Interview with Mike Rowe

Philanthropy Roundtable ^ | The Summer 2017 Issue

[Fungi]

Bottom line: college is not for everyone. I have known many guys with doctorates that could not find any work. Many friends also opted out of college to go to another and just bailed on that too. Their should be no stigma associated with not obtaining a college degree, we are creating a new caste system.

[Artemis Webb]

I like Mike Rowe. Great guy.

[BipolarBob]

Their should be no stigma associated with not obtaining a college degree, we are creating a new caste system.

I totally agree. I bought my doctorate degree online for $50.00 and I certainly don't look down on anybody who doesn't have that much to spend on education.

[rockrr]

a great guy who walks the walk. Lefties aren’t very happy with him.

[Fungi]

Heck, you paid too much. I know many who got them for free.

[Da Coyote]

Mike Rowe is a treasure.
We should always remember that your local garbage man is worth far more to you than your senator.

After all, the senator never does sh*t for you and you don’t notice the difference (obviously, given that politicians are politicians because they have no abilities to create value).
But let the garbage man be two days late and you will notice it.

Also, the garbage man is far, far more honest, and probably smarter.

[IronJack]

I keep telling my son to get into welding. He enjoyed it during high school and it seems to be one of those skills that is always in demand.

[rey]

“I have known many guys with doctorates that could not find any work.”

That is true is you assume the purpose of education is to get a job. I do not agree with that. I have advance degrees and work as a horseshoer and care for livestock. I am very glad I earned my degrees. It has broadened my mind, made me more well rounded, and given me a greater appreciation of everything. Without my educational experiences my life would be much more dull and empty.

You are correct; it is not for everyone and I would add that it is extremely disappointing if you believe that piece of paper will bring you fame and fortune.

[BipolarBob]

I could have printed out my own phony degree but decided to go with a fully accredited diploma mill. I can proudly hang my diploma from Wossamotta U. (Frostbite Falls,MN) on my wall. Signed by the esteemed Prof. Boris Bedanov by the way.

[streetsmart]

Mike, is the real deal. I wish he would get involved the Trumps MAGA campaign. What is an asset. Could really help Betsey and Linda with education and small business.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Have him go to Indeed.com and put in “welding” and search the jobs.

[kara37]

That is true is you assume the purpose of education is to get a job. I do not agree with that. I have advance degrees and work as a horseshoer and care for livestock.
*****************************************

My husband never used his degrees either, and he is also glad he got them.
However, that was when a person could actually put themselves through college. There is no way he would have ever racked up 100k in debt.

Today, you'd be better off using that money to start a business or buying real estate, than getting a degree that you will never use to make a living.
That's just my opinion.

[The_Media_never_lie]

Mike Rowe is a treasure.

We should always remember that your local garbage man is worth far more to you than your senator.

---

Any Arizona residents out there?

[Fungi]

You certainly read between the lines but I never said that. The purpose of any college is to educate, but it appears that is not even being done. What good is a degree in female studies if it does you no good, even as far as educating you, much less preparing you for the real world and a job? In England,many go to college late in life for an education, not to obtain qualifications for work as they have been working all their lives. I too have advanced degrees in of all thing the study of fungi and I work in a completely unrelated field. But I treasure those degrees and they taught me more than just rarified knowledge about fungi. I agree with you.

[cyclotic]

I met someone last week who told me her son has a PhD, I think she said physics. He works at a nursing home. He’s decided to try med school.

[NewJerseyJoe]

I like Mike Rowe — he’s been entertaining for a long time. Years ago, on TLC channel (back when it was still “The Learning Channel), Rowe was on a program called “Romantic Escapes.” He and his faux wife on the show (actress named either Alison Claire or Alice Sinclair, I could never tell) would travel around American to different romantic destinations. It was basically a travelogue show, but hosted by two people who were actually entertaining. Rowe almost never speaks of this program, and it’s not even listed on his IMDB credits, but it was a fun little show.

[mad_as_he$$]

I am a Doctor of Divinity in the Universal Church of God. The cert is on the wall in my home office. I think it was $20 in the 80’s.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Romantic Escapes
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1217402/?ref_=nv_sr_1

[NewJerseyJoe]

>> my degrees ... broadened my mind, made me more well rounded, and given me a greater appreciation of everything

Fair enough, and that's a great thing. In my case, six years in the military did a far better job of that than college ever could. I was one the rare people who actually paid his own way. When I got out of the service, I worked full time and went to college (nights/weekends/summers) for five years to get my diploma. In most of my classes, I realized that my comprehension was on a level with or sometimes exceeded that of the teacher. Also in most classes, within three weeks of the class starting, the other students would start coming to me with their questions.

At the end, I said (about my diploma) to anyone who would listen, "That was the most expensive piece of paper I ever bought."

The one thing that I seriously DID learn in college was how much I'd have to fight leftists for the rest of my life. This was back in the 1990s; things are a hundred times worse now.