Ever since I was young, my father insisted that education was vital. He encouraged me and my siblings to go beyond high school in order to get better job prospects. It worked fine for my sister and I; she's a chemist and I'm an active blogger/journalist. On his side, our brother simply went to a technical school for restaurants and is very happy with his life.

Since I don't have many technical skills (I don't think I can saw or nail anything straight), higher education was worth it. But what about other people? Should they be strongly encouraged to pursue higher education at all cost?

As it stands right now in the US, there is a college loan bubble since too many people took advantage of government loans to study. There is no problem with studying subjects like theater, politics or philosophy. However, what are the job prospects for these people? I'm not much of a utilitarian, but that's exactly what "government-encouraged" demand does: put interest before practicality.

In order to avoid (another) economic crisis on the matter, government help to higher education needs to be phased out. As a result, those "not meant" for it will look for respectable jobs like electrician, truck driver or even entrepreneur. If "equality of opportunity" is your worry, know that many colleges such as Harvard offer tuition if your parents make too little money. And let's not forget college who offer sports scholarships.

Well, I wanted to get out of school so bad, I didn't even wanted to think on college. So I never went. But is college really worth it. It mostly depends on what you want to do with your life. Like their is some jobs out there (extremely paying jobs) that you need to complete 4 additional years of school to get, so that's really why we have the option to go to college.

If you want to continue your learning, then go for it, if you don't want to, then don't go, that's my only best bet.

I would think it all depends on what field of study you go into, or what your major is. In my case, I have an Associates Degree in Business Administration. The reason why I only have an Associates and not a Bachelors degree is mainly because I really haven't had the time ( or money ) to continue. But as it stands, I have been blessed to have a wonderful job and a wonderful wife to help me with any troubles I might run into.

Education is important to some people but not all. I really hate to be too general here, but I think it just all depends on your situation. Me? It helped a little bit but not very much.

If you don't have anything that's already set for a job, then college is really suggested, and will help a lot. Only those who already have jobs and can afford to not take on the education have a shot at making it withiout college, but it's still a good idea.

I would have to say yes college is worth the effort because it does make you more money than you would normally get. Any job you go to that would require the knowledge would look favorably on you having that degree. I wish I would have had the patience to do it because I know for sure my life would be a lot different. Also all dads would push for that for their kids for the simple fact that they want the best for you and to see you succeed. Not to mention bragging rights for them to their friends and maybe other family members as well. 
Now that being said there are still a lot of good jobs out there where you are not required to get a degree that you can make really good money at. Plus you can go tech schools and specialized schools to get a decent education for whatever field you decide you would like to study. I of course was not a patient one with school so I decided to stay away from college and go straight into working and learning as I went. I am not making a lot of money but I have a steady job and I'm happy as it is. If I had to do it all over again I would have went to college. 

I think it all depends on what u trying to go for. I mean U have some people in this world that wants to further their education, which isnt a problem because hey let's face it, it may lead to better results .

All the research I've seen regarding (American) college and four year degrees vs. high school diplomas show people with degrees will earn a much larger amount of money over their lifetime.  BS and BA degrees are invaluable in a job market flooded with people hunting down new work and it is something that separates you from the others.

I have a degree and I get a salary, insurance, upward mobility, and comfort knowing I'm learning new skills and constantly developing.
I watch the folks I work with who do not have a degree and they're working hourly for wages and no one can have more than 28 hours because we're not providing them with benefits for their work.

Get the degree.  Even the debt can be managed if you pick something that will help you in the future.  Ask folks who 'have some college' or went right into the work force how they're doing with their lives vs. those who went to college.

College also allows you to develop socialization skills and, more importantly, meet a lot of people who will end up owning companies and being in positions of power later in life.  Meet those folks, make your connections, and you'll be much more successful instead of just working at wherever as a low-level manager with no hope to move up.

Well, I think that it would just be right if I get straight to my point:
Not everyone is supposed to be getting degrees from college. See, when you graduate college, you have now one of the biggest opportunities in life. Now, everyone should get the chance to go to a college, but not everyone is meant to graduate and get a degree. If you have had a dream goal that you have wanted to pursue since you were, like, fifteen, heck yeah, you should get a degree! If everyone got a degree, then it would not be special! 

I made plans to go to college when i was young and have even done a little schooling there so far but, i left due to things. i currently am pursuing my entrepreneur major which im going about by attending community college in jersey and paris. that all being said the actual plan working is an altogether different thing but, i am hopeful. i think college is a good idea for those who are looking for certain things and aside from that self teaching is not a bad option either.

