Is College really a waste of time these days? Should i bother going?

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>>17444864
No. Go get a skill you can use. Like carpentry.

>>17444864
No college is a great opportunity to get a degree that most jobs above 30,000 will require. As >>17444868 stated, trades can also be very profitable.

Why isn't getting a trade first, and then college, a thing in the US? People do it all the time in my country, but I never hear of it being a thing in the US.

>>17444864
The whole experience in itself is a waste.

The degree (considering it's not a meme degree) is not.

>>17444887
because college is big business in the US

OP, it depends on what you want to do. if you choose the right major you could end up with good job prospects, if not you could end up in debt and working minimum wage.

>>17444864

https://cew.georgetown.edu/cew-reports/americas-divided-recovery/

Now, a lot of tradesmen have college credits as part of their training. It is certain that some education is worth pursuing.

College is becoming less and less viable over the years. You have more and more people flooding into the job market with degrees, this makes the marketplace a very competitive one and means that you are either going to work for less pay than you expected, or you are going to be competing with people who are most likely better at your qualified position.

Following your dreams is also terrible advice, Mike Row did a very good video on this. I suggest doing market research and picking the best education for the job market. There are incredible amounts of skilled labor jobs in the country that need filling, and if you can find the right one for you, there are lots of ways you can become qualified in it.

Take it from my personal experience, after 6 months and over 1000 dollars I got qualified in EMT basic earning around 11 dollars an hour, when I could have gotten my Class B CDL and earned around 16 dollars an hour for less time and money.

>>17444864

Depends on multiple factors such as your degree, how passionate you are about that degree, how hard you'll work on your education, and how much it'd set you back not going to college while still following your passion.

For instance, if you studied engineering, but gave no shits about it, took qaaludes for your entire experience, and your dad would have got you a high paying administrative job anyway, then it's not worth it.

However, if you're a historian, you are passionate about it, you innovate multiple new theories that change how we look at the world, and would have been forced to work in McD for years if you hadn't gone instead, then yes it is worth it, despite history being a 'meme' degree.

>>17445365
>history being a 'meme' degree.
People underestimate the value of an arts degree so much. Sure, you're unlikely to get a job in the field unless you get a Masters or PhD, but a Bachelor's degree is incredibly versatile and allows you to do a huge variety of jobs. In a way, they're better than, say, STEM, because if you hate your field with a STEM degree, you're kind of fucked unless you're prepared to go back and study something else.

>>17445377
Things a bs in liberal arts will get you

>chance at sales job
>chance at lower/middle management

>>17445404
You forgot things like government jobs and a variety of jobs at private companies working with a combination of people, data and other research.

If it makes you feel superior about whatever you're studying, then keep telling yourself that arts degrees are worthless, but the reality is that they aren't.

>>17444887
So you live in a socialist country.

>>17445410
>then keep telling yourself that arts degrees are worthless

Oh, it's not that they are worthless.

For most people, they turn out to not be worth what they cost, however.

If you get a full academic scholarship and you have an assured job waiting for you after school, by all means, spend 4 years doing shit that you could literally do by visiting libraries and museums.

But if you're stuck here in the real world, you need to figure out how to get the best ROI on going to college. That means spending as little as possible for training that will give the best chance of landing a job that you are capable of.

The reason why STEM is such a good deal is because cheap state universities often have great STEM programs; you can go there cheaply and get a high paying job.

(but you have to have a basic level of intelligence to be able to do this at all, and many people do not)

The other problem with arts/humanities/social sciences is that these departments in American colleges are just infested with SJW assholes. There is no min-bar to get into these types of programs; the "research" is almost all horseshit. These degrees are an entire industry that is built around, in effect, writing movie reviews. It's a cult of opinion.

So, you can do a much better job learning about the beautiful artwork that underpins western civilization by staying the hell away from the modern university, and looking for older source texts that pre-date the SJW epidemic.

>>17444864
Millennials these days are looking for any reason not to go to college because college is a big commitment of time, work and money. These reasons why college isn't "viable" have nothing to do with the value of a degree. A college degree will likely not lose its job-getting power within your lifetime. It's a colloquially respected system for employers to know who has long term goals and a work ethic and who's willing to go along with a system that's worked for generations.

It's more financially complicated than it was for our parents, yeah that's unfortunate, but college is still by far the best entry point into any career, will be for at least the next few decades...in my opinion.

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There's a couple of schools of thought (both of which are very valid and worth considering).

Do you want to do what you love, and be happy but potentially financially unstable? Or do you want to feel "meh" or even miserable, but be financially well-off?

Unless your love in life and passion is something like petroleum engineering, or metallurgy, then it will be hard to find a well-paying job in a field you're passionate about or something you love. I'll give you a couple examples using real friends of mine.

Pearce is passionate about music. The guy can actually sing really well, and plays guitar like a beast. However, he has a somewhat realistic view that chances are, he'll never be a successful, bill-paying musician. He is studying economics and business finance in school. He said himself he'd rather be in a job he didn't just absolutely love, but be financially stable (and competitive on the job market) for the rest of his life. He's thinking of his future wife, kids, etc.

Jacob, however, loves the entertainment industry. He wants to be a producer - in either music or film/television. He loves the idea of being creative and helping others achieve their dreams of being on the radio or the silver screen. He is pursuing that in school, fully aware of the fact that the job search will be hard, if not impossible, but that doesn't matter. Jacob would rather be happy and poor than risk being rich and miserable.

So, really, it's up to you to decide - do you wish to be a Pearce or a Jacob? If Pearce, study something that will make you money in college, or even consider learning a cheap trade at a two-year school. You might not love it, but you'll be stable. If Jacob, follow your dreams and passions. You'll be happy, but may struggle. It's up to you.

