Was going to college truly worth every penny?

[Justadude]

Given the job openings for law students these days, I'm not really sure. Everyone wants to work in Raleigh, Charlotte or Atlanta--but those are big city jobs and it's difficult to get them.

[Pillsbury]

Half the value of a law degree is in your connections. In cities like Charlotte and Atlanta it's all about who you know -- spend enough time out of class with your professors and their friends, and you'll breeze into your first job.

After that, the other half kicks in.

[ezcheese]

I was lucky in this regard. Technically I finished all of my required high school classes in the 11th grade and the county put me on a pilot track where I spent my entire senior year at a local technical school. Whether or not they're looked down upon or not, it was a great experience for me. While the rest of my senior class was taking English and other general education classes at the high school I was across town taking Computer Engineering 1 & 2, Electronics 1 & 2 (fast track of one per semester), Computer Network Engineering 1 & 2, etc. The school even warrantied me when I finished up. They guaranteed that if after I started working for a company and could not do my job proficiently for anything I learned that the school would retrain me at no cost.

Looking back it probably looked cheap to prospective employers. I did get several IT certifications ranging from being Novell certified, A+, etc. to prove that I could do the work. I was lucky enough to land a job at a great law firm in Chicago as the 4th man on the IT team and I have no doubt that job had a hand in landing me in my current situation for someone who doesn't have a college degree.

To this day I don't discount technical schools or community colleges for students out of high school for the reason that it no doubt bolstered my situation. My sister is about to finish up with her Associates in Business degree at the age of 40. I believe it was a situation where she had gotten as far as should could without one so I do understand the need for such a piece of paper in some situations, but I don't think every situation requires a degree when a few certificates and a great deal of work experience will do.

I suppose my next question is how do employers or head hunters view community college degrees? Do they get tossed out with 'no college' folks or are they given the same weight as someone that graduated from the local state college system for example?

[Neo]

Well, on a personal level after reading through all of the comments and doing my own personal research, I'm planning to attend a local community college starting in the fall get obtain a two year degree in business administration and we'll see where it goes when I'm finished with the initial two year degree. What haunts me the most is the general education requirements such as foreign languages, etc. required for acceptance into a four year program. I'm currently brushing up on my math skills so that I can begin studying for the ACT test required for admission.

I did some theoretical job searches the other day just to see what was required to even be looked at, it seemed that a number of places would at least give you a look if you had an A.A.S. in Business Administration and a bit of work experience in the field. I'm sure I'll learn some things that I can apply to my current job but mostly I'm getting this as a backup plan should something ever happen. I don't want to find myself stuck.

[ezcheese]

Well, on a personal level after reading through all of the comments and doing my own personal research, I'm planning to attend a local community college starting in the fall get obtain a two year degree in business administration and we'll see where it goes when I'm finished with the initial two year degree. What haunts me the most is the general education requirements such as foreign languages, etc. required for acceptance into a four year program. I'm currently brushing up on my math skills so that I can begin studying for the ACT test required for admission.

I did some theoretical job searches the other day just to see what was required to even be looked at, it seemed that a number of places would at least give you a look if you had an A.A.S. in Business Administration and a bit of work experience in the field. I'm sure I'll learn some things that I can apply to my current job but mostly I'm getting this as a backup plan should something ever happen. I don't want to find myself stuck.

[Gard]

What haunts me the most is the general education requirements such as foreign languages, etc. required for acceptance into a four year program.

[Neo]

Are you looking at a public school? I haven't taken a single foreign language class since high school. I also attend a private school, however, so the requirements may be different. IIRC, the school I attend has a campus in Charlotte.

Its been worth every penny for me, so much so that I've decided to get a second one, which I have about a year left to go on for the B.S. and I plan to go all the way to the PhD level with it.

Actually, in looking at some schools it appears that taking a foreign language isn't a requirement unless you graduated in 2004 or after which doesn't include me.

I wish you luck on your way to the PhD level. That is quite an achievement for anyone so I wish you the best!

[ezcheese]

Foreign language requirements definitely differ depending on where you go. I was expecting to go to UNCG originally and they required 3 semesters of foreign language for the degree I originally wanted to pursue there. I ended up completing 2 semesters of spanish and ended up going to Guilford College which is a private school. They only require 1 foreign language for the accounting major, so I actually ended up doing one more semester than I needed to.

[wolverine]

I know this thread is getting a bit old but I figured I'd post.

I received a BS in Architecture and will be getting Masters in Urban and Regional Planning soon. They have gotten me jobs, (or shall I say summer jobs) working at various firms and offices. The work is okay, but its just okay. I really want something interesting with that said..

I intended to start up a business after a few years out of college, it will not at all relate to what I majored in. I want to start a business that does routering and laser cutting for commercial and light industrial purposes.

Random, but that's what I want to do. I guess my degree are a fall back. Most of college was covered by grants and scholarships. I might find my niche in architecture and planning and stay there, but I guess I have other dreams as well.

I wouldn't call college a waste though. I've learned a lot, met tons of people, my school is top ranked so it looks good on a resume. Regardless of what I do, I'm still proud of all the stuff I did.

[voyager12]

I just checked out my alma mater's listing on Juicycampus.com. I went to The College of Charleston and had a fantastic experience and don't regret it at all. Juicycampus is one brutally mean website though....

[runawayjim]

I feel that college for me was worth it. I went to the state college, but lived on campus (UConn), so my tuition wasn't much compared to most private schools. I work in IT, my degree is in Ecology and Evolutionary Bio. I was told by several professors that for an undergrad in the sciences, it doesn't matter as much where you go for undergrad as it does for grad school, and even that varies person to person.

While I am not using my degree in my career, I may in the future. I am toying with the idea of going back for a masters in education and becoming a science teacher, though I love my current career path. Simply having the degree also opens up other doors, such as not having to get a bachelors if i choose to continue into management (where an MBA might come in handy).

Neo, I would suggest, if you plan on going into management, that you definitely do get a degree, maybe take some online classes to get a bachelors in business. that way if you find yourself in need of an MBA, you'll be that much more ready to go for it. Many companies are now requiring MBA's for management (though I personally feel the value of the MBA isn't very high, which is why I'm going for education instead of MBA).

Anyway, college is about a whole lot more than just the classes, though the education aspect of it should be about 75% of college for you. If it's not, then you're wasting your money and can do the rest of it some other way. It's about networking and developing relationships as well. The partying, in my opinion, is not part of the learning process. I work in a college and the students here are living in a bubble (walking down the street alone at night with their white ipod headphones hanging out in a part of the city that does have some crime). College does not necessarily prepare you for the real world.