college waste of money?

[bs21]

ive come to the recent conclusion that college is important but a huge waste of my time and money. Let me explain. I go to school for Landscape Architecture so obviously i take landscape architecture classes which involve alot of sleepless nights working on drawings in the studio. but thats fine its what i want to do. what i don't want is all the other classes i havce to take besides the landscape arch. classes that have nothing to do with my major. An example would be History, Geography, Psych., so forth and so on. The reason being after being up all night working on a project for my major, and this whole week for that matter I then wrote an 8 page paper in two hours this morning for my Geography class. Don't get me wrong though I like Geography and history and everything else but i came to school to specialize in a field i want to later get a job in. so naturally i would think those would be the classes i would take not classes that have no direct relation to my major and all they do is end up causing me problems because its hard to do the work when i have work in my more important classes (the ones im majoring in) due the same time.
Maybe i'm just making a big deal out of nothing because i'm tired but i still don't like paying thousands of dollars to take classes that have nothing to do with my profession
Sorry but i needed to vent

 

[jdragunas]

i totally understand what you mean, but those other classes are meant to educate you slightly in all other aspects of life. This way, you can connect with your clients. Maybe a potential client is a psychologist... since you've taken this psychology class, you'll be able to relate better with that person, thus making them think "hey this guy/gal's alright, he/she is educated and i think i'll have him landscape my yard..."
If you feel you're being overloaded, take 3 classes a semester instead of 4... that way, you're still full time, but you don't have such an overload. Then you can take 2 summer class to make up for the ones you missed in the fall and spring semesters...

 

[jcrim]

You have a valid criticism but should also understand a couple things:
First, the point of college is NOT the education but is the degree. People will react to you differently in a business setting based on this accomplishment regardless of what you've actually learned.
Second, as expensive and burdensome as school is, consider the alternative... the work force. Stay in school until you're done... have fun and sleep in as much as possible. The biggest problem with college is that students are broke. Other than that, life doesn't get much better. In a few years when you're dealing with the crap of everyday working, you'll miss college.
If you're stressed enough today, skip the rest of the day and go to happy hour. That might put things in perspective.

 

[bs21]

i'm not going to quit or anything i love it but like you said i'm broke and just some of the things that bother me are that alot of my classes that i pay alot of money for are taught by grad students... not even real professors. The one class i took was western civilization 1600-present which mainly delt with America and western Europe... it was taught by a grad student from kenya i couldn't even understand him. i reall y just feel like im not getting the education i'm paying for. don't get me wrong he was a nice guy but all the grad students i've had teaching classes, and there have been alot, were horrible at teaching... the way the structured the class made no sense. i wounder if this is common at alot of schools.

 

[jdragunas]

maybe you should look into transferring. If you're this unsatisfied with your education, it might be a good idea. What college do you go to? My sister-in-law goes to Drexel, and she absolutely loves it...

 

[jer4916]

I learned lots of pointless stuff in college...its a part of it...it will pay off later....but being broke is hard....i know...im out of school and im still broke....enjoy college while it lasts...seriously....you'll never have as much fun as you do in college again.
~Chris
ps ...those stupid class's ..that you dont need....actully do come in handy later.... maybe not all of the...but you can relate better to life after taking them

 

[salty tank]

You should see the stuff in biology and in my intergrated math class that we are learning. It is completely useless in life.
By the way, how is being a landscape arch? that or landscape main. is what i want to do when im older. I like landscaping alot.

 

[mudplayerx]

No education: $12,000 yearly
Highschool diploma/GED: $20- 24,000 yearly
Bachelor degree: : $40,000+ yearly
These are just estimates by the IRS, but as you can see, you get most if not all of your college tuition added back to your paycheck your 1st year of working in your new profession.

 

[pfitz44]

mud... completly agree.... i went threw electrical engineering..... cant tell you how many nights in a row i didnt get sleep... all because of something i cant see with the

[hr]
eye!!! it def pays off.... DEF DOES!! stick with it...
Its funny seeing all my hs friends who didnt go to college or dropped out and there stuck in some dead end job.... and then they yell at me because i worked my butt off in school to get a good job...

