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Author Topic: College  (Read 11178 times)

Offline Griffin (OP)

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College
« on: January 29, 2016, 01:29:23 PM »
I was wondering how many of you guys have finished college and if you think that it has helped you in the job market? I also was wondering if you guys who had a degree have a criminal record and does it help with employment? Has it helped people over look the criminal record or has it just made it so you have more job opportunities?

I love school, I just started again last week but I am still waiting to get my financial aid appeal to go through right now. They need a letter from my employer saying I have a flexible schedule that's on the company letter head and signed. The note I brought them 2 weeks ago wasn't good enough even though it had their number for them to call to check its authenticity. Of course my manager is taking her sweet ass time doing it, they have to have reviewed and improved it by feb 2nd so that I can get financial aid.

So my manager told me she would have it to me on the second even though I have very politely asked if I could get it this week and its a one sentence letter with a signature wtf? If they don't approve it by the 2nd and I don't drop my classes that day then I will be charged for all of them and they will go against my completion record making it harder for an appeal to be approved and it will also make it so that I have to pay for all of the classes before I can enroll again even if I dont finish them.

This has been extremely frustrating for me as I really need the money from school to be able to afford living this year as I am not making any money from work. Also because being able to goto and finish school is the key to my happiness right now, and this is stressing me out to the max because I have been trying to get this done since october. They have told me that once they get the letter and review it then more than likely they will be able to approve me right there which is good but I still have to get it to them in time to review it before feb. 3rd

I love my classes that I am in this semester, public speaking, sociology of contemporary problems, and psychology and sociology of death and dying which is really interesting. In that class we will be going to the morgue, a coroners office, and a funeral home, have a lot of guest speakers, as well as assignments to plan our funeral, write our will and advance directive.

The class also is about how different cultures cope and deal with death and the rituals they do such as funerals. The way that americans cope with death is very counterproductive and I think this class will help me tremendously to not only deal with the deaths of people close to me but also give me the tools to do so in the future. We also talk about the business behind it, and it is really interesting. A lot of people think it is weird that I am taking it and some of the responses of people in the class have made me question their motives and if they are a murderer.

It is just very interesting and helpful, as death is a huge piece of our life and it is so hard to deal with and understand. I think by trying to hide our emotions, not think about it, and baby coat is all very counter productive and makes the coping process much harder and incomplete. My other sociology class contemporary problems is really cool as well, we talk about the major issues in the US and why they are that way, if and how they will change, and everything in between its a fun and interesting class and the teacher is awesome.

School makes me feel much more complete like I have a purpose and that I am not becoming stagnant and wasting my life. I love learning and I find all of it makes me much happier, having things to do, bettering myself, meeting people, working towards a future, figuring out what i want to do with my life, all makes me much more content and helps with all my depression and anxiety especially since it takes away all of my financial stress because I take loans to pay for all my bills so i dont have to worry about it and then paying it back builds my credit.

I hope that this all gets approved and my manager gets me the letter today instead of forcing me to wait and making my chances of getting it decrease. I don't know what else to do or say to her that will make that happen, she is doing me a favor by writing it but its literally one sentence and a signature its not like i am asking her to help me move. I just don't want to piss her off and be needy by trying to get her to do it now I have been trying to be as polite as possible and let her know that if she can get it to me now it would help me tremendously but i havent heard back.
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Offline AllNightLong

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Re: College
« Reply #1 on: January 29, 2016, 02:54:54 PM »
I graduated in 2014 with a BSA in Electronics Engineering. I still owe $47K on the loans that I had to take to go to school since my wife and I made too much money for ANY assistance. That fucking sucks for real because I have had to pay for every dime of my education.

However, I did have a paid internship for my last 6 months of school which was nice. It was only $17 an hour but better than the waiting job I worked at night. I now work for one of the largest mobile phone manufacturers in the world in a research and development center. I cleared $65K last year not including an 8% bonus I am scheduled to get in March for the previous year.

So was it worth it? Absolutely, as higher education is always worth it when you are happy with the field you are in and making money. It would have been even better had it been free like you.

