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

[Ham_authority95]

Hi there. Long time lurker here and occasional poster. Being the lurker type, For my first thread, I'm going to try not to ramble so I'll keep this as short as possible. Also, for the reasons stated in this thread, I'm fucking tired and I probably won't be entirely coherent so I apologise if I don't make much sense.

Spoiler

I've seen more than enough of these threads round here to know that most posters on this site, at least the most verbal, are adamant in their beliefs that university/college is necessary to thrive in the adult world and secure a comfortable, well paying job.

My question to this though... is that really true today? What proof of this do you have other than simple claims and examples of doctors or lawyers or teachers who tend to be extremely unhappy. Not only this, but college, at least where I live, seems to me like a completely worthless and stressful stent at a place that only demands one learn pointless skills that will rarely be used later in life. Granted, if you want to be a doctor, of course school is necessary but what about someone who doesn't wish to do that? What exactly is the point of going to school when all around me I see examples of people who succeeded in life without any sort of formal education. I don't mean celebrities either, I mean actual people who I've grown up around. This confuses me considering these people, who live in beautiful houses and have great, low stress jobs, tell me constantly that I shouldn't fight the system and just go along with it and that it'll all be worth it in the end.

I'm not too sure about this. Even from a statistical point, how many of these kids that I'm going to class with will end up successful and with wonderful jobs? For that matter, how many of these wonderful jobs will need all these little fuckers boasting their college degrees in hopes of getting employed? Most likely, they'll end up at Starbucks like most college graduates I know or sitting on their parent's couch.


I read a study recently saying that over 57% of college graduates aren't in their field of study 5 years after graduating. So, if this is the case for a pretty large majority, then what exactly is the point of listening to someone drone on for 4 years when most people own't even use it anyway?

And go ahead and say it, because I don't really care at this point. I'm a rebellious youngling who doesn't want to be part of a "fascist system working for the evil corporations, brah!" Fine, I can live with that because... well to be honest, I don't. I see no point in staying with something that is doing nothing to help me and is only causing more stress by bleeding me dry of every cent I have and only putting me more in debt.

I'm currently a part-time college student in a school that I absolutely despise. I'm being put in debt before I can even legally drink alcohol, I feel forced into an institution that I'm wasting time in and... well no, that's pretty much it. I feel it's a waste of time that I could be using to get a well paying job for the talents I already have. I have no interest in being a doctor, yet because I was late to enroll, I'm forced to take something I don't want and it won't even be counted towards graduation later on. Not to mention, every time I think I have payed off everything I owe, another charge pops up that just gets added to a growing pile. It's not even a prestigious school of any kind. It's a bloody community technical school.

Perhaps I'm the one with the problem and I'm the bitchy girl who doesn't want to do anything or whatever but I can't even get a word in to my parents about this, let alone present anything that could convince them otherwise. Maybe Im' the only one who feels this way and it's just my way of subconsciously rebelling against something by making up shit but... I need to know if I'm not the only one who feels so strongly about school and feels that it is little more than a waste of time.

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?

Also, like I said, I apologise if I'm not making much sense but I tend to ramble when angry and tired so... sorry about that. I'll answer any questions or get into any civilised debate with someone but... that's just me rambling up there. >_<

I think your problem is that you've gotten into something that you don't want. If you're this dissatisfied with your school, leave it before you get further in debt. You said you already have talents, what talents are they? Maybe you should work on those rather than throwing away your time and money on this technical college.

To put Uni/College education into perspective: A degree is nothing more than a piece of paper that says that you've studied certain things. It does not tell a future employer how you will work, it does not magically attract employment to you. There are certain industries that put more importance on academic degrees, like physics or medical study, and there are industries that don't give a shit, like art and music.

Part of the Uni/college experience is making connections and doing social networking for more employment opportunities, or to talk to people within your field of study. Again, it depends on the field, but if you don't do this at least a little, you're missing out. In many cases, even if you don't actually graduate meeting like-minded people in your field is worth more than a degree ever would be. That being said, always still try to complete a degree you want. Knowledge is knowledge, and the more the better.

