If you could start again, would you make a different decision regarding college?

[Liberal_in_LA]

Knowing what you now know about life, (this suck-ass economy, foreign competition, student loans) would you make a different decision? If you could go back in a time machine or wave a magic wand?

Another way to put it...what would you tell a young person finishing high school?

[vadawg]

1. if you had a scholarship or the military paying your way id say go for it

otherwise is the financial burden worth it, can you reap the rewards at the other end, are you going to end up with a degree in some obscure subject, $100k in debt working as a barista in starbucks.

[BlooInBloo]

2. Might have done a physics or econ minor instead of maths...

(but only if the econ minor included an econometrics course). Pure maths is fine, but I'm really an applied/modeling kind of guy.

Major was best of all possible, so really not any room for discussion on that.

EDIT: The notion of freely choosing to not going to college *at all* is, of course, simply laughable.

[Liberal_in_LA]

3. I hear ya. One does not always decide NOT to go to college.

[Stinky The Clown]

4. Different major

[OhioBlue]

5. I voted "other"

I went to College but didn't finish. I should have.

[get the red out]

6. I had no rational decision making ability at 18

So I got a completely useless education majoring in something that took me to a field I DESPISED and quickly got out of. I wish I had had some real guidance, or even just not been a complete and total useless idiot, so I wouldn't have squandered my opportunity. I regret this failure every minute of every day of my life.

[housewolf]

7. Other

I went for a couple years and then dropped out and went to technical school 'cause I was unfocused and unmotivated at college. I've regretted not finishing for a long time now.

[laughingliberal]

8. If I had it to do over again...

I would finish my degree in journalism. As it was, I was broke and switched to nursing after 2 years cause I needed to be able to find work right away.

[NYC_SKP]

9. I guess my Five Year Scholarship would be worth 10x what it was '78-'84.

I wouldn't change a thing, same school, same major.

[Liberal_in_LA]

10. your 5 year scholarship would be worth a gazillion.

[unkachuck]

11. I didn't go to college....

....but I would today....

....growing up in a blue-collar family, with a factory on nearly every corner in my neighborhood, there was little need for college....your family would/could pull you into plentiful good paying blue-collar jobs that allowed you to buy a home, raise a family and have a decent life on a single income....but those days and that America are long gone....

....unless you like being a walmart greeter (and there's nothing wrong with being a walmart greeter except for the poverty in brings) I would encourage you to get some higher level of education....even if you don't go to college at least pursue some higher level skills/trade that pays well and that can't be out-sourced to India or China....my Social Security check is depending on you!

[Blue_In_AK]

12. I went to college and do not regret my decision,

but I graduated in 1968, back when you didn't have to go into debt for the rest of your life to get a degree. I never directly used my psychology degree in my employment, but college was fun, and I still love learning new things. I became a legal secretary/paralegal, which wouldn't have required the degree, but I didn't know what my future was going to hold when I was 17 and contemplating continuing my education.

I have three daughters. My oldest, 37, has taken some college courses, but is not really pursuing a degree. Despite not having a degree, she has been very successful doing legal support work, and fronting a rock band with her husband on the side.

My middle daughter, 32, decided when she was 15 that she was going to be a lawyer, and she pursued that path, graduating from law school in 2003, if I remember right. Unfortunately, her student loan debt is huge. She has worked for prestigious law firms in LA on important cases and done steller work, she makes a lot of money, but now she's started a family, and she wonders if it was all worth it. She wants to move with her husband to his homeland of Australia and be a full-time "mum," but the debt is a weight.

My youngest is 24. She is very, very smart, especially in math, but didn't have any idea what she wanted to do with her life when she graduated from high school in 2004. She got a scholarship to UAA that paid her full tuition (not including books), but she didn't want to live at home. After one year of carrying a full load (a requirement for the scholarship) and working 40 hours a week to pay her living expenses, she'd had enough of college. She got a job with our credit union, and now works in the special credits department. Now she's starting to think that maybe she should take some classes and become a CPA. The credit union will reimburse her for any money-related classes. I'm encouraging her to take that path.

The point being, I guess, that everyone has to find their own path, but I think getting an education is a mixed blessing these days. Forty years ago there was really no downside if you wanted to go to school. These days it can be a huge burden.

[Juche]

13. I'd do a double major

A BS in a scientific field is cool and all, but I wish I had done a double major and done a BA in a field that would've offered me a high level of life skills and opportunities for personal growth.

Some of the best stuff I learned in college wasn't related to my major. Sociology, psychology, gender identity, philosophy. I wish I had taken more classes in logic, critical thinking, interpersonal communication, psychology and fields like that. I ended up taking over 70 credit hours of chemistry, biology, math and physics to fulfill my major but I wish I had taken more humanities as well. More classes that offer me life skills and information that would make me question my values and assumptions about myself and the world.

I would've double majored and done a BA in a humanities field along with my BS in biochemistry.

