Why is a college education now so useless?

Question

Why is it that all a college degree is good for these days is a job working retail or more education? What's the point?

Answer 1

I personally don't think that a college education is useless. I just think that the world we live in today has changed the way a college education is used.

You can't go to college now and think that you are going to get a job right out of college in that field. You are going to have to work for what you want.

Personally, I have a Computer Programming College degree and I don't work directly in the Computer Industry. I work in the Financial industry, however, I find that the computer training that I received at college has made my job easier for me in the financial industry.

Answer 2

First of all, that really depends on what career field you are intereseted in. Computer programmers, for example, need a minimum of an associate's degree in order to get a good job at a reputable company. Doctors begin as college science majors, so do environmental consultants, chemists, and many other professionals.

Some degrees might seem to have less direct application to many careers; for example, an English literature major frequently will not translate that into a lifelong career. However, even in those circumstances, a college education is never useless! It's important to remember that a college degree is not the same thing as a technical or vocational degree; it was never intended to be pure job training. A college degree offers you the opportunity to learn many things which have wide applications to your life beyond simply your career.

Your whole life will not be your job, and the skills and knowledge you gain from completing an advanced degree will help you have a more fulfilled and successful life in many other respects, and will make you a much more interesting and intelligent person to be around!

Answer 3

It is possible to attend college for 4 years and still not learn anything. If you attend college only to get a degree, then it is useless. If you attend college with a goal in mind, to learn about a profession about which you are passionate, then your time will not be wasted.
Of course, the difference is between those who graduate with honors, and those who have graduated in the lower 1/3 of their class.
Maybe retail is where these people belong, until they figure out what their purpose in life is. Then, they can get the education and experience they need to enjoy a vocation, rather than endure a job.

Answer 4

A college education is not useless. If you are going to take the time to go to college an major in something you should want to work in the field of your major. Sure you may have to start at the bottom or work in another field until a job becomes available in your field but that should not stop you. If you have a degree in bio-engineering there is reason for you to be working in retail. You have to push yourself and make a effort to find a job in your field, even if it mean relocating. so don't say that a college education is useless.....it's just that you are not putting your education to use!

Answer 5

Because everyone has one from all of these po-dunk schools. The only good college education comes from the top 50 schools in America and guess what - they graduate hundreds of thousands of students each year. Georgia Tech just recently graduated 2500 engineers. You think that Atlanta Technical Poly Northwestern School of Technology will compete with that?
Most degrees in the US just show employers that the person is capable of responsibilty and some thought process. However, its a Catch-22, because these days if you don't have some college education (even in retail) you won't get hired. So most college degrees are just participation badges more than anything else.

Answer 6

I'm the perfect example why people should go to college. I 'm a clerk @ a traffic safety place. I don't enjoy having to come to work when more than half of your co- workers have an attitude problem. The environment where I work is not sterilize so I really hate having to use the restroom. The point is with a degree other in a high school diploma you can be a anything even have your own business where no one can tell you what to do you actually send others to do thing for you! you are the BOSS!
Stay in school no matter what.

Answer 7

It's not that a college degree is useless, but that more people are able to attend college and earn degrees therefore lowering the value of a degree. To make a person standout, people are now entering graduate school to earn an advanced degree. However, in most fields, education is not the only factor. Most companies prefer working experience to just educational experience.

Answer 8

First and foremost is to make the school money. Often this is done by making you take courses that are part of your major but are more in depth than needed etc. to keep you there longer and thereby keep everyone employed. A lot is good to teach you what you need to know to do your job and be a well rounded informed member of society but some is just fluff ,but they make the rules so unless you can start your own school, you have to jump through their hoops. 80% of what I learned was unneeded and not useable except for the act of learning . I wish at least they would of had me take an art apprec course etc. for my time and money. But then people would complain that doesn't have anything to do with the career choice so instead they put in useless courses to employ the teachers you need for that field that otherwise would have nothing to do for 9 months of the year . The classic example is going to a University to be an artist . You have to jump through hoops that you would never use as an artist and don't make you a better person in society . They are just to fluff our the course and keep you and your wallet there as long as they can .

Answer 9

A college education is supposed to teach you to think better. In addition, many jobs that used to require only a high school education like many sales representative jobs, now require a college degree. The reason is the employer knows that someone who has the perseverance to get through college has personality traits that an employer looks for. They also assumeably have knowledge of computers, blackberries and other technological items that enable them to do their job more efficiently, raising productivity. They know that these people have better communication skills in general than those who did not go to college both in oral and written communication. People with a college education can interact and network more efficiently with their customers who also have a college education because they have a common basis of reference.

If you are working retail with a college education you stand a better chance of ending up store manager and earning more money than someone who does not have a college education. on the average, people with college educations earn much more money over their lifetimes than people who do not. They are also not doing manual labor so the number of years they can work is longer than the average person doing manual labor.

You do not have to take a job working as a salesclerk with a college education. Many college educated people do not get jobs commensurate with their education because they do not know how to look for a job. Only 10% of all jobs end up in the newspaper ads. You have to get out the yellow pages and call companies in your field and ask if you can fax over your resume. With many people the resume does not indicate what kind of job they are looking for. They put down something like they are looking for a job that allows for personal growth. Those resumes go in the garbage. A better objective is: To obtain a sales trainee position where I can use my strong interpersonal skills. The human resources person thinks-sales, I'll give this resume to the sales department, they were looking for someone. He knows what kind of job you are applying for. There are also some job lists of jobs that you may never have thought about. www.idealist.org advertises jobs in the nonprofit sector, for example. You can get some good skills there.

Answer 10

College is not about what you study in school, it's more about what you experience, how you solve problems and how you socially interact with others. Businesses don't really care what if you had algebra or triganomotry, they look more at your degree as something of accomplishment. If you can stick it through and be able to complete something you started well, those are the kind of people they are looking for. So many people drop out of college, and a lot of times their life is the same way, if something gets too tough, they drop out.. College is a sence of accomplishment rather than studies alone.