Discussions

Is a College Education Important?

Posted by tonytovar • 1 year ago • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS]
Topics: money for school, school scholarships

I've recently wrote an article regarding the important role that scholarships play in an education and where you can find them. Just trying to see what our communities opinion is on this.

I think it is extremely important to attend college if it is possible. However, it is not needed to succeed in life. What do you think?

You can read the article here: moolahblog.com/scholarships-my-life-saver

User Comments

7/09/08

MadameX

Probably not, but a college DEGREE is important.

[reply]
7/09/08

tonytovar

You see, I believe that too. If not i would not be trying to get one. However, I've read various books from very wealthy people that would think otherwise. Like Robert Kiyosaki, and Donald Trump but they were good business men that if the laws would have been like they are today would have been breaking them!

[reply]
1. 7/10/08
  
  Phoenix1962
  
  Trump made all of his children go to college.
7/09/08

ender

why is this in the blogcatalog questions category?

[reply]
7/09/08

tonytovar

Because its a question. Do you think its important? Sheesh. I'm trying to follow TOS to the tee. gosh.

[reply]
1. 7/09/08
  
  riverstyxxx
  
  Tried and failed..
2. 9/29/08
  
  jadedconformist
  
  Seriously - these BC'ers are the most pedantic people....ever. I'm gonna start naming names soon. Might make for a juicy blog entry..
7/09/08

tonytovar

And its not a question about blogcatalog. Its a general question for the general public.

[reply]
1. 7/09/08
  
  ender
  
  then it goes in the General Questions category.
  
  didn't think asking you why it was in the BC questions category was gonna tie your knickers in a twist, dude. i was curious.
2. 7/09/08
  
  riverstyxxx
  
  I hate you, ender.
3. 7/09/08
  
  ender
  
  lol
  i love you, river. peace love and puppy dog tails, remember?
4. 7/10/08
  
  riverstyxxx
  
  No.
7/09/08

Donlewis

Would have been better if you'd asked. "Do you think a blogcatalog education is important?"

I'm just sayin'

[reply]
7/09/08

ender

is college important?

depends on who you are, what you want to do with your life, your run of luck, your connections, what you want from college. personally, i think very little knowledge is wasted, so college is good for most in that sense. however, many university classes in the U.S. are taught so poorly that the most learning you get out of them is how to sit through something intensely boring and extract something useful from it anyway.

for some, trade school is a better solution - because it can be a direct path to a specific career. college used to be more about a general base of learning rather than career training. today it's up to the student, but most treat it as career training, which to my mind, rather dilutes its worth.

so, my answer: it's important for some folks, but not for everyone. just depends on what you want.

[reply]
1. 7/09/08
  
  tonytovar
  
  Excellent reply ender! Very interesting you say that. Its been a long battle. Most free enterprise private universities tend to compete for best academic school. I think that private schools are the best because they are literally competing for best academic standards.
  
  Tony
2. 7/10/08
  
  ender
  
  i taught at a "premier" private university for nine years.
  
  i'm a wee bit disillusioned, lol. anymore most schools simply manipulate their stats so that they *look* like the "best school." but frankly, i do not think that private = better. it's more about the instructors who teach in the field in which you are interested rather than the rep that the marketing department has spun for the school.
7/10/08

BusinessViking

College is a tool. Some people take advantage, some people don't. There are other tools available so it really doesn't matter.

Is it necessary? No.
Is it helpful? For some people yes, for others - no.

Some people become successful after having dropped out and then they want to go back and get the certificate - I believe it's because they're still seeking the approval of other people on some level.

Live YOUR life.

[reply]
7/10/08

tonytovar

Hmmm. I've read a few scholarly journals that talk a bit about vouchers and how creating them for the educational system we have would be a good thing. I mean, on a lower level... I think that having vouchers with no more governmental provision would be awesome! I only say that because then the lower level of education systems will have to compete and uphold a rep. But its only through time that we could start to see through graduate stats whether or not these schools are great and whether their programs are worthy of our money!

