However, I’m currently earning close to 6 figures doing something I taught myself (computer graphics, among other things).
But I put more of my own time into learning that than I ever would have put into a degree.
Anyway, college is a very nice thing and I’d love to finish it simply for the education aspect, but it really isn’t necessary to do quite well in the world provided you have some tenacity and self-discipline.
Methinks mssmith is correct in that people who decide to skip college and go straight into the workforce are doing themselves a disservice. Getting out there and doing some traveling is a much better way to education onesself if one isn’t considering formal education.
Personally, I spent most of my teen years traveling around the world, so I wasn’t particularly worried about any lack of personal growth.
However, I’m currently earning close to 6 figures doing something I taught myself (computer graphics, among other things).
But I put more of my own time into learning that than I ever would have put into a degree.
Anyway, college is a very nice thing and I’d love to finish it simply for the education aspect, but it really isn’t necessary to do quite well in the world provided you have some tenacity and self-discipline.
Methinks mssmith is correct in that people who decide to skip college and go straight into the workforce are doing themselves a disservice. Getting out there and doing some traveling is a much better way to education onesself if one isn’t considering formal education.
Personally, I spent most of my teen years traveling around the world, so I wasn’t particularly worried about any lack of personal growth.
Not necessary by any means for everyone. For some, yes.
For instance, me = bartender. Good bar. I make just as much if not more than a lot of my friends who went to college. Is it lawyers or surgeons income? By no means. But I work 4 days a week, make great money, and the most important part is, I have plenty of time to learn on my own. I spend a lot of free time studying, and watching the history/discovery channel, and, of course, visiting the Straight Dope.
I also have a friend who works as a scientist for AT&T. Extremely intelligent, never went to college. Says his workmates refer to him as “the guy without the PhD”
But college, I think, is definately good for lots of people, especially those who have no idea what they want. Personally, I kew what I wanted. I fun job I could make good money at & have plenty of time to read about the things I LIKE on my own. Aka bartending in big city.
Well, as most everyone has addressed the “necessary for success” angle, I’ll tackle the “necessary for continued learning” angle.
No, college is not necessary. All that’s required is a library card (to a decent library), the willpower to sit down and read through your chosen book, and possibly an internet connection for those inevitable times you can’t make heads or tails of what you’ve just read. When that happens, post it to GQ
personally I think everyone should try to go to college. Also, if possible do it right after HS if you can. I went and dropped out. I want to go back now(2 years later), and let me tell you, going back when you’ve settled into the full time employment thing, is not easy to do.
I agree with Tamex and Beelzebubba. I think Germany has the right idea. It’s a mistaken concept of democracy to try to force everybody, no matter what their inclinations or intelligence, to attend university if they are to have any chance at all of getting a job.
be happy? no.
live a fufilled life? no.
get a job they are happy doing? no.
be respected? no.
learn more about themselves, and the world around them? no.
make large sums of money? no.
your question is too vague to be answered properly.
A couple of people posted that college is only necessary if you want to pursue a career that requires a structured degree. For example: engineering, accounting, medicine, law, architecture, and so on.
I’m curious as to what decent job people feel do not require a college degree or at the very least some sort of vocational training.
IMHO, any job that does not require advanced skills or education is a job that anyone can do. And if its a job that anyone can do, you aren’t going to get paid that much money for doing it. Now some people (for whatever reason) have decided they have an aversion to money or success, but the fact is most people work so they can live comfortably and raise a family. In spite of romanticised notions of the nobility of poverty and the evils of pursuing wealth, most of us are happier when we don’t have to live paycheck to paycheck (even if we choose to live modestly).
Now people have mentioned jobs like bartender or computer related jobs that they can make a great deal of money at. I find it hard to believe that this is more than anecdotal evidence. First of all, competition for computer jobs is a lot stiffer than it was a few years ago, so if you don’t already have a degree or several years experience, good luck trying to find one,
Second, I’ve heard bartenders brag they can make X dollars a night working a trendy bar in a big city. Problem is 1) that best night is not typical of every night and 2) you have to pay big city rent. For every bartender making a decent living working a hot $20 martini nightclub there are probably 100 making barely minimum wage schlepping Bud Lights to drunk frat guys on Thursday night. Not exactly a great career decision.
I was trying to avoid cluttering up the OP’s thread, but since it’s fallen off the first page, and msmith asked, I’ll say that without a degree, I currently make over $60K a year in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. More than living ‘hand to mouth’. I am a senior simulation analyst for the government. What got me the job was my experience, and glowing endorsements from my previous employers. My current job wanted the best technical simulation manager that was available, and my name came up.
What fields do not need a degree? Most computer fields. I worked with people that were getting their BS in Information Management/Systems. I was more often than not helping them with their homework. I also don’t really believe that most management positions require a degree. You learn to manage by experience, and I think it’s silly to discount someone that’s been in a field for 10 years, just because they don’t hold a degree. I can’t tell you how many people at my last job had degree’s in topics completely unrelated to what they were in charge of. At this moment, I sit next to, and ‘work for’ a person that is pursuing their masters in comp sci (of some sort, don’t like him enough to ask what specifically). I can always tell when he’s had a new class, because he’ll come to work with some new, great idea on how we should approach our work. The problem is, he doesn’t have enough real experience to know the difference between book methodology, and what works in a real situation, with real deadlines.
As your post reads, people work to get money, to be happy. I just don’t agree that holding a degree should be a pre-requisite to getting a decent paying job.
