Do we need college to survive the real world?

Question

I often wonder whether it is necessary to have a college education in order to get a $30,000+/year salary. There has been many prominent examples of people dropping out or quitting just to create a product in the real world that earns them millions and billions while all the other graduates hold lower done-like positions to serve the uppers who (half the time) don't know much.

And with majors like kinesiology, business, and communications, does it seem that most universities are creating bogus majors to rake in a bunch of people's tuition in?

Mainly, are we paying an educational institution or a business to pave the way to our future success?

Answer 1

The high-profile college-dropout success stories are the ones you hear about.  Nobody cares about the guy who's checking our your stuff at the grocery store at age 40 because he decided college wasn't for him.  Some people can do great things without a college education, sure, but they're also very motivated to get that success, very lucky, and very persistent.  The rest just go on with their lives and get by with lower-paying jobs.  Maybe they're happy about their choices, and maybe they're not but can't currently do anything about it.

Do I sometimes wonder what in the heck at least half the majors in college are for?  Sure.  I'm not one who went to college to "find herself". . . I did it to learn how to be an engineer.  Degrees that don't mean you do X when you graduate often baffle me, personally, because that's all I've known.  However, the world needs a little of everything to work, and that's what lots of people go to college to learn -- how to function in life as an adult and to work hard to achieve some goal you've set for yourself.  

Most of us don't know how to push ourselves that much at first unless we have some huge outside force pushing for us.  Therefore, we pay educational institutions to teach us how to work well under pressure?

Answer 2

The people you are thinking of as examples are the exception, not the rule. There are jobs that you can do that will get you 30k+ per year without a college degree, but it is very labor intensive work. Such as powerline construction, coal mining, ect. If you want an office job, then it's best that you have a degree to get into a good position. If you just want any job that pays well, then perhaps technical or trade school would be a better fit.

It all depends on what a person wants to do with their life. If one wants to be a doctor they definitely need to go to college. If they want to be a teacher, lawyer, ect they also need to go to college.

If they don't care what they do as long as it makes good money and they are willing to work hard, it doesn't matter so much. Unfortunately many times a deciding factor between which person to hire at a company will be determined by their educational background.  

Answer 3

Do we need college to survive the real world?

Ofcourse you don't have to go to college, but many choose to do so ( like myself) in order to work in the field of your choice and to have the opportunity to further your education.  

Answer 4

My dad makes almost makes 60 thousand a year. He does no labor and never went to college.

I do agree with the bogus majors, some of my friends are telling me what they want to major in and it does not seem real.

There are plenty of college dropouts who went on to be billionaires like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, but there is a VERY small chance of that happening.

In my opinion we don't need to go to college to survive, but college helps people get jobs that are important like teachers.

Answer 5

You can absolutely survive; my husband is 41, has no college, and makes about $45,000 a year. Of course, he'd make more and be in a more satisfying line of work if he had a degree.

Communications sounds like a bogus major; I used to laugh at it, and at the English major. However, I now double-major in both, and nearly every company needs someone with these degrees (PR, technical writers, teachers, journalists, etc.)

I no longer think that any major is bogus, although some, such as kinesiology, target a much more specific range of jobs, and may not be quite as versatile as others. But if you were an injured athlete, would you rather be treated by a kinesiology major or a History major?

Those that made millions without (or even with) degrees are the exceptions, not the rules. I'm 36, and only started college two years ago. Until then, the most I ever made per hour was $7, and I hated the work. It really just depends on the individual.

Answer 6

Many people who don't complete a college education and earn just as much or even more than a college graduate are either lucky or have some other talent (Ex. singers).

I do agree with you in that there are "bogus majors" out there but that doesn't necessarily mean they're created just so the University can get more money. Some people are actually interested in these types of majors...

I'm going to college to:

- Find myself as a person, if you will.

- Become EDUCATED. I want to work in a laboratory, specifically the forensics field... I need an education for that.

- Become more social.

- Meet new people and to have fun these four years.

- Also, to make more money. I expect to make around $40 a year working in a laboratory. In order to do this, I need at least a bachelors. College will help me with this!!!

Oh yeah, and I'm going to college because I don't want to repeat what my mom did. She didn't get to finish high school and she didn't attend college and her life has been h**l. I don't want that to happen to me and I want to help her.