People have been horrified by my strong opinions lately. When I say that I'm against MOST people getting themselves a college education they are baffled. And often angry. I tell children to not go to college. I tell fellow adults, and I tell teenagers.
This is advice I wish someone had given me! I've already written about my horrible college experience. So I won't go over that again. But here are more reasons that I feel make college, And heck I could argue high school. A waste of time, And money!
School is Often Busy Work
Worksheets, Worksheets and more freaking worksheets!
I remember in jr high getting massive packets for my Earth Systems class... I was disappointed.
I would complete the massive stack in less than 10 minutes because Earth systems was a subject I was passionate about. I knew all the answers.
Packets, Is all we did. My teacher was trying to keep us busy, So he gave us busy work.
Worksheets may "help" you learn. But with people learning in different ways, it's important to incorporate different mediums, Which school was always so limiting. Almost all of my classes felt like I was "babysat." I wasn't learning much.
This was the same for college. They take your money and your time, Give you all these tests and crap. Then when you finish, they give you this useless piece of paper.
You Don't Always learn stuff That is IMPORTANT.
Most of what I learned was unnecessary. We learn too much math. That's for damn sure. MOST of us will never have a career where we use that advanced level of Algebra, Geometry or other math.
English? I get it; We should learn to read and write. But all those bizarre essays and shit. And All those weird formats didn't help me much at all. Sure, I write blog posts, But I don't write fancy essays using long, complex words that I would never use in a conversation, Which is funny. They also encourage you to write "In your voice." While telling you to use a larger vocabulary in essays.... Which one is it?
Science...This one is a bit difficult for me Because I'm biased. I love Science.
But do we need some of that complex chemistry?
I love Chemistry, but I don't remember most of it.
Do you know what they should teach in depth? EVOLUTION!
And what THEORY means.
History, I get it we need to know our country's history. I feel like we could argue both ways on this one. A lot of the history we do learn doesn't seem as important.
OF course whenever they make "budget cuts" They cut classes like Art, gym, Typing and Computers, Finance, And cooking classes.
Uhhmm....
THOSE CLASSES TEACH US HOW TO LIVE! And how to "adult."
These are the classes we should be taking MORE OF!
This is the same with college. All those stupid generals... Really? I was forced to take a "math for artists" class in college. That taught me multiplication and division all over again! I KNOW ALREADY!
Student Loans
Student loans are a joke.
I was in debt for years as a result. And I got no job as a result.
Many college graduates don't even use their degree, Becuase they quickly realize they can make more MONEY working at Frito Lay, Or UPS.
Which are entry level jobs!
Sure, Even if they DO get a job they like, And that's IF. Because lots of graduates are unemployed.
They are forced to either pick a job in their dream field that could potentially make them very HAPPY. But they'd be making much less! Or they can choose to make more at an entry level job.
Oh, and many college students are in serious debt. So when it comes to money Or happiness. They sometimes end up going where the money is so they can take down that loan as soon as possible.
You Aren't Taught Leadership Qualities
Obviously, everyone can't be a leader. But this cookie cutter education we are getting isn't working! We could be teaching Entrepreneur classes, Instead of teaching people to work for an employer. Especially with the rise of people starting their businesses.
Conclusion
While some people got a lot of benefits out of their college education, I feel we need to stop pushing so hard for everyone to go to college. These days a lot of people have degrees. It's become a somewhat diluted accomplishment.
We aren't learning the things necessary to live, As well as work in the workplace. Many employers have to end up doing in-depth training anyways. And college is overpriced and a waste of time.
I would say most of the college student agree with you, but the society we are in today sees college degree as a prerequisite for management positions. So if you want to get a decent job, many of the companies require a college degree from you, and sadly not because of what your learnt from it, they just want their company to look nice :(
I just graduated from college and I found out that some of my friends who did not do well in colleges turned out to work very well starting their own business and building their network while I am just doing an ordinary job. Maybe colleges teach us some knowledge but also confines our future path, being one of the gear in the big society machine and buries our talent in the end.
I like your view on it!
Thanks :)
There is a store where I live that hires workers that they don't actually need.
The worker's wages are subsidized by the gov't, so these people can payback their student loans.
That is, my tax money paid for their useless degree, and now it pays their wage... just so they can payoff their bad choice of education.
When I went to college I was a bit older than everyone else in the class.
It was because I worked, saved up the money, and enrolled when I could afford the price tag.
Thank god there's an alternative to fiat now.
You are brilliant for doing that! I wish I didn't get myself into debt for school. But at least I learned fairly quickly and was able to get myself out of debt.
That makes me mad that our tax money will go towards peoples bad decisions. If thats the case everyone who went to college should get a refund!
The whole entire system is being recreated and I'm glad fiat is dying!
