College - Is It Worth It??

[YuccaFlatsRanch]

If your major is Pysch, Sociology, Communications and 5 others - NOPE!!!


8 College Degrees with the Worst Return on Investment - Salary.com


"College: Is it Worth It?

What's more expensive than going to college? Until recently, the answer was easy: not going to college. Numerous studies over the years have shown that individuals with college degrees significantly out-earn those with high school degrees by $1 million or more over the course of a lifetime.

But as the cost of education increases faster than inflation and the economy remains relatively weak, people are beginning to question how they spend their education dollars. As student loans hit the $1 trillion mark and more and more graduates are faced with years of paying staggering monthly payments, many are starting to ask themselves, "Is it worth it?"

While there's no doubt that a college degree increases earning power and broadens opportunities, today's high cost of education means it makes sense to more carefully consider which degree you earn. When it comes to return on investment (ROI), not all degrees are considered equal. This article exposes eight college degrees with poor ROI."

[Steve in PA]

College is what you make of it. A degree does not buy one a job. I see that many times when people can't figure out why they have a degree and no job.

College is where you are supposed to gain the knowledge and contacts that will make you an asset to your potential future employers. Just because something is a major in college does not make it a marketable or desirable profession. Universities are a business just like any other and they are selling seats to put fannies in, not careers.

My present job pays well and has very little to do with my undergraduate degree, but my skill set I acquired while getting it got me an interview and a temp position where I proved myself to be an asset to my employer.

My son is 15 and we are currently having this discussion in my household.

[VERN in IL]

I agree with all said above.

I have a cousin that went to college for an Optician. She ended up working at *The Devil* MONSANTO in the genetics lab!

(some on this forum calls Monsanto the "Devil!" they don't like the GM cornflakes)

[plowjockey]

At one time, farmers did not make a great deal of money, but they went into relatively large debt and farmed anyway.

Why? Because it was something they wanted to do and it was something, America needed..

America needs teachers, Social workers and graphic artists, which require college degrees, regardless, of the monetary payback.

It's a shame, that College costs, now have to be such a rip-off, but that the price to be paid.

If and when the U.S. economy recovers, there will probable be a severe shortage of college graduates, then everybody will wish they had went.

[TxHorseMom]

Well I have a nephew who is a teacher and a niece who is a graphic artist. Do you know where they both work? At an AT&T store!

Not saying that one shouldn't go to college, just saying that you have to really think about what you want to do and if there is a true NEED for that degree. I'm an RN so, yeah, I kinda needed a degree, and I'm making 4x the money I made as a non college degree earner (I didn't go to school until I was in my 30's) Those 4 years were definately worth the effort and sacrifice. Even with Obama care, there will still be a need for just about anyone in the medical field. Everyone jumped on the bandwagon regarding computers or IT people, but I don't think that there is as great a need anymore. I hear of too many kids going to college, yet not getting a degree in anything useful. To me, that is a total waste of money.

[Michael W. Smith]

Originally Posted by plowjockey

America needs teachers, Social workers and graphic artists, which require college degrees, regardless, of the monetary payback.

I'm not so sure going to college to become a teacher is a good thing in today's economy.

Due to Federal and State Funding cutbacks, public schools have had to make cuts themselves. What this usually means is when a teacher retires or resigns their position is very closely looked at - and a determination is made as to whether or not that now vacant position needs to be filled again.

It's no secret that colleges are pumping out lots of graduates with teaching degrees. But it's also no secret either that even LESS teachers are retiring / year compared to the number of new graduate teachers. This makes for a glut of teacher applicants for a teaching position. I've seen as many as 100 applicants applying for a teaching position.

Lots and lots of recently graduated new teachers are now finding they can't get a job. Sure they can get on a substitute teacher list, but those "every so often jobs" don't pay the bills NOR THE STUDENT LOANS.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

A degree from a private liberal arts college can have a tough time paying for it's self. Folks are catching on to this and many of these colleges are suffering from reduced enrollment. A BS in a growing field from most decent in-state universities is generally still a good deal, although probably not as good as it once was.

[katydidagain]

Life forced me to take a break from my profession but it seems nobody wants to be me these days so things are looking up for my reentry to employment. And, no, I'm not going to say what I do--yet. But I will say it's supposedly quite boring unless you have a knack and I do. Yeah, a lot of people think the can just "do it" but most really can't. YEAH! MY turn finally...

[ClickBeetle]

My first degree was a BS in Psych. I had no kids and not too many bills. I worked in nursing homes and with at-risk kids. Low pay, but great experiences. Money does not equal happiness.

Once I had kids and gas jumped so high, I noticed a pinch. I went back for Bachelors in Nursing and like the above poster stated, it has been a great experience. A tough 3 years getting the degree, but worth it. I get to help people but also get paid enough to live on, with kids. A side note: we had three Psych majors in our nursing class!

I have thought about this with my kids (not facing college yet). What if their dreams are not realistic? What if they really want to teach or some other job that is not projected to have many openings? I had no clear job in sight the first time (Psych), just wanted to help people. When I was 18 there was nothing worse than not following my dreams. Of course, as you get older, there is nothing worse than working on a degree and not being able to find a job/support yourself.

Personally, my college years were the best and opened up so many worlds to me. I want to give that to my kids!

[Yvonne's hubby]

The one thing I notice while reading the article was that even in those eight areas of study... folks are still making 2 or 3 million bucks during their working years. So yeah.... I am going to jump out on a limb and say that degrees must mean something. Anyone making that much money shouldnt have to worry too much about earning a "decent" living, and being able to sock away a nice retirement portfolio in the process.

