How many of you have an education, was it worth it? Are you working in your "field"
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How many of you have an education, was it worth it? Are you working in your "field" Posted on: 03.04.2012 by Johnsie Kingrea I'm just curious how many people on this community
have an education and are working in their field. I'm in university right now, 2nd time coming back after taking some time off and everytime I come back I just feel as if it's a huge waste of time. I'm taking a business degree up here in Canada and it is just so frustrating, education seems so far behind and just irrelevant. When I look at the ROI of university compared to a $30 book from Amazon it's disgusting. If university was a business and their product was degrees I'd feel ripped off and want a refund. Sorry that's my rant basically i'm just looking for someone to convince me what the use is of a degree. Especially in this day and age where I feel like it's so easy for individuals to create their own value and become an authority in their field. Look at Ean for example, no amount of schooling could have taught him to operate a blog and how to create a following. He just decided that he was going to be the best with midi controllers and basically become a guru on how to get some kick ass features from Traktor. Another example is someone locally here, he has established himself as a social media expert. Again runs his own blog and has made a point of learning everything he can about social media. He has created his own value. The problem with our education system is that by trying to make students "well balanced" with numerous courses we've just created a bunch of people who are average at best at everything. What's the value in everyone being average at everything? Not much. For example i'm taking an accounting course right now(it's required), I am terrible with numbers, I have no desire to be an accountant and this stuff will drift out of my memory the moment the final exam is over. Why not leave this stuff to the people who love their numbers and who are very good at accounting. And vice versa i'm sure those people hate their required marketing classes because they're too abstract. Sorry for ranting, it's frustrating when school eats up so much leisure time that could be spent doing the things I love doing. | |
| Aundrea Lenore 05.04.2012 |
Originally Posted by Kaek
Just curious, what country? What field? |
| Monroe Vandeslunt 05.04.2012 |
Originally Posted by C.Lukas1
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| Chasidy Heckenbach 05.04.2012 |
Originally Posted by rdej47
And obviously it would be ridiculous to put books that I've read on my resume, BUT I've taken away and applied more things from those books to how I approach promoting my dj life and businesses I've worked for then anything I've learned in university. So yes I get game and unfortunately it will be that way for a long time.
if someone read some book, reckon they took away a lot from it and it expanded their knowledge somehow that is related to the position then ofc it *should* be on their resume. i was only ever asked to help interview for certain specific positions and there's a good chance their resume didn't make it to my pile in the first place unless they had a good degree. tho can't be 100% sure on that. |
| Yevette Matatall 05.04.2012 | I left school at 15, started an apprenticeship as an Industrial electrician, was a fully qualified electrician by 19. Bumed around working and travelling for a few years. Then I went to see as an electrician, saw that in order to make real bank I woud have to retrain as a maritime engineering officer (ships engineer). I cut my salary in half for a period of 2 and a half years untill I was qualified. Once qualified my pay was back the same as it would be as an electrician. Im 28 now and have just spent another year at maritime college where I recieved full salary and living expenses, I now have my 2nd engineers open class unlimited certification, which means I never have to worry about a job I only work 5 moths a year and travel the world for free. My plan now is to work for the next 2 years (10 months actual work) then buy a house and land, once that is done im going to give the fulltime dj thing a real go, if that fails I acn just go back to sea at anytime. All this and I have never set foot in a university nor have I ever paid to go to school rather I got payed to go. However, everything I have studied has had purpose and I use everything in my field today. There are other means and good jobs out there, you just got to find that lurk. |
| Aundrea Lenore 05.04.2012 |
Originally Posted by Kaek
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| Monroe Vandeslunt 05.04.2012 |
Originally Posted by rdej47
My reasoning behind this is that I can validate the knowledge the person has, since presumably I would have read the books myself. Compared to a piece of paper from the university, which I could never validate the quality of the program they were in. |
| Alexandra Nerby 05.04.2012 | I have a dual degree in both finance and several foreign languages. Here in the U.S. it was extremely difficult to find a good job that would eventually let me climb the corporate ladder. I worked for numerous companies out of college but was so unhappy with them all. I had spoken with several of the large German firms I wanted to get in to and said that if I had an engineering degree I would have been hired before I even graduated. Quit my job and am now in engineering school. This is will be 3rd degree so it better pay off. It was a shot in the dark but I feel much happier just knowing how in demand engineers will always be. Plus with a business background and foreign languages I should be a sure shot. But only time will tell. Keeping my fingers crossed. Just my .02 and life story lol |
