Sigh ... whatever happened to the realization not EVERYONE should go to college?

[Cochese]

Which subreddit do you have in mind? I only read a couple, and they moderate the ones I read very strictly - they ban people for a single offense.

Some of the ones that I don't dare link to. I don't look at Reddit much at all.

[cabinetman]

Slickdeals...that should have been an easy one to guess.

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[vaking]

There was a time when many people could not read or write. Somebody who went to school for couple years could read and write and was considered literate. Person who actually finished school (and school was 7 years at that time) could get a job as reporter for a newspaper for example. College degree was extremely rare and was practically never required to get a job.
Today school is 12 years and everybody is required to finish it. Many don't really have the brains for it, so quality of school education dropped to make sure even idiots can graduate. Which means now having high school diploma does not indicate that you are smart. If a company wants to see some evidence that you have brains - they ask for a college degree. As a result you see ads for jobs at supermarket where requirements are to have degree in business administration and ability to lift continuously 40 pounds ( I actually have seen such). Have you seen movie "Larry Crowne"?
Environment had changed. A century ago 90% of people worked physically demanding jobs. Blacksmith was a skilled professional and even he had to be physically fit. Very few people could make living without doing physical work and they had to be particularly smart. Today most jobs don't involve physical work. It is difficult to find a job where you can make a living with physical abilities. So everybody is trying to make living with their heads, including people who have no heads to speak of.
Why do people want to get college degrees? Because not having degree today puts you at handicap against everybody else. Why do people complaint about student loans? Because in the past having college degree was practically a guarantee of a good job. Today having college degree does not guarantee anything. But not having it makes you unemployable in vast majority of industries. Who wants to start life with such a handicap?

[scmhogg]

My youngest drove my wife and I crazy. Both of us are lawyers and went to college for 8 years each. He dropped out of high school the day he turned 18. He did, actually, get his GED right afterward, to placate us.

He has been on a computer, in our house since he was three years old. He has worked for several computer companies. He was the NOC manager for MySpace, before the company was sold. This was when he was 22.

He now works for another large company. His title is Senior System Engineer, Application Engineering.

In both positions he has had responsibility for recruiting and hiring. He finds that many who have four year degrees in computer science, are woefully behind, the day they graduate.

The people that work for him, think in code and can read binary. They have spent huge portions of their lives immersed in their computer world. My big surprise was how well adjusted these folks are both socially and politically.

Suffice it to say that this 26 year old kid makes a lot more than a starting lawyer today. Go figure.

Steve

[cabinetman]

Which means now having high school diploma does not indicate that you are smart. If a company wants to see some evidence that you have brains - they ask for a college degree. As a result you see ads for jobs at supermarket where requirements are to have degree in business administration and ability to lift continuously 40 pounds ( I actually have seen such). Have you seen movie "Larry Crowne"?

I've been a Mensa member a long time. Members are from all walks of life. Some have degrees, and some don't. I will say that because someone is a member doesn't mean he/she is smart. It means they have passed the Mensa test, which by the way, it helps to be pretty darn smart.

Wife and I were at a restaurant waiting outside for another couple, and there was a guy sitting near that looked a bit lost. I asked him what was wrong, and he stated that he applied at a local grocery store as a stock/bag person, and he was required to have a degree. He said Walgreens and CVS were the same way.

Today most jobs don't involve physical work. It is difficult to find a job where you can make a living with physical abilities. So everybody is trying to make living with their heads, including people who have no heads to speak of.

I gotta say that woodworking and cabinetmaking is a very physically demanding profession. After 40+ years, my body has taken a toll.

Why do people want to get college degrees? Because not having degree today puts you at handicap against everybody else. Why do people complaint about student loans? Because in the past having college degree was practically a guarantee of a good job. Today having college degree does not guarantee anything. But not having it makes you unemployable in vast majority of industries. Who wants to start life with such a handicap?

+1.

[Carpenter96]

I chose to forego a university degree because of the huge amount of debt it would have left me in at the end. I had been accepted to an electrical engineering program at a very good university. That said I do see the value in life long learning. I chose to become a carpenter and it has been a very rewarding career both financially and fullfiling my happiness. I was asked if I would consider teaching a two month carpentry course and found myself here 14 years later. No degree, but very happy and fullfiled. I do know many people that have succeeded with degrees. I also know just as many that have not succeeded with their degrees. I think it depends on each individual as to how life works out for them. Regards Bob