College education

[DaisyRose]

What is your opinion on college. My opinion is that you can be successful without going to college. I know you might need a degree to be a doctor, lawyer, nurse and psychologist. However, what if you don’t fit into those categories? College to me was a living hell that would never end. The entire time I was worried that I would be a failure and never be successful. I was so paranoid that I would not get a good job. It ruined my mental health.

As of today, I feel so successful because I had a job that I love going to and I get great benefits that I never thought about. It’s amazing to see the shift from my past self to the me now. To me, you don’t need a college education or a good paying job to be successful. There are many ways to achieve your own personal happiness in life. Life has shown me that you might have everything planned out, but life might have something else planned.You might have a whole experience you didn’t think about.

 

[Cryptid]

Sure, you can be successful without a college degree, but you have to have something to offer society that is already exceptional -- a skill or talent that either gives you an advantage over others, or that is both rare and in demand by society.

But why stop there? Why not earn a degree in a field that exploits your innate talent or skill?

All esoteric philosophy aside, a person with such a degree will be more socially successful and financially secure than a person without a degree who is merely good at what they do.

 

[Judge]

As of today, I feel so successful because I had a job that I love going to and I get great benefits that I never thought about. It’s amazing to see the shift from my past self to the me now. To me, you don’t need a college education or a good paying job to be successful. There are many ways to achieve your own personal happiness in life. Life has shown me that you might have everything planned out, but life might have something else planned.You might have a whole experience you didn’t think about.

It's true, there's no such thing as a linear path to success for most people. Life leaves the vast majority of us at times either "being the bug or the windshield". Whether you have completed college or a vocational institution, or just have a high school diploma. (I've done all of them), more often than not in really bad economic times. Sometimes I thrived, sometimes I merely survived.

There are no guarantees in life, and we all excel at different things and different levels of education. Just be aware these are the sort of considerations that may change as your perspective of life may change in the future. And that it's ok to change...to evolve. To continue to grow.

 

[Outdated]

Different people have different definitions of Success. By some people's definitions my life looks a bit sad, but not by mine.

I learnt a trade that gave me a sense of pride and self worth. I travelled the country and explored while I was still young enough to enjoy it. I've seen so many wonderful places and met so many wonderful people. There's been a few rough periods in my life but I've been happy more than I've been sad. And now that I'm older my government has looked after me and my easy retirement is guaranteed.

I think I'm far more successful than a lot of wealthy people.

 

[VictorR]

Growing up, I held a similar view - what is the purpose of a piece of paper if the learning it represents is something that you can do on your own?

What I came to discover is that there are really two different types of paper:

1. Vocational / Technical skills

These include trade certificates and diplomas, and various types of certifications and licenses. (e.g. pipefitting apprentice level 1, or certification for a certain programming language)

They represent competency in a specific skill, and signal to an employer that a person is capable of certain tasks at a certain level.

2. General skills

These include most non-technical academic degrees, diplomas, and certificates. (e.g. BA)

They represent the ability to complete a program (including writing papers, completing projects) while taking some variety of courses. In the modern world where prospective employers likely isn't familiar with their hiring candidates, a degree can serve as a proxy for a certain level of competency, hence its common use in job ads, and why some employers will ask that candidates have a degree, but not caring what the degree is in.

They can also serve as a signal, especially if they are issued by a prestigious institution with competitive admissions.

---

Returning to the original question, I've come across

people without credentials who have been successful as a result of their skills and ability to learn and adapt.

people without credentials who simply ended up in the right places at the right times and got far without much skill or ability.

people with or without credentials who are good at talking themselves into things.

people with credentials who ended up successful in a different field than the one they had studied in.

people with credentials who found themselves constantly underemployed.

etc.

And so at the end of the day, formal education and credentials are just one of the many factors that goes into success. The one that scares me is that luck can play a very significant role in how things go for us.

 

[Fino]

I went to college for thirteen years and treated it as a means of learning, not career advancement.

 

[Tom]

Yes, not needed in many fields. Just have to try and complete one way or another if it;s required in the field you want to work in. For instance night school is different environment (older people, want to be there, etc.) then day classes. Some courses can be done online.

 

[Au Naturel]

You can be successful without college in many fields, especially if you consider tech schools and trade schools. Having that degree widens the range of potentially available occupations. Many employers will hire non-degreed personnel for entry-level jobs, but there will be a low ceiling for their promotional potential.

Many jobs have a college degree as a minimum requirement, whether a degree is useful or not - even mundane jobs that will never need skills beyond 9th-grade algebra and 5th-grade reading. It is called educational inflation. About a third of US 25 year olds have a 4 year degree or better. Another third have an associate degree or tech/trade school certification.

 

[Misery]

Went to college. The intent at the time was to eventually get a job in the gaming industry.

So, got a degree in computer science.

Bloody useless.

It was one of those "oh you want a job here? Well we've got some beginner positions open, I see you've got a degree, but you just need to have 500 years of experience first" sorts of things. Or at least that's what I remember it being, after graduation. It's been many years since then.