 

[squintzepalladoris]

I agree with the OP mostly, which is why I dropped out of college after one semester. Although it does depend on the career choice, such as doctor, lawyer, etc. as others have stated.

Colleges/Universities were originally places of "higher learning" where people who wanted to could pay to go and learn more than what you would learn in regular school. It didn't really help you get a "better" job, although you could learn more about specific fields, it was simply a choice for people who wanted to learn. In the last 50 or so years (in America) it has become the expected norm. Young people are pressured into going and told their lives will be so much better and easier if they get that little piece of paper, and in some cases it is. I believe this has "flooded the market" with college graduates making a degree mostly useless, because chances are there is a large amount of people applying for the same jobs, with the same degrees, meaning college has not put you ahead of the game as much as some people claim it will.

My biggest problem with college was the fact that I was paying thousands of dollars to sit in a room and listen to someone tell me what I could easily learn on my own by reading or on the job training.

I in no way advise anyone one way or the other, these are just my feelings on the subject.

 

[FaceFaceFace]

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.

Yes, that most definitely is bullshit, and I'm sorry people are lying to you. Or they're just idiots who have been fooled as well. I'm also sorry your University apparently tries to extort as much money as they can from you. Mine is also very dependent on online textbooks/assignments/etc., but with the logical result of us having to spend less, rather than more.

And connections don't have that much to do with being social. Connections with your fellow students will give you squat, it's connections with professors (like the one who thinks you're a great writer, for instance) or with actual companies through internships and such that matter.

Considering, however, that you want to be a writer, all of this is pretty moot. A college degree is not going to help you in almost any writing enterprise other than being a technical writer or something boring. I also want to be a writer, but knowing how unlikely it is to make a living off of that I'm going for publishing. It seems your only hope is to take a bunch of random classes to hopefully find something that interests you and try to pursue it. Writing is easier if you already have a job to make a living off of.

Alternatively, you could use your time in college to become internet famous so by the time you graduate you can make a living off of ads/merchandise/book sales. But that's stretching things.

 

[Suicida1 Midget]

Well, in terms of getting a job part time they pretty much require a high school degree. Unless your like me who took a chunk of vocational classes. But to get past the pulling weeds/minimum wage you will need some form of education or degree. While i do like the stuff in the criminal justice/fire science degree paths, the only thing i can say it bad about it is how all my homework and essys have to be turned in online.

Yeah, 1/10th of a megabit home connection average. Corrupted half of my mid terms (essys/study guids) when sending them in. Next time i would reccomend that you get you classes requested waaaaaaaaay ahead of time. You have the same problem most high schoolers face. The 'I hate everything about my courses cause i cant stand the material and am forced to do it' syndrome. Cures include-but not limited to- FASFA (or i hope i got it right), planning and acting ahead, picking classes in a feild that you can acually read about, and lastly send out like fifty thousand scholarship applications.(trust me, you send in like fifty and you'll probably get five) I tried to put things that could have prevented this, just from skimming the novel you wrote. Might be holes in it but its a good basis.

 

[KaWaiiTSuKI]

Considering, however, that you want to be a writer, all of this is pretty moot. A college degree is not going to help you in almost any writing enterprise other than being a technical writer or something boring. I also want to be a writer, but knowing how unlikely it is to make a living off of that I'm going for publishing. It seems your only hope is to take a bunch of random classes to hopefully find something that interests you and try to pursue it. Writing is easier if you already have a job to make a living off of.

Alternatively, you could use your time in college to become internet famous so by the time you graduate you can make a living off of ads/merchandise/book sales. But that's stretching things.

That's the thing though. Writing is something... that you really only get better at by doing it more. Do I think it'll give me a good living? Maybe not. I have a chance but it's just as likely I'll become a famous actress or something but even still, it's a better dream to pursue than accepting a job that I hate, you know?

