Quote from @Don Konipol:
Quote from @Eric James:
Quote from @Don Konipol:
Quote from @Drew Sygit:
How much do you ACTUALLY learn in college that you CANNOT learn "on the job"?
How much of what YOU learned in college have you actually applied in your career?
College is mostly only about training to learn.
Drew, you seem to look a little young in your photo - LOL.
I guess everyone’s experience is different. And since I finished school 50+ years ago, mine may have lost relevance.
But, my experience differs. I actually feel like I learned a lot in college that would have taken me 15 years to have the opportunity to learn “on the job” IF I was even able to obtain the position to enable me to learn. Further, not only did I learn numerous concepts, techniques, strategies, principles, etc that I used in my business career, but I still do so today. For example, Almost every day I perform a “risk adjusted return” analysis on potential debt and equity investments we’re contemplating. The type of analysis I run is a modified risk adjusted return analysis based on an analytical technique taught to be in an advanced finance class by a Professor long since retired. I find that other formulations of the risk adjusted return analysis either (1) are too simplistic (typically the ones available through an internet search or (2) are so complicated and require so exactly an information input determination that to successfully use requires an advanced degree in statistics or analytics (usually ones taught in “top ten” college courses or (3) are so poorly developed that they can’t be relied on within 3 standard deviations from the mean.
The above is one specific example. If you mean that a degree in statistics or”gender studies” may not be useful in a career as a sales representative, you might be right. However, I’m pretty sure obtaining a degree in engineering is pretty useful for someone who is an engineer and having a degree in accounting and passing the CPA exam would be useful for someone in a career in public accounting.
Further, it seems to be popular for a segment of the population to “bash” formal education. And there are a million legitimate reasons for doing so. College tuition on the US is too high by a factor of 2 -3; not because the government doesn’t subsidize it, but because 60% of the cost is for the college “social experience”, not education; Professors salaries for the textured ones have skyrocketed while class load has shrunk; and tremendous debt is piled on for “questionable” programs of study. However, just as a new real estate agent/broker will acquire a solid basic education in real estate principles, real estate law and real estate finance by studying and taking classes for the licensing exam, other careerists will have two legs up by spending time acquiring knowledge before embarking on paid working career.
Anyway, that’s my story and I’m sticking too it!
You mention a couple degrees that are necessary to work in specific fields (engineering and accounting). Those are among the few degrees really necessary to work in their associated fields. There aren't very many. Most degrees are a waste of time and resources. I say that as a former university professor.
Eric, thanks for providing your input; the fact that you were a professor adds to the value of your statement. Can you explain a little further or expand with more specifics? As I mentioned I finished my post graduate education 50 years ago, so my experience may not be so relevant in today's world, with so much of the information we received in college courses available on line for free. I am very interested in your "take" on the subject.
Many college degrees don't include learning skills that lead to a specific occupation (eg. English, History, Fine Arts, Psychology , Sociology, Gender Studies...). In the past (when you and I went to college) employers liked to hire people with a college degree even if the degree didn't specifically prepare them with skills for the job. That seems to have changed.
Also, some college degrees that lead directly to jobs are low paying (teaching, social work). Finally, the cost of a college education has outpaced inflation, due to federally guaranteed student loans allowing universities free reign to raise tuition and fees. Over the last couple decades fewer men have been going to college. I tend to think this is driven by the low ROI for the cost of attending college, and isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Exceptions are certain degrees such as STEM, accounting, and health care that directly lead to jobs and have a good ROI. Another type of exception is going to extremely prestigious universities for the nepotism advantages of their degrees.
