Is A College Education Really Necessary?

[oneounceload]

Going to, and doing well in college, tells your next potential employer that you are willing to learn and can be given tasks that others might not be able to handle.
Necessary for every single type of job out there? Nope. Necessary for some jobs out there? Absolutely.
I'd prefer my heart surgeon was top of his/her class; but the guy that mows the lawn? Not so much.......

 

[BearBio]

I worked 25+ years in the private sector in a real estate related job=worked up to Supervisor and middle management==earning 6 figures. Started at the bottom.

Went back to school and started with the Feds in Biology. Again worked up and, in 17 years) I'm just under 6 figures but much happier! (Also, started at the bottom)

 

[2152hq]

You may have the know-how, but the employer in many instances wants that plus the degree to put in their employee profile for the customers to see.

There's all sorts of different situations, many times a college diploma is a necessity set up by a trade, business or Gov't employer. Mandates like that you don't have much choice but to get one and then continue.

Not a necessity IMO for every job from the customers viewpoint, and I think the 'I have a degree in xxx' is a bit over done.
As if to prove that they can cut it at the college level of knowledge and perhaps others w/o the paper on the wall are left to wander the earth missing a few pages.

I get the Dr with the Dr education degrees and such. I expect that.
But some of the degrees are in things that are just plain goofy.

 

[Protected One]

Several human resource directors have told me that, generally speaking, a college degree simply tells them that the candidate can follow through and complete something. Nothing more.

Granted, there are areas of specialization that requires the education obtained in college, but most employers will admit that the needed education will take place on the job.

 

[NYlakesider]

Most definitely no! Some of us are just not gated to go to college.

In my case my businessman father told me he would put me through any college I could get accepted to. He would get me a car and as long as I had good grades he would take care of everything. Now I hated school and only did the minimum required to get my diploma and get out.

I did a few different things till I settled on being a construction worker. (Laborer) Money was good, keep me in drinks and girls. Drinking age was 18 so I spent a lot of quality time in bars.

After a couple years of being a laborer got a chance to join the Steamfitter local and after a 5 year apprenticeship I was working full time at a decent trade making real good money. (there was also lots of overtime available) Was able to take early retirement at 55 and live year around on a large lake. Having kept track of some of the people I grew up with and met on the way found I was doing better than many/most that did college.

Most of them still had a mortgage when they retired and most all worked till at least 65. Depending on what your doing college can/will help you but if your good at working with your hands you can be very successful. I definitely consider my wife and I in that category.

 

[dougb1946]

There are a lot of options to a college degree. Apprenticeship, vocational school, jr college, military, internships. Many of the jobs we take for granted-mechanic, plumber, electrician-are becoming more technical and some form of additional training past high school is becoming expected or required. Attending a college does not guarantee an education. What you study and how hard you study are important. Beer is not a major.

Some of what we call "the trades" provide excellent incomes and secure futures, but do require continuing education. Auto mechanics are dealing with some sophisticated systems now, housing requirements are becoming more technical and high tech. If nothing else, some advanced education gives you an edge over those without.

Several of my brothers learned electronics in the navy. When they left the navy, they had the training and several years of experience. Put them ahead of a lot of college grads.

 

[jinx]

I worked with an old timer that I call my most unforgettable character. He had gone to college on the GI bill after WWII. He said that a college education was great, just don't let it interfere with your ability to think.

 

[hoosierone]

Never went to college as, among other things, my high school grades were dismal. I was lazy and had no motivation. When they had the SAT tests I didn't go as I knew it was a lost cause. Joined the Army out of high school which proved to be a good move. I took a test and was awarded "pro pay" for my MOS.

I was working for a loan company, a business that doesn't require a degree. There was an opening at a local bank that I applied for. They gave me a half day of interviews. The chairman, I found out later, voted no on me for lack of a degree. The president, who also didn't have a degree, voted yes and I was hired. I did very well and retired as a VP. The majority of my peers were degreed. I was very fortunate that the president liked my experience over education.

 

[Bro. Dave]

As an apologist for education, I feel compelled to point out that the American education system has continued to draw a wider circle with compulsory education laws. We "try" to educate all the kids we can rather than skim the cream from the top as do some other countries with whom we are compared.

Bringing every child into the classroom brings some interesting challenges for the system and precipitates the accusation of "dumbing down" we constantly hear.

The U.S. has attempted to do the same with post-secondary education with the Community College systems and open-door admission policies. The sad truth is that not all humans are equally equipped for higher education.

Additionally, the jobs that used to absorb the portion of the workforce that could not/did not pursue education have vanished. Who is pumping your gas these days? My gas gets pumped by an over-educated, over weight old man who seldom washes the windshield and never checks the oil. (Me)

A college education may get you the job, but only competency will keep it and allow advancement.

You know what is said about opinions, so please add as many grains of salt as needed to mine.

 

[cmort666]

It depends upon:

• whether you want a job.
• what kind of skills you possess.
• what kind of job you want.

Especially since 11/08/16, it's been a lot easier to get a job. It's a lot easier still with a college degree.

You can get a job in sales, skilled trades, mowing lawns, etc., without a college degree.

I can't weld, don't like working on cars and would rather shoot myself than do commission sales. Without a college degree, I'd probably be homeless.

