Was college worth it for you?

[Adversative]

WalmartIsGarbage

T o l3 y

Yeah, sure. Let me live a life of mediocrity and have low wages, when I could make a lot more if I went to college.

So what if you're payed a low wage? It should be enough to buy water and food at least, and clothes. That's what is needed.

You don't need a TV, fancy car, etc. You don't even need electricity in your house.

A person able to buy food and water isn't living a "mediocre" life. If they had more money they'd just buy junk they don't even need.

Like I said before... unless you're greedy and want things you don't even need, food and water is enough.

Just out of curiosity, have you tried to live without electricity? It's not easy. It's REALLY hard if you live somewhere with a cold winter or a hot summer.

Also, unfortunately, for some people a low wage is NOT enough to buy food, water, and housing. There are a lot of places in the US where you can't afford basic necessities working full-time on minimum wage.

You mention clothes, but you're forgetting medical costs and household goods like toilet paper, toothpaste ...

[Whiskey Grey]

No. Hated the field of work that I studied for. Current job has nothing to do with what I studied and it's easily the best job I've ever had.

[T o l3 y]

WalmartIsGarbage

T o l3 y

Yeah what a great life. You know, you don't even need a house. That's too fancy. It isn't needed. Just get a tent. Better yet, live in a cave. It's free. Don't buy food or water; it's not necessary. Just get it yourself! You don't need fancy food or water! Just do it yourself! It's junk they don't need!

You know what I just thought of? The thing you're using to get on Gaia with...it's fancy and YOU DON'T NEED IT! YOU'RE GREEDY. OMG. You're such a bad person.

Because, ya know, as a species we strive to just have the bare essentials. That's why we are par with most animals, and subpar to some elite like the chimpanzees. Let me not try bettering myself or the life of my future kids and spouse. Let me work minimum wage for a couple of hours a week and barely scrape by with just food and water. On top of that, when it comes to clothes, I will just join a nudist colony because...well, frankly, I don't want to be greedy.

So you admit that wanting more than water and food is greedy? Because it is. You don't need that extra stuff.

Yeah, you definitely need a better education.

I was being condescending; showing just how dumb your argument is. It's not greedy. It's who we are as a species. We try to strive. We don't try to get bare minimum.

[crystalpraise]

Phenothiazines

I've been debating going to college for several years now. There are two things hold me back: I don't know if it would be worth it and I don't think I'm smart enough. I'd only want to study something difficult and in demand (law, engineering, computer science, maybe medicine) which naturally requires a lot more intelligence then something in low demand so I'm at a loss as to whether its even remotely possible for me to pass those types of courses. It might be worth mentioning that I was consistently in the lowest quartile in testing and grades during high school. Realistically, can someone dumb like me even understand the work? Or would I just be wasting my time?

I wonder if the initial investment is worth it. I'd be taking four years off of my life to dedicate towards a non-paying experience. I'd most likely have to cut back on my job so I'd be losing thousands of dollars upon the costs of college tuition.

I've read so many stories of college graduates ending up with several thousand dollars in debt only to get a job that pays them $10/hr. That seems like a horrible idea and I'm just wondering if that's what I'd have to look forward to upon graduating.

What are your experiences? What did you study and what kind of job did you get upon graduation (or even a year or two after graduation)? Do you have to be super smart to be a lawyer or engineer?

It depends on what you go for and college is great for making connections in life if you can afford it you should go!

[Zombie Conspiracy]

Call Me Apple

Zombie Conspiracy

Call Me Apple

Zombie Conspiracy

I think college is worth it if you come out with the right degree.
Right now, I am in a program to get my bachelors degree and be certified as a medical laboratory scientist. It's a two year long program, and I just finished my first semester. It's pretty difficult as far as putting in the time.

I know there's a demand for my major, so I know it will be worth it.

I hear nursing is pretty easy.

Nursing is not easy. You have to maintain a high GPA and they check it after each exam. Our lives were made of tests, several each week. 400 pages and a test 3 days later? Thats nursing burning_eyes

Not to mention the pressure of learning how not to kill our patients when the DOCTOR and the PHARMACIST screws up. We have to know all Penacillan and PCN derived drugs. Why? Because Docotors prescribe them, Pharamacists will over look it and issue them, and then WE (nurses) give them to a patient with a PCN allergy. Guess who takes the fall for that error? The nurse of course mad

Im not saying its impossible, but its not 'easy'
Nursing: Where only 5% of the class you started with actually made it to graduation.

Nursing is a stressful career. However, when you compare nursing to other health majors in terms of what you need to know, it's easy. Nurses don't have to learn or understand how things on a chemical and microscopic level work.

You really have no idea what we need to know. We have to know how a solution is going to affect cells. Will 0.9% NS inflate the cells or shrink them? Nurses also learn to read slides under a microscope to identify organisms especially if there is no M.D. on site. We do take Chenistry and micro forca reason

I'm sorry, but there's no possible way that you identify an organism just by looking at it under a microscope. What you described is very basic knowledge that everyone who has taken general human anatomy knows.

[Call Me Apple]

Zombie Conspiracy

Call Me Apple

Zombie Conspiracy

I think college is worth it if you come out with the right degree.
Right now, I am in a program to get my bachelors degree and be certified as a medical laboratory scientist. It's a two year long program, and I just finished my first semester. It's pretty difficult as far as putting in the time.

I know there's a demand for my major, so I know it will be worth it.

I hear nursing is pretty easy.

