Your mom goes to college.

[Rolf Harris]

it's pretty much the same here in the UK, unless you have well off parents that can afford all your rent and bills. it's pretty hard to do certain courses. in my experience anyway...

 

the norm here is to go to school. come out at aboot 18 then fuck about for a few months in the summer and then go to uni.

 

i went to uni for two years. realised it was dog shit. and fell oot with my tutors. now i work as a carpenter with my dad. i'm still an apprentice but only for a couple more months.

 

and soon enough. doing certain jobs i should be making anything from £800-£1200 a week, sometimes more. granted it could be as low as £250 a week

still in the long run. if i work hard enough at a job i really enjoy. i'll propbably be earning more than a lot of my friends that have degrees and massive debts they'll be paying off for fuck knows how long...

[Akrisone]

[da1lyoperations]

education is amazing, learning is amazing, being educated is amazing. The education system is a joke.

 

Like this guy a lot.

 

Nah, I'm saying it starts you off running instead of having to try all the failed shit out that has been tried in the past so as to keep up progress.

 

In my opinion, everybody eats like shit for the most part. Even vegetarians who think they are healthy are fooling themselves. Whatever though. The USDA is evil.

 

Traveling broke is stressful and money comes in handy a lot when you get stuck in shitty situations. I'm not talking about large amounts of money here, but some is better than none and transportation is expensive.

 

I don't think that's always true. I came out of school and within a few months was working in I.T making pretty good money, something I'd had experience with before and the place was pretty casual. That didn't work out after a bit so I moved on. A bit of trial and error but no major set backs. I'm making small money now but I love what I do.

 

While I was working that first job after school I ran into a few people who had gone to uni with the idea that they knew what their life plan was. Some of them had already dropped out of a couple of courses after the first year or two, which had already left them in debt.

 

I'm happy that I've had no debt, I spend moderately and only when I can justify it. I would have hated to go through 3-4 years of uni only to come out and work the next couple of years to pay off all of my debts. Money isn't my main goal at all but I don't want to have -$. I have been thinking about taking a few TAFE courses at about $400 each, just to brush up on some things. But really, it's a piece of paper in the end. I would rather be hired for my skills and competence to do the job, and be paid a moderate amount then to earn big bucks because I've invested 4 years and a lot of money to come out with a degree.

 

That's me personally though, I learn through getting out there and doing things, fucking up and realising what went wrong. Sitting through lectures is a waste of my money and time. (Only the first 2 paragraphs were really in response to you gasfacevictm)

 

To add some statistics to this thread:

 

For-profit colleges slammed by student loan repayment data:

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/aug/16/business/la-fi-for-profit-colleges-20100816

 

The gist is: 54% of public college graduates default on their loans because they cant get jobs/don't make enough money. 56% of private non-profit school grads default, and TWO THIRDS of for-profit schools' graduates default on their loans.

 

That means statistically, you're more likely to be in crushing debt after graduation with no way to pay it back than not. How's college looking now?

If you read that article its amazing to me that for-profit schools even GET federal funding at all.

 

That's exactly what I'm talking about! You still end up working a shitty part time job to pay back half of your student loans, etc...

[thecarwreck]

Fuck a for-profit "college"--that shit preys on the disenfranchised who have been fed the "you need to go to college" line but are uncertain of the guts of getting into college. But keep in mind that for-profit ≠ private college/university. BIG difference there. Don't conflate the two... those for-profit scams should be fucking torched and the "deans" wrung for all they're worth.

 

And yes, a lot of private schools are money-driven, but a MASSIVE amount of that cash comes from alumni who've made serious bank after graduating (usually with something other than a humanities degree...something in the sciences or "business").

 

A massive part of doing the college thing is to realize that, for example, an MBA does not mean shit without experience. Just like saying "I wired my sister's surround system" doesn't mean shit to a master electrician or the IBEW... it's a start but you have to put time and effort in, just like anything else.

 

I'm biased because this shit is my life... teaching, advising, blah blah blah, all the ins and outs of academe can be 100% bullshit if you go into it blind or thinking "degree=success" (which is tantamount to going in blind)... but it's not for everyone. Any time someone's like "of, I tried that but couldn't do it (sad face)" I get just tell them it's like anything else--you have to find your own shit and do it... it's like everyone saying "Oh, yo, you have to _______ because that'll make you successful" Fuck a blanket statement like that.

