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Do you have a degree?
- Thread starter Squilly
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I wasn't replying to you. I was replying to the donkey face that tried to make a slick comment.
I urge every kid I see know (and their parents) to look for an accreted Community College (in the state where the kid wants to go to school) and then transfer those accreted classes and then finish the last two years at the expense college you want to goto. I saw so may times when I went to college that did it this way and saved then a ton of money and graduated right along beside me.
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I feel genuinely sorry for the people that think going to college is merely a means of achieving the end of career employment.
I went to college because:
The lack of mental stimulation in my every day life led to serious migraine headaches.
I got sick of the people I was surrounded by and the types of people I met by working in a field that doesn't require education (Yes IT, I'm also looking at you).
I felt unfulfilled and like I was wasting my intellectual ability.
I wanted to learn more about the world from a structured environment and test myself.
I wanted to be an engineer.
I'm two months away from graduating and I have a great job offer that might not pay a lot, but it's going to take me to Japan and other countries around it. I'm going to be on a management track paid for by my company and sent to different countries to help with planning and execution of manufacturing facilities. Some of these countries include Australia, England, Germany, some regions of China, South Korea, here in the United States and Canada. They don't even interview people without a bachelor's degree. And I'm glad it's that way.
I've learned about the climate, I've met incredible people from different parts of the world that I would've never met working IT for some school district. I learned how to solve problems in a way that involves physics and logical deduction. I built a robot, got into relationships with educated women who wanted to reason with me and find a common ground. I've went to concerts, on campus Farmers' Markets, club meetings, video game competitions, parties (oh the parties) and most of all I've had groups of people celebrate my accomplishments (and others as well). People I know from college genuinely care when I succeed and want to congratulate and celebrate it with me.
If you decided you didn't need a college education and succeeded in spite of it, that's fine. But don't try to use logical arguments to convince other people not to. For some people, going to college isn't just about getting a good job, it's about 'going to college'. And even if I made a marginal amount more than I would've sticking to IT, I want the bachelor's degree on my wall. I get to look at it and remember all the good times I had, the struggles I went through and the fulfillment of submitting my DDA and knowing I dedicated myself to a five year program and finished it.
I went to college because:
The lack of mental stimulation in my every day life led to serious migraine headaches.
I got sick of the people I was surrounded by and the types of people I met by working in a field that doesn't require education (Yes IT, I'm also looking at you).
I felt unfulfilled and like I was wasting my intellectual ability.
I wanted to learn more about the world from a structured environment and test myself.
I wanted to be an engineer.
I'm two months away from graduating and I have a great job offer that might not pay a lot, but it's going to take me to Japan and other countries around it. I'm going to be on a management track paid for by my company and sent to different countries to help with planning and execution of manufacturing facilities. Some of these countries include Australia, England, Germany, some regions of China, South Korea, here in the United States and Canada. They don't even interview people without a bachelor's degree. And I'm glad it's that way.
I've learned about the climate, I've met incredible people from different parts of the world that I would've never met working IT for some school district. I learned how to solve problems in a way that involves physics and logical deduction. I built a robot, got into relationships with educated women who wanted to reason with me and find a common ground. I've went to concerts, on campus Farmers' Markets, club meetings, video game competitions, parties (oh the parties) and most of all I've had groups of people celebrate my accomplishments (and others as well). People I know from college genuinely care when I succeed and want to congratulate and celebrate it with me.
If you decided you didn't need a college education and succeeded in spite of it, that's fine. But don't try to use logical arguments to convince other people not to. For some people, going to college isn't just about getting a good job, it's about 'going to college'. And even if I made a marginal amount more than I would've sticking to IT, I want the bachelor's degree on my wall. I get to look at it and remember all the good times I had, the struggles I went through and the fulfillment of submitting my DDA and knowing I dedicated myself to a five year program and finished it.
I have a BSc (hons) in Molecular Biology and Genetics and a masters degree in Functional Genomics.
To make a short answer, no I do not. To make a long answer yes I attended College (University here).
Personally for me it has not made much difference, yet. I'm now 42 and have been working in the I.T. Industry for over 20 years, I currently work in a field and position that is very specialised for a fortune 500 company, I am one part of an 8 person team.
BUT, there is a but, do I regret taking up that job offer and skipping the remainder of my studies? Yes I do, but do not dwell on it, I was within 3 - 4 units of finishing (BSc majoring in IT), the full time work was much more appealing and interesting than the remainder of my units at College. I want to move to the US (personal decision, please no judgement) and not having a degree makes it harder, even though I am in a specialised field and have been with the company for over 10 years.
College was fun, I enjoyed it, I met some great new people, but very few of them have remained friends throughout the rest of my life. Do I recommend that people do or not do a degree at College, well I would recommend it if you can, if not there are no problems either. One thing I've always said to people that ask and are on the fence is to defer the first year and do something else, take a break from study, you will probably enjoy it more.
I have noticed that these days it is harder to get into the workforce without a degree than it was when I started. In saying that the only reason I got my full time position was because I was currently studying at College ... food for thought really.
The thing I found with College when and where I attended was that it was in no way a preparation for the real world workforce. What I learnt towards my profession was very helpful, but working in the workforce was completely different to the way study was performed.
Personally for me it has not made much difference, yet. I'm now 42 and have been working in the I.T. Industry for over 20 years, I currently work in a field and position that is very specialised for a fortune 500 company, I am one part of an 8 person team.
BUT, there is a but, do I regret taking up that job offer and skipping the remainder of my studies? Yes I do, but do not dwell on it, I was within 3 - 4 units of finishing (BSc majoring in IT), the full time work was much more appealing and interesting than the remainder of my units at College. I want to move to the US (personal decision, please no judgement) and not having a degree makes it harder, even though I am in a specialised field and have been with the company for over 10 years.
College was fun, I enjoyed it, I met some great new people, but very few of them have remained friends throughout the rest of my life. Do I recommend that people do or not do a degree at College, well I would recommend it if you can, if not there are no problems either. One thing I've always said to people that ask and are on the fence is to defer the first year and do something else, take a break from study, you will probably enjoy it more.
I have noticed that these days it is harder to get into the workforce without a degree than it was when I started. In saying that the only reason I got my full time position was because I was currently studying at College ... food for thought really.
The thing I found with College when and where I attended was that it was in no way a preparation for the real world workforce. What I learnt towards my profession was very helpful, but working in the workforce was completely different to the way study was performed.
I'm currently in school for an IT Support Cert then I will take those credits and put it towards an IT Support Degree. Associates Degree.