[SoCalDem]

14. I would go to class, party less, and would not fritter away a full-ride scholarship

:)

[StarfarerBill]

15. Boy, howdy...

If I had it to do over again, I'd have followed my mother's urging and gone to college.

Kids, if you have the opportunity to go to college, take it; whether you can use the degree to get a job or not, the knowledge you gain and the honing of your thinking and perception skills will benefit you for the rest of your life.

[Juche]

19. Yes they will

I do not know how much is cause and effect, but college graduates have higher voter turnout, smoke less, have better health, lower unemployment, understand civics better, etc.

Either way, I know the person I was in 2002 (when I started college) and who I was in 2007 were totally different. And I do not think I would've grown like that had I been working in a job.

Totally worth the 25k in debt.

[Okie4Obama]

16. Regret majoring in History.

Should have stayed with Computer Engineering and pushed through the physics/calculus classes. I'm real friggin' marketable with a history MA, oh yeah.

[The Gunslinger]

99. I'm in the same boat...

[tonysam]

17. If I had known then what I know now about public education's filthy politics and culture,

I would never EVER have gone into a master's degree, first licensure program. What is worse is I was a non-traditional student who received my master's when I was 45. As I have written on DU many times, I was wrongfully terminated which means my teaching career is over for good.

Now I have to retrain--AGAIN--at almost 55 years of age and have NO money to do it.

[vadawg]

42. if you were wrongfully terminated do you not have redress for that via the courts

or the board that came to that decision?????

[tonysam]

83. Yes, I do have redress. I am looking right now for an attorney.

But meanwhile, it is the pits out here. I can't work in any teaching job ever again as long as that shit is in my file. And even if I prevail ten years down the road, who would ever hire me in public education? If you file a lawsuit, you are blackballed. If you don't file a lawsuit, you are blackballed. You can't undo a wrongful dismissal in terms of licensure or revealing terminations, even if they wrongful and the district was totally negligent. You have to reveal it, even if they are in the wrong.

[Chan790]

18. Other.

Still go, same major, DIFFERENT college.

[Deja Q]

20. I wouldn't have done IT...

Some badmouth Americans for wanting money. Maybe they'll wake up and realize money is like, you know, needed for survival?

[phasma ex machina]

21. Still go. Same degrees. Same everything. nt

[SmileyRose]

22. I started - didn't finish - it was the money

If I had it to do again I would not have gotten married. Life would have been seriously hard that first 10 years out of high school but the last 15 years would have probably been infinitely better - economically and emotionally.

[kwassa]

23. I'd go to a good university instead of art school

Why stay in college? Why go to night school?
Gonna be different this time?
Can't write a letter, can't send a postcard
I can't write nothing at all
This ain't no party, this ain't no disco
this ain't no fooling around

[1]

24. yep. screw my phd. i'd become a plummer...

[dysfunctional press]

25. if i had a chance to start over, i'd definitely have done things different...

education was never my problem, so much as a total lack of self-worth.

[TexasObserver]

26. I went to college and wouldn't change anything about my decision

[juno jones]

27. Doesn't matter.

If I had become an art teacher or a graphic artist I probably wouldn't have a job now and would be dusting off the cooking chops. This way, I never left. And when all is said and done, I'm probably doing better for it.

Then again, there were a few of us back in the eighties who knew this shit would go down sooner or later. Hindsight is always 20/20.

[riderinthestorm]

28. MIxed bag here. Not sure.

Went for a BS in computer science from University of Illinois, got an MBA from U of Chicago (very prestigious). Started own small biz (actually still doing exactly that as it has always been successful). When economy went sour last year I thought I'd see if I (we - my husband and I) could diversify and I should get a position "off farm" to make sure we could ride out the downturn.

No way. 10 months of searching. Nothing. No problem as the business hasn't suffered an iota but being a worry wart, I'm still keeping on, keeping on. But clearly, web design and an MBA (and over 50) mean squat. I did all the "right" career choices for my era. Instead of pursuing my natural inclinations and desires. While my small biz is doing fine, that doesn't mean I've gotten a great deal of joy out of it. It works, I'm good at it. So.

So my daughter majors in archaeology. Medieval archaeology. She's pursuing her PhD now. Happy as a clam. Will she be able to score any more of a job than I in 25 years? You can denigrate "medieval archaeology" but in Europe and elsewhere it's a serious business - you can't even start construction of any kind (roads, housing, building etc.) without an archaological dig... even bachelors degrees are hired in the EU (and via me, she is an EU citizen).

Someimes college is all about fulfilling yourself. Sometimes it's all about the money. I'm not sure either path is correct at my stage of life. But being happy and fulfilled about pursuing your life's dreams means a hell of a lot more than naught. There are those rare few who succeed at their dream. Why would anyone cut off college as potential path to that dream?

[HughMoran]

29. One choice I've never regretted

I love my profession.

