getting a degree

[canuckhead]

i've heard everywhere that people with degrees tend to earn more than people without degrees. Is this true? i'm guessing the response here would probably be 50-50. But i'm just wondering if the chance of getting a high-paying job is actually better if u have a degree?

[nicorette]

i believe so. im getting ready for college so ive talked with lots of college administrators and got lots of information. not in ALL aspects is it true. i think an entrepreneur COULD make a lot more money than some jobs with degrees (such as teaching). but id go with the degrees. i think there are some exceptions, but for the most part i think a degree would come with a more higher-paying job.

[annie24]

Depends on so many things. What do you want a degree in? Does the job you want require a degree?

[Haven]

I'm pretty sure that's the general rule. It does depend a little on the job and the kind of degree, but generally people with degrees can get the more high-paying careers than people without degrees.

[teacup]

Are you trying to decide whether to go to college?

[phantomwolff85]

I would say go to college unless you really feel that the job you want does not need a degree. Not ony is college interesting it's also fun and I'm glad I didn't miss it.

[friscodj]

College rules...that's all I have to say...

[canuckhead]

Are you trying to decide whether to go to college?

 

No actually i'm in my 2nd year (BA) but it's just that i really feel like moving (outta my parent's place) and to just start working full-time. but i also want a good career (good-paying too). However, some of my high-school friends didn't go to college but they've moved out already, so i'm just wondering if a degree is really necessary. not only that, but i've also heard some people who have degrees but still don't get the jobs that they want (and still get stuck with the low-paying, goin-nowhere jobs)...so it's just making me kinda second-guess if what i'm doing right now is really worth it.

[whatsagirltodo]

I'm pretty sure that's the general rule. It does depend a little on the job and the kind of degree, but generally people with degrees can get the more high-paying careers than people without degrees.

 

I agree, however, I believe that I am one of the few exceptions...if you work in state or federal government (which I have worked in both and continue to work for my state) the pay is good, the benefits are great, I get a raise every year, I can switch jobs no hassle, and I have job security!

 

...Keep in mind, I'll be 20 in July. (I have no college at all, and I make almost $25,000 a year and I don't need a degree to move up to a higher paying position. I actually have a job interview on Monday for a position that's a step higher then what I am now.)

[annie24]

No actually i'm in my 2nd year (BA) but it's just that i really feel like moving (outta my parent's place) and to just start working full-time. but i also want a good career (good-paying too). However, some of my high-school friends didn't go to college but they've moved out already, so i'm just wondering if a degree is really necessary. not only that, but i've also heard some people who have degrees but still don't get the jobs that they want (and still get stuck with the low-paying, goin-nowhere jobs)...so it's just making me kinda second-guess if what i'm doing right now is really worth it.

 

well..... what do you want to do?

 

do you just want money, or do you want a career that will make you happy? you can do both, you know....

 

what do you want to do with your life?

[friscodj]

Just remember, a college degree is probably the only wordly thing no on can ever take away from you...

[CarnelianButterfly]

What I want to do requires a degree. There are many jobs that are the same, they can only be done with extensive education. It really depends on what you want to do, if you love working on cars you can go to a tech school save money on your schooling, but still get a good paying job. However, if you want to design those cars, you'll need a BS in engineering at the very least. It also depends on how much work you're willing to put into your further education. At my school, only about 60% of entering students will actually graduate with an engineering degree.

[Dako]

IMHO,

If your only concern is a big income, then yes, go for it, but major in something tailored for a big career. Maybe an MBA or some financial field that will might bore you to death but keep you in a lavish lifestyle.

 

If you want to get an understanding of how the world operates because you're curious and want to learn, it might be good for you to begin a quest for knowledge that might include a degree in something you have a feeling for.

 

 

Either way, college is a good idea.

[Daddy Bear]

i can't think of any advantage to not having a degree.

[annie24]

i can't think of any advantage to not having a degree.

 

well.... if you are unhappy there, that is one.

 

or, the cost of attending college, tuition, books, while not being able to have a real job for 5 years.

[Dako]

I dropped out of college because I was unhappy there.

[annie24]

I loved college. It was the best 5 years of my life. I didn't need to take a 5th year, but I loved the campus (UC Santa Barbara), I love learning and science, love the beach. It was really the best years of my life. heaven on earth.

[canuckhead]

well..... what do you want to do?

 

do you just want money, or do you want a career that will make you happy? you can do both, you know....

 

what do you want to do with your life?

 

well i'm majoring in economics right now, and then i would want to work for a bank (account manager?) or financial/investment company (stocks) cuz i'm actually very good working with numbers and it doesn't bore me one bit (u can say i'm boring i guess)....so i guess for that, i would need a degree. but its just that i'm already working part-time as a bank teller and my manager tells me there are opportunities for promotion even if i don't have a degree, but obviously not for the really high paying ones (such as like a bank manager)...so all this is just really making me think a bit about whether to continue and work for the very high paying job (bank manager/executive for financial company), which isn't guarenteed, or stop now and still be able to get an ok-paying job. lol sorry if this is getting long....

[annie24]

I think if you are having fun in college, stick with it. it's not that much longer, and in the long term, you will be able to make a lot more money with your degree.

[Daddy Bear]

well.... if you are unhappy there, that is one.

 

or, the cost of attending college, tuition, books, while not being able to have a real job for 5 years.

those are the disadvantages to getting a degree, but not to having one.

 

but what do i know, anyway? i dropped out faster than a 500-lb. marathon runner, mainly because i had kids and a full-time job... that's when it really gets tricky.

[friscodj]

Exactly. I don't think anyone will argue that having a degree is a bad thing...

 

Now there are more useful degrees than others but that's a whole nother topic...

[annie24]

well, when I took high school econ, we talked about "opportunity costs" and the teacher gave the example of going to college.

 

ie, if you go to college, you are forgoing the opportunity to work and get paid... say.... $35,000 a year. And you are paying, say.... $20,000 tuition a year, $15,000 in room and board... so, your "opportunity cost" for being in college is $70,000 per year. And you could have invested that money that you earned, so you have "lost" out on about $300,000 on 4 years of college.

 

that is what I meant.

[Celadon]

Your question is really one of short-term versus long-term. Which is better? In the short term, it might look like a good option to drop out and start rising in your career. If your friends are doing that, they probably seem more "adult" to you than your college friends, who may be still living at home.

 

But I think staying in college is a better long-term option. When you're in your 30s or older, and you want to switch jobs, people will look at your resume and notice that you didn't complete college. You will be competing against people with college degrees. Especially in the banking world, I would think.

 

If you're not racking up impossible student loans and if you are more or less enjoying college, I'd advise you to stick with it. This is a time of preparation; it's not a waste. You have the rest of your life to climb the work ladder!!

[annie24]

I agree wholeheartedly!

[friscodj]

And if you have a degree, and 10, 15, 20 years later you decide you want to go to grad school for something else because you're sick of your job, and make even more money, you can do that too...

 

Plus, there are a lot of things about college that you can't put a price tag on. A lot of people take up sports in college and end up finding their passion in life that way, or make lifelong best friends, or even find their husband/wife in college, etc... You can do these things outside of college too but a lot of things like happen in college...