Poll of the Day > Is a University Degree a Waste of Money in 2018

(+) Yeah! (+)

topic

Depends on the degree to be honest

TarElessar posted...

Depends on the degree to be honest

This.

Certifications and internships make a diploma much stronger in the search for jobs too.
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For the most part, yes. My department at work has people with anything between a hs diploma to a master's degree, and we all get paid virtually the same. The only difference is that those with degrees are paying hundreds a month in student loan bills. I have an associate's from a community college and was originally planning on furthering my education before getting my job at the bank. Thank God I did get the job and quit school, it has saved me a ton of money
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in the US they unequivocally are yeah

Just because they're way too expensive.

TarElessar posted...

Depends on the degree to be honest

This
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In certain fields they're required. I'm a behavioral therapist, I needed a degree to get licensed.
I guess I could have learned the treatments without getting a degree, but it unlocked the option to get licensed and you can't legally treat without that.

It depends greatly on the field you pursue. If it's some stupid crap like art history or English, then yeah, your investment probably won't pay off. But for many things like stem or medicine, it's pretty much essential. Liberals love to harp on how expensive universities are, but this is often because they elect to dorm (very expensive), live away from home, and have no scholarships or grants going for them.
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Sefrig posted...

in the US they unequivocally are yeah

Not if you're going into the medical field (and especially not if you plan on being a surgeon)
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bad poll, bad topic
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TarElessar posted...

Depends on the degree to be honest

This

Lumping all degrees together isn't fair. Liberal Arts degrees are useless. Degrees in business, law, medicine, STEM, etc are not useless at all.

You don't need a traditional 4 year college degree to get a good career though. Trade school is always an option, and trades make good careers with good salaries.

Johnny Eagle posted...

Sefrig posted...

in the US they unequivocally are yeah

Not if you're going into the medical field (and especially not if you plan on being a surgeon)

i don't know what that has to do with it. you guys pay way too much for university in general. making a lot of money after graduation doesn't change that, it just makes it not a death sentence

Depends on the degree. You can't become a professional engineer without one for example.

rogerskg1979 posted...

TarElessar posted...

Depends on the degree to be honest

Liberal Arts degrees are useless.

Considering various states in the US require a minimum of a Bachelor degree for teaching, does that mean you consider teaching to be a useless profession?

sveksii posted...

rogerskg1979 posted...

TarElessar posted...

Depends on the degree to be honest

Liberal Arts degrees are useless.

Considering various states in the US require a minimum of a Bachelor degree for teaching, does that mean you consider teaching to be a useless profession?

Yeah, but you can get a degree in education and then take the state tests for what subject you want to teach.

Like English, Math etc without having a degree in those subjects.

My free Bachelor's degree gets me making nearly 100k/yr before I am 30.
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If you major in women's studies with a minor in African history I don't see you going far except into major debt. Now obviously a Dr or Lawyer yeah you are going to use those degree's.
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As somebody with a "good" but virtually useless STEM degree, I'm sick of all the STEM wanking. It's not 2010 anymore. I think degrees have very little intrinsic value in terms of job placement; they're only as good as their demand outweighs their supply, but the supply and demand for STEM candidates has changed drastically in recent years.

The place where your type of degree matters is pay. A STEM degree still has a lot better earning potential than an English degree, even if the demand gap between the two is closing. But if you can't get placed in your field in the first place, then it doesn't mean anything. You just gotta know the right people and get lucky/be in the right place at the right time

A degree in gender studies, women's studies, or any other subject where your only hope of employment is replacing the instructor someday is pretty much worthless.

A two-year associate's degree in a field at your local community college (where you plan to live) is likely worth it's weight in gold.

In between the two are where the value depends entirely on how willing you are to work hard at your profession and where you are willing to live to seek employment in said field.

ASlaveObeys posted...

sveksii posted...

rogerskg1979 posted...

TarElessar posted...

Depends on the degree to be honest

Liberal Arts degrees are useless.

