Topic: What Do You Think of College?

I've been pondering on whether or not to go for quite some time now. It's almost always a simple split result when I look at responses on the internet. I've heard more than I can handle about college, whether it be related to a money crisis, doing work that doesn't aid you afterwards, somehow having a bunch of job opportunities open, or being able to learn your choice of career without heading to college. I'm curious: what do you all think about college? Would you still recommend going? Any stories on college experiences would be nice to hear, too.

My experience with college was mixed. On one hand, it was so much better than high school in many ways (since it is at least farther away from what makes current schools so awful), on the other hand, my problems with procrastination hurt things a lot and I spent 4-5 years pursuing a career I always felt was likely not something I was not actually interested in doing despite what I wanted (or what I thought I wanted at least). I did at least have a lot more luck with paying for it compared to others.

I mean I would think it mostly comes down to weighing time and money with how much you want it. If you want to go and especially if you REALLY want a career where a college degree would either be necessary or highly worthwhile (so many things), then I'd say that's a good idea. But if not it could be a giant waste of your time and money quite frankly.

never went. Did a semester at a community college but that was workforce educationcontinued education which was a vocation/trade type course. IT degrees aren't required. Get a lot of certs and you're good. It didn't feel like highschool but the classroom experience was much more calm and no BS from immature idiots. Plus i saved like 50-100K in college debt. It wasn't my cup of tea but I might go if I feel I've hit a wall and school would benefit me later in life.

I graduated high school in 2013... and I didn't go to school right away because I just didn't know what to do, and I also felt burnt out. By the time I finished high school, I was just tired. I took all university level courses and I had to write essays all the time.

So I went and got a full time job and decided to take a year off. I applied to school last year for courses that I kind of knew I wasn't that into, but I went and toured the campuses anyway, and that's when I said "this isn't for me right now". So I'm still working, and I've thought about applying again, but I just don't know what to do. I'm making decent money, I suppose. I don't want to be stuck working at a restaurant for the rest of my life, but I'm comfortable.
It's a lot of money. It's a lot of debt. It's a lot of hassle. And if I'm unsure, I don't want to waste my time with something that isn't for me. I've actually thought about doing some traveling or volunteering abroad.

I think it depends on the person and what your program is. If you take some kind of cream puff course that doesn't have a career path, it's a waste of time. But if you're committed and you know the course will lead to job that you want and will enjoy, then it's worth it. If you're committed to it, go for it. If you're not sure, there's no harm in applying and going to one of the campus tours and speaking to the profs and some of the students (that's how I decided that the programs I picked weren't for me).
I have friends who went to college/uni and they went for a semester, dropped out and now they're working at Subway. I have other friends who will be graduating from college this year and I asked them what they're going to do next, and they have no idea and they think they wasted their time. My older sister graduated with a bachelor of business last spring, she's working as a bank teller for just over minimum wage (I'm making better money than she is) and she had a really hard time getting that job. But my sister really enjoyed post-secondary nonetheless.

Timing for me was way, way off. I went to university in 2007 when I was pretty much the lowest point of my struggle with depression. I could barely cloth and feed myself, let alone work up the willpower to go to class. Going to uni when I was so sick and subsequently dropping out is pretty much my only regret.

I didn't realize until later though that unless you're going into a STEM field, college... kinda isn't worth the time/money. At least not in North America. An arts degree, unfortunately, is pretty useless these days.

I'm happy now and enjoy my work, but I still keep toying with the idea of working part time and getting certified in the field I already work in. Would take a couple years and I'd probably have to get a roommate to share expenses, but it would open a lot of doors for me long term. That could be the way to go. Figure out what field you would really enjoy, get your foot in the door, even at entry level, and then work your way through certification.

A little over 40% of people drop out of college before earning a degree, and they waste a lot of resources along the way. One of the biggest characteristics those drop outs show is that many had no idea what they wanted to do, nor were they sure they ever wanted to go. Statitistically speaking you're going to make far less money without a college degree, but if you're not sure you even want to go you're probably not college material anyway. Go when you've been out in real life for a while and realize not going was a bad idea. Then you'll actually be motivated. If that day never happens, that's okay. As Alec Baldwin says in The Departed: "World needs plenty of bartenders!"

It is a bit telling that you're asking for legit advice on this topic here. Seems an odd choice.

Thanks for the responses, everyone! I'm still in high school, so the insight gives me a better perspective than of what I previously had.

Haha, yeah, I suppose so. This is one of the sites I frequent often, so I figured asking wouldn't be a bad idea for curiosity's sake.

You need to think carefully about college. You've got to motivated or you won't graduate, in which case you're wasting your time. You should seriously consider what kind of degree you're going to get, as many of them don't pay you back and you end up working minimum wage jobs even with a degree. As was pointed out earlier, STEM degrees are the ones most likely to pay off; other degree options often require more education or certifications before you can get a job in your field. I got mine in computer science and I've never regretted it.