Good luck with it, and don't fuck it up. What is your degree that you are working towards since I seemed to miss it?
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Offline Griffin (OP)

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Re: College
« Reply #2 on: January 29, 2016, 05:13:41 PM »
Grants, and scholarships are awesome, I was lucky because when I became 24 and eligible for financial aid I was in a homeless shelter and since I went through their program to get enrolled I got a $5500 grant which was awesome because I didn't have to take much more out to afford school. This semester I only got a 300$ grant but that is way better than nothing. I also got to a community college so my loan amounts are crazy I am hoping to spend less than $40,000 to finish my 4 year degree.

From what I have read it will cost roughly 25000 just for tuition without books and supplies after my associates which should only cost me another 5500 for just tuition to complete. Hopefully it isn't much more than that for the bachelors degree because some of what i read said they can cost up to 500 a credit hour instead of 380$ which is what I calculated. I guess if I don't make much money this year the next 2 years I should be able to get a decent sized pell grant since I didn't make much last year either.

I think its dumb that you have to be 24 to be considered independent and get financial aid without going off your parents income. Even though I had lived on my own since I was 17, I was still considered as their dependent and I would of had to go off my parents income to be able to get student loans and grants. My parents didn't file taxes during that whole time so I couldn't get loans or anything. I haven't looked into how much the school I want to transfer costs I know its at least twice as much as my community college though.

I am going to get an associates of arts or applied science and majoring in social work. I want to work at a homeless, and felon resource center and do drug counseling and help get them into a shelter or housing, jobs, food etc. I will either be getting a bachelors in business management or something to do with exotic animals, if I can do good in science.

All my high school science teachers were coaches who didn't know what they were teaching and learning it while trying to teach so I am not sure if I will be able to pick it up easily or not. I always did good in school without trying and was able to pick a lot of it up quickly and easily so hopefully once I have a decent teacher I will be able to do that in science classes. I am just skeptical since I don't know much. I am really interested in it, and have taught myself a lot on the internet but I will just have to wait and see how much I struggle.

I want to get the business management degree because it is broad and covers a lot of stuff and doesn't hold me to one career or field, it can be used for a lot of things, so that is why I am looking at that so I am not tied to one career path I will have multiple different options. I am interested in knowing what degrees are like that and can be used in several different fields. If I end up deciding that drug counseling, therapy, and social work is what I want to do for life I may continue and get my masters and become a LAC among other things.

Basically I want to either help people and help change a lot of social issues such as our prison and judicial system and how we treat felons and homelessness or I want to do conservation work, and help animals and the environment. Those are the 2 things I am most passionate about and love doing, and school is super easy when I like and am interested in my classes.

 If I think I can get through the schooling I may want to become a lawyer and work in that field or a veterinarian. I am just not sure right now if I will have the drive, like school enough to continue it at that point, and be able to do good in those types of classes and know for sure that I will pass and be interested in it. I am not sure if my record will bar me from any of those careers because I haven't looked it up so that will also influence my decision.
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Offline Specter

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Re: College
« Reply #3 on: January 29, 2016, 11:46:35 PM »
I have a Masters degree in Business... MBA if you will.  The problem now is everyone has a Bachelors degree it's like a high school degree 20 years ago.  I lost a 6 figure job though because of my addiction-- haven't been charged with a felony though so it's not like I'm completely screwed however finding a job making the same jack is gonna be very difficult.

Honestly it depends on your situation and what you wanna do but I think if I was gonna do it over again I would try to get into a skilled trade like an electrician or similar.  Now I was fortunate that I got scholarships and my parents did help me quite a bit too and I always worked in college so when I graduated I owed about $30K... All of which I have paid off.  But like I said I had a lot of help from parents and good grades in high school and played a sport in college so most of mine was covered.

If I had to cover every dime myself via loans with no other help I would do what I said above... In the end a lot of it is right place, right time and who you know that gets you a primo job.  I know my mom does the hiring for a fairly large company and there are people right now with accelerated degrees trying to get jobs that pay $12.xx an hour... Fuck me sideways if I'm gonna spend 6-7 years in college to make $12 an hour.  I know tons of people that have a bachelors degree that still wait tables and tend bar because "real work" is tough to find.

