We spend a lot of time talking about money and finance on this site, assuming that college is one of the keys to a happy and prosperous life. Here is a vid taken from the new You Tube/ Edu channel in which a UCLA professsor discusses the satiation of happiness relative to money and acquisition. At a certain point, like eating Italian food every day for a month, we become sated and indifferent to the aromas, the tastes, even what the nutritional value can offer. No, money does not buy happiness, nor is money alone happiness. Family, friends, relationships are the foundation. Good to remember when we’re pushing our kids to careers, jobs and self sufficiency.
What are your thoughts?
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I am currently about half way through my BA and the reality of the cost is starting to hit me pretty hard. I really hope it will pay off.
Good for you, Jesse. Keep a good work ethic and a sense of real ambition about what you do. You’ll finish well and be terrific!
I just hope the degree will be worth the cost. Everyone is always saying, having a degree increases your salary by this much. I got my AA and my salary went down! So I just hope its all worth it but at least I will know I did it and I wont regret not doing it.
The last line is an important one to keep in mind. When I discuss future and career choices with my children, we talk less about money and more about how they want to live and what career choices will get them there.
For example, I am a single parent. My biggest thing was to be at home with my children and it is important for me to be able to manage my own time and accomodate those sorts of things that come up with kids. So, I became a full-time freelance writer and have managed to develop the sort of client list that does allow me real flexibility.
My girls hope to be at home to raise their children and have other plans for how they want to live, and those wants and plans serve as the foundation of their thinking about what careers they are interested in.
I think it is so important to encourage children to think beyond the dollar value of career choices.
I couldn’t agree more. There is a cult status now around a 4 year degree, even though 50% of entering freshmen never receive one. We should try to help our kids understand what makes them happy, not what makes us “proud.”
In response to the above, there have been a few studies that indicate — particularly if using student loans to fund — that for many, a college education is a waste of money. Now that isn’t to say education is a waste, I am a firm believer in life-long learning, and constantly engage in the study of things that interest me. What I mean is, strictly in terms of market value/money, studies have indicated that many who, rather than enter college and get a degree in their field of choice, enter the job market and work their way up in a particular industry find themselves 5 and 10 years out at a comparable salary as their degreed counterparts and carrying a whole lot less debt.
Techincal school, programs that are far more focused on what is necessary to successfully perform in a specific career, is also often a smarter educational choice. They tend to be more affordable and require less time, getting a person into the work world faster.
Despite the hype and propaganda, a college degree or a 4 year degree simply isn’t the wisest move for everybody.
College is a waste of time. I’m about to graduate with my MBA and couldn’t find a job to save my life. Now I’m in huge debt in a horrible economic climate, I’m really looking forward to my grace period ending.
Hi Chris–
Well, you can’t do it over. With an MBA you will certainly find something with a little persistence and time. Even though the economy is “horrible” as you say, there are jobs being filled. Remember, attitude is everything. If prospective employers sense that you are angry or sullen, they will take a pass. You didn’t mention if you had done any internships while in college or grad school. That would certainly help. The federal government is now filling 50,000 jobs, from bartender to oceanographer. You might want to search that site. I think you can google U.S. jobs, but I’ll send you a link.
For today’s college graduate, not being angry or sullen is not easily done, but I can definitely see how some of us more disenchanted college graduates might lose sight of that, especially in reflection of our attitudes when we interview for jobs that are maybe not our version of “ideal”. I graduated last May with my B.S in Info Resources and have interviewed with at about 10 potential employers since, only about 2-3 being what I would consider an ideal entry-level job into the Information field, or my “ideal” start.
I remain at my in-college job, an underemployed college graduate and appreciate these differing points of view on a college education, like those of Sharon Secor in her posts above. These feelings on higher education reflect an increasingly popular trend where people are beginning to question the value of a college degree, especially when compared to the increasing costs of getting one.
I try to stay positive on how the economy will pan out as far as attaining my first ideal positon. I also try to stay update on the latest in my field and interview whenever I can, thankful that I am not one of the unemployed I hear about everyday. I agree with Bill and think you offered Chris a wonderful piece of advice when you said that “attitude is everything”. An important thing to remember no matter where the economy sits.
college is only worth the investment if you gain a skill. Engineer, accountant, teaching, nursing are the only for sure four-year degree routes to find work. Lawyers, which is impossible to find a job, Dr.’s, Audiologists, Educational Psychologists are also good career paths, but they require atleast a Master’s Degree. Community college is your best option…. or you always can meet some rich dude, and have him find you work.