I'm Curious... is Uni/College Little More Than A Waste?

[Hashime]

I am not going to lie, that wall of text was too much for me....
On topic:
Are you going to take a professional course? Are you going to go into an industry where certification matters? Do you even know what you want to do as a profession?

If you want to get into a professional job like engineering, medicine, law, or accounting you must go to university.
If you want to get into an arts like job collage may suffice as experience means more for many business or service positions.
If you don't know what the hell you want to do take time off to figure it out, otherwise you are wasting money.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Well, depends on the course, what you want to be, and where you live.

Hell, lots of the OWS protestors are angry that they've done the "right" thing, worked hard for their degree (and not just Underwater Basket Weaving stuff), ready to join the workforce, only there are no jobs available because of what's been done to the economy.

Sorta in that position myself, except that my degree isn't particularly useful at all, so I got a diploma designed to train people for the workforce, and still haven't found a job yet. I'm lucky to live in Australia, though, where you don't have to pay student loans back until you have a job and are earning a certain amount (they tend to be much less expensive as well), so it's not really an issue for me.

 

[Irridium]

I'm currently not going to college. I'd much rather go when I have a clear goal, instead of just taking a bunch of random classes I'll hate and graduating into a pile of debt and in the end being no better than when I started. Though, I won't be no better, I'll be much worse thanks to the debt.

Not sure what the hell I'm going to do. Every place I apply to doesn't call back. If I go to college I'll have no goal and just be wasting time and a fuckload of money. And I can't move because moving requires money which requires a job which I can't get.

Shit sucks man.

However, it's not all bad for me. My parents are letting me stay as long as I need. Well, provided I do something, be it searching for jobs or helping around the house.

 

[FaceFaceFace]

snip

You know that stupid old phrase about how what you get out of something depends on what you put into it? That is totally true when it comes to college.

The question is, do you know what you're going to do for a living? Most college students don't, they major in something they choose more or less at random with no ideas about the future, find no ideas about what to do as a living while getting their degree, finish their degree anyway, and then end up as the many college-grads with crappy jobs or jobs unrelated to their degrees that you mentioned.

If you are one of these people, then yes, you will be much better off trying to get a head-start on whatever degree-not-required job you think you want. I, for instance, want to work in publishing, where, to do anything but sort the mail or be a personal assistant, I'll need a degree. I'm majoring in English (not the dead-end people mock it as, it's probably the least dead-end major in Liberal Arts) and planning on getting some sort of contact, preferably an internship, with a publishing company, which I will do through college resources. The same is true for anyone who wants to be some sort of doctor (as you mentioned), an engineer, a scientist, etc. If you know what you plan on doing, you most likely need a degree to get it, but you should be able to make good use of your degree (and other college-based resources) while pursuing that specific goal.

TLDR; College isn't a magical place where you go in a high school grad and come out a successful person with a job. You have to have an idea of what you will do after college while IN college, major and network accordingly, and then it will work out great for you. Most people just go in, pick a major, take classes, and get a degree, and then yeah, all they have is a piece of paper.

EDIT: I'm American, so "college" and "university" interchangeably mean university.

 

[Shadow5]

Personally, I really enjoy Uni. Being in Australia I don't have the same debt problems as students in the US and I really enjoy being with people I share common interests with.
My cousin, who would be classed in the same socio-economic status group as myself, wanted to pursue a trade instead, so he did and he is happy with what he does.

There is no shame in not going to Uni. Personally I don't think it is a good idea to go in straight off the bat, I took a year off to earn money first and I've got friends who plan to go as mature-aged students once they have the money.

So just pick a goal and head for it, if it doesn't involve going through Uni then thats the way it is. Don't worry about it.

 

[nukethetuna]

You'll hear both sides of whether or not it's worth it. There are those that will claim they can't find a job no matter after graduation even with a passion for their degree. Then there are those that major in something, and are able to land a nice unrelated job simply because they have a degree in anything. To be honest, I've found that networking is more important than credentials nowadays (with the exception of some of the professions people have listed above). At my last job, a lot of positions "technically" required a college degree, but because the person knew a manager, they were hired and worked out fine.

