Poll of the Day > Did you go to college? If so, are you glad you did?

(+) Yeah! (+)

At my high school, college was viewed as the default next step in your life. "Entering the workforce" right after graduation was looked down upon. My family also put a strong emphasis on education, and I had excellent grades, so "of course" I went to college. There, I basically worked myself to death. While a diploma is great on resumes, I wish I'd balanced work and leisure better.
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No.
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I'm currently in college and loving it. Definitely don't know what else I'd be doing.
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Went and glad I did but I wished I had gone to a more specialized college but still, I'm fine with what I did.
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I went and am glad I did.

Was the most fun I've had my whole life and made a lot of friends (which moving away has sadly eroded away again), and I didn't drink or go to frat parties at all, so even if that's not your thing you can have fun at college.

I got a nice job with my degree, and while I don't actually use my degree in the slightest in performance of said job and it's not really what I imagined myself doing, it's still a much better career than I could have gotten w/o a degree.

I had a full tuition academic scholarship (but it was in-state at a state university, so it still wouldn't have been THAT much if I had to pay), worked part time on campus, used my parents' healthcare plan to avoid the fee for that (school required us to have some sort of health plan to use the on-campus medical facility)...I went to college for cheap. I think that's the key. Spending more doesn't necessarily mean you're getting more valuable an education, but it does mean you're going to be screwed for decades to come.

EDIT: Based on the above poster's horror story, another point: I made SURE the degree program at the college I chose was accredited by a reputable institution (in my case, ABET accredited for an engineering degree). If your degree program isn't...it's a crap shoot if employers will even consider it.

I went to university and got two degrees: a B.Sc. in math, and a B.Ed. in math education.

I'm a teacher now, so yeah, I'm glad I went.
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Nope I never went to College. At 16 I left school and went right into work. I can't say I regret it.
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I've had lots of schooling
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I went to college

I could take it or leave it
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I went to college got a Masters degree with a 3.96 GPA. Didn't enjoy the process, absolutely never want to write another paper again, but it was worth it financially so I don't regret it.
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Yes-- I agree with many liberals that college is expensive, but I had 90% my tuition covered by scholarships. People who say college is useless are largely idiots who have no idea what they're talking about. There's a huge difference between being able to self study and being able to have someone there to teach you something actively, someone you can interact with and have a dialogue with. More importantly, it's a formal environment is mandatory for most graduate programs.
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I'm about to get my bachelors, going to grad school in the future.

Yes, I'm glad I went.

I'm in college now. I like it, but I don't love it. But having that piece of paper helps a lot no matter what, so I plug away. Not like I'd be doing anything else otherwise.
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Yes, it was easy to get laid

Now it's literally impossible
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College grad and glad! Couldn't have gotten the career and life experiences I've had without college. I've met great people along the way, too. I plan to be done after these master degrees though.
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Yes and no. I kinda feel I shoulda gone to a trade school first and from there choose a field of study that I was actually interested in. Instead I somehow found myself majoring in civil engineering and despite enjoying the work feel I shoulda gone into mechanical engineering instead. Plus I've made some lifelong friendship in my time at college. Of course this can be done anywhere but its easier when one has something to relate with.

RCtheWSBC posted...

I plan to be done after these master degrees though.

No plans or need for a PhD?
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Kana posted...

in college now

This. I'm in school for that math degree that I want to get for that actuarial field I wish to enter.
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Yes, and not sure. I at least like having the degree, though. However, I disliked the lack of freedom when it came to course selection (thanks to the gen ed system) and that they charged you if you wanted to take over a certain number of credits. If there hadn't been an arbitrary cap, I would have probably taken 8 or 9 courses a semester if the schedules didn't conflict.

I also had a terrible advisor whose shitty advice ultimately kept me from taking a lot of courses I wanted, either because they were discontinued or because I didn't get the pre-reqs in time.

My masters-level stuff wasn't bad, but then my employer discontinued its tuition-reimbursement program so I put that on the back-burner. If I find another employer who with tuition-reimbursement, I'd probably go back to finish my MBA. However, in general, if I did any more than that I'd probably pick a different subject.

Tails 64 posted...

I wish I'd gone to college, but it's too late now.

No such thing as too late. I met a student in his 50s.

Zangulus posted...

I knew more than the teacher who actively worked with these languages.

Had that experience with a VB class in college =x I had taken a computers course in high school and wanted to learn more, but I wound up knowing better than the professor.
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JanwayDaahl posted...

People who say college is useless are largely idiots who have no idea what they're talking about. There's a huge difference between being able to self study and being able to have someone there to teach you something actively, someone you can interact with and have a dialogue with. More importantly, it's a formal environment is mandatory for most graduate programs.

