Is College Necessary?

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The whole purpose of this forum is for people that make great money without a day job. I am wondering because you can make more money as an internet marketer than a top surgeon would. That would make school really not worth the time and money if you look at it that way. The whole point of school is to further yourself with training that will get you a career in a respective field and will allow you to earn money for the rest of your life. If you look at it like that. IM is pretty much the same thing. With today's failing economy and many graduates unable to find jobs and left with school debt, frankly it sucks. This is just one of the random thoughts that goes through my head on a daily basis.
#career #day job #random #school #surgeon
  • Profile picture of the author scarletangel
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    • Profile picture of the author mind
      its not only money that matters always whenever you decides to make a decision in your life, and specially deciding about your education and joining college or university.It is exactly not only a secure carrier and a handsome salary package you would be getting out of your years in college but its some thing else more important more valueable and more prestigious and it is your grooming. you groom psychologically and socially in a college more than your professional or practical life, no institue in this universe can teach you what you learn there.
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  • Profile picture of the author KenThompson
    There are different perspectives on everything, and if you're not
    careful it's possible to miss some items of critical importance.

    I don't think IM is remotely the same thing as following the traditional
    path in life of school>> work for someone else>> retire>> die.

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  • Profile picture of the author deannatroupe
    My husband and I talk about this all the time. I think it honestly depends on what you want to do with your life. If the field you are going into requires college, then you have to go. If the field you want to go into doesn't require college, then you don't have to go unless you just want the experience. Just my two cents on the issue.
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  • Profile picture of the author hayman
    It depends on what kind of course you're going to take. Our economy is very unstable. It would be best to study something that can easily get you a job. IMHO, it's not good to study anthropology because the job market is too small to land a job. Marketing, management and medical field have the biggest market.
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  • Profile picture of the author HorseStall
    College is necessary for many jobs like Doctors, Lawyers etc... but it is not the right place for everyone.
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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by HorseStall View Post

      College is necessary for many jobs like Doctors, Lawyers etc... but it is not the right place for everyone.
      Did LINCOLN even go to law school? Guess what I found?

      Lincoln's Advice to Lawyers
      Before Abraham Lincoln was elected President, he practiced law for nearly 25 years in Illinois. Occasionally his writings reveal advice he offered lawyers or aspiring lawyers. In this selection of quotations you will notice his emphasis on self-education, the method he used to enter the profession. At the time, studying with an established lawyer was far more common than attending law school. Lincoln could not afford law school, and in his autobiography of 1860 he wrote that he "studied with nobody."


      Letter to Isham Reavis on November 5, 1855

      My dear Sir:
      I have just reached home, and found your letter of the 23rd. ult. I am from home too much of my time, for a young man to read law with me advantageously. If you are resolutely determined to make a lawyer of yourself, the thing is more than half done already. It is but a small matter whether you read with any body or not. I did not read with any one. Get the books, and read and study them till, you understand them in their principal features; and that is the main thing. It is of no consequence to be in a large town while you are reading. I read at New-Salem, which never had three hundred people living in it. The books, and your capacity for understanding them, are just the same in all places. Mr. Dummer is a very clever man and an excellent lawyer (much better than I, in law-learning); and I have no doubt he will cheerfully tell you what books to read, and also loan you the books.

      Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed, is more important than any other one thing. Very truly Your friend
      A. Lincoln
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      • Profile picture of the author Kurt
        Originally Posted by seasoned View Post

        Did LINCOLN even go to law school? Guess what I found?
        I thought it was pretty well known that Lincoln was self-educated and got his education pretty much at the library?

        And I believe the numbers are that a 4 year degree is worth on average about a $million over the course of a lifetime. Even a 2 year degree is worth a few hundred thousand.

        While there are examples of very successful people without college degrees, there's also a lot of successful people with degrees.
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        • Profile picture of the author seasoned
          Originally Posted by Kurt View Post

          I thought it was pretty well known that Lincoln was self-educated and got his education pretty much at the library?

          And I believe the numbers are that a 4 year degree is worth on average about a over the course of a lifetime. Even a 2 year degree is worth a few hundred thousand.

          While there are examples of very successful people without college degrees, there's also a lot of successful people with degrees.
          As for lincoln, YEAH, I knew too... HEY, I just used it as an example.

          Oh well...

          Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author ThomM
    Is it necessary, no.
    Can it be useful, yes.
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    • Profile picture of the author DreamShaper
      Originally Posted by ThomM View Post

      Is it necessary, no.
      Can it be useful, yes.
      Agreed. Also do not forget that it is possible to acquire degrees/qualifications by distance learning or other methods than actually going to college.
      This can reduce the amount of debt required to obtain the qualification (over traditional attendance)

      And good to check recent stats in marketplace and demographics if you assume that a qualification will give an advantage in a particular career
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      • Profile picture of the author ThomM
        Originally Posted by DreamShaper View Post

        Agreed. Also do not forget that it is possible to acquire degrees/qualifications by distance learning or other methods than actually going to college.
        This can reduce the amount of debt required to obtain the qualification (over traditional attendance)

        And good to check recent stats in marketplace and demographics if you assume that a qualification will give an advantage in a particular career
        I've been in college twice, and if I could I'd be there now.
        I received a degree in Culinary Arts, mainly to open doors and speed up my career. The degree got me interviews I never would of had.It was my knowledge and experience that landed me the job I wanted though, not the degree.
        The second time I went I was in a bachelors program for plant science.
        I was there purely for the knowledge and didn't care if I got a degree at all.
        The knowledge I picked up plus the past experience in that field I had not only landed me any job in the landscape industry I wanted, but even now not really working in that field I still get calls for consulting.
        That all came about from not just having the knowledge but being able to apply it in a practical way.
        Personally I think many that go to college go for the wrong reasons.
        They pick a field that makes alot of money and struggle through school to get the degree that is needed for that field. Unhappy in school and later unhappy in their job, all for the dollars.
        I normally don't have a problem making money. Except for paying the bills, it's not that important to me. If I decided to get a job now, the love of the work is and always was more important to me then what the job pays.
        Heck I'll be plowing snow this winter again, not because I have to but because I enjoy it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Hanz
    Originally Posted by YesIloveCars View Post

