Is a College Education Important?

[food]

Do you think that a college education is important?

I personally feel that it's not as important as people make it to be. I feel that college is good for some people, although for others college is a waste of time. If you're more of an entrepenure - I think college is a waste (ie: starting your own company, or something along those lines).

I'm going to say no. Atleast not for me.

[Deadloader]

hmmm if you're from america ... i'm not sure, for us it's different so for english i think yes a college education is very imporant, i also think going to uni is very beneficial but no as important as college ... don't know really i want to go though

[JustinB]

Of course college is important, without a degree from one, your salary wouldn't be what you wanted it to be.

[weasel]

Originally posted by JustinB@2 Hours Ago
Of course college is important, without a degree from one, your salary wouldn't be what you wanted it to be.

[snapback]111978[/snapback]

I disagree with that. Bill Gates was a HIGH SCHOOL dropout, never even finished regular school, and his salary is amazingly large.

However, I do feel that a college education is a very good idea.

[PenguinElitist]

If you didn't need a college degree to hold practially any job that pays above minimum wage then going to college would be practially useless. It's really not hard to learn everything you need to learn for virtually any career outside of school, and learning this independantly would consume much less time and money. However, our modern society is constructed around an organized education system and no matter how intelligent or skilled any one induvidual is, they will not make it without a diploma.

[MetalSkin]

hmmm depends what you wish to do.

Sure Bill Gates droped out, but how many Bill Gates are there in the world? You will find more rich people with post grad's than without i suspect.

In all honesty there's more money in trades than there is in some careers now a days. IT is no where near as good, and with outsourcing to third world countries to 'code factories', the number of oportunities is going to reduce quite substantualy.

Personaly I don't have a degree. but thats only because I got into IT before the crash of 87 hit the IT industry, was a pure fluke that I made it in. In the early 90's often in Australia there would be 400 applications for one position. So if you didn't have a degree you didn't have a chance.

Also high paying careers like doctors and lawyers require degrees!

[randyrandy]

Well all I can say is if you want to improve your knowledge of the subject, go college. Getting a degree may help your chances of finding a well-payed job and have better communication skills. It also is like a start on living by yourself. You gotta live in your own dorm, buy books, drive car, so it's the beginning of life. Bill Gates is different (litterally..), he was extremely smart in high school so perhaps he had no need for improving his knowledge of technical skillls..

In other words, yes, I believe college education is imporant, if not the most important part of your life.

[natso]

this is a very intresting topic.
i have seen this before... college or experience. personally i think experience os more important. see if u want a job/client and u can show things u have done for the past 10 years i think that makes a better impression then if u say: well i just finished my schooling so i havn't done allot yet.

(did not vote, not entirely sure bout what im saying)

[JustinB]

Originally posted by weasel@Yesterday, 7:54 PM
I disagree with that. Bill Gates was a HIGH SCHOOL dropout, never even finished regular school, and his salary is amazingly large.

However, I do feel that a college education is a very good idea.

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LoL..You got me. Well most jobs with the exception of entrepreneurs.

[MetalSkin]

Experience only goes so far. I've been a software developer for 16+ years now, but I just got turned down for an interview because I don't have sufficient tertiary qualifications.

Now this was because the company is mainly engineers who work on ground probing radar, so they're used to requiring a degree as minimum requirement.

In Australia all government positions require a degree (in the IT area that is), and that goes for military as well.

Of course most people don't look at a degree, as a degree obtained 16+ years ago has less relevence than what I have been working on in the last 5 years. However people see a degree as an indication that your willing to work hard over a period of time.

And then there is the issue that you have bugger all chance of getting a career without a degree in IT now a days. I know guys who have IT degree's who are working at MacDonalds. Partily it's because they don't knwo how to handle an interview, but mainly its because they breazed through uni, spent most the time in the pub and as a result their scores reflect this. It's not just a matter of getting the degree, its a matter of getting it at a level that shows your ability to commit to a task/goal and work hard.

Oh, also a degree in a science field normaly shows that you have the abillity for logic and problem solving, which is often a requirement in the IT industry.