<p>I want my life to be how it would have been if I hadn’t spent my last four years in China.</p>
<p>To learn more about the fields i want to pursue, pick up two more languages, meet intelligent people, make long lasting friends, have a thousand new experiences, watch basketball games, go for study abroads, have control over my own life, and ultimately get a degree that will (hopefully) get me a fabulous job. What can be better?</p>
<p>Check out this WashPo article from this week: [url=<a href=“http://■■■■■■/cGCtIA]washingtonpost.com[/url”>http://■■■■■■/cGCtIA]washingtonpost.com[/url</a>] Article should be titled “College is for Losers.”</p>
<p>If you’re feeling cynical about going to college, you shouldn’t do it. “Cynical” includes those of you doing it because you think you will end up with substantially more money. You do realize you are taking yourself out of the workforce for four years and if you think you’ve already got the moxie to make it big in business, you’re wasting your time. And you’re wasting your instructors’ time and probably your parents’ time, and taxpayers’ time and fellow students’ time. </p>
<p>Personally, I love college and if everyone was like me, everyone would go. And I think “meeting intelligent people” is spot on, as a realistic benefit/expectation. But come on. If you think you’re doing it because you have some vague notion of a profession that might require it (vs. knowing with perfect certainty) and that you’re being forced…guess what…not so. And if you already know you’re going to hate every minute of it and make life miserable for yourself and everyone around you…especially your would be faculty…don’t do it.</p>
<p>Because I want to play quidditch. Also, learning and stuff is cool too.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>chnews - call me a cynic who should not have gone to college when I’m drawing an engineer’s salary. The closest you will get to my Mercedes-Benz is when you valet-park it! HAH!</p>
<p>@chnews-</p>
<p>Stupid, stupid article. The author assumes that everyone going to college is paying $200k out of pocket. Even if I were paying for my college full-freight, I would be spending less than $100k, but I’m going somewhere that I might have to cough up $4k out of pocket in 4 years. Yeah, if you’re paying $200k out of pocket and you’re not a trust fund baby, then you’re an idiot. Go somewhere more affordable. Radical idea, I know.</p>
<p>And I’m getting an Arts & Humanities and anthropology degree. What’s it to him if I do? There are more important things in life than money. I’d rather drive a Toyota my whole life and get into a field I love than drive a Mercedes in a career I hate, just so I could make a boatload of cash.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>because i have a genuine love for learning. When i go to college id love to take courses to learn a different language, to go into the medical, maybe learn about some greek history, learn how the world works from an economic standpoint… the possibilities are ENDLESS!</p></li>
<li><p>I want a good job</p></li>
<li><p>You need a college degree to get anywhere in life…</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Because I want to make history in the field of Psychology.</p>
<p>Romanigypsyeyes</p>
<p>Believe it or not, I agree with you, and I didn’t like the article either. And i think your point is right: most people’s out of pocket expense isn’t going to be $250K or anything near that. </p>
<p>But I think two points are valid: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Four years is a long time pull yourself out of a labor market, and lots of people might discover that spending four years doing the actual work in some kind of apprenticeship or whatever is a better use of time. </p></li>
<li><p>The main thing: you shouldn’t go to college because you think you’re obliged to do it or that you can’t make money if you don’t.<br>
The distinction between causation and correlation means everything here. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>You should go to college because you think it’s fun and it’s the thing you want to do. A number of posters in this thread were revealing their lack of enthusiasm, I think.</p>
<p>@vanagandr</p>
<p>You’re funny. I bet you’ve already parked my BMW several times. Thanks…you’re doing a great job. </p>
<p>As an aside, you know what kind of engineers really do a terrible job and get fired all the time and don’t get rich? The kind who try do it for money and don’t particularly care about engineering as an art. But that’s not you. Right?</p>
<p>Uh, to answer the original question, I am going to college because I’d be a fool to suggest otherwise to my parents. I have some nebulous goals in mind, but so far, no way of achieving them has materialized. :(</p>
<p>chnews - I do not know what planet you live on, but we do not park BMWs unless they own them.</p>
<p>Also, regarding the engineers getting fired and such, prove it. I hate currency trading but I do quite well; it is entirely possible to be highly competent yet hate one’s job.</p>
<p>Vanagandr. Er…what an inspiring story. Since you’ve found the perfect job, it’s hard to see why you would bother with the grind of learning a new and difficult one such as engineering. Thus proving my point.</p>
<p>Respectfully, I think you’ll find that hating one’s job and failing at it are highly correlated. But in your case, anything is possible. Apparently.</p>
<p>to get the biddies</p>
<p>chnews - I do OK at it, but it does not pay much because I do not have much capital; I only trade my own money. It is not a salary to which I would aspire to 10 years from now.</p>
<p>Because I followed the herd. At 18, I just didn’t know any better :).</p>
<p>B/c i don’t want end up being home.</p>
<p>hmm… maybe i’d rather not work at McDonalds. Good enough reason for ya?</p>
<p>It just seemed like the natural path; high school to college (to grad school?) and finally get a job. I can’t even imagine what I’d do if I were to just not go to college altogether.</p>
<p>Moreover, if I’m going to be working for practically the rest of my life, might as well get an education and find a career I actually enjoy. </p>
<p>Also, for the money.</p>
<p>The brochures made it sound fun…</p>