Useless degrees are useless

[kevo_55]

Cost is a big part of it. A college degree is an investment. If you are borrowing money to make that investment, you had better have a good idea of just how much you will be earning in relation to how much you will owe. There are a lot of kids/parents spending a lot of money for negligible returns on the investment.

Well said. :thumbs:

 

[Chucktown PE]

Along those lines, now we have this shit:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/47171658

We bailed out the worthless banks and the worthless auto manufacturers, now it's time to bail out a bunch of stupid kids who borrowed money for overpriced educations and can't pay it back.

Why is this my f-ing problem?

 

[Master slacker]

Sh*t, if Uncle Sam is going the way of bailing us out of our student loans, you bet your ass I'm going to try. This may be the one time I get any benefit from the countless dollars the gubment pulled from my paycheck.

 

[Supe]

I don't have a problem with capping interest rates on student loans, but maybe if they spent more time looking for a f*cking job rather than petitioning for free money, they wouldn't have a problem to begin with.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

I don't have a problem with capping interest rates on student loans, but maybe if they spent more time looking for a f*cking job rather than petitioning for free money, they wouldn't have a problem to begin with.

After seeing the list of demands from the Occupy Wall Street movement, do you really have any faith that this is possible?

 

[Chucktown PE]

This video is getting a lot of press now. Not sure it belongs in this topic but it's powerful nonetheless.

 

[snickerd3]

Around here none of us really do anything related to our degrees, they like to say they hired us because college taught us how to think logically/solve problems, etc... in otherwords our ability/willingness to learn. WHich is true those of us with degrees use our brain to work, those without degrees push a cart or sort mail...mindless busy work

 

[engineergurl]

Around here none of us really do anything related to our degrees, they like to say they hired us because college taught us how to think logically/solve problems, etc... in otherwords our ability/willingness to learn. WHich is true those of us with degrees use our brain to work, those without degrees push a cart or sort mail...mindless busy work

I have actually heard this about my useless degree before. It really hasn't been all that useless, but the point is that a lot of my college buddies ARE sitting at home not doing anything somewhat related or working minimum wage jobs.

 

[Supe]

I don't have a problem with capping interest rates on student loans, but maybe if they spent more time looking for a f*cking job rather than petitioning for free money, they wouldn't have a problem to begin with.

After seeing the list of demands from the Occupy Wall Street movement, do you really have any faith that this is possible?

I have as much faith now as when I saw the same idiots parading around Charlotte (including the ones who pulled their kids out of school to stand on the sidewalk and protest) - none whatsoever.

 

[MGX]

However, if one wants to drop $20k a year to be "educated", wouldn't it also be in their best interest to do so with some kind of long-term financial plan (ie. job) in place?

Personally I can't fathom the lack of foresight of studying something that doesn't lead to a productive job while incurring tens of thousands of dollars in debt. If your program requires you to be in debt it should be worth the risk you take obviously. I want to avoid painting with a broad brush those who study the humanities as being drains on the system.

Right out of high school I took classes that were interesting until I woke up and decided to pursue engineering. I didn't take out any loans for my dicking around and it is clearly wrong to assume others took the same action.

 

[Jayman_PE]

My wife's cousin's daughter (aka Lazy) is about 20, maybe 21. Lazy not only does not have her high school diploma, she does not have a drivers license and works odd jobs when she feels like it. So what's going on you ask? Her parents make excuses for her at every turn. For example, the last time Lazy failed her drivers exam, it really wasn't her fault, her mom said, because the examiner was mean. Lazy's mom told us recently that Lazy landed a "management" job at a local sporting good store. My b.s. meter redlined on this one, because Lazy knows nothing about anything with the word sport (or insert anything meaningful) in it. Apparently Lazy was asked to work a Saturday and said no. And the parents stand behind her, yet complain they have no money and are running out of unemployment.

Smile - fellow taxpayers. Smile, and just keep on working to support this nonsense. This chronic behavior will slowly sink our country until we elect individuals with practical experience, hard chargers who can read and discern, and eliminate this leech syndrome from our burdens.

Jason

 

[Jayman_PE]

Around here none of us really do anything related to our degrees, they like to say they hired us because college taught us how to think logically/solve problems, etc... in otherwords our ability/willingness to learn. WHich is true those of us with degrees use our brain to work, those without degrees push a cart or sort mail...mindless busy work

I have actually heard this about my useless degree before. It really hasn't been all that useless, but the point is that a lot of my college buddies ARE sitting at home not doing anything somewhat related or working minimum wage jobs.