[reply]
1. 7/10/08
  
  ender
  
  vouchers create far more headaches than they are worth, imho.
  
  of course, i'd like to scrap the entire damn education system in the U.S. and rebuild it from scratch ....
2. 7/10/08
  
  Phoenix1962
  
  Who would get the vouchers and why would they need them when all the government needs to do is make some state colleges tuition free like they were in the past?
3. 7/10/08
  
  riverstyxxx
  
  Everyone in California who's in poverty gets a free ride thanks to the board of governors waiver...Sort of. It doesn't cover the books, but most schools have a work program to pay off the books.
7/10/08

tonytovar

Haha!! indeed. I think that might serve a good thing. Assuming we learn from our past no?

[reply]
7/10/08

riverstyxxx

I'm gonna keep this real simple and hope at least one person understands.
Take Penn and Teller's advice: Don't use school as a way to get a job, use it to learn something new and expand your mind. Join some clubs, make a friend ffs. People who don't want to actually learn anything, just make money, use Business school as a means to an end.

[reply]
1. 7/10/08
  
  ender
  
  yep, excellent advice.
2. 7/10/08
  
  riverstyxxx
  
  That's the same reason I'm in school too. It takes pressure off to "Get it over with" and I live by the belief that money isn't what makes the world turn.
3. 7/10/08
  
  ender
  
  yep. i took 7 years to get my english degree, which has been next to useless in my getting a job. but i got the degree because that's what i was interested in. i took 7 years b/c i was working full time and going to school ... and because i firmly believed in taking a class i WANTED in addition to taking classes the university said i needed. might have taken longer, but i was not in a hurry to get out in four years - i wanted to learn.
4. 7/10/08
  
  riverstyxxx
  
  That's the route I've been taking for a while now. I still haven't been able to make my mind up entirely either. But the important thing is it's NOT motivated by the need to get a job, so the pressure is off.
5. 7/10/08
  
  tonytovar
  
  Im in the exact same boat! Switched majors four times !
7/10/08

tonytovar

Haha, trust me, I'm using school as my marketing grounds lol You just dont know lol

[reply]
9/28/08

syamsulm77

doubt the stars are fire!
doubt the sun rise in the west!
but don't doubt the education as tool of liberation!

[reply]
9/29/08

janizarzagon

college degree is very important.

[reply]
1. 9/29/08
  
  SweetViolet
  
  Depends on the degree.
  
  I entered university at the age of 38 (having had a number of years of experience in the real world). For extra income, one of the things I did was work for a CV (resume) writing service. One of the things I quickly learned is that the kind of degree you have is directly related to your chances of landing a decent job. Business Administration (BComm locally), Accounting, any engineering discipline, Computer science, Math, marketing = job offers from corporations where you can grow a real career. History, Liberal arts, English, Philsophy = job offers from fast food and retail outlets.
  
  Having the wrong degree is as bad...if not worse...than having no degree at all.
2. 9/29/08
  
  bradhart
  
  There is value in having any degree, but having nearly 50K in debt for an English degree like my wife is a hard one to swallow when consider the marketability of the degree at the moment. in 1998 Liberal arts people were being hired by every sort of firm, but ten years later even six years managing a multimillion dollar business work is hard to find with only that degree.
9/29/08

footiam

Education is important.It needs not be college.

[reply]
9/29/08

ernestlobo

I'm 23 years old. I finished my bachelor college degree and now I'm a master student. One degree short of a phd, although technically, Im already a scientist. Why am i going to college? Because this world has become so competitive, in order for me to become a somebody in the field that I'm interested in, I have no option but to join the race.

If you have an ambition, and you want to fulfill it, you need to compete. For that, you need to get your college degree at the very least.

[reply]
9/29/08

arshad

things we learn in college are most important in our lives - its the college that decides our future !

