Thread: Is going to college a waste of time?

Update: Since gamergripz bumped this thread, I thought I would update where I am at now (even though most of you will have no idea what I am talking about because you never read the opening post haha).

1. In the interest of time, I am not playing lacrosse this year

2. We have an online program called k-12 or something, I am going to beg my counselor to try and set something up where I can take some of my classes online (like English and math) so I can have some more free time, don't think we do anything like this at the moment but maybe I could start it (hopefully). I just can't/don't want to do online school because I am a very social person and I don't want to loose friends and fun

3. If I for some reason were to start making enough money to support myself (for the future as well, house, food, etc.) comfortably, I will probably get my GED and call high school a wrap, I know I could find a college to get into if I told them I got bad grades in high school because I was running a multi-$X business instead haha, and if I don't who cares, the community college down the street will let me in no matter what and my parents are open to considering giving me some capital to run a business instead of spending it on a more expensive college

So that's where it's at for now, we'll see how things go

Hey Mike, we were faced with similar questions not too long ago. Apparently most if not all of the people replying to your thread are older. Without addressing the fact that the education system and society in general are now broken, there are other options available today that weren’t available 3 or 4 years ago. First, you don’t need to make those decisions now, because you can continue your education at any time. Most people go to college when they’re young because they are pressured into it by their family, or because they are led to believe that it is the only way to amount to something.

As far as HS goes, not only can you supplement or even completely replace your classes with online courses, you can start college now, part-time or even full-time. Study up for the entrance exam, pass it, and you’re in. Your credits can be applied to your HS credits as well. Some colleges even sponsor their own charter schools specifically for HS kids, where you get your Diploma and Associate’s Degree together.

A High school Diploma has absolutely no value today. You don’t need it to go to college or get a job or anything else. There are no real penalties if you don’t complete HS, however, a GED will look bad on you because it, in and of itself, suggests that you defy acceptable social norms. If you don’t complete HS, and feel that you must have a diploma later, you can simply go to college and convert your Associate’s Degree to a HS Diploma.

Undergraduate degrees are no longer valuable. With CLEP you can test out of most if not all of the course credits for your Associate’s, and you can test out of all the course credits for as many Bachelor’s Degrees that you wish. Post graduate degrees are the only ones that have any value and even that is changing.

If you already have real-life skills, turn them into a business. Go to college later, when you know what you want and why you want it (maybe a degree won’t be what you want, or maybe you discover an interest that just can’t be learned outside a classroom environment, or just simply go to party and catch one of those fine ass girls that are only there to get their MRS... Yeaaa).

You'll get out of college what you put into it, like most anything else in life. I'd think HS grads might be better off working a year or two, or pursuing entrepreneurial endeavors first. Then hit college a couple/3 yrs later. I guarantee there will be many many more motivated students and a lot more studying going on.

Originally Posted by 2KidsinUT

Hey Mike, we were faced with similar questions not too long ago

You guys are going to have to make 2 separate accounts, this we thing is going to drive me nuts, just be KidInUT1 and KidInUt2 if you have to haha, you remind me of those twins in the social network movie

Originally Posted by 2KidsinUT

a GED will look bad on you because it, in and of itself, suggests that you defy acceptable social norms

I shouldn't defy social norms when appropriate?

Originally Posted by 2KidsinUT

If you already have real-life skills, turn them into a business

Exactly what I was thinking

Originally Posted by CommonCents

I guarantee there will be many many more motivated students and a lot more studying going on.

We agree. Motivation comes from doing things you really want to do. There's nothing to be motivated about in college until you know why you want to be there.

Originally Posted by Mike39

I shouldn't defy social norms when appropriate?

Don't get me wrong, disrupting the status quo is my sole mission in life. I think the social norms should be defied often. But it should be done intelligently.

A GED doesn't show defiance in an intelligent way. Instead, it leaves the impression of irrationality. Like for instance quitting school for a mindless reason, then copping to the easy way out only after you realize you harmed yourself. In other words, it is socially acceptable if you quit because you felt you got the most HS had to offer and you decided to launch your own business instead... you had a plan, that although might not be the best route in some people's minds, but is at least rational considering your age and experience. If your endeavor fails, you know you can just pick up where you left off by going back to school, or you move forward, by converting college credits to your HS diploma. It's rational and intelligent, if you know what I mean.

Originally Posted by Mike39

Exactly what I was thinking

That was the choice we made.

Social norms are for mediocre people.

Kick ass on a standardized test and get a scholarship?

Go to a lesser school and get a scholarship?

There's no reason you have to do 100k in debt. You've got the rest of your life to work on businesses. Going to school isn't going to "set you back". You'll get an enjoyable experience. In the end life isn't about the amount of money, its about your experiences. Don't forsake one because you're in a hurry.

Not to mention, if you find out you're NOT an entrepreneur(which many people aren't) it gives you a nice fallback!

Side note: You may find out you're interested in academia / intellectual pursuits. If you want to write papers on physics, you do need a PHD in it.


College may not be for everyone, but I wouldn't give up my years for anything.

LMAO ZDS. I would give up my 4 years just to square away the 4k I have left on my loan.

Originally Posted by Kak

Social norms are for mediocre people.

What?

Wow, I knew there was a debate as to whether or not going to college is a waste of time these days, but the poll results are absolutely overwhelming. Over 70% of people think going to college is a waste of time. That is staggering. If you asked the same question 10 years ago I'll be the results would be diametrically opposed.

It's more of a waste of money than a waste of time.

Originally Posted by ZDS

Kick ass on a standardized test and get a scholarship?