 

[diane4]

I am not knocking college, I think it is a good thing, and for some people it's a must.
However, since our daughter will be starting a 4 year program in Jan, we just mustered up the first tuition payment for the semester of $7k.
I personally, did not go to college and did not get a college degree. Most of what I learned was on the job and self taught or learning from others.
I have done things from program computers in cobol or visual basic, I have been a DBA and a network engineer for Novell, Banyan Vines and NT. I have worked in the systems field in various position for the past 25 years.
Have a needed a college degree. No.
If I could do over, I probably still wouldn't got to college. They don't teach common sense, just book knowledge.
But if I had the boat load of money to kick around, yes I might have gone.

 

[maeistero]

i love working under all the absolutely inadequate recent college grads. all that time and money in school and they can't do a dam n thing but try to think of what to tell me what to do. i work retail clothier and two of my superiors actually asked me what a crew neck was. i wish my family was rich enough to send me through worthless training for a job that has nothing to do with said schooling. on top of that they are salaried so they can get the job done; i on the other hand am not allowed overtime so i just get written up when i can't finish in time.
i had a bad day today if you can't tell.

at least my posts are hanging in at 420, that puts a huge smile on my face.

 

[diane4]

maeistero - you made me roar :jumping:

I think college is a good thing. But many of the college grads have huge egos, think they are better than everyone else and have no common sense.
I argue with my hubby about this topic. He is a college grad. I think whether you go to college or not, it is what you make of yourself and your life.
For me personally, I have gained 4-6 years of valuable on the job work experience instead of spending thousands of dollars, most of which would be loans and gaining no work experience.
I love to learn, but I learn by experimenting, trying, talking, reading and just...life.
I don't want to sound like I am bashing college, because I do think that for some people it is a must and that multi thousand dollar piece of paper does get people in the door before other people that have work experience only.
But, now that I am a manager and I have 4 direct reporting full time employees - I would prefer to hire someone with good work experience over a high falutin college degree. Whooptee dooo.
It's not what papers you have, it's what you can do.
For some, it's great - they will say, it's the experience of it etc. Yeah, but for me - I see it as a very overpriced item that should be easier to afford so our country is a smarter place.
I believe, the best lessons and things learned in life, are from experience.

 

[bluelagoon]

Originally Posted by bs21
i'm not going to quit or anything i love it but like you said i'm broke and just some of the things that bother me are that alot of my classes that i pay alot of money for are taught by grad students... not even real professors. The one class i took was western civilization 1600-present which mainly delt with America and western Europe... it was taught by a grad student from kenya i couldn't even understand him. i reall y just feel like im not getting the education i'm paying for. don't get me wrong he was a nice guy but all the grad students i've had teaching classes, and there have been alot, were horrible at teaching... the way the structured the class made no sense. i wounder if this is common at alot of schools.

that's exactly why i refused to go to a public school. huge classes. taught by grad students or teacher's aids. private school for me all the way. roughly 20-30 students in each class, depending on whether it's gen ed or major specific, and we're taught only by our profs. also only 1100 students at my school total! of course it's mostly engineering, but there's business, the golfers (golf and/or turf grass mgt). male-female ratio this year is 7 to 1. doesn't bother me though, i already have a bf. and most of the guys are ugly or nerdy. like i said engineering. although not all engineers are bad looking....

 

[bs21]

well i work for a comercial landscaper now and have worked for him since i was in 8th grade but on the job experience won't help me become a landscape arch. because i still need a degree but it will hopefully help me get a job with a good firm. i really do like college but i just get frustrated sometimes and when i have little or no sleep i tend to rant and rave about stuff that isn't as big a deal as i make it out to be but thanks for the concern from everyone.

 

[bs21]

Originally Posted by salty tank
You should see the stuff in biology and in my intergrated math class that we are learning. It is completely useless in life.
By the way, how is being a landscape arch? that or landscape main. is what i want to do when im older. I like landscaping alot.

well landcape architecture is really interesting but its a broad profession you can do anything from residential design to designing small towns. alot of people think its just being a landscaper with a fancy title which it can be but im more interested in high end residential or commercial designs. like if someone were building a mall a landscape architect would be the person who designs the lay out of the parking lot, sidewalks planting areas( and whats in them), even little details like what the street lights will look like.....stuff like that. if you want to do what your doing now and own your own business that cuts grass, installs plants, or gets a contract to install the stuff on a landscape architects drawing then go to school for landscape contracting.....its more the hands on job where architecture is strictly design(in a larger firm).

