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College is overrated. If you don't actually plan on getting a job related to the degree you earn (which a TON of people don't) then you're wasting time at college.

 
General Blackshirt said:
College is overrated. If you don't actually plan on getting a job related to the degree you earn (which a TON of people don't) then you're wasting time at college.
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Not quite true.

The report titled "The Big Payoff: Educational Attainment and Synthetic Estimates of Work-Life Earnings" (.pdf) reveals that over an adult's working life, high school graduates can expect, on average, to earn $1.2 million; those with a bachelor's degree, $2.1 million; and people with a master's degree, $2.5 million.
Persons with doctoral degrees earn an average of $3.4 million during their working life, while those with professional degrees do best at $4.4 million.
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link

It makes those student loan dollars seem a bit more manageable. Not to mention there are ridiculous numbers of scholarships out there if you have the grades, athletic ability, work ethic, connections, or willingness to fill out the paperwork.

 
The thing is, you might not get a job in your major BUT many many many companies require that you have a degree even to get an interview.

 
teachercd said:
The thing is, you might not get a job in your major BUT many many many companies require that you have a degree even to get an interview.
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Very true. Also, if there are two people with identical jobs but only one has a college degree . . . all other things being equal the person with the degree will have quite a leg up when it comes to moving up the ladder.

 
ColoradoHusk said:
Ok, I have one more thing to add. If you are a guy, and you can afford it, go to school some place warm!!!! The girls at UNL are covered under sweaters and sweatshirts from October through March. The only time you will see them in good shape and showing some skin, is in Sept and April. :lol:
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TRUE! I did my undergrad at UNL and then took a long look at FSU for grad school. I spent most of my visits there walking around enjoying the scenery. Sundresses as far as the eye could see. Oh my.

(In the end, closeness to friends, family, and football won out. I think I made the right choice but it wasn't easy!)

 
carlfense said:
General Blackshirt said:
College is overrated. If you don't actually plan on getting a job related to the degree you earn (which a TON of people don't) then you're wasting time at college.
Click to expand...
Not quite true.

The report titled "The Big Payoff: Educational Attainment and Synthetic Estimates of Work-Life Earnings" (.pdf) reveals that over an adult's working life, high school graduates can expect, on average, to earn $1.2 million; those with a bachelor's degree, $2.1 million; and people with a master's degree, $2.5 million. 

Persons with doctoral degrees earn an average of $3.4 million during their working life, while those with professional degrees do best at $4.4 million.
Click to expand...
link

It makes those student loan dollars seem a bit more manageable. Not to mention there are ridiculous numbers of scholarships out there if you have the grades, athletic ability, work ethic, connections, or willingness to fill out the paperwork.
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bullsh#t.

Yes, on average somebody with a college degree will make more money than someone without it. However, the number in the millions is ridiculous, it's much closer to $300,000. Economists at Princeton and the Federal Reserve agree.

And the reason that the statistic doesn't matter either way is because it compares all degrees to all non-degrees. Who do you think is going to affect their side more? A doctor or a greeter at Wal-Mart? But are those two people comparable at all? No. Truth is that if you're somebody who is on the fence about what to do, don't know if you really have that many skills, and plan to earn some generic "sociology" degree, college will do nothing but cost money and take away 4 earning years. If you are smart and plan to get a well-respected degree then go to college. If not, you should seriously consider what value it is going to add to your life.

Throw in the fact that the "extra" money is made at the end of your life, not the beginning. If you don't go to college, you'll make money now. If you go to college, you'll make more money, but in slow increments over time. The time value of money makes a huge difference in that.

Also consider that loans might mess up your life. You could possibly delay purchasing a home or delay having children because of those suckers. Is it worth it?

So you make the call. There are a ton of benefits to college. Just know that it's not always the right choice.

