Posted on 02/27/2002 11:51:07 AM PST by Bravu
Are there any decent jobs or careers out there that do not require a college degree? My teachers have led me to believe you can't do much in life without one.
George Burns once said "it's too bad that everyone who knows how to run this country is driving cabs or cutting hair." Some will see that as a tongue in cheek comment hitting armchair critics; I see it as an astute observation.
My advice is to follow your own auto pilot and call the shots yourself. Listen to teachers if you want to learn from a syllabus, but make decisions about your future yourself. If you want to navigate well, you'll have to know how to read a balance sheet.
My father-in-law is the president of a large corporation. He never went to college. He started at the bottom, showed up early for work, left late, kept his eyes on the prize, worked hard and stayed honest. I believe that's the "trick." Work, focus and stick-to-it-iveness. A little bit of common sense goes a long way, too.
There are a few professions (lawyer, CPA, medical doctor) that require a degree. If you're interested in one of these (and your high school counselor can provide a longer list), then buck up and get ready to go to college.
If one of these is not your preference, be advised that a college degree isn't a bad idea anyway. It may provide the necessary introduction to the job you want later on in life. In my experience, the actual major is usually less important than the fact that you had the guts to stick out four years of BS.
Okay, so you really don't want to go to college. Then think more creatively than I've seen here. Stunt men in Hollywood are both smart and physical. I once knew a guy that drove trucks with high explosives. He was smart, cautious, and you'd better believe he was physical. Other careers I've been personally involved with range from scuba instructor to chef.
The point is, don't let anyone talk you into one of the standard "trades" unless you're truly interested in that line of work.
I was a geologist, a field I would not have even though about had I not originally started in to be a teacher. I was intrigued with the geology classes I took, and ended up as a coal geologist. I left the field when my daughter was born, and started a second career years later in antiques. This did not require a degree, but I use a lot of my organizational skills in it.
One sister is an art teacher at a parochial school, makes little money but is happy. One sister is a nurse but is thinking of a career change.
My Brother is an electrician, which did not require a degree but did require several years of apprenticeship. One sister has worked her way up in the retail industry, but says it would have been a lot easier if she had gone to college, because she has to work twice as hard to prove her worth.
My brother is in his 40's and is tired of the physical work. This is something to consider if you go into a field associated with construction. It is a fine thing when you are young, but when you are in your 40's and arthritis starts to rear its ugly head, you might wish you had a business degree.
I guess my advice would be to keep your options open as long as possible. I don't know of too many people who ever LOST a job because they had a degree. I know quite a few who think they would have had a better shot at a job if they had had one. It's only a piece of paper, but proving you had the mettle to get it valuable to employers.
To the point of your question, and this will no doubt sound simplistic, the key to success is matching up what fields are in demand or likely to be in the near future, what you're good at, and what you'd like to do. If you're good at something that's in demand but you hate the job, the situation can be quite a dilemma. I know a gentleman who hates being an accountant because the job doesn't give him enough opportunity to socialize with people. I can appreciate his feelings because to me, being a tax accountant in particular, would be the world's dullest job. It's also possible to get burned out on a particular job or even a given career.
Anyway, excuse this long winded reply and stay on FreeRepublic.
Good advice! It took me five years to get out of college, but I finally got into a career path I enjoy.
I don't know of too many people who ever LOST a job because they had a degree.
I like the way you think. I had one physics professor suggest that "Modern Physics" was a class that should be taken just to snow the PE majors while visiting the local bars. Anything one does to enrich life does just that. This never hurts, does it?
Success can be achieved non-traditionally. It's easier on the West Coast, where specific academic credentials are not as often required. As someone who is now a hiring manager, I assure you that a candidate's college background doesn't mean much to me - I've seen too many complete morons with University of California MBA's in my time.
What interests you.....auto mechanics, photography, drawing, bowling, police work, languages?
Find a tech or special interest school and focus on what hits your hot button.
When you are successful go back and tell your teacher to rethink her message.
The latter may not require a degree, but the former will. Also, non-degreed positions are more likely to involve the repetitive work you say bores you.
I take it from your post that you're either in high school or just out. In such a position, I'd go to a junior college and spend some time taking core classes in fields that interest you. (While you're there, you can also get some of the general ed classes out of the way.) If you enjoy the classes for a particular field, then you may enjoy the work later. That's how I discovered that I like optical engineering. I took a class in the program for giggles and the rest is history.
The nice thing about college is that you don't even have to make a final decision as to your major until you get your basics in. That's when many kids find out what they want to do in life (just like the guy who became a coal geologist).
Don't be like those people who reach a certain point in life to where it's too late to really do something. Just get your buns into school where you belong. You'll never regret it!
My sister has a BS in Psychology (worthless degree, unless you plan on pursuing higher degrees). She is working as a receptionist for $12/hour. Go to college only if you plan on pursuing a career that requires it and has the ability to pay off your mountain of debt.
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