    The whole purpose of this forum is for people that make great money without a day job. I am wondering because you can make more money as an internet marketer than a top surgeon would. That would make school really not worth the time and money if you look at it that way. The whole point of school is to further yourself with training that will get you a career in a respective field and will allow you to earn money for the rest of your life. If you look at it like that. IM is pretty much the same thing. With today's failing economy and many graduates unable to find jobs and left with school debt, frankly it sucks. This is just one of the random thoughts that goes through my head on a daily basis.
    Not everybody is making money online. All this stuff you read about IMers vacationing on the beaches and sipping coconuts while their 'autopilot cash machines' rack in thousands of dollars daily...a lot of it is nonsense. A lot of people make their money through courses teaching you how to make money online. There are some successful IMers but easy work it is not. IM actually can be a hell of a lot more difficult and taxing than holding even a regular 9 to 5 job.
    The majority of IMers though will tell you it's easy. But of course they'd want you to believe that. How else will they convince you to sign up for their coaching or buy their $97 IM courses? LOL!
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  • Profile picture of the author jacktackett
    Hanz, please be careful about either/or - all or nothing - thinking. First not everyone in IM wants to quit their day job - many just want to supplement it for other reasons. It would very intereing to hear Dr. Mani's take on this. He uses his IM skills not for personal financial gain - but to help children who would not be helped. He's a gifted surgeon AND a gifted Marketer. I'm willing to bet he's not in any hurry to quit either one.

    Its hard to better ThomM's Comment - college is not necessary - but it can be very useful.

    --Jack
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    • Profile picture of the author Hanz
      Originally Posted by jacktackett View Post

      Hanz, please be careful about either/or - all or nothing - thinking. First not everyone in IM wants to quit their day job - many just want to supplement it for other reasons. It would very intereing to hear Dr. Mani's take on this. He uses his IM skills not for personal financial gain - but to help children who would not be helped. He's a gifted surgeon AND a gifted Marketer. I'm willing to bet he's not in any hurry to quit either one.

      Its hard to better ThomM's Comment - college is not necessary - but it can be very useful.

      --Jack
      I agree. Actually the point I was making was that many kids/teens in general get excited about IM (based on all the hype about it) and think they'll be making so much money and won't bother with college. My point was that they should do both because there are no guarantees in IM. One needs to be prepared to enter the work force at any given time. Not everybody is an online success story. But young folk get caught up in the hype and think they'll be making thousands if they simply throw out a few cookie cutter sites. LOL!
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      • Profile picture of the author xiaophil
        Is College Necessary?

        It is for the guys selling textbooks (with minor changes every year to prevent reusing last year's).

        Continuous education? YES!

        College? Take it or leave it. Good point about the networking though.

        Phil
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  • Profile picture of the author KenThompson
    Well, I believe there are lots of reasons why knowledge is useful
    even if it's not "used" for things most people consider practical -
    like getting a job, etc.

    If I had a child who wanted to study something esoteric and not
    viewed by anyone else as "useful," I'd be happy to pay for it.

    You never know what anything will lead to. Knowledge is good. Funny
    how that was on that statue in the movie, Animal House. Anyone
    remember?

    Anything that makes someone use their mind in a fairly constructive way
    is good.


    Ken
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  • Profile picture of the author Virtualghost
    I think if you go into a field that has good job opportunity then yes go for it.But from where I live going to college to work in this town I cannot see anyone going to school to get a just above minimum wage job with possibly only seasonal work.Where I work you need grade 12,drivers license,19yrs old and you can have a job for life,with benefits and make about $60,000 a year and a pension.IE.I have grade 12 worked 33 years at same job and will retire with 100% pension at age of 55.So if you can land the right job then college is not a must.Oh and 90% of the new people we have are college and university students who spent tens of thousands of dollars for an education in a field they cannot find work in so you be the judge.
    I think one opportunity that is good though is working with elder healthcare.
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  • Profile picture of the author Darunner14
    Not when you make 22k a month!
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    • Profile picture of the author virgin devils
      WELL!!!
      YUP ITS NECEESARY FOR EACH AND EVERY BODY IN THE WORLD BCOZ
      A MAN ALONG WITH THE DEGREE OF COLLEGE GETS THE PRACTICAL EXP. OF LIFE LIKE HOW TO MANAGE THE PROBLEMS OF LIFE ...
      AND OF COUSE HE/SHE FINDS HIS LIFE PARTERNER HERE
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  • Profile picture of the author robie
    Life has many options and it's up to you
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  • Profile picture of the author JustinDupre
    A degree helps you get in the door to business opportunities, I agree with most comments here that is good for some basic learning and networking but I don't think it helps much with real world business or how to make decent money.
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  • Profile picture of the author xpydamarketer
    well, i think it all depends on you yourself, but believe me, if you are successful in your IM, maybe some college might be necessary part time to fit in perfectly to the society
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  • Profile picture of the author Gary Pettit
    Nowadays, especially in the area of Business, the best thing about attending college (or business school) is to learn what everyone else is doing wrong because of the outmoded business models still taught at most business schools.
    The exception to the above opinion would be accounting. Numbers are numbers, and many entrepreneurs falter when it comes to managing their accounting in the real world.
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  • Profