Posted on 12/12/2024 9:20:06 PM PST by SeekAndFind
“Getting a college degree doesn’t guarantee a good job like it used to”
...no, but they sure do give your brain a thorough scrubbing!!
Following graduation, he enrolled in the Hobart Institute of Welding Technology in Ohio. It's a full time, 9 month training program that cost him $35,000.
Following graduation, the job offers came pouring in. He's only been out for about 2 1/2 years and he's already earning about $85k a year and has almost paid off his loan.
I don’t want someone with a college degree unless it is for a STEM job. And even with that, I select people based on their willingness to go above and beyond by being innovative and having the ability to create value for the organization.
Many years ago there were far fewer degrees because the degrees were for jobs that needed them.
Now there’s degrees for everything you can think of that have absolutely no corresponding job but you can say “I have a degree” so that Master’s Degree in gender studies will help you find a job working from home in your parents basement.
These days, getting a diploma no longer means you learned anything useful - or can even read and write.
I doesn’t matter the major very few graduates since 2022 have found a good career job. $80K a year looks foolish from your childhood bed in mom’s basement.
I picked the military. Post Vietnam I was given a lot of crap from teachers, school staff and especially my peers. I had friends who went to work in the factories part time while still in High School. They all had cars, decent clothes and spending money. They graduated and did well until 50% of the factories closed by 1990. People in the trades mostly did well a few ended up owning small businesses.
I chose the military as a legacy. But I loved the life. All that abuse from people, being told only losers join the military. While on active duty, I learned skills that made me of value and I worked for three major international corporations while in the Reserves. After 9-11, my mundane but special skills made me valuable to Uncle Sam, so I returned to active duty until I retired. I drew my first retirement at age 52, worked for the DOD until 60 I retired at age 62. I am not wealthy, but I am very comfortable. For the vast majority of my career I had no college degree. Did not need one. Before I retired I earned a Graduate Degree. It opened doors for me with the DOD.
None of my children, nephews or nieces joined the military all have degrees and are in business or work in the trades. All are far better off than I was at their age.
Only certain fields pay well with a degree. My daughter has a Business degree. Her jobs all required degrees, but the companies turn and burn young employees. Many are burnt out and let go before they are out of the entry level phase. Especially in business. She has moved into a business related STEM field and has done better. But even she says it is not a “career.” The environment changes so quickly in tech and business that it is hard to hold a job for more than two years. One long time employee at her current company told her the key is keep your head down and just do what you are told. People who work hard, speak up at meetings and try to innovate are the first ones companies let go.
I am about your age and grew up in Peoria Illinois. Unless one was a total loser, you could get a good paying factory job right out of high school. If my memory serves me correctly, Caterpillar had ~28K employees in the tri-county area at one point. There were a series of nasty strikes in the late 70's and early 80's that killed the golden goose. The reduction in manpower was inevitable regardless of the nasty recessions in the early 80's because of computerization. Like you, I was in the navy when this was all going down..
If the major is a curriculum that is difficult, medical, engineering, chem, etc. you will have a job. If it is easy, school of liberal arts, you might have a job and paid much less than that pharmacist, engineer, chemist etc.
College strongly correlated with a good job (not a guarantee) way back when it was a privilege of wealth + a few really smart ambitious others who got in.
The College/University Industrial Complex is one of the worst scams going in this country.
These pits of leftist groupthink degrade the nation. Crying for more money in tuition and tax breaks while sitting on a $1,000,000,000,000.00(YES! TRILLION!) in endowments. Piles and piles of money. Trump should make these endowments an issue to lower tuition and college costs. Political winner.
...especially if it’s one of those “studies” degrees.
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