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What is the Point of College?


Flaim

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I was going to make this into a status update, but I want this to get a little more attention because it is something that has consumed my mind for the last few days, and I hope someone else has similar feelings or has already gone through this and can give wisdom or advice on what I should do from here.

I'm fairly sure that a lot of the players here are not in college yet, so feel free to share your thoughts and experiences with high school or other grade levels, but I will mostly be focused on the topic of college, because that is currently where I'm at.

 

I have typed out what I want to say multiple times and deleted it every time. I just can't say everything perfectly all at once, so hopefully this thread brings some discussions and multiple points will be discussed that way.

 

Gary Vaynerchuk is one of my inspirations for my position on school. He talks about how it is so pointless, exhausting, and invaluable to the majority of us.

 

One girl asks him what she should work on since she still has two years of school, and how she can make those two years valuable to her career and future. He replies with:

"Like, what? Every piece of information is literally on your phone.. and.. learning process?? Every organization has its own process. You'll learn more in the first week at wherever the fuck you go than you will.. (in college)."

 

I just can't grasp what the point of college is. I sit there and ask myself "Why am I here? Why did I pay $1,100/semester to dedicate 35+ hours per week to "learning" shit I don't care about?" Why did some of my friends decide to go to universities that cost $25,000-60,000 per year? And the only answer I have to that question is that I am doing it because everyone else is. College is so mainstream now that it seems like everyone does it.

 

So that brings me to my question in point: Why did you/are you going to college? Just because everyone else is? Do you have a specific career in mind that you need a specific college education to obtain? (For example, a doctor)

 

The only class I have that I feel brings meaning and value to my life is my Counseling elective. In that class we discuss what we want to do with our lives, our strengths and weaknesses, what career options could be best for us in the long run, and how to take steps to reach that career.

 

Please discuss the topic and/or advice me on what to do.

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eh I feel like these days companies won't even bother looking at you unless you've got at least an undergrad degree.  so unless you know someone/have an in or have plans to do your own thing (i.e. self employment/start your own company)... feels like having an undergrad degree is the baseline since it's so much more common (mainstream as you say) now

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10 hours ago, Vrakos Anthrakir said:

feels like having an undergrad degree is the baseline since it's so much more common (mainstream as you say) now

 

 

You might be right. As stupid as that is.

 

Let's suppose there are two job candidates:

 

Candidate A:

- 400 hours of internship experience over the last 2 years

- Impressive background maintaining good grades throughout high school and keeping a full-time job 

- Demonstrates an outgoing personality that would be a great fit for the job

- Nails the interview with confidence

- Has a decent portfolio showcasing amateur, but related work to the position

- Has no college degree

 

Candidate B:

- No internship experience

- Has good grades throughout high school and college

- Had a job for 2 years, but quit because of the school workload

- Seems nervous for the interview, immature

- Has no specialized work to show for; Only has a transcript to showcase

- Has a Bachelor's degree in a related field

 

Which candidate would more likely get hired?

Do god tier companies prefer Candidate A? Companies with a modern thrive, like Tesla, Google, Apple, FaceBook, etc.

Do random companies prefer Candidate B? Insurance companies, tax assistant, customer service, teacher, etc.

 

I don't know. I feel like Candidate A should be able to work anywhere as long as he would be best fit for the position. But, will not having a piece of paper that says you went through "Education" destroy your chances?

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2 hours ago, FLAIMBOT_ said:

 

You might be right. As stupid as that is.

 

Let's suppose there are two job candidates:

 

Candidate A:

- 400 hours of internship experience over the last 2 years

- Impressive background maintaining good grades throughout high school and keeping a full-time job 

- Demonstrates an outgoing personality that would be a great fit for the job

- Nails the interview with confidence

- Has a decent portfolio showcasing amateur, but related work to the position

- Has no college degree

 

Candidate B:

- No internship experience

- Has good grades throughout high school and college

- Had a job for 2 years, but quit because of the school workload

- Seems nervous for the interview, immature

- Has no specialized work to show for; Only has a transcript to showcase

- Has a Bachelor's degree in a related field

 

Which candidate would more likely get hired?

Do god tier companies prefer Candidate A? Companies with a modern thrive, like Tesla, Google, Apple, FaceBook, etc.

Do random companies prefer Candidate B? Insurance companies, tax assistant, customer service, teacher, etc.

 

I don't know. I feel like Candidate A should be able to work anywhere as long as he would be best fit for the position. But, will not having a piece of paper that says you went through "Education" destroy your chances?

I'd argue that candidate A isn't a realistic person since you're unlikely to have a solid internship without already being in college (unless you know somebody, etc.).  I kinda want to say neither would even get the interview, A doesn't have a degree and B doesn't have any experience.  A lot of entry level business jobs these days (I've got a degree in finance) require some experience since getting internships is much more common now as well.

@the god tier companies bit, Even with the impressive practical/job experience, I suspect they wouldn't look unless that person has something to show for it (i.e. awards, developed their own app, etc.)