This.

That said I reached a point (in only my third year) where self-learning was more beneficial for me than the classes I was taking. However, even just the access to a wealth of information via worldwide university databases is well worth the money.
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Oh yes. Best times of my life.
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Yes and mostly.

I do well now but I sometimes think I would have been happier and perhaps more successful if I had gone into a trade. But whatevs. I make good money now.
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College is a must in my family so I'm glad I went to college.
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Joelypoely posted...

JanwayDaahl posted...

People who say college is useless are largely idiots who have no idea what they're talking about. There's a huge difference between being able to self study and being able to have someone there to teach you something actively, someone you can interact with and have a dialogue with. More importantly, it's a formal environment is mandatory for most graduate programs.

This.

That said I reached a point (in only my third year) where self-learning was more beneficial for me than the classes I was taking. However, even just the access to a wealth of information via worldwide university databases is well worth the money.

Sadly the nature of western education largely relies on self-learning in higher education. In medical school it's pretty much a free for all where you're on your own in terms of learning 90% of the information.
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Currently taking it for software engineering.

Learned nothing as of yet I couldn't have just Googled a tutorial for. I sure sat through a lot of bullcrap though.

Ranting time, I almost failed an SQL class because I didn't memorize the fucking philosophy behind programming and the eight fucking steps of writing a program. In that time I spent doing homework, I could have learned a second language in my free time. I still left that class knowing just about everything I needed to know in the professional field.

Here's my improvised set of rules, there will be a test on tuesday;
1) DO IT.

If you're "good" at learning, my recommendation is to avoid college unless you need that piece of paper. (You probably do)
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Nope. Parents convinced me a degree was the only way to get anywhere in life. By the time I finished a computer science degree the local software jobs dried up and I'm not able to move elsewhere.

Spent a couple of years doing volunteer IT work and free software development for NFP orgs to get a foot in the door. Nothing came of it because non-commercial experience doesn't count towards breaking the "need experience to get experience" catch-22. Even offering to work for free/minimum wage until I've proven myself in a commercial environment I keep losing out to overseas applicants with 5+ years commercial experience who are willing to do the same.

Am now retraining to be an animal carer (which doesn't require a uni degree) to hopefully increase my chances at getting a job and repay my university debt. If not, at least I enjoy interacting with animals a lot more than software development.

For me university has amounted to nothing more than 5 wasted years and a sizeable student debt.

I am returning to college to obtain my Master's in IT after my Bachelor's in Communication failed me hard.

Thus far, college has taught me nothing new. It has helped me learn some Java and HTML, but that's it. I also don't have a job in my field, so it hasn't been worth the money.

Too bad most entry level jobs I've looked for require years of experience. Ugh, fml
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For a semester and a half before quitting. Absolutely hated it so no. Could probably bear to make it through with 99% online courses but theres not really any reason to do so anyways so meh.
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Yes, I went and yeah, i'm glad I did.
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@InfestedAdam posted...

No plans or need for a PhD?

Not at the moment. I don't think it's necessary for my current career goals, and I'm currently interning with an agency that could convert me into a full-time position with promotion opportunities once I graduate. I've definitely thought about it, but it's not in my 5-year plan to pursue it.
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I went to college and I'm glad I did, but I would not choose that same college again.

Yes, but if I could go back, I'd major in something different
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Eh. I am sort of glad I did my undergrad because I really enjoyed grad school. Undergrad was pretty much a waste though; more because instead of focusing on my education I found ways to game the system. I was one of those "c" s get degrees guys.

My advice: if you don't K of what you want to do - start at community. If you are 100% passionate about what you want to do and realize that it is on you to get the most out of your education - college is so completely worth it.

I would say the usefulness of a degree depends almost entirely on the availability of local jobs and one willingness to move to find said jobs if they are not available locally. Around Los Angeles there are usually some engineer companies hiring. If I go further north to Mammoth for example, it is less likely I find a viable engineering job up there.

College isn't for everyone and I do not mean that as an insult. But rather one need to be realistic about what one can do with said degree and whether one is willing to move to pursue a job with said degree. Unfortunately I think far too many graduates enter with the wrong mindset.

And then networking, most college graduates don't bother networking or looking for internships until it is too late. I have one college friend who graduated as our civil engineer valedictorian and went on to M.I.T. for his Master. He was definitely a smart guy but did no networking or internship. It took him a while to find an engineering job whereas I got other classmates landing civil engineering jobs with cities or major companies before they graduated.
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Yes and yes.

