Is a degree necessary? Debate on that here.

[Raptor]

Well, one thing I would say is whatever school you are going to, you should be doing everything you can to learn all they have to offer and if the instructors will let you do more, go fo it. That would seem obvious, but most people don't do it. The degree won't matter if you can't impress them with the work you can do, regardless of what big name school you go to. Don't limit yourself to what they teach and in fact question everything that isn't perfectly clear or logical. Instructors in any school are not perfect, if they don't maintain an open mind to ideas you may have, you should be careful of them. A true sign of knowledge is realizing you can learn from anyone. Most of the instructors I have met over the years were too closed minded and set in their ways for me to trust.

[santa]

Very well put Mike! I couldn't agree more. I ask questions and make sure I understand the logic, and everything I'm learning to the fullest!

Kevin

[LightningGSX]

Thats a good point.Too often the education you receive is heavily biased by the educators.The best education comes from when you learn by your own means, at your own rate.You can learn more grabbing some tools and going at it for a day, than you could spending a month in school.

I don't even have a high school diploma, and I don't feel disadvantaged in the least.

[john]

I would say that a degree is not necissary but doesn't ever hurt. Some trade jobs do not matter if you have a degree or not. I will be finishing my general 2 year degree at the end of this semester. I am VERY happy I am going to college. I have learned a lot or knowledge in just the two years. In HS, I was the kid who didn't really give a shit. I hardly squeaked out a B average to get on the Honor Role. I will be graduating with High Honors this year (3.5+ GPA). For the first time in my life, I achieved strait A's last semester taking 17 credits and working on average 35 hours per week.

In college, I started taking classes I cared about and studied my ass off. I have learned a lot about business, accounting, economics, and other classes I had no interest in before. I am very interested in them now. I was never a reader and dreaded a reading assignment in class all through my life. I have now read a few books due to general interest (The Millionaire Next Door and Rich Dad Poor Dad to name a couple).

Just the two years I have taken in general college courses at Normandale has changed my whole career path. I planned on being an accountant and making a decent amount of money sitting behind a desk all day. I was a very quiet person who seemed to go with the flow. You all know that has changed quite a bit ;)

I now am dead set on owning my own business. I love meeting new people and gaining a greater understanding of the world. I am most likely going to quit my job soon at ACE when my back heals to get a sales job so I can improve my selling and persuasion skills. I will probly get an internship in the summer and possibly start up a very small business. I am only looking to start a company with a very low overhead. Right now, I am contemplating desicions for next year. I may apply to transfer to the Carlson School of Management. Very good school and very expensive (would put me in great debt. I have paid my way so far but no way I could keep up.)

I have to decide weather I have solid grounds to open my own business or go to college. College is going to put me way into the hole but in will better my chances in becoming a better euntreprenuer. If I did not go to school and complete my MBA, I could have made a lot of money.

Most people come out of college in great debt (obviously) and a person who jumps strait into the workforce can start building a net worth. I have to decide.

The decision of college is an important one that should not be taken lightly by anyone. We are in a changing world. Our partents did not need an education when they grew up. My mom for example has worked at her job for 35 years now :O . We are in a time where the average american will change their career 5-6 times before they retire. A college degree is required for most any postion now. Although it has benifited me greatly, I will admit it is not for everyone.

[JET]

Needing a degree depends on what field you go into. You have to look at it in the long run. While you are in school, you could be out in your field getting experience and making money instead of spending it. In the beginning experience means more than a degree in most fields. I was a machinist making very good money ($23.50/hr), but I never went to school for that (I started at mechanical engineer, then went to business management). I just excelled in my field and learned things quickly.

If you are looking to go up the corporate ladder, the best way would be to start a job right away after high school at an entry level job and start going to school part time. You are not going to get very high up in a company without experience and an education. Do you think someone would get promoted with a degree and 6 years of experience or a person with a degree and 2 years of experience? It does end up costing a little more that way though because you won't get as much financial aid.

[john]

Jet, it depends. If you went to school right away, you would finish sooner. That would give you an extra 2 years to get on your feet with only college experience. If you wanted to be a manager, you could spend a year managing at McDonalds and then have some managerial experience when looking for a higher up job.

An entery level job as an intern is not much for experience. The advantage to taking an entery level job is that you can get your foot in the door. Hope that they will have a position there for you when you are finished with school. Most entry level business jobs are secretaries or some other bitch position (hope I didn't offend any secretaries).

[LightningGSX]

Alot of CEO's started in bitch positions.Its either years of hard work in college or years of hard work at the job, I believe either way you end up at the same point.

[john]

I believe you can make it both ways. There are a lot of things you learn going to college that you would not have learned in getting the job. There are also a lot of things you can learn on the job that you will never learn in school. On cars for example: everything is possible. You just have to have the time and the courage to attack problems and learn them on your own. I started from the ground up 4 years ago. My parents/friends had no interest in cars. I never thought I would get to the point of pulling 5 heads, 4 motors, and 1 tranny in one year.

[Alpine TSi]

Just to prove that your education leads to money thing is mostly bs, I was making somewhere north of 40K(at the age of 20) with no education other than a high school diploma. And it wasn't a labor based job either, I managed a retail department. And I wasn't the only one in that field making that much. Now yes, I wish it had been a stable position, but that was all on me. And yes I am planning to go back to school for a degree, but will I make anymore money than where I was before? Probably not. I could try and go up the ladder where I am now and make the same again, but I think it is time to move on.

[JET]

One other thing, where you get a degree from really doesn't mean shit. Most companies look at it where a degree is a degree. My Ex was convinced that she would get a better job because she went to a private college costing $18k/yr. She ended up making $12.50/hr answering calls in a customer service department. In a large company like Wells Fargo, they usually have a cap on how high you could move up w/o a degree. She could have spend her 2 years working at the entry level while going to school, then move up one level (the top w/o a degree) and be there for the 6 years you needed to to move up to the next level and gotten her degree. She would have had 4 more years of experience at the same point in her life.

Like I said though, it depends on the job, but this applies to most. A mechanical engineer? Get a job as a machinist then go to school. The experience you gain from being a machinist is invaluable. It works like that in most jobs, but not all.