Thread: Not many college grads have careers

Originally Posted by Sir Robbins

street smarts are just as important as book smarts

Streets smarts and hustle

Originally Posted by carendt242

congrats - i suspect you're wiser than your age

- chuck

Thank you, sir.

I think there is a trick about careers.

I have a career with the fed govt...which means I will work for 36 more years at the same place. I can estimate (with reasonable accuracy) of my ending salary at my time of retirement.

On one hand, this provides excellent stability and ability to anticipate income. On the other hand, it sucks knowing with great accuracy exactly where you will be and what you will be doing for the next 36 years.

For a person who is excited and has great confidence in themselves and the future, I'd reccomend job hopping (even changing locations) every 5 -7 years...would probably be more fulfilling.

I would much prefer not knowing what I would be making.. and also have the possibility for large bonuses etc. The sky is the limit, but not with the gov't

Originally Posted by jibaholic101

It is the economy and anti-business policies from the government that are oppressing employment opportunities in the marketplace.

Also it is the education system itself. As a student, I can tell you the standard of education in this country has down the TOILET!

Year by year, a college education keeps getting more and more expensive. Tuition for out of state colleges and most universities is $45k+ and that doesn't even cover all the other side expenses!

Another thing is that the teachers are barely teaching! The professors hardly teach anymore, they pass the class off to the TA to go on a sabbatical or some other bullsh!t.

There is no accountability, at most universities you can cheat your way through! I would say about 75% of all students now days are cheating somehow, whether it be cheat sheets, cell phones and the like, people spend time not learning the material, instead figuring out creative ways to cheat!! And it WORKS, people pass with flying colors! Personally I find it horrifying - if one doesn't have integrity, what does one have? Also, the quality of work that is produced by most students is ABSOLUTE CRAP! Students somehow have become comfortable turning in absolute garbage! I can't tell you how many "peer" grades and reads I do that are absolute SH!T. How can one not want to put their best foot forward on something that has their name associated with it? I have no idea. . . And the universities and teachers are REWARDING STUDENTS FOR CRAP WORK AND CRAP EFFORT. (ask me how i know!!!!) At an IVY LEAGUE institution I am very familiar with it, you can score a 15% on papers and tests, but because of a curve to keep up statistics, you are awarded a B, even though your mediocre work deserves to have you thrown out! The teachers are also showing blatant favoritism and are buying into this sensitivity crap that it is wrong to hurt people's feelings by giving bad marks and awarding good grades to people who don't deserve it gee what a surprise, I know

Also, from speaking to partners at prestigious law firms, CEOs, and other execs, the students come in not knowing much of ANYTHING. Also, the employers are finding that the Yale law grads, Harvard or Wharton econ students don't know much of their field. They are finding that they have to do a lot of retraining on the students. Instead of teaching material in classrooms, they are teaching social awareness and extreme liberalism! For example in an econ class, instead of talking about market flow and the global economy, they are talking about social justice for all the oppressed members of societythrough means of redistribution and stifling of creativity and conservation and growth of capital. These unrealistic principles and concepts are just being devoured by students who have been brainwashed into forgetting how to be free thinkers and just believe everything they learn in their "college classes"

/rant

you ought to know that the judgment of effort and quality at "ivy league institutions" is far more difficult than schools of lower caliber, and that curved classes can help or hurt at any school. sounds to me like you've been reading a lot of bs; i doubt you have first or even secondhand knowledge. don't know where you went to school, but your comments on the quality of education and profs passing on responsibilities to ta's says something.

you're right about a general educational malaise, in that a lot of crap gets taught rather than real knowledge. but it's important to note that many of the jobs being created right now relate to technical skills like computers and engineering, which not everybody's good at, and frankly has only recently become so lucrative. a quality liberal arts education teaches one a lot about analysis and thinking skills most people just don't have; we're certainly in a recession of that kind of knowledge, but things will turn around, as they always do.

Originally Posted by D-VO

+1. Good post.

+1

IMO college degrees are pointless, almost everybody has one and most people are half retarded that get them. I have an AA, BA, and MBA and they have not taught anything eye opening and they where a complete waste of time except for the booze, drugs, and chix. With the invent of online degrees, dickwad mini no-name colleges, and grants pretty much any nit wit can get a degree with little intelligence or work.

Kids, drop out, marry rich, and chill by the pool...

^ while that is true, it all depends on what you want to do with your life.

Not everyone is going to be able to start their own company. They dont have the idea, the drive, or most importantly the ability to stick with it while its not making any money.

Unfortunately, we all cant marry rich either, though that would be nice .

Depending on what you want to do, a bachelors, an MBA (top 20 school), hardwork, networking can get you almost anywhere you wanna be.

The difference between those nitwits and kids with little intelligence is that they lack the hard work and drive to get where they want to be. So despite the fact that they have a degree as well, they should not be any competition for you.

If I went back 4 years ago, I would still go to a university. I would prefer to go back thru highschool and care more about where I was going afterwards, but I ended up being okay with a little extra work, learning on my own, and networking to get where I want to be right now. We will see in 2-3 years if I decide to get my MBA. Let the first few years of my career play out before I make any decisions.