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Topic: [POLL] Do you have a college degree? - page 2. (Read 1641 times)

legendary
Activity: 4522
Merit: 3426
December 17, 2012, 11:34:32 PM
#23
The reason college tuition has increased so much is that it has been subsidized by the U.S. government in the form of grants and cheap student loans. It is the same thing that happened to housing, and the result has been similar -- people deep in debt with a college degree worth very little.
hero member
Activity: 846
Merit: 1000
The One and Only
December 17, 2012, 12:47:40 PM
#22
I hate school and I don't have a college degree. I work in Enterprise mobility.

I'd make more if I did have a degree, though. I keep getting told I need to go back and finish a degree of some kind, but I just don't want to.
legendary
Activity: 1064
Merit: 1001
December 17, 2012, 11:44:10 AM
#21
Just wondering personally. Also if you like comment on whether you think having or not having a degree has helped or hurt you, international opinions would be interesting too. What say the Bitcoin forums? If you think there should be other options I guess just say.

Started off going to college for Software Engineering and ended getting a BS in Business Administration. The longterm goal? A Masters in Management Information Systems (MIS), which combines my love for IT and the fun things you can do in business Tongue
But this is all years down the road. Being laden with student loan debt has certainly hampered my flow of education. If I was free and clear financially, you can bet I'd be back in school snatching up another degree Smiley

As for whether or not a degree has helped me, I'd say overall "yes"...but not because of the degree itself. I work as a Systems Administrator, which has nothing to do with my business degree. If I never got my degree, I know I wouldn't be where I am today. The education and general college experience helped to shape me into a better, more "hire-able", person.
legendary
Activity: 3472
Merit: 1724
December 17, 2012, 11:05:35 AM
#20
Price is governed by supply and demand (+ govt. intervention, which is why universities in UK charge no more than 9000 pounds sterling for EU students). With possibilities of learning online emerging - khan academy, coursera, open courseware, udacity etc., less people will by applying to ''normal'' unis.
full member
Activity: 238
Merit: 100
|Argus| Accounting and Auditing on the Blockchain
December 17, 2012, 10:47:18 AM
#19
Quote from: Uncurlhalo
In the US tuition wasn't that insane twenty years ago. But since then it's seen like some insane increase of like 700% over that time. It's ridiculous now. My father got his degree at a tuition of 1,200$ per semester. And this was in like 1979 or something like that. And my grandfather paid like 400$ a year for his in the 50's. Even with inflation education costs have hit high gear for some reason. It's fucking madness.
I'm not sure how the American system works with paying/loaning tuition fees, but it really is madness. I really feel for the next generation and the fees they'll have to pay to get far in life.

At some point the madness will end. There will either be regulation on it or a few universities with sanity will offer a sensibly priced program and people will start putting price before prestige and the "high and mighty" schools will see giant revenue drops and things may eventual turn out better. But this can't continue.
full member
Activity: 238
Merit: 100
December 17, 2012, 10:45:00 AM
#18
Quote from: Uncurlhalo
In the US tuition wasn't that insane twenty years ago. But since then it's seen like some insane increase of like 700% over that time. It's ridiculous now. My father got his degree at a tuition of 1,200$ per semester. And this was in like 1979 or something like that. And my grandfather paid like 400$ a year for his in the 50's. Even with inflation education costs have hit high gear for some reason. It's fucking madness.
I'm not sure how the American system works with paying/loaning tuition fees, but it really is madness. I really feel for the next generation and the fees they'll have to pay to get far in life.
full member
Activity: 238
Merit: 100
|Argus| Accounting and Auditing on the Blockchain
December 17, 2012, 10:39:54 AM
#17
I wish.
I have a Computing diploma which I obtained to get me onto a Computer Security degree course that I've been working damn hard towards, but my University has recently kicked me out because I owe them just shy of £1000 in tuition fees out of the £6000 I have to pay per year, and given me till mid January to find the sums or be kicked out for good.

How on earth any University can expect any young, middle class, part time employed person to find that much money with no help or support from the government is beyond me.

Early twenties, dead end job, and on the verge of bankruptcy, I have little hope that I will ever gain a degree.

Hello! I know those feels! ~10,000 USD per semester pursuing a degree in electrical engineering is putting me back a bit. Thankfully i have some aid from savings with my family and the like but I will still graduate with ~37,000 USD in debt from loans over 8 semesters. I feel you, seeing as my only employment this whole time is on-campus for like 15 hours a week at like almost minimum wage, unless I can find an internship with a minute if not more generous stipend.

Seems like only the rich can get far in this life.
It's good to hear though you've got savings and loans available, the debt will be worth it in the long run.
I've got myself into a huge mess by taking out every credit card/payday loan available to help me pay the tuition fees, that no company will offer me any more sort of credit.

Quote from: malevolent
Pounds? If you are in the UK AFAIK you can apply for a cheap government loan with very repayment conditions (installments are paid only if you are employed and earn at least 21000 pound sterling per year).
But if you are studying in the UK and have come from outside the EU you might not get the loan.
I'm not entitled to any sort of government (SLC) funding or loans, because they paid for me to get my diploma, which ironically was the only way for me to get onto my degree course.