[gasfacevictm]

You can also move to a 3rd world country and teach english like thailand, guam, brazil, etc.

 

3rd world countries pay enough for you to live while you are working there. If you plan on having any type of decent experience while being there you can't save money.

 

As for the debt thing, I know tons of people in debt up t their eyeballs from school loans. It sucks for them. I got lucky and went through on scholarships and grants. So, that shit was worth it.

[injury]

THe older you get the more you realize this isnt how it works. You graduate college and you realize you're four years behind the people who didn't go. You've also lost all your life skills like how to be social and how to have fun because all you've focused on are those stupid fucking skills that were SUPPOSED to get you the job you always wanted. Never works out that way. Chances are you're going to graduate and get a job you've never heard of for a company you didnt know existed....IF YOU'RE LUCKY. Most people get out of college and dont even find work. Sometimes it's because there's no jobs, other times they wont hire you because you're overqualified. You also have issues with stress, anxiety, depression, anger and regret because you just wasted all your money and youth on something really fucking stupid. It's ok tho, because there's a whole community of college grads out there that have the exact same problems, so there's something for everybody to bond over.

 

As far as the wife, kids, and nice neighborhood. If that's whats going to make you happy, why are you waiting to get done with college? Sounds like a huge waste of time.

 

you are a disillusioned angry trust funder...

listen carefully.

 

when you graduate from college, you ARE behind people in the sense that you are just now starting out in the world at age 22 as opposed to people who graduated/didnt graduate and started life at 17/18. ideally, that should be all.

 

"you've lost all your life skills like how to be social and have fun." WOW... so you can't drink shitty alcohol if you're in college? find easy women types? because you're in college? silly... what do you do outside of school that is "better" or "realer?" seriously, enlighten me.. if you come back on some "i rode trains/freeloaded/hitchhiked for a month" shit, i'll laugh...

 

If you waste your time in college you'll graduate and not have a job. If you don't waste your time you'll have a job offer (or two) waiting for you when you graduate and hopefully already have experience in the field you want to go into. it's pretty simple.

 

and do "most people" really graduate and not find a job? maybe if they start their job search when they get home and realize the only thing they know is every bartender in the city... don't be a fucking bum, you control where you end up. start making connections higher up in your desired field, seek internships, jobs, recommendations, anything! nothing will fall into your lap especially in this economy.

 

and as for issues with "stress, anxiety, depression, anger and regret..."

:lol:

my parents would smack the shit out of me if i told them i "hated college" because of something like that. they were the first generation in their families to go to college. i'm the second. i'm in school because i'm taking out loans and wanted to be here.

 

i'm sure if you're wealthy you can afford to muse over your corny insecurities with your therapist. i have bills to pay and a life to attend to... no thanks.

 

Props, by the way, to people who didnt go to college but found a job and worked hard to keep it...

[injury]

and finally if you don't want to go to college or don't see the point... then don't go.

 

christ.

[SOBER-GENTLEMAN-ONER]

Fuck a for-profit "college"--that shit preys on the disenfranchised who have been fed the "you need to go to college" line but are uncertain of the guts of getting into college. But keep in mind that for-profit ≠ private college/university. BIG difference there. Don't conflate the two... those for-profit scams should be fucking torched and the "deans" wrung for all they're worth.

 

And yes, a lot of private schools are money-driven, but a MASSIVE amount of that cash comes from alumni who've made serious bank after graduating (usually with something other than a humanities degree...something in the sciences or "business").

 

A massive part of doing the college thing is to realize that, for example, an MBA does not mean shit without experience. Just like saying "I wired my sister's surround system" doesn't mean shit to a master electrician or the IBEW... it's a start but you have to put time and effort in, just like anything else.

 

I'm biased because this shit is my life... teaching, advising, blah blah blah, all the ins and outs of academe can be 100% bullshit if you go into it blind or thinking "degree=success" (which is tantamount to going in blind)... but it's not for everyone. Any time someone's like "of, I tried that but couldn't do it (sad face)" I get just tell them it's like anything else--you have to find your own shit and do it... it's like everyone saying "Oh, yo, you have to _______ because that'll make you successful" Fuck a blanket statement like that.