If you're gonna go to school definitely pick a degree that's in demand right now.

I'm having a hell of a time finding meaningful employment right now with 3 degrees and no felony but I digress......
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Offline Morfy

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Re: College
« Reply #4 on: January 29, 2016, 11:49:40 PM »

For those of you, like me, who have a shit load of student loans to repay--you can thank the Doctors (& maybe Laywers) from the 1970's and early '80s for declaring bankruptcy soon after graduating.  Whether they needed to declare it, or not.


By doing this, they removed all student debt from their name, and basically had a free education.


Of course, since everyone was doing it, the banks finally put a stop to it, so now we are all saddled with a student loan debt that cannot be removed.  Ever.


I would be happy if some out-going president were to forgive ALL student loans, or even 55% of everyone's loans, but you know that'll never happen, in the US.


So..., Thanks Doctors.... "Thocktors!"


As far as college being worth it..., depends on your major, and what the job market will be.  There are a lot os useless, expensive degrees out there.  On the other hand, most decent paying jobs will require a certain amount of education. 


The days of that Plucky Guy in the Mailroom being promoted because his ideas for the company are Pure Gold, are long, long gone. 


I assume.






« Last Edit: January 29, 2016, 11:55:41 PM by Morfy »
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Offline Guts

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Re: College
« Reply #5 on: January 30, 2016, 12:53:09 AM »
I didn't read all the replies but I wanted to add that I had a client who was an engineer. He has 3 DUIs. Did state jail time. He got a job making $75k qa year. I was able to get him into a lease simply by offering $50 a month over asking. And his credit score was like 500 something. If you got a mouth piece man, you can make wonders happen.
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Offline Mr.pooper

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Re: College
« Reply #6 on: January 30, 2016, 02:44:13 AM »
I've found the American college education as it stands today, to be a waste of time and money. I would even go as far to say its a scam. I completed about 2 and 1/2 years of a business degree program through a community college credited by the university in the area.

I took every class you mentioned. Including the death and dying class. That class I felt was one of the most interesting I've ever taken. Going to the morgues and hearing them speak and explain the dying process was very interesting.  I even had the final where I had to create my own death and funeral in detail. 

I became too strung out to pass goddamn fucking calculus. Math skills go out when I'm high on opiates.  Lost my financial aid.

Got clean 3 and 1/2 years ago and was obesessed with meetings. Not the typical NA/AA. They call their counseling techniques  "solution based recovery". No religious stuff.  I  went back to school to  become a addiction specialists and after the first semester of interning  and going to school I realized those recovery rooms were not for me.  In the aspect of working in that industry I think is the hardest job  in the world.  Let's just say there isn't a lot of job satisfaction from successful stories. 

That industry pushes  good counslers away with all their job requirements.  If you mess up any of the rules your certification in the industry is black listed for 5 years.  Meaning no company's will hire you.

I don't believe my schooling has helped me in any field of the job market.

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Offline DeadCat

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Re: College
« Reply #7 on: January 30, 2016, 05:18:16 AM »
It depends what you want out of it.

It used to be that you went to college or university to be exposed to many of the countless aspects of human knowledge, history, sciences, arts and people different than yourself and how to use pieces of all of it to make yourself a more worldy person , one who cna use things learned in one discipline to advance another one. The thinking was that well-rounded people, capable of critical thinking and adapting in a changing world. Such a person would be able to apply that learning in many fields and careers.

Now colleges are more like glorified "vo-tech" schools, where you go to get trained to do one specific thing  and most  people have to take on so much debt to get their degree unless you are wealthy BEFORE you start college you can't afford to sudy anything that doesn't have a guarranteed highly paying job waiting for you on graduation. Also, technology is advancing so rapidly that there aren't that many professions that you can choose that promise long-term employment any more.

I went to a 4 year liberal arts college then a well-known business school. The things I learned and experiences I had in college are more valuable than anything because I learned so much more than just a skill or trade to me because it enriched me as a thinking person.

