Does a college degree correlate with getting a job?

It depends on what you want to do. A lot of big corporations want younger people without any experience so they can train them and pay them less. That way they are also expendable and can hire more people when the previous ones quit.Rattlesnake_8

Depends on the company. Google pays their interns the equivalent of $35 an hour...

no

going to college, however, leads to networking, making connections, and job fairs and stuff

getting a degree means you are greater qualified for advancement, and might start higher up on the ladder. Some jobs require degrees.

but no, a college degree doesnt guarentee a job any more than a high school diploma. Anyone can get a job, it just takes time. I had to look for 6 months to get a real job

[QUOTE="chessmaster1989"]

[QUOTE="QuistisTrepe_"]

Yeah, **** all those losers who have might have to balance work with raising kids who have the nerve to attempt to make a better life for themselves.

QuistisTrepe_

Pirate's comment was directed at the quality of the online institutions, not an insult to the ones taking them...

It's still in the same vein of looking down at those who had to take another route. I've taken online courses as well and I enjoy it far more than the lecture st-yle format. There's really no lesser quality IMO.

in lectures you can raise your hand, gather with classmates after class, visit a teacher at office hours, etc.

for online classes, you pretty much just read and regurgitate. I've taken online classes before as well, and I too enjoyed them, but mostly because theyre A.) incredibly easy, and B.) hold the student to very little accountability.

But all this is moot, because the "quality" is pretty much determined by the reputation of the school youre getting the degree from, online or not. You could have the number-one rated professor in the world conducting your online class, but simpy because youre getting it from Motown Institute of Crapola, its not worth as much as the in-class lecture youre getting from someone's assistant at Stuffynosed League of Excellence University.

This is why people think college costs so much, when it doesnt have to: because the schools with the good reputation know it, and can charge out the ass for it. People that qualify for those schools have little real option; they have to go, which in turn warrants the reputation the school gets ("smart people come h ere for education")

It correlates with higher lifetime earnings.

[QUOTE="chessmaster1989"]

[QUOTE="QuistisTrepe_"]

Yeah, **** all those losers who have might have to balance work with raising kids who have the nerve to attempt to make a better life for themselves.

QuistisTrepe_

Pirate's comment was directed at the quality of the online institutions, not an insult to the ones taking them...

It's still in the same vein of looking down at those who had to take another route. I've taken online courses as well and I enjoy it far more than the lecture st-yle format. There's really no lesser quality IMO.

But how do you engage in discussions? How do you even hold a humanities course through an online venue? Although I am an economics/mathematics major myself, college has given me great respect for a liberal education that includes a variety of courses across fields. I don't see how you're going to get this kind of experience online.

In my estimation, a college degree doesn't necessarily help, but if you don't have one it's a negative. Masters degrees are the new college degree, at least in my field... and so far, even a Masters isn't a guarantee. So yeah, I'd say a college degree puts you at zero... not having one puts you in the negatives. donalbane

yeah the Bachelor's degree is barely better than a college degree. Worse, in some ways, because the 4-5 years you spent in school could have been spent working and advancing in a job.

It correlates with higher lifetime earnings.

sonicare

implied just making it known expressly

[QUOTE="sonicare"]

It correlates with higher lifetime earnings.

implied just making it known expressly

[QUOTE="surrealnumber5"]

[QUOTE="sonicare"]

It correlates with higher lifetime earnings.

sonicare

implied just making it known expressly

[QUOTE="sonicare"][QUOTE="surrealnumber5"] *on average still not a given

implied just making it known expressly

Nope, I know a guy who has his Masters in Psych and works in the ball pit at Chuck E Cheese. He prays for death daily.Allicrombie

I loled.

[QUOTE="surrealnumber5"]

[QUOTE="sonicare"] Yes -> correlates.sonicare

[QUOTE="sonicare"][QUOTE="surrealnumber5"] ok fine, i just wanted to free post, happy? :(

[QUOTE="sonicare"]

It correlates with higher lifetime earnings.

surrealnumber5

implied just making it known expressly

[QUOTE="surrealnumber5"]

[QUOTE="sonicare"]

It correlates with higher lifetime earnings.

cybrcatter

implied just making it known expressly

[QUOTE="cybrcatter"]

[QUOTE="surrealnumber5"] *on average still not a given

implied just making it known expressly

surrealnumber5

[QUOTE="surrealnumber5"]

[QUOTE="cybrcatter"] What on god's green earth are you talking about?

cybrcatter

Not any more. Employers in this crap economy care about experience now, not education (as far as 4 year degree jobs go). That's why so many college grads have been unemployed for years now or are stocking shelves if they're lucky.

Pirate700

Not only that, many employers PREFER only High School-educated people so that they don't HAVE to pay them as much.

College Degrees can make you over-qualified for a job that an employer is looking to pay basement salaries/benefits for.

My previous boss did that crap - we had a guy who had a MBA and once owned his own business apply for a simple position at our company. He was rejected because the manager thought he might be a threat to his own job! Total conflict of interest.

His resume was freaking amazing - but he said he had trouble finding a job because everyone felt he would eventually demand more money or become bossy or something. Quite the opposite from they way he was talking. He sounded desperate for a job too. I felt bad but the system is so screwed up right now.

It's like you're damned if you do and your damned if you don't.

If you ask me - get a good, basic Bachelors degree from a decent school and stop there. Son't spend a fortune on a Master's or Doctor's with school loans because you'll spend forever paying them off and you won't get the salary you thought you would anyway. Not unless you have family connections or some other guaranteed spot waiting for you already.

[QUOTE="Pirate700"]

Not any more. Employers in this crap economy care about experience now, not education (as far as 4 year degree jobs go). That's why so many college grads have been unemployed for years now or are stocking shelves if they're lucky.