Personally, I was pretty depressed and cynical before I went to college, and the stuff I had to study in my major pretty almost pushed me over the edge. Granted if you DO take advantage of the variety of courses, and are just not wholly adverse to working in general, you will probably find something you like (or at least can tolerate). If not, it's not the end of the world. I manage alright.

That said, dropping out is a HUGE decision, and it can be difficult to go back because you will have to start paying off your debt sooner than you think. Make sure you're simply not feeling overwhelmed, or bored, or having a bad day/week/month. If, however, you truly believe college isn't for you, there's no shame in dropping out and pursuing something more to your liking.

 

[Edd4224]

I call Godwin's Law on this thread!!!! Seriously ROBOTwithHUMANhair, Nazis? Really? NAZIS????

Anyway OT: I agree. My english teacher (also my form tutor) kept saying that university was the place for me etc etc. My first year I spent most of my time in my room with very little human contact of any sort. I did not make any really close friends that year and spent quite a bit of it flying through horrible bouts of depression.

Now I'm in my second year having a year abroad and the same sort of thing is looking like it will rear its ugly head. This is probably down to my terrible socialising skills but meh, what can you do when a ridiculous introvert and groups make you into the quiet one in the room.

Basically university was the only option actually thrown at us by my secondary school and I suspect might be the ONLY option thrown at most students. There most likely are places that give more options and more power to them but universities are the only path really advertised by most people (media, government etc).

Just make whatever choice you feel is best. See if you can change course to one that gives you the skills that you want for life.

 

[brunothepig]

It really depends on what you want to do with life. As you said, if you want to be a lawyer or doctor or whatever it's obvious you need a Uni education. Other career tracks, it's not so obvious. Think about what industry you'd like to end up in, where you'd like to be in it, then ask around and find out how essential a degree is. If you think you could or would rather move right into your career, then do it. I have a few friends doing TAFE here in Australia (kind of an intermediate thing between high school and Uni) who are very intelligent, but Uni just isn't worth it for them since a course/degree wouldn't be all that helpful for their career, and they'd just end up with a lot of debt.

Calling Uni a waste is stupid. Calling it essential is stupid. It's situational. I'm in University right now, and I'm actually quite enjoying it. Doing a computing degree, and while there are a couple of classes that won't be helpful for my chosen path (like mathematics) for the most part I'm learning what interests me, so I don't think it's a waste at all. Even if I do live on pies and noodles. Not to mention, good luck breaking into the computing field in any kind of good job without a degree. If you don't like your course, or you think it won't help you get the job you want, tell your parents to shutup and start living your life how you want to.

 

[Robert Ewing]

In Britain about 95% of subjects that you can study in University are completely useless qualification wise.

Because soooo many people are going to university, everyone and I mean EVERYONE has a university degree... Well, maybe not everyone, but a lot! So the degree is for lack of a better term, hyper-inflated. Too many people have them, so they are near worthless.

Too many people are getting into University, and too many people are studying the same thing. In the end it comes to thousands of people becoming qualified to do a single job. So at least here in Britain, Uni isn't worth it. It will be in a few years i'm sure, when things calm down, but not now.

 

[Ironic Pirate]

But hey, that's the beauty of Capitalism for ya! Making sure those in power stay in power!

Because absolute monarchies were so much better? Seriously, capitalism may not be perfect, but that's silly.

Not so much you, but that picture. Yeah, think of all the options we had before! Serfdom, serfdom, serfdom, and serfdom! Unless you were lucky enough to be a noble of some sort, then you'd get to fully enjoy your short, unsanitary and un-fulfilling life.