[csziggy]

No vote here - this is something that gets me very conflicted

I graduated from college - I have great parents who worked their butts off to send all four of their daughters to college so we had a good start in life with no debt. But I originally did not want to go to college, I wanted to go to a equestrian school. If I had done that, though, I would be a completely different person. Most of my life decisions would have been different - I would be living in a different state, would not have met my wonderful husband, would not have the farm I love, etc. And although I really have not used my college degree, the knowledge that I gained, the people I met, and the experience enriched my life.

I WOULD advise a young person finishing high school to go to college if they had the opportunity to do so without going deep in debt and if they had the ability to do college level work. One thing about doing it now is that delays their entry into the job market. Hopefully, for a high school student graduating next spring, by the time they would finish college the economy would be better.

On the other hand, if they would get out of college with massive debts, I would be cautious. Student loans can be crippling and for a student who does not have their own drive to go to college it may not be worth it to them. Some kind of post high school education is probably good, but that is an individual decision that has to weigh interest, drive, and financial situation.

[Liberal_in_LA]

51. You have used your college degree. Every college grad has used their degree

You describe how the degree enriched your life... Maybe we have to remember that a university education's purpose goes beyond preparing one for a career. Women were sent to college long before women could have careers.

[csziggy]

57. I never worked in the fields that my degree prepared me for

I would have done better to get a business degree (:puke: ) or a law degree. But yes, my library science/anthropology double major did enrich my life.

My father's mother and her sister both had college degrees and both worked - my grandmother worked until she married (translator during WWI) and her sister worked all her life (Oberlin College assistant professor). My mother had several aunts who became nurses and who worked most of their lives. Female friends of our family more often than not had college degrees and careers - here is the kind of woman my parents have as friends:

HAZEL BOWMAN - Authority On Polk's History Dies At 92
By Eric Pera
THE LEDGER

Published: Friday, October 16, 2009 at 10:49 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, October 16, 2009 at 10:49 p.m.

MULBERRY | Hazel Lois Bowman, a teacher and social worker whose keen interest in genealogy fostered a passion for local history, driving her to chronicle Polk County's patchwork of cemeteries, died Oct. 12 at her home in Mulberry. Her death, at 92, was caused by complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, relatives said.

<SNIP>

Bowman was born and raised in the once thriving town of Brewster, built to house phosphate mining workers, like her father, in south Polk. She received her bachelor's degree from Florida State College for Women, the predecessor of Florida State University, and was editor of its newspaper. A feisty intellectual, Bowman considered a law degree, but antagonism toward women motivated her to switch to the University of Florida's English department, where she studied until 1939. She returned after World War II to earn a master's degree in English.

During the war, Bowman worked with the Army's code-breaking operations. Between 1942 and 1945 she was a recreation officer for the American Red Cross in India, helping to stock and run clubs for American GIs.

After earning her master's, Bowman worked a number of jobs, first as a teacher, then a registrar at the University of Tampa and Towson University in Maryland. She even had a stint as an education reporter for The Tampa Tribune.

More: http://www.theledger.com/article/20091016/NEWS/910165071/1134

{NOTE: Mulberry is the same small Florida town where the murdered(?) census worker was from.)

So in my family, college degrees for women were never considered decorative - and not doing exceptional things with the knowledge from that degree is considered failure. At the very least, by my family standards, I am an underachiever.

[XemaSab]

30. I went to Humboldt State U and majored in Soil Science

There's a LONG ways to go before I regret my major. :smoke:

[Liberal_in_LA]

31. Do you mean Cal State?

[XemaSab]

35. Some of them are CSU *blank*

and some are *blank* State University. These are both in the CSU system.

Then there's University of California at *blank*

It's Humboldt State University, which is part of the CSU system, not the UC system.

:shrug:

[Liberal_in_LA]

49. I'm familiar with the CSU system, just checking because you called it Humboldt State U.

I'm used to hearing them referred to as Cal State *blank* like Cal State Northridge

[Duer 157099]

80. I've never understood which got the op to opt out of the CSU designation

But I do know that some of the CSUs are "* State U's"

We have SSU (Sonoma State University) up here and it's a CSU.

:shrug:

[DU GrovelBot]

32. ## PLEASE DONATE TO DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND! ##

This week is our fourth quarter 2009 fund drive. Democratic Underground is
a completely independent website. We depend on donations from our members
to cover our costs. Please take a moment to donate! Thank you!

[debbierlus]

33. Go to jr college for the first two years and save yourself a ton of money

Unless you have received a full scholarship, don't waste your money at a four year school.

Go to a jr. college and then transfer. When you graduate, you will still hold a four year degree from whatever four year college you choose.

And, if you really don't know what you want to do or need time to figure it out, a two year college with liberal arts basics will get you a foundation education. You can choose a major when you finish or take some time off and work.

My son skipped college and went into food services and he is a manager of a supermarket department at 22. He is making very good money for his age. In these times, college can be a financial liability, if you aren't specifically training for a field with job opportunities.

[Liberal_in_LA]

50. Community college system isn't a cake walk these days: The essential courses are jam packed.

It's a competitive process to grab a seat in the courses needed for transfer to a 4 year.