Netherscourge

Not only that, many employers PREFER only High School-educated people so that they don't HAVE to pay them as much.

College Degrees can make you over-qualified for a job that an employer is looking to pay basement salaries/benefits for.

My previous boss did that crap - we had a guy who had a MBA and once owned his own business apply for a simple position at our company. He was rejected because the manager thought he might be a threat to his own job! Total conflict of interest.

Just curious what industry do you work in? Because in the industry I work in, high tech industry, MBA can be somewhat valuable.

It doesn't, but around here having a college degree or being enrolled in an university gives you a very good chance of getting a job.

Depends on the field. Something that is very specifically oriented towards a single career path (medicine, engineering, etc.) will definitely lead to at least a decent job that can help gain experience. However, something like a Bachelor of Arts does absolutely dick-all to help find a job. In my case, I would have to take at least another two years of certification training (library science, political science, or another field entirely) in order to land something even remotely related to my field of study. Which is why after 5 years of university I am working as a security guard for a pittance. It kind of makes me regret not picking something more career-oriented like astronomy or geological science (both fields I took some courses in and enjoyed) now that I'm finished and have realized that I just want something I can go to every day, make some money, enjoy it to some degree, and come home and do other things with enough money for a nice house and the ability to support a family. Sure, being passionate about a job is a good thing to have... but I've noticed that I can be pretty passionate about anything if I devote effort to it. So its not what I want, but finding what I feel most comfortable with. Getting a well-paying career these days involves a lot of time spent in school. Unless one wants to get into the trades, which is always going to be extremely lucrative and very rewarding (another thing I regret not doing out of high school).foxhound_fox

Most of the jobs in those fields are usually goverment funded or is done through a university. Considering how much cutbacks the government has been doing and still needs to do, those fields aren't too great either for jobs.

It depends what you did during college..... If you networked properly and got connections to companies who are hiring I would say yes. If you just expected to magically be given a job because you now poses a piece of paper, not really It also depends on your major and the college you attendedMafiree

This really hits the nail on the head.

If you are looking for some reassurance however, take solace in the fact that a college degree(related to the job in question) will usually put you above applicants who only have a high school diploma. Of course if the high school diploma applicant has years of experience under their belt, that can and probably will be looked upon more favorably.

Edit: Also, for those who say jobs in law or engineering or the more specialized degrees are guaranteed positions, well thats simply not true. I have several friends who graduated with engineering degrees in various fields and they're all still looking for engineering related jobs. Its a VERY competitive market out there right now and theres loads of people who have the same piece of paper to their name. Even graduating top of your class or with honors doesn't count for very much in the working world. The most important thing, and I cannot emphasize this enough, is NETWORKING.

Get involved with extra curricular groups, competitions, events, just get into campus life and network with as many other students, professors, etc. as you can. That network of contacts can be invaluable in finding a job. Many positions are advertised internally in a company and knowing someone on the inside can give you a way in. Likewise, having a recommendation from another staff member will make your application much more prominent.

A basic phrase I've heard throughout my time at university, and it really is true, "Your networth is your network"

From what I hear, it depends on what your major is. If you are just going to school for journalism or something unspectacular it might be harder to find a job when you are done. My drafting teacher told me that if I finish my Mechanical Engineering course employers will most likely recognize the hard work I had to put in to graduate. I am planning on participating in the co-op program at my school, and by doing that I think I almost guarantee myself a job after I am finished. Then I will have both experience and education.

My drafting teacher told me that if I finish my Mechanical Engineering course employers will most likely recognize the hard work I had to put in to graduate. I am planning on participating in the co-op program at my school, and by doing that I think I almost guarantee myself a job after I am finished. Then I will have both experience and education.

taylor888

If it's relevant to your field, it may be a requirement for employment. The minimum requirement for the post-secondary teaching job I got was a Master's degree. But a degree on its own will not guarantee you employment. Experience and a proven track record are just as important, and you almost certainly won't win a competition against someone with a decade of experience if you have none. In some cases, the degree may OVER-qualify you for a position; employers looking for low-wage, menial jobs often don't want to hire university graduates, because they assume (correctly in most cases) that the university graduate doesn't actually want the job, but has been forced into it.

Nonetheless, I think you can get employment in any field with time, ingenuity, and perseverance. That includes those of us with our "useless" arts-related degrees. You have to acquire experience and a good reputation doing any sort of work you can that is related to your field. Meet people in your field, and if you aren't hired by a company the first time but felt you had a good interview, keep applying as positions open up at that company while you continue to build your professional portfolio. If you're lucky, you'll land a job right away. If not, then you've just got to make do and find a way to pay the bills while you get established.

With respect to that, I'd like to note that you don't need a huge salary to live well, provided you make intelligent decisions about where to live, how to live, and how to spend your money. And having a huge salary isn't going to guarantee you financial success in life, nor will having a small salary preclude you from financial success.

It's all about having connections and real job experience now. College is nice to have, but real world experience and being well-adept in your field of work is vastly superior to an employer.

Many employers REQUIRE that you have a 4 year degree. You may not need one to start at the bottom of a corporation, but you need one to keep advancing to an actual well-paying job. Many employers won't even bother looking at your application if you have no college degree; why should they? Having a degree is just the first part in getting a well-paying job. You also need to have experience. If you're tying to land the position of CFO for a company and have no work experience and just an undergraduate degree, do you honestly think you will get the job? People have expectations that are too high. However, even with the proper work experience, you still need the degree. It's not about having one or the other, it's about having both.

Many people can find jobs but they are unwilling to move to attain them, or they don't like the pay, or they don't like working those hours, etc. People get so nit-picky that they don't go after the jobs they CAN get and start to blame the economy for not being able to get the jobs they could NEVER get in the first place.