| Johnsie Kingrea 06.04.2012 | C.Lukas1, I'm probably coming off as very naive to most of the people in this thread, which is my own fault. I'm well aware of how the game is played, needing a degree just to get in the door, weeding out the people who can't stick with it. I guess I'm just frustrated at the game and that it rewards the "yes men" mentality. And obviously it would be ridiculous to put books that I've read on my resume, BUT I've taken away and applied more things from those books to how I approach promoting my dj life and businesses I've worked for then anything I've learned in university. So yes I get game and unfortunately it will be that way for a long time. |
| Aundrea Lenore 06.04.2012 |
Originally Posted by rdej47
I do agree that we could do without some parts of college curriculum, mainly GEC courses. I took a lot of BS classes that met these requirements that I will never need. |
| Arnetta Koskinas 05.04.2012 | I have an Information Technology degree, an electronics 2 year cert., A videography 2 year cert,....and I work as a Professional Piercer, and also a Direct Care staff for adults with MRDD...so....nope...don't work in my field. lol |
| Johnsie Kingrea 05.04.2012 | Some good advice in here from both sides, I should have been more clear. As others have stated, yes there is value in degrees (engineering, sciences, medical) however for the other degrees, business, arts, sociology, what exactly are you learning there that couldn't be learned through your own learning? And I guess another huge issue I have is with the irrelevant electives that are required for a degree. I do enjoy the business classes when they have a good prof, but it's when I'm in classes that aren't tied to business that it gets frustrating, it's precious time and money wasted that I could be doing something that really adds to my value (djing, reading my own business books). |
| Aundrea Lenore 05.04.2012 |
Originally Posted by RobotNinja
I have a strategic comm degree with a business minor and I'm currently working in NYC in marketing and doing well. Although its not the exact industry (specialty imported foods) I want to be in, it is the field I aimed for. Your degree is just one factor that determines your eventual career. Prior experience, internships, and NETWORKING all play roles in going where you want to be. Want to go into business? Don't bother, you can get that by reading a couple of books. Sorry, but that is asinine. If I could go back and change a few things regarding college...would I? Absolutely. I would have gone for international marketing and minored in a language. I'm sure a lot of people would change some things about their past education if they could, but hindsight is 20/20. |
| May Artman 05.04.2012 |
Originally Posted by DigitalDevil
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| Celestine Porebski 05.04.2012 | Well, it all depends on what you want to do with your life, I guess. My outlook is probably quite different from most of the other guys in this thread. I studied some rather peculiar stuff from the field of humanities, so my only perspective is pursuing an academic career (the other option being starting over and doing something entirely different). Working on my PhD at the moment and you obviously need degrees in academia (which is quite a strange world, to say the least). |
| Judi Sissel 04.04.2012 | If you have the means of going to school do it! I have no college education and it is a tough world. I've worked my fingers to the bones to get to wear I am now, but that doesn't guarantee me someone just as driven as I am, with ANY college degree, couldn't replace me at anytime. To be able to make it in this world you need structure- some are born into it, some need to learn it. In most fields a degree is just a sign of structure in your life. |
| May Artman 04.04.2012 | Yes it was worth it and yes I am using my degrees in electrical and computer engineering. I'll agree that the education system is horrendously flawed and I had to spend a lot of time doing completely irrelevant stuff in order to get my degrees, but I certainly wouldn't be living as comfortably as I am now if I had never gone to college. Even if I somehow acquired all the same knowledge on my own, the companies I've been with probably wouldn't have even given me a chance to prove that if I didn't have any formal education. |
| Monroe Vandeslunt 04.04.2012 | Whether someone values a degree or not is largely going to depend on the hiring practices they have been faced with. Someone who applies a lot to large enterprises with large HR departments who have no idea what the actual work really requires is going to face a lot of closed doors without a degree. Someone who works for a lot of small businesses where they can get in on the ground level is going to maybe get an opportunity to at least speak with the hiring manager and sell themselves based on their experience. |
| Joselyn Supina 04.04.2012 |
Originally Posted by RobotNinja
Everything is different though, of course you can't just pick up Nuclear Physics For Dummies. College is really what you make of it. If you don't plan on going to class and putting in the time, its most likely going to be a waste of time and money. |
| Larraine Hannum 04.04.2012 | I'm currently in college and I feel like college is worth it "DEPENDING" on your degree. I find it hilarious to see all the women majoring in Psychology/Communications, both of these degrees are kinda a joke. You can learn the stuff they teach you in these degree's through reading a couple books with a basic high school education. Not only that but when you graduate your not going to find work because your now competing against hundreds of thousands of other Psychology/Business/Communication degree's. I don't have to worry about student loans because I was in the Military so I get the GI Bill. But we had a saying in the Marines, "If it was easy, everybody would do it". Meaning most people take the easy route in life, it's a select few who actually put in hard work/determination and the same goes for college. Take a easy degree, then don't expect to get alot from it. Take a difficult degree, and the rewards are well worth it. College is very important if your going into any of the Science/Engineering fields. You can't simply pick up a book on discreet mathematics or any upper level 500+ MATH/Programming courses and "teach" yourself. Well maybe a few people can, but it's very high level stuff that requires a professor to break it down and explain it. If your going for business, I would say save your money. Otherwise switch your degree to something that will actually get you a decent job afterward. |