Engurl,

You are precisely right. It doesn't matter so much what your degree is, except it should have "legs" to it, like yours in that someone who is highly motivated, like you appear to be, can move onward and upward. Your degree enables you see things from a different perspective, and that is priceless.

Thanks for sharing.

Jason

 

[Capt Worley PE]

A friend of mine has a niece that is/was smoking hot, and had two VERY successful parents. She barely made it through high school, became a waitress, and hooked up with every ne'er do well she came across. Ended up an addict and did some prison time for possession or dealing.

Her parents are still, to this day, making excuses for her, but the general concensus among all her family members, absent her parents, of course, is that her parents pretty much dropped the ball in raising her.

 

[cdcengineer]

Don't let money raise your kids.

What's a ne'er?

 

[YMZ PE]

You ne'er know. A close relative was in a similar situation, had anger and drugs issues, didn't get anywhere in life because they were always getting into trouble. We only found out recently they were molested as a child - their parents didn't even know, only had suspicions that were never confirmed. They finally got their life together but only after extensive therapy.

Sorry that was a bummer, but just saying there might be more to it.

 

[Lumber Jim]

I know this thread died about 7 months ago but I find it extremely interesting after having the opportunity to read it now and have a great deal of respect for the people that posted comments. The logic here, in my opinion, is top notch! Therfore, I would like to get your opinion on a situation that I have recently been made aware of. I know this new college grad (this past May) that earned his Bach Sci engineering degree. Excellent GPA at graduation and had very good grades throughout college. Completed school in four years (took me 6... but thats a story in itself) and has held jobs prior to and through school that required a work ethic (food service first and then construction). He has had a few interviews since May but has not landed anything yet. I have even tried to steer him to some opportunities that I know exist but for some reason he has not followed up and has now announced that he's is going to Dex's neighborhood to "manage" a ski hill with his buddy for $9.50 an hour. This is a seasonal position that won't even cover his student loans that have recently started requiring payment. No plan for housing, how he'll pay to get out there, he's just going to "wing" it. I'm not even sure he can ski...

My question: How does, what I have alway thought, a good degree like engineering become a useless degree? Especially for some one that seems to have everything going for them. I can honestly say that his situation is much better than mine was and things have worked out well for me...

I'm sure he likes engineering and had some "ideal" jobs not work out for him but I know there are similar jobs that would get him started and comfortably pay the bills. His parent have helped in the past but don't have the means to support the guy so that option is out. What gives? :dunno:

 

[Capt Worley PE]

Lazy bum would be my first guess.

Maybe trying to live on $9.50/hr will help motivate him.

 

[snickerd3]

No offense to the friend, but it sounds like one of a couple things...he is discourged because the job offers didn't come pouring in, he wants the job handed to him on a silver platter with little work on his part or he has the dream job pictured in his head and he isn't willing to do anything else until he finds it...even if it means bumming it for awhile.

He might just have so many unrealistic expectations that is is prohibiting him from finding a job. Like my friend that didn't want to relocate.

 

[MA_PE]

he's is going to Dex's neighborhood to "manage" a ski hill with his buddy for $9.50 an hour. This is a seasonal position that won't even cover his student loans that have recently started requiring payment. No plan for housing, how he'll pay to get out there, he's just going to "wing" it.

His parent have helped in the past but don't have the means to support the guy

These two statements tell me that (just like the country) he's headed for a financial cliff. You cannot spend money that you don't have and you cannot simply ignore financial obligations without some sort of consequences. Good luck to him.

My question: How does, what I have alway thought, a good degree like engineering become a useless degree? Especially for some one that seems to have everything going for them. I can honestly say that his situation is much better than mine was and things have worked out well for me...
I'm sure he likes engineering and had some "ideal" jobs not work out for him but I know there are similar jobs that would get him started and comfortably pay the bills. so that option is out. What gives? :dunno:

I'm confused by this statement. What do you mean by "that option is out"? Seems in this case the engineering degree is only useless because your friend is choosing not to use it, therfore,rendering it "useless" (or a waste of time) for his personal situation. With luck it will be there to fall back on when his current "plan" fails.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

Too many people today come straight out of college expecting a salary that requires 5-10 years experience to attain. They have this false belief that they can get this salary, so they turn down anything less.