you learn and are able to do. Certain college majors try to help you do that, obviously STEM. But they say the workplace, office, or real world is different than the classroom, and some people end up doing different things than what they studied. Some end up in different careers. Certain majors do offer better applications, so yes, STEM is one of the most solid albeit difficult degrees to obtain but give you better opportunities for jobs eventually. It helps you get your foot in the door, but people know generally connections, experience, and skills get you almost anywhere. And not all jobs are recession proof obviously. Let's be real, money has its value, in whichever way you get it.

 

[calibeebee]

After seeing half of our country not believe science and ignore the most basic concepts of public health, statistical analysis, etc......EVERYBODY IN THIS THREAD BETTER BE CLAMORING FOR GETTING COLLEGE EDUCATED.

the “ I diD mY oWn ReSEarCh!” Crowd needs to die off for real.

 

[ace]

Nah having at least a bachelors matters but who you know/being a likable right fit weighs heavier than what school you went to and what grades you got. I graduated in the bottom 10% of my class and nobody has yet to give a damn. Obviously depending on what you want to do i.e. practice law or something would require grad school and exam passing, but you never know. Epstein made it to Wall Street as a dropout, in the business world in particular credentials don’t mean squat if somebody believes you are “their guy.”

 

[jape]

You can’t use extraordinary exceptions as the example though.

 

[deusavertat]

Nah having at least a bachelors matters but who you know/being a likable right fit weighs heavier than what school you went to and what grades you got. I graduated in the bottom 10% of my class and nobody has yet to give a damn. Obviously depending on what you want to do i.e. practice law or something would require grad school and exam passing, but you never know. Epstein made it to Wall Street as a dropout, in the business world in particular credentials don’t mean squat if somebody believes you are “their guy.”

People like Epstein fell through the cracks and are isolated incidents. You would be surprised how much where you went to school plays into the politics of corporate America.


Grades and where you went to college DOES get factored into getting accepted to grad school, especially the best ones. Applying to medical school a 3.3 GPA from MIT or Harvard may be seen as more favorable than a 4.0 from a low ranked state school. Coming from someone who has had to take a hard science at another school during the summer after dropping it during the regular term I can tell you the rigors between schools are not created equal.

I got an A doing pretty much close to zero studying in the two prereq science classes I took outside my college.

 

[ace]

You can’t use extraordinary exceptions as the example though.

I agree. Just saying he wasn’t the first nor last. Bright people finesse their way through the ranks everyday.

 

[SneakerProSr.]

Are you gonna make your kids go to college?

Yes because I have enough wealth as to where they won't have any debt.

 

[ace]

People like Epstein fell through the cracks and are isolated incidents. You would be surprised how much where you went to school plays into the politics of corporate America.


Grades and where you went to college DOES get factored into getting accepted to grad school, especially the best ones. Applying to medical school a 3.3 GPA from MIT or Harvard may be seen as more favorable than a 4.0 from a low ranked state school. Coming from someone who has had to take a hard science at another school during the summer after dropping it during the regular term I can tell you the rigors between schools are not created equal.

I got an A doing pretty much close to zero studying in the two prereq science classes I took outside my college.

Everyone’s story is different. Hate to tell my brothers biz but he got into Michigan School of Law as a Duke grad with a sub 3.0 gpa after missing 4 semesters due to a suspension for embezzlement. He started his personal statement with “I was in jail.” Much like school, the working world wants to hear a good story vs. the cookie cutter 3.5gpa bookworm never been through anything or had to think outside the box guy. I know Duke to Michigan is typically a easy acceptance but he barely graduated to begin with.

 

[deusavertat]

After seeing half of our country not believe science and ignore the most basic concepts of public health, statistical analysis, etc......EVERYBODY IN THIS THREAD BETTER BE CLAMORING FOR GETTING COLLEGE EDUCATED.

the “ I diD mY oWn ReSEarCh!” Crowd needs to die off for real.

