Comments on: Is college worth it?

By: Innkeeper Seely

Innkeeper Seely — Tue, 24 May 2011 02:07:42 +0000

I have a graduate degree and worked in my first profession for 18 years before changing careers. My father was horrified. His generation had one career per lifetime. The current generation may have four solid careers in a lifetime if not more.

Education is needed for success. That education doesn’t need to be college and graduate school. Trade schools and trade apprentice programs are equally important. We can’t do without plumbers, mechanics and the rest of the trades. Sometimes becoming a skilled tradesman is a path to seeking higher education in a related field and going into it with eyes wide open and more motivation to excell. (Not to mention having an employer that might help with tuition.)

Instilling good personal values and ethics are the starting point. Helping everyone have a good grasp of language, diction and basic math skills is essential. If a person can’t communicate he or she won’t be able to succeed at much. Wasting an opportunity to become bi-lingual (no matter your political views) is a foolish way to miss out on career promotion as the demographics of the country change.

IMHO

By: Brittany

Brittany — Fri, 20 May 2011 16:13:10 +0000

I haven’t commented in a while. Just wanted to say great post! I totally agree with you. I too am very grateful I was able to go to college and graduate with a very manageable debt load. For me, at least, it was definitely worth the money, though I can certainly see why that’s not true in every case.

I think people should definitely weigh the costs and benefits in every case and not just spend tens of thousands of dollars going to college because it’s just assumed it’s what you’re “supposed” to do. And if people do decide it’s necessary and they’re ready for it, there are many ways to get creative, as the previous poster said — community college for two years, working part-time, work-study programs, scholarships (I can’t tell you how many small, random ones I got because I’m pretty sure I was the only person who applied), loading up on classes to cut off a semester at the end, testing out of classes and earning credit for free, taking certain requirements online at cheaper rates and transferring credits, etc., etc., etc.

I’m just curious to see whether the costs of going to college will ever subside (and hopeful they will). They’re ballooning so fast I can’t imagine how our children’s generation will ever be able to afford it if it keeps up at this pace!

By: Ericka

Ericka — Thu, 19 May 2011 23:49:39 +0000

In reply to Ericka. Just wanted to say that I was one of those people who went to school not knowing what I wanted to do. Fortunately, I didn't leave school with tons of debt, only about $10K. I floundereded for years finding a job. Now after having 3 kids (14yo twins and 11yo boy) I am going back to school to become a RN. I am trying to go the least expensive route and not going back to a traditional college. Going to a hospital based program is less costly than getting another degree. I will only pay about $14-15K for my nursing certificate. College would cost close to $50-60K. With twin girls entering college in 4 years I need to spend the least amount of money to become a nurse.

By: Ericka

Ericka — Thu, 19 May 2011 23:44:51 +0000

I do think kids need to decide what they want to do before going to college, it should not be an automatic decision. Some just go to school because they are told to and don’t really get anything out of it. My neice went to college for a year and then decided that she wanted to be a hairdresser. I say more power to her for not wasting her time or building up debt. If she decides later to go back at least she will have a clear idea of what she wants to do. I always tell my children to either go to work afterschool if you don’t know what you want to do. Also they can go to trade school if they want. I think some kids need to take a break after high school and figure it out.

By: Karen

Karen — Thu, 19 May 2011 20:27:53 +0000

In reply to Caitlin. I agree with you, Caitlin. If you don't know what you want to do, I don't think it's wise to go to college and pay thousands per semester while you "figure it out." It would be better to spend that time working in different fields to figure out a plan before going to school. I know too many people who changed majors 3 or 4 times and ended up in school full-time for 6 years to get a bachelor's degree.

By: Caitlin

Caitlin — Thu, 19 May 2011 19:49:52 +0000

I agree with you on just about everything here. I have massive amounts of student loan debt (my only debt). I too went to a state school, but I live in New Hampshire, where the state schools are not subsidized as much as they are in other states (Maine, which is right next to us, costs a quarter to half of what I paid, depending on your economic status). I also worked two jobs and had some help from my parents, and still ended up taking out loans. I also went right from college to earning my master’s degree, because I work in a field where almost all of the full-time positions require the degree (I’m a librarian). I lived at home and commuted to Boston, but my only option was an expensive private school (the other option for school was to move to Rhode Island, but it would have equaled the extra tuition costs in extra living expenses like rent and a new car). I love my job and I’m glad I went to college because I enjoyed and it helped me get to where I am today, but I also regret my loans. I wasn’t perfect about saving money and if I had it to do again I would have gone to community college for the first two years and even lived at home and commuted an hour to the nearest state school, to avoid the loans that I have.

I think another important point that isn’t always brought up is that college is not for everyone, and especially not right away. Most middle class students are pushed toward college, even when it is not appropriate for what they would like to do. And even if it is, I think in a lot of cases (myself included), they could benefit from taking a year or two in between high school and college to figure out or confirm what it is they would like to do. My brother, for example, spent a year and a half in college but didn’t really know what he wanted to do. His friends are graduating this year and he is figuring out what he wants to do, but he didn’t waste that time or money in college.

By: Corinne

Corinne — Thu, 19 May 2011 17:35:28 +0000

I have a problem with all of these statistics – they never seem to account for the other differences that exist between people who finish college and those that don’t. Very important things like socio-economic status, intelligence and drive to succeed, all of which make a huge difference in the job market.

I think the question that needs to be asked is if there is a better/cheaper way to get the knowledge/experience needed to succeed in the career path chosen. My husband is a self-taught computer programmer without a degree and is arguably more successful than many programmers his age with degrees. I have a degree that I used for a year before deciding I didn’t want that career. What I’m saying is I don’t think college should be the default. A lot can be done career-wise in four years without spending $80,000.