The truly stupid part of the whole experience for me was that for the most part I didnt learn a bloody thing. It was basically like, okay, I know this stuff already but I need to spend a couple of freaking years of formalities so I can get this dumb certificate stamped.

The even dumber part was that the campus, if you could call it that, was getting renovated for part of it... so we couldnt even use it half the time. Many of my classes were done in hotels, in those conference rooms that most large hotels have. This was an expensive business college, mind you.

And of course these days, what they taught in a couple of years, well, now much of that could be learned in a few months from freaking Youtube. Among other places.


In the end it didnt matter in any case. With all of my physical issues, and of course knowing my autism diagnosis and all, I wouldnt have been able to work any sort of full job in any case.

I did get to do the game design thing though, years later, contracted to an indie studio. And the guys who gave me the contract? They didnt care one bit about the degree. Whole thing went quite well, really. A very good and also rather surreal experience.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Two words: "Skilled trades"

 

[AspieChris]

We tend to confuse college with education. College is a great place to get an education, but there’s plenty of other ways to learn. And I know plenty of complete idiots with degrees.

I avoided college completely. I did extremely well in High School (calculus, physics, etc). My guidance counselor and my mom were both furious when I said ‘no’. Then I got a good job at the phone company. 32 years later at the same company I’m doing pretty good for myself and I didn’t have student loans to worry about

 

[Masked Man]

I think it depends on what you're looking for.

Most people who do not come from a privileged background will need to find a way to support themselves financially in order to live independently. This includes the costs of housing, food, clothing, utilities, personal health care, and transportation. Those are the basics. There are also costs associated with personal upkeep - hygiene, grooming come to mind, I'm sure there are others.

College is usually the gateway to a better job. Not always but usually. Non-skilled jobs are rarely going to give you enough funds to live independently. I'm not saying it doesn't happen - but it's getting harder and harder for people to have gainful employment with just a high school diploma.

 

[vergil96]

In my opinion not everyone has to have university education. It depends on what you want to do in life, for example a car mechanic doesn't need a university degree.

For me, the degree is both useful and needed, it's suddenly much easier to find a job with a degree in my field. Also, I get the impression from your description that the university I attend has some prestige in the sense that employers want to hire people who graduate from it, and I can say that learnt a lot of useful things, not just basics of programming that can be found on youtube.

 

[Aspychata]

At best without a college degree, you do get a certain lower range of pay. Some employers do train, and that really can give your career a boost. Some people budget and despite being minimum wage earners, some save and are able to retire. But inflation is pounding on the door and even employees with college degrees are feeling the increases of rent, food, gas, child care.

 

[Dagan]

Many employers don't say it as much as they used to, but it's still an understood rule that years of experience outweigh any schooling degree. It's because of what proves this more than anything, being the military. You will become a good enough high ranking security person, a medic, a dentist, a construction supervisor, an accountant, a railway engineer, a demolitions tech, a warship operator, a pilot, etc...in quick time, and they will be paying you to do so, paying your housing and bills mostly (or completely)....compared to the private sector that will make you pay for sitting in a classroom years upon years in most cases before you ever get to do portions of what your desired job function is to be. And so what if you get the job you actually wanted, and it pays more...because the extra money you (possibly but not always) make will just be going to your student loans and/or a vehicle and housing you will have to take care of.

The military wasn't the only reason this rule came to be, though. Many people started out never going to school past the 8th grade because farming, cattle wrangling, dairy work and such were quite more demanding, important and already paying. These weren't areas requiring high mathematics, sciences, law or politics, etc.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

You have a job that you love, with great benefits.

Sounds like a successful businesswoman to me.

 

[Judge]

For some, merely being content with your life at a certain time and place is "money in the bank".

Something I couldn't say without a great deal of hindsight and what I call "the big picture". Though when it also pays to be aware of how fleeting life can be, both for the better was well as the worst.

And that for the young, you are all more likely to be able to "live in the moment" now, better than later.

 

[Tom]

When planning a future I think it's a good idea to include practicality. It is often advised to 'follow your dream' but if there are very few job opportunities in what you choose, your plan is easily derailed.

Whether you pick Trades (ie electrician, plumber, mechanic) or Business/Profession it's good to consider the supply and demand factor. How much will it be needed in your lifetime (demand) and how many people are training/attending school for it (supply).

Then you have to learn about what is needed in the job you choose, be it schooling, training, licsencing etc.. These are the prerequistites. Finally look for entry level positions and be aware location is often important.

 

[Dagan]

I second Tom, plus I would like to add "knowing the cost of living" into the equation. The deciding factor of where folks can even live often comes down to if a person can get a job that affords them to sustain living in said location.

 

[Judge]

I second Tom, plus I would like to add "knowing the cost of living" into the equation. The deciding factor of where folks can even live often comes down to if a person can get a job that affords them to sustain living in said location.

A consideration that a great many people fail at, regardless of neurological considerations.

"Living within your means" is always a critical aspect of maintaining real independence.