| Joselyn Supina 04.04.2012 | College taught me about life. I might not be using my degree, but it was some of the best times I've ever had. |
| Christel Croak 05.04.2012 | I'm just gonna throw in my 2cents from experience. I'm a 3rd year aerospace engineering major, specializing in aerodynamics and propulsion (can't decide which one I like more). The thing I keep hearing from people in the industry is that I'll only use about 10% of what I learned in school, but I can say that I would not be able to teach myself the material at home, so in that aspect it's been really useful. Also last year I had an internship with Pratt & Whitney, which was only possible because I was in school, because they don't accept applications unless they're through a university, the school acts as a sort of reference for you because it adds validity to any claims I make. You've had professionals grade you and verify that you do in fact know the material, which is something that you can't get without a degree. If a school is willing to put their name behind you, it makes it easier for a company to hire you. In my case, P&W has worked with my school and altered the curriculum to better cater to the needs of P&W, in return for guaranteed internship positions for students over the summer. My schooling has been the best preparation for the work force because I know i'm being taught exactly what companies what us to know. School is an investement that will pay off in the future even if it doesn't seem like it now. |
| Rochel Tellefsen 04.04.2012 | I completed my Bachelor of Commerce degree in December, there were times during my education where I felt the same as you. Now having come out the other side of it I am glad I stuck with it. I am much more focus, better at dealing with stress and pressure while staying productive, and more organized. Having that degree tells your employers that you have these qualities, are trainable, and can stick with something for a period of time which requires effort, focus, setting goals, etc. Most of the good jobs require that you have that piece of paper to get your foot in the door. At some point you WILL be glad you finished it! |
| Rolanda Clodfelder 04.04.2012 | When I originally didn't take going to college seriously, Back then It didn't mean as much as experience and "real-world" knowledge. I probably learned more relevant stuff in three years working than three years of college. Nowadays I'm virtually un-hirable regardless of being in IT and Tech industry for almost 15 years my knowledge doesn't count for crap and the chances of my Resume getting past a HR departments initial screening is slim to none. Companies these days however don't (in my experience) want someone who already knows their shit or can contribute ideas and new possibilities of operation (thats for the top dogs), they want someone who can prove they can learn from knowledge being spoon fed rather than common sense and experience - mainly as it breeds reliance on that firm to provide stability, and employee stability breeds a long term "yes man" asset to that firm. If you ever intend going abroad it'll be virtually impossible to get a working visa without third level schooling either. Definitely One of my biggest regrets is not going to college - I was young, foolish and didn't see the big picture and now with bills to pay and freelancing to pay them, it's not that easy to get back-to-school. Anyhow Back OT: Its worth while having SOME kind of degree in ANY field, regardless of what that is. |
| Charles Kitsch 04.04.2012 |
Originally Posted by djfunke
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| Ninfa Mazariegos 04.04.2012 | Lol I went to school to work on aircraft and have a faa airframe and powerplant maintenance license....and I work as a janitor at a truck stop mopping floors and scrubbing off messages written in shit on stall dividers. My boss complains about having to pay me minimum wage and my christmas bonus this year was a free meal that I would have gotten at half price anyways. Hurray for education! |
| Chasidy Heckenbach 04.04.2012 |
Originally Posted by mekanism
edit: tho these days they call any old bloody college in the UK a *university* so has kind of lost it's meaning |
| Chasidy Heckenbach 04.04.2012 | i have a degree in maths+computing and have been working in software my whole career. i'd say it's def worth it. a) it's bloody good fun and b) it teaches u to learn, so imho doesn't really matter what the subject is (usually) that you're studying and what u end up doing. having said that in my final year i spent a bit too much time on a) and forgot about b) resulting in me going to 12 lectures total all year. that was the year i first really got interested in dance music lol - somehow didn't affect my final exams anyway. last minute cramming i guess |
| Charles Kitsch 04.04.2012 |
Originally Posted by rdej47
It sounds to me like you have no idea what field you want to be in, which is totally ok. You need to find something you are passionate about and see if that will translate into a career and then find out what it will take to be successful in that field, and if a degree is required to be successful then make that your goal. However, dont let anyone tell you that college is the only way to be successfull in life. College isn't for everyone. Ironically I learned that from a professor. This idea that higher education will make you a more rounded, worldly person is total crap. You can't learn everything from a book! |
