<p>I think that the OP is not in the mindframe for school right now, and that is just fine. He well knows the case for higher education. It just isn’t for him right now. I would not bother arguing any further. He has the info. There may come a time when he chooses to return to school of some sort; maybe he won’t. He is absolutely right that there are people out there making a living and living a life without a degree and doing just fine. Maybe he’ll be one of them. I tell my kids I just want them to get that degree so that certain options will be open to them at any given time, not that they are guaranteed to be. If they don’t use the degree, that is fine too. Truly all I want for them is find a life that is fulfilling, where they are reasonably happy, and where they can support themselve; be self sufficient. I am willing to put MY money into education for them to have in their pocket to have that as an option. If they don’t want it, yes, I am disappointed, but that’s their business. Don’t ask for the money instead, though; doesn’t work that way.</p>
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<p>LOL, my sole proprietor plumber probably makes more than my dentist and doesn’t have her overhead. Just choose your business wisely.</p>
<p>*LOL, my sole proprietor plumber probably makes more than my dentist and doesn’t have her overhead. Just choose your business wisely. *</p>
<p>ClassicRockerDad, you beat me to it. That is exactly what I wanted to say. The heating and A/C tech who repaired my house recently told me that he was working for a large company and getting paid peanuts. He started his own business and in less that five years he is making a very good living, and all he has is technical training, not even an associates degree.</p>
<p>At least for the present, plumbers and handyman who have to be physically present at the site, cannot be outsourced to China and will make a good living. 10 years from now may be the Watson Computer from IBM (which won at Jeopardy) might tell you how to repair your own plumbing but at least till then you are safe if you have a good skill which may not need college education.</p>
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<p>I said, if the OP isn’t LEARNING anything. I myself wasn’t exceptionally happy at college. In fact, I think I was pretty depressed, in part due to malnutrition and lack of sunlight. However, I was able to take advantage of the environment and learn something. Most people are. If you are in college and not learning anything, as the OP said, then yes, something is being done wrong. You’re there to learn, not to be happy.</p>
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<p>Because it costs tons less, and you still get that piece of paper? He’s talking about an $80k piece of paper, and I’m saying, look. Let’s say it’s just a piece of paper for you. You’re not into the academics. I get it. That’s okay. But I also get that you can make a lot more with a bachelor’s. In that case, save your money and do CC first and go to state school. Because then all of a sudden it’s more like a $25k piece of paper.</p>
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<p>You’d be SO LUCKY to work a job like that just eight hours a day, and survive. Have you read <em>Nickle and Dimed</em>?</p>
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<p>This is just so true. OP, if you are already rich, then no. You don’t need college. Keep mooching off your parents and enjoy your life and hope they don’t cut you off. If you aren’t rich, well. Looks like you’ve got a boring four years ahead of you. Stick with it and soon you’ll have that piece of paper that says you did it.</p>
<p>However, I’m not sure what your goal is. What kind of an exciting life do you want to have? Maybe then we could tell you whether you need a diploma or not. You could be in a jam band without a college degree. Would that do it for you? I can’t say you’d be rich but you could probably survive.</p>
<p>I’m not rich at all. Actually I am dirt poor right now. Even so, I refuse to work a job at the local McDonald’s or Wal-mart. And if it’s really true that the only way to make any sort of decent living is through getting a college degree that I can frame on my office walls or installing air conditioning units, then I will most likely resort to a life of crime, which makes a lot more sense considering return on investment. Spend 15 minutes robbing someone versus 10 hours a dayx6 days a weekx4 weeks=240 hours a month+ filing tax returns and commuting to work, sounds a lot more attractive to me.</p>
<p>Also, I saw a preview of Nickel and Dimed in American Ruling Class, so yes I know what it is.</p>
<p>Oh great. Now we’ll be paying for your room and board at the Big House.</p>
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[Self-destructive</a> behaviour - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-destructive_behaviour]Self-destructive”>Self-destructive behavior - Wikipedia)</p>
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What are your talents? What is your ambition (other than to make a lot of money without marketable skills, or your “life of crime”)?</p>
<p>You are correct in one respect, however - clearly college is a waste for you right now. Don’t throw good money after bad. Use that money (if it’s yours and not your parents’) to figure out what it is that your talent & ambition will allow you to do. </p>
<p>Open your own business once you figure out what you want to do and whether people will buy your product or service from you. Realize, however, that there are things you need to know to run a business, like accounting, inventory control, budgeting, etc. to build your business. You may find that these courses are no longer worthless.</p>
<p>Good luck to you!</p>
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<p>[War</a> - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“War - Wikipedia”>War - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>I’m not being self-destructive…I’m simply acting out of self-interest the premise of the capitalist system.</p>
<p>Dude, if you think that capitalism is theft, and therefore you are entitled to steal from other people… what are you waiting for? Why are you asking us? You’re on the wrong forum.</p>
<p>I hope you’re not trying to convince anybody. LOL! We all heard it in high school and worked through our own issues already.</p>
<p>"I’m simply acting out of self-interest the premise of the capitalist system. "</p>
<p>Actually, the capitalist system depends on the rule of law and property rights. Without those, in the case of pure self-interest, you have anarchy, and I mean that in the negative sense, not in the obviously-not-true-otherwise-how-did-the-world-get-how-it-is-now Utopian sense.</p>
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This behavior is not in your self-interest. You may not have to go to college to act in your self-interest. But you do need to think about what you want. This is the third and final time I’ll ask you to do some self-reflection:
Depends on your skills.
Depends on what you want to do.
Depends on what you define as “success”.
Depends on who you want to care about your opinions.</p>
<p>Right now, you aren’t acting at all.</p>
<p>BTW, if you want to argue capitalism –> war we can do that. It’d probably be more productive than this discussion has been so far. You can pick either side.</p>
<p>Who decides who gets the property rights? That’s the flaw in your story.</p>
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<p>It’s a book. Do you mean you saw an interview with the author, or something? I meant you should read it. Or do you know everything already?</p>
<p>“Even so, I refuse to work a job at the local McDonald’s or Wal-mart.”</p>
<p>Why?!? You don’t want to work?</p>
<p>Your lack of appetite for work bodes much worse for you than your issues with formal education. No matter where you are, no matter what you do, there are forms to fill out, there are hours to clock, there are monthly reports to write, there are irritating people to speak to.</p>
<p>Granted, being a mercenary with an international contractor can be a lot more exciting than being an assistant manager at Wal-Mart, but it’s still irritating at times and yes, it’s WORK.</p>
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<p>[Let</a> me google that for you](<a href=“http://lmgtfy.com/?q=What+are+property+rights%3F]Let”>http://lmgtfy.com/?q=What+are+property+rights%3F)</p>
<p>See, this is why you need college. LOL</p>
<p>How’d you do that, Mme Zee Zee??
And loserman-- youtube links arent allowed on cc.</p>
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<p>This is why I hate college students because they can’t think for themselves and are hopeless until they’re given a manual on what to think and how to think. What am I saying, most college students don’t think at all. No wonder I left. It’s what irritates me most of all about college- it’s a supposed intellectual center but it’s nothing, nothing more than a daycare center.</p>
<p>I’m not going to spoon feed YOU the insight I have about property rights, because I’ve actually sat down and taken time to think about it.</p>
<p>OOH, is that a threat or a promise, loserman?
Seriously, a little attitude adustment is in order. The world isnt such an awful place.</p>
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<p>Bring it on brother, let me take a few sips of alcohol and then we can get down to business.</p>
<p>That’s not a preview. It’s an interview.</p>
<p>This is starting to sound like it belongs in the political forum, which is gone. Take that stuff outside, please.</p>