If you want to go to college so you earn more money you would probably be better off getting a plumber's license. You'll ean more right out of the gate and have far less debt to soak up your paychecks.
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Offline Narkotikon

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Re: College
« Reply #8 on: January 30, 2016, 05:58:17 AM »
As everyone else said, I think it depends a LOT on what you major in and what the job market is. If you are the type to do well in high demand job markets, then it's absolutely worth it.

If you're someone like me who's interested in the liberal arts, it's not really worth it based on the rate of return on your "investment" / educational expenses / loans.

As I've said before, I double majored in History and Classics. Now, for me, I love those subjects and am really interested in them. But are they directly applicable to today's job market? Hell no.

I'd have to time travel back to the 19th century or the early 20th century to get to a time where they were directly applicable. But my student advisers at college said major in what you're interested, so that's what I did.

Now, those and other liberal arts majors can and do help you indirectly in today's job market. They teach you critical thinking skills, writing skills, and even how to speak well. Those are harder to find in today's world IMO.

Especially since high school education in this country can be so very poor. And because a lot of secondary education is based on rote memorization.

I'm shocked at how a lot of high school seniors can't even analyze a poem or short story. Critical thinking skills should be a core part of the education very early on IMO, not when it's too late.

That being said, I believe higher education IS definitely worth it in other ways. For those who have a love of learning, and who are naturally curious, a college degree is a chance to broaden your horizons and grow as a person.

You'll have and learn a lot of life experiences in college. To me, it's like a modern day finishing school. Or it can be for some people. But is it worth it if you have to pay all or most of it through loans if you're not a curious person with a love of learning? No.

Is it worth it if all you want to do is join the Greek system and party? No. Not IMO, not unless you're wealthy and don't have to worry about money. But that's not the case for most.

If you're the type who just wants to party, skip college, get a crappy starter job, move in with your friends, and experiment with drugs. Much cheaper than doing that in college.

My problem with the job market is that I'm really shy, uncomfortable being around most people, uncomfortable being around large groups of people, and have a general fear of being out there in the world. I don't think I'd do very well, and I'd therefore struggle. I just don't want to deal with it.

You just can't be that way and compete in a highly competitive job market and world. Especially when so much of this stuff is based on nepotism and who you know. Well, you're pretty much fucked if you don't know anyone, and if you're not likely to meet anyone because of your apprehension toward all things social.

As for student loans, again, it's worth determining if your area of interest is worth financing. I was also very fortunate that my parent paid for around half of my undergrad. I had to take out the rest in grants and loans.

I also went to a small, private, liberal arts college rather than a large, public university. I think that's great if you can swing it, as I think the quality of education and the personalized attention you get at smaller, private schools is worth it.

But that comes at a price. When I first went to my college, the yearly tuition, room, and board was around 24K. By the time I graduated, it was almost 30K. Right now, after looking online, it's $47,820.

Jesus fucking Christ. I had no idea it was that much now. And I've only been out of college for 12 years come this May. Educational costs in this country are absolutely horrendous. But that's another topic.

After college I was in an MA program for Classics for a term and a half. I didn't like grad school because most of the other students were backstabbers and even more neurotic than I am. And some of the professors were nice, whereas others were arrogant, egotistical asshats.

One yelled at all the grad students because no one went to his extracurricular, unrequired, lecture / talk. As for me, I had to work. Excuse the fuck out of me if I had to do real world things rather than go to your lecture on Greek pottery.

So I ended up dropping out. And of course I had to pay for that misspent experience with loans. Completely. No help that time. And of course being young and a newly budding drug addict, I took out the maximum amount of loans that I could.

Why take out just enough when I can take it all and spend a couple grand on drugs? Most of that went to pod vendors. And of course being high on Arizona Purples pod tea that whole time didn't help my studies.

And what is my grand total in loans that I owe? Around 50K. Can I afford to make even the minimum monthly payment? Hell no. For several years they were in various deferments. As of last year they're now in an income based repayment program, whereby your monthly payment is based on your income.

Based on my limited income, my monthly payment is zero. The interest rate on my loans is really good. 2.85%, thanks to being locked in because I consolidated all of them back in 2005. But the shitty part is that all of the grad school loans were unsubsidized.