In the US tuition wasn't that insane twenty years ago. But since then it's seen like some insane increase of like 700% over that time. It's ridiculous now. My father got his degree at a tuition of 1,200$ per semester. And this was in like 1979 or something like that. And my grandfather paid like 400$ a year for his in the 50's. Even with inflation education costs have hit high gear for some reason. It's fucking madness.
full member
Activity: 238
Merit: 100
December 17, 2012, 10:24:43 AM
#16
I wish.
I have a Computing diploma which I obtained to get me onto a Computer Security degree course that I've been working damn hard towards, but my University has recently kicked me out because I owe them just shy of £1000 in tuition fees out of the £6000 I have to pay per year, and given me till mid January to find the sums or be kicked out for good.

How on earth any University can expect any young, middle class, part time employed person to find that much money with no help or support from the government is beyond me.

Early twenties, dead end job, and on the verge of bankruptcy, I have little hope that I will ever gain a degree.

Hello! I know those feels! ~10,000 USD per semester pursuing a degree in electrical engineering is putting me back a bit. Thankfully i have some aid from savings with my family and the like but I will still graduate with ~37,000 USD in debt from loans over 8 semesters. I feel you, seeing as my only employment this whole time is on-campus for like 15 hours a week at like almost minimum wage, unless I can find an internship with a minute if not more generous stipend.

Seems like only the rich can get far in this life.
It's good to hear though you've got savings and loans available, the debt will be worth it in the long run.
I've got myself into a huge mess by taking out every credit card/payday loan available to help me pay the tuition fees, that no company will offer me any more sort of credit.

Quote from: malevolent
Pounds? If you are in the UK AFAIK you can apply for a cheap government loan with very repayment conditions (installments are paid only if you are employed and earn at least 21000 pound sterling per year).
But if you are studying in the UK and have come from outside the EU you might not get the loan.
I'm not entitled to any sort of government (SLC) funding or loans, because they paid for me to get my diploma, which ironically was the only way for me to get onto my degree course.
legendary
Activity: 3472
Merit: 1724
December 17, 2012, 10:21:57 AM
#14
I wish.
I have a Computing diploma which I obtained to get me onto a Computer Security degree course that I've been working damn hard towards, but my University has recently kicked me out because I owe them just shy of £1000 in tuition fees out of the £6000 I have to pay per year, and given me till mid January to find the sums or be kicked out for good.

How on earth any University can expect any young, middle class, part time employed person to find that much money with no help or support from the government is beyond me.

Early twenties, dead end job, and on the verge of bankruptcy, I have little hope that I will ever gain a degree.

Pounds? If you are in the UK AFAIK you can apply for a cheap government loan with very repayment conditions (installments are paid only if you are employed and earn at least 21000 pound sterling per year).
But if you are studying in the UK and have come from outside the EU you might not get the loan.

I did not, although I was awarded a scholarship to MIT (not a joke) but didn't know of it until over two years later when I met my former math teacher in line at a Ben Franklin's (department store). She informed me that my parents, namely my dad, strictly informed the powers that be at the school that I was not going to college nor was I to be made aware of the scholarship's existence. The bottom line was that it would affect the bottom line of the household with five other siblings to tend to. He told them that I would enter the workforce as he did, working at a factory till retirement.
My SAT scores where 800/720 reflecting a perfect math score, and I aced the ASVAB test without studying (not available at that time I don't think) to enter the Navy. I'm one of the few that never served on a boat ship, for they had other plans for me.
In retrospect, I don't think I would have done well in college, mainly due to not being mentally prepared for the workload, although I was the nerd in HS who commonly carried ten books to each class through a maze of anti-nerds whose goal was to knock the books out of my hands. It's acts like that, I believe, that are prerequisites for some who become police officers.
~Bruno K~

Wow, I would've been angry if my parents did that to me. Is your opinion that you would not have done well in college your own or was it influenced by your dad?
full member
Activity: 238
Merit: 100
|Argus| Accounting and Auditing on the Blockchain
December 17, 2012, 10:17:57 AM
#13
I wish.
I have a Computing diploma which I obtained to get me onto a Computer Security degree course that I've been working damn hard towards, but my University has recently kicked me out because I owe them just shy of £1000 in tuition fees out of the £6000 I have to pay per year, and given me till mid January to find the sums or be kicked out for good.

How on earth any University can expect any young, middle class, part time employed person to find that much money with no help or support from the government is beyond me.

Early twenties, dead end job, and on the verge of bankruptcy, I have little hope that I will ever gain a degree.

Hello! I know those feels! ~10,000 USD per semester pursuing a degree in electrical engineering is putting me back a bit. Thankfully i have some aid from savings with my family and the like but I will still graduate with ~37,000 USD in debt from loans over 8 semesters. I feel you, seeing as my only employment this whole time is on-campus for like 15 hours a week at like almost minimum wage, unless I can find an internship with a minute if not more generous stipend.
full member
Activity: 238
Merit: 100
December 17, 2012, 10:13:24 AM
#12
I wish.
I have a Computing diploma which I obtained to get me onto a Computer Security degree course that I've been working damn hard towards, but my University has recently kicked me out because I owe them just shy of £1000 in tuition fees out of the £6000 I have to pay per year, and given me till mid January to find the sums or be kicked out for good.