But having gone through it, I quickly realized the severe flaws in the system and really wish that university wasn't pushed on people as much as it is.
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Never went, and honestly never wanted to. It's way too fucking expensive for something that isn't guaranteed to get you a job.

I have been thinking of going to a trade or technical school to learn some practical skills or something.
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Ehhh, I wish I'd utilized it more effectively--you need to remember this is a gateway to a job, and start building connections and skill sets for where you want to go. I'd certainly not recommend people DON'T go, though. I'm stuck at a min wage job and I'm surrounded by older people who never went to college and have almost no hope of ever moving up in the world. So go, just make sure you really put a lot of thought into what you need to get out of it.
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Yes, but only because it felt more like freedom than an 8-5 desk job every day. College kids complaining about finals and exams don't know how good they have it. My master's degree itself (business) really hasn't done anything for me yet, its all been about who I know that's landed me every job so far.

Zeus posted...

Tails 64 posted...

I wish I'd gone to college, but it's too late now.

No such thing as too late. I met a student in his 50s.

Fair point: I had a super old guy in one of my classes. I put that option there for people who think it's too late to go and get any real benefit from it.
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graduated last year, just finished my first year in PhD land. Absolutely glad I went, but wish I didnt work 2 jobs my entire time there. Now in my graduate program im probably working 80 hrs a week in between class, homework, teaching, research and campus activities

Looking back, i would have gladly accepted more loan debt (which can eventually be paid off via a better job) in exchange for not missing out on so many undergrad experiences, and not having to be a commuter. Freshman year in particular I was totally out of the picture since I lived didnt live in a dorm and i worked during the day and on weekends. And having gone straight into grad school I never really took a break either. I havent really had a summer break since freshman year of high school since I played Varsity Football too

You only have a real undergrad experience once. So long as your circumstances alot it, please enjoy it
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I dropped out of high school and learned a blue collar trade. I worked my ass off, learned, went above and beyond what was expected of me and was promoted a few times. Now I'm on the white collar side in the same industry making 50k a year

Yes, and while I don't think I ultimately ended up using most of the stuff I learned there in my day to day work it was still a good experience.

For example, in college they always teach you all of the technical aspects computer software and the like, while once you get in the field itself actual coding counts for about 5% of what you end up doing. 95% of the time you are mostly using existing technologies and adapting them to your system. If I get another promotion, I would be lucky to even touch source code an hour or so every month.
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I went to college and I'm glad I did--

Minus all the stupid bullshit classes otherwise known as "gen ed." Biggest ripoff, thank you republicans for turning education into an industry.

See @Erik_P I can insult republicans too. Quit acting like a baby whenever a moderate steps out of the blue zone for a minute.
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RedPixel posted...

I went to college and I'm glad I did--

Minus all the stupid bullshit classes otherwise known as "gen ed." Biggest ripoff, thank you republicans for turning education into an industry.

See @Erik_P I can insult republicans too. Quit acting like a baby whenever a moderate steps out of the blue zone for a minute.

I don't think it's a Republican or Democrat issue that lead to gen ed. It's a centuries-old ideal of the "Renaissance Man" who knows at least a bit about every basic subject, and the idea that it's important to have a well-rounded education instead of just being a drone hard-wired for one job task. Which I totally agree with, and loved "having" to take gen ed.
The gen ed requirement was something like 30 credits out of a ~135 credit curriculum for me, it was a pittance. And I liked a lot of the classes, and they were nice GPA-boosters compared to the much harder science, math, and engineering classes. I still laugh at how I did better in a few Philosophy classes I took than my friends in them with me who were actually Philosophy majors, lol
Plus...there was an average of like 1.3 girls in each of my engineering classes the last 2 years. Gen ed was like an oasis in the fucking desert, and damn was I thirsty.

Yeah I don't think the original concept of a general education is politically partisan
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RedPixel posted...

I went to college and I'm glad I did--

Minus all the stupid bullshit classes otherwise known as "gen ed." Biggest ripoff, thank you republicans for turning education into an industry.

See @Erik_P I can insult republicans too. Quit acting like a baby whenever a moderate steps out of the blue zone for a minute.

I don't think I needed to be tagged. Is everything ok?
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yeah i did and yeah i am

whats not to love? met some amazing people, challenged myself, came out and got a high paying job that I couldn't have got without a degree so heeeeeeeel yeaaaaaaaaaaaa
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I'm glad I did to get the piece of paper that makes me hireable, but at the same time in terms of job training it was a total waste of time. I learned 100x more at work and on my own than I did in class.

I just graduated in May but now I'm in an awkward phase in my life where I have a degree but haven't gotten a full time job with my degree yet. I'm still glad I went to college though
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