So while their interest rate is still 2.85%, the accruing interest is higher on those than the undergrad loans. After 25 years in this income based repayment program, whatever the remaining balance is, it's forgiven. But I highly doubt I'll be receiving these benefits for 25 years.

And even if I tried to stay in this program, I might not be able to if my future income is above a certain amount, as the program is based on your yearly income. But the really bad part is that by the time all the interest has accrued, even if the loans stayed in this repayment program for 25 years, the projected balance will be around 75K.

And even if all of that were to be forgiven, I think the forgiven balance somehow goes against you in terms of taxes. So there are some drawbacks to being in this repayment program. But what are you supposed to do if you can't pay the monthly payments?

It's not good to default. And as Morphy said, you can't erase the debt by declaring bankruptcy. So this was the best option, at least that I know of.

TL / DR?

1. College in this country in today's world is only worth it IF your interests sync with the in-demand jobs and the current job market.

2. Learn to like reading or take a stimulant for shortened attention span.

3. Pay off my student loans. Please.   ;D
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Offline Griffin (OP)

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Re: College
« Reply #9 on: January 30, 2016, 06:19:20 AM »
Thanks, nark that was super informative. I could care less about making tons of money or going after a job just for the cash, but I think the college experience will be worth it, just because its making me happy now and I've had a lot of good times come from it. I like learning and it will be cool if it helps me get into a job that I like doing because I haven't been able to do that especially now with the misdemeanors.
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Offline Narkotikon

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Re: College
« Reply #10 on: January 30, 2016, 06:42:50 AM »
Good luck, Griffin. You seem like an intelligent, curious person so I'm sure you'll get a lot out of going to college, even if it doesn't pan out in a financial or employability sense in the future.

Think of it as a period of life learning and improvement, and you'll enjoy it and do well.

As for the letter: I really hope your employer completes that form on time, and that the college accepts it by the deadline. So much hinges on that.

For future reference, I'd tell your employer (or anyone you need something from for a deadline) that the deadline is a few days, or even a week, BEFORE the actual deadline.

That way if something goes wrong, or if someone is being slow / difficult, you'll have a window of time to get things worked out, fixed, so you won't miss the deadline or have to worry that you will.

Again, best of luck.
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Offline thetalkingasshole

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Re: College
« Reply #11 on: January 30, 2016, 09:54:55 AM »
Knowing you are currently my age, not 18 makes me feel like I have to post this
I identified with you in many previous posts and do not want you to take it the wrong way
But you are at an age NOW where being around a bunch of people 18-21
Is not going to help you mature or grow as a person
some people do, most dont from what I saw around the colleges I visited as a guest
(Vassar, Columbia, New College of FL, UF, FSU, UM, University of CO, mostly liberal places)
and at my own
College is fun because being 18-21 is fun
being 10k or more in debt (avg of 30k but FL has some of the cheapest public edu) isnt worth trying to relive that time
I think taking some classes as a non degree seeking student would be a good way to gauge how much youd get out of it

Unless you go into high-paying STEM fields where youre recruited out of school
by defense contractors, engineering firms, the govt (the military)
You will be mired in debt for years
most likely not going to find a job in your field that dont require entry level experience
which for me has somehow also required previous entry level experience

Don't not immediately go to graduate school if you choose ANYTHING but STEM
and even then, fields like bioscience are basically required to include more schooling than a bachelor's

If you want to quickly increase your earning potential get a two year degree and certifications
in some kind of computer engineering field


Me? Still currently working as a carpenter, FINALLY got a raise to $15/hr (a month late, in so many ways)
Today I am ONLY 120ft off the ground, working on the housing of FiOS cables
coming and going past those guys with the aforementioned degrees
who make anywhere from 80-200k for what looks to be a lot less dangerous, at least, than what im doing
if not infinitely more comfortable

Not exactly working in a psychopharmacology lab like I envisioned
and planned
and volunteered for 1.5 years at
and although i think it is a virtue to not be money seeking
unfortunately reality in the US is that you need to be making anywhere from 20-30k minimal to just barely survive
interestingly enough I know most of us putnour dope habits at around 10k/year
(I spent around 8k on morphine ALONE last year, probably another 10 on pot and others)

I also managed to pay 4k in auto expenses plus insurance, and 2k of interest on my loan (still owe same amount)
And am no closer to working in a job I want, or even living a life I want
« Last Edit: January 30, 2016, 10:12:25 AM by thetalkingasshole »
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As I grew up, I opened my eyes and saw the real world, and I began to laugh, and I haven't stopped since

Offline Jega

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Re: College
« Reply #12 on: January 30, 2016, 12:40:43 PM »
My head is all over the place this morning so forgive me for being brief.

