The social expectations surrounding college.

[5yeezy]

Depends on what kind of connections you have, some of my friends just planned on working with their family in their business, and would take over the company once their parents retire, so they are lined up with good paying jobs right out of high school, but for someone with no connections, going to college is pretty much a necessity to prevent making live significantly harder on yourself.

 

[dbowkillsu]

This is a topic that has bugged me for a few years now. I am 18 years old and in my first semester at University. Basically what I would like to hear from the Sythe community is this: What is your stance on the outlook society has on college after high school? I feel, and I'm sure many others agree, that if you do not go to college after high school you are immediately considered to have failed at life. Not exactly at life but more so in education and in your future career.

Everyone says, "Ohh, you need a degree to get a job". Which I agree with to an extent, but what sets you apart if almost everyone is going to college nowadays? I know that tons of people are graduating with a college diploma in 2015 and struggle to get a job. It's sad that people, me included, are going to college for 4 years of their life and spending thousands and thousands for this piece of paper that you may not even use for your career.

So the discussion is this,

Do you think it is a good or bad idea to go to college? Why do you feel this way?

It all depends from what point off view you see it, in the states college is so expensive, thousands of dollars/yr depending on what school you go to. Me personally i dont want to go to college/uni its to expensive n id be in debt for x years after graduating. Im more off a person that is great at getting thru to people and communicating face to face so i kinda like to take advantage to that n see if i can get in a field that dedicates to helping people or starting up a business that involves me communicating and having to deal with my employee's till i can be financially independent which is what i want to accomplish in the long run. but in the end all in all just getting a degree doesnt mean u wont have to compete to get the job u want lots off people have the degree's u want or are going to obtain so u have to have something that stands out from the rest off them. U can also note that most people that get degrees at least a good amount dont even end up with the job they want or in the field they want with their degree.

 

[Arya]

In the U.S., sure, university is expensive. The thing is, putting yourself $40-80k in debt(sometimes more) is more frightful on paper than in real time. People receive their degrees at 21-23 and talk of being in debt late in their 30's because they paid $50-$300 a month on their student loans. Honestly, if you're good with money and haven't been stricken with consumerism, you can get a job(maybe in your field, maybe not) & pay your loans off in 5 years easily.

The way I see it, University is a gathering of minds. Meet people, join clubs, make friends and connections; that along with the knowledge and social experience you'll gain in your experience will set you up for not having to live paycheck to paycheck or find yourself at a brick wall with no idea how you can get yourself to the next level.

 

[SuF]

In the U.S., sure, university is expensive. The thing is, putting yourself $40-80k in debt(sometimes more) is more frightful on paper than in real time. People receive their degrees at 21-23 and talk of being in debt late in their 30's because they paid $50-$300 a month on their student loans. Honestly, if you're good with money and haven't been stricken with consumerism, you can get a job(maybe in your field, maybe not) & pay your loans off in 5 years easily.

The way I see it, University is a gathering of minds. Meet people, join clubs, make friends and connections; that along with the knowledge and social experience you'll gain in your experience will set you up for not having to live paycheck to paycheck or find yourself at a brick wall with no idea how you can get yourself to the next level.

There are plenty of fields that pay ridiculously low like 30-40k out of school and require advanced degrees. These fields are generally things like social work or teaching or other professions that are important to society but are not funded well so people are paid badly. It's extremely important to have a highly educated society for our economy to keep growing and for us to continue our technological advancement but that doesn't mean everyone needs to go to college nor should it mean college should be super expensive. Society also needs people that are highly skilled craftsman and highly skilled in trades such as machining or carpentry or plumbing, etc and this I feel like is something we really need to encourage. Trades are currently looked down upon and people will judge you for not getting a college degree and that's bogus. Our K-12 education system in the US needs to be improved so people do not need to go to college to be exposed to many ideas and learn how to think critically and express themselves which then allows them to not go to college and instead become productive members of society right out of high school or allows them to go into a trade school or take an apprenticeship to learn a valuable trade.

 

[kmjt]

I am in computer science and I feel like it is a waste of time and money but I feel pressured into completing it since I am close to the end.

Computer science is something anyone can learn online with proper guidance as in what to learn first. I feel like (my program anyway) do not teach enough practical knowledge. Most graduates will not have any practical experience coming out of university and I feel like most companies hire based more on experience (personal projects) then a degree. The bottom line is that in computer science if you are good enough, even if you have no formal education, you will get hired. If a company sees that you have competent personal projects that is most likely all they care about.

 

[SuF]

I am in computer science and I feel like it is a waste of time and money but I feel pressured into completing it since I am close to the end.

Computer science is something anyone can learn online with proper guidance as in what to learn first. I feel like (my program anyway) do not teach enough practical knowledge. Most graduates will not have any practical experience coming out of university and I feel like most companies hire based more on experience (personal projects) then a degree. The bottom line is that in computer science if you are good enough, even if you have no formal education, you will get hired. If a company sees that you have competent personal projects that is most likely all they care about.

I went through it and basically said I was paying for a piece of paper. Annoying a lot of companies do require having a degree and I think it will end up being a net positive for you but it's rather silly.

 

[KyleJ]

I feel like its a good idea to go to attend college, mostly for the fact of the social stigma that exists and for most people its the only way to get a good job in the workforce. Yes, at first you'll shell out tens of thousands of dollars if not more, however the return you'll receive in terms of making more money is well worth it in my opinion

 

[BellyFlopper]

Believe everything is exaggerated besides the money you will definitely go broke

 

[the will of fire]

college is very useful for opening doors but at same time networking and conenctions go a long way

 

[Psychic Ball]

Read most of this thread, I feel like at the moment everyone that is us telling us to get degrees are our parents, because when they were our age if they did or did not have a degree it was semi-rare.

So now... that makes me think in order to survive the next 20 years you don't just need a degree, but a masters or phd, or work in a field that cannot be replaced by technology.

A shit load of experience is more important than a degree in my opinion, but in IT the recruiters will categorise you based on your certificates / paper achievements.

 

[Viking]

I have a lot of people in my classes that are 30-40 years old and came back to college because they are tired of moving up so slowly... sometimes that piece of paper gets you a small amount of respect.