Is College For YOU?
Maybe Worthwhile for Some And Not for Others
What you are about to read below are some of the experiences people have told me about getting a job after they have finished college. Some got jobs easily whereas it was very difficult for others. But no matter what, going to college is a personal decision, and from what many people have told me the main reason why they got the job was because of not what they knew but because of who they knew who opened the door for them to get their foot in the door. However, some did get in based on their own merit. Paying off student loans is a big issue in this country and that is why many people push back marriage and family for at least ten years when part if not most of the loan is paid off.
Many of us while growing up were probably told how going to college and getting a degree would be worth it and our lives would be better if we did so. We also heard that getting a degree in valuable fields like STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics), medical, accounting and other fields, would pay better and it would be in our best interest getting a degree in those fields.
However, when you got to college, if your parents couldn’t afford it, you had to take student loans to pay the tuition. Once you got out, if you didn’t have a job waiting for you that paid well, your problems were just beginning.
Yes, reality hit you in the face like a gale force wind once your graduation party ended.
Moreover, once that interest started building up, you sink further into that quagmire of debt and cannot get out of it. Forget about marriage, buying a house or even starting a family. All those wonderful things in life, which are tied to the ‘American Dream,’ have to be set aside until you first get rid of your college debt.
Now, when I meet my former college classmates who never studied in the STEM field. some tell me that they wished they had had gotten a STEM degree, because they would’ve gotten a nicer job. But the sad reality is not everyone who studies in the STEM field gets a job in that field. Those who got degrees in STEM related fields, did get jobs in engineering. Some studied further and got masters degrees, and a tiny minority obtained PhDs. Others got jobs in mortgages, sales, management or in other unrelated fields. Some even joined the family business related to engineering or not. Some did not even get jobs in the field they studied in, but took whatever they could get to stay afloat. Also, just because some got engineering jobs, does not mean that they are earning well. The salaries are not as good as what they used to be. In today’s world, even engineering companies try to cut costs and that means paying low salaries.
Those who majored in history, English, political science, sociology and other humanities related subjects, became school teachers or got jobs in banks as tellers, or in mortgages or even went to law school. Others got jobs doing management, or got a masters in management. So, some non-STEM area classmates of mine did do better than those who have STEM related degrees. It made some people who slogged through engineering school wonder why they worked so hard, while those who majored in some easy majors and partied in college, got better jobs than they did. Some who got business and accounting degrees also got management or MBA degrees or became CPAs.
I had one friend who now works setting up cell phone towers and another is just starting as a freelance copywriter. Both of them did do not have STEM degrees, but they have a lot of student debt, that they cannot even think of getting married or buying a house until that’s all paid off. Another friend works for a moving company. Some college graduates until they get a stable job, continue working as a bartender or doing other jobs, which they used to do in college. Even after they get a good paying job, there is no guarantee that they will stay there. They are expendable. On a whim, the company can replace the American worker with a person to pay them a lower wage or even get a foreign worker on a work visa like H1B or L-visa and force the American worker to train their replacement at the risk of losing their compensation. There have been such cases with Disney and other companies, where American workers were forced to train their foreign replacements before they were given the boot. People who lost their jobs like this, also ended up getting divorced and having other problems.
When I speak to the older generation, those who grew up in the 40s and 50s and even in the 60s, they told me that in those days, once someone got a college degree, they were set for life. Life was simpler. No need for extra degrees or certifications. They could afford to have a house, get married, have a family with at least three or four kids. A single income was sufficient to keep everyone comfortable with the wife staying at home. In today’s world, even two incomes are not enough to make ends meet from what people tell me. Even if they have children, they elect to have maybe two or just three. I do see some families with seven or nine kids. But they live frugally and the bread winner of the family has a fantastic job that pays well.
Not only that, a college degree is not enough. Some companies need their employees to get masters degrees and then to get certifications. This adds to the stress the employee already has at work. On top of that, he has to add more stress having to go to classes after working a tiring eight-hour day and then after that, sitting in a classroom for two to three hours missing dinner with their spouses and kids. Not only that, missing important events in their children’s lives like ball games, school plays and other events, which means a lot to the children. This goes on for maybe two to three years (depending if the employee goes to college part time or full time) where the kids rarely see the parent who is forced to get this masters degree or this certification at the cost of losing his job. So he is held hostage by the company, because if he does not get the advanced degree, he loses his job and then the family is out on the street. This may also cause a myriad of health issues due to stress and lack of sleep, and not to mention a strain in the relationships with the spouse who has to put up with not seeing the one who is always away. Even when the spouse is at home, he has to study to pass his exams with flying colors. Honestly, most of the things the companies want you to learn can be learned on the job. One need not go to college to learn them. What you learn on the job and by figuring out on your own is better than sitting in class, tired, bored out of your mind wishing you were somewhere else. Many people just want to be with their families and to make memories. Families are what builds a stable society. Today’s society puts so much emphasis on education and going to college while working, that they lose sight of the fact that there are adverse effects to all this, especially on the family. Some people age rapidly during this time. True, in some cases salaries may increase, but at what cost?