I really just want to find a nice job that I can live off of while working on my writing as well. I'm just having difficulty finding it... due to being in college. It's taking up all my time and money at this point and I just want out. Perhaps I do just need to stop being a pussy and tell my parents off. I don't know. That's a stretch for me :/

 

[rabidmidget]

Unless of course you believe in knowledge being an end in itself, rather than a means to an end.

Although people who share that mentality seem to be a dying breed.

 

[WolfThomas]

Honestly I don't know much about regular university, I study medicine so I don't get to pick subject or major/minors or anything like that, also most of what we get taught is at least vaguely relevant to our future career.

 

[KaWaiiTSuKI]

So... if anyone cares to know, I stood up to my mother this morning after an incident occurred which enabled me to even go to school this morning and she more or less screamed her head off at me, telling me I'm an "irresponsible little shit" who is "ungrateful for what she has" and that I will soon live a pathetic and hard existence if I don't go here now.... so yeah, that worked out great.

Any advice on this?

Also, considering this has gone more to the way of an advice issue with my parents/future, can the mods move this to the advice forum?

 

[Ironic Pirate]

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 >.>

Well now you've gotten me curious.

 

[FaceFaceFace]

So... if anyone cares to know, I stood up to my mother this morning after an incident occurred which enabled me to even go to school this morning and she more or less screamed her head off at me, telling me I'm an "irresponsible little shit" who is "ungrateful for what she has" and that I will soon live a pathetic and hard existence if I don't go here now.... so yeah, that worked out great.

Any advice on this?

Also, considering this has gone more to the way of an advice issue with my parents/future, can the mods move this to the advice forum?

The thing is, college can get you a simple job to just keep you alive while you write, but one that will be less menial and better paying than just quitting college now and working retail or something like that. Plus it doesn't look like getting out will be possible considering your parents, so just look around at different courses and try and find something you could see yourself doing without wanting to kill yourself. Also, since you want to work on your writing, take classes involving writing. Take English discussion classes where all you do is read books and write essays. Take some creative writing classes. You're stuck there, so you might as well try and get some useful practice/skills out of your classes.

 

[Torrasque]

*insert long rant here*

Hmm, it sounds like you are more or less in the same boat as I am: you are forced to go to school because it is the "smart" thing to do, and are taking courses that you don't really want to take, for a reason you don't really understand yourself.

I realized about a year and a half ago that I was taking classes that I didn't like - a statistics class with the worst teacher I have ever had, made me realize this - and I was taking them in an effort to get a BA in Psychology... but I realized at some point of my statistics class, that I didn't even like Psychology. Yes, I enjoy helping people with their problems, and I am very good at it. I also really enjoy learning things about the brain and behaviour... But the medical aspect of it, learning about what drugs do what, and learning about theories that this person came to, and how this other person refuted this claim... it was boring =|
It reminded me of my Biology 30 class, a class I really didn't like because of all the raw data in it. In my Bio 30 class, and all my Psych classes, I was being forced to memorize data, something I really hate because I am no good at memorizing things I don't find interesting. I am good at memorizing theories and opinions, but raw data? Blah that is so boring.

So what did I do? I stopped taking Psych classes, took a Japanese class, and got into as many Philosophy classes as I could take. It was really enjoyable because Philosophy is always really enjoyable. Fast forward to half a term ago, I decided I'd start moving towards a Geology BA, because I find Geology really interesting. Rocks are fascinating, and learning about how people are fucking the planet, how soil is so important, how to determine where the rocks under my feet came from, is all really really interesting. Geology is a degree I could do anything I wanted with, because it is the study of the earth really

What does that all mean to you?
You need to go to university/college because you want to go. It does not matter what anyone else says, or what stories you hear from other people about how they got such a good job after they took 5 years of post-secondary, blah blah... YOU need to find something that you find absolutely fucking fascinating, that YOU want to learn more about, something that YOU know you can get a job with, and then pursue it.
I'll use a gaming example, because it's something we all share in common: imagine hearing from a bunch of people that game X is the best game they have ever played, it is so fucking good. So you say "ok, sure, I'll pick it up and play it". But when you start playing it, you don't enjoy it. In fact, you hate the game, it is so unpleasant. The multiplayer is unbalanced, the single player is too short and sloppy, and the universe it is set in is rife with contradictions and things that don't even make sense. You don't want to play, but everyone you know says "No man, that game is SOOOO fucking good", but who are they to say what is good or not? You need to find a game that you enjoy, because if you spend all your time playing games that others say are awesome, you will waste your time making yourself unhappy.