Could not have said it better! Excellent post. College today is watered down, overpriced, and over emphasized. I have a Masters Degree and quite frankly I believe that I learned much more through interacting with people than I did in my 6 years of college class room learning.
Think twice before you decided to invest in the traditional college!
Uhm...cause you don't want to graduate with a mortgage payment! lol. My neighbor wants to buy a house - I'm trying to coach her through it....then I realized she already has a mortgage. 100K is student loans, insane!
EXACTLY! 100k is so insane. Might as well buy your house outright and work an entry level job. At least you'll have SOMETHING other than a piece of paper.
I suppose the common education system in America is beyond hope. A private school in each state that teaches the basic success skills like investing, individual finance planning, cooking history, art , Leadership would more likely benefit the common people. Not sure if such schools would be allowed because of corruption and crony capitalism. Disclaimer: not an american
Wow really? Thats impressive ! I'm glad to hear that SOME countries are doing it right lol.
nope, its the same everywhere. The need to produce a bunch of workers smart enough to operate the machines but dumb enough not to question the motives is ever present. That's why I am skeptical if such private schools would be allowed to even operate whether if it is USA, Europe or Asia
You only touched on student loans.
Guaranteed student loans are the only unsecured debt NOT dischargeable in bankruptcy.
The number of Guaranteed Student Loans in the US in default is reaching an alarming rate and they will not go away.
In 2016 a Texas man was arrested at his home by US Marshals for a 29 year old $1,500 student loan.
Source
That is terrifying!! I wonder what will happen with those. I'll be really annoyed if it comes out of the pocket of the tax payers in the end. Which I think it will.
I totally agree with you, everybody I've spoken to get angry at me when we discuss school matters. They all think school is the key to success, as you say Collage is not for everyone, people can't simply understand that. also can i share this post ? not on steemit but in other social media ? why ? well because you explain it better than me !!
This is so true the entire system is so flawed and honestly seems to crush dreams and the passion to create and build something unique.
I myself went to college but ended up leaving just 2 years in due to being bored, learning things I could care less about (being a well rounded student they say) and just overall not learning anything I would use in the real world.
It wasn't till I kick myself in the butt and decided to go for my dreams and do the things I wanted to do and learn the things I wanted to learn that has opened up a world of both success but always massive learning which happens every day.
You also brought up a very important point and that is the cost of going to college and how it is rising. While the cost of going to college is rising the amount of money made from jobs it gets you ready for in many cases ends up pushing you years back on your retirement goals.
You now have 5,10,20 maybe even 30 years of paying off student loan bills and maybe landing a job in what you actually ended up going to school for.
While education is important it is also important to understand with some self motivation and the internet you can teach yourself the same if not more. Go out there and get it done!
My 21 year old daughter just got back from traveling europe for 4 months ...she learned and grew more from that adventure than anything she has experienced in her life ...worried about her the whole time but thats our job lol
Exactly! Lol instead of college people should travel
Oh and she fell in love with Italy she almost didn't come back ...or was it that musician that took her to venus lol Either way she just loved it there ..
Great post @kaylinart The student loan thing is a shocker. I live in Australia, laws were changes a couple years back so even if you claim bankruptcy you still owe your education debt.
Thats the same as the United States. It's sad!! But at the same time I get it. If that weren't the case you could get over 300,000 worth of education, Then file bankruptchy and not pay for any of it.
Thats what i figured, it is sad! I get that. But there is nothing stopping you starting a business and getting 100,000s in loans and then walking away if you mess up?
I feel the same way everyone's told you had to go to college.... but some people it's not the right thing .....it's a waste of money ,puts you in debt... so you have to take a job you don't like. I think college is government propaganda to keep you as a cog in the wheel of this broken society that is in debt to his eyeballs!!
Good post. But I disagree on this one. I am a blogger, and now, apart from college, I am earning online through my blog. But, I always insist people to go to school and college so that they can learn. There's a lot to learn, and no learning goes in vain. :)
Exams are important for evaluating someone's ability. But the results, I feel, should not judge a student. That part even I oppose. Not everyone is good at everything. So, its obvious that no two person will be able to score the same in exams. So, yes, results should not be emphasized on.
Anyways, its my own view. Most people still vouch for the traditional education system. So, you or me can't oppose that.
Btw, good post. I will be following your upcoming articles. :)
I share your view @nirmal... I strongly believe in school and college education as there is lots to learn there.. apart from the various subjects taught at school, the values of friendship, sharing, healthy competition and hardwork are attained here. I feel, when school forces you to learn many subjects, many we might hate even, it also gets us interested in certain subjects which could evolve into our passion and future career..
