How many of you are college educated?

[Bigblue2023]

College in this day and age is total garbage. I’m in the process of sinking my kids college fund into starting a family business and teaching them about business, hard work, and life experience that way. I figure college will be approx $200k per kid, so I’ve got $600k to sink in before I’m under water. Things are looking good so far though.

If I’m going to “invest” in my kids future, I’m going to do it in a way where they actually learn what they need to learn and there is a tangible return on investment.

 

[Nbacats]

100% agreed. I went to college because I’m not built to do manual labor my whole life. Especially not dealing with piss and shit.

The sweet spot with plumbing would be if you got on with a contractor and did plumbing for construction and renovations. So like installing new plumbing, not dealing with piss and shit.

 

[Nbacats]

College in this day and age is total garbage. I’m in the process of sinking my kids college fund into starting a family business and teaching them about business, hard work, and life experience that way. I figure college will be approx $200k per kid, so I’ve got $600k to sink in before I’m under water. Things are looking good so far though.

Most businesses fail with people ending up in more debt than they had before they started the business so good luck with that.

 

[Bigblue2023]

Most businesses fail with people ending up in more debt than they had before they started the business so good luck with that.

Not my first rodeo starting and running a business. Thanks and I appreciate the passive aggressive hope of my failure.

 

[Nbacats]

Not my first rodeo starting and running a business. Thanks and I appreciate the passive aggressive hope of my failure.

I'm not hoping for your failure. Every business that succeeds is a win, even if it's a business I couldn't care less about, like a beauty salon.

 

[Bigblue2023]

I'm not hoping for your failure. Every business that succeeds is a win, even if it's a business I couldn't care less about, like a beauty salon.

I guess I’m lucky enough to have an extremely successful business on top of a great career to prop up the new business we are building. Already in the green and growing. Far better investment than sending my kids off to be mindless liberal drones at some place pretending to teach.

 

[STL_Cat]

I didn’t catch any hoping for failure in there at all. Guy just stated a fact. Not everyone has an entrepreneurial spirit, either. I really don’t and wouldn’t have needed college as much if I did.

 

[sambowieshin]

College in this day and age is total garbage. I’m in the process of sinking my kids college fund into starting a family business and teaching them about business, hard work, and life experience that way. I figure college will be approx $200k per kid, so I’ve got $600k to sink in before I’m under water. Things are looking good so far though.

If I’m going to “invest” in my kids future, I’m going to do it in a way where they actually learn what they need to learn and there is a tangible return on investment.

My college experience was great and so was my kids'. It is where I met my wife and made some of the best memories of my life.
My son will be making over 100k to start out and will average over 150k in salary over time as a dentist when he completes his college education.
Good luck making over 150K a year at Amazon, Ford, GE, Kroger, Walmart, or McDonalds without a college degree.
Nothing wrong with choosing manual labor, HVAC, plumbing, building, welding or any other trade as a living. They can all make a decent living as well.....but calling a college degree garbage is either very ill-informed or a sign of someone who couldn't cut it in college and wants to bash it out of jealousy.

Average Salary by Education Level: Value of a College Degree

Is earning a college degree worth it? Explore the average salary by education level to help you understand the ROI of a bachelor's degree.

www.northeastern.edu

 

[KYCAT78]

Now you’re just making numbers up to support what your opinion is. “I would venture to say …”? Okay, prove that.

Secondly being a tradesman just isn’t for everyone. Just like going to college isn’t for everyone. A lot of people have zero interest in doing manual labor the rest of their

Not saying either one is best, just making a point that people can make a good living by doing a Trade. I choose College because I found working on farms as a teenager was hard work and to do that job you needed to love it.

 

[STL_Cat]

My college experience was great and so was my kids'. It is where I met my wife and made some of the best memories of my life.
My son will be making over 100k to start out and will average over 150k in salary over time as a dentist when he completes his college education.
Good luck making over 150K a year at Amazon, Ford, GE, Kroger, Walmart, or McDonalds without a college degree.
Nothing wrong with choosing manual labor, HVAC, plumbing, building, welding or any other trade as a living. They can all make a decent living as well.....but calling a college degree garbage is either very ill-informed or a sign of someone who couldn't cut it in college and wants to bash it out of jealousy.

Average Salary by Education Level: Value of a College Degree

Is earning a college degree worth it? Explore the average salary by education level to help you understand the ROI of a bachelor's degree.

www.northeastern.edu

Such a good post.

Scrolling through this thread is interesting. It seems like most of the college grads are very respectful of both sides and we all see where one route is better for some and the other route is better for others. There’s not a cookie cutter path to success or happiness. It’s all about what suits you, your personality style, and how you choose to fill your own tank.

from the other side I see more “college is useless and YOU THINK YOU’RE BETTER THAN ME?!” type attitudes.

