Want Fries With That Degree?

[Kodieh]

I agree, a "Do what you like" degree choice is just dumb. Philosophy, art, etc. shouldnt be majors anymore. Seriously, if you're not in engineering/architecture , a technology field, or a business degree... What's the point? We have fire training here at my college, that's pretty relevant but until a fire fighter becomes a salaried position and not volunteered I don't see it being worth it.

I switched from Computer Science to MSIS, due to being mathematically stupid. I'm still in a tech field that's every expanding but it's still slim. I imagine I'll be working convenience store/management spots for a while before my degree kicks in.
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[carlson]

Nice thing about my college they have it in place to help you get a paid fire fighter position haha not going through three years of fire, rescue and medic training to volenter but I agree if your going to school just to get a degree you have no desire to do just gotta get a degree in anything it's a waste, I spent time in college before I switched to FF and I had no clue why I was there what I wanted outta life or really anything but the collage was happy to take 10k a year while I stumbled around confused. Took five years off now I'm back an actually feel like I'm in right place

[Kodieh]

Yeah, if there was considerable money (or as much as is possible in tech) I'd be going to one of the top three vet colleges in the world to become a Herp vet. There's just not a promise of enough money to make the debt worth it. I don't want to spend the next 7 more years in school to be drowning in federal debt.

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[carlson]

But the government wants you to spend 4-8 years paying for advanced knowledge! Haha or as I refer to it now dig yourself into dept as soon as you move out of your parents so that once your considered an independent adult you are already working to pull yourself out of the red. My favorite thing when applying for work is when they say you need two years experience in that field, how when you just get outta school are you supposed to have that. N now I'm rambling because this is a topic that frustrates me cuz in 7 years outta high school the Feds have spent 6 complaining about money I o for school yet they give me more student loans when I decided to go back after 5 years out of school.

[MasonC2K]

It's not like that here. You cannot get a retail type job with a college degree. You are considered overqualified. They also see you as just using them as a temporary stepping stone to something else when they want people to be with them for a while.

[SaintTawny]

I think there's a fundamental problem with assuming that everyone who pursues higher ed can/should pick a degree in a STEM field just because the job market is better. This accurately displays almost everything that's wrong with our society. We don't place enough value on the arts, or history, or education field. Not everyone is tech/science/math-smart, so not everyone can pursue those degrees. But what about the kid who could recite a world history text book from memory? He's no less intelligent just because history clicks and math doesn't, and no less deserving of a job that utilizes his talents. If he took your advice and got a degree in medicine anyway he could very well be the fumbling screw-up that never gets a diagnosis or dosage right because he isn't wired right for that line of work, raising the need and cost of liability insurance for everyone who actually belongs there.

Simply put, society needs people in every field that exists, we just have a problem with acknowledging the value of alternate studies.

[Raptor]

The problem with being an art major is that almost anyone can be an artist. There are some degrees that aren't really worth the money that's spent on them.

[Raven01]

I think there's a fundamental problem with assuming that everyone who pursues higher ed can/should pick a degree in a STEM field just because the job market is better. This accurately displays almost everything that's wrong with our society. We don't place enough value on the arts, or history, or education field. Not everyone is tech/science/math-smart, so not everyone can pursue those degrees. But what about the kid who could recite a world history text book from memory? He's no less intelligent just because history clicks and math doesn't, and no less deserving of a job that utilizes his talents. If he took your advice and got a degree in medicine anyway he could very well be the fumbling screw-up that never gets a diagnosis or dosage right because he isn't wired right for that line of work, raising the need and cost of liability insurance for everyone who actually belongs there.

Simply put, society needs people in every field that exists, we just have a problem with acknowledging the value of alternate studies.

We don't place enough value on art?
Tell that to singers with more money than most will ever have.
What we have a problem with is people having unrealistic expectations that their "artistic basket-weaving" should be of the same value as say a geneticist or mechanical engineers or even skilled craftsmen/tradesmen.
A good cabinet maker is still artistic (with a side of math and engineering skills) and not hurting for cash. But, do you create a university or college course for them and then wonder why with 3000 new cabinet makers none of them are able to make a decent living?

[Kodieh]

I'm sorry, but what new ideas are going to arise in philosophy? Besides for gen eds, philosophy is next to useless in the modern society. I don't mean neglect it all together, but high school or gen eds is all its good for.

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[4theSNAKElady]

When i lived in NJ, i had a job working at Leslies Pools store. Any simple person could have worked there. But among the few of us that did work there, we held degrees in law, biology, and teaching, with the rest in college or about to start. When those of us who had degrees had this this same conversation, we all agreed on one thing....college was a waste of money and time ...paying for a higher education only made us smarter broke dumbasses.
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