How on earth any University can expect any young, working class, part time employed person to find that much money with no help or support from the government is beyond me.

Early twenties, dead end job, and on the verge of bankruptcy, I have little hope that I will ever gain a degree.
full member
Activity: 238
Merit: 100
|Argus| Accounting and Auditing on the Blockchain
December 16, 2012, 05:20:18 PM
#11

I have a UK university degree. Is that what Americans call a college degree? i.e. 3 years of full time study.

What's a professional degree? Some form of vocational training or something else?



Yeah what you have is equivalent to a college degree. And yes a technical/professional degree is more along the lines of vocational work.
sd
hero member
Activity: 730
Merit: 500
December 16, 2012, 04:46:56 PM
#10

I have a UK university degree. Is that what Americans call a college degree? i.e. 3 years of full time study.

What's a professional degree? Some form of vocational training or something else?

legendary
Activity: 1498
Merit: 1000
December 16, 2012, 03:02:47 PM
#10
I am on my way to getting a degree, but I also get contacted a lot to drop out of school and help startups, thru my github, thru my school, and thru bitcoin projects. I always turn them down, just cause I want my degree first then I will worry about jobs.
I'm not dealing with an identical situation but it's rather a question of  "take 3 extra semesters to graduate and alternate between work and school with a prospective employer". I'm wondering if the extra time is worth the job experience when I could do the some thing through internships during summers and graduate on time.

Degree is always better, but I mean if you take a job with a startup that looks just as good, I wouldn't recommend just taking a regular job until you have a degree. Internships are ok, I had a really bad experience with an internship so be careful with those aka you become there slave so they think they own you.
sr. member
Activity: 448
Merit: 250
December 16, 2012, 02:59:40 PM
#9
I did not, although I was awarded a scholarship to MIT (not a joke) but didn't know of it until over two years later when I met my former math teacher in line at a Ben Franklin's (department store). She informed me that my parents, namely my dad, strictly informed the powers that be at the school that I was not going to college nor was I to be made aware of the scholarship's existence. The bottom line was that it would affect the bottom line of the household with five other siblings to tend to. He told them that I would enter the workforce as he did, working at a factory till retirement.

My SAT scores where 800/720 reflecting a perfect math score, and I aced the ASVAB test without studying (not available at that time I don't think) to enter the Navy. I'm one of the few that never served on a boat ship, for they had other plans for me.

In retrospect, I don't think I would have done well in college, mainly due to not being mentally prepared for the workload, although I was the nerd in HS who commonly carried ten books to each class through a maze of anti-nerds whose goal was to knock the books out of my hands. It's acts like that, I believe, that are prerequisites for some who become police officers.

~Bruno K~

Were you a FST sailor? They did not offer you a Enlisted to Officer plan?
full member
Activity: 238
Merit: 100
|Argus| Accounting and Auditing on the Blockchain
December 16, 2012, 02:34:58 PM
#8
I am on my way to getting a degree, but I also get contacted a lot to drop out of school and help startups, thru my github, thru my school, and thru bitcoin projects. I always turn them down, just cause I want my degree first then I will worry about jobs.
I'm not dealing with an identical situation but it's rather a question of  "take 3 extra semesters to graduate and alternate between work and school with a prospective employer". I'm wondering if the extra time is worth the job experience when I could do the some thing through internships during summers and graduate on time.
legendary
Activity: 1498
Merit: 1000
December 16, 2012, 02:06:48 PM
#7
I am on my way to getting a degree, but I also get contacted a lot to drop out of school and help startups, thru my github, thru my school, and thru bitcoin projects. I always turn them down, just cause I want my degree first then I will worry about jobs.
legendary
Activity: 1027
Merit: 1005
December 16, 2012, 10:12:43 AM
#6
Ive got both a degree and tech certifications. I dont think they have helped me much with Bitcoins, directly but They did help me get the job I have today which I enjoy.
legendary
Activity: 1918
Merit: 1570
Bitcoin: An Idea Worth Spending
December 16, 2012, 09:24:57 AM
#5
I did not, although I was awarded a scholarship to MIT (not a joke) but didn't know of it until over two years later when I met my former math teacher in line at a Ben Franklin's (department store). She informed me that my parents, namely my dad, strictly informed the powers that be at the school that I was not going to college nor was I to be made aware of the scholarship's existence. The bottom line was that it would affect the bottom line of the household with five other siblings to tend to. He told them that I would enter the workforce as he did, working at a factory till retirement.

My SAT scores where 800/720 reflecting a perfect math score, and I aced the ASVAB test without studying (not available at that time I don't think) to enter the Navy. I'm one of the few that never served on a boat ship, for they had other plans for me.

In retrospect, I don't think I would have done well in college, mainly due to not being mentally prepared for the workload, although I was the nerd in HS who commonly carried ten books to each class through a maze of anti-nerds whose goal was to knock the books out of my hands. It's acts like that, I believe, that are prerequisites for some who become police officers.

~Bruno K~
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