<p>So, you're going to be a professional recycler? What about kids that don't live in deposit states?</p>
<p>Plus, you'll be fighting other hobos for those empty cans.</p>
<p>ha. waste of time and money eh?</p>
<p>sit home, work a minimum wage job and see where life takes ya.</p>
<p>I would not want to be a professional recycler, i am just saying there are reasonable opportunities out there, plus i live in CA. No one out there can tell me collecting 1370 cans in a day is impossible, i am sure most see this as easily attainable. Just want to say there are options for the non college grad. My ex's father is bringing in around 360k a yr (net, around 700k gross and i know because i have helped with their accounting) as an automotive mechanic running out of a 7 stall run down shop.</p>
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sit home, work a minimum wage job and see where life takes ya
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<p>you have a very limited view of the options you have as a member of America's working class.</p>
<p>I agree that vocational training is a good option for a lot of kids that might not like "school" work. Electricians, mechanics, plumbers, etc. all make very good livings.</p>
<p>The thing is, there is a rising social expectation to strive for a college degree. Sorry but some people just cannot and will never obtain a college degree for whatever reason. I think it’s great if vocational training is your thing - it just works better for some people. My high school has a 98% matriculation to a four year college/U, but I can say without a doubt in my mind tons of them will drop out by sophomore year. They’re only going to 4 year unis to please everyone around them. Most have the luck of being rich enough to afford third tier (not CC third tier, seriously third tier) colleges without any financial aid or scholarships and that’s where they’re headed. I think a lot of them would have benefited from vocational training and career advice instead of having almost impossible goals of finishing a pre-med track and such.</p>
<p>Yeesh, this thread makes my high school look like crap. I think the graduation rate is in the 80s. The matriculation rate is probably in the 30s, and that’s being generous!</p>
<p>Four year colleges are definitely “pushed” at certain social classes. A lot of people who meander aimlessly through the . . . not directly employable majors, shall we say (history majors and the like, things where you are unlikely to get a job actually related to your major) might excel at vocational occupations like being a plumber or electrician, if it hadn’t been hammered into their heads that somehow they are “lesser” occupations that only “dumb” people (or, perhaps, “poor” people?) do. In actuality, a lot of the trades pay very well and are in high demand. In hard times, people will still need linesmen to keep the electric grid up and running.</p>
<p>Almost all of my high school graduating class went to a 4-year or a 2-year with intent to transfer. I know one person who went to culinary school, but that’s it. In upper-middle class to rich areas everyone is expected to go to college.</p>
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<p>In central NJ a new grad teacher will start at $43K and a a teacher with ten years of experience will make over $85K and both will enjoy a very generous benefits and retirement package. Not bad for 9 months of 7 hour days.</p>
<p>I attended an affluent private high school and yes, it was ingrained in us to attend a four year college upon graduating–the more prestigious the better. I remember being drilled by my school counselor of my college options despite being uninterested in obtaining higher education. I simply wasn’t ready or mature enough to seek a career yet I felt as though I was being pushed in a corner by school officials telling me that my life would not be successful without a college degree.</p>
<p>Two years down the road this has proven to be complete B.S.</p>
<p>Not all fields require a college degree. Many degrees simply seem like a waste of time because the job prospect is so minimal upon receiving your diploma. How many times have I see someone with a liberal arts degree end up as a restaurant manager, waiter, retail sales person, or receptionist working minimum wage? I do agree that college degrees are necessary in many fields such as law, medicine, education, science, engineering, and technology. Though you have to ask yourself, what are people getting out of art, history, humanities, and philosophy majors? Often their tuition well exceeds their annual gross income.</p>
<p>The drive for success does not start once you hold your degree. There are plenty of successful people that I know that have not set foot in a college classroom and end up doing more with their lives than those that were stuck in college for four years. If you are motivated to take your life to great lengths then it will become attainable to you regardless of background education.</p>
<p>I like how the article addressed the question of “what are students really learning.” I don’t know about any of you, but I’ve talked to a few college students attending a top tier university and they did NOT strict me as someone that would know how to deal with the real world. It’s amusing that so many employers require college degrees when the average college student isn’t ready to tackle the hardships of life. I understand that if extensive knowledge is needed on your job then it is necessary that you have the qualification but there are some jobs that simply should not require a degree because the skill level is very basic. I was turned down from a receptionist job once upon a time simply because I did not have a college education. Do I really need to attend college to know how to file paperwork, call clients, and schedule appointments? I mean come on.</p>
<p>Just thought I’d point out that the author of this article cites at the end that: </p>