[Phentex]

76. My advice was going to say the same, but for me back then...

I should have taken the scholarship to go to either the junior college or the lesser known 4 year school and then transferred. But I didn't and ended up with more debt than necessary. I don't doubt this advice would be different for someone today but I wish I could have understood it way back when.

I loved shool, though, and I don't have any lingering regrets.

Today, I always tell people to go where the money is.

[HughBeaumont]

96. That's what I did. Was able to switch majors in the 4 year and graduated debt free.

I still liked my major, although I wish I would have found something more marketable.

[uppityperson]

34. Went, would go again w/same major, but would take a yr off first to work and travel

See and experience the world outside my parent's house and school structure.

[laundry_queen]

36. Other.

I went for a semester and a half then quit. I got sick with some weird virus (I cannot remember what it was called, my dr did a zillion tests to find it) and fell too far behind, so I quit. Soon after I moved to a different town to live with my boyfriend (ended up being my dh). If I had to do it over, I'd have stayed in, somehow. Maybe cut back on courses. I'd for sure have picked something different. I was going all out in sciences, and picked more than a full course-load, plus lab time and had practically zero free time. To top it all off, I was doing it all in French, not my first language even though I was fluent, because of the gov't grants I got for taking it in French. I would have done it all in English for sure if I got a 'do over'.

I really should have gone for some sort of career counselling. I picked sciences because my parents pushed me, they thought I would make a ton of money (That was always their goal for me - other career ideas were put down with "you'll never make money with that"). I liked sciences, and was good at it, but it wasn't 100% my passion. Now I'm more aware of other choices, that I didn't even know existed back then, because of everyone (teachers too) pushing me toward science. Yep, should have gone for career counselling. D'oh.

[The Midway Rebel]

37. College? Get it over with when you are young.

It is very difficult to go back as a working adult, as I did. A formal academic education opens doors and opportunities that will not be opened otherwise. These days, a BA is equal to what a high school diploma was 30 years ago. College is only getting more expensive, get it over with.

There is not much future for labor in America. Blue collar labor has been on a down hill slide since 1980. Do something that helps people, you will be happier for it and the world will be a better place. Material desire is an illusion, your gift is time in this place we share, spend it wisely.

If you want to be a Social Studies teacher, learn to coach sports. If you want to teach, learn everything you can about science and math, maybe pick up a foreign language.

Be prepared to eat a lot of turd sandwiches and be sure to have fun!

[exboyfil]

38. I have enjoyed engineering but I would probably have

done better in my career in a job which required less mechanical aptitude but with similar computational ability. I very much enjoyed Finance in my MBA courses, and I think I would have enjoyed a dual Actuarial Science/Finance major doing Financial Engineering.

[Fuzz]

39. I commuted. If I could go back I would not have and taken it more seriously

at the time. My father promised he would pay, but I didn't want to put him in any financial problem, so I chose to commute. I shouldn't have.

[Swamp Rat]

40. I collect degrees

:D

[RedCappedBandit]

41. No fucking way wouldn't I go to college. nt

[DevinKline]

43. I would go to college again

But I would have picked a different major, at a different school, and later on in life. At 18 I had nowhere near enough life experience to make a well-reasoned, rational decision let alone one about what I wanted my life's work to be. Now, 12 years on, I have a much broader picture of the world and a better idea of what it is I want to do...and I imagine I will enjoy college a lot more next time around.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

44. different major.

Parents pushed me and said I could only get a degree in a hard science, thinking I could not get a job with liberal arts/English/fine arts or anything else I was interested in. The only natural science I liked was biology so I got a BA in biology (liberal srts school, did not offer BS).
They thought sociology and psychology were black arts, and not REAL science, because of their distrust of psychologists and counselors. You weren't supposed to talk about your problems. You were supposed to "get through it" or escape through alcohol or legal drugs.


Took aptitude tests which showed my interest overwhelmingly in art and music. Parents said those were not practical. I wish a counselor had pushed me a bit harder to do what made me happy.

If I had it to do over I would have gotten a BFA in painting at a state school, since my Biology never got me a job. Neither did my law degree which was five long years in GRIM WORLD.

So out of 12 years of busting ass in college and grad school, only 2 years were any good for a job (Court reporting associate's degree). I did that for years and got completely burned out from the mean people I worked with (judges, lawyers, even lying court reporters) and the general stress level.

I would have had the same success at getting a job with my Bachelor's degree (NONE) and had a much more fun time, because my strongest skills are creative.

However, I have not had much success selling my artwork. Have tried a website (not enough traffic), gone to boutiques (too full of stuff they can't sell), gone to craft fairs (not enough traffic, too hot outside), so I stopped displaying it anyplace but my blog.


(http://lavidacountry.wordpress.com)

[Liberal_in_LA]

52. Knew kids in college, mostly male, whose parents forced them into science.

One guy was told they would not pay if he majored in art, as he desired, so he majored in engineering.