In some cases, the employee has to shell out money from their own pockets to get the advanced degree or certification. This is the money the employee could have used to take his family on a vacation, to buy something for them, or to probably have invested for the future. Someone I knew when he applied for a job was told to get a certification in a particular area, but he said he already has a similar master’s degree concentrated in that area, which obviously is higher and they said no, he would still have to go and get 18 credits to be certified. Moreover, he would have to pay for it, and he did not have the money. He refused. One of my former bosses told me that her younger sister had more than 30 years of experience as a nurse. At the facility where she worked, anybody with less than 30 years of nursing experience had to get a master’s degree in nursing or they would get fired. She of course was not required to because she had more than 30 years of experience.
What frustrates some young people is that when older people don’t understand their problems. Many older people still think how things used to be in 1953 or 1969, when houses were cheaper and college tuition was lower. In those days, it was easier to pay loans back much faster. They make the younger generation feel guilty for not being able to do it like they did it when they were young 50 or 60 years ago. If they are indeed old and wise, then they should understand that times have changed, prices have changed and the world has changed, and instead of criticizing the young, it is good to give them encouragement. They need good advice how to get through this current predicament, not made to feel how useless they are. Also, they must understand that most people cannot afford a house now, because most of their salaries goes in rent and by the time rent is paid, there is hardly any money for food and other basic necessities. Also, stop telling them to take any job even a labor job. If they are in poor physical condition and cannot do heavy labor work because they have a bad back due to an injury or due to a congenital defect, what is the point in exacerbating the problem and making them going to doctors and spending more money fixing it or being in a wheelchair later in life? Older people should think before they give stupid advice to younger people who know their circumstances best. Also, taking any job and working in a place where people cannot appreciate you because they know that you are better educated and treat you differently/badly because of that, ruins your mental health.
People often tell me that they know people who went to a trade school and got a job as a plumber where they can make $28/hour. They can now afford a house, get married and start a family in their 20s. while their college educated peers cannot do the same due to mounting student loan debt.
Another complaint I’ve heard from students who graduate is that when they apply for jobs straight out of college is that, the companies refuse to hire them as they have no experience. Of course, they have no experience because they have just graduated. Even for entry level jobs some companies ask for 3 to 5 years of experience. They want students to get that experience through internships, or co-ops, which of course only few get selected every year. So not everyone can get that experience while in school. If they are not hired, how do they get those 3 to 5 years of experience? Boggles the mind!
Another reason why people don’t get hired is they have too much education, meaning they are OVERQUALIFIED. Yeah, some have been rejected being hired for his dumb reason. Some people just want to get their education out of the way, and so go directly from their undergrads to grad school and then look for a job. They are qualified, but have too much education. Probably the managers are worried that the person they’re hiring will one day take their positions or may want a better salary or may get bored and leave. So best not to hire them. Therefore, the poor applicant has to look for another job elsewhere after going through the interview process, which was a waste of his/her time. Also, if the applicant was already working a job just to put food on the table, and this particular company had multiple interviews and the applicant had to make up some excuse to go for the interviews, he was putting his current job in jeopardy.
Another reason why people don’t get hired is because the companies want to hire someone internally and just to satisfy the Equal Opportunity Clause, they give outsiders a chance to apply, interview them and then say sorry, they found someone else.
Therefore, is going to college worth it? I guess for some it is. But it is not for others. If you want to go to college, then go. But if you have loans, then try and get a good job, or start saving if you know you are going to have college loans. If you have the option to live with your parents, then do so to save money on rent. Most of a person’s paycheck goes in paying rent. The wisest thing to do is if your parents allow you to live with them rent free, then take advantage of that opportunity. I know it will curtail your social life or intrude into your privacy, but maybe it will be for your own good and keep you out of trouble. Also, if you date, find someone to date for marriage, not someone who will just date you to waste your hard-earned money and then dump you. Same with friends. Find friends who will help lift you up, not who will make use of you and waste your money and then dump you when you cannot fund their drinking binges or partying ways. Remember you are also expendable. Therefore, also, live frugally and cut costs whenever and wherever you can. Eat healthy and buy things on sale. Remember the old adage- ‘money saved is money earned.’ In that way, you can pay off your student loans, buy a house, get married, have a family and live the American dream.
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