<p>Banks (and the government) loan money with the intent of making it back and then some. There is ‘minimal’ risk involved. Even if someone has a sub $30,000 job they into SS and medicare (for now) and probably taxes of some sort plus they still need to pay back their loans. There is nothing “altruistic” about banks and the government lending money. I really think it’s abit sad that worth, for some of the posters, is placed in 8 years of a young person’s life (performance in high school and choice of major in college) when they will be contributing to society as a whole for 5 decades more regardless of the “income level” they gain from their 8 years or more of secondary and higher education. The OP’s premise was not about being rich or poor it was about grade performance in 9-12 and choice of college and grades…</p>
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<p>However, reality is that getting a (better) job and career is a major factor in motivating many to go to college. Far fewer would attend college on anything other than a full ride scholarship if it did not enhance one’s job and career prospects (basically, only those from very wealthy families, which would make a college education much more of a marker of inherited socioeconomic class than it somewhat is already).</p>
<p>It is also the motivation for governments to subsidize public universities and financial aid for students*, since a better educated population doing better jobs makes the economy grow, which makes people happier with the government, provides more tax revenue, and reduces social strife by offering slightly more opportunity for those at the bottom of the socioeconomic classes to move up (not that it is that great in the US now, but it would be even worse with education less available).</p>
<p>*Yes, the subsidies do create economic incentives among the schools to raise the cost of education, particularly now that it is seen as “essential” to many good jobs and careers.</p>
<p>My boss was a microbio major- owns a photography company. Another was a chem major- now a librarian. One more was a psychology major- now runs a dv shelter (ok, that’s related). I really don’t think getting careers outside your major is anything new. </p>
<p>Now, getting jobs that don’t require a college degree is a different matter. </p>
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<p>If you can’t apply sociology concepts to a private security job then you’re doing something wrong IMO. Flexible degrees like sociology, anthropology, etc have a WIDE variety of uses. I can certainly think of ways in which a sociology degree would be helpful in security. </p>
<p>I can go into almost any career and say that my anthro degree prepared me for it. Or my humanities degree. You just have to know how to apply it, and IMO, that’s really on the student to make the connection.</p>
<p>Yes, any social studies knowledge can be useful in security and other areas, at least if one is doing something like designing or evaluating security policies and measures, particularly in terms of attacks where trusted insiders are duped into compromising the security.</p>
<p>However, if the person in question is in a low level position where he is not in a position to make more than simple decisions like “call the police if you see someone trying to break the lock on the gate”, then the knowledge may not be used much.</p>
<p>A relative of mine is in a full time career job where no degree is needed (he has one). However, the 2 people (out of 40+ applicants) they hired just “happened” to be the only 2 with college degrees. It’s a nice paying job. He has no regrets.</p>
<p>Two degrees in two very different fields here. Four jobs in the past 35 years at least somewhat related to one or the other. Umpteen other jobs not remotely related to either field of study. </p>
<p>Your mileage, as always, may vary.</p>
<p>OP’s been reading too much Ayn Rand</p>
<p>The loan threshold for federal loans is just too high. IMO, I’d rather want to limit all federal loans to $3,000 yearly per student, but all of it subsidized. But Pell Grants can stay in their current form.</p>
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<p>It really depends on the job. If you wanted to hire someone doing natural resources management, disaster relief or insurance adjustment, for instance, a physics-geology double-major is a valuable asset, even from a no-prestige school like Sac State; however, if you wanted to hire a person that could do community intervention, for instance, I’m not sure a Sac State physics-geology diploma is going to be of nearly as much use as a NYU or a Harvard Women’s Studies diploma.</p>
<p>“Unrelated to their studies” often means minimum wage. Gen Y has it a lot harder than previous gens since almost everyone goes to college, devaluing the degree, tuition costs have skyrocketed, and there are fewer jobs available now than when the baby boomers graduated. It’s not going to get better imo. It’s going to be a mess when Gen Y retire and have no Social Security benefits.</p>