I imagine that's why certain majors - museum administration, art history, etc... are heavily female. not so much parent pressure regarding the major...just my speculation

[Stargazer09]

112. Creativity is often underrated

When I was growing up, I was attracted to the arts (music, sewing, crafts, etc.), but my father pushed me away from them as much as he could.

Fortunately for me, I love science and math, but I had no guidance when it came to choosing a college and a degree. I ended up at the wrong school and in the wrong major, and I quit after less than a year. Needless to say, Dad was deeply disappointed, but he didn't have to experience the rampant harassment I suffered, nor the rape, nor the teachers telling me that "girls don't pass" their classes.

I'm going to be 44 years old next year, when I finally earn my BS in Liberal Studies. My oldest son, who will be 23 soon, is earning his BA degree at the same time. Definitely an incentive for me to finish!

What am I doing now? I'm a professional quilter. I'm not earning very much money right now, but I'm working on it. Above all else, I'm HAPPY.

As far as selling your artwork, have you tried Etsy?

[jdp349]

45. Still in college at NYU

I'm majoring in economics and business, not exactly sure what I'm going to do with it, but at least it's marketable. I have no interest in working in high finance or anything, and having been active in film in New York for about a year now and interned with some pretty big name companies in film and entertainment I'm considering applying to USC's two year film producing MFA program.

[hyphenate]

46. I went to college

for awhile, but I couldn't afford to stay in, because the frakking tuition to the college I went to was horrifying, and even between my parents and I, we couldn't swing it. My major, way back in the days of the early 70s, was Mass Communications, and in the state of Massachusetts, only two schools had it--one of which I went to.

Now, on the other hand, my fucking counselor told me to apply to a wider variety of schools, just in case I was "disappointed." I told her I wanted to go to UCLA, and she said with "my grades" I would never get in, so to stay local.

Well, surprise, surprise! I applied to one college, and got in without trouble. Just couldn't stay there, that's all.

Now? I would tell my old guidance counselor to shove it up her ass, and I would have not only applied to UCLA, but I would have been accepted, and I would be working in television now, without having to be a grunt as I was when I did work in entertainment.

When I first moved to L.A., I went to Pasadena City College because it was handy, and I was maintaining a 3.75 average, even while working full time. Amazing things you can do if you have encouragement, and not assholes who think they know better.

[Liberal_in_LA]

53. Guidance counselors can be horrifying.

[Iggo]

47. Went. Wouldn't. Student loans. (n/t)

[Withywindle]

48. Even with a BA ('92) I've never pulled in more than 36K a year in my life.

It was a tiny lefty liberal arts college in the Midwest. That's OK. I went to school because I wanted to be a writer, and knew that was not lucrative even in a good economy. (and when I graduated, the FIRST Bush recession, I knew it wasn't a good one.) I've done better than I expected! I've won journalism awards and had essays included in anthologies, and of course I'm still glad I went to college (full-disclosure: I had merit scholarships and didn't take on too much in loans. What loans I did have are now paid off, thanks to paycheck-garnishing back in the '90s :blush:)

The truth is, the years I spent in college were instrumental in making the best friends I've ever had in my life. 20 years on, I'm still in close touch with dozens of them. We spent so much time talking late into the night, we really learned each other, and didn't let go.

In my late teens and early 20s, I think I met some of the people I'll be growing old with. I'm an only child who's single with no kids and most of my extended family on another continent; when my parents are gone, these people will be all I have. And I'm OK with that. You can't put a monetary value on that.

[Liberal_in_LA]

54. You folks have some really interesting stories

[Withywindle]

55. Well shit I hope so! That's what I went to college FOR!

:D

[Raine]

56. Other ... I went but quit

if I could go back I would make sure I finished and got my degree.

[CTyankee]

87. I found an "accelerated degree program" at a small nearby college and finished there.

It took 2 years (I was working full time) and I finished at age 56.

I LOVED going back to school! It was wonderful. I was apprehensive at first but I decided this was what I wanted (and at the time I could afford it). So I just did it and I am so glad.

It took a "kick in the pants" to get me to do it. I didn't get a job I wanted because I didn't have my B.A. That was a lesson learned.

The program I was in was geared to working adults, not young people right out of high school. Classes were interesting and I was very well prepared with my writing skills, vocabulary and knowledge base. It was a real ego booster. I made straight A's and it felt just great.

I recommend it highly to you. You won't be sorry!

[Raine]

92. THANKS for the suggestion

I would love to go back, I'll look into it! :hi:

[CTyankee]

93. Good luck! Just remember, you know a LOT more than you think!

Don't let your fears hold you back...I even managed to pass a test in algebra (my big bugaboo about going back to school). It felt good to stare down a huge fear and succeed, altho I won't lie to you, it was tough for me cuz I ain't so smart in math...

