My point is that higher education is for the best and the brightest. I am not one of those people....so I chose another route. Are all these "institutions of higher education" really pumping out genius after genius that better society and themselves? Or are they just giving one the false impression that even after barely graduating highschool your college sheepskin will help you advance in your career or life choice? I say no, and the scam has been revealed for what it is. Just another way to suck people dry.
Either most the people posting did not attend university or they are bitter about their university it seems. University is only a Scam if you follow the Sheeople's line that "YOU NEED A DEGREE TO BE SUCCESSFUL". If you buy into that bullshit, then it is a Scam. However, like myself, attending a Private University to be guided in the studies of "Liberal Arts" based on the Classic Book's Track,( ie: Philosophy, Mathematics, History, English, Science/Physics and the Arts.) and understanding that this is in effort to create a sound base for "Critical Thinking" on your own, is worth the money for the right institution. Now, going to school for Business IMHO is a joke. Waste of undergrad time as most of the business majors I know are in dead in jobs because they did not tot the line and get an MBA. Not saying that an MBA is worthless but it is damn near close. My first ever private equity firm back in 2005, hired two MBA's. They washed out in less than 4 months. They couldn't handle the pressure of being hung up on 99% of the time by very wealthy people, if they got pass the gate keeper. They also couldn't think fast enough on their feet when a objection came at them, they would panic, start sounding like a typical cheesy broker/Sales person and loose the call. They could't close because they got nervous asking for money. The crew that survived at the firm were 90% Liberal Arts Grads who were damn good at thinking and doing math on the fly in their heads. They were articulate and could discuss topics from the Ancient Greeks to current events. They did not get nervous and due to the intellectual thought, could drop the guard of a billionaire and communicate on "his/her' level. The MBA from RICE ended up crunching numbers for some local fund in San Antonio. The TX MBA, no idea what happen to him. The Michigan State Liberal Art Grad, left and started his own Private Equity Firm with our guy from the "Street's" of South Boston. He as the 10% that did not have any college. They are kicking ass right now. I left to 'raise money' and consultant on my own, only have a Liberal Arts degree. Our guy from Portland, who is a DUCK, went on to be a Land Man and is making 250k a year as a Road Worrier finding Land for a few private Oil Companies. The other4 guys stayed with the Firm and are doing well and all have a Liberal Arts Degree,....Baylor, Dartmouth, Texas Tec and UT. Point is, the proper studies that can help mold you into a well rounded individual is worth the price. However, if your a lemming ...your wasting your money and might as well go work on a off shore rig for a few years to make 130k a year.
Your local library can supply all the reading you can handle on said subjects. But you make some valid points...outside of 250 being something to be excited about...
I never went to college. I chose the Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Dave Thomas route. I did not want to spend 4 years following a predetermined program and regurgitated content while the world passed by. I got in on the early PC/Internet bandwagon and started my own buisness. Glad I chose this route, 4 years is a lot of time to let opportunity pass. Obviously it was not easy in the first few years, lots of hours putting work into it, living on ramen soup and designing and testing the stuff in a rented doublewide trailer. I no longer own the buisness, I took the money and ran.
Your local library can supply all the reading you can handle on said subjects. ------------------------------------ Very true. 250k for being a land man,,,,,,not bad. Pain in the arse as your driving all over the damn country..... but he swears he stops for a beer, a shot and some pussy in every state. Part of the perks I guess.
King of shorts: Top ramen soup my man. Unlike the Hollywood bullshit speech's you hear in all the "Banking/Private Equity/Wall Street" movies......I was given one simple speech upon my venture in the Private Equity World. "Let me ask you, can you survive eating the 20 different flavors of Top Ramen, while you dial over 400 calls a day and spend countless hours on the phone with guys who have more money than you can ever imagine, who could give a rat's ass about making more money?" Then the follow up was " You do understand that your searching for a needle in a haystack and the odds are, you will wash out with in six months and you will have the taste of Top Ramen ingraved in your taste buds right?"
I agree with Dr. Ron Paul - let's abolish the Dept. of Education. They SHOULD be teaching our young people: #1 - Personal Finance, from a younger age, prob. about 13 #2 - SALES, for those socially inclined.
Just rode down the elevator with some broad barely out of school kvetching about student loans. She was POed that The One only slashed the default from 25 to 20 years and mentioned that her friends had some serious loans. I didn't get a chance to ask her how many had Masters in music, journalism and women's studies though. Every time I hear about obnoxious debt (and yeah, the government caused tuition inflation is crazy go nuts), I think about that chick in Groundhog Day with the degree in 17th century French poetry.
I was reading about Obama care and one of the goals is to reduce salaries of Drs. Basically have patients seen physician assistants or practioners with the DR as a manager. Problem with this is if you reduce costs by cutting Dr pay how will anyone pay back their loans? Really putting the squeeze to people. We've seen this in other professions. Although the vid is long, it'll get your attention right away and summs up all aspects of what is currently happening with loans. <iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VpZtX32sKVE?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
This is the wrong impression. The only thing that will get you ahead and improve society is education... one of the few things that someone can never take away from you. I wouldn't fault an institution entirely for the type of person that comes out. Isn't that like saying if someone graduates Harvard then goes on a killing spree, all graduates from there will be killers? That's a big generalization you're trying to make. How you let it affect your life is up to your choice, no one elses. School's are in business, so yes they will suck you dry, but they also hand you something that helpful in return, IF YOU CHOOSE. I'm walking proof. I make well above average income with my bachelor's degree and even though jobs suck, I'm doing well above average. My brother had the opportunity to go to school but dropped out. I have much more liquid assests as a younger sibling.