A warning to those thinking of going to college

[powerboy]

Lucky for me, I am not looking for a job. I am able to make things and sells them like that. I make tables and benches and different crafts. But when I was looking, I would just put that I was self employed during the gaps of employment.

[tabbyblack13]

From my personnel experience I cannot agree with college being a waste of time and money. I went to college and did get into quite a bit of student loan debt to the tune of approximately $41,000. With my degree I have an engineering position and have been paid well enough that my debt 5 years later is less than $17,000. I also just bought a new car though I admit it wasn't because I truly wanted to buy one. If you're curious, my 11 year old car needed a new transmission at 130,000 miles.

I am very conservative when it comes to my spending so I can over pay on all of my loans. I also took a job that is not a very popular with environmental groups but it pays well. Housing is only $200 a month for a single wide because I live in a community owned by my company.

The college I went to was not Ivey league but was always with in the Top 100 Best Buy for college and recently we just beat Harvard for starting pay for our bachelor degree program.

I think several things depend on if you want to take the risk to get a degree. One is, what is the degree? Two is, where are you going? Three is, how fast can I get hired? Four is, am I responsible enough to pay off of that money back?

College is a very personal decision and cannot be taken lightly. Everyone is different and yes college is not for everyone. Just make the decision wisely.

[gremcint]

Here's the secret to getting a part time job at least. you are currently inschool. it is easier to get a job in school than out of it. You are tied to the area and have a financial need further you won't dump them for a full time job when one comes along. Then you have a job and suddenly it becomes you need more hours as you look for another one.

[Ginger Tea]

Bit of a thread skim sorry

Over a decade ago I left the IT world as everything was going onsite and I had no driving licence and TBH I was doing mostly low tech stuff, building upgrading PC's, I got a temp job in a bakery (factory not shop style) to save up for driving lessons, I was asked to stay on full time for more money and iir more than what on site engineers were getting too, or atleast entry level where I was gunning.
No lessons booked and a better pay cheque dangling in front of me I turned my back on the IT world for a 3-4 year stint there.

Towards my final year the company had changed too much and I was not enjoying myself as much and looked at the IT job pages, everything even basic data entry, something that anyone good with a keyboard could do needed MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) certification, you could not answer the phone unless you had a piece of paper telling everybody you were over qualified for the job in hand.
Basically employers devalued the MCSE as they needed X employees with MCSE to be listed as a Microsoft solutions provider.

[SkullKing]

Here it is common for you to only be able to get your degree if you had a minimum of one year internship in the area.

Is there anything like that in the U.S.A?

[Greenday]

A lot of places don't care too much about your internship experience if you have any.

[MaggieTheCat]

And yet, where my husband works, a degree is the ONLY thing that matters to his employers. He and another co-worker of his have been with the company for about 7 years; they were hired only a few weeks apart. My husband, over the last 7 years, has done vastly more than this co-worker, who is often (always, really) late to work, slacks off on the job, and then ends up staying late and coming in on the weekends because he can't get his work done during regular hours. He also frequently has to get my husband to help him since he doesn't know how to do things on his own (which he should know how to do based on his level of education and experience.) However, because this co-worker has a master's and my husband only has a bachelor's, the co-worker was offered a promotion and a raise recently. The managers don't care about how much work you put in or how well you do your job; all they care about is your level of education and how long you've been with the company.

[RedRoseSpiral]

Here it is common for you to only be able to get your degree if you had a minimum of one year internship in the area.

Is there anything like that in the U.S.A?

Some degree programs are like that, but it isn't across the board. I know the University of Evansville's teaching program has mandatory internship as part of the curriculum (as of 2007 anyway). Many of the medical and law programs are the same way.

[crashhelmet]

I had to do a year of internship before I graduated with my degree in Music Education.

[Lace Neil Singer]

A friend of mine had the exact same problem as the OP; she only managed to get a junior level job when she took the degree off her CV and replaced it with charity work (she did actually work in a charity shop during the time she was getting the degree but didn't list it originally as she thought unpaid work didn't count). She ended up having to work her way up the ladder from the bottom up; yes, I know that's how a lot of people work, but she had to change her attitude cuz she thought that having a degree was like a magic doorway to a higher position.

Also, the company that my dad works for part time (he's retired) has a typing pool full of ex university students who tried to get jobs in business with their degree and zero experience, found it was impossible and ended up taking a secretarial course just to get some money coming in. Hell, even at the local supermarket there's shitloads of retail staff with some form of after school qualification. I have GCSEs, A-Levels and an NVQ, yet a little something called "recession" ensured that retail work was the only way to go. Pieces of paper with writing on them saying you have a qualification won't pay your bills.

[insertNameHere]

I have to agree with the OP about being qualified not meaning shit, it is definitely who you know or common connections such as being in a fraternity or the military.

[fireheart17]

Down here, the requirements for being a teacher involve at least 3-4 months worth of field placements.

[AmbrosiaWriter]

I don't know about anyone else, but with the constant "it's who you know!" repeating, isn't it worth something to say that you should be making those kinds of contacts while getting your degree?

I suppose if you go to a really large college it might be harder, but I was always told by my parents and everyone to always try and have a (obviously appropriate) relationship with all my professors and make myself memorable in a good way.

Typically professors have an interest in what's happening in their field, or having contacts in the area - or plenty in different areas. I had one or two professors mention me to friends of theirs that were looking for someone to hire, and if I hadn't been dead set on getting out of NYC and coming back home to Boston I would've taken them up on the offer.

I don't get how people go through four years of college, interacting with people devoted to their chosen degree, yet they come out boggled about why they "don't know anyone."

[fireheart17]

I don't get how people go through four years of college, interacting with people devoted to their chosen degree, yet they come out boggled about why they "don't know anyone."

Probably because they believe that the "don't know anyone" ruling applies to close friends, not just your professor from the university.

I

[insertNameHere]

Probably because they believe that the "don't know anyone" ruling applies to close friends, not just your professor from the university.

I

It also help to know people outside of your degree field, because sure a friend might be able to get you in at the same company or recommend a job they just left but when your in the same field with same degree you are competition.

Through a friend who majored in physical therapy when she got a job as an IT recruiter, by virtue of me helping her through a physics course based highly in electronics theory. It didn't take long for her to get me assigned to a few gigs especially when she didn't know many other computer people.

I have had more luck with job leads from people who suck with technology than those who are good with it.