Your opinion of higher education

I told my elder daughter when she was planning for college that I wouldn't pay for her to study something that didn't put her on a career path with realistic chances of employment. My money is family treasure, in a sense, she will inherit much of it, and I feel an obligation to husband it prudently. But ....

One if my better friends fussed at me for that, for it's her life and all, but I think I did the right thing. She now makes more money than I and her mother. Combined.

I might have felt differently had she evinced a life long fascination with women studies or philosophy, which appear softer all the time to me, but she did not. Moreover, one can learn all about philosophy with a library card and a public library.

I studied history and French myself, so I obviously make no personal judgment about people who stud(ied) liberal arts.

What do you recommend to high schoolers regarding higher education, assuming they ask?

 

Go to college for engineering, technology or medicine. Those have a high degree of return on investment. Otherwise, go to trade school instead. Communication tech, welding and heavy equipment operation pay quite well with relatively little education.
Or focus on self employment. Work while living at home and saving enough money to start a business.

This is advice I wish I had listened to.

 

That's solid advice.

 

You seem to feel the sole objective of higher education is greater income.

In my high school there were advisers that would look at aptitude tests to see what you were good at, ask you what you were interested in, and discuss job prospects. They were better versed and informed than I was, and I felt my job as a parent was to be supportive.

 

Too funny! In your other thread I commented how I want to pull out my eyeballs every time I hear someone is majoring in French Literature or History. That was a complete coincidence. But I agree, soft degrees like that are much harder to market than technical degrees. And they don't pay as well. It is a shame to spend four or more years for a degree that doesn't pay.

 

I tend to agree with the op. I was as stubborn as they come and I doubt anyone could have steered me differently. Luckily I was interested in physics and engineering. But had I pursued a degree in art or something along those lines, I would probably be grateful today if someone had talked me out of it. I have seen a lot of people with similar degrees working low end jobs. Engineers even like to tease physicist about physics being a wasted degree. But that's only because they don't know what we learn. I make engineers look bad all the time.

I came within about six hours of going into the Navy's nuclear program. But I had a former Navy techie talk me out of it at the very last minute. He knew what life would be like and was sure I was going to hate it. To this day I thank my lucky stars he happened along. Had I done that, I probably wouldn't be where I am today. I would have missed some great opportunities.

 

I have two degrees - one college, the other law school - never found any use for either one. Thousands of dollars wasted. There are tens of thousands of people like me all over the USA.


Sadly, schools and media continue to insist that education is worthwhile and that taking thousands of dollars in loans will pan out. Soon enough many will learn that this is a lie.

 

You couldn't market a law degree? Why not? Did you ever take the bar exam?

 

At least half the people I graduated with never found a legal job. Same with many other law schools which is why so many graduates sued law schools:


https://www.google.com/search?q=job...2.69i57j0l3.9675j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

If possible take as many concurrent enrollment classes as one can while still in high school and then do two years at a community college before going to university and work some during that two year to get actual job experience regardless if it is being a cashier at the grocery store. Go to an in-state 4 year school after that, preferably one as close to home as possible. These are things that will save her money. When at school avoid joining a greek organization as they are very expensive and time consuming (again it is a money thing). I went to an out of state four year private university far away initially and joined a fraternity. I was ALWAYS broke even with scholarships.

 

The Army National Guard has a great higher education program for officers and senior enlisted. Some branches may require it in order to go through captains career course if you're an officer. My brother couldn't go to CCC unless he was enrolled in school for his masters.

 

It's not the sole objective, but it ranks pretty high. The reason is that we have a limited amount of energy, and if we want to be independent, and have a sense of self worth, we need to go where the money, or at least SOME money, is. If you are really valuable to other people, you'll get paid well. If you aren't, you won't.

 

I think higher education can be very valuable if you use it the right way. If you plan to be a librarian or a professor or something, then a liberal arts degree is okay.

 

Hmmm, too many lawyers. I guess that's not surprising.

 

Sure as long as you don't want to make a living.

 

That was undergraduate. I went to trade school for electronics and had no trouble finding work, then to law school. Unlike the person here who has no use for his law degree, I've done very well with mine and still do.

That said, I would not go to law school today UNLESS I were admitted to a Tier 1 (Top 50 or so) law school where employment is virtually guaranteed. That's what my daughter did and that's why she lives well.

 

Some professors make decent money. It depends on a lot of things, like if they have other degrees and which school they work for, and the median salary for their area, etc. I've read that professors at Berkeley make over 100,000 per year on average. That's not a bad salary at all, considering the median.

 

I agree that they should take courses that they can use in the working world. Granted that college does add to socialization, so that
hopefully the graduate will have shed that high school mentality that permeates society today and be able to make informed decisions.

 

The Cooley law school (Univ of Michigan) recently had a 50% drop in applications and was one of those school sued by graduates who could not find work. It is ranked # 8 in the country.

 

That's crazy. I was not aware of this problem. I'm sure having law school under your belt was a good resume addition though?

 

Why are they being sued? False promises?

For a time, MBAs became a dime a dozen. I don't know how well this degree markets now but it has long been an entry level requirement for upper management, in many companies.

 

I have two daughters that I fathered. I have been married to two women. Each had children ahead of me.

Of the 3 kids in my first marriage, only my own daughter has a college degree. She never made use of hers. She had taken administration of justice with the aim of being a cop followed by working up to chief of police. Cops refused to hire her full time. I think some police department would have hired her but she was stubborn and refused to work for departments such as the CA highway patrol. She was extremely selective of police departments. She married a city cop.

The 2 kids with my first wife did pretty well with no degrees. The oldest son pays cash for homes and rents them out. His sister is a home owner and once had a lot of stock. She converted the stock to cash to pay her boyfriends medical bills with. She has not married this guy but has been with him for a long time. She is smart too so I can't figure it out. He is average in my view.

Wife 2. She had 6 kids. After me, it was 7. 4 by husband 1. 2 by husband 2. The next to oldest son is a contractor and builds some great homes and sells them. He also works a lot for the local population. He is a millionaire by age 40, several times over. She has a daughter, his younger sister who has a college degree and is a school principal. She earned that job this year. None of her other kids hold degrees. As their Mom, she never put time in working with them so they would get a degree. It was not how she thought. I was only in those kids lives but 3 years and we got divorced. Good thing about her is she never cheated and she was a religious mother. My own daughter by her is in college now and will be a nurse. She had planned to go to college out of high school but got sidetracked by marriage. She is not married now but has a lucky 3 year old son. He is lucky to have such a wonderful mom. She gets only A grades in college and I suspect will easily get a job as a RN. Her mom died in 1971 tragically. We have little idea how she died. She vanished.

 

I have no basis to know what Berkeley professors earn, but the cost to live in the SF Bay area screams to earn over $100,000 per year.

 

My oldest is about to start working on his engineering degree in a couple of weeks. My youngest is unsure of his direction, but he will probably get enough scholarships to pay for most of his costs.

 

So did you take and/or pass the Bar exam?