I have a formal education, and it was to work with my hands. Flying aircraft is a blend of mechanic, and operator. If you want to get hired for the good corporate pilot positions, its a HUGE advantage to know how to bend wrenches, and have the license to back it.
I think that many think that they can get a 4 year degree, and never have to get dirty again. I know MANY people with degrees, that work as tradesmen, by choice. My father is one of them.
Some people want an education, but realize that they rather not work in that field. Its still an advantage to have the degree. It never hurts to expand your horizions.
all the people that I know that didn’t finish college, now work for local unions in NYC. They bust their asses doing SHITTY manual labor. They can’t afford to move out of their parents’ houses and when the union can’t find them work, they do nothing.
All the people I know who graduated from college, got out and made at least $50k/year.
So fuck all the people that said, “Oh so and so doesn’t have a degree and makes more than anyone” or “If you work hard and stand out you don’t need a degree”.
Weird I know a lot of people who have 4 year degrees who don’t make decent money…Not just a bunch of “my parents paid for college and I fucked off” kids but a pretty wide spectrum of people.
The people that you network with in high priced schools is unreal, you have no idea.
You obviously haven’t applied to jobs after college yet since you haven’t finished. Many companies look for degrees from top tier schools, its right in the job ad.
Other than owning your own company I don’t know many Execs that don’t have at least a 4 year degree.
Most of the success stories from people who haven’t pursued higher education are from those who could network and hussle and flow well. Thats just life.
Shit I know a few people locally on this board that fit that description pretty damn well.
Education = tools. Do you know how to use it? Life is an education as well, you just have to know how to use it if that’s the route you take.
From the dummies(no degree) standpoint,I would have to agree with most of the views in this thread but it really is all in how you want to live and what makes YOU happy.
I know many people at GM(or any factory) that actually LOVE their job.They go in at 6am do a job they are very well at doing,know they will do it right and nothing hard is going to come at them.Get to go home at 2:30 and not think of the place until the next day.90% of the people on here would hate that.Not for me either.
People on here go to work at their engineering job thinking of ways to make something work or maybe work better.Some people would be like “man screw that I don’t want that stress/responsibility”.There are arguements from both sides and both sides are valid.There are days I wish that I could dress up in a suit and tie and go sit behind a desk and there are other days That I would hate it.
It’s all comes down to the “happy medium”.Doctors,lawyers,etc have to spend the first 8-10 yrs of “adulthood” maybe not having as much fun as other people their age but will probably be more “successful” and have a "better life"then them as well.On the other hand, a 21 yr old with an ok job who goes out every weekend and parties lives life hard will have much “better stories” when they get older.
It’s whatever YOU want out of life and neither is really wrong
I would rather have a happier 20-35ish than a successful late adulthood. Oh no, I better drop out of school!
In all seriousness though, money is all bullshit as long as you can support yourself. I could be just as happy working at McDonalds or JP Morgan as long as all of my bills are paid and I have food in my stomach and clothes on my back. If I make more, cool I have more shit to play with. It’s all a matter of perspective.
Oh, and I would rather work 40 hours a week at McDonalds than 80 hours a week at JP Morgan. What’s the point of making money if you spend your life working?
Holy shit, Thom said something that wasn’t retarded. :mamoru:
That’s very true, though. I just got a brilliant opportunity TAing / Researching for one of the professors at the forefront of corrosion science / cracking. Would I have gotten that at a smaller school? Quite eloquently put, no.
Press on. Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not. Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not. Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education alone will not. The world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
most people find their careers because of who they know and not what they know. any business is taking a gamble when hiring someone new and no matter how impressive your resume looks it doesn’t tell the employer anything about how good a worker you are. so they tend to rely more on personal connections when making their choice.
that being said, anyone is taking an expensive risk when paying for an education in a field they have no connections in. you may get lucky and find a connection through the school or find an employer willing to take a chance on you. but you will most likely end up working a job in an unrelated field because of some personal connection you have.
I personally took the safe route and followed my old mans footsteps. I put in my time working with my hands for a decade, Got promoted, and now have a nice cushy desk job making decent cash. I know I’m smart enough to succeed in a better paying career, but i guess I’m not much of a risk taker at this point :gotme:
That’s weird. Most of my friends don’t even try that hard either. They are CERTAINLY not over-achievers. It also goes past my friends though too. My cousins all went to college and got good jobs. My sister is a teacher, and has never been out of work.
Umm, what? How many connections does anyone really have when they graduate from high school/start college? “Networking” is a verb. You decide what you want to do and then you make it happen. You gain the skills you need, you make the connections you need. Sometimes that includes college, sometimes it doesn’t.
I’d say it’s a lot less risky to have marketable skills and credentials in the field you want to work in than to rely on who your Dad knows to hook you up.