 

^ This. Me and a few friends and a couple of class mates have been talking about this kind of stuff off and on for the past few days. I feel like College isn't the definitive answer to your prayers to succeed in life. If anything the reason so many people fail in life is because they're set up to be dreamers when they're little kids. Its not bad to dream but you have to be a realist as well. The way I look at it now is a wish/dream is something you want but just expect to happen. You need to have goals and plans to get to them, and will have to more than likely bust your ass and go through some financial kicks in face to get through it. If I had kids I wouldn't bullshit them and tell them you can do whatever you want when you grow up, I would give them the whole picture yeah you can attempt to do whatever you want but you should do what your best in which takes time to find, and doesn't always lie in school.

 

The Irony of the go to college or don't go debate is it costs money for some to get a degree in a field that's not meant for them so you basically pay to get in debt for your degree which may pay you peanuts what it cost to get it. Then on the other hand some jobs are bias as hell and automatically assume any ass with a piece of paper that says they graduated a college is a qualified candidate for the job, and they will look past or not even give a glance to more qualified people who choose not to pay 20k+ for that piece of paper. Either way you look at if you choose to go to school or not you probably learn connections, being determined and proactive towards taking what you know your qualified for or deserve and being resourceful will help move you forward in the career/life journey.

[Gnarly Sheen]

To add some statistics to this thread:

 

For-profit colleges slammed by student loan repayment data:

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/aug/16/business/la-fi-for-profit-colleges-20100816

 

The gist is: 54% of public college graduates default on their loans because they cant get jobs/don't make enough money. 56% of private non-profit school grads default, and TWO THIRDS of for-profit schools' graduates default on their loans.

 

That means statistically, you're more likely to be in crushing debt after graduation with no way to pay it back than not. How's college looking now?

If you read that article its amazing to me that for-profit schools even GET federal funding at all.

 

This is all true. A buddy of mine graduated from University of Miami in 08 and he's still working odd jobs. Another just graduated from Columbia University in Chicago and is working in a pizza place for the time being (this may actually be circumstantial).

 

I recently read an article (that someone may have previously discussed) shedding light on college grads who were unable to find work and heading the skill route. Students with engineering degrees (granted you should go to grad school to further pursue this) were seeking apprenticeships with electricians, etc.

 

I personally don't have a problem with college, I want to be a teacher. However, I do feel that instead of planting the idea in a high school students head that college is the only way to succeed, We should also push the option to becoming a blue collar worker. Hell, if I could do it all over again I'd probably just go back and say fuck college and become an electrician or a carpenter.

 

There's too much text in this thread, no one going to read this.

[Realism]

You've also lost all your life skills like how to be social and how to have fun because all you've focused on are those stupid fucking skills that were SUPPOSED to get you the job you always wanted.

 

I missed this in your wall of text, but what kind of a goddamn recluse are you? Like I said in my last post, college is one of the most social times in your life, if not the most social.

 

I mean sure, college sucks if you're just hunched over your computer all the time and banging on your ceiling because the people above you are too loud, but then again that would make you the type of person that probably doesn't have a clue about being fun or social in the first place.

 

You really come off like you're only trying to say "fuck da system man!" and aren't really thinking about what you're saying just because your classes are stressing you out.

[Pet]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember hearing an interview with a gay lawyer the other day

 

He simply said he went to law school to be able to fund his life in the future

 

~30 and been on a few round-the-world-trips, staying at luxury hotels

 

Working when willing

 

Running a gay club

 

"Haters gonna hate"

[morton]

Degrees are like guns, better to have one and not need it than to need one and not have it.

[dosa312]

Soup... I say do what makes you happy and dip out to Hawaii. Back in 2000 I sold everything I had and took a five year vacation to Hawaii where all I did was chill and go fish. It's not a bad life if you're cool with simplifying. I eventually had to get back to normal life but it was well worth the experience.

[gasfacevictm]

Why is Hawaii the end goal here if you want to sit on a beach and fish?

Why not just move to some 3rd world dirt poor island and live even cheaper?

Do you hear good things about the meth in Hawaii from Dog the bounty hunter?

[publicenemyno.3]

college is fun. you get drunk, you get laid, you write papers and put off being an adult for awhile longer. i spent 9 years doing that to get to a master's and my job isn't that great, but it pays the bills and i'm happy. the student loan repayments suck but i'm glad i did it because i can probably kick all of your asses at jeopardy.

[DurkStevens]

All I want is to go to school and get a 2 year degree. I'll be content after that I'm hopin..