These are just my views but this is a well written article.. it is thought provoking.. @kaylinart
Hmm, you expressed the other stuff I wished to say (friendship, sharing, competition,hardwork, subject of interest etc)
One of the things I like about my kid's current school (not college, but elementary - high school) is that they are focused on developing leadership skills, research into the kid's own chosen fields of interest, and synthesizing skill sets with their creativity. I feel like all schools should be moving in this direction. Unfortunately, we have to pay buckets of money to allow her to go to this school.
Many years ago in New Zealand it was possible to get government handouts for studying, so all my fees were paid and they gave me about $60 a week extra.
I lived with my parents, spent my time going to concerts and getting baked, and eventually got a degree after four years of buggering about.
I never used any of it ever, and have always been self employed. I actually regard degrees in this day an age as just a way to brainwash people and turn them into debt slaves.
If a person with an open mind has an internet connection, they can potentially have a far better education than 99% of university graduates.
I think the college fees is really on relevant if you are from the US.
Great article :D
This post received a 16% upvote from @randowhale thanks to @kaylinart! For more information, click here!
I have same opinion. Sometimes I feel like Matrix movie.
I think 3-4 years time spent in college is better spent at work, you gain experience and skills and get paid
I can not recognize your real face, is that the one in photo number 1?
You are so right. I don't even know where to start. One should always get more and more educated, but maybe that could be done at home. I helped my homeless nephew who wanted to stay with me. With hardly any room I offered him my reclining chair. He did have a job selling cable with an outsourced company. I thought I could help him with sales. Everyday we would watch sales videos. After awhile he became quite good at it. He moved out after a month. He called me a year later telling me he talked to Comcast and got a big contract for his boss. He is doing things his boss was supposed to do. He told me that he is a sales manager that makes a piece of the commission of his salespeople. He told me that he was the number one salesman. He did sales and managed his team. He told me that he was making more money than the owner of the company. He also told me that he has a massive library of sales books and sales management books. So after awhile he quit and made his own corporation taking his salespeople with him. This all started with me and him watching sales videos. I just wanted him to be a really good salesman, because I didn't want him to leach off me. He surpassed my hopes for him.
Good job @david777111. That way you made your nephew a leader with no title.
College has it's place but for the most part you are downloading the system's version of reality and at the same time leaving yourself open for a potential life time of student debt and a matrix style slave labour job!!!!
I'm currently at University now and while I have gotten a lot of benefit out of it so far (I'm studying Psychology which I find fascinating) I know so many people who just went to uni because they didn't know what else to do. I definitely agree that it can end up being a big waste of money! Great post!
You aren't alone! Mike Rowe is a big proponent of work-as-education and work skills. Yeah, if you really like engineering, or want to be a doctor or lawyer, you need what a college has to offer.
Trades are sorely neglected, and most don't have the temperament for the kind of study needed for being doctors. "Dirty work" is seen as a place for ignorant people. There are such awful stigmas about doing trade work.
I posted something similar in nature today about getting a college degree as it relates to jobs in the IT field. Check it out... https://steemit.com/blog/@lifebyadam/why-college-isn-t-important-for-it-jobs
Preach @kaylinart! Higher education these days is just a huge money grab - universities and colleges are nothing more than businesses handing out degrees in exchange for higher tuition rates and more students signing up for huge loans. Self study FTW!
College and the Education system is about control and training people to be obedient servants/slaves at best.
Thanks for posting
I couldn’t say it better than a recently post. Great work. Thank you 😊 Resteem
With free classes online from Ivy League schools, soon people will catch on.
I have three degrees. And I agree with you.
Don't go.
I appreciate your article and your opinion, but I think largely it depends on the college institution one attends which determines whether or not it delivers a cookie cutter education. The college I am attending certainty encourages leadership and personal development over creating educational clones.
I am lucky to have the VA covering my education, but the cost for the average student definitely is beyond unreasonable.
very nicely written. College (or uni as its called here in Australia) is a total waste. As a tradesman I earn more than 90% of college graduated only being beaten by laywers and doctors etc.
Life is the best school going.
There is too many people going to colleges and when they are out nobody is really hiring in that field. . So I am against it as well @kaylinart Thank you for taking the time to share this post ;)
So exactly right! On all points. The state of education in this country is abysmal. Overpriced and a major waste of time, for the most part. A major education overhaul is needed.
During my 2 years in college, I always sat in class and wondered how is this going to help me in life? I guess that was my light bulb moment and I decided to not enroll again for a 3rd year and got into the workforce to payoff my student loan. I remember most of my friends were wary of this move, but I don't regret it.
I'm with you on this one! Very glad I had an epiphany or my student debt would be double!
I will say, I've been going to college for two semesters, now. I had no idea what to do with myself, so I wound up going to a local community college. Which is like, way cheaper than normal college, I've been paying for it with grants, alone.