[reply]
9/29/08

nadzri68

As long as one can read, write, communicate well...That is enough

[reply]
9/29/08

wehireu

Training in a profession is important. Also apprenticeship is important. Everyone should get some kind of training if they can whether it is a college degree, or a license as a plumber, both have their place.

[reply]
9/29/08

deejames

for me at least you stepped college that would be enough.. but if you really got all the sources and the eagerness why not? its just some of people cant afford education.. and imagine the the founder of google he is a college drop out! tsk

[reply]
9/29/08

calais50

One of the most important things I learned from college is independent thinking. Before I went to college, I was a little clone of my parents. Now I've truly found me. I also enjoy the social connections, social acceptance, and even sometimes respect I have gotten from my education.

[reply]
9/29/08

xmarks

In the U.S. the quality of our high school education is suffering, making more people go to college to prepare for their careers. With so many people going to college (in many careers) you need the college degree just to be on even ground with them.

If we dramatically improved the education k-12, many fewer people would need to go to college before pursuing their career.

[reply]
9/29/08

riverstyxxx

I finished Music Appreciation 101 with an A+, along with a letter of recommendation as having superior knowledge and initiative for tutoring. So, if anyone needs help with that subject, I'm always available.

[reply]
9/29/08

Onchong

I worked my way through college and completed it with flying colors. Diligence, discipline, and determination helped me reach this far.

[reply]
9/29/08

cranelegs

i did until alaska annie oakley (a.k.a. palin) helped me realize it might be highly overrated.

[reply]
9/29/08

daniel23

no its bollocks.

[reply]
9/30/08

Bayho

basically.. now and days going to college isnt really a choice.. i mean yeah we still arent being forced to go but i mean if you wanna have a good steady life and a stead career that you like.. you need a college education.. highschool just isnt cutting it anymore

[reply]
9/30/08

cooper

I agree with Penn and Teller's advice, but as around here at least you can't even get a job as a bartender without a college degree I think it is pretty important.

[reply]
9/30/08

poisonapplesauce

It is. I have a masters in business and finance and that kept me from being a starving artist. Right out of school my first job was 56,500 which is not high but it's better than some. Now that I am doing what I want to do, all I have to do is keep current on finance trends and technology and if I ever want to go back to working daily I will be all set

[reply]
9/30/08

gabgab

I believe a well-earned college education is already a quaranteed access to a good job, good life and good friends.

Believe me, earning an engineering degree was really really hard and I am so thankful to my parents for their support.

Why start at the bottom ladder of companies if a college education can leapfrog you to higher management positions ?

[reply]
9/30/08

luvikavi

I have mixed feelings about it, I've been in college for a while (changed majors a bit too much) but anyways, I think you need a college degree just so you can tell wherever you work that you went to college and you got a degree. Besides that, your employer really won't care. What really matters is your experience. Your degree is just what gets your foot in the door, or what gets the employers to take you seriously. My boyfriend's best friend worked at a community center for youths with drug addiction, but he couldn't continue working because the new management required a college degree, and he never did.

However, I doubt you use any of what you learn in the class in the work force. Getting an education will help you climb up the ladder faster I guess. My biggest pet peeve with colleges, well at least with mine, is that they make you take all these bullsh*t courses.

[reply]
1. 9/30/08
  
  gabgab
  
  @luvikavi
  
  yes, experience matter ... but how can you get one if you're not a part of the company first.
  
  There's a valid reason why IVY league graduates get the choiciest jobs ... they are what they are supposed to be ... well educated, hard working , creative and have resources.
  
  I would like to point out too that some people who did no go to college but went to technical institutes have created their own successes too.
  
  I agree with you that some curriculum courses are unnecessary and time consuming ...
2. 9/30/08
  
  luvikavi
  
  @gabgab
  
  you're right mostly. I know people that went to techinical institues that have great jobs also.
  
  good points though. It also depends on your field.