[ptatohed]

I suppose each profession is different but, at least for engineering, I never saw the need for an expensive education. I just wanted that piece of paper at the end. I lived at home. No loans. I started at a Jr College at $13 per unit and got all my General Ed out of the way. I transferred to San Diego State University where, at the time, it was about $900 part time, $1200 full time, per semester. Most of my semesters were 1/2 time because I was actually working in the engineering field at decent pay. It was a joke comparing real life to school. There is no substitute for actual work experience. Not sure I have ever solved a differential equation on the job!

I remember when I (Civil Engineering) went to SDSU, my girlfriend at the time (Electrical Engineering) went off to UCSD. She spent over 5 times per quarter what I did per semester. I'm pretty sure I make more money than her today.

But, again, I know it's profession dependent. I certainly wouldn't want my doctor or my dentist having the same attitude as I... cruising through med school just for that 'piece of paper'. 🤣

 

[Avedis53]

I suppose each profession is different but, at least for engineering, I never saw the need for an expensive education. I just wanted that piece of paper at the end. I lived at home. No loans. I started at a Jr College at $13 per unit and got all my General Ed out of the way. I transferred to San Diego State University where, at the time, it was about $900 part time, $1200 full time, per semester. Most of my semesters were 1/2 time because I was actually working in the engineering field at decent pay. It was a joke comparing real life to school. There is no substitute for actual work experience. Not sure I have ever solved a differential equation on the job!

I remember when I (Civil Engineering) went to SDSU, my girlfriend at the time (Electrical Engineering) went off to UCSD. She spent over 5 times per quarter what I did per semester. I'm pretty sure I make more money than her today.

But, again, I know it's profession dependent. I certainly wouldn't want my doctor or my dentist having the same attitude as I... cruising through med school just for that 'piece of paper'. 🤣

That's why I went in-state to OSU. I was accepted to Claremont Men's College, which at the time had a program where you went three years to Claremont and then two years to Stanford to obtain an engineering degree. I wasn't accepted to Stanford as a freshman so it was my backdoor to obtain a BS in engineering from Stanford. Claremont wouldn't give me any scholarship money though and it was ridiculously expensive, so I abandoned that and went to OSU.

I used little of what I learned in school after I joined the paper industry as a project engineer. I spent my first several years doing projects but eventually ended up in production management. Everything I learned about papermaking was on the job. All college did was teach me to think in a logical manner and apply basic engineering fundamentals to industry-specific problems.

 

[rpiotro]

That's why I went in-state to OSU. I was accepted to Claremont Men's College, which at the time had a program where you went three years to Claremont and then two years to Stanford to obtain an engineering degree. I wasn't accepted to Stanford as a freshman so it was my backdoor to obtain a BS in engineering from Stanford. Claremont wouldn't give me any scholarship money though and it was ridiculously expensive, so I abandoned that and went to OSU.

I used little of what I learned in school after I joined the paper industry as a project engineer. I spent my first several years doing projects but eventually ended up in production management. Everything I learned about papermaking was on the job. All college did was teach me to think in a logical manner and apply basic engineering fundamentals to industry-specific problems.

To take a slightly different slant, my dad did pretty well in life for only having a sixth grade education. From a family of twelve kids during the depression he had to go to work early. He told me "learn to read, then read to learn."

Of course, back then a sixth grade education was probably equivalent to what high school grads are getting today.

Similar to your experience. Get a good education in the fundamentals, then learn the details on the job.

 

[Salty79]

I was once told that the biggest thing a college degree does for you is show employers that you're trainable. I suppose the simple fact that you made it through college is evidence enough that you can focus and learn, albeit some more than others. Obviously this logic doesn't necessarily hold water in some cases, but on the surface it makes sense. I went back a year after getting my BSBA degree to get my MBA thinking it would make me a shoe-in for good jobs. I quickly learned that it was not that easy, at least not in my case.

 

[jcb]

It sucks but college is a scam for the most part. Look at the campuses of even what used to be crappy state schools. They have more money to spend then they know what to do with. 80% of the classes are irrelevant to your desired career and the relevant ones ill prepare you for the real job. Nearly everything I know was learned on the job, which is Accounting/Finance.
Unfortunately our society has accepted this as a necessary right of passage and it is difficult to break into any professional job without the piece of paper! We all know there are much more efficient ways to learn a profession, but there is now WAY too much money at stake so we have another process that people will fight to the end to keep the status quo alive if it is seriously threatened.