Is College Worth the Cost ? Part 2

Yahoo Finance ^ | 09/12/2007 | Anya Kamenetz

[Bat_Chemist]

Part of HR’s responsibilities is to check on applicant credentials. If it’s a solid company (and, as it’s F500, it should be), you were checked out.

ymmv

[endthematrix]

IMO, what’s needed it a restructuring of the US education system. A two tiered approach that routes children via aptitude into either “white collar” (ex. business) or “blue collar” (ex. vocational) academics.

[carton253]

When I hear what some of my classmates got their undergrad in, I just don’t have a clue what they can do with it. But without the years at university learning more about myself than any other subject, I would have never been so optimistic about my future.

[xzins]

Isn't a master's degree the new bachelor's?"

Not necessarily. My son recently got out of the Air Force, started a system/network education leading to an associate's degree, tested for and received a Cisco certification, and was hired while still in school for a very very nice sum of money....all before he even got the associate's degree.

He's making 2.5 times what a starting teacher in the area would get.

[SirLinksalot]

In many professions college is the only entry point, such as law and medicine and most engineering

Law and Medicine are great degrees. The only question I have about them is this : ARE THE PORTABLE ?

For instance, if you got your law degree in Florida, are you allowed to practice it if you were to move to California or vice versa ? Or do you have to take the bar again when you move to another state ?

Same question with a Medical degree... can you take it with you from one state to another ?

The thing about being, say a Computer Engineer is this --- tools are STANDARD and if you can demonstrate expertise and experience in say -- Java Programming, you can take it anywhere with you.

[SirLinksalot]

NO

Actually, I would say --- YES for the right price.

$35,000/year for 4 years and a debt of over $100,000 after graduation is NOT the right price.

However, if parents have been saving money on their tax defered 529 plans for 10 years on say an Index fund, it is estimated that they'd have about $50,000 by the time their child reaches 18. If they go to a good in-state university ( and all states have them ) and their child does not enroll in fluff courses (e.g. gay and lesbian studies ), that money will be able to pay for 4 years of college and if the course the child take prepares him/her for a fruitful and lucrative career ( without saddling the family in debt), yes, the money will be worth it.

[gdaddy]

don’t count on it

[stainlessbanner]

keep the good work - great tag line

[Smokin' Joe]

By contrast, a roughneck (oil rig crew), working worm's corner, can knock down 50K+ their first year, at least in this neck of the woods--with a High School Education (or less). The pay goes up from there.

Let's face it, not everyone was meant to go to college, (which has not stopped the proliferation of degrees in fields which should have been a chapter in a 101 text), and some will benefit more by hitting the bricks than hitting the books.

[Publius Valerius]

For instance, if you got your law degree in Florida, are you allowed to practice it if you were to move to California or vice versa ? Or do you have to take the bar again when you move to another state?

Depends on the state. Some states allow for free movement of attorneys, while other states require every prospective attorney to take the bar exam. Typically, the latter states are those that are heavily populated or are considered to be desireable destinations--New York, Florida, South Carolina, Texas (I think) etc.

I'd say the majority of states allow relatively free movement.

[carton253]

He was a great man!

[wbill]

And according to an in-depth study conducted back in 1999, those with Ph.D.s in the humanities

I've been in a whole lot of meetings since I've started working professionally. I've heard the following statement innumerable times: "If only we had one more doctor/nurse/instructor/tech/engineer/electrician/plumber/contractor/etc, we could get this project finished."

I've never - ever - heard the statement: "If only we had one more Women's/Latino/African/Asian/QueerTheory Studies major....."

To me anyway, this says something about the difference between people to do things, and the people who study things.

[scotus]

Agreed. I was in college a total of 24 straight years. 6 undergraduate, 7 for my first PhD in Philosophy, 7 more for my second PhD in Psychology, and 4 for a PostDoc. All these years were covered by scholarships and fellowships. I am currently unemployed.

[what's up]

**

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

If one is going for the MBA, it is advised not to go directly from undergraduate to graduate. One gets more out of the MBA studies if one can wait for at least 5 years to gain outside experience and then bring it to the classroom.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

"Medical student debt is at a crisis point," as the American Medical Association (AMA) concluded in a 2003 report.

Yet they continue to support the trial lawyers.

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

“I am finishing up my Master’s Degree and will be applying for PhD programs in the next couple of months. I am one of those, after a long time of sitting in a dead end job, who decided to go back to school. Yes, it has been at great cost.

“But it has been worth it. I can’t measure my education by the degrees. For me, the intangibles that come from pushing myself beyond my comfort zone, striving, setting goals, and being rewarded not just in a grade but knowing that I left “nothing on the field.”

You are correct. I could not have said it better.

Thank you.

[SirLinksalot]

I am one of those, after a long time of sitting in a dead end job, who decided to go back to school. Yes, it has been at great cost.

If you happen to be fortunate enough to work in a company that values more educated workers like Boeing, Mcdonnel Douglas, Pfizer and a lot of Wall Street companies, they would actually pay for your tuition to get a higher degree ( e.g. Master's and PH.D). They get tax deductions for doing so.

Of course your degree has to be RELATED to your work ( e.g. Engineering when you work for Boeing, Biochemistry or molecular biology if you work for Pfizer, MBA if you work for say, Goldman Sachs ). They're not going to pay for a philosophy or literature degree.

[SirLinksalot]

I was in college a total of 24 straight years. 6 undergraduate, 7 for my first PhD in Philosophy, 7 more for my second PhD in Psychology, and 4 for a PostDoc. All these years were covered by scholarships and fellowships. I am currently unemployed.

You sound like a good teaching candidate. Are you sure no college or university will hire you ?