[eShirl]

58. I would have gone to a vocational school instead of a liberal arts college

maybe then I would have managed to stay focused enough to at least get an associate's degree

[tabbycat31]

59. I'd go but to a different college and a different major

[Greyhound]

60. Different major and a different university.

In hindsight, it is obvious that paying exorbitant fees to take classes where I knew more about the topic than my "professor" was a mistake.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

61. I went and wouldn't change my decision

I thought I'd become an economist. Though it didn't work out, nothing wrong with a degree in economics--lot's of math and critical thinking, especially surrounding current events.

20-some years later, I've gone back to school--trade school. Glad I didn't go to trade school straight out of high school. :)

[Brickbat]

62. I wouldn't change anything I did but I do wish there wasn't such a push to rush from high school to

college. Taking a year off to work, travel or sluff off should be a more promoted option, IMO. Some kids just are not ready for college right after high school (I know several) and would do better to work a trade for a year, write a book, or whatever, if they can afford to support themselves or if living at home right after high school wasn't such a stigma. While I hope my children go to college, I make it clear to them that if they don't feel like they're ready or if they have a good plan to take a year off -- or if they want to screw college for now and learn a trade -- that is absolutely fine. Having a plan that works is more important than what that plan necessarily is, IMO.

[GoCubsGo]

63. Same degrees, but a different sub-field.

I would have gotten the same degrees, but I would have taken them in a slightly different direction. Instead of research, I would have gone into resource management. I also would have chosen a smaller school to get my M.S., and chosen a major professor that was actually interested in my professional development, rather than just having another grunt to do her work for her. I pursued what I was most interested in, with little thought about employment prospects. I was pretty naive back then.

My advice to a young person: Find out what you love, do it, but don't get too specialized. People won't give you credit for the other things you know outside of your narrow focus. And, be careful about who you choose as a mentor. That big shot you want to work under might not give two shits and a holler about you. That goes not just for learning the ropes of your field, but also for building networks. If your adviser doesn't care enough to nurture your education, they won't care enough to connect you with others in your field who will help you find jobs, advance your education, or connect you with anyone else who might benefit you and your work.

[marmar]

64. In hindsight, higher ed is definitely a racket, BUT.....

..... the personal growth and "finding oneself" afforded by college was the best....And it was the most fun and the best time of my life. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

[Paulie]

65. I didn't go until 16 years later

I joined the tech industry, and in the early 1990's, it was all about certifications. Getting those certs did a whole lot more than a degree. After the tech bubble burst, things changed. Having a degree is now a resume filter (if you don't have, even with 20 years experience, you get put in the circular file). So in 2006 I started community college, and should have my 2 year degree done next year. :) I know I appreciate the school work more now, and more than my fellow students (I'm sometimes older than my instructors). Learning is a continuum. No regrets.

[Nikia]

66. I would have majored in something else

Either engineering or accounting which would have been more practical or a liberal arts major like government where I would have had a higher GPA and felt confident about going to grad school.

[rollingrock]

67. No

I don't trust the university system in this country. they seem to be little more than overpriced factories for churning out business school corporate whores who run and control everything in this country, including the government.

[hfojvt]

68. one more here for different major

it was stupid to major in math an economics.

[tammywammy]

69. I wouldn't have messed around and actually gotten my degree the first time I went

Instead of finishing in a couple of years when I'm 31.

I'm a finance major, I wouldn't change that either.

[azmouse]

70. I wish I had gone to college.

I was planning on going to a small local college. In 1979 it would have only cost me about $2500/yr. But I came from a family where no one had ever gone to college... hell neither of my parents even finished high school. I had no support for my decision and no money to make college happen so I just went to work in a factory. I wish I had somehow found the courage (and money) to get an education.

[graywarrior]

71. I'm finishing my degree after many years of being a slacker

Best thing I ever did.

[Hatchling]

72. Knowing what I do today, I'd become a doctor.

I didn't think I was smart enough then, and by the time I figured out I was smart enough, I didn't have the money, grades or the stamina to do it. Also was too old.

I could have afforded it easily in the 70's and would now could see I could learn those heavy subjects.

[Hepburn]

73. Went to college and got what undergrad degree I needed for law school.

College was merely and means to an end for another degree.

I probably, however, would take more undergrad courses that were fun instead of a grind if I had to do it over again.

[Shagbark Hickory]

74. OTHER: Went but didn't finish. If could do over, would finish and become doctor or lawyer

recession proof professions.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

103. Lots of lawyers have been laid off and can't find jobs.

i have a Juris Doctor but no law license. I have looked for a job as a legal assistant for several years, and got ONE interview.

[skygazer]

75. I didn't go to college until I was in my 40's

Knowing what I know now, I would have stayed in high school and gone on to college but I was having a lot of tough family and emotional issues then and probably would have had a tough go of it.

Not that I'm not having a tough go now. It is a severe financial strain and I'm not eligible for any financial aid except loans which I am reluctant to take on. The job outlook is bleak, California's higher education system is falling apart and it's really hard to get the classes you need.

