Forum Post: Should you have become a tradesman rather than mortaging your future for a degree in women's studies or something equally useless?
Posted 12 years ago on Dec. 12, 2011, 10:17 a.m. EST by foreeverLeft
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Has society forced many people into college who should have never gone there? Would you be better off as a plumber or an electrician or a machinist?
The "everyone should go to college" mantra of the government is a slight modification of "everyone should own a home" mantra.
How'd that work out?
We would have had a crash with or without subprime. Foreclosures weren't just up on subprime loans. They were up across the lower 3/4 or so of the board. Along with record high consumer debt.
Subprime did artificially inflate the market. No doubt about that. But the middle class have been losing free and clear assets gradually for 30 years. They have been relying more and more on credit in order to compensate for a rising cost of living. Sure, we have been foolish as a society. Buying too much overpriced crap. But the key expenses have skyrocketed.
Energy, healthcare, finance, food, housing, and higher education. All way up. Much higher than core inflation. The record high profits went almost entirely to the richest one percent. They still are. Its very much like a game of Monopoly.
We were in big trouble with or without subprime.
amen. why does the BLS not include the most frequent purchases (food, fuel) and biggest (house + college) in inflation? they have red-herring justifications: first deemed too volatile, second too infrequent... and yet these are IN FACT inflationary and rapidly draining every penny from everyone. how we measure affects policy--measurement method of inflation badly needs revision.
Just because you've paid a tradesman more than you make an hour, don't assume that they are banking big bucks. You need an education to be able to succeed as tradesman.
Watch out... about all the moonbats will glean from your post is that you must hate women. LOL. The point about levering up for an idiotic major will surely be lost.
Regardless of what you study in college, it never hurts to learn a trade on the side. An acquaintance of mine has an MFA, but he makes a nice living building houses (I guess most artists don't get rich until they are dead).
being rich and dead really doesn't work out well.
Yeah, makes your kids happy though.
if you have any. dying , as a career move . some option.
colleges are getting defensive and spouting false manipulated statistics of how you'll make more $ if you "earn a degree." be careful in believing the hype they are selling you!! the debt is a bugger, you miss 4 years of income and the statistics DEFINITELY do not apply to everyone. i know many people who founded a company in the trades or restaurants in their twenties (when you can take more risk), then they grew the company or added restaurants and are definitely the 1%, which means they earn more than $344,000 a year. In fact, because so many are going the college/professional route--it may be easier to succeed and dominate the trades and other less glamorous ventures.
Everyone has the RIGHT to earn a good living without the hard work.. just like the bankers!!
That is the hidden message of OWS
A vital basis for advanced civilization is the production of practical, durable goods and better are those which serve honorable purposes of making life better for the human race. I know this isn't an answer to your question as I really know nothing of the described course's specific uselessness, so I just fired back the first random wackiness which came to mind.
My story in a nutshell... Detroit, mid 70's, REALLY hard times in Detroit. Dropped out of high school due to forced bussing. Got a job at a car wash for $1.00 per hour + tips (min wage was $1.65), Delivered pizza at night. Continuously looked for better work. Took my GED and passed (no prep classes first). Went through several more crappy jobs. At about 18-1/2, got a job at a custom wood shop, moved up quickly. 19-1/2 knocked up GF, got married at 20, and got an apartment on day one. Started doing side jobs, built good reputation. Bought 1st house at 23. Foreman by 24, plant manager at 26. Made 45k on the job and another 30k cash on the side. Bought 2nd house that same year along with a nice boat and 2 new cars. Started own woodshop at 30, hated it, lost it at 33. No bankruptcy, just liquidation. Owed IRS 30k. Started making and selling scientific equipment in my garage with $800.00 in start-up $. Continued woodwork side jobs and building equipment business. Got a divorce. Managed to keep everything, including house, and paid off all debt in 3 years. Continued to be very frugel, drove junkers while some friends and neighbors laughed. Moved company to larger building, now 5 employees. Continued side work. By 40, I was banking 3k per month. At 41 bought rental home in Detroit, fixed it up, found a good tenant, bought new car for cash. By 43, did very few wood jobs, concentrated 100% on equipment business. At 44, got remarried, sold rental, sold home, bought nice house with wooded 10 acres, bought commercial property nearby, built own building for company with help from friends and employees. Economy turned bad in late '08. Kept all employees, cut my wage by 1/2. Still drive same car and don't mind a bit.
College students want things both ways. They want to be treated as adults, but want to blame any failure from a decision on someone else. The line I was in at registration didn't have anyone with a gun forcing me to take a particular major.
You may end up earning more with a degree then without, if I'm to believe the statistics, but if you want to improve your chances, make it a degree an employer is willing to you pay for.
some people went to college who probably shouldn't have. Not enough women's studies jobs to go around. its their high school counselor's fault. everyone in my psych class who was a psych major said their counselors told them it was the easiest to get a degree in.
Blame your High School Guidance counselor, your college admission expert, your college advisor, everyone . . . . .anyone....... for not convincing you that you really WOULD have made an excellent Fry Cook or Delivery Boy . . . .so go home get A JOB, TWO JOBS, THREE JOBS . . .AND . . .please don't have anymore Babies you won't take care of . . . .