Yea man the scientific and mathematical illiteracy or anti intellectual culture in this country is a pandemic. Other developed countries treat college as a given and are probably far more educated than we are before college.

 

[numbah1]

For the cost in the USA, I would say college isn't worth it for most 18 year olds.

For some I would recommend the military. One enlistment in the Air Force or Coast Guard gets you 36 months of college benefits. That's tuition, housing, and books paid for. I think that's a better deal than graduation with 50K worth of debt.

For most I would recommend doing ROTC in college. Always good to have a backup plan.

There is no one size fits all. But we can all agree that higher education is far too expensive in the States. When I went to trade school the cost was $7,000. That's still a lot of money for the average family. And like university, trade schools aren't for everyone.

 

[deusavertat]

Everyone’s story is different. Hate to tell my brothers biz but he got into Michigan School of Law as a Duke grad with a sub 3.0 gpa after missing 4 semesters due to a suspension for embezzlement. He started his personal statement with “I was in jail.” Much like school, the working world wants to hear a good story vs. the cookie cutter 3.5gpa bookworm never been through anything or had to think outside the box guy. I know Duke to Michigan is typically a easy acceptance but he barely graduated to begin with.

Imagine if he didn't go to Duke. In fact your story kinda proves my point. Grad schools are willing to forgive a lot of things just because of the school you went to.

If he went to jail AND graduate from a no name school his application would have been thrown in the garbage.

 

[Jpdedc14]

What if their passion was in the arts or something like archaeology?

My GF has a masters in graphic design
Just gonna say the course work doesnt seem to be worth the price BUT thats on employers demands as much as it is on students

 

[WASHED KING]

In its current form America’s educational system as a whole is a scam.

 

[deusavertat]

In its current form America’s educational system as a whole is a scam.

If our tax revenue wasn't wasted on nonsense, it wouldn't be. America has the funds to provide every youth in this country with at least a Bachelors degree, the powers that be and MAGA politics won't allow it.

 

[s0lefunk]

Yes because I have enough wealth as to where they won't have any debt.

Hopefully that’ll be the case for me when the time comes. Better yet if they got a full ride.

Hard for me to imagine a scenario where I do not require they go to college right after HS. If they truly love cars or something then ok, trade school. But they will work towards a Bachelors degree in their 20s.

I see a stark difference in lifestyle between the people I know with degrees and without them. That’s enough for me.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

I will for sure support that.

Does support mean you WON'T attempt to make them reconsider though?

Legit question.

 

[Fozz]

Does support mean you WON'T attempt to make them reconsider though?

Legit question.

No, that doesn’t mean that. We would definitely offer them suggestions on other degree/career choices. I’d like to have that open dialogue with them.

 

[deusavertat]

No, that doesn’t mean that. We would definitely offer them suggestions on other degree/career choices. I’d like to have that open dialogue with them.

Yea I wouldn't completely dismiss it without having a conversation of what my kid plans on doing with that major. But if they are studying it at Harvard frankly I wouldn't care at all what they planned on doing with it.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

Is there a, "Fake Transcript" Black Market out there as of today?

 

[$tacy]

My son legit asked me does he have to go to college a few months ago. Since his mother is (nursing) and I didn’t. I told him in short, **** no. I’m all for trade schools and teaching u the ropes of working contacts and who u know. Unless what he absolutely needs to go to school for what he wants to do, I’d say don’t do it. I got 1 side of my family who all got degrees and 1 side that all got trades/jobs..... the trade/job side makes/made more.

 

[deusavertat]

It really depends on what you want your kid's potential and ceiling to be.

Astronaut, engineer, physicians, dentists, pretty much all the STEM fields require a college degree. We can throw out anecdotes all day but the reality is you are limited in what you can do without one. A person with a college degree can become a mechanic but a person without one can NEVER become a physician.

 

[AZwildcats]

The stats don’t lie, higher education usually equals higher paying jobs. Obviously there are exceptions, but it’s just the hard truth.

So yes, I am a huge advocate of going to college