I've enjoyed it, personally, though I keep changing my mind on my major and what I want to do, so it sometimes feels kind of pointless to go. But the environment is very encouraging, which is something I really needed in my life.
The people want to push me to do my best - but I think maybe it's a tad too much. I've thought about taking a semester off, but everybody I've mentioned it to freaked out at the thought.
Apparently people are more likely to quit altogether if they take a break? Jeez...
I am so glad I am not the only one that feels this way! We don't need cookie-cutter education and huge debts. We need life skills and a debt free foundation.
I completely agree with you on this one. When you look at the amount of time out of the workforce, the amount of debt incurred learning things that in many cases are outdated by the time you graduate a college education is a waste of time. Most of the people I know aren't doing anything with their education and haven't felt looking at it afterwards that it was a good use of time and resources. It's big business though and probably isn't going away anytime soon. If you are in a specific enough field and have the time and the money and really know what you want out of life at such a young age, awesome. If not I'd prefer the school of life. Excellent post, thank you!
I've been a professor. I am very aligned with this post for most people.
I gave College the ol' College try - unfortunately I found many of the same issues with it that you did. In the years since, I have continued my education on my own terms, and through my own means - for those who wish to learn, but who have little concern for the piece of paper awarded to graduates, I cannot reccomend Archive.org and LibriVox.org enough. Archive.org (which you are likely familiar with as the owner/operator of the Way Back Machine) has hundreds of thousands of out-of-copyright (and sometimes out-of-print) books freely available for download and review, and Librivox.org has audiobooks which are likewise freely available. I cannot begin to tell you the joy I feel when I listen to a recording of Herodotus's Histories or Cicero's Philippics against Marcus Antonius - the sheer quality of the writing, if nothing else, is deeply rewarding. Once, long ago, I was a big fan of the History channel - I remember the two hour doccumentary they produced about 15 years ago on Alexander the Great. I can honestly say that I learned more about the life and times of Alexander through ten minutes of Arrian's Anabasis that I did during the entire doccumentary - and both were more informative that what I was taught in school or university!
Perhaps with math, I can quibble with you - but even there I am not sure that the approach taken by most universities is necessarily the best.
You are so right @kaylinart. I did the whole academia thing for years. It's only very recently that I've realised that the vast majority of what is "taught" early on is useless. I now think that children should be taught things like organisational skills, real finance like taxes, getting close to nature and appreciating our planet for everything it provides us. Of course all this is very unlikely whilst governments have a say in school curriculums. Hopefully more young people will turn to places like Steemit and get a real education! Thank you for sharing! Adam :-)
I worked in education for 15 years and found our structure to be framed on limiting beliefs. To keep people in social classes, not to have anything to aspire to and being made to feel inadequate from a young age.
I totally agree with you!😍🕉
Oh c'mon! why ruin the fun of being in debt 6 figures? My career counselor told me that's what life is all about! Good post!
No college for me and doing fine.
Look, I get university for jobs that need it. Doctors, Engineers and the like. Things that require advanced knowledge. Everything else can be learned on the job.
Get paid a little while you assist those more experienced. They used to do that back in the day, it was called an apprenticeship. Nowadays they call it being an intern and you don't get paid shit for it.
Seriously, they have college degrees for interior design! WTF?
College used to be good, now it is a scam for 98% of the people in attendance.
Today's four year college degree is the 21st century high school diploma.
Are you sure you arent my kid Lol? You sound like you could be! I agree with you 110%. They cut all those living classes because if you were taught how to cook, sew, and balance a checkbook they couldn't talk you into things like college debt! I could go on, but your blog hit the nail so I'll just say AWESOME and followed.
I understand your point of view. There is nothing wrong with education, it offers many possibilities. However, most of us do not use it. Although I must admit that for most people diploma is only a bill and it is quite big.
Not without reason 95% of people live from the paycheck to paycheck. Someone has to work on these 5%. If you deconstruct a human life, It is easy to see that from a begining someone make decitions for us (0 -18) and we are taught to follow the crowd and later on, health problems might be an issue (50 - end), we have about 32 years to use decisive about yourself. It would be good for us to teach us things in the schools we can use in life, then more people could be successful. But such a system we have It is worth to live life to the fullest. And do not be afraid of change.
Good points!
Look, there are some billionaires out there that dropped out of high school. If you feel the confidence you can make it without it, then do it. I met a young man 15 years ago who told people he was gonna be a millionaire. No education. Cocky as hell, but he was a visionary and doer.. and he did. So it just shows it's not always about education. It's also about street smarts and natural ability.
Bachelor Degree and I make less than some fast food workers. Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but You are right! This huge push for everyone to go to college is silly. Very few careers actually need the stuff they teach and many things I wish were taught are not! Like damn, how are we suppose to learn how to adult?