I hope that helps, it took me a long long time to come to this realization.
Also: I am not telling you to stay in school, or quit school. I am telling you to make the choice to stay or quit, yourself.

 

[Shivarage]

For me, uni is about three things - gaining an education, gaining a qualification and developing life skills. Whether university is the correct decision for you is entirely individual, and depends on how important you feel each of these factors are.

An education is the betterment of yourself academically, and a qualification is the piece of paper at the end that is the ticket into certain jobs. But I found that the life skills I developed at uni were the vital part.

I graduated this summer, and I feel am a profoundly different person than when I started uni. I didn't notice any change during the process, and I very very nearly dropped out at several points. But on reflection I certainly feel that completing the course has improved me as a person.

That being said, after finishing uni I am now back at home living with the parents, have a pile of debts, and am unemployed in a pretty shitty economic climate. So swings and roundabouts.

I bet you havn't changed one bit

You can't learn life skills in a vacuum that consists of drunks and whores

Academics = nothing in the real world

If you didn't notice any change during the course then you havn't changed, you are just extremely smug for going into a hell of a lot of debt for a worthless piece of paper, people do this to convince themselves that the paper is proof that you are automatically smarter than anyone else who doesn't have one.

The paper doesn't jump you ahead of anyone, you still start right where the non-degree person starts because you still need proper life skills. (Don't believe me? wait til, or you may already have been, turned away from a job for lack of experience)

 

[Torrasque]

So... if anyone cares to know, I stood up to my mother this morning after an incident occurred which enabled me to even go to school this morning and she more or less screamed her head off at me, telling me I'm an "irresponsible little shit" who is "ungrateful for what she has" and that I will soon live a pathetic and hard existence if I don't go here now.... so yeah, that worked out great.

Any advice on this?

Also, considering this has gone more to the way of an advice issue with my parents/future, can the mods move this to the advice forum?

Ah ok, it sounds like your parents are forcing you to go to school, and it seems likely that they are paying for a part of it?
Thats how university started for me too, my mom had been more or less prepping me for university all through high school "you gotta take this class so you have as many doors open as possible" and I knew at some time that I would be going to university, but when the time came for me to register, I had to pick a major to pursue. Psych seemed appealing at the time, so I enrolled in a Psych major and took Psych classes.

Since I don't live at home anymore, and have been able to talk to my mom about my school issues as an individual person, not a kid under her wing, I have been able to get her to see my reasoning in choosing something that interests me, not something she wants me to do.
To be fair, she doesn't want me to pursue a Psych major, she just wants me to take classes in university because it will improve my chances of getting a job. So as long as I am doing something with my life, my mom will be content.

It sounds like you need to either get your parents to see sense, or bide your time until you are ready to get away from them.
It is unfortunate that a lot of the people I know, are not on such good terms with their parents, as I am with my own. It really does make me upset =/
But I won't talk more about that subject because it is irrelevant and distracts from this topic.

 

[Shivarage]

Well that depends on if you want to flip burgers for minimum wage for a living or get a decent well paying job. Pretty much every single well paying job out there requires a college or university degree of some kind. When it comes down to it you really have three options. You can go to uni/college, you can start your own business, or you can try and get a job without a degree. The third option normally leads to something like flipping burgers or driving a truck

So does the first option nowadays v_v'

 

[AlexNora]

College is a waste of time everything I'v ever wanted to learn I learned on my own.

 

[Lukeje]

Collage is a waste of time everything I'v ever wanted to learn I learned on my own.

I agree. Why make a collage when you could instead be painting a picture or carving a statue?