My father never earned a degree but is making over $200,000 a year...Are people wasting their time in college?

Question

He never encouraged me to go to college but he always encouraged me to have a "Drive" for what I want...
I don't remember ever being poor or hungry. My siblings and I remained in private schools until Highschool and my mother only worked because she wanted to.
My aunt has MBA from NYU and she said a degree wasn't neccessary for her either and she owns 2 clinics in Houston.
Do people realize you don't really need a degree if you plan to be your own boss?

Answer 1

My father works in the medical field and he owns his own business (and has owned it going on 30 years)! He took some college but more training in a vocational school setting. But most of his "education" came from positive men who were involved in my father's life at an early age. They taught him the value of money and importance of being "independent" and being your own boss. My father makes in the high 6 figures each year in his business. I think having the experience at what you ultimately want to do is the key. It's also important to know the theory of your chosen profession, as well as having the "drive" and determination to make it happen. My father never pressured me to go to college either, but he did encourage me to be well briefed in anything that I set out to do and give it 150%! I always choose to listen to my father because I figure he's already made it to where I want to be! So I too have the desire to take the road less traveled by and I know that will make all the difference! lol. (In the words of Robert Frost the poet).

Answer 2

The best reason to go to college is to get a good education. That is, to learn stuff.

Although there are exceptions, on the whole, the more schooling you have, the more likely to have a good income.

Times have changed since your father's day. Now even fairly low level jobs wants some college (just to show you aren't a moron).

I can imagine that an MBA is not worth getting, but then, I find "business" as an academic subject boring.

If you already know what you want to do, and are sure you don't need a degree to do it, and you have no interest in learning interesting things or becoming an educated person, then don't go to college.

The second best thing about college (besides learning and becoming educated) is for people who don't know what they want to do.

It gives a chance to explore various fields to find out what they want to spend the bulk of their life doing.

But just because you don't want to learn interesting things, or find an interesting and fulfilling career, that doesn't mean that people who DO want these things are necessarily wasting their time.

To each their own.

Answer 3

I think college is a rip off to a certain extent. I think college is only good for the medical feild, attorneys, judges, ect. I also think a lot HS is just to babysit kids until they are o legal age, 18. My boyfriend led a life of crime when he was a kid.....came from a broken home with a mother and stepfather that really didn't care. He got locked up at about 14, 15 and spent 10 years in jail. While he was locked up he decided to make the best of his time and go to the library and read. He spent 10 years reading. While reading he found out that he was interested in real estate.....so he began to focus on that. While he was in prison he decided once he got out he was never going back. While in prison he got his GED. When he got out he started going to real estate siminars, and he continued reading. Now about 5-6 years later he makes over $100,000 of year. Last year he said that he made that he was being lazy and didn't make as much as he could have. The life he lives is amazing. He can close 1 deal and live off that money for months. It didn't take a college education for him at all. He works right out of his house LEGALLY! His goal for this year to make a million. When I listen to him talk I am amazed at how much he knows. He says jail was the best thing for him because he was a wild child and without going he'd probaly still be robbing people. He has truly turned his life around. I've seen the checkes made out to him with my own eyes. The highest one I've seen was $28,000. And that was just 1 deal!!!

Answer 4

Hey,

A few quick things; that degree is a door, it will allow you, and You alone certain Options in the future should You want them, and always have Options my friend, always.

Go to college, have fun, study, meet chicks, or do your own thing, but get that degree while your doing it.

Your dad has a nitch and talent; that's rare and he's lucky and of course he earned it.

But, your not your dad and I can bet you don't want to be him or even like him, maybe I'm wrong; either way an education is a good thing as you can still read the text and understand the writing on the walls...

Answer 5

You don't necessarily have to have a college degree IF you want to be your own boss. But there are many valid reasons for pursuing a higher education.

If you want to get a high paying job in the six figure range, increasingly, you do need a college degree.

And while lots of us think about being entrepreneurs, most people aren't willing to put in the time and effort it takes to run their own businesses - which is fine. Someone actually has to do the work and a well educated work force is better for those who do start and own businesses.

Also, while it isn't necessary to have a degree to start your own business, it doesn't hurt. Remember that the original purpose of going to college was not to become rich (after all, in the old days, the people who went to college were already mainly the rich). The original purpose of going to college was to become learned and well educated. That's still a worthwhile goal.

We all benefit from having well educated people in society. Without them, there could be no advances in medicine or science, there would be much worse government and there would be much less economic growth.

You don't need to go to college to be rich. But that hardly means that going to college is a waste of time.

Answer 6

Most people in college earn degrees to work for other people. If a person wants to be self employed usually that person will take up a course that will help them excel in their business... I know plenty people just like your dad who never earned a degree but are living very well. Even the richest man in the world never went to college; In fact he dropped out in the 10th grade because school was boring to him.

Answer 7

Business savvy, perseverance, and tact are just as important as a college degree.....my step-dad is a veterinarian who went through the same type of schooling as a M.D. would do, and he basically has to whore himself out to animal clinics for $500/day and barely makes enough money to live comfortable

My dad has a GED, but he lives nicer and makes more money than my veterinarian step-dad, but he works at a union job delivering freight.....union jobs are becoming non-existent as the economy goes global.....basically because unions are a monopoly of laborers, but as corporations can get capable labor from India or China for cheaper, they can go over the heads of the unions - and Republicans speed up the process

You have to be well rounded to be successful....it's the reason why you need to take a year of humanities, English 1 + 2, and pass an interview to get into med school (which is a scientific field) - because they don't want doctors to say shiit like "Y'all come back nah, ya hea' "

.....So you do need a college degree if you want to work for someone else....but either way, you at least need the knowledge if you will just go into your daddy duke's business
.

Answer 8

I know that. And you also don't need a degree from a prestigious university if you're planning to work for yourself (not that you need to if you're looking for employment but in some fields it helps).

School is not for everyone. Those who do not go to school and make it big are VERY hard workers that have alot of ambition and drive as you have stated.

but then again it dependson the career path you can't get away with that in EVERY career field. I want to become a chemist and hopefully invent something some day. . cha ching . . ;-) so thats why I have to go to school.

Answer 9

I think it all depends on YOU. WHat your goals are, how driven are you, etc..... I think it was foolish for someone to call your father "lucky" - unless he finds 200K a year on the street luck has nothing to do with it.

I am not as wealthy as your father but in the career field that I chose, I am making more money and have a higher rank than several people who have degrees in my company. I am driven, serious about my work and have a great work ethic.

I don't think there is one right or wrong answer to your question, it just comes with life and experience. I would say that being that you are surrounded by successful and driven people in your life, you have a great shot already.

Good luck

Answer 10

that is a great idea if you are independly wealthy. If you know how to open up a business enterprise and make a lot of money. But for the rest of us I could see myself working as a waitress for the rest of my life. So went back to night classes and got my GED and go into VOTECH vocational training for adults. I took computer accounting and learned a lot about running an office. Got a job and now I do run the office when the boss is away. From renting a low cost government apartment to buying my own house. It is a small townhouse but it is mine. After 15 more years? I got a nice car not brand new but a 2002. Close enough. My life completely changed after I got an education.
We cannot all afford to go to college but we can all afford to get some kind of training from office training to my friend who took nursing and just got a job as a nurse. She is so proud of her self and it was a long hard struggle but she made it.