| Palma Hanslip 04.04.2012 | The job field i'm in has nothing to do with what i went to College for.. Although i do still use my College education for a hobby/side line. I luckily landed a job i had been involved in before and now i'm the head engineer after 3 years and fully qualified in this field now. So i'm in a win win situation, two different educations since leaving school 6 years ago. |
| Hien Zissler 04.04.2012 | The job I'm in currently has nothing to do with my degree so in that regard you could say that my degree wasn't worth doing but the minimum requirement for the job was to have a degree in a related discipline so I wouldn't have been able to get it without one. While there is a lot to be said for self-education, the way that all large companies are set up (where I live anyway) is that without a degree you won't even be looked at, so from that point of view a degree carries a lot more value than just what you lean as part of your 4 years |
| Johnetta Olewine 04.04.2012 | The field I work in (environmental consulting) pretty much requires a bachelors degree minimum to even get a start. Sorts some of the wheat from the chaff. Only some though, an idiot with a degree is still an idiot. |
| Audria Pechman 04.04.2012 | As someone who is 2 years out of B-school and not working in my field of international business let me say this. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!??? Obviously you have not been paying attention in schools when it comes to ROI. A degree does not guarantee you anything, ever. In fact, nothing in life is guaranteed except death and taxes. Why do you believe the world values experience over a degree every day of the week. That being said, you obviously have no concept of the value of college. The value lies in the knowledge you gain from class, the skills you learn by interacting with people daily and the understanding that you cannot get this combination anywhere else in life. A degree also shows that you can work for 4 years, towards a goal, and achieve it. The piece of paper you get at the end is just a trophy. It is up to you to decide what that really means and how you are going to use it. The education you receive is only part of what you need to learn while you are in college. "Another example is someone locally here, he has established himself as a social media expert. Again runs his own blog and has made a point of learning everything he can about social media. He has created his own value. " Nobody said you couldn't do the same, what the hell are you waiting for? Someone to tell you it's ok? Seriously!!!??? OK, I'll say it, it's ok to get off your butt and do more then just go to school. You don't have to wait to be finished with school to start a career. If in the end you don't see the value of college, don't go. Nobody is making you and you are and adult. There are plenty of very smart people who have done well without it. Just remember that a lot of jobs are not going to consider hiring someone without a college degree, it's pretty much the same getting your high school degree 20-30 years ago. |
| Monroe Vandeslunt 04.04.2012 | I am a sys admin specialising in virtualisation, open storage and Infrastructure as a Service. My only qualifications are an incomplete diploma which I should of finished in 1 year but took over 2 years to do most of it and never completed it in the end and a bunch of industry certifications I had to shell out a lot of cash to do. In the end I do not regret having done the little training I did. However looking back on things they really didn't add much either in knowledge or employment prospects. In my opinion society now overvalues education and undervalues experience. There are a lot of jobs which certainly requires years of hardearned training and they should go through a formal education program before they are allowed to practice. Like doctors for instance. However I believe many people are fixated on getting a degree without realising that it often adds no real value. There are a lot of success stories about people getting a degree and getting ahead, but I believe there are a lot out there with degrees and getting nowhere. |
| Trista Karle 04.04.2012 | Have 16 years of experience in a field I hate doing. Thankfully I work in a fairly specialized field where my experience adds to my value. I have education but in a field unrelated to any I work or have worked in. Basically after 90% completion realized I didn't want to continue it and instead of wasting the time and money completed it. The Skills I have the most experience in I use for secondary income and nets quite a Bit. Long and short is its good to have education and gets you taken more seriously but if you aren't 100% that what you want to spend the next 20 to 30 years doing then no it's not worth it besides it looks very good on you. Any degree is better then none. I have more thoughts but rants would go on and on... Was kicked out of high school when I was 15 enrolled in jr college when I was 16 had my associates by time I was 17 and then switched to a different science degree had that by time 20. Had big ambitions to go for 8 more years in get my phd but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Sometimes believe I could of but then remember I wouldn't be where I'm at now and believe I couldn't trade what I have now for the world so... Yeah my thoughts small rant |
| Tessie Grether 03.04.2012 | I finished high school with decent grades, but decided to goto the military (Australian). Was the best choice i could ever make, I spent 5 years with great friends and I learned quite a lot, and experienced even more. Have been out for 3 years and I'm in a really comfortable position in IT (what ive always aimed for). Being in IT in the Army taught me a lot of things you would never learn in tertiary education. This was proven over and over when I had to teach incoming interns who had Degrees. You really need to find out where you want to be, and do what's needed to get there. You dont have to do tertiary education in every circumstance. A lot of Degrees are not designed for the workplace. BTW Now im ready to save up and hopefully make the plunge to quit or move to part time and spend a lot more time doing music. (have been producing since i left the army just about non stop) |