[Decyferon]

College/University is worth doing if you are actually studying something that will end up being your career (medicine, law etc) but if you are going to study some shit like sociology or psychology just to get an extra few years before you actually have to work for a living then it is pointless.

 

I know so many graduates with good degrees doing the same job as me and they don't stand a chance of actually doing anything with their degrees, and because I kinda couldn't be bothered with college I have all the work experience and will be chosen over them for everything everytime.

 

Work experience trumps a degree everytime.

[Soup]

you are a disillusioned angry trust funder...

listen carefully.

 

when you graduate from college, you ARE behind people in the sense that you are just now starting out in the world at age 22 as opposed to people who graduated/didnt graduate and started life at 17/18. ideally, that should be all.

 

"you've lost all your life skills like how to be social and have fun." WOW... so you can't drink shitty alcohol if you're in college? find easy women types? because you're in college? silly... what do you do outside of school that is "better" or "realer?" seriously, enlighten me.. if you come back on some "i rode trains/freeloaded/hitchhiked for a month" shit, i'll laugh...

 

If you waste your time in college you'll graduate and not have a job. If you don't waste your time you'll have a job offer (or two) waiting for you when you graduate and hopefully already have experience in the field you want to go into. it's pretty simple.

 

and do "most people" really graduate and not find a job? maybe if they start their job search when they get home and realize the only thing they know is every bartender in the city... don't be a fucking bum, you control where you end up. start making connections higher up in your desired field, seek internships, jobs, recommendations, anything! nothing will fall into your lap especially in this economy.

 

and as for issues with "stress, anxiety, depression, anger and regret..."

:lol:

my parents would smack the shit out of me if i told them i "hated college" because of something like that. they were the first generation in their families to go to college. i'm the second. i'm in school because i'm taking out loans and wanted to be here.

 

i'm sure if you're wealthy you can afford to muse over your corny insecurities with your therapist. i have bills to pay and a life to attend to... no thanks.

 

Props, by the way, to people who didnt go to college but found a job and worked hard to keep it...

I'm pretty sure the saying isnt "college is what you make of it." but rather "Life is what you make of it."

 

And it sounds like you'd rather just work and dont even want to be in college but do it because your parents would smack you if you didnt. Sounds like you're being insulting and authoritative because you lack the social skills not to. Sounds like you're like every other college student. The hypocrisies in what you're saying and doing are stacking up, and that's the reality every college grad has to deal with when they get out.

 

You really want to be an asshole or do you want to work on building rapport? That's something you'll need to find job placement. What you're really tying to say in that post? How does one waste time in college? How does one use their time in college wisely? HOw does one line up multiple jobs before even graduating college? Most of my friends have been sitting at home two years after graduating, filling out hundreds of resumes and taking whatever bullshit job they can get. Not to mention the stacks of student loans and credit card bills they have to deal with. Help them out.

[Reuben Kinkaid]

You only need to go to college if you plan on having a career that requires you have a college degree in that field. You can't just walk in to an engineering job or something straight out of high school. But if you want to say own your own record store or be a photographer or something, you just need a basic understanding/talent in the field and work your way up.

 

The problem I think lies in the pressure that college is the be all end all and it forces kids to make rash decisions about their future. None of my friends and I went to college straight out of high school, and I think we're all better off as far as actually enjoying our life than some of the other people I knew who are all stuck in some shitty corporate job working 9-5 with 10 days vacation a year being shit on by their boss. In fact, now that I think of it, I don't think I have a single friend who actually graduated college, and those that did go, myself included, dropped out because we realized it's not worth getting in to thousands of dollars worth of debt to do something that our hearts really weren't in to.

 

This is probably reiterating what's been said for the last 4 pages but I didn't feel like reading it all....

[thecarwreck]

^^^ Word. I'd recommend that, unless you're at least 80-95% sure that you want to do college, you should hook up a year or 2 of community college to test the waters. (Wasn't there a thread about this a while back?) It's what got me to straighten my shit out after getting booted for shit grades (but reeeeaaalllly good skateboarding) from my fresh-out-of-high-school college attempt. Good transition if you're into it; not a whole lot lost if you're not.

[Dark_Knight]

Fuck college for me...Actully ill probably go back at some point in my life, but i got connections out the ass and can find jobs like nothing. God im a fucking champion.

[Soup]

I dont really have it in me to type out how fucked up the architectural educational system is. So let me make some sweeping (but true) generalizations.

