Is University Worth It?​ Zuby on @PBDPodcast

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[G]

Well I am 25 today. I was always against going right into college after high school. I was gonna either join the military or do 2 years of community college first to save $. That said, I had parents that force fed me the idea of 4 years at a big university. The only reason I went is because they told me they would pay for it. 7 years later, I have a business degree doing NOTHING for me. And to make it even worse, my parents who promised they were gonna pay for it for me, are now trying to leave me with half the bill even though I know they have enough $ to pay for it. I am miserable to say the least. College failed me and so did my parents. Education is not a scam, college however IS.

[riverdonoghue]

I've seen a huge shift in ireland over the last few years where many young people are now opting for apprenticeships instead of going to universities and they're doing really well and setting up their own businesses. Also means they can stay living in their own areas and remain part of their community.

[iv]

Depends. For surgeon, doctor, engineering it is

[seanyoung]

I was going to college in my home town getting my communications degree when I went to work part time at UPS. I had no intention of quitting school, but when I saw how much the drivers make compared to someone with a communications degree I dropped out of school and focused on climbing up the ladder within the company. I've been there 12 years now and I've never regretted quitting school. I make very good money and I enjoy my work.

[jeremiec]

I went to uni and despite getting pretty good grades I was miserable the entire time and the entire dynamic of the institution left me so badly disillusioned it's insane. One year after getting my degree I went to trade school against my parents' wishes and it was by far the best decision of my life.

[annatar]

The crazy part is no employer ever asked to see my degree. People can just make up that they have a degree on their resume.

[courtnayzeitler]

I had college classes that satisfied the general ed requirements which I would not have chosen to take, like art history and philosophy. These classes changed my life for good. Didn’t translate into a higher paycheck but it instilled in me new ways to look at the world. I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.

[Natureboy]

College is a scam, but I went to college and have a degree so it’s easier to say it if you already have it. Truth is it opens doors. I graduated almost 20 years ago and the biggest factor of college is networking.

Learning a trade is awesome for people that don’t want to go to college BUT learning a trade requires you to do manual labor. Imagine when you’re 50 plus, knees and back are bad but you still have to go out and do jobs like plumbing, HVAC, construction, etc.

My dad was an electrician and while it did provide good income he basically fell apart physically in his 50’s. Me on the other hand, I make 6 figs, work remotely as an consultant, and still physically fit and healthy in my 40’s.

Different strokes for different folks. These guys on in this convo already have their degrees so it’s easy to say don’t go to college when you already went…it’s like saying money isn’t important when you’re a millionaire.

College isn’t really about the grades you make, it’s the hands you shake: networking is the key in college because you can meet and make connections with people.

[samnewman]

Thanks for sharing this clip, didnt even know about the full podcast episode. Cant wait to watch in full 🎉

[undergroundo]

GOOD degrees are still GOOD degrees (Medicine, Engineering, Law, etc). USELESS degrees have ALWAYS been useless. It's just that more people are buying them now.

[JGComments]

Most people just keep going to school because someone else expects them to, or because they don’t know what they want to do, and with no plan. So glad I didn’t get a Master’s at a time when jobs were scarce and most of my friends were just punting on the tough reality of adult life.

[wbtittle]

The most important class I took in my engineering curriculum? Engineering Economics. I was goddam lucky. We had a relatively new professor who wanted to teach real skills. He taught us Time Value of Money. My father lucked into the same course in his Master's degree. He learned TVM from the guy who created the idea.

That doesn't mean my lessons Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer, Dynamics, Statics, Material Science, Nuclear Cycle, Chemistry, Physics, were not important.

But then I managed to get my advisor to give me Humanities Credit for the 424 German I had on my course list.

I don't think advisor have that kind of sway anymore...

[Basquesi]

I got several IT certifications in early 2000s. Got a entry level IT job, every 2 to 3 years job hopped and kept gaining experience. Paid my dues worked hard and kept a positive attitude. Now in my 40s I’m I’m IT management make money, travel etc. No bs college.

[dand]

One of the biggest cons out there are degrees in IT or cybersecurity. Three year courses and thousands in debt to learn barely the minimum - how apprenticeships aren't common in these two fields is mind boggling.

Yes. University is a good thing IF you choose the right degree, like everything else in life. It's always funny to me to see the very small minority give advice to the majority, especially when some of the CEO's, like Elon Musk, absolutely refuse to work with non qualified people and the ones that are qualified usually come from Ivy League/top tier Universities. Being an entrepreneur and having an education ARE NOT mutually exclusive and if you're climbing the corporate ladder you'll quickly find that there's a hard cap on how much you can go up without a Masters Degree, an MBA or even a PhD in some cases, because there will be a requirement for them. Requirement that's usually dictated by CEO's that don't have said qualification as mentioned above.

Also going trough the process of getting a degree shows that you can show up in a place consistently and produce results, something that companies also look at, especially when it comes to internships and entry level jobs. I wonder why?...

[gems]

Not $20k/year. Try $80k for just tuition. This is for just the B level non ivy league schools. My only concern is that college has also provided opportunities for young women to meet prospective mates. What happens if they skip college and go straight to work?

[mauganra]

I’ve been saying this since I was about 15. I’m 32 now.

[slingerlandg]

Trades = Careers that are rewarding and far less impacting on the wallet to enter into. Colleges = Educational pathways toward more life affecting careers for medical or STEM related fields that require more in depth educational requirements. Students need to search deep and long for what it is they want out of life that can lead to supporting their lifestyle and be happy. My feeling is that critical thinking and comprehension skills are getting pushed aside with some of our best schools. Students now are taking such a strong stance believing they are on the correct side of the argument before any words are spoken and they lack the ability to see another point of view, and that will destroy innovation and growth.

[grimbkn]

As a faculty member at a two-year community & technical college I would dispute the idea that we are useless given the direct impact we have on our communities. 4-year colleges/universities I can honestly say I can’t say the same thing.

[lawrencefranck]

The bar room fight scene in Good Will Hunting explains the value of college. The book in the in library is free to read.