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<p>Many of these individuals did go to college, but simply dropped out… sometimes due to having better opportunities in sight (ie. Gates, Dell, etc.) Many if not most of these people also lived in a time where the vast majority of the public did not go to college, thus making the comparison inaccurate.</p>
<p>I agree. Universities should stop taking the money of people who apply to college yet are statistically unlikely to graduate.</p>
<p>reject them all.</p>
<p>oh, wait. you don’t like that, either?</p>
<p>I feel like I’m the only one who went to college for the experience. I knew beforehand that college did not equal success but it was the experience I wanted. Maybe it’s my upbringing and seeing family members who are successful without a degree. I know what I want to do in life and no, it doesn’t require a Bachelor’s. College is/was something great and for me, it wasn’t a waste of time/money. I just know that it’s going to take a lot more than a $200000+ piece of paper to guarantee me anything.</p>
<p>Stop force-feeding kids from the start and let them cultivate their talents EVEN if it doesn’t require a degree. Just look at the $100,000K thread in this same forum. People are breeding delusional kids who think a BS is going to guarantee that after only four-years. It’s ridiculous.</p>
<p>I want to go to college for the experience and the wide variety of classes and programs offered. College appeals to me because it offers things I’ve been searching for, not because I believe it’s the only way to be successful.</p>
<p>College does not, and will never, equal success. Success depends on the person. Successful people create themselves, not depend on fancy degrees to do it for them.</p>
<p>Sometimes college is the road a person heading to success needs to walk. Sometimes it’s not.</p>
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<p>If I went to an expensive college, I would feel obligated to one of those majors. The only major I would do okay in on that list is education and there is no way in hell I’m doing that. </p>
<p>Sometimes I feel that college is a waste of time, but I have nothing else to do and I’m pretty much expected to go to college. I went to a Catholic school where 99% of everyone went to college. Even if I stayed at my public school where only 52% of everyone goes to a four year college, I have to go because my sister and cousins are lol.</p>
<p>I’m just using college to meet people and network. School is cheap enough so I don’t feel like I’m getting ripped off. It doesn’t look like I’m going to leave my area anytime soon, so I might as well see what opportunities there are around here. I don’t live in the ghetto, but it’s not like I live in a wealthy area either. Ho hum :/</p>
<p>One thing that I find interesting about that article is its overwhelming bias. For instance: the author cites that students graduating from college can’t find out how much gas they need to get to the gas station, but he doesn’t mention if the non-college grads can or can’t. The fact is, he pointed out things that hardly any adult knows in this modern age, and while maybe colleges should be teaching us this, it’s not up to them to baby their students. </p>
<p>For instance, if you were told you had to take “Math and Money Management” as a theater major to graduate, you’d probably be pretty put out. It has no use to you while you’re in college. And why would the college make you? If you want to learn how to balance a checkbook or figure out gas mileage, you would do so yourself, not schedule a class around it.</p>
<p>As for the rest of it: four-year college isn’t for everyone. Even two-year colleges aren’t for everyone. I grew up in a middle-class neighborhood, so, like many others, I didn’t consider anything that wasn’t a four-year university. However, when I was stressing out one night and talking to my boyfriend, he said, “maybe college isn’t for you. It’s not a big deal.” And that’s right. If you feel drawn to college for ANY reason, then go. If it’s worth it to you, go. I don’t need someone telling me that it’s worthless when, to me, it isn’t.</p>
<p>And let’s face it: you’re not going to get a top position at a company if you don’t at least have a bachelor’s, unless you’re someone like Steve Jobs. And then, hey, college wasn’t right for you, but you had the drive to do something with your life.</p>
<p>In my opinion, it’s not the education or lack thereof that makes the person, it’s how they use their own motivation and skills that are available to them to further themselves.</p>
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We DO have that option in America. Traditional education isn’t required after 16; there are vocational programs to learn a trade, like being a Plumber, Carpenter, Mechanic, etc - all important jobs in demand. Taking gap years is allowed too.</p>
<p>Only 1/4 of Americans have Bachelor’s degrees, they’re obviously not necessary. But it’s stupid to say they’re a waste of time or money when we need people with higher education for society to function - this is common sense. </p>
<p>Some people are saying Liberal Arts degrees are useless - I don’t get it. Students major in those subjects out of interest, makes sense to me. Many jobs simply require a Bachelor’s, they don’t care what it’s in. Plus we need people getting PhD’s in those subjects to become Anthropologists, Economists, etc.</p>
<p>Only 1/4 Americans have decided degrees are worth the time and money. Since most of our generation is going to college, a Bachelor’s degree will become common and a prerequisite to many jobs.</p>
<p>** Naturally ** said:</p>
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<p>So degrees that are not likely to get you a job related to your major should do vocational work? Well, that’s “hammering” away any creativeness one might have. I disagree on your assessment.</p>