College Degree Cost/Return Practical Today?

[bobinfaith]

Hello brothers and sisters;

There was a time as late as the 60s or 70s when a good high school diploma earned a job in the field and office clerical.

Times changed when technology, the electronic age and advanced vocationals required a college degree.

The fields of the medical, finance, law, etc...always required credentials/licenses for the higher standard of education.

In these times, those of you who are parents of children or family who attended or attending college, has the cost of college gotten out of control and are the subjects studied worth the cost and return? Are many college graduates going into the workforce taking a huge college debt with them?

Or, is trade school a better alternative if one wants to work in a high paying job as an electrician, mechanic, landscaper, therapist, regional truck driver, plumber, etc...

God's Word encourages us all to study the Word, including our education to prepare for the field career we are seeking.

Please share your experience, opinion or suggestions with this area of college degree costs.

God bless you all and your families.

Bob

 

[BibleLover]

Hello brothers and sisters;

There was a time as late as the 60s or 70s when a good high school diploma earned a job in the field and office clerical.

Times changed when technology, the electronic age and advanced vocationals required a college degree.

The fields of the medical, finance, law, etc...always required credentials/licenses for the higher standard of education.

In these times, those of you who are parents of children or family who attended or attending college, has the cost of college gotten out of control and are the subjects studied worth the cost and return? Are many college graduates going into the workforce taking a huge college debt with them?

Or, is trade school a better alternative if one wants to work in a high paying job as an electrician, mechanic, landscaper, therapist, regional truck driver, plumber, etc...

God's Word encourages us all to study the Word, including our education to prepare for the field career we are seeking.

Please share your experience, opinion or suggestions with this area of college degree costs.

God bless you all and your families.

Bob

I was blessed with a combination of benefits from the Vietnam Era GI Bill and the Montgomery GI Bill which paid for my Bachelors and Masters degrees after retirement. But, I did have to pay for some of my son's AS and BS diplomas; we were able, though, to gain several good scholarships to pay for about 60% of his education costs. This education permitted him to work in Paris, France as a software engineer for a medical equipment manufacturer.

That being said, a college education isn't for everyone, and there are many high-paying careers that can be entered with a community college tech school education.

People entering traditional professions such as medicine, law, and teaching still need university educations and so will financially-capable people who want to expand their horizons through a liberal arts education.

 

[LearningToLetGo]

I work in a field where a college degree is a must. HR won't even look at a resume unless a degree is listed. That said, it doesn't matter too much what the degree is. For example, one of my colleagues has a degree in geology!

Basically the degree says, "I can stick it out."

 

[In Awe of Him]

I'm making this comment without statistical proof. I think education today is much different that it used to be... not to mention insanely expensive. When I was growing up... by the time you hit grade 9... you basically needed to know if you were going to College or University. The courses were based on a higher level for University.... plus there was a Grade 13 ( so an extra year ). The trades courses were usually taught at a College Level. I have a two year diploma working with the disabled. The cost was minimal to me due to "grants" given out for incentives to take particular programs. Not sure how it works now a days but I have noticed that a great many people who have GOOD EDUCATION are not working to their full capacity. Some are not even working in their fields due to not being able to find work.

 

[bobinfaith]

Good morning, everyone;

My nieces both graduated with degrees from major colleges, but took 3 years for the eldest to get a good job but not in her field of study. My younger one was blessed with a scholarship, graduated and found work right away but also not in her field.

Now my 2 nephews are attending community college and the younger one will also attend community college in the fall. They have the opportunity to transfer to a major college their final 2 years making this cost effective.

Based on stats or your personal college investment, the average cost of a 4 year public college can be anywhere from $105k to $130k. The average cost of a nonprofit Ivy league college is $240k to $276k.

Aside from the fields such as the medical, finance, law, etc...always required credentials/licenses for the higher standard of education, I don't know if the return expense and study of most college courses are practical in the job market today.

20 years ago I completed an advisory curriculum program that qualified me to advise entering college students of about 2400 small colleges that were accredited and tailored for their field of study/career. The tuition is much less and the class sizes are smaller, giving the student more personable teaching. But at the same time I was accepted into seminary that put my advisory curriculum to students on hold. I let the institution know of my new directions and never went back.

I'm not selling anything but only sharing my experience at this institution with one piece of information, the large amount of small colleges in America and International that could be an alternative for you, your children or family loved ones. If you want more information you can PM me and do the research. Again, I'm not selling anything nor do I have the time to sell.

God bless you all and your families.

Bob

 

[rtm3039]

Hm, interesting set of questions. I have three master's. The first was while on active duty and paid for. The other two were after military retirement and paid for by the GI Bill.

