America's Most Overrated Product: The Bachelors Degree

This has to be the most depressing article I have read in a while, since I am going to college in Fall of this year.

http://chronicle.com/temp/email2.php?id=wWwv6kBkcTbYktwbjrJkskjtdhknjqvf

Basically, it says what a waste of money college is, and how a lot of people who go to college will neither learn important skills nor need a college degree for the work that they end up doing. Then it talks about how colleges really care more about research than teaching well.

The good news however, is that I won't be paying for college, since UH hooked me up with this thing called the Regents Scholarship, which fully covers my tuition for 4 years, and gives me a pair of $2000 checks every year. And the stats used in the article point to those who graduate in the lower half of their high-school class. Thankfully, I'm not in that group. Finally, I'm pretty sure I'll still be learning as I get my undergrad degree, although the article is probably right in saying that my bachelors will not be as important as my MBA.

...Maybe I'm just trying to block the article's points out of my mind. Or maybe the author is just being too critical of colleges.

Any wise words of advice from those who went to college already?

education is your important investment

You're not just going to college for a degree, you're going to college for the experience. You'll make life long friends and have experiences you never would have had if you did not go to college. And that piece of paper you get does make a difference. That will help you advance in your career in many instances. I certainly learned things in collge that I would not have learned if I didn't go. College is an important step to take and you will not regret it, as long as you are serious about it, which sounds like you are. Don't let that article discourage you.

Im just getting my associates, so this doent apply to me.

Kateri's right. College is definitely an experience.

I'm usually the first one to knock the bachelor's degree, since I don't plan on using mine anytime soon, but in reality, there would probably be no UU if I hadn't gone.

In college, I studied chem engineering and biochemistry. But it was during my freshman year that I realized that I loved making movies. I made my first video (long before the age of YouTube) with some of my friends from high school (including Ryan's brother). Ryan was studying web design in Oregon and offered to put together a website for my film where people could go to watch the trailer.

Flash forward a couple years ... when Ryan started coming up with ideas for websites that incorporated video, he came to me first because he remembered my film and how he helped us get it online. Ideas churned and bubbled, until The Underground eventually arose from the mist.

Now, putting together videos for Aldrine and UU is basically all I ever do. If it wasn't for college, I wouldn't be doing this. I wouldn't have found all you cool people, and we wouldn't be changing the world together. Period.

So call college what you want, but as long as you do what you do with passion, it all comes around in the end.

yeah, dun be discouraged at all. it sounds like your already on the right path, so stick with it. during and after h.s. i hated anything to do with school. while all my friends moved off and got the whole experience i jus stayed home an did my own thing.

now that im back in school, i couldnt be more sure about myself. i jus wish i hadnt fallen behind the curve, cuz i feel so old now. lol.

Basically, it says what a waste of money college is,.

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That depends on the student and how they use their time.

and how a lot of people who go to college will neither learn important skills nor need a college degree for the work that they end up doing.

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usually a person enters college in their late teens. How do you really know what you want to do until you are exposed to different things. That's one of the great things about college.

And the stats used in the article point to those who graduate in the lower half of their high-school class.

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...so consider the source of the findings. How much credibility are you giving the article?

.... although the article is probably right in saying that my bachelors will not be as important as my MBA.

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That's usually the case. A HS diploma isn't as important as bachelors, a bachelors isn't as important as a Masters and so on....


Most people who have traditional 9-5 jobs and are successful usually have a degree. I say MOST. There are always exceptions - Bill Gates for example. I agree that today's bachelor's degree doesn't hold as much weight as it did 20 years but for the most part, it is still important. Many companies use a degree as a weeding-out factor and won't even look at resumes unless you have 20 years experience or a degree.

As far as the college experience goes, Kateri is 100% correct.