Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire College Degrees

Why do some young people get degrees that won’t make them a good living? My first daughter in law got a degree in theater arts, racked up a large some of debt, works two jobs waiting tables and working at a second had shop. My old plumbing boss has two sons working at the school district, one an electrician that makes 40 bucks an hour, plus overtime. The younger son has a Masters degree in philosophy, he is part of the pool cleaning department. I could go on and on about situations like that. It took wifey years to get her engineering degree, but boom when she got that our lives changed. She went from 60,000 a year to triple that. When she got that degree, her company cut her a check for the money we borrowed to get her degree, paid for her masters too.That really taught me the value of a degree. She hires people right out of college starting at 100,000 for her dept.

Why do young people get worthless degrees? Don’t they research the potential of the degree??

Because growing up you're told you can be whatever you want to be - and life is cotton candy clouds and unicorn farts.

what he said

Because they are told to "follow your dreams" by friends.( I had to bite my tongue OFF} Son got a degree in theater after he was going to be an RN, worked at Disney for a while. Finished getting his nursing degree and is doing great. For him probably the longer route was best.

Too many treat college like a hobby. Just the same as some here might spend a pile of time learning about reloading or decoying ducks.

The problem is - there's no real collateral.

I want to borrow 50k to buy a truck, bank looks at that truck and says "is it worth that if I have to repo and sell it?" - decision made then.

Degree - loans are given regardless of degree ROI. School knows regardless of what they charge, they're paid by lender. Lender says "I'm loaning Dave 180k to get a degree and it's impossible for him to get out of this debt." but no one asks WHICH degree.

So there's no one telling those kids they need to get a degree that pays compared to borrowed. The parents SHOULD be but don't. Mostly they expect the rest of the world to do it. Same as all these posts/memes about "Why did we learn about triangles in school instead of taxes or job search etc" - well if the school isn't teaching your kids what you want - get off your ass and do it yourself.

I laugh every time I hear African American studies. Blacks going to school to learn to be black. I thought they were born with that talent. Hasbeen

I went to school on my GI Bill - basically nights at the local extension of a regular college. While in the registration office, picking up books there was a girl in there crying.

She had been bumping around some other various colleges. You know the type - advertise on TV, private, expensive and has the disclaimer *not all credits transfer

Basically they're accredited by themselves and a credit earned is only recognized by their string of schools. The opposite being a credit I earned at UW-Madison is likely to be recognized and accepted by Michigan State when transferring - especially gen-eds.

Anyway - she was bumping around with these schools like 6 years, had 78k in debt and no degree AND all her credits wouldn't transfer, was starting square 1 with our college (a private Lutheran school from Milwaukee). Zero credits, zero degree, 78k in debt that she can not get rid of before starting on the 4 year degree at a "real" college that was going to run her 110k.

Now I don't really blame anyone but her - can't. They TELL you credits don't transfer and she CHOSE to move/change majors over and over. She took out the loans of her own free will and with an understanding of the dollars involved.

I also know - it's unlikely her BA in Human Resources is unlikely to make enough to cover a 200k total debt load to get there.

Get rid of government backed student loans and like Teal said, only loans will be given on degrees that have some teeth to them. With that, tuition will fall because the free money will disappear and the demand for filling seats will fall.

Prezactly.

Both of my boys are in college and I told them if they wanted any help from his mom and I, they better get a degree that’s marketable. Oldest used a year of my GI Bill and then joined the Army NG. He’s getting a degree in aviation management and wants to be a pilot. He’s already a UH-60 mechanic and going to Lakota training in a few more days. It may have taken him longer, but after the first year he’s paid his own way.

Youngest son is in college for fisheries biology. It took him one semester to decided he wanted to do regular fisheries biology instead of husbandry to take care of aquariums when he can do the other and have a broader background.

As far as loans, wife has some but they are mostly paid off now. She had to get a masters degree to do her job and she knew that going in. She got that 8 years ago and has excelled. I have a friend that his wife has the same undergrad degree as my wife and complains she can’t get a job with it. She knew what she needed going in, but not getting her masters so she can actually practice is her own doing. I think 12 years later she has decided to become a teacher. Had she done that from the get go, she would have been a lot bette off.

I totally agree. I went to college for 3 years before I ended up joining the Air Force. I decided to finish my degree using TA, and one class was more than I paid for a full semester in less than a 10 year period of time. Tuition is ridiculous, but books are even more.

BS = Bull Scheit
MS = More Scheit
PhD = Piled higher and deeper.

Because their parents suck and they are stupid.

That’s the long and short.

These two posts sum it up perfectly

Mexican Americans
Go to night school
And take Spanish
And get a B




P

I got a 4-year degree in History and English Literature. I didn't borrow a dime, I worked construction in the summers, and worked at restaurants during the school year.
I never earned any money with my degrees, but it enriched my life greatly to spend 5 years studying in college. Plus I met a lot of coeds and was captain of the soccer team. Good Lord did I have a great time playing soccer.

Ironically, the money I made was from, 18 months at the Votech school to get my Paramedic license. I did that for 14 years. Later, I spent 3 months at the Votech getting a CDL. Made a lot of money with the CDL and didn't have to pick up any dead children off of the street, just run over by a car. Paramedic, tough job.

As Dave Ramsey says, borrowing $53,000 to get a degree on German Polka Music is really stupid.

People that get "worthless" degrees suck at planning and make bad decisions. People that suck at planning and make bad decisions don't do research, they made decisions based on emotions.

That's how you end up an underwater basket weaving major asking if I want my coffee black or with room for cream.....

Mike Rowe has a great outlook on college.


https://www.washingtontimes.com/multimedia/image/ap_187ad3ca7261dd27610f6a7067005e13jpg/

In some cases - not all - such degrees are under the general classification of "work deferment."

In other cases, kids just do not know what they want to do.

I taught in the Technical College system for over 20 years. I taught the Electrical Construction and Maintance Programs. Our students were "work ready" the day they graduated.

After a year of field experiance, our graduates were earning more than 4-year College Graduates with non-technical degrees.

My son graduated from a Technical College with a diploma in Welding. Upon graduating, he got a job with a contractor that worked "shut downs." While employed, he took advantage of evey school and training they offered.

He tested at every job site - and obtained credentials in pipe welding, mig welding, and tig welding. Because of these credentials, he recieved a $150 bonus every time he showed up on a job site.

In or around 2009, he told me that he was going to take a three-month break from traveling. I asked if he was financially able to do so? He answered, "Dad, I've make $90,000 this year already."

We used to tell our students, "There are two ways to make money: do something others can't do, or do something others won't do." That's is why the technical or "trade" programs are flourishing - and graduates make GOOD money. It is hard work! And employers are having a difficult time finding people to do it.

Some folks dont belong in college…..

I tried it. Didnt put the effort in.

College degrees have been pushed for so long as if its the only choice a 18 yr old kid has.

So they wanna pick something easy, since they HAVE to go.

Slme need time to figure out what they want to do. I needed that.

First went to school for comp sci.

Then worked oilfield for awhile. Enjoyed helping the welder.

So, i’d work 2 wks. Go to school 2 wks. Ended up being a welder. Now into inspection.


Mike Rowe does a good job of bringing attention to the trades. From Dirty jobs show to his foundation.


I worked at the JuCo level of education for 2 years.

That was enough for me to see how the sausage was made.

Degrees earned the schools more $$$ than trades do.