I'd like to learn to weld, but I don't think welding in my living room would be a good idea...

 

[kwselke]

I was always told that all a bachelor's degree did was show you knew how to learn. A master's degree showed you could do research. A doctorate proved you could come up with original ideas that were worthwhile.

Is a college education required in order to make a good living? No. Does it assure one of being able to make a good living? No. Does it mean you are smarter than someone else? No.

You get as much out of education as you put into it. I'm at the good researcher level, but know how to operate a backhoe and reload ammo because I knew how to learn.

 

[Bill Bates]

I ask this because I see jobs that require a college education but it doesn't seem necessary to do the job. It seems to me that a person that has experience in that job to be better qualified even though they don't have an education.

:

I think the reason many employers require applicants have a college education, which may or may not even be related to the job, is just part of a weeding out process.

What a college education shows is the applicant can complete something and they are self motivated. As a general rule, unlike High School, nobody at college cares if you go to class, study, do homework or complete projects. The college student does things because they want to succeed, earn the grade and get the degree. It shows they are adult in their working habits. To employers that ability to self start and get things done is a plus.

 

[loknload]

I think all things drifted that way to getting a degree.
Even in my former trades positions they started requiring them?
Operations or Stationary Engineer ? / Plant Boiler and facilities equipment operations.
A BOILER OPERATORS LICENSE I might understand
Chief Building Engineer / Supervisor of Maintenance.
Facilities Maintenance Supervisor....
Get all the degrees you want but if you don't know the trades you're not doing the job!
Most those people that I knew that had degrees, amounted to nothing more than wall decorations!

 

[Ranger17]

I believe a degree in a field of choice is important if not required.
But just having any degree? While I have seen that work to get people hired, they did not last long as they had no knowledge of the field they ended up going into (or work ethic, and so on).

With some retail chains i have dealt with, I have met with multiple fresh grads w/ degrees in business in roles of some power/responsibility. They have all the book knowledge down, but no practical experience or knowledge. Which leads to issues and mistakes. I myself, do not have a degree in my field; got to my position thru experience and effort.

So i think it boils down to the field, and to the person wielding that degree; in how effective they may or may not be.

 

[427mach1]

I think the British system works well, if it is still the same as I remember. At some point, they test all students to determine if they go on to the university or vocational school. From that point on, the standardized tests, to which we compare the US test results, only includes the British students bound for university. I think if we split our students off and only compared our university-bound student test results, we would see that our education system is comparable. Not all students are university material and there is nothing wrong with that. Where we go wrong is insisting everyone go to college, it is just as important to prepare people to work in the trades. I've worked as an engineer for 30+ years (BS mechanical, MS aerospace) and could not do my job without a college education. However, I work with some very talented and smart machinists/model builders that make very good money. I learned early on to rely on their experience and talents to work through some sticky situations.

 

[Joed49]

It's an employers market today, they want someone that can offer them the most so it isn't a bad thing to have a degree.

I worked in computers for 40 years with little more then a 2 year degree. I did OK but never really got high pay. 17 years ago when I lived in FL I got a 4 year degree because I was tired of hearing "If you only had a 4 year degree" from employers.

Did the 4 year degree help? I went on interviews and was told in addition to a 4 year degree the employers wanted minors in engineering or something else. The only 2 times I ever told an interviewer to get f'd and walked out.

More then a degree you need to know someone on the inside.

 

[tlawler]

The trades have been good to me. A comfortable living for my family and myself and the occasional extra to add to the S&W collection. I would have gone to college if I didn't fall into the G.I. Bill gap during my enlistment. I could have re-upped and been eligible for the Montgomery G.I. Bill, but chose not to.

 

[Protocall_Design]

Yes, I have a Bachelor of Arts Degree...you want fries with that?
Some of the trades guys I worked with in the previous century had their own version of degrees. BS = Bull S**t. MS = More of the Same. PHD = Piled Higher and Deeper. Some of the bosses I have worked for seemed to agree. Some were really good to work for.

 

[Absalom]

A lot of good points have already been made. I think a good way to summarize the argument for at least a basic degree would be:

A college degree gives you options and flexibility. As other posts show, many folks end up in careers where they don't need their degree or even would need any degree; the number of people who didn't go to college but have a choice of college-level jobs, usually because of special skills or an exceptional work ethic, is much smaller.

Just one example. A friend's daugther has a master's degree in sociology. That doesn't sound very practical. But she's now, at 29, making close to six figures in personnel management. Her education at good colleges turned someone I remember as a pretty flaky 18-year-old high school grad into a well-spoken, highly educated and highly organized young lady who can blow any interviewer away and has not yet failed to get a job she has applied for. I doubt very much the result would have been the same if she had just started somewhere as a secretary after high school.

So a lot of the value of college is more intrinsic than directly tied to any job requirements.

Of course, these days, if you pay for grad school, you should really have a plan.

 

[Rustyt1953]

I have two sheepskins; Communications(electronic media) and audio engineering/recording.

They weren't necessary to my career but were immensely helpful.

Degrees are not indicators of wisdom as I fall short of that. I'm still learning.

Like my DD-214, they are achievements that I am proud of.


PS: I did learn the difference between 'unquote' and 'end quote', and 'at you' and 'atchoo'.