Okay, so this surprises me. I am a history major at UCLA and I was thinking that my degree is worthless (it kind of is). But that pales in comparison to the fact that only about 30% of Americans above the age of 25 have a degree. I don't understand how they make it in life, then? The average american salary is 40,000 a year, but if you don't have a degree - how do you reach that sum?
I am confused. Someone want to shed light onto the matter?
2007-10-22 06:24:00 · 5 answers · asked by dosahyd f 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Higher Education (University +)
Most positions simply don't require a person to have a college degree in order to be able perform job functions adequately. In fact, many college graduates take jobs that really do not now (or historically did not) require a college degree.
2007-10-22 06:38:44 · answer #1 · answered by Cathy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't see this as "only"; it's one out of three people have a college degree. That's a lot of people. Only about 9 out of 50 have a master's or more. That's a little better.
If you look at the value of all jobs - most people aren't in a job that requires a degree. Cashiers, cooks, waiters, clerks, mechanics, etc... plenty of workers and no degree required. Most jobs don't need a college ed worker in them.
The problem is that 30% of all jobs don't require a degree either - so where are those extra 10% of degree holders going to find a job? In a position that doesn't require the degree.
Average salary according to the BLS is $36,700 per year. That's average of all workers - just starting and been working 25 years. That means that the average for workers with less than 5 years experience is much much lower because we know that there are some experienced professionals earning much much more.
No degree means that you could expect to be in the much much lower crowd. Too many people with a college degree means that you're competing with a lot of applicants for those $30K+ entry level jobs. And some of those master's holders are competing for those with you (though most are teachers).
2007-10-22 13:56:21 · answer #2 · answered by CoachT 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nearly all high school grads of long ago who managed to achieve a high salary today did it the hard way from ground zero doing crappy work at crappy pay, built up a good reputation for themselves, built connections with co-workers and bosses over time, worked their way up the chain to a better position.
Many of my business friends & clients in the sports industry (i.e. Nike, Adidas, etc) DO NOT have college degrees (or never finished college) but worked their way up from nothing because they got to know a lot of people as years went by. In doing so, they became valuable assets to employers, more valuable than college grads because they know the territory, social climate, and who's who of that particular industry which their employer can benefit with no additional training or time. They know what they're up against in a competitive area. They became part of the club, click, posse, good-ol boys while young college graduates are a few years behind in work experience and not yet familiar with the competitive nature of the business world they're diving into although they eventually catch up.
Nobody really has a concrete plan straight out of high school. Most successful workers with no college education were just goofing off, getting drunk most of the years, they made some bad mistakes, learned hard lessons, and simply decided to grow up one day. When that day happens, they already have 5-10 years job experience on their resume, more than most college grads, they often finish an associate degree from a community college, also an advantage over a young college graduate. (has degree + skills + maturity)
But overall, the most successful non-college educated workers would like to have a college degree. They want to go back and finish college. Hope this helps!
2007-10-22 14:51:13 · answer #3 · answered by Mr. Wilford 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am in the same boat as well I'm currently working on my degree. I have noticed that alot of people out there make a decent leaving and all they have is a high school education. i the long run if that person has a good job and they get fired or the company runs out of the business they are basically screwed they have to go work at another company and start from the bottom. With a degree if you leave the company that you are working for you can easily jump into another company and start earning close to what you previously made
2007-10-22 13:48:17 · answer #4 · answered by alizenena 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
who cares
2007-10-22 13:31:25 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