| Danae Dumler 03.04.2012 | I have degrees and am working in my field. Even if I weren't, it's worth it - those letters after your name mean higher pay, more respect, and being taken seriously both on the job and off. What you call "average at everything" used to be called "Renaissance man" or well-rounded, and I can't overstate its value both in the world of employment opportunities and in everyday life. It may or may not be for you, but there is no question I have benefited immensely both from what I've learned and from the experiences I had in school. Of course I work at a university so I'm biased in this regard, but even well outside of university life I have always greatly enjoyed the benefits of being a well-rounded and well-educated person. But perhaps it's not for everyone; some people want to specialize in whatever they see as their niche and just stay in it. But an education is an incredible opportunity, and seeing how those opportunities are dwindling these days (at least in the US), I'd say if you have the opportunity now you should not let it go to waste. |
| Ara Tima 03.04.2012 | We're lucky in Australia, we have a great system for student loans (HECS) basically the government pays for all of it and you pay it back interest free once you are earning a certain amount (over $50,000 AUD a year) even then they only take a small percentage. Basically if you never gain a decent job, you'll never have to pay it back. |
| Romelia Stankard 03.04.2012 | I don't know I have mixed feelings about education too and will probably go on a rant here and things have definitely changed a lot in the past couple years for people coming out with degrees- if you got a degree four years ago or more it's a completely different situation. I was going to a prestigious university for a pretty specialized degree in a very small field and some life circumstances forced me to take a break and I ended up moving across the country and I happened to find a job doing exactly what I went to school for with no degree by getting lucky and being really prepared and a perfect match. I absolutely love my job and they 100% could not live without me or replace me with what I bring to the table since I brought a new skill in to this small business. The downside of not having a degree is even though I am doing way more than the person I replaced who had a degree they can get away with paying me accordingly. If I was degreed I would be making 50%-100% more than I do now there which I need if I want to sustain my current level of living and hobbies. This is where I've gotten frustrated. There is only one university in all of south florida that offers a degree in my field and I checked it out and would have to go back to school full time for 3 years including summer to get a masters degree (I don't have a bachelors yet and this program would only net me a masters) and they don't offer a bachelors degree for it. I would have to go about $100,000 in debt and I would just never pay that off and in no way is it economically worth it. Not to mention I still have to wait a year until I have established residency in FL to get in state tuition and FL makes it incredibly difficult to get for people who move. I would never pay off those student loans or come out ahead and I would not be able to work at the same time, so I would be going for a degree for 3 years to hopefully come back to the job I was doing and hope I still like it and by then I'm sure the company would have moved on since they would need a replacement for me in the time between, not to mention there aren't exactly many (like any) job opportunities outside the company I'm at and I lucked out, so this would all be for the hope that I stick with this one company and would pretty much be stuck if it didn't work out because anyone else getting a degree in it is screwed. I look at like the 20 people who graduated in the class I stated college with on facebook and less than half have jobs in the field and have been degreed for a couple years now. I will finish my degree in something it's just a difficult situation and it needs to be worth it and an actual investment that won't needlessly put me in debt I will never pay off since the days of my parents paying for fancy ivy league university are over... |
| Antonetta Wikel 03.04.2012 | I have a degree and am working in my field. My thoughts on having a degree are basically, it's telling a potential employer that you're willing to put in at least four years of time (the same time it takes to get a degree) into a specific career. Any person of average intelligence could "learn on the job" MOST jobs that are out there BUT a degree tells your potential employer that you are willing to put up with at least 4 years of crap if they hire you. |
| Ara Tima 03.04.2012 | A degree is worth as much you are willing to put in and take from it. All education seems pointless at the time, but there is a reason for example, you mention you're doing a business degree, of course it's useful to have an idea of the basics of accounting, they aren't asking you to do a full accounting degree, just to know how it works. I don't know if Canada is different, but in Australia most universities take lots of feedback from business in the industry to find out what they believe graduates are lacking. Then they try and add that to the degree. I believe you've gotta look at the bigger picture, if you don't really want to be there it's never going to work for you. Try studying something that interests you, it helps massively. I'm currently doing a double degree (Law/Business in the Music Industry) and I love it, despite the stress it brings, a job at the end is a bonus. |
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