As usual, my timing sucked. :(

[Gregorian]

77. I would have asked for tutoring help.

I pulled myself through engineering without any help. And it nearly killed me. And I ended up barely understanding some of what I studied. I did try to find a tutor, but it seemed nearly impossible to find one. I gave up trying.

As a result, I am not nearly the engineer I could have been.

This is what I've wished I had changed about my college education.

[amborin]

78. sad that more people view college instrumentally, rather than learning for its own sake; part of the

"credentialism" curse that afflicts our sick, materialistic culture

[Quantess]

79. If college were more affordable,

then Americans wouldn't be so dismissive of learning for its own sake.

Of course students want their education to be valuable in terms of increased earning. How else are you supposed to pay off the massive student loans?

[amborin]

81. you are proving my point!

"of course students want their education to be valuable in terms of increased earning."

only b/c they are thinking in instrumental terms, not placing value on learning for its own sake!

they buy into our materialistic culture!

you are proving my point!

as for needing to pay off student loans: college has always been expensive; students have always had to work while attending college, and they've had to pay off loans over the subsequent years.

my hunch is people want money so they can engage in rampant materialism, moreso than concern for paying back student loans.

[Quantess]

82. This is a survival instinct, not materialism.

Maybe you haven't noticed the huge increases in tuition lately? Combine that with how hard it is to make ends meet, and many people reach the very valid conclusion that a college education isn't worth the price.

Now, if the USA gave a little more funding to universities, to make it more affordable, then learning for learning's sake would be a more attainable dream. But that isn't the American Way.

I'm sorry, but it sounds like you are blaming American students or would-be students for circumstances that are beyond their control. If people need to factor in "instrumental terms" in their education, it's because economic realities of their culture dictates it.

[amborin]

91. i'm blaming our sick, materialistic 'credentialist' culture!

not students!


where do you leap to that accusation that i'm blaming students?

the point is: if people valued learning for its own sake, it would be viewed as priceless!

what you are saying proves my point: people assess the value of their college education in terms of how much $$$ it will bring them.

you're saying "many pepole reach the very valid conclusion that a college education isn't worth the price." that means they are assessing it in terms of what $$$$ it will yield! proves my point


the instrumental thinking has to do with our sick, materialistic culture

this is a well-documented trend, by the way, namely that college students have become way more materialistic and instrumenally oriented over the decades

this mirrors the larger culture: people want more toys, bigger houses, more material possessions of all types

well-documented trend.

yes, tuition has increased. but that is only one factor

[Quantess]

100. You make some good points.

I wasn't trying to start an argument.
I just think that if people are "buying into the materialism" as you call it, it may be because they need to justify spending so much money.

I went to college because I really enjoyed learning, yet I felt pressured to pick a major that would result in a career. I happened to pick a very narrow health care major that turned out to be wrong for me. It really didn't pay all that great, plus I ended up hating it, and so now I'm stuck with about $30,000 in debt. Outside of this arcane profession, the degree has proven to be fairly useless. Ironically, I tried so hard to not get a useless degree, but that's what I got.

This country absolutely does not "value learning as priceless". In fact, it's the opposite. The USA doesn't value educated people unless they can help increase corporate profits. Our masters would rather keep the schools churning out barely literate wage slaves with poor critical thinking skills, who believe everything the mainstream media tells them.

[amborin]

102. i agree with you completely!

except for some of the stuff on the schools

schools and teachers get blamed for conditions that parents should rightfully be held responsible for

if kids watch lots of tv, aren't encouraged to read a lot, allowed to play video games, etc....this harms their learning potential...

but, you're right: schools are churning out tons of ignorant and intellectually lazy people; it's scary! that's how we would up with Bush in '04 (i know, many think the election was stolen; i don't think so; rather, i think the idiots voted for him)

[Political Heretic]

84. Went to college, wouldn't change anything about my decision - even the massive debt

I've never been rich, and never had family that could help with college - so I got both my BA and MSW by going into massive debt.

It was still worth it. Education is one of those things that I don't feel like power and privilege can take away from me, even while it exploits poor people in virtually every other way.

I'm very fortunate to be white and male - it helped a lot with my getting into and through college. That's not be "bragging" about being white or male, its me acknowledging the way some things beyond my control benefited me greatly while putting others at a disadvantage.

[sakabatou]

85. I would go to college but go to a different one.

The first one I went to sucked major ass.

[Vinca]

86. If I had it to do over again, I'd go to culinary school and become a pastry chef.

[noamnety]

88. Pricey art degree. Wouldn't change a thing.

Even when I worked outside of my field (intel analyst) the checkmark that I had a BA earned me higher wages. When I decided to go back to the arts, that degree got me the teaching job while I worked on my MA for my teaching cert.

I had a failed masters in communications (all but the thesis), and even that turned out to be useful though it was a money pit at the time. I get an extra pay jump for having a masters plus those 30(+) additional credits, and some of what I learned in that program is theory I teach to my kids now.

My original plan was to be a veterinarian, I didn't like the classes for that and switched to art as a freshman. I would have liked that job as well if I'd stuck out the schooling - I wouldn't have regretted that either if I'd gone that path.