 

[The Abhorrent]

As a student in the final year of my degree, it's actually a bit bizarre to see threads like this shop up as often as they do. I suppose it might be the fact I'm studying engineering, which does have good job prospects upon graduation; it's actually quite possible for me to start applying for jobs right now. Then there's the fact I find engineering both fun and interesting, especially now that I'm getting into the design courses; not to mention all the lab experiments we get to do (which is on top of the amount of lectures) The course load is rather demanding as a result (at least compared to what I understand is a normal "full" course load), as the vast majority of courses I'm taking have them.

So yeah, I guess the reasons for people not seeing the point of post-secondary education is a bit odd to me due to a matter of perspective.

---

To at least encourage staying in post-secondary, I've got a few reasons:


Degrees are required for liscenced professions
Quite simply, it's nigh-impossible to get liscenced as a professional engineer or a medical doctor without the prerequisite post-secondary degree; the liscencure is required because the professions deal with topics which need to be regulated such that they're safe for society. These require both an expertise and wealth of technical knowledge, and the post-secondary degree is the stepping-stone for that; they also require acquiring some practical experience (often through some sort of internship) after completing the degree but before you're allowed to actually be a liscenced professional. This isn't without it's perks, professionals get titles and many other priviliges... though they are accompanied by responsibilities as well (along with being taking a long while to acquire).

Post-secondary education is actually quite useful
Perhaps this is the engineering perspective again, but quite simply most of the stuff you learn in high school has very little which can be applied in a practical sense. However, it usually serves as the foundation for the subjects which do have a real world application... and can be studied in post-secondary. This isn't to say everything in post-secondary is useful knowledge, but some of the topics in formal education are very useful. Just as an example, I'm currently learning how to design piles and footings (building foundations) in just one of my courses.

Post-secondary degrees are designed to make you think
In high school, you're usually just asked to regurgitate what you've been taught. For quite a bit of post-secondary, it's not all that different... until they start giving you more open-ended questions. As I've mentioned with my engineering courses, they're getting into design; you're being asked to provide the answer, not just find it. Some of the questions we get can be on-going research or data from actual projects. In other words, genuine problem solving. A friend of mine described post-secondary as "teaching you to teach yourself", and there is a grain of truth to that. It's also why simply having a degree (from any program) is considered an asset while applying for a job, having a degree is usually a good enough litmus test to show that you're capable doing some problem solving and independent thought.

---

While it can certainly seem like getting a post-secondary degree isn't all that useful, they actually are. It shows a willingness to learn and think independently, and you're almost guaranteed to become better at problem solving along the way. Some of the knowledge you acquire will be more useful than the rest of it, but you can acquire it.

I suppose that's the real benefit of a post-secondary degree -- the ability to learn.

No matter what you go into, the learning which starts in college or university should never stop. You're not just acquiring knowledge by going to post-secondary, but you're learning how to apply it as well. If you can learn how to teach yourself, there's nothing you can't do. Don't know something? You know where to look in order to find out, as well as how to sort through the nonsense & dated information from the actual useful material.

So is a post-secondary degree useless? Only if you let it be.

 

[Zyst]

That depends on what you study.

Are you a Liberal Arts major? Or an English Major, or a French major? Or some others (Philosophy?)

Then no, you don't need the College degree.

Are you studying Physics? Architecture, Law, Medicine, Math, Chemistry or in general sciences, then yes you do need your degree.

Go with what you feel is best anyway man.

 

[Julianking93]

Because absolute monarchies were so much better? Seriously, capitalism may not be perfect, but that's silly.

Not so much you, but that picture. Yeah, think of all the options we had before! Serfdom, serfdom, serfdom, and serfdom! Unless you were lucky enough to be a noble of some sort, then you'd get to fully enjoy your short, unsanitary and un-fulfilling life.

Hehe. I just like that picture. It was a joke.
Though, no the options before weren't great either but... no, not gonna do that, sorry I can't get into a political discussion about Capitalism and how much I despise it. It'll eventually fall into the realm of arguing about Occupy Wall Street >.>

 

[KaWaiiTSuKI]

snip

Classic troll! Insulting someone then turning right around and saying 'It was all a joke!" when you're called out on it. Nice! ;3

TL;DR: I'm a college student, I grow more to hate it everyday and I see no point in it. Anyone feel the same and if so, how did/do you deal with it?