You need a reason to be there and a sense of perspective. If you aren't already part of your fields community, and you don't have a research goal, at least be following your industries news closely.

I thought the experience was good, but I paid 3k a year in Europe.

A degree is a big gatekeeper to jobs and I think that's actually getting worse. New industries that you would assume were more about merit around being more about degrees. The degree must actually be useful though, some things aren't in demand. When I put my CV out there online I got 5 calls from recruiters the next day and I'd consider myself average (although I tend to think there's less terrible people out there than there really are).

>>17445654
You don't need to love your fucking job if you choose to lead a balanced life and enjoy your hobbies.

Making your hobby your job can kill your fun. For example I enjoy wrenching on anything, but particularly older American and British motorcycles. I wanted a nice shop for that and many things.

I know many professional mechanics and I've done it myself part-time. They are too busy working on customer rides to restore their own, and they usually can't afford to retire early.

I built my shop, enjoy my bikes, and paid for them with my career. I retired early and have more time for vintage motorcycle events than my professional bros.

It's not a binary choice between stability and passion if you do it right, so do it right.

>>17445722
hell yes. ive been playing guitar for years and i love it. i had a full time job transcribing music for guitar for about 2 years. by the end of it i hated guitar and music.

at the same time i wish i could go back because i hate my current job alot more.

>>17445648
T. Baby boomer who majored in communication and became a consultant at goldman sachs right out of collegd

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So I matched with this chick on tinder, and right when I got her number, she sent all this. I tried to ignore it and figured i would text her on the weekend like i said, but she keeps sending stuff. I want to play this off so I can maybe still see if we vibe, I'm pretty sure half the people who say no hookups end up doing it so

What should I say

>>17445761
>I'm not down to have sex as her opening statement

I can assuredly, 100% guarantee you that she wants someone to fuck her miniscule brains out. However, i cannot promise that she won't make false rape accusations afterwards.

>>17445761
She wants to bang. This is her minds way of trying to justify to herself and you that she's not a slut.

>>17444864
Career path is one thing, and I feel like the others have contributed plenty on that subject. With a modest scholarship and a few APs taken care of, and family near campus, I have a luxury of starting college without too much of a hassle. Ive found since then that college had the added value of connecting you properly. You can find all sorts of people and several organizations with similar interests. Personally, I believe that the friends and connections I've made are invaluable, and can certainly lend an advantage in your field, but of course depending on your means it might not be a priority

>>17445753
Successful out of college isn't a stereotype lol, it actually applies to a lot of people.

>>17444864
Every time we study pay with and without college it always comes out the same. Yes. College is still worthwhile.

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>>17444864
Who needs college when you can become a carpenter !

>>17444864
Butthurt blue collar boomers will tell you to go to trade school to make themselves fee better cause a 23 year old taking in 90k with a CS degree is devastating to the ego of a middle aged fuckboy who spent his 20s on LSD.

Go to college and join the upper class. Study STEM or finance. Leave the blue collar work to the low IQ plebs and immigrants.

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I'd get a 2 year degree. It's still cheap for the most part, doesn't suck up too much of your life, still get to experience college life, and still have a little extra to put on your resume to put you agphead of the millions that only have diplomas.

>>17444864
It depends on the person, the school, and the degree

>>17444864
>Is College really a waste of time these days?
It can be, depending on whether or not you waste your time there. Or it can be the best chance you will ever have to brush up on the skills you will use for the rest of your life.

The big secret is that although you don't have to be a STEM major, you do have to study like one. Many of the other fields seem to think that they're in a time when only aristocrats went to college, and treat their students as though they will never need to work for a living. STEM escapes this mostly by being relatively new: they know that their students are there to learn to do something, and support and encourage that attitude. Other fields will be at best ambivalent about this, and some (especially liberal arts, likely because it has had the longest time to have the tradition entrenched) will he outright hostile. But if you can persevere in this, then college will not be a waste of time for you.
>Should i bother going?
Not if you intend to waste your time there. Do you?

Of course it fucking isn't m8.

Look, when in doubt, follow the sheep route. That goes for all things in life. If you haven't explored options outside college like learning a practical trade or starting something of your own, then why would you risk the security of a college degree? Only deviate from the plan if you already know where you're going, not if you're vaguely wondering if there's something outside of it.

>>17444864
Go to a local college. Live at your parents' place and go to a temp agency or take summer classes every summer.

You need a degree to be a part of the middle class.
>inb4 hur dur bill gates

Just don't pay more than $50k (that's already too much).

>>17445410
Most stem degrees are about the same as a liberal arts degree. Some are clearly better (cs, stats, engineering by location) but things like bio, chem, and friends are just as bad. On top of that they require much more time and stress to get.

No one's going to buy your arguement that stem isn't better though. Boomers love science degrees because they seem impressive.

My best friend and I are the most financial well off people in our entire group of friends(we dropped out of hs and they all went to colleges). He became a truck driver and I do stone masonry. They all have tens of thousands of dollars worth of debt while we have been earning money for 5-6 years. We're both making $30 an hour while some of my friends can't even find jobs in their desired fields because everyone and their mom has a degree these days.

Honestly I can't recommend not going to college enough unless you're actually smart and going in to STEM.

I didn't go, I have a solid plan and an easy job.
Investments and income property are ALWAYS a good idea.

>>17446148
>Truck Driver
Is it really that good paying of a job? I've got a relative who has been trucking for 40 years, the only job in his life, and he's been able to buy two houses and four cars. Needless to say, he's incredibly financially stable.
I would've followed in his footsteps but I'm afraid of driving and going far distances.

>>17446148
>He became a truck driver and I do stone masonry.
In the long run, your quality of life is going to be much worse than theirs.

>can't even find jobs in their desired fields
There's no reason they can't look outside their fields into more generic jobs

total waste