[tigereye]

89. no, but perhaps I would have chosen a different grad program...

[cherokeeprogressive]

90. I chose not to go and do not regret that decision for a single minute.

I've been all over the world, done a great many things, and at the age of 48, am semi-retired. Once President Obama has saved the economy, I'll go ahead and retire permanently in the mountains of Southern California.

I'd tell a young person finishing high school to think about what kind of jobs will be the best paying and most secure in the future and do whatever it takes to ensure a seat at that table. If it means going to college, so be it. As for me though, I'm smilin' like the cat who ate the canary.

[ThatsMyBarack]

94. I'd go to college closer to home....

So I wouldn't have to live in a dorm.

That was a lonely existence, and the food was the WORST EVER! I still have bad dreams about leaving the comforts of home and eating bad food by myself in the cafeteria. :(

[lib2DaBone]

95. I went to college... If I could do it over.. I would go to trade school..

I wouldn't waste my time in 4 years of College. Although I learned to research the hell out of any topic and I got all A's and B's.

I would go to trade school for air-conditioning repair or electrical lineman.

You have to find an occupation the slimy politicians can't ship to China for a buck.

[liberal N proud]

97. I took me two attempts at college

I had to change my major after the first attempt which amounted to two semesters.

The second time around, I was matured by the first experience and knew how to manage the school with the college life.

There is more education to college than the books and professors. So much more and everyone should experience it. I cherish those memories from school as well as the education I received.

[Posteritatis]

98. My graduate degree was a trainwreck; would've taken it at the other school to give me an offer

Other than that, no regrets.

[RadicalGeek]

101. This is odd

In that a book I'm using as part of my therapy has a set of questions that relate to going back in time.

I'd probably have gone to a different college; realizing now that my High School left me ill-prepared for any top-tier college, likely wouldn't have taken me seven years to finish a 4-year degree.

I also would have majored in Criminal Justice or forensics, instead of Computers. Or just gone to a tech school (ITT, DeVry) and gone into network security.

[proteus_lives]

104. I'd still go to college but I'd switch to Professional Writing sooner.

[Joe Bacon]

105. If I could do it all over, I wouldn't have gone to college.

I still remember high school counselors telling me I wasn't college material. Made me so angry, I cracked the books and got my MA in Economics. I took out loans for undergraduate work, I was lucky to get a scholarship for the MA. Once I got out, I couldn't get a job because I had no experience. But those loans had to be paid back. I wound up doing construction work with my Dad to pay off the loans. Kept looking for work, time and time again people would tell me, no relevant experience. So I applied for Federal Civil Service and got a job that required only a high school diploma and I've worked my way up. My college degrees were a waste of time and money.

I played by the rules and realized that the only way people get ahead in America is when they lie, cheat, steal and backstab. That's the real education that matters. College is nothing more than a welfare system for Ph.D's!

[NNN0LHI]

108. When I graduated HS college was for professional people. Doctors, lawyers, etc.

No one I remember went to college for four years to get some low paying entry level position like it seems like it is now.

My daughter went into about 40 grand of tuition debt to get a business degree.

Now her "business" is changing diapers for the kids she watches. Thats the job a college education got her.

Her husband wears a suit at one of the major insurance companies that he qualified for after 6 years of college and accumulating huge loans and she makes more than he does.

Don

[NNN0LHI]

106. I did go to college and I am glad I did

Of course my employer paid for the tuition and books. And also paid me my hourly rate to attend class.

I would really like to do that again.

But I wouldn't get loans and go in debt for it though unless I was going to become a doctor, lawyer or other professional.

Don

[VOX]

107. I'd do it the same time, same way -- Art degree, but I also learned a TON about life...

I was fortunate enough to attend a state college when it offered high-quality, very affordable education; the faculty was hip and bright and liked their jobs; and the students actually had fun, on and off campus.

[raccoon]

109. I'd go back to the local community college and get a degree in secretarial science

or whatever they were calling it at the time, get an office job with state/local gov't, and retire after 30 years. I'd be retired now.

Or else I'd go to college and major in something else. Which presupposes that I'd have had some good career counseling. All I was ever told was to go to college and become a teacher. :wtf:

[TwilightGardener]

110. Different major. I actually went twice, two degrees, still not happy with

my career choices. Would like a third crack at school, but can't afford it right now--wish I could do it all over again.

[Efilroft Sul]

111. To paraphrase General Smedley Butler, "College is a racket."

And to paraphrase John Nance Garner, "Both of my degrees are worth a bucket of spit."

I wished that I would have taken an earlier interest in a trade, such as plumbing or carpentry. Both of my boys are ages five and three, and I will make sure that they have a trade education when they reach high school. They are not going to college for some degree that will have its work outsourced to another country.

The need for a Bachelor's degree has been the employers' great con game since the Vietnam War ended, and I was but one of millions who fell for that shit. Luckily, I paid off all my loans 11 years ago.