Do College Degrees Have Any Value Anymore?

In the time of my parents, college degrees were everything. The people were obnoxious and sick to get their precious smart children to the highest education level they could afford.
Many years later, in my time, the same children grew up and couldn't find any job because of the economical difficulties so they were forced to leave their country and work abroad like common workers.
Now, what they can do with their degrees?

 

@NinetyEighty1 Yes of course college degree is very important both in professional courses and other fields. Having connections is very important whether you have college degree or not. But why college degree is very needful is even though you have connections but without college degrees, there are limits your connections would only be able to take you and cover you up and there are places without your college degree, your connection is going to be utterly useless to you.

Most times I know to pass through the college and it's stress in acquiring a degree is very tedious but it's something worth getting stressed over and getting because at the long run, you will definitely enjoy it more compared to the troubles you passed through getting it.

 

Yes, but in the current society in which we live college degrees are no more than conventions to remain well-seen in society. To be successful in life, you don't need to have one.

 

@annitha I totally agree with you. The degree nowadays is not valued as much as it was valued in the olden days. Each year lakhs and lakhs of students are graduating but the government is not creating enough job opportunities which makes them to work whatever job they get because of their financial crisis. It's a pity that the quality of the education is also not good and not valued for what we struggle for 4 or 5 years of college degree.

 

I would still prefer to have a college degree of some sort because studying in colleges and universities will open a different horizon unknown to you. You will meet lots of people especially those with similar interest like you do and so your sphere of influence will be broaden and you will discover great things you are not familiar with. If Mark Zuckerberg did not enroll for college, will he have created Facebook? Maybe, but it is in college where he met with these great people who eventually helped him create the most popular social media in the world.

 

@NinetyEighty1 I totally agree with you on this, most times one pass through college spending lots of money just to get a degree but end up staying years without actually getting any job at all. I actually have a a friend whom I have known to have stayed more than 7 years at home after attaining her degree without get any job. She has a degree in Banking and Finance but yet no job for me.

This really makes one to wonder, if it's worth getting a degree. I won't really blame it on the educational system but the government and it's authorities for their lack of provision of job opportunities for people with degrees.

As a result of this, today in my state people tend to focus more in establishing a business than going after degree in college. Some that really appreciate the degree combine their business with schools.

 

@harijobs I had an opportunity to see this and to feel this by myself. I never said I am sorry because I finished all the schooling my parents had in mind at the first place and that my education didn't get me anywhere, but when you see who and how exactly succeeded in life, you wonder why were you forced to 'get the job is done' when at the end there is no job, but only the disappointment.

 

@Heatman College degrees are still very much needed because without it when vacancies are available, then you will be termed unqualified to apply. It is true that the issue of high unemployment is now glaring in the current economic situations in many countries, but that does not mean we should all stop pursuing college degrees. If we are going to school just to get the certificate, then we are doing it the wrong way. Going to school should be about being enlightened about a certain profession and how to fit in if a vacancy arises from it.

However, there is need to have knowledge in other skills while we pursue college degrees such as learning some vocational works. The reason for that is if we fail to secure immediate employment on the profession we studied, we can fall back to using the skills we learnt to make money.

 

A college degree is important because it's an entry level requirement to jobs with decent salary. In many industries, companies will require both a bachelor's degree and experience for even the lowest office positions. It's a competitive world out there that even college degrees will not guarantee that you will find work but more so for those who decide not to pursue their college education yet aspire for jobs with high salaries.

Many college graduates fail to land a job because of their choice of course. A degree holder will likely face unemployment if his/her course does not match the current requirements of companies or employers. In some cases, the applicants will find it hard to find a job because they have chosen an already saturated field. Some college courses are too general and students take them because they're either easier than other courses or have no board exam. Choosing a college course is an important decision that can have a huge impact on one's future job prospects.

 

Of course college degree have their own importance for whatever you wish to be in your future life. The college in itself widens your mindset which motivates you to do better in your chosen field. You would always find a difference in between the work of a well educated person and the one with lesser. However, some people are naturally gifted but they are rare breed.

 

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In the above thread, I explained some different scenarios for three people, one being a humanities major, the second being a math or science major, and the last being someone with no schooling beyond probably high school. Note, in the 1st and 3rd, it was sort of noted that they would need to go the extra mile to get ahead. They have a good chance of landing nothing by simply putting out the resume. However, with the 2nd, they can get good jobs on graduation, but the struggle to get the degree is incredibly harsh.

Anyway, money-wise, and maybe I'm contradicting what I said in the thread, the humanities major might be the most expensive, as the degree must be paid for - and next, extra money is needed to promote the blog or whatever post-school project you're doing. However, though, I'm only guessing.

 

@Jason76 It could be an altogether different scenario in different country. Like a degree/post graduation/Doctorate in humanities is costs lowest in my country compared to a medicine/engineering/law/management unless you had extra ordinary marks at 10+ level, qualification exams and got a free college of top level. There are jobs at graduation level in my country but they are of the lowest standard so one has to complete at least masters or go for even higher degrees and a combination is considered a better qualification. Like an engineer with management or a business professional with law degree etc.

 

Of course, a college degree gives you an edge especially when you are applying for a job. Common people like us are not that equipped to compete with people that are gifted to be intelligent or artistic. We need to have that paper called diploma to prove that we are capable to perform a task. Plus today, employers prefer people who are not just street smart, they must also be book smart to be hired.

 

@NinetyEighty1 College degree is very important in every career one chooses. Not just for professional careers only, but also for non-professional ones. Being a comic book author without having a degree first might limit your height in life. Also, it might also makes one to lose some opportunities or miss the right people that would not been have lost if one is with a degree.

 

Of course it won't matter anymore when you're taking up terminal courses or short-term course like comic strip writer or artist. Nowadays actually degree courses are not on demand. Computer programming, graphics designer, among others are being sought by the technology companies.

 

@Nakitakona I think that the educational and school system is late behind the time.
The latest generation are not interested in the school or getting a degree.
Who can blame them.
It is obvious that the success and money don't come with the degree.