[kasilofhome]

School population down. Birthrate low. babyboom glut of old tired bones growing daily -- that is a big market to groom for. It is never that bad of an idea to create a business --with no intentions of going big where it is part time while working a fulltime. My son's higher ed is covered by his tribe and even at no cost to him he is weighing the value of it. Seeking other ways that he can reach his goals.

[Truckinguy]

I don't think you necessarily need higher education to make good money over your lifetime. If someone gets into an apprenticeship for a good trade right out of high school they can make pretty good money right off the start leading to some pretty high wages later including lots of overtime and great benefits, not to mention avoiding starting off with huge debts in the first place.

I know a few people, some who went to high school with me, who are plumbers, electricians, carpenters and even auto mechanics and have done very well over the years working their trades. Of course, these jobs require real physical labor so are not too popular among younger people these days. There are a lot of companies here that have a hard time finding qualified workers in spite of excellent wage and benefit packages.

[LFRJ]

You may not need to go to college, but you WILL need a trade, so IMO, some form of education beyond a high school degree is worthwhile. In our economy now, yes - a BS in some types of degree programs will not have the same payoff as others, but it still proves that you can meet four years of deadlines, and that's enough to give you an advantage over those who haven't a sheepskin of any kind.

I also agree with Steve. It's what you make of it. I have a degree in communications which was augmented with extra training in other fields and some sturdy internships. It got me where I needed to be and I continued to capitalize on that education to carry me further, so for the ambitious who are able to plot a smart game plan, even some of the seemingly less lucrative degrees can be a good foundation. I also like the idea of picking up some trade skill to fall back on when times get tough... and never forget that college will always be there. You can get a degree at 20 years, 30, 40 70...

It's easy to question the value and relevance of college in times like these - but I think it's worthwhile to broaden the mind if you can, whether it leads to a career or not. If I had a son or daughter, I'd definitely be encouraging college, but would also encourage them to think wisely about what they want to do in life, and find a degree to support that. .

[Bentley]

Let's see....I can attend college for four years at a cost of $20k up...depending....or, (in my case), obtain an associate degree in an engineering field for half the cost,...then receive several offers from major energy companies at a salary of more than double what a tenured teacher would make with performance increases of 2-3 times what the teacher earns.
Do the math. By the time the teacher graduates and starts work, I'm already more than 4 years worth of teachers salary ahead. The teacher never catches up.

However, the teacher gets 10 weeks of vacation their first year compared to my 2 weeks. Their job security is better regardless of their performance. Im now retired, but never did I get over 6 weeks vacation when I was working.

True story;

A friend of mine has a daughter who wanted to major in art. Dad said, "fine, but you're going to have to pay your own way. I'm not going to pay for college for a degree that will barely pay minimum wage.". After some heated discussion, she changed her major to pharmacy. She now works for Merk Pharma earning mid six figures. You think her dad had an impact on her life? Her kids life?.....grandkids?.....and so on...

Wise father if you ask me.

B

[wes917]

I graduated with a BS in business as the crash was happening. Luckily I took up welding as a hobby, as that has paid well. What I did learn in my finance curriculum has helped me invest and hopefully one day will allow me to open my own place, but I wont need to hire people for books etc. I suppose its all in what you hope to get out of it.

[frogmammy]

A friend told me once that a college dgree just means you can learn.

Mon

[bergere]

To have a good paying job in many fields.. they do require that little piece of paper. It also helps make sure, you end up with a fair wage job.

So yes, college is worth it!

[troy n sarah tx]

A college degree is what you make it. I know many who have degrees but work minimum wage but I also know many who have achieved greater things than they would have without them. I personally have 2 degrees (BS and BSN) and I am looking forward to continuing on. I want the knowledge that comes with the education. For me the piece of paper is just an added bonus.

[Laura Zone 10]

Is college worth it?

I am about to find out........

My spouse has his AS in Engineering.
Was told if he wanted to make more $$ he needed his BS.
Went back to school (on the companies dime) and when get graduated, his pay jumped 10K....just because he had the degree.
Raises after that were 5-10% raises.
Not the 2% he was getting.

My major will be in 'human services' of some flavor or another.
I want to serve, so be it nursing, psychology, nutrition.....some how, it will be serving.

I can speak to the "hospitality" portion of this article.
It shows them making 42K-ish a year.
What it DOES NOT say is how many hours a week they work......
60-80 hours a week.
It can be back breaking work.
It's not a 9-5er.....it's holidays, weekends, birthdays, anniversaries, missing your first child being born, kind of industry.

42K per year divided by 52 weeks
870.00 per week divided by 70 hours
11.00 per hour.

Yeah, I made more than my degreed manager 85% of the time, because I was paid 4.50 an hour PLUS tip pool based upon the hours I worked.
A "bad week" was 15.00 per hour.
I averaged 22.00 an hour.
I worked about 27 hours a week.
He worked about 50.

I chose the path I chose because I want to serve.
I will not work 40+ hours a week.....so I won't make boo koo bucks.
But I can not serve the way I want to serve without the degree.

[NickyBlade]

Our youngest is a junior in high school and has carried a 4.0 GPA through out her education. She's decided to be a medical laboratory technologist as she loves science and chemistry is her favorite class... We make too much for her to get a free education. So, she will be spending many hours applying for scholarships over the next year and a half. It's unfortunate that we educate people based on present income rather than merit in our country.