I got a bachelor's degree, because you needed one to become an officer in the military. I got my first master's because I needed to be competitive with my peers for promotion. I got my 2nd and 3rd master's because I kind of like school and it cost me nothing. In fact, aside from paying the tuition, it also paid me a monthly stipend. Are they worth anything, as it pertains to what I do for a living? Not really. Well . . . no, not really.

To work in my office, you are required to have at least a bachelor's degree. The truth is that two of my folks could not write a coherent sentence if their lives depended on it. We investigate allegations of wrongdoing, and no college degree can make you a good investigator. We do, however, also have to meet yearly continuing education points (CPEs), regardless of how many degrees one possesses.

One of my sons has two master's and both are in the same area as his profession (data analytics), so it does serve him well. He will; however, be paying for them for many years. Aside from him, none of the other "kids" have a college degree, or they do, but it has no association with their profession.

I guess it all depends. You can't be a lawyer without a law degree, but that does not mean you end up being a good lawyer. For the most part, however, I think a college degree just meets a condition for employment and most people do not use what they learn, because experience is a better teacher.

Look at it this way: I use to work in a place that required men to come to work in a suit and tie. Had I wanted to, I could have come in with while shoes, yellow pants, purple shirt, greed jacket and a tie with the image of two cats and a goldfish. It would still be a suit and tie, but not sure the intended purpose would have been met.

Rtm

 

[Lanolin]

In my field it all seems upside down, and I probably entered it at the wrong time, I have a bachelors, masters and then did various certificates and diplomas, but every time I completed them, it seemed like it wasn't enough (some were on scholarships) because everyone else was doing it too and they had more experience or the job wasn't a good fit for me, I was often underemployed, or the apprenticeship training was only be whim of the employer and they weren't prepared to really support you in further study by giving you time to do it.

I don't know what the answer is, but I'm planning on checking out a bible college class tomorrow info night. I consider this Launchpad training, such as it is, as the Sunday School I never really had, but, problems I have with it is its not all Bible but teaching religious values and sometimes they used video clips from Sesame Street, and non-christian songs which don't mention or give glory to God at all, (we aren't allowed to evangelise) but just plant seeds and show Gods unconditional love. However, I want my seed to grow in good soil, and bear fruit its very hard for seeds to grow in rocky, poor soil or clay, which many of us have if we have any land at all (I'm meaning metaphorically).

This is sort of why, when poor working people gain college degrees, the cost of paying for it and stress of paying that debt weighs on them even more, it drives them to succeed, but at a huge cost to their families. Already priveliged students can often get by with family connections if they don't choose to study but those who aren't are always reminded of their humble background though there's a lot of sacrifice to get there.

Primary Schools do not pay librarians well, you only there to work term time and they don't consider that you may need to work when children aren't there, and the same with high school, plus when you are in a sole charge position its not good to not have assistants or back ups, even principals have deputies and teachers have aides. You can have parent helpers depending on school, but teachers can't just palm their students off to the librarian who seems to get dumped on to do everyone else's jobs so their own doesn't get done as I found out.

 

[bobinfaith]

I got a bachelor's degree, because you needed one to become an officer in the military. I got my first master's because I needed to be competitive with my peers for promotion. I got my 2nd and 3rd master's because I kind of like school and it cost me nothing. In fact, aside from paying the tuition, it also paid me a monthly stipend. Are they worth anything, as it pertains to what I do for a living? Not really. Well . . . no, not really. I guess it all depends. You can't be a lawyer without a law degree, but that does not mean you end up being a good lawyer. For the most part, however, I think a college degree just meets a condition for employment and most people do not use what they learn, because experience is a better teacher.
Rtm

In my field it all seems upside down, and I probably entered it at the wrong time, I have a bachelors, masters and then did various certificates and diplomas, but every time I completed them, it seemed like it wasn't enough (some were on scholarships) because everyone else was doing it too and they had more experience or the job wasn't a good fit for me, I was often underemployed, or the apprenticeship training was only be whim of the employer and they weren't prepared to really support you in further study by giving you time to do it. Primary Schools do not pay librarians well, you only there to work term time and they don't consider that you may need to work when children aren't there,

Hello rtm3039 and Lanolin;

1. Nothing wrong with attending college or university for education, learning and continued learning, but college doesn't teach us how to make money or specifically work in a field that we studied. College showed me that I could submit my paper of a degree, masters or diploma at a job interview but it also means you started something and completed it. Employers are looking for workers who will stay for the long run but a college worker's turnover is much higher in these times.

2. As colleges and universities continue to swell with new students, the trend for vocational trade schools are the new direction in preparing student turned career workers and making good money for today.

3. Taking a government, state, city or local test to apply for a postal carrier, maintenance, sanitation or clerical job is cool. But I know only if one wants to do the same thing for the next 30 to 40 years. There is nothing wrong with someone who just wants to be comfortable where they're at as long as they get a consistent paycheck with benefits and for some positions a pension.

I feel point2 is the trend is the way for gainful employment today.