 

[pfitz44]

Originally Posted by maeistero
i love working under all the absolutely inadequate recent college grads. all that time and money in school and they can't do a dam n thing but try to think of what to tell me what to do. i work retail clothier and two of my superiors actually asked me what a crew neck was. i wish my family was rich enough to send me through worthless training for a job that has nothing to do with said schooling. on top of that they are salaried so they can get the job done; i on the other hand am not allowed overtime so i just get written up when i can't finish in time.
i had a bad day today if you can't tell.

at least my posts are hanging in at 420, that puts a huge smile on my face.

COMPLETELY AGREE 100%!!!! (comming from a college grad)
I think its great all the college grads who think they know everything!! I WANT TO PUNCH THEM ALL IN THE HEAD!! The only way to know the true ropes is on teh job training!!! but dont get me wrong, some professions, like mine, you absolutely need a degree to do... unless you dont want electricity at your house to run your fish tanks!!!

 

[pontius]

as a college grad who has lived in the 'real world' for 6 years now, I can tell you there are 2 more things (career wise) that are more important than a degree:
1. Experience
2. connections
if I had it to go over with, I would have skipped the university and went to a tech school and got 2 trade certificates. I used to look down on the 'underachievers' that went to tech.
now I have a 4 year degree and my wife has a 2 year degree.....she makes almost twice what I do. I've since gone back to tech to get a certification that will make me more money.

 

[danedodger]

Like others have said, it all really depends on what you want to do with your life and what you want to make of yourself. I don't consider college a valid education but that degree will open doors for you. I agree that the real education comes from life and job experience. Just hold onto the thought that college isn't really all that many years when you compare it to the years you'll spend in a career and that in the profession you've chosen the sacrifices you're making now for that piece of paper will be more than worth it in the end!
I wanted to be a vet all my life but couldn't afford to go to a college that offered the degree so I settled on teaching. I wasn't inspired by that career choice though so when they messed up my funding I left. Later in life I found that vet probably would've been a bad choice for me anyway. I love animals but in general can't stand the majority of people that keep them because I'm so opinionated on the proper way to get and keep pets :hilarious I can't see any way I could've kept up a clientele because I have a hard time not being bluntly honest with people and the great majority of pet owners I've talked to don't want to hear things like "well pets can be messy, cost money, and take time so deal with that or give the poor thing to someone who can!"
On the other hand at almost 36 yrs old I am so kicking myself for not taking the opportunity to study and get a certificate from Al-Marah stables! Over the years I've found that my real marketable gift is working with animals. I gave up the chance at Al-Marah for a marriage that ended up in the toilet anyway when I could be making a decent to really nice living working with the creme de la creme of horses, my all time favorite animals. I'm still working with animals and I'll still have horses one day but it's going to take longer and be tougher going than if I'd gone to Al-Marah.
So where do you want to end up down the road?

 

[ryansholl]

I'm currently finishing my 12th semester of school. I've had 8 jobs during my schooling (that dealt with my education), 3 part-time during school, 3 paid internships, and 2 half time assistantships. Had I not had them I'd have no clue what I want to do, to be honest, and no means to do it if I HAD figured it out. Have made so many connections through my internships that I don't think I'd have any problem finding a good job in 2 weeks, if I were presented with the challenge, and in my area indirect connections work wonders as well (the 'I know a guy who knows a guy' effect.)
I'd be lost, career-wise, if it weren't for college. More importantly, I'd still be the same person I was in high school, which is exactly what I see when I head back home for a holiday and meet up with people who didn't go to college... it's almost sad, really.
So no, I don't think college is a waste of money. I definitely don't think tech school is a waste of money, either. I think a 4 year program is as important in the life-building aspect as it is to the career-building aspect. I don't know if I'd feel the same way had I gone to a private institution (worth the money, anyway), but without experiencing one I can't draw too many conclusions.
Money well spent, if you ask me.