I guess it just depends on what you want to do, you know?
You want to be a lawyer, doctor, medic, engineer, etc... Then it's absolutely vital, thought for other stuff you might not need it as much or at all.
Let's say you want a career in music, a degree is good and all, but not needed.
But you do need to have a plan in mind and be able to play it out. If your plans backfire and you have no college degree, then you're going to get payed less with just a high school diploma.

So it really depends on what you plan to do, how you are doing it, and overall if you can do it.

As a current college student, I'd say it absolutely is worth it. The career fairs and the workshops are immensely helpful. Last week I went to Provo and got information over 20 different companies including Google, Adobe, DOMO, Novell, General Motors, USAA, etc. in which they are looking to hire full time and internship positions. 

They offer resume and career workshops which you are guided by professionals to help you create the best resume. Submitting resumes to professors, they submit your resumes with their connections. Having a degree is advantageous. I've got another career fair to hit tomorrow and plenty of people I count on are getting full time positions, me personally am looking for an internship. The connections are resources are bountiful.

I would say it all just depends on your personal situation. College isn't necessarily for everyone and you're not gonna fail at life just because you don't attend it. It also depends on the job market and what field you go for. For me and my life it wouldn't make a lot of sense to go for some rare field in a bad economy when there aren't many openings only to be unemployed and in a lot of debt. But that's me. You could do well with the proper plan in place.

I think whether you need college or not is a personal question that can be answered differently depending on the person. For example, if you see Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and others they could be college drop outs, they did not need a college degree in order to succeed. I am not aware if they ever finished their degree but I know that being successful does not require having a college degree, but statistics also show that people who get college degrees earn more than the average person who does not get a college degree, mostly because most of the people do not have the knowledge or the luck necessary to make it big in life which is why people go to college. Unless you are confident that you will get a job, you have some connections, or you can learn by yourself I think college would be something that would help.

I don't know if it is something "vital" but it can definitely help. I think college really opens up your mind to many different options, especially if you are attending a 4-year university or a very well known college, because you get to meet people who have goals in life or you get to meet people who have different interests. College allows you to explore different things because many colleges have a wide variety of classes and subjects which you can be exposed to. I know a couple people that have changed their mindset because they met someone who got them interested into a different career or topic. I think that college also helps you meet your connections because you have the chance of meeting many talented people in college, you are exposed to students who have made it as far as you have and you have the pleasure to meet many good professors who have done many things, in some cases they have won Nobel prizes or written books.

Let's not forget the most important aspect about going to college, the learning experience, when I enter college I want to be able to double major in medicine and computer science because I don't want to learn just for the job but for the ability of being able to create things that can help others. I think that the knowledge that one gains in college can be very valuable, there is a reason many important discoveries can be done in colleges and universities, and that is because they have people who have the motivation and the tools to be able to discover new things.

This happens to me and I think it is worth it because a lot more jobs are open that pay a lot more money than jobs without a degree.

In my honest opinion, I DON'T think it matters as much if someone chooses not to aim for a higher education. What my father taught me is that all I need is a job that doesn't feel like a job; something that just comes natural (He's an engineer, all he does is inform people how to fix their computers and maintain networks mostly). He also told me that as long as I make enough money to pay the bills and tithe at church, then I should be fine. Now, since I want to become a vet and work with animals, I have to go through a higher education to do that. But what I'm ultimately aiming for is to work on animals and help them; the money is just a bonus to me.
I feel that many of us are urged to go to college in order to live well, but that could be due to our standards of what we should/shouldn't have. An example of this is how common it is to see the average person who has a flat screen television in his/her home. It used to be such a luxurious thing to have, but now it's something many people have. The same thing can be said about cell phones and laptops; expensive items that are now a common commodity.
My point to this rant is this; go to college if you're planning on living well and make sure it's something you LOVE to do.Also know that if you're satisfied with a job that doesn't require a bachelor's degree or even a high school degree, but you still pay every bill off and are satisfied, then who cares if you go or not?
Also sorry for the huge post

Forgive my frankness, but I've never seen a point in beating around the bush or being so proper and careful about what I say that no one can get a clear answer from hearing me.


No.
No, not everyone is meant to have a degree. A stable economy is built upon economic teirs. Sure we need business owners, but if we all become CEOs, who will we employ? If we all become rocket scientists, who will actually use them?