 

mind you, this is all just opinion

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I go to college because for my degree (astrophysics) it doesn't matter how much I learn on my phone if I don't have qualifications I won't get a job anywhere, and I also doubt I could even all the stuff on my phone. Furthermore, I need to have experience practicing lab reports, designing and performing experiments, etc which I would never be able to do at home.

 

For more practical jobs college might not be as necessary, but for a course such as mine where it's so highly revolving around math and theory, I would think it quite impossible to have a career in physics without a degree. 

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well its cause thats how life works.if you want to get a good job or gain a better monthly earning,you need a diploma.finishing school is the basics.

 

for example:if you finished secondary school and work in a 7 eleven store,you would get about rm1k or around 100 keys in my country

           

                       if you get a diploma,you can get about rm2k or 200 keys per month in my country

 

but you're not gonna pay yourself a huge ass of money for education and work in some shitty place.

 

college isnt the only path for success.some just go straight to university

 

there's 2 ways with college and university that leads the same.

college gives you foundation of art/IT/business/science or etc..after you finish that,you go to degree.foundation takes about 8-12 months

 

university starts with diploma which is 2-3 years and then you get into degree.

 

difference is with a foundation and diploma,foundation gives a better broadway of what you want to do while diploma goes straight of you are taking and wont lead to more pathways.

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If you feel like you're "learning shit you don't care about" then perhaps you're either not in the correct program or college just isn't right for you - which is completely fine. There are plenty of paths that don't involve college that are just as valid and can be successful. 

 

For me, I'm finishing my Master's Degree after graduating with my Bachelor's this past May. I knew going into college what I wanted to study, and sought out a college that had a good reputation for preparing its students for the real world. In my experience, this has been the case and I've enjoyed 3 great internships over the last 3 summers while preparing for a full-time job. So for those of us who know what we want and are looking for a long career in the professional world, college makes sense as an (often expensive) investment. 

 

Personally, I don't really buy the whole "all information is on your phone" argument. Sure, you can look up tutorials on how to build a car, for instance. But does sitting in your room looking at videos teach you to work on a large-scale project with specific requirements and deadlines? Does it teach you how to work collaboratively with others, some of whom aren't even in your same department? Does it teach you how to fit into a larger organization as one part of team? Having raw knowledge is only valuable if you know how to apply it, and I think that's where college is important over just watching YouTube videos. 

 

A good college will teach you all of those things I listed above, and when you're looking for a job in the professional world, the person hiring can have some confidence that your education has the stamp of approval from a college that knows how to prepare its students for their careers. 

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yeah. I can see all of your guys' points. It makes sense that it is important, and you definitely need it to get a lot of specific jobs..

 

but I just cant stand it. maybe I am just not the type or I am not ready.

 

So confused with so many elements of life and trying to find balance with each of them (relationships, fitness, religion, work, school, career, video games, etc etc etc) and I just feel like school is killing my vibe. It makes me super unhappy and I have no idea what I want to do, so many it just feels like I am wasting my time, money, and energy for me personally.

 

I dont know. Maybe ill take a break. Work for the family business. Maybe ill return to school later on, maybe not. I just dont know what to do. Even though high school was awful at least it was simple. Maybe my whole argument and current ideology is just me being really immature and someday I will look back and realize how dumb I was acting.I just dont know, and I hate not knowing

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12 hours ago, FLAIMBOT_ said:

yeah. I can see all of your guys' points. It makes sense that it is important, and you definitely need it to get a lot of specific jobs..

 

but I just cant stand it. maybe I am just not the type or I am not ready.

 

So confused with so many elements of life and trying to find balance with each of them (relationships, fitness, religion, work, school, career, video games, etc etc etc) and I just feel like school is killing my vibe. It makes me super unhappy and I have no idea what I want to do, so many it just feels like I am wasting my time, money, and energy for me personally.

 

I dont know. Maybe ill take a break. Work for the family business. Maybe ill return to school later on, maybe not. I just dont know what to do. Even though high school was awful at least it was simple. Maybe my whole argument and current ideology is just me being really immature and someday I will look back and realize how dumb I was acting.I just dont know, and I hate not knowing

 

I had a bunch of friends from high school who took a gap year after a year or two in college and went back to it after, it's pretty common these days.  When I was a freshman, there were a few people living in my dorm who were already 21+ because they'd taken time off.  And yes, I do agree that a lot of the stuff they teach you for many majors is kinda pointless since you can just buy a book/go on the internet and teach yourself, but if anything, college is more about the experience now than it is the acquisition of knowledge/skills due to how easy it is to access information.  If it's not an experience you're enjoying, step back, take a break, take a look at other things for a bit

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  • 2 months later...

Have you considered vocational training? There are a ton of trade schools apprenticeship programs, and a fair number of community colleges that will train you in a skilled practice you can earn a living doing. 

 

 

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2 hours ago, DrDanthrax99 said:

Have you considered vocational training? There are a ton of trade schools apprenticeship programs, and a fair number of community colleges that will train you in a skilled practice you can earn a living doing. 

 

 

Actually.. I already dropped out of college, paid my parents back for it, moved 1200 miles away, and now I have a full time job.

 

but if I ever find a new passion I want to make a career out of I will definitely definitely look into a trade school or something where you earn a spefific certificate instead of a degree

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