College Degrees & Jobs

[MouseEars4us]

About 7 years ago the place I was working closed. My DH has a good job, so we didn't need to move, however, there wasn't much available. I applied for a job in manufacturing. They called me in for an interview. During the interview they mentioned my college ed. and said "Won't you be bored?" I didn't get the job. Turned down for a job because I'm too smart?!?
They were right though, I probably would have been bored.

The job I have now is much more suited to my degree in art... and I'm not bored at all!

 

[vettechick99]

Originally posted by MouseEars4us
About 7 years ago the place I was working closed. My DH has a good job, so we didn't need to move, however, there wasn't much available. I applied for a job in manufacturing. They called me in for an interview. During the interview they mentioned my college ed. and said "Won't you be bored?" I didn't get the job. Turned down for a job because I'm too smart?!?
They were right though, I probably would have been bored.

That happened to me too! I'm freelance, so I have the opportunity to take on additional jobs if work is slow. So an office down the street wanted a part-time bookkeepper. Well I got the interview and they loved me, but in the end they were worried I would be bored.

It's a part-time job in bookkeepping and I hate math! Of course I'll be bored!

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Virtually ALL of the people I know WITHOUT degrees are making signifigantly more $$$ now than folks I know with degrees.

I think a good deal of it honestly has to do with luck and who you know.

My downstairs neighbor makes triple what I make and he is a self taught computer person. He designs software and custom builds computers. This guy never went to college and actually at one point did jail time.

My brother makes double what I make working in an insurance company where he fell in with the right crowd. He dropped out of college.

My next door neighbor from childhood never made it to college. He owns his own car lot now and makes a fortune.

My cousin was a drug addict in high school. Then she dropped out to have a baby at age 16. She got into some sort of rehab program that led her to a job at a vet's office. Now she is working there as a vet assistant and on her way to becomming a vet. She owns her own home and is far better off than I can even hope to be within 10 years.

My other cousin also dropped out to have a baby. She did get her GED though. She never went to college. She knew some people who hooked her up with a job and she makes 50K+ a year now.

My BF dropped out of college. He works where I do and makes at least 5K more than me doing what is a "lower" job on the scale at this company.

I went to college ; got 2 degrees in psychology and sociology. I wasted 6 years of my life doing this. I have been trying desperatly for the last 3 years to find another job that pays more and has decent benefits because right now I do menial office work and make less than I did working retail when I was in college.

College, IMO, is a big waste of time and money. I want to go back because I know my degrees are useless without a masters, but to be honest, I really have a hard time even thinking that it will be worth it because this far, from my experiences it seems like it is really just about luck and who you know.

 

[rae519]

Have two BS degrees and my Registered Nurse Certification - worked for a long time and now homeschool my 9 year old son, write plays that are actually produced locally and take long rides on my horses!

Needed the college education to obtain the freedom I have today.

Rae

 

[bjgrazi]

I got my degree at the age of 41, I did while working full time and being a single parent. Unfortunately it hasn't helped me find a better job. I make less money now then I did before.

But, I'm hoping for the best.

 

[minniepumpernickel]

I know a lot of really smart people who don't have college degrees, but they can only get so far in certain positions.

If I could be a perpetual student, I would do it! I liked college much more than work. I'd go the whole way up to doctrate, if I could make it that far.

 

[Strawberry Lemonade]

At the company I work for, if you don't have a college degree, you can't do things such as answering the phones, talking to clients, or managing cases. Consequently, if you don't have a degree, you don't get paid as highly as those of us who do.

I don't "use" my degree per se, it's in psychology and I work in the work/life field (don't ask!), but I'm proud of it and certainly don't regret getting it. IMO, it's not all about the money - I can pay my bills, but I'm not jealous of those who make more.

 

[BriarfoxinWA]

I never finished college. Once I got into banking I have taken whatever training has been available.

It really frosts me that so much emphasis is placed on the college degree. I had a very high level Executive VP tell me once that the degree just proves that an individual is "trainable". I think that's ridiculous! I was placed in a very exclusive 6 week training class that consisted of 15 existing bank employees chosen from the 20,000 employees nationwide and 15 recent college grads that were new-hires. The existing employees were treated basically like second class citizens with no regard given to the fact that some of us had been with the bank for over 15 years. Every one of us had to be nominated by our managers - and then accepted into the class. The new-hires basically just had to be breathing and have a pulse.

I hate to sound so cynical but my experience has been that the college degree is highly overrated. I've worked with several different people that were highly educated with absolutely NO common sense. Every one of them eventually washed out of banking and ended up working in a different field.

Oh - and that "exclusive" training course...the bank spent in excess of $15,000 per person to train us. I was the first to leave about 2 months after the class was finished. The other bank that hired me thought all that training was great and gave me a $10,000 raise. The other 14 existing employees have also all left for other banking institutions. The "new-hires" ... as far as I know the majority of them have been washed out of the bank...funny how "common sense" comes in handy in the work place...

 

[snoopy]

Originally posted by Lanshark
There are enough extremely qualified people with years of experience in the computer industry out of work now that someone without a degree would have a problem.

The degree shows that you have the dicipline and fortitude to spend 4 years going through college. I have a 4 year degree in Computer Information Systems and 20 years experience in the areas of systems analysis, design and programming. I'm no longer in the field but in all the people I've interviewed, the HR department never let a resume get to me that didn't have some type of degree on it.

