Bah, Who Needs a High School Diploma?

[nborton]

Your basic 2009 college degree is no different then a high school diploma from the 80's. College degrees are pointless nowadays unless you are going into the medical field. People that don't think like this are only trying to make themselves feel better about that $24,000 loan.

So, you're telling me that a company would rather hire someone (for the same position) with a high school degree than a college degree?

There are plenty of jobs you cannot get without a college degree, especially in the sports industry. And even with a undergrad degree, you aren't guaranteed a job. The only way to guarantee a job is to get a Master's degree (at OU at least).

I agree to an extent that a college degree today is like a HS degree in the past. In that not as many people went to college in the past. So the base level of education was a HS degree. Where now the base level has become a college degree for the same basic jobs people got in the past with a HS degree. I don't think it's indicative of the 80's necessarily, but more like the 50s or 60s.

Basically we went from a society where it was surprising to hear someone had a college degree. To one in which we are surprised when someone says they don't have one.

That said, it greatly depends on what you get a degree in. Some are way more valuable than others.

 

[Fandruw25]

All a diploma does is show you stuck with something for a period of time. In the end its still just a piece of paper, and an expensive one at that.

I really don't know what to say....this debate about a college degree being worthless is ridiculous. Yes, there are some majors that are "worthless" because the reality is some skills are not in demand.

However, choosing the right career and obtaining a college degree is only half the battle. You still need to leverage the degree in the workplace and manage your own career. For some reason, people feel a degree entitles them to unlimited wealth without having to work.

The truth is you have to manage your own career and put in the effort to develop the skills and professional network that will allow you to advance.

I estimate my four-year degree has increased my earning power by the following:
Years 1 - 2: $10,000 per year
Years 3 - 5: $15,000 per year
Years 6 - 9: $35,000 per year
Years 10 - 15: $65,000 per year

It adds up....that is close to $600k over my 15 year career. Not a bad return on a $35k investment. If I had invested that $35k and earned 8% per year tax free, I would have about $115k.

Seems like my degree and hard work have paid off to the tune of $485k.

I agree you'll make more if you can get a job. The problem is that it's not always easy to break into the workplace right away. I know that when I got my diploma I had spent around $40K and I honestly couldn't tell you anything I 'learned' at school. Just feel like I should say that I have a degree in information systems, and I make much more working at a bakery than I would if I was able to get an entry level position.

Like you said though, The biggest thing for moving up isn't the degree as much as it is having contacts and putting in the effort.

 

[Mighty Bombjack]

While I don't fault someone for choosing money over books, the smartest thing said in this discussion was along the lines of "I'd rather be educated and poor than rich and uneducated."

Modern priorities being what they are, I'm sure most disagree, and it's certainly true that an education can come from many places other than higher learning. But anyone who sees university as being little more than an expensive piece of paper is hopelessly lost.

yep

 

[metrotheme]

As a current teacher in one of the largest school systems in the country, I can tell you this. A "regular" HS degree from any of the large cities (Philly, NY, LA, Chicago, DC, etc.) is worthless. The majority of the schools (minus the selective magnet high schools in each one) are overcrowded and filled with students who were far gone before they got into high school. I don't want to get on the soap box or start a rant, but I've seen large samples of work from your average student at these schools and it's bad. Basic skills haven't been mastered. Most of them aren't ready for 4 year college, and the ones that wind up in jr. college or community college, it's like being in the 12th and a half grade. No diss to folks who went to juco / community college here, but the work being done there just isn't advanced. Alot of these students need 1-2 years of remedial work while they're in a 2 year school just to be brought up to par. I interviewed a few years ago for a coaching position at a local CC and the athletic director informed me that I would likely have alot of players who have zero credits after two years because they needed that many remedial classes.

So for Harper to take his GED and go to CC, is it really that big of a reach? If he wasn't the highly touted guy and he graduated HS and went to CC / juco the "normal" route, would anybody be up in arms? It would be the SAME result. I had teammates who went to those "jock" community colleges and they said no work got done. Most of them could barely keep up a 2.0 GPA when they transferred to a 4 year school. So let's cut the charades here. Harper is going to that school to play baseball. He may not even have to pass his classes if he's going to be out by the end of the season because baseball will probably be done before the semester ends, knowing he's going to be a high pick in the 2010 MLB draft.

 

[jrinne]

Work-Life Earnings for Full-Time Employees (in $ millions)

Professional Degree $4.4
Doctoral Degree $3.4
Master's Degree $2.5
Bachelor's Degree $2.1
Associate's Degree $1.6
Some College $1.5
High School Graduate $1.2
Some High School $1.0

A person with a Bachelor's degree will earn, on average, almost twice as much as workers with a high school diploma over a lifetime ($2.1 million compared to $1.2 million). This is a result of not only higher starting salaries for people with higher education levels, but also the sharper earnings growth over the course their careers.

So, in the end it pays off.