 
General Blackshirt said:
carlfense said:
General Blackshirt said:
College is overrated. If you don't actually plan on getting a job related to the degree you earn (which a TON of people don't) then you're wasting time at college.
Click to expand...
Not quite true.

The report titled "The Big Payoff: Educational Attainment and Synthetic Estimates of Work-Life Earnings" (.pdf) reveals that over an adult's working life, high school graduates can expect, on average, to earn $1.2 million; those with a bachelor's degree, $2.1 million; and people with a master's degree, $2.5 million. 

Persons with doctoral degrees earn an average of $3.4 million during their working life, while those with professional degrees do best at $4.4 million.
Click to expand...
link

It makes those student loan dollars seem a bit more manageable. Not to mention there are ridiculous numbers of scholarships out there if you have the grades, athletic ability, work ethic, connections, or willingness to fill out the paperwork.
Click to expand...
bullsh#t.

Yes, on average somebody with a college degree will make more money than someone without it. However, the number in the millions is ridiculous, it's much closer to $300,000. Economists at Princeton and the Federal Reserve agree.

And the reason that the statistic doesn't matter either way is because it compares all degrees to all non-degrees. Who do you think is going to affect their side more? A doctor or a greeter at Wal-Mart? But are those two people comparable at all? No. Truth is that if you're somebody who is on the fence about what to do, don't know if you really have that many skills, and plan to earn some generic "sociology" degree, college will do nothing but cost money and take away 4 earning years. If you are smart and plan to get a well-respected degree then go to college. If not, you should seriously consider what value it is going to add to your life.

Throw in the fact that the "extra" money is made at the end of your life, not the beginning. If you don't go to college, you'll make money now. If you go to college, you'll make more money, but in slow increments over time. The time value of money makes a huge difference in that.

Also consider that loans might mess up your life. You could possibly delay purchasing a home or delay having children because of those suckers. Is it worth it?

So you make the call. There are a ton of benefits to college. Just know that it's not always the right choice.
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bullsh#t back. The article downplays money earned over time because of inflation . . . without noting that salaries will generally also rise to keep pace with inflation. (Not for the last decade . . . thanks business community.)

From your Baum study:

• In 2005, the typical full-time year-round worker in the United States with a four-year college

degree earned $50,900, 62 percent more than the $31,500 earned by the typical full-time

year-round worker with only a high school diploma.

• Those with master’s degrees earned almost twice as much, and those with professional

degrees earned over three times as much per year as high school graduates.

• Median earnings for those with some college but no degree were 18 percent higher than

those for high school graduates, and adults with associate degrees earned 29 percent more

than high school graduates.
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You've got your studies. I've got mine. (From the U.S. Census Bureau.) They all agree that you will make more money over your lifetime if you go to college.

 
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teachercd said:
I think that overall college will help you more then hurt you.
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I think so too. It's far from a free pass . . . but if you choose your major carefully (avoiding English, History, Sociology, etc.) then you will probably do fine. I do understand the part about student loan debt being a deterrent. My fiance and I have a combined 16 years of student loans to pay off. Yikes.

 
carlfense said:
You've got your studies. I've got mine. (From the U.S. Census Bureau.) They all agree that you will make more money over your lifetime if you go to college.
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I agree. Sort of.

People that go to college will earn more than the people who don't. True. On an individual basis, going to college will ALWAYS earn you more than not going to college. False.

It's a case-by-case thing, and if you're not the brightest tool in the drawer then you might be better working right away. If you're smart enough to get a good degree, then definitely go to college.

What I'm saying isn't anything different from anybody else in the sense that you need to do what is best for you. I'm just trying to point out that college isn't always what's best for you.

 
Come visit down south. Go visit the northeast. Go visit the west.

It's best to get away from home to do some looking around. If you do the looking around and decide you want to spend the next 4 years in-state, you'll know. Nothing is wrong with staying in-state, you just don't want to limit yourself to it.

If you want to come and visit Clemson, I'd be glad to show you around.

 
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