 

-Sleep is a rare commodity

 

-The department is one of the most competitive and anti-social departments on every college campus. Lots of drama ensues.

 

- Your education has nothing to do with the architectural niche market you're trying to go into.

 

-They only teach you how to make a building stand up in theory. Its all about design principles, which you dont use because after graduation you spend four years doing menial work in CAD. (ahhh the life of a CAD monkey.)

 

-Architects are not qualified to engineer a building, which is something every architectural student wants to be qualified to do, so nobody is qualified for the job they really want after graduation. How weird is that for an educational system to refuse to qualify students for the jobs they want?

 

-You went into architectural school in hopes of learning how to build small cheap environmentally sustainable residential dwellings. YOu came out of it with no idea how to build that shit, but you need a job, so you accepted being a CAD monkey. After five years your spirit is broken and you'll do anything, so long as you never have to look at another cad program again. You're now the designer of some skyscraper facade, far removed from your once lovable dream of building adobe houses. But who cares, you've gone from making 30-50k in five years. Welcome to the corporate life. Oh and you're STILL not even accredited as a real architect. You've still got 2 more years of in-field training and tests to take.

 

-80% of all architecture is politics. They dont teach you how to deal with that in school either.

[MrChupacabra]

BROAD SWEEPING GENERALIZATIONS ABOUT EVERYONE WHO WENT TO COLLEGE. HAIR STYLISTS. HEAD INJURIES.

 

Seriously though, who the fuck cares what other people do? If you're happy to live in your parents house dreaming about being a fisherman - no sweat off my back. If you didn't go to college, got a job and are happy with your life - good for you. If you went to college, went hugely into debt, and work at TJ Maxx - i don't give a shit. If you went to college, your degree helped you get a job, and you're happy with your life - good for you.

 

A degree doesn't mean you're set for life or that you'll do better than someone who didn't go to college, but it certainly opens some doors depending what you want to do with your life/career. At the end of the day, unless you're one of the lucky few, you're gonna have to work for it either way. Trying to hate on everyone who chose a different path in life than you, or who has different ideas of what will make them happy is fucking stupid. Stop worrying about what everyone else is doing and do you.

[Soup]

Chupz dude, I dont even know how to respond to that. It's like you're talking to be but at the same time it's all over the place so I dunno what you're even trying to say.

[MrChupacabra]

To be fair, I haven't really read much in here, but everything i've read has seemingly been complaining about other peoples' life choices/goals or making generalized statements about how college isn't worth it for anyone.

 

I'm just saying that different people have different goals, different things that make them happy, different outlooks on life and that there's no sense in sweating what other people do with their lives.

[earmuffs]

Why is it my fucking hair stylist

 

Stopped reading right there. Gay.

[SwampFightOner]

Soup is a strange person. He seems very mentally unstable sometimes

[Realism]

He also clearly is UMAD about a lack of friends at school

[Soup]

To be fair, I haven't really read much in here, but everything i've read has seemingly been complaining about other peoples' life choices/goals or making generalized statements about how college isn't worth it for anyone.

 

I dont even know how you construed that. That's the exact opposite of what everybody's saying. I'm really upset by the number of people I meet who self-depreciate because they either didnt go to college, or they did and now they're stuck with little more than a huge debt.

 

All this discussion is about is how different the reality of college is compared to the rhetoric you were told prior to enrolling. If this is thread worth contributing to you should probably read it first.

[Soup]

IN all honesty, I hate both ways of living. Going to college, not going to college and working shitty jobs. It's two sides of the exact same coin. That coin being this ratrace we participate in and judge everybody else based on their participation. If you're disillusioned and just want to say "fuck it all." you're a lazy bum. Or you call them a trust fund kid, regardless of how rich or poor they actually are. Theres no interest in getting to know people for who they are anymore. People just as well assume the worst from their fellow man and keep on moving along in the rat race.

 

I guess it all comes down to what you find more important: reality, or being the best at the game. Make no mistake about it either, you can't have it all. In this life you can either have life skills, or you can have professional skills, but never do you find someone balanced in both and successful in either.

 

I just find myself happier and enjoying the company of those that rather not give a fuck about college or esteemed professions, but here I am on the other side of the tracks, taking courses and jusifying it with the exact same bullshit as every other college student, regardless of what I truely believe.