My theory on College is like my theory on Rehab. It only works if you yourself want to be there.

Does it help with just your future in general? Absolutely. I'd recommend anyone who is devoted to finishing their education to go for higher education.

Do you need to go to college to have a good life in the US? Hell no! There are Plumbers in some parts of the country that make more than Dentists!

The problem is the cost honestly as everyone here can give you their own horror story about debt coming out of college. You'll find ways to deal with it but my God is that the central problem of higher education in the United States.

It's worth mentioning that anyone declared disabled can get all of their Federal student loans immediately forgiven.
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Offline dizzle

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Re: College
« Reply #13 on: January 30, 2016, 01:19:42 PM »
I'll give my $0.02 here:


I went to school for Chemistry, I finished all the classes for the first 2.5 years. Technically I finsihed all the classes for an "Associates Degree" but I was in the BA program, so I didn't ever go apply to be awarded the associates. That being said, I think it was generally a waste of time for me. I know people I went to school with that finished and still can't find a job.


For me, well, my story is interesting.

I dropped out of school bc of my habit, I lived on the streets, in and out of public rehabs, "recovery homes", etc.  off and on for about 18 months. At one point I finally said fuck this shit and got on methadone. After that I got a job serving tables at a bar in Chicago. I'd always serve the day shift and then half of the night shift, so it was a long fucking day. Anyway, every other day or so this dude would come in for lunch and sit by himself, and always order the same thing. He was always talkative and had interesting things to say, but would only eat $20.00 worth of food at most, so that was good for like a $4.00 on a good day, usually he had like $14 worth of food so it was like $2.50-3.00. Well, no servers ever wanted to take this dude, because of all the talking and not much $$. So I always took him, bc I thought he was nice and had interesting shit to say.

Anyway, about 6-8 months later the dude just says to me, "what do you know about valves?" Of course I knew next to nothing, and admitted it. he said "I think I can teach you, do you want to come work for me?"

so I said fuck yes. I can always get a job serving tables.

That was 5.5 years ago, I now am a control valve engineer and make a nice living. It wasn't handed to me, I had to teach myself a lot of things, and am constantly learning more. I just recently got approached by an engineering magazine to write a column for them on some of the intricacies of fluid dynamics and sound pressure levels in control valves. I wrote a program that predicts the sound levels of valves through piping systems at different flow conditions, and I was able to incorporate all our custom valve designs, for which no program existed before. My point is this, no don't ALWAYS need a degree to succeed. But you do need to always look for ways to grow in your position, whether that's taking courses, or teaching yourself, there is no reason to ever be stagnate in your skills for your career.


So, as everyone above mentioned, it depends on your career choice and what opportunities you can seize. Just always be on the lookout for those opportunities. Jega just put some really good advice there. College does help, but it's NOT A REQUIREMENT
« Last Edit: January 30, 2016, 01:21:17 PM by dizzle »
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Offline Griffin (OP)

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Re: College
« Reply #14 on: January 30, 2016, 01:38:34 PM »
TTA what degree did you have? Do you think that you aren't able to have the career in the field you like because there aren't any jobs in that field or what do you think is the main factor behind it? Inexperience? Would you have to do another year long unpaid internship to get your foot in the door? Most of the careers I'm interested in require at least an associates if not a bachelors to even turn in a resume, but only pay $20,000-$100,000.

Do you mean don't go back to party and hang out with a bunch of 18 yr olds or do you mean at this point going to college is a waste of time and money or something else entirely? I am partied out, that is why I didn't goto school when I was 18 because I didn't want to, I wanted to party and hang out with people and live the "rockstar" life that I wanted at that time. I don't want you to think the good times I am having is because I am hanging out with a bunch of kids and trying to relive that part of my life. I don't socialize with anyone from school really.