No, don't feel the same.

However, it may depend on what you want to do with your life.

What is your major?

What career do you see yourself in?

I can't answer about college unless I know what you're studying.

That said, I don't believe that a college education is ever a waste. Will it miraculously change your life? No. Hell no. But is it good? Yes. Hell yes. Still, depending on what you're majoring in, the amount of practical benefit to your life may vary. Please tell us what you're in college for (what you're studying, what classes, major, etc) and maybe we can answer your question a little better.

This will be applicable to really anyone else who asked similar questions:

My major is psychology, not because I picked it but it was because it was literally the last available class that wasn't on a bloody Saturday. >.>

What do I wish to do? I want to be a writer. Not entirely sure what kind as I enjoy writing of all types. Fiction, biographical, articles, reviews, poetry... anything really. I enjoy it and I'm good at it. Hell, my English professor has literally been "Blown away" by how "Above and beyond" my essays were in comparison to everyone else's. I dont' say that to be smug but that's actually what he told me.

I think somewhere in this paragraph lies the root of the problem; specifically, the bit at the end.

"You're forced".

Who's forcing you? What's forcing you? How did it get to be that way, and how could you reverse that situation?

Like I said before though, I've been forced to go to college by my parents. If I quit, they've threatened to completely cut me off from their support in anything. It frustrates the hell out of me considering my mother is the one so crazy about it yet she didn't go. Perhaps that's simply why but... she didn't go to college and she has a pretty nice life.

TLDR; College isn't a magical place where you go in a high school grad and come out a successful person with a job. You have to have an idea of what you will do after college while IN college, major and network accordingly, and then it will work out great for you. Most people just go in, pick a major, take classes, and get a degree, and then yeah, all they have is a piece of paper.

EDIT: I'm American, so "college" and "university" interchangeably mean university.

See, this is the problem I'm having. Most people tell me constantly that it is a magical place that will instantly grant you ANY job you could ever dream of, seemingly regardless of what major you decide on when... that is just straight up bullshit. I have a friend even who has a 4 year degree in Psychology, yet still lives with his parents because he can't do fuck all with that slip of paper.

And people here keep mentioning connections and all this but... I don't want to sound like I'm trying to get sympathy or anything but I pretty much don't talk to anyone. Not because I'm disinterested, I'm just not social and have problems talking to people for the most part. My doctor diagnosed me with Asperger's but I refuse to believe that.

Still, I get that it can be good but from what I've seen, all this place is doing to me is bleeding me of any money I might have and putting me more in debt. Every class is, for the most part, online. Even though you attend a class with other people, the work is all turned in through school emails. This is made worse seeing as they've limited one's resources to only what the school offers. In other words; our tests, text books, grades and attendance comes from how often we visit our school email. Not what we do in class but the cyber bit of it. And guess what that means? You're required to buy everything online. You can't look it up, you can't not use the text book, you have to pay even more than the tuition in order to activate your account and take tests and write essays.

This is my biggest problem. If that isn't obvious they just want as much money as they can get, I don't know what is.

snip

And this is another thing; I'm not looking for a licensed career in really anything. Of course you have to get a degree to be a doctor or a lawyer but I don't want to be that. Engineering seems to be popular since you absolutely have to have that degree and it almost always pays well but... I don't want to be that. It isn't something I'm good at but I entirely understand how it can be good for that. It's just not something I want to be.

 

[dyre]

College is awesome. Well, depends on the college, I suppose. At least where I'm going, I learn infinitely more than I did in high school, in subjects I care about, from professors I respect and enjoy learning from. Couldn't really tell you if the history half of my double major will help me much in the future, but years from now I'll sure as hell be able to say I enjoyed the journey.

The accounting half of my double major will probably be pretty useful in a pragmatic sense though..