Considering various states in the US require a minimum of a Bachelor degree for teaching, does that mean you consider teaching to be a useless profession?

Yeah, but you can get a degree in education and then take the state tests for what subject you want to teach.

Like English, Math etc without having a degree in those subjects.

False.

It depends entirely on a state-to-state basis. Most states require at minimum a bachelor's in a subject area and a minor. If you desire to teach elementary, it is usually a triple minor.

kukukupo posted...

ASlaveObeys posted...

sveksii posted...

rogerskg1979 posted...

TarElessar posted...

Depends on the degree to be honest

Liberal Arts degrees are useless.

Considering various states in the US require a minimum of a Bachelor degree for teaching, does that mean you consider teaching to be a useless profession?

Yeah, but you can get a degree in education and then take the state tests for what subject you want to teach.

Like English, Math etc without having a degree in those subjects.

False.

It depends entirely on a state-to-state basis. Most states require at minimum a bachelor's in a subject area and a minor. If you desire to teach elementary, it is usually a triple minor.

Well in MA that's not true at all. You have to eventually have a masters degree, but you can teach whatever subject you pass the MTELS on.

Depends how intelligent you are and depends on the field.
If you're not an intelligent person then, yes, you need a degree. Otherwise you'll probably be fine (provided you're not lazy). Of course, some careers require a degree no matter what.
I, for instance, do not have a degree of any kind and have worked my way up to making over 100k a year...but I also work in the shipping industry and we're not exactly known for attracting the smartest of people. So if you have half a brain you'll do very well for yourself.
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In a strange coincidence over the 30 years or so I was working the jobs that paid the most that I had, did not require or use my degrees at all, and the jobs that paid the least did.

Of course I was an electronic tech initially, and later a teacher, neither of which pay well.

Meanwhile I worked as a landscaper when young ($25 an hour...half of the $50 an hour the company charged), ran shipping and handling for value media, and ran a law office, all of which paid way more then teaching or being an electronic tech.

Also worked in sales for awhile which also paid significantly more.

If you factor in the cost to get my Masters in Education I would predict i made less then minimum wage on average for the time I taught (after subtracting the education costs, and factoring in the time you have to work for free/observe classes etc).
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BADoglick posted...

For the most part, yes. My department at work has people with anything between a hs diploma to a master's degree, and we all get paid virtually the same. The only difference is that those with degrees are paying hundreds a month in student loan bills. I have an associate's from a community college and was originally planning on furthering my education before getting my job at the bank. Thank God I did get the job and quit school, it has saved me a ton of money

Except working in banking is absolutely awful. Its just retail, except with peoples finances.
Source: used to work in banking.

TarElessar posted...

Depends on the degree to be honest

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Master a trade or skill.
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If you're framing everything in terms of how much money you're going to make, then you're likely obsessed with status and so a college degree is just one more status that's required to be respectable.

As far as specific degrees, if you look at everything in averages and chances, not only is that a very mediocre way to see the world, but you miss that you might be exceptional in a field that you can win an intense competition in. I have a liberal arts major friend who runs a very successful business, for example.

I also notice the people without degrees who are always talking about how worthless they are either have some insecurity about not having one themselves, or are prone to saying shit like "you don't need a degree to get the knowledge" yet then never doing anything to further their own self-education. If you're young and you're not doing anything better, then you might as well go to college, particularly if you qualify for grants and can get the thing for basically nothing.

BeerOnTap posted...

BADoglick posted...

For the most part, yes. My department at work has people with anything between a hs diploma to a master's degree, and we all get paid virtually the same. The only difference is that those with degrees are paying hundreds a month in student loan bills. I have an associate's from a community college and was originally planning on furthering my education before getting my job at the bank. Thank God I did get the job and quit school, it has saved me a ton of money

Except working in banking is absolutely awful. Its just retail, except with peoples finances.
Source: used to work in banking.

My aunt worked many years at a bank and then got fired before retirement.