Nursing is not easy. You have to maintain a high GPA and they check it after each exam. Our lives were made of tests, several each week. 400 pages and a test 3 days later? Thats nursing burning_eyes

Not to mention the pressure of learning how not to kill our patients when the DOCTOR and the PHARMACIST screws up. We have to know all Penacillan and PCN derived drugs. Why? Because Docotors prescribe them, Pharamacists will over look it and issue them, and then WE (nurses) give them to a patient with a PCN allergy. Guess who takes the fall for that error? The nurse of course mad

Im not saying its impossible, but its not 'easy'
Nursing: Where only 5% of the class you started with actually made it to graduation.

Nursing is a stressful career. However, when you compare nursing to other health majors in terms of what you need to know, it's easy. Nurses don't have to learn or understand how things on a chemical and microscopic level work.

You really have no idea what we need to know. We have to know how a solution is going to affect cells. Will 0.9% NS inflate the cells or shrink them? Nurses also learn to read slides under a microscope to identify organisms especially if there is no M.D. on site. We do take Chenistry and micro forca reason

[T o l3 y]

WalmartIsGarbage

T o l3 y

Yeah, sure. Let me live a life of mediocrity and have low wages, when I could make a lot more if I went to college.

So what if you're payed a low wage? It should be enough to buy water and food at least, and clothes. That's what is needed.

You don't need a TV, fancy car, etc. You don't even need electricity in your house.

A person able to buy food and water isn't living a "mediocre" life. If they had more money they'd just buy junk they don't even need.

Like I said before... unless you're greedy and want things you don't even need, food and water is enough.

Yeah what a great life. You know, you don't even need a house. That's too fancy. It isn't needed. Just get a tent. Better yet, live in a cave. It's free. Don't buy food or water; it's not necessary. Just get it yourself! You don't need fancy food or water! Just do it yourself! It's junk they don't need!

You know what I just thought of? The thing you're using to get on Gaia with...it's fancy and YOU DON'T NEED IT! YOU'RE GREEDY. OMG. You're such a bad person.

Because, ya know, as a species we strive to just have the bare essentials. That's why we are par with most animals, and subpar to some elite like the chimpanzees. Let me not try bettering myself or the life of my future kids and spouse. Let me work minimum wage for a couple of hours a week and barely scrape by with just food and water. On top of that, when it comes to clothes, I will just join a nudist colony because...well, frankly, I don't want to be greedy.

[Ladybird Sauce]

Absolutely. I'd be missing almost everything good I have in my life if I'd decided not to go to university.

I studied History, got accepted into a really good graduate scheme for people interested in libraries, went back to do my Master's in Library Science on a full scholarship, and then started my current job where I'm managing an academic library.

I also had some of the best experiences of my life during university, it was a great way to transition from living with my parents to being self sufficient, and I met my boyfriend.

[Kumori Kei]

If your dumb you might wanna take on half the work load as an average student. Some people can handle the competition and stress full load but if u dont think u can and still want to do it try maybe doing half the work load and gettinga part time job. You may be in schoo llonger but those types of jobs u kinda have to be the best of the best. unsure what school u go to but many schools work on a quota system. for example were only accepting the top 10%. even if u got a 92% which is an A in teh class if it's not the top 10% of the entire class u wont make it. but some schools dont mind and they say as longas u pass u can continue on with a 70% or higher... so it depens on the system.

I was going to med school and I was in the top of my year and I dropped out cause it was too hard. It was a lot of wasted money. i ended up majoring in something I love psychology. I believe that if you truly love something and ur good at it u can go far and make more money because the people who truly love it and are good at it will go further and it's noticeable when people love and hate what they're doing. also whats the point of living if ur unhappy and only doing something for the money?

[SweetPUNKRkr]

I don't know. I went to college to be a teacher, got my degree, and now I can't find a job to save my life. Not even a job in my field, but I can't find ANY job. I just got an interview at a drug store as a cashier. That's right, 4 years of college, bachelor's degree, interviewing to be a cashier. Nobody is hiring teachers, and they told me my field would always be in demand. Well, gotta pay off my loans somehow.

[just call me oppa]

Meh.... Idk.
I went to school to be an art educator. I had an awesome time in college. But now that Im graduated, I took a position as the librarian of an elementary school. Also, I wash dishes in the back of a restaurant at night and on weekends. And all I have to show for it is like $32,000 in debt. So. idk. it depends on the avenue you want to take in life. A degree can definitely open a lot of doors, but you can also some awesome things do not require degrees.
For example
This summer I am planning to move to Brazil to teach English. It is preferred that applicants hold degrees, but it's not required. And lots of countries around the world are like that. As long as you are a native English speaker, you can easily find a job. Just something to think about smile )

[Decanie]

For me, absolutely. I couldn't have the job I do or be in the field I am (GIS) without a degree. I received my BA in geography last year and am in the process of getting a certificate at a junior college right now (I'll be done this fall.) My degree not only enables me to get a job in the first place (the positions I want require a bachelor's as part of the minimum requirements), it will also most likely ensure higher pay, which is awesome and will allow my fiancé and I to buy a house, among other things. A degree will always open doors for you.

I agree that college isn't for everyone, or that people need to take a break and do other things before they're ready for college, but I wouldn't write it off completely until you've experienced it firsthand. Also, don't EVER write yourself off as not smart enough. If you are determined to find a way to pass your classes, you will.

I always wrote myself off as not smart enough to get a master's, and I'm finding out that my friend's MBA program is kind of BS and that they don't even need to do a master's thesis or research project - they can just take a class. neutral I always assumed a thesis or research project was a requirement. Apparently not for all programs. But anyway. My point is, don't write yourself off until you've at least tried.

Also, I don't have any debt. I received no financial aid. I went to a state college and I worked full-time or near full-time the entire time I was in school. I also lived at home to save on expenses and my parents did help pay for my tuition. I do understand that not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to do that, though. However, that's how I did it.