 

[Liviola]

OP, you're not alone in feeling like this. Are you doing a liberal arts degree or something similar? By the last year, pretty much all my classmates were saying rants like this to me. Sometimes the coursework is highly depressing, I know my last year was filled with darkness and dread. I majored in Art History and Psychology.

3 years down the track: Do I regret it? Not at all. I feel like if I had skipped this stage in my life, I would be ignorant in so many small ways that add up to a general level of inexperience that is very apparent when I compare myself to people my age or even older than me, who haven't graduated from any degree. Just in the way I think, the things I know, the way interact with the world. The stresses of your coursework is a sort of baptism of fire into adulthood. You have to experience that hard work and that pain (of extremely boring, tough assignments), but you come out different.

I'm in a totally different field now, but I find that even though the subject matter is unrelated, I have a big advantage over everyone else in terms of mental maturity and general knowledge base. I can't say 100% that everyone will gain as much as I have from my first degree, but in any professional field, having that extra boost of maturity and intelligence is a huge advantage and would get you promoted faster, earn respect from collegues, etc.

Back to the topic, OP: from your post it sounds like you really want to do something else. Whether or not you know what that is, I'd say that if you are doing a liberal arts degree or something similar, and you are close to the end (over halfway), stick to it, finish it. Otherwise, you will have to live the rest of your life with the pang of slight guilt and shame if you decide to drop it, and trust me, you have the rest of your life ahead of you to explore what you really want to do for a living. It seems like it is urgent now, but in the big picture, the short amount of time you have to endure to complete your degree is miniscule.

EDIT: Read your post about you wanting to be a writer. I agree with the post below, switch majors!

 

[Princess Rose]

This will be applicable to really anyone else who asked similar questions:

My major is psychology, not because I picked it but it was because it was literally the last available class that wasn't on a bloody Saturday. >.>

What do I wish to do? I want to be a writer. Not entirely sure what kind as I enjoy writing of all types. Fiction, biographical, articles, reviews, poetry... anything really. I enjoy it and I'm good at it. Hell, my English professor has literally been "Blown away" by how "Above and beyond" my essays were in comparison to everyone else's. I dont' say that to be smug but that's actually what he told me.

Wow. That's a horrible reason to pick a major.

Switch majors to English (or Writing, if it's a separate Major at your school). Take writing classes - Personal Essay, Fiction 1, Poetry 1, Drama or Biography if they're offered.

Take a couple of Lit classes too.

And screw everything else.

You will develop your writing skills a LOT in College - because you can write for peers, and that is the best teaching tool out there. The workshop system is VERY good at helping writers develop skills - and you'll do better than you could on your own.

If your teachers are complimenting your skills, then that's what you should be doing. Being in the wrong major is the FASTEST way to make yourself hate college.

Also, if you're in a community college with no proper English program - switch schools.

Finally, you won't be done in 4 years - you'll need 6-8 years for an MFA at the very least, and in this market probably a PhD.

The plus side - a good University will usually hire you after you get your MFA or PhD for part time teaching jobs.

That's how I make my money.

 

[aba1]

You don't go to college or uni for a job you go to LEARN. Once you have learned the skills you need for the profession that you like then you apply. If you are taking a course without doing any research or know what you are getting into it is your own fault if you end up in debt with very little a degree is only as useful as the amount of jobs it qualifies you for so don't take a course than has no options and complain when it has no options when you graduate.

 

[Paragon Fury]

It used to be worth it. Because the private sector/government had this deal going on; you spend the time and money to get a college education and you'll get a better paying and more fulfilling job out of it, that incidentally tends to be something they need.

Now that deal has gotten fucked sideways, mainly by the private sector. The government still does a somewhat amiable job trying to help college grads, particularly those willing to join military/law enforcement or medical services. But everyone else is pretty much fucked - when the god damn engineers, professors, teachers and scientists can't get jobs, what hope do the psychologists, researchers, artists and others have?