Go to a lesser school and get a scholarship?

There's no reason you have to do 100k in debt. You've got the rest of your life to work on businesses. Going to school isn't going to "set you back". You'll get an enjoyable experience. In the end life isn't about the amount of money, its about your experiences. Don't forsake one because you're in a hurry.

Not to mention, if you find out you're NOT an entrepreneur(which many people aren't) it gives you a nice fallback!

Side note: You may find out you're interested in academia / intellectual pursuits. If you want to write papers on physics, you do need a PHD in it.


College may not be for everyone, but I wouldn't give up my years for anything.

I wouldn't give up my time at college for anything either. Heck, the 10 years after I left I kept wanting to go back. The partying, girls etc was MORE than worth the cost of admission. Thinking back on it I STILL wish I could go back and do it all again, it was fantastic!

Well I just got my university place confirmed and I am glad to be getting away from home and going to London. So much opportunity, people to meet, things to do. I live in a village in a rural county right now and I need the change of an environment.

Originally Posted by Mike39

Hey, my name is mike, I am 16, and I'm finding myself with very limited time as I go to high school from 7-3 Monday through Friday, on top of that, I play high school lacrosse after school every day that runs from 3:00-6:30 and sometimes have 2 hour games on weekends. To finish off my night, I have a couple of hours of homework and am currently learning how to code, all in all I usually go to bed around 12-2 just to start the process again at 6 the next day. On top of all that, I work selling coupons door to door on the weekends in an attempt to get some start up cash (I'm pretty good and can make around $200 for 3 hours of selling!). There is a question that I have long tried to avoid but it seems to be entering my mind more and more recently, the question is: Would it be beneficial to drop out of high school? I get good grades and am very smart, I could most likely get into a pretty exclusive private college. I really want to start my fast track now, not once I get out of college, I am a quick learner and am very "entrepreneurialy" oriented and I truly believe and know I could make it big without furthering my IN SCHOOL education. If anyone has gone through this or just has any advice I would love to hear from you.

Thanks, Mike

taichijedi had some really good points -- that there are entrepreneurs that took all routes, not going, going and not finishing, and finishing.

for me personally, i don't think it was a waste of time. it depends largely on which college you go to, and what you make of the resources. i'd personally recommend going to a public university over private. private tuitions can be 5-6x the amount of public university tuition, but i don't think it's the norm for private graduates to make 5-6x more than public graduates.

of course, not every college guarantees a cushy well paying job. do your research. what is the average salary of the graduating class? how many job offers on average do they receive? talk to people who graduated from the college, what do they do, what do they earn? what was their major? my school posted 60K avg salary for engineering and several of my friends in the graduating class made that if not more.

not sure where everyone is getting this magic number of 100K debt... went to georgia tech where it cost 0 tuition to go as long as you maintained a 3.0 GPA (for all GA residents). for someone that couldn't maintain a 3.0 GPA, tuition was 8K/year. some of the professors were CEO's of companies, and taking their class meant you could ask them any class or business related questions.. you could do COOP programs where you work one semester (PAID) and go to school one semester, giving you exposure to different industries/job roles. you could attend study abroad classes in different countries. college is different from HS, as HS you have to actually be at school 7-3, but college you usually take 12-16 hours of classes a week, giving you more free time to work on your business (assuming you don't have too much trouble with the course work). you can also take classes that you think might be beneficial to the business, like coding/marketing, etc. and instead of having to read a book and learn it on your own, you can talk to fellow students/professors/teaching assistants for guidance, which is nice.

yes, you can work BS jobs to help fund your business. but i find BS jobs exhausting & tiring (worked BS jobs for 7-8 years of my life part time). been working a white collar job for 5 years now, and to be honest i'm at work for 8 hours but only do "real work" for 5 hours. the other 3 hours i'm just at my desk surfing the web, reading books, going through forums. and i find that i have more energy after a shift at a white collar job vs a BS job. not sure if you've ever worked retail, or restaurants, but being on your feet all day can get exhausting. if you don't have anyone supporting you after high school, i don't think there's anything wrong with working white collar to fund your venture until your business takes off. and let's say you take the entrepreneurship route and decide it's not for you, or you want to hold off until you have enough capital -- you now have a degree to transition to 9 to 5 temporarily if needed.

education is one of the most important forms of capital investment. I mean, it's really human capital. But the type of education matters in my opinion. The two different types being your traditional formal vs real world/street smarts/self education.

Unless you really want to pursue to go into a profession for which formal credentials are mandatory such as law, medicine, etc or rise up through the ranks of corporate/government bureaucracy, I view formal education past the basics a very weak form of investment in your own human capital.

"Is going to college a waste of time?" In a word NO!!! PLEASE don't tell people not to go to college! As entrepreneurs we need educated people! When I explain that water heated to 212 degrees farenheight turns to steam and expands to 1700 times its original volume or that torque on an object is affected by its distance from its pivot point so our spike trainer will not flip off it's mounting because a force of 150 lbs at one inch on the right side of the pivot point is balanced by a a mere 7.5 lbs twenty inches on the left side of the pivot point. I appreciated it when people undestand the physics behind it. Also I can design things simpler knowing general physics and make the product marketable and less expensive to manufacture. As product developers we need all the experiance and information our little brains can hold. One way or another we will get educated. I personally believe a degree may not be important but a broad and general understanding of the world around us only makes us better. And if you want to succeed you'll get a good education at a school from a book or hire someone who has one!! I prefer to know my subject to better make decisions about it.

Go to college. Learn. Socialize, exercise, party get laid. College is equally important for the education and social skill development IMHO.