Is university a waste of time?

Sharing my thoughts on whether university/college is a waste of time. It can be a waste if you don't realise what the true value of university is because it is no longer to just deliver lecture materials.




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[SilhSe]

Is university a waste of time ?
Ultimately : No

Can time be wasted on university ?
Ultimately : Yes

[emnabsiri]

This really helped me realize that being a passive student is the real waste of time. Impressive video Thank you Tibees.

[bodywiseproducts]

My motto is: ”Don’t let school get in the way of a good education.”

[sevenedus]

Yes, but actually - No.
YES - cause of almost 99% of my knowledge I got from books, from internet and by practice.

NO - cause Without University degree I can't get work permit.

[aviewfromtheinterior]

I’ve taught for 15 years at a University (in the UK) and I agree. Education and knowledge are not the same thing. A passive participant ends up with a collection of information, which means nothing if they don’t know how to use it, or have any idea how to communicate it.

[HandyAndyTechTips]

I like that this video presents a very well-considered argument, and highlights the nuances of the discussion rather than just giving a blanket 'yes' or 'no'. Personally, I did an IT degree and now work in a completely different field, so the most valuable lessons I learnt at uni probably involved 'soft' skills (eg. teamwork and collaboration) rather than the actual content of my course.

[yokatta-f]

Every 60 seconds in The University, a whole minute passes

[bikashth]

Fun fact:- my best friend who didn't go to school or college won a quiz competition against top universities students from my state. He spent all of his time in the library. I feel so proud of him :)

[AnasOsmanA]

It's valuable if you choose the field you're passionate about, professors and other students at university might help you shape up your future and set you on the right track, through giving valuable advice and getting to learn stuff that you wouldn’t find elsewhere.

[robynwyrick]

Stay in School! For the love of Pete!

I'm 55. Not having a college degree has been an extreme hit on my lifelong financial earnings. I earned between 25% to 50% of my peers. And while money isn't everything, the impact was that I never had any savings, and I never had health insurance until my late 30s, and my financial contributions to Social Security were so low that, were I to retire on that I would spend my senior years in poverty.

I have watched the life-outcomes of my peers, some of whom attended university and some who did not. The career and wealth results are not fundamentally predicted by that factor. Race and gender played big roles, personality, drugs, chance, these also mattered. But in my small observations - and certainly my own life - having a college degree was the largest predictive factor in financial stability. And of course, in the US, there are tons of statistics to back this up. Not only do incomes lag, but career advancement is heavily stymied - people are constantly promoted to leadership above you.

I could not attend university in my teens and 20s primarily due to the cost, which in the1980s was a small fraction of the cost for most American universities today.

I was a self-taught computer programmer back in the 1990s, and eventually made a good income. But the lack of a degree always held me back from landing jobs. So the degree thing is enormous.


So now I am 10 weeks away from completing my undergraduate degree in CS. And I can say something about being a life-long learner vs. studying in school.

Aside from the credential, which I cannot stress enough is a profound difference in probable life outcomes, at least here in the US, there is the obvious goal of education. In my experience, an accredited university education provides a standard of experiences and demands that are essentially not available without university. The curriculum is a core issue. We will always be self-learners, but in doing so we are seldom exposed to the depth of detail found in university study. Guidance is crucial. Even with decades in the field, I did not known what computer science topics were important to know beyond what my jobs and curiosity. Without those, it is hardly science at all.

I have always been very self motivated, and it's true that self-learning is vastly different today with the Internet. But YouTube's recommendation algorithm is designed to maximize user clicks, eyeballs, and YouTube's profits. They are not a substitution for a legitimate curriculum designed by educational leaders in their field. And obviously, the discussion forums of the comments section is generally a minefield of bots and trolls.

Finally, the question about whether university is a waste of time is presented as a personal choice: will you personally benefit most from university or not? And while that's a hugely important question, there's an even bigger question it provokes. What are the consequences to society if people reject university? This is like the herd-immunity issue in the vaccination debate.There are a million ways to improve the university system - and I am a constant proponent of no-bullshit criticism of the modern university system's failures - but the thing driving virtually all major advancement in every advanced field is the university system, and mass popular participation in it. Are doctors perfect? Certainly not. Do doctors mess up all the time. Sure. Do I want a doctor without a degree? No fucking way. An attorney? No. A structural engineer? Nope. A pilot? No.

The purpose of certification and accreditation regimes is to promote the social good of identifiable qualification and expertise in a field. Sure there are problems. Sure, some tiny fraction people will not individually benefit from a university education. But statistics on the economic consequences of a college degree are unambiguous. And the chances are - you and I, individually are normal and will fall into the normal distribution of consequences.

[vector]

In the eighties when i was a university student, a professor told me a degree was worth nothing once you've earned it but worth everything when you haven't. He was right. No one today cares what i did in university yet i wouldn't trade my university experience for anything.

[Werderkhaner]

Oh man I'm reading that title while I need to learn for an exam on Monday

[livelifetoday]

You literally have the best voice on YouTube. I could listen to you talk about anything for days.

[Darkev]

Depends on the university and the major. In my personal experience, in today's world, university is a BIG waste of time, its become more of a business rather than an actual education center.

[johnsmith]

Why I went to college: Get a piece of paper that I was told would make me more money down the road. (Then realize that was a lie.)

[thermotronica]

The social aspect is important, great video on the topic!

[JoelTenny-jqbx]

I think yours is the best, most practical, experienced and useful advice/opinion

[franzrothschilds]

"A Diploma doesn't make a man, a man makes the diploma "

[zornslemon]

Great advice! Unfortunately because people tend to be so young when they go, they are often too shy to ask questions in lectures and seminars. I was pretty passive in my first 3 years, but I have to say that, even though I could have technically learned everything from a book, I certainly wouldn't have; at least not in 4 years, so the pacing was very valuable to me.

[ndviolin]

"A lecture is the process of transferring the professor's notes to the students' notes without them passing through the minds of either."