Currently in community college but ddn't take any classes this or last semester due to reasons . I met with my parents and a consoler and will be going back full time and I have enough credit that next spring semester (Jan 2016) i'll be able to transfer to a 4 year university. Truth be told I'm glad I screwed up now while its relativity cheap compared to later on. My only main fear is that while I've gotten myself together academically so to speak (I know my major etc) I'm worried that being 23 when I transfer will leave me sort of too old to live on campus and deal with my peers. Maybe i'm overthinking it myself.

What do you want to do OP? Despite not being in school school, i'm taking programing classes starting next week at a local tech start up/Training Institute.

Any one else have experience transferring from CC to a four year university and have any advice?

Ya, based on what I've seen here, 99% of the posters are the last people on earth I would ask for any sort of realistic world advice.

@shingi_70

I went back to university at age 24 and had an absolute blast. If you are confident and have any sort of game, you will be swimming in poon. The best thing about university is that I keep gettin older, but the girls stay the same!

I suppose getting a degree is cool too, but that's not half the fun.

I went to community college and finished the semester last month. Wasn't really fond of it. I'm constantly being to to do this, I have to do this, and then to just be questioned why I'm doing that when I should be doing this and so on. Not to mention it completely killed my passion for drawing. I haven't made anything creative and new in months!

I honestly don't know what I'm gonna do at this point. My mom suggest I look for a job to at least make my own money.

I just... I feel like I'm going nowhere right now and it's so depressing...

Nah, never too old. My mom went to uni for nursing back when she was about 20, but after she starting having kids at 29, she decided to switch to a career that would allow her to have more time at home. She went back to college and got a degree in early childhood education when she was in her early 30s.

And my dad didn't decide what he wanted to do until he was in his 40s. He bartended and managed a hotel for years, but was never really happy doing it. Got certified as a paramedic when he was around 45ish.

And my uncle, is... 54? I think? Just got his degree in social work a few years ago after unhappily owning a carpet cleaning business for about 20 years.

Sounds like you aren't going to enjoy having a job either.

Work night shifts anywhere until your figure out what you want. It's the coolest thing because you generally work alone, at your own pace, and nobody really cares what you do as long as you get things done and get them done well. If you don't like working with someone always looking over your shoulder and micromanaging, night shifts are the best thing for entry level work. Decent job security too, because people willing to work nights are usually harder to replace. My first job after school was night shifts at Subway. There was the odd drunk dude wandering in for a sandwich in the middle of the night, but other than that, all I did was clean and read books.

As long as you don't mind not having a social life, it's nifty.

^

That's what you should be looking to do. Finding a job where you work alone, have minimal social interaction and have no accountability. Oh, and one that will have you awake all night and then sleeping during daylight hours. This will surely help you get out of your mild depression! *

*See my comment above about not taking life advice from 99% of the people here

I'm currently a Sophomore in college and I think it's pretty great. Sure, the workload is more than high school, but that's to be expected.

It's a good way to meet people around your age that are interested in what you're interested in (for classes that relate to your major). It is also very expensive. VERY expensive. I'm here with half scholarship, half student loans.

I recommend it if you're willing to put in the work. It's not easy, but it will pay off. It'll also help with networking for later in life (or so I'm told).

It seems that if you aren't going for a STEM degree or at a very pretegiuos school with lots of connections its hard to get bye. My jaw dropped when a girl I was dating told me her art school tuition was 10,000 per semester. Most other schools in my state even the private ones are usually 10,000 per year.

I don't think you understand what depression is, or even an introverted personality. I mean, of course you don't, because going back to college is about "swimming in poon." Sound life advice, lol.

Rule 1 is to make sure you do something you know you want to do, and make sure that you know what it is from the start. It's never worth studying something you think you'll probably switch off later. My university treats exporatory majors like its no big deal (probably because they'll probably end up paying for more semesters), but it's actually really hard to focus on classes if, in the back of your head, you know you might not actually need them. In hindsight, trying to a pursue a second major without really knowing what field it would be in was a mistake I made in college. I just ended up settling with a minor, which I have a startlingly low GPA in.

Rule 2 is to understand why you're going to college. If you think you're more likely to get a job in your field if you do because of your degree, it's usually false. The two reasons you go are: if the field you're going into requires a degree (e.g. medical science, accounting), or if you can get experience there you cannot get in the job world. As a freelance musician, you don't really get to learn how to play your instrument in the job world, because if you don't play well, people can't tell you what you're doing wrong. They just won't hire you the next time. I go to college because I get the chance to study with sometimes world-class professional players.

It's unique. Really if you aren't the kind of "go get'em" kind of person that can graduate high school and then just jump into the work force wherever, college is a great buffer period. Though that's not really a reason to go to college.

At the end of the day, you should go to college because you love learning or because you want a set of skills for something you'd love to do. You should want to go to class.

One thing I will say is that college is tough. When you hear someone say a school is "better" that usually means it's harder. But harder isn't necessarily bad. Harder can often mean that the courses push you to use your critical thinking skills and really understand a subject.