I agree with you here. If anyone watches the Colbert Report he did a segment although ment to be strictly comical it was a rather indepth (if you realized what he was saying) on the cost of college (saying that science should be the most expensive then history then languages) Even though he was trying to get a laugh he showed that it is WORTHLESS to go to an expensive school for a degree in a non-science or non- business program. That is were the money is. Being an engineer a businessperson or a scientist. If you want to be one of those then it could be worth the money. On an odd note my class i think half od the top 10 went to public schools mainly because we could not afford fancy private schools.

“But everyone doesnt want to cut, poke, or fix people….and others don’t want to take the time to teach anyone anything…plus teachers don’t get paid as much as they should…(in my opinion)”

Just wanted to agree with you about teachers, but im not willing to pay more in taxes, sorry.

“College cost way too much…other countries offer college for free, as well as free medicare….why cant the US do the same…” Two of the most basic principles in American Political Thought, low taxes and States Rights. (right there you have the cause of the Revolution and the Civil War) Americans are not going to want to have their tax dollars spent so people can throw parties. (this would also bring about the debate of who should get free tution, those who need it, those who are smart, or those with careers beneficail to America) And States Rights, states handle education. Always has been this way and always will. Thats why we can’t do the same. And that would also be borderline communism.

“I was in college for 3 yrs and left cause I felt that I wasting my money on a something that I didnt need a degree for…I would say Undergrad is pointless…” Having BS (sry could resist) or a BA will get you entry level positions that aren’t well paying most fields. once again Science, Engineering and Business can make good money.

“Grad school is where you get the serious education….” Yup, just look at the difference in base pay between a Masters and a Bachlors. All for 1-3s more of study. If you want money you need graduate degree.

Next – should people be willing to pay for an education? If they enjoy knowing things, then the answer is yes even if it doesn’t raise their overall lifetime earnings. But even if they see a degree just as a means to an end, you can just look up the statistics on how much a college degree increases your likelihood of earning a good living. To be sure, there are some notable exceptions who are extremely wealthy who are college dropouts, but once you move down to the level of people whose net assets are merely over half a million dollars or so, they are almost all college graduates or people who learned some other specialized trade, such as plumbing or carpentry.

It is unfortunate that some employers are starting to use a college degree as a filter for hiring people to do jobs where a good high school education is enough. This seems to be a fact of life in modern society, though, making it much harder for people to work their ways up.

Anyways, there are plenty of careers in things like nursing, engineering and accounting, where an undergraduate degree is essential and sufficient for good jobs. Thus I disagree with the idea that all useful education takes place in graduate school.

If a job doesn’t require a degree, then, yes, college would be pointless. If you weren’t getting anything out of it, it was right for you to drop out. I have a Master’s Degree, but most of my knowledge I got on my own, becuase I’ve been a voracious reader since I was young. You don’t need college to learn, but you sometimes need that piece of paper to get the job you want.

A story: three months ago I was a two-day champion on Jeopardy. A student at the college where I work said, oh, I must have a lot of Master’s Degrees. I told her honestly that almost everything I knew that allowed me to win, I had learned on my own.

Always better to get a little maturity under your belt and money and not blow your shot at higher education.

With the costs ever rising of university/college , it may be a good idea to defer it for a few years until you decide if you really want to get a university education. You can always go later rather than sooner.

The sad truth is though to get into a Masters or PhD program you need an undergraduate degree.

Trades are as important as they always were, we’ll need people to fix and maintain our stuff, so if that’s where your inclinations lie don’t sweat it .

Health field , working in gerontology, recreation therapy, anything to do with aging and or fixing things will probably be good fields to look into.

Aside from those areas, there is some merit to your opinion. But I think the piece of paper has some value over not going to and graduating from college. It’s something which can help give you a boost over non-graduates in the job market. It shows that you are capable of doing work and accomplishing something.

Now, I’m not sure I would pay $50,000 a year for this advantage, but that’s the nice thing about public schools: you can still get that piece of paper (and often a good education or experience) but pay much less for it.

As to social programs (such as free college and medical coverage) in other countries versus the US, it’s generally true that while things in the US are more expensive, we pay lower taxes and the services we do receive are much better. There are reasons why large numbers of students and patients, if they have the money, come to the US to get the same services which are free in their country. This is particularly true with graduate education (which in some subject areas is actually more or less free in this country) and medical care for serious medical issues.

Also – it’s true some countries pay for college tuition, but the method of getting in is much more linear. In Europe the government hand selects students at an early age and put them in a specified field. Those who score well on tests are placed on the academic track, those who don’t are placed in the vocational track. Keep in mind, professional jobs in England and Europe pay much less than they do here. Doctors often have second jobs in Britain.

Lemme break it down for you, this is the education roster for the 21st century:

High School diploma = elementary school education

College degree = secondary education, high school.

Masters degree = College education.

Professional degree = Masters education.

The bar has been set so low because of stupid kids that the ability to get into college or graduate high school is beyond easy. My 11 year old brother passed the California Exit Exam.

If you really want to go to college, there are many ways. Grants, loans, scholarships, work/study, charity, military, state school, community transfer, etc…

Make it happen.

Many use college as a time to figure out what they want to do, others use it as a means to avoid going out and actually doing it.

however, some of what you says makes sense. if you could save all this money spent on education to do something useful with it, it will be great idea. if you look at any person who become successful or rich, you will notice that he done something that is different than what the rest has done. so do something that is different than what the rest has done.

I went to college, got a degree and have been employed as a teacher ever since (we should get more $$$, but shouldn’t everyone?).

However, I have a buddy who never went to college. He started a business in construction (framing) and now makes loads more than me (AND doesn’t have a student loan).