<p>Theres people that go to college and get apid a lot and theres people that don't go to college and get paid a lot. So does it matter? Parents always lie so they tell you you need to go to college but I think its just so they can tell everybody that you went there. Its confusing. And if you don't go to college then you go and work but if you go to college then you still have to work.</p>
<p>Going to college will on average get you a better job and a higher lifetime income. There is a lot of data supporting that. But as with anything that deals with averages, there are many people who fall above and below the average. That’s why you see people without college who make a lot of money - they are well above the average for non-degreed people. And you see people with college degrees who are poor - they are well below the average for degreed people…</p>
<p>Your parents are not wrong, but there are no guarantees. Basically, your parents are going with the odds. They want you to get a degree because it increases your chances of getting a good job, not because it guarantees you a good job. </p>
<p>Another way you can increase your chances of a good job is to major in a desirable, well-paid major such as engineering. And another is to work hard and get good grades. </p>
<p>I know all this probably sounds like a lot of hard work and not much fun, but that’s where the facts are.</p>
<p>Most of the better jobs one can get require some sort of post-secondary education (not necessarily college leading to a bachelor’s degree; can include education for the skilled trades, for example) or self-education.</p>
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If college didn’t matter at all for career outcomes then parents are paying an awlful lot for bragging rights.</p>
<p>Why would your parents lie to you about that when, in reality, it is in their best interest for you to be economically successful so they can get you off their backs?</p>
<p>I think this has changed dramatically even in the last generation. It is becoming more and more difficult to get a high paying job without a degree because there is so much competition for any decent job. So even if a job technically doesn’t require a college education, it is hard for a hs grad to compete with 10 other applicants with BAs that are eager to take any job, degree related or not. And the high paying union factory jobs are long gone.
It is true however that college is no golden ticket to any job. It can’t HURT though. If you are not interested in college, what do you have in mind?</p>
<p>I believe an exception to this is “trade” jobs. Carpenters, plumbers, electricians, HVAC, roofers, ect., can make a very nice living without a degree.</p>
<p>I want to be a carpenter. That way I can build my own house and then I don’t have to buy one. A roofer would be bad cause its hot working on roofs. And a plumber would be ok but its kind of dirty if you know what I mean. Im not smart enuf to be an engineer tho. Yeah. Nobody would want me for that.</p>
<p>I’m gonna be honest: I know a lot of people who didn’t get a degree and makes $80k+ (in my city this is very good living). But it took them longer than most people and they usually get stuck after moving a few steps up. </p>
<p>Those same people I mentioned above can’t get promoted any more, or will have to work twice as long as hard, compared to someone with a degree.</p>
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<p>It can hurt if you spent a lot of money or took on a lot of debt to attend college with no clear academic or career direction, resulting in a costly degree of little value.</p>
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<p>Yes. Skilled trades are often underappreciated, and one can often make a good living in them (but those related to the construction industry will have job prospects affected by the ups and downs in that industry and the real estate market). Note also that they have their own post-secondary education.</p>
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<p>You’ll need help from plumbers, electricians, etc. for those parts of the house.</p>
<p>Be sure to know your high school geometry, trigonometry, and physics.</p>
<p>Do a web search for carpentry apprenticeships in your area (often through building contractors and carpenters’ unions). There may also be some applicable courses available at community colleges to supplement the apprenticeship.</p>
<p>Can you shadow some workers to see if their jobs would appeal to you? College is not the right path for everyone. There’s nothing wrong with that fact. Your job is to find the niche that is right for you. Once you get an idea where that might be (you don’t have to be exact at this point), then you’ll know whether getting a degree is needed or not.</p>
<p>Also to consider… check out your local community colleges to see what sort of programs they have - either 2 year degrees or certificates in various trades. You might find something there that is appealing. </p>
<p>Students tend to do best in any sort of post high school education when they have a plan they are working toward that they like. If you just go to college resentful that you have to be there, you’re not nearly as likely to succeed to be honest.</p>
<p>I think college education is necessary in today’s world.But,obviously if you have talent,it will pay off.In fact,education is meant to guide you to use and improve on your talents.</p>
<p>jobs DONT GIVE A DAMN about your undergraduate.It doesnt matter.Parent nowadays are paying loads for bragging rights and their narrow mindset on how good jobs are employed.If you want to become a doctor or lawyer then they only care if you went to medical school or law school.You only go to ivy league if you need a full ride when you get accepted ,that why people want to go to ivy league because you get a full ride once you get accepted IF your low income.That why poorer students have the advantage of getting to college</p>
<p>There’s a lot of data that proves having a degree is better than just having a high school diploma - better for people professionally, financially, and even personally.<br>
As for having a stable, middle income job: you can’t look at people who are 40 or 50 because things have changed drastically since they graduated high school, and even for them it’s been difficult. Most people who have started their adult life with only a HS diploma in the past few years are stuck in low-paying, no benefit jobs with no clear career path.
How many 20 year olds with a HS diploma do you know with interesting, well-paid jobs?
If you don’t want to go to college, you still have to get some form of education post high school, for example to be a carpenter - but be aware that you’ll be working for others, so you’ll need strong interpersonal skills, and you’ll have to have a good grasp of technical drawing, geometry, basic accounting and small business management, etc. Often, that means an apprenticeship and community college (it depends on your state).
If you don’t know what to do, community college can be a good idea to help to cross out fields you don’t like, at the lowest possible cost.
College is also useful because it teaches you how to live partially on your own before you have to handle everything that comes with managing an apartment and a job.</p>
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<p>You would have to pay for all of the materials, buy the land, pay to get all new utilities installed, and may have to pay to get city services extended to your address. Building your own house can sometimes turn out to be more expensive than buying one. Also, carpenters don’t single-handedly build houses. They require the services of architects, construction workers, roofers, electricians and a whole bevy of other skilled workers.</p>
<p>My dad was one of those people lullabies mentioned. He didn’t go to college (wasn’t common for a black man raised in the 1970s to anyway) and ended up working in transit, first as a bus driver and then as a rail car technician. When we moved to Atlanta, he had over 20 years of experience in transit. Yet he kept getting passed over for a desired promotion because he had no college degree. He finally got one, but it was over 10 years later and only because I think he wasn’t competing with many others, and it was directly related to his current job.</p>
<p>My brother chose not to go to college after college, and begun working as an electrical line worker. He makes a good living for my hometown’s low cost of living, but he’s realized that he’s going to hit a wall soon and won’t be able to advance in his career past a certain point because he doesn’t have a degree, so now he’s getting a BA in business part-time.</p>
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<p>Well, that’s only true if you have a graduate degree, and the vast majority of working people do not. However, I will say that a lot of emphasis is put on prestige when in most fields it doesn’t matter much.</p>