If you mean it the other way that does make sense, I am definitely not in it for the money. The main reason I made this thread and want to finish college is because I want to have a chance at getting into a career that I like because at this point that isn't a possibility. I want to know how hard the job market is for people who have their 2 or 4 year degree, especially if they have a record, and what they do and what they want to do.

Basically I want to find out if getting your degree makes you less money than you would of had because of how much debt you took on? Did it allow you to get into a job you like and if not why? How necessary is it to have a bachelors compared to an associates? What degrees are worthless because you can't get a job in that field? Also any advice on careers that are high in demand, what careers do you think would be good that you think i'd be interested in, what jobs pay well, and different degrees cover many different career paths.

Getting denied from pizza hut, and walmart because of my record made me depressed. I just want to be able to have a job I enjoy regardless of how much I make. The main complaint that I hear from people who have graduated is that they can't find a job in their field or a job that isn't waiting tables, or 10$ an hour. However most of them got psychology degrees like every other person or something that doesn't pertain to other fields.

When I worked for a non-profit I loved it there but getting arrested ruined that. I haven't been able to find any work like it but would love to be able to work at a place like that again or one that I am interested in doing would be even better. I don't care about making $100,000 A year, I just don't want to not be constantly stressed out financially and never have money for rent.

 The other reasons I like going to school is because it gives me something to do and a goal to work towards, and I really like learning especially about stuff I am interested in and things I don't know about. I don't socialize at school, but I was thinking of joining the outdoor club, to have the opportunity to go to foreign counties cheap and find people to hike, and snowboard with.

Other than that I hate being in social situations, and I very rarely talk to anyone. luckily I don't have anxiety in class like i did in high school because I am not forced into it and no one knows me so I don't have constant panic attacks like I used to. I think that it helps me with my social anxiety, and hopefully I will eventually be able to do more social stuff instead of anxiety making me agoraphobic.

The sense of accomplishment is a piece of it as well. It gives me hope that I can find a job where I can help instead of destroy the earth. I don't want to be stuck at minimum wage for the rest of my life or if I am I want to be doing something I like. I love being in class, all I do all day is look stuff up and read about it anyways, I just like studying shit. Also having something to do, being around other people in general, and working towards something has made me 1000x happier.

I go job to job because I feel stagnant when it becomes monotonous misery. It makes me super depressed until I stop going and find something new. I love training, I can't fuck up, its all new to me and I get to meet new people and learn new shit, so not making any money at a job that sucks ass is fine with me for a while but after a while I hate life.

Before I started working at habitat for humanity I thought I would never be able to stay at a job for more than a year but even though it was hard work, didn't pay that great, and some of the people sucked I loved my job and would of made a career out of it. If it was something I loved doing and was interested in I wouldn't care about the money as long as I could pay my bills.

This thread convinced me that I want to finish college which was one of the reasons I started it. I think I knew I was going to because how much I liked it last year and how depressed I got when I got arrested and lost my financial aid. All of the advice is exactly what I am looking for, to know what the job market is like from people who have their 2 and/or 4 year degree, what things to stay away from, and if helps at all from people who know from experience.

The 2 careers that I think aren't very broad like working with animals/conservation or going for a law degree would more than likely require going to grad school. I am not sure about going into them and would only do it if I knew that I can succeed in getting a job in that field and if I like school enough to do more of it, and know I will pass and be interested/dedicated as well as how the job market for it will be in the future. I'd only do that if I know for sure that is what I want to do and what other careers and fields of work I could get with that degree.

The US puts out more lawyers than any other country and that numbers been on the rise so I am thinking the market is a bit saturated. If I do what I am hoping to find a career in now I'll hopefully be putting lawyers out of work in the long run by advocating for prison/judicial system reform. I think the US is starting to go that direction because of how many middle class white people are being affected by it but I am really not sure.

I'll research what the job market is like now and what the future projections of what I am pursuing are before getting my degree. I have a year including summer to finish my associates but I think that is more important for a bachelors. so I have a bit of time to choose. Your guys advice is great because you have done it.


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