college is worth it its just that when people choose degrees based on apparent economic success is when you go wrong. **** the money. **** the job. just learn what you love learning. i know so many future engineering bachelor's that don't know **** about engineering... all they care about is the paycheck.
JUCO is a mix of the types you described, people in the community looking to get a certain type of degree or recreationally taking a class, or for people who just want to save the expense of four year schools. Why should there be any stigma in going to these schools, especially with as expensive as school is. I'd rather get looked at as a worthless T-shirt fan that can blend in with student population than actually be enrolled and taking out all those loans and doing all that class time if I really didn't want to be in college for the educational time. So does taking out $50,000-100,000 in loans and taking up much of your early young adult years. You're going in with the hope of getting a good job and the assumption you will be able to pay it all back. It's the refrain I keep repeating is it worth the time and investment? Best ever question to ask before thinking of college.
^Of course, it's worth the risk as long as it's not Devry, Uni of Phx. No offense to that one poster that has a wife that went there. You don't have to pay the loans back if you're unemployed (forbearance).
College is a bit like marriage or having kids. If you're unsure, it's best to not go forward with it until you are.
Dropping out of college was the biggest mistake I've ever made (and I've made quite a few). Now I have the student loan debt that most grads have, but I don't have the piece of paper that would allow me to get a well-paying job to get rid of it. Is college overrated? I say, absolutely, yes. If everyone has a degree, what does your degree mean? But in the end, it means everything because everyone has one but you. I'm not stupid. I was the only National Merit Scholar in my graduating class of 1,200. I was voted most intelligent even though my grades weren't that great. I was automatically accepted to UT because I was top ten percent (even though I barely tried). My problem always has been (and probably always will be) that I'm lazy as ****. Finishing college lets people know that you're willing to put in work, so I completely understand that employers look for it. Is it a scam? Maybe, but it's a scam you need to be a part of if you want to make money. I dropped out to be a writer. Maybe someday I'll be sitting in my mansion and laughing about how worthless college is, but right now, I really wish I had just tried a little harder and finished.
People think of a "JUCO" as 13th grade, but academically it is definitely college, even if students don't expect it to be. Cheaper and more interaction with the instructor/ smaller class sizes. Not as many hassles with parking, etc. The downside - not as much campus atmosphere or student activities, though there are still some. Not as much of the traditional "college experience" - few have dorms, for example. Though that might be a good thing since many people use their "traditional college experience" to not study at all and party almost every day of the week and do a lot of very stupid things. If you go to a community college and actually study, then transfer after a year or two to a four-year school, you will be in great shape. Academically... it depends where you are. From my teaching experience - there are some two-year colleges that are more rigorous and demanding than some four-year universities, in terms of actual coursework.
Yea in an ideal world maybe. Its just tough as **** to get a job nowadays. Law school is tough as nails to get in and one of the toughest things you can do, yet many lawyers are unemployed.
Eh, it depends on the JUCO. The one down the street from me would probably not challenge me because of the local populace and school districts the way one in a more affluent neighborhood would.
Haha. You know, my story is similar to yours. The thing I got annoyed about in college was the inability to be working, getting training and actually pulling in a solid income while working. This could have been better achieved had I transferred because the town the school was in literally would not exist without the college as it had virtually no collegiate jobs off campus anywhere near it without needing a car to get to it. And the on campus jobs only allowed you to work 20 hours and paid meagerly. But by the time I contemplated it, I was just ready to get out of undergrad. If I had to do it over again, I would have transferred to a place where there were either plenty of jobs nearby (I mean like restaurants, Target/Wal-Mart, cashiering jobs, etc...) and/or a place close to where I could be a paid intern for my field. I'd have taken no more than 3 classes a semester and 1 in the summer so that I could work on being in school without being hassled by the virtually meaningless classes I was taking, leaving more time for me to work, make money and save some money. That way I could have been more upbeat about not being so broke while working to knock out the degree, which I cared nothing for other than getting past the diploma gate-keepers at entry level employers. But hindsight is 20/20.
^ "This could have been better achieved had I transferred because the town the school was in literally would not exist without the college as it had virtually no collegiate jobs off campus anywhere near it without needing a car to get to it." Take that word out. Basically, I mean the typical minimum wage jobs you expect college students to work.
I just actually finished my BS in accounting 2 months ago. I guess for myself it is pretty mandatory to get the degree. I wouldn't call it overrated because it opens the door for many great opportunities. I'm a first generation college graduate currently going to school for my masters then sitting for the CPA. I want to give myself every possible advantage to get the best job possible I can get and there is no way you can overrate that. I do agree though that for some fields not going to college may be better suited for certain individuals.
I guess it's like a Catch-22 in that college is not really necessary for people to learn and be qualified/trainable in MANY (not all) fields but is a pre-requisite of many employers so it becomes standard and not overrated.
For the yearly cost of a college education, you could probably buy one of them. LOL. Like you need to go to college to.... go to college. Just walk onto campus. :grin:
lol, I stared long enough to realize they are all wearing the same bikini with just slightly different patterns. I think they are homemade so they all look alike, but with subtle differences (as girls don't like wearing exactly the same thing). I'll have to stare some more to make sure.
