Reasons Not To Go To College (interesting AOL articles)

College Search & Lists
1

<p>I always check all the AOL news stuff that pops up when I log on to see if there is anything interesting, and today I found this:</p>

<p><a href=“http://money.aol.com/forbes/general/canvas3/_a/five-reasons-to-skip-college/20060426111509990001[/url]”>http://money.aol.com/forbes/general/canvas3/_a/five-reasons-to-skip-college/20060426111509990001&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Now, I’m not saying I agree with it, but it’s something I thought people should think about. There are a lot of people on here (including myself at times) who feel they need to go to a certain school. Yet, it really is meaningless in the long run, and, potentially, has negative consequences. </p>

<p>As they mention in the article, college graduates DO make a lot more money, but it is important to realize that it are the smart, determined, and dedicated people who go to college. So, obviously, these people will be making more money regardless, the extra money isn’t all because of college.</p>

<p>Now, I still feel college is really important, BUT people should definetly consider where they go more carefully. Financial reasons aren’t necessarily overlooked, but definetly (I feel) glossed over compared to how much one “loves the school” and feel it’s their “dream” school.</p>

<p>Sure, going to a great school and having a good experience is important, but to be in crazy debt because of it? Not important. It’s not the college you go to that helps you succeed (or even college at all according to the article), but the intelligence, determination, and dedication you have. If you want to succeed, you can and will, that’s what matters. Not the college you attend.</p>

<p>So, I thought this would be a good thing to post for all of you. It certainly opened my eyes a bit more, hopefully it’ll do the same to others.</p>

2

<p>I agree with the article’s point that your college doesn’t really matter, but going to college is still extremely important (unless you want to be outsourced). Here’s a similar article that brings up good points.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.brookings.edu/views/articles/20040902easterbrook.htm[/url]”>http://www.brookings.edu/views/articles/20040902easterbrook.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>to an extent, college for me is a certificate that says i’m “this smart”, so i get recruited.</p>

4

<p>i like the option where you invest the $160,000. just where will you get $160,000 from?</p>

5

<p>“Truly motivated learners can teach themselves almost anything with a couple of books and an Internet connection. Want to learn a hands-on skill or trade? Consider an apprenticeship.”</p>

<p>Yeah…there aren’t that many people like this who just finish high school</p>

<p>“Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, Quentin Tarantino, David Geffen, and Thomas Edison, among others, never graduated from college. Peter Jennings and John D. Rockefeller never finished high school.”</p>

<p>True, but there are millions of others who never finished high school aren’t doing quite as well…</p>

<p>I love how Forbes is telling people not to go to college…</p>

6

<p>Bill Gates dropped out of some IVY to start his company didnt he?
Thomas Edison was froma diff time…and Quetin Tarantino isnt exactly in something like math or science.</p>

7

<p>All of the examples of people they talk about most frequently who didn’t graduate college are people who invented something (Windows, Oracle) or did something artistic. I think creative fields like these are the exception rather than the rule. If you don’t have the next million-dollar idea or summer blockbuster on the back burner, then this whole college-is-worthless thing kind of backfires. In many fields in which you aren’t your own boss, you’ll need a college degree to get your foot in the door.</p>

8

<p>There are other options besides college that will let you get a decent-paying job – the military, apprenticeships, trade training programs, etc. Here’s a nice article that highlights some of the career options open to non-college grads who get the right sort of training:
<a href=“http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2004/winter/art01.pdf[/url]”>http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2004/winter/art01.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>One of the points the article makes is that many college graduates actually do end up in jobs that don’t require a college degree. So, going to college, in and of itself, is no guarantee you won’t be doing the same job alongside someone who took a different route.</p>

9

<p>College is an alternative if you want to be there. If not don’t waste your time.</p>

10

<p>Apprenticeships and trade schools may pay well, (and now I’m not an expert on the military) but wasn’t there a bit a a hullabaloo made recently out of the fact that a good number of enlistees in the armed forces were on food stamps (which is a shame and another topic all together)? I know if you have a college degree, you can join the military as an officer and get better pay, but then doesn’t that defeat the purpose? I was just saying that the article was a little misleading in their choices for exemplary non-college graduates. They could also have mentioned acting, pro sports, modeling, and the like, but those fields are not even close to representative of the population as a whole (and neither are computer billionaires and movie directors).</p>

11

<p>i love this article!</p>

12

<p>Thats like saying a good team doesnt need a hard coach to work hard. Theoretically sure, but people need a motivator and a guide to teach things to students.</p>

<p>You can learn something yourself, but you miss the insights that teachers can give.</p>

13

<p>bing… enlistees generally get 1300/mo (after basic) + 260/mo food allowance +average price of housing in area (if they choose to live off-base)… not including any possible enlistment bonuses. If you’re single, that’s too much money to be elligible for food stamps. On the other hand, if you have a family to feed, that’s a diff. story.</p>

<p>The military is actually a pretty sweet deal (when you’re not at war, of course).</p>

14

<p>If you look at college as vocational training, then perhaps it’s not worth anything. However, if you look at college as a way to learn how to think, analyze, and react to the world around you, you’ll have a different equation. Additionally, there are many of us who value learning and education for its own sake - it may not necessarily lead to a better “job”, but it can certainly make for a better life.</p>

15

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<p>There are always exceptions to every trend. And Edison and Rockefeller come from a different era when education wasn’t so important. Nothing is certain in this world, but as a rule, your chances of success are greatly increased by having a good education. It’s just not a realistic careeer plan to say “I’m going to drop out of college and become a multi-billionaire, because that’s what Bill Gates did.” For every Bill Gates or Larry Ellison there are a million others who didn’t finish college and are struggling in dead-end jobs - hoping to make ends meet. And I’d be willing to bet that Bill Gates will make sure that his own kids go to and finish college.</p>

16

<p>The only reason that a guy like Bill Gates dropped out of college was the high opportunity cost of being there. Not everyone else is going to have that kind of situation.</p>

<p>For the rest of us peons and nobodies, college is it.</p>