You see, while it isn't the best job, we NEED people working at McDonalds and other fast food chains. Why? Because if no one "flips the burgers" then the man/woman that owns the company will go bankrupt: bad for the economy if they all tank at the same time. We NEED Wal-Mart cashiers and stockers. Why? Without them the top executives in the largest retailer in the world will be out of work, and our economy will take a huge hit. Same with cashiers at any store or high end restaraunt.


So to those who say that everyone should get a degree, think about this the next time you sit down to a lobster dinner with your wife/husband: who took your order? Who mopped the floor? Who took out the trash? Who will clean your dishes? We need all kinds of workers, not just CEOs and other executives. If our economies are to survive at all, we need those who work at these jobs that so many people disdain and mock them for.


To those who work at these kinds of jobs: the next time you say "that'll be $19.23" or "do you want fries with that?" or the next time you mop up a spill on aisle five, be proud of what you do. Be very proud. You are just as important as any CEO.


If you want a degree, it's definitely worth trying. If not, do what you do. We need all kinds.

I know this will sound odd coming from a teacher, but I can't exactly say college is 'worth it'.  Nor (however), can I say it is NOT worth it.  Let me try to explain a little better:

College degrees are awesome because people in the business world view them in high esteem. For many people, this means more job security, better pay, and increased chances of  promotion.  However, I also believe that these opportunities are presented to people who want them badly enough. I know many people who don't have degrees and make far more than me... and would be considered more successful.  They simply had that charm and determination that got them to where they are.  In today's society, I think it's very possible to achieve your dreams without a college degree.

I also don't feel like I learned a -thing- in college.  Perhaps this was due to 'me knowing it all', but I'd hate to give myself that kind of credit.  Instead, most of my classes covered what I considered to be common sense.  I wanted to get into the classroom, so I busted by butt to get my bachelor's degree in two years. I can count the number of classes that challenged me on one hand.

Also, shamefully, it's too easy to cheat... to easy to get away with NOT learning anything.  I think that half of my classmates (at least) cheated their way to their degrees, and by the time all was said and done... they really knew very little more than the average job candidate.

So all in all.... is college worth it?  If you're simply seeking to be enlightened and educated.... the answer depends on your true drive and motivation.  If you're seeking better job opportunities, I'd respond the same.  College is worth it if you make it worth it.  You have to own the experience, however, and not just view it as something 'to get through'.

Eirinn : I've found my philosophical soulmate!

I would like to add that too many people (especially in unions, behind the idiotic fight for 15 movement) that supply and demand also applies to the workforce. If you put a floor price like a minimum wage, only the most productive people will work, leaving the very people they wanted to help out of a job.

The same thing goes with degrees. Go study history of the arts if you like the subject, but don't be surprised if your job opportunities in your field are... rather limited. I was fortunate enough to have good writing abilities AND an ease with English (my first language is French) to find "custom" jobs like freelance writing and even journalist at time.

Singelli I have the same feeling. Hadn't it been for my numerous readings OUTSIDE a formal context, I would have never known who Jules Verne, Big Brother, John Galt are or if I should consider signing the Candlemakers' Petition. Mind you I DID learn a lot at school through the readings I did. But I would say that it represents at most half the present knowledge I have.

How have people cheated exactly?By not putting the appropriate reference? By copying? But yes some classes are just there because you have to take them and I generally don,t remember much for them (nor would I actually need them).

janus - Very true. Another thing people fail to realize is that increasing everyone's pay that high will also make the cost of living skyrocket. The only solution for those who need better pay to get by is to work their way up. Good wages are earned not given. #fightfor7.50 anyone? xD

I think in the end, the problem is that people feel too entitled. "I deserve respect because I'm alive" "I deserve $15/hour because I work" or "I deserve to have what I want because I want it". I'm sick of it. We need people who earn everything they get, not handouts. That goes for every worker, degree or no degree.

Good discussion thread by the way.

janus :  The methods of cheating were rather endless. People plagiarized, yes.  They also would look up answers on cell phones / laptops / tablets during tests.  They would sit next to someone smart and copy work and answers.  They'd use notes stuffed under their tests or in sleeves.  I can't remember anything specifically creative, but professors (at least at my college) weren't too concerned.  I remember proctoring a test and telling the professor that one kid was cheating.  He said "Well, at least he's getting it done."  Nothing more was ever said on the matter.