Rethinking College

 

In 1972, I was awarded a BA degree and in 1981, I was awarded an MBA degree.  Both of those degrees were paid for by the GI BILL because I was in the military during the Vietnam War.

However, even though the GI Bill paid for books and tuition, I still worked full-time while attending college full-time.

While both the degrees helped me secure employment, I very seldom used the knowledge that I had acquired from both those degrees and NEVER during my 45 years of employment did my employer care about my frigging grades.

I had to earn 60 hours of credit in order to get my MBA.  Today, students only have to earn 30 hours to get an MBA.

To me, they have watered down the education process making it easier for students to earn a higher degree.  If it is easier to earn a degree, then these graduate students don't know as much as did previous students.

This tells me that a college degree in many cases is simply BULLSHIT and not necessary.  This also tells me that employers are going to stop hiring grad students once they determine they don't know that much.

Aside from that, if I had it to do over, I would have never gone to college in the first place UNLESS I was planning to be a CPA, a lawyer, a doctor, an engineer, or a dentist.

You do not have to go to college to learn about computers, programming, or information technology or how to construct algorithms.  All that stuff can be learned in trade schools or specialized training.  While specialized training is expensive, it is cheaper than a college education at $35,000 a year on average.

Most specialized education classes only cost $1,500 to $3,000 each.  Usually, a half dozen is all you need in a particular area to be employable.

Another idea is to go to a community college for your first two years since it is lots cheaper.  It is a hell of a lot easier to get into an IVY LEAGUE school as a junior than it is as a freshman, if that's what you really want.

PAY YOUR DUES - go to work at a restaurant as a busboy while you are in high school.  After graduation, ask to be a cook and work at that for a few years.  Then ask to be a waiter/server for a couple of years.  The turnover at restaurants is high so if you are willing to hang in, in about 8 years, you will be promoted to assistant manager and after 12-15 years you will be manager.  After twenty years of experience at that same restaurant, you will be offered franchise ownership.  After twenty years, you're making over $150K a year plus bonuses.

Think about what you want to do in life and how you want to end up when you finally turn 70.  Be smart about your future and use the internet to do research.  Don't just go to college because your parents want you to, or your friends are going.  College is not for everyone.