Yup.

We hire people without degrees but usually in administrative positions only, with the exception of our craftsmen, who usually have experience or training coming in. There have been exceptions, but not many since I've been recruiting. A degree is written in job descriptions as "required", but I've seen it change to "desired" if the hiring manager wants the candidate bad enough.

 

[caitycaity]

I just have to say that college is overrated. I learned so much in high school. In college I have learned next to nothing.

maybe it is your school or your program that is bad, not just college everywhere.

Virtually ALL of the people I know WITHOUT degrees are making signifigantly more $$$ now than folks I know with degrees. (snip) College, IMO, is a big waste of time and money.

statistics say otherwise.

 

[jrydberg]

IMO, college is what you make of it. At most universities, one can get an excellent education or one can slide through. Not sure why anyone would want to "slide through" when they're paying so much for it, but in my experience as a teaching assistant at a public university, there are plenty of them.

As for its worth, I think a college degree for someone who takes college and work seriously is invaluable. No, the field in which I got my degree is not relevant to my job. But much that I learned in college is. Everyone I know that has a college degree makes more than everyone I know without a college degree -- by a good margin.

I'm sure there are plenty of folks who don't have college degrees who could do a lot of these jobs. But there are plenty who could not. A college degree indicates a level of capability and commitment. Nothing more and nothing less.

 

[Bumbles]

College, IMO, is a big waste of time and money. I want to go back because I know my degrees are useless without a masters, but to be honest, I really have a hard time even thinking that it will be worth it because this far, from my experiences it seems like it is really just about luck and who you know.

I could not disagree more. I have a Bachelors in psych and at my job, I make roughly 12K -15K more than other people in my office who have the exact same job title and the reason for that (besides the fact I do a wonderful job ) is because my boss can justify the raises I get because I have a degree and they don't.

I learned a whole heck of a lot more in college than just what my degree covered.

IMO, college is what you make of it.

nicely said, jrydberg

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Originally posted by caitycaity
maybe it is your school or your program that is bad, not just college everywhere.


statistics say otherwise.

I don't care what the statistics say; real life had proven otherwise to me.

 

[caitycaity]

I don't care what the statistics say; real life had proven otherwise to me.

it's not like people just make statistics up. they come from "real life" too.

 

[Bob Slydell]

Originally posted by jrydberg
As for its worth, I think a college degree for someone who takes college and work seriously is invaluable. No, the field in which I got my degree is not relevant to my job. But much that I learned in college is. Everyone I know that has a college degree makes more than everyone I know without a college degree -- by a good margin.

I'm sure there are plenty of folks who don't have college degrees who could do a lot of these jobs. But there are plenty who could not. A college degree indicates a level of capability and commitment. Nothing more and nothing less.

ITA -- well said. I know for myself, I have a degree in Accounting and yet I'm primarily a programmer at this point. But it doesn't mean that my degree was useless nor does it mean I don't use a lot of the knowledge I gained in college on a regular basis.

 

[jrydberg]

Originally posted by Bob Slydell
ITA -- well said. I know for myself, I have a degree in Accounting and yet I'm primarily a programmer at this point. But it doesn't mean that my degree was useless nor does it mean I don't use a lot of the knowledge I gained in college on a regular basis.

But the real question is, do you have people skills?

 

[Bob Slydell]

Originally posted by jrydberg
But the real question is, do you have people skills?

Except for my love of Michael Bolton music, sure!

 

[Bojangles]

Originally posted by EsmeraldaX

College, IMO, is a big waste of time and money. I want to go back because I know my degrees are useless without a masters, but to be honest, I really have a hard time even thinking that it will be worth it because this far, from my experiences it seems like it is really just about luck and who you know.

If you don't like your situation, stop complaining and change it. This defeatist attitude you appear to have will get you nowhere.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

A college degree is a necessity these days if you want to be successful (unless you run your own company). Like others have said, it is now the equivalent of a high school diploma. Having a degree shows you have the discipline to see things through. It's not so much the major but the skills you learned going through college (as others have mentioned, time management, problem solving, how to take a final with a hangover (ooops that probably is not one of them ), working with others, people skills, etc.).

I have a degree in Public Relations. I am a Contracts Administrator. I needed a degree for my position. I work in a place though that amended my job description so I can also keep up on my public relation skills (and it saves them money instead of having to contract everything out since we don't have a PR person). Because I can do more, I make more, and it also gives me room to grow, and again do more and make more.

 

[RachelEllen]

Unfortunately, it can be quite neccesary. I mentioned this on another thread, but it's even more relevent here.

My husband left college more than 20 years ago with one incomplete course. It was a literature course even, at a well known technical school. He had gotton a great job offer and figured the degree itself was just a peice of paper.

Flash forward 20 years, and he's an extremely successful consultant on a specialized technical subject. He wants to get a house. But with economy the way it is, consulting jobs are drying up. The mortgage company needs him to prove a reliable income which he cannot do. In order go guarentee him future work, the main company he works with requires him to get a professional certification. The test itself is no problem. But, of course, you need that degree to even apply to take it.

So that house falls through. He spends a lot of money, time, and and paperwork to take a single humanities course to get a degree from MIT.

At least his dad had the ability to restrain himself from too many 'I told you so's!'