No, I don’t think I’m smarter or better than anyone. I just had a path that a college education fit right into, and has paid off.

 

[KYCAT78]

How much does an average plumber make?

My nephew is a plumber in Etown, he is a one man operation and he makes about 150k a year on average. His wife handles the office and scheduling.

 

[STL_Cat]

My nephew is a plumber in Etown, he is a one man operation and he makes about 150k a year on average. His wife handles the office and scheduling.

Your nephew is killing it, and definitely not the norm.

 

[bucsrule8872]

The sweet spot with plumbing would be if you got on with a contractor and did plumbing for construction and renovations. So like installing new plumbing, not dealing with piss and shit.

My dad was part of the local union (Plumbers Local 107, I believe it was at least when he worked 20 years ago) and did industrial plumbing. He spent most of his time putting in plumbing. He helped do the plumbing for Cardinal Stadium for example. That is the way to go. It was hard work, but much better than walking into someone’s house and dealing with a stopped up toilet and such. The drawback is the travel. He had to go all over the country to find work. If you don’t mind the travel, it’s a good path for a plumber. I am assuming it’s the same now. Benefits were great. He hasn’t worked a day since he was 55 (about 20 years) and has money to burn.

 

[Bigblue2023]

My college experience was great and so was my kids'. It is where I met my wife and made some of the best memories of my life.
My son will be making over 100k to start out and will average over 150k in salary over time as a dentist when he completes his college education.
Good luck making over 150K a year at Amazon, Ford, GE, Kroger, Walmart, or McDonalds without a college degree.
Nothing wrong with choosing manual labor, HVAC, plumbing, building, welding or any other trade as a living. They can all make a decent living as well.....but calling a college degree garbage is either very ill-informed or a sign of someone who couldn't cut it in college and wants to bash it out of jealousy.

Average Salary by Education Level: Value of a College Degree

Is earning a college degree worth it? Explore the average salary by education level to help you understand the ROI of a bachelor's degree.

www.northeastern.edu

I actually did quite well in college, and make far more than that 150k you quoted above. What we are doing is not manual labor and will pay handsomely if my kids decide to go that route. I will not forbid them from going, and ideally the money they make in our business will fund their college should they choose to go.
As for memories and good times, I had a lot of fun in college, a lot of fun after college, and still have a lot of fun. Fun and memories are made wherever you choose to go. This idea that they’re somehow better on a college campus is flat wrong and a self righteous way of thinking about it. In other words, while your way was good for you, it does not make it “the way”.

 

[sambowieshin]

Such a good post.

Scrolling through this thread is interesting. It seems like most of the college grads are very respectful of both sides and we all see where one route is better for some and the other route is better for others. There’s not a cookie cutter path to success or happiness. It’s all about what suits you, your personality style, and how you choose to fill your own tank.

from the other side I see more “college is useless and YOU THINK YOU’RE BETTER THAN ME?!” type attitudes.

No, I don’t think I’m smarter or better than anyone. I just had a path that a college education fit right into, and has paid off.

No doubt. The complete lack of any respect for highly educated people and the anti-education wave that began sweeping the country about a decade ago continues to grow and be made worse by social media I think.
It's almost as if the ignorant and uneducated are suddenly empowered into believing that they are really the most intelligent group in America and have all the "true" answers to everything.
Truth is that no one group has the intellectual high ground and tearing others down to feel better about yourself is a sign of ignorance.
Our society needs all different types of people and professions to function at its highest level......ranging from ditch diggers to doctors. They are all important.

 

[KYCAT78]

Most businesses fail with people ending up in more debt than they had before they started the business so good luck with that.

As a CPA most businesses fail because of improper start up funding. I used to consult many people who wished to start businesses and I would recommend a year to 18 months of expense funding which includes paying yourself a minimum salary. You must give your new business time to find it's Customer base. The hardest thing to tell a Client is their business idea sucks and is a waste of time and money

 

[KYCAT78]

Your nephew is killing it, and definitely not the norm.

Maybe so, but, he does all kinds of work both Commercial and Residential. I will say he used to run two trucks, but, he found that the employee was more interested in drawing his salary rather than producing billable hours.

 

[sambowieshin]

I actually did quite well in college, and make far more than that 150k you quoted above. What we are doing is not manual labor and will pay handsomely if my kids decide to go that route. I will not forbid them from going, and ideally the money they make in our business will fund their college should they choose to go.
As for memories and good times, I had a lot of fun in college, a lot of fun after college, and still have a lot of fun. Fun and memories are made wherever you choose to go. This idea that they’re somehow better on a college campus is flat wrong and a self righteous way of thinking about it. In other words, while your way was good for you, it does not make it “the way”.

I completely agree with your last sentence but disagreed with your stance that college is "garbage". Our society benefits from all types of professions and everyone should choose the path they see fits them the best. One path is not "garbage" just because you choose another path.
I am thankful as hell for the painters that did my house recently. I suck at painting. I am thankful as hell for the builder that built the roof over my deck. I suck at building. I am thankful as hell for the mechanic that fixed my car recently. I suck at auto mechanics.
We all have our strengths and weaknesses.....and no one profession or career path is any better than another in my book.

 

[KYCAT78]

Per the Social Security Administration web site:

“Men with bachelor's degrees earn approximately $900,000 more in median lifetime earnings than high school graduates. Women with bachelor's degrees earn $630,000 more. Men with graduate degrees earn $1.5 million more in median lifetime earnings than high school graduates. Women with graduate degrees earn $1.1 million more.”

Those statistics include the majority of people making minimum wage. I think if you could find statistics for Tradesmen, truck drivers etc. the numbers would be alot closer.

 

[KYCAT78]

The problem I see with millennials out of college (I know millennials are past that age at this point, same with the following generation) is that they don’t think they have to pay their dues. They want their dream job right out of college, and if they don’t get it they say “nothing is available in their field”.

I’m totally generalizing, but I see it a LOT today. 20 years ago it was understood that even out of college, you’re still going to have to start very much entry level and work your way up to that dream job.

You do not know how many Millennials I interviewed for Accountant positions who asked me if you had to work overtime.

 

[Nbacats]

My nephew is a plumber in Etown, he is a one man operation and he makes about 150k a year on average. His wife handles the office and scheduling.

Sounds like a two-person operation to me

 

[Nbacats]

I’d like to see these “college is garbage” people visit an ER staffed by people who’ve never spent a second in college. I’m sure those results would be great.

 

[transpac]

Not saying either one is best, just making a point that people can make a good living by doing a Trade. I choose College because I found working on farms as a teenager was hard work and to do that job you needed to love it.

You make it sound like either/or. Don't know if I'm typical, but while my career was white-collar, I've earned a living at many hands-on occupations. I've worked on farms, automobiles, airplanes, carpentry, plumbing, electrical, and electronics. While I no longer do any of those things for a paycheck, I do absolutely every maintenance task in my household. I enjoy making and fixing things because I get immediate feedback. I tackle everything from electrical wiring to changing faucets to changing spark plugs,

 

[Nbacats]

You do not know how many Millennials I interviewed for Accountant positions who asked me if you had to work overtime.

I can’t blame them. I worked extensive OT for the bulk of the year for 12 years. **** ever doing that again.

I don’t some OT here and there but when you’re putting in your regular 9-5 then having to work nights and weekends on a regular basis, it gets to be miserable.

I like the life part of work-life balance a hell of a lot more than the work part.

 

[KYCAT78]

You make it sound like either/or. Don't know if I'm typical, but while my career was white-collar, I've earned a living at many hands-on occupations. I've worked on farms, automobiles, airplanes, carpentry, plumbing, electrical, and electronics. While I no longer do any of those things for a paycheck, I do absolutely every maintenance task in my household. I enjoy making and fixing things because I get immediate feedback. I tackle everything from electrical wiring to changing faucets to changing spark plugs,

Did not mean to make it sound like that. Even though I worked a white collar job I always did my own yard work, basic carpentry, basic electrical. I enjoyed working with my hands just not everyday allday.

 

[bucsrule8872]

I guess it kind of boils down to what you want to do with your life. If it requires a college degree, it’s not a waste or garbage. If it doesn’t, then maybe it is a waste of time.

What is difficult is figuring that out at age 18. A lot of kids go to college to find themselves and really don’t know what they want to be.

I am kind of re-experiencing that with retirement looming. I don’t want to sit around and wait to die after I retire, but I don’t know what I want to do with the next chapter of my life (Lord willing I get another chapter). So, that’s where I’m at. Maybe I go back to college. Would that be a waste? Maybe find myself again?

 

[KYCAT78]

I can’t blame them. I worked extensive OT for the bulk of the year for 12 years. **** ever doing that again.

I don’t some OT here and there but when you’re putting in your regular 9-5 then having to work nights and weekends on a regular basis, it gets to be miserable.

I like the life part of work-life balance a hell of a lot more than the work part.

Well you should not go into the Accounting field if you do not want or expect overtime, at least the Public Accounting discipline.

 

[STL_Cat]

I can’t blame them. I worked extensive OT for the bulk of the year for 12 years. **** ever doing that again.

I don’t some OT here and there but when you’re putting in your regular 9-5 then having to work nights and weekends on a regular basis, it gets to be miserable.

I like the life part of work-life balance a hell of a lot more than the work part.

Agreed on the work-life part of your career, and now as a 40 year old family dude it’s priceless.

Coming out of college though my perspective was totally different. I was a 22 year old single dude with no family yet and no ties to anything. I just wanted to get a career in my field and put my nose down and try to work my way up. Doing the shit a lot of people don’t want to do was how I did it. I’d throw down some hours and work when I was a single man with no family! Haha.

 

[Ron Mehico]

My college experience was great and so was my kids'. It is where I met my wife and made some of the best memories of my life.
My son will be making over 100k to start out and will average over 150k in salary over time as a dentist when he completes his college education.
Good luck making over 150K a year at Amazon, Ford, GE, Kroger, Walmart, or McDonalds without a college degree.
Nothing wrong with choosing manual labor, HVAC, plumbing, building, welding or any other trade as a living. They can all make a decent living as well.....but calling a college degree garbage is either very ill-informed or a sign of someone who couldn't cut it in college and wants to bash it out of jealousy.

Average Salary by Education Level: Value of a College Degree

Is earning a college degree worth it? Explore the average salary by education level to help you understand the ROI of a bachelor's degree.

www.northeastern.edu

Boy are you and your son in for a surprise

 

[Gromcat]

Yeah, but is $40K worth all the literal shit you have to deal with? Of course I generally dislike most forms of manual labor. Worked on a landscaping crew full-time for a few summers in HS and college and, after eating dinner and taking care of the dishes, I had the energy to maybe a couple hours of free time at night and sometimes even then I would struggle to stay awake for that much.

Thought I could see myself enjoying something like carpentry, as long as it wasn't with a construction company. After working in jobs (like landscaping and sports) where I would regularly work in the elements, **** putting myself thru that again for 8 hours a day. Especially the freezing cold, I damn near lost some fingers working a game when the temperature dropped to 28, and that was with wearing two pairs of gloves, one rated for temperatures below 20 degrees.

I owned a landscaping business in my 20’s (where I employed several uneducated boys my age) and no thanks. I made decent money for my age, about 52,000 the first year. Yes more than teachers in my area.

At the same time, calls constantly. “Are you mowing today?” - no ma’am, if you’ll open your door and look it’s been raining for 3 hours.

Then Backed up and can’t get my uneducated employees to stop smoking weed long enough to even want to work. Then they complain about 10 bucks an hour to get high and mow some grass.

Stayed sick, constant dust and everything else in the environment.

Then dealing with equipment every single damn week. My God, I tried to give the damn business away in the 2nd year and finished college. A guy paid me equipment cost and I gave him the clients. The business went under the next year. Lol.

 

[transpac]

Dealing with employees and the public is the hardest part of many jobs.

 

[sambowieshin]

Boy are you and your son in for a surprise

No doubt....He will probably be making even more unless he chooses to work 3-4 days a week like my dentist buddy.

 

[Gromcat]

So the thread says 85% educated.

And around 85% are bashing their long worked accomplishment, calling it useless, and making a case against being college educated.

Sounds like someone here might be fudgin their record a little bit. Just an observation.

One guy had 5 degrees and couldn’t spell the sentence “they ain’t worth shit”.

It’s really why I come here. You don’t get this anywhere else.

 

[UK-chulo]

Those statistics include the majority of people making minimum wage. I think if you could find statistics for Tradesmen, truck drivers etc. the numbers would be alot closer.

Does it also include the 1% that are worth billions? Thinking that may throw things off a bit too. Should be a poll of business owners who went to college and business owners who didn't. Might be a more accurate way to compare.

 

[Blue_2_the_bone]

No doubt. The complete lack of any respect for highly educated people and the anti-education wave that began sweeping the country about a decade ago continues to grow and be made worse by social media I think.
It's almost as if the ignorant and uneducated are suddenly empowered into believing that they are really the most intelligent group in America and have all the "true" answers to everything.
Truth is that no one group has the intellectual high ground and tearing others down to feel better about yourself is a sign of ignorance.
Our society needs all different types of people and professions to function at its highest level......ranging from ditch diggers to doctors. They are all important.

That’s because around the same time period we made a huge push for college readiness and pressured students to get a degree without very much guidance other than “you have to go to college.” They got junk degrees, are still living at home & working fast food jobs, and complaining they need more money. Education doesn’t equal intelligence in relation to anything outside of fields of study. For years we’ve allowed people to associate education with intelligence. It’s no wonder there is push back when those who have been looked down on for years are more successful, or just as successful as those who’ve looked down their noses at them for so long.

 

[transpac]

Did not mean to make it sound like that. Even though I worked a white collar job I always did my own yard work, basic carpentry, basic electrical. I enjoyed working with my hands just not everyday allday.

I probably misinterpreted your comment. Anyway, I understand now!

 

[sambowieshin]

That’s because around the same time period we made a huge push for college readiness and pressured students to get a degree without very much guidance other than “you have to go to college.” They got junk degrees, are still living at home & working fast food jobs, and complaining they need more money. Education doesn’t equal intelligence in relation to anything outside of fields of study. For years we’ve allowed people to associate education with intelligence. It’s no wonder there is push back when those who have been looked down on for years are more successful, or just as successful as those who’ve looked down their noses at them for so long.

The truth always lies somewhere in between. You are right that the push toward college and away from non-college trades has been happening in our education system for quite a while. That's why shop classes were shuttered and all the ACT testing BS/college prep that goes on in schools now began.
Much of this, I believe, was rooted in the overvaluing of a college degree over a trade or non college profession in our education system. Most decisions and program pushes at that level are made by those at the state/federal government level who truly had the delusional belief that ALL kids should go to college.
The US banking system also benefits from the huge student loan debt accrued in our country. The colleges benefit by charging huge housing/tuition rates knowing people will just take out loans to pay it.
All that said, a college degree for many is a great investment and pays huge dividends down the road. For others that don't pick a degree that is worth the debt or who are not intellectually qualified...it is a giant waste of time and money.
IMO.....Our education system needs to do a much better job of helping students find the right path that identifies their strengths and places value on ALL career path choices available to them.

 

[Blue_2_the_bone]

a

The truth always lies somewhere in between. You are right that the push toward college and away from non-college trades has been happening in our education system for quite a while. That's why shop classes were shuttered and all the ACT testing BS/college prep that goes on in schools now began.
Much of this, I believe, was rooted in the overvaluing of a college degree over a trade or non college profession in our education system. Most decisions and program pushes at that level are made by those at the state/federal government level who truly had the delusional belief that ALL kids should go to college.
The US banking system also benefits from the huge student loan debt accrued in our country. The colleges benefit by charging huge housing/tuition rates knowing people will just take out loans to pay it.
All that said, a college degree for many is a great investment and pays huge dividends down the road. For others that don't pick a degree that is worth the debt or who are not intellectually qualified...it is a giant waste of time and money.
IMO.....Our education system needs to do a much better job of helping students find the right path that identifies their strengths and places value on ALL career path choices available to them.

Agree with everything you said. It’s not so much the degree as the system in place to acquire one. We’ve done a terrible job guiding students towards areas where they can find success and are valuable to society.

 

[Gromcat]

a

Agree with everything you said. It’s not so much the degree as the system in place to acquire one. We’ve done a terrible job guiding students towards areas where they can find success and are valuable to society.

Man it’s all overplayed.

Trades largely aren’t as good as the anti college crowd portrays. College degrees at times aren’t as good as the pro college crowd portrays.

Statistically college graduates earn more, and have a better way of life. That’s just the general nature of it. And if you live in unpopulated areas, you better have a degree or the chances are you’ll end up in a plant environment, construction, or Walmart. It’s easier to skip the degree in a large city, but still, you aren’t likely to climb very high.

Just because there are a few success stories away from educated people, doesn’t mean there aren’t far more on the other side. For every Bill Gates there are 1,000 like him that began with their degree.

I have friends that went to Votech for heating/ air and welding which are currently working at a plant in my hometown. They’d kill for my degrees.

It is different strokes for different folks, but we are going overboard on the rhetoric.

And as a right winger (not sure what you are), we need to stop pushing everyone away from the University system. That’s why we have no representation and that’s not a good thing (even liberal professors will tell you it’s not a good thing) I think there’s a push on the right designed to steer people away from the University setting in order to avoid brainwashing which won’t happen

They push such a radical view in areas of colleges that no real conservative thinker (normal) could ever embrace it. Just look at CRT, that was born from the University setting in social sciences. And no sane person is buying it.

If we continue to go down this road, you won’t have conservative professors, political figures in Washington, journalist, or other avenues like mental wellness. Then you can guarantee the right loses everything somewhere down the line.

In short, we need to care more than just business school and socket sets. We are so underrepresented everywhere because of the anti-college mindset.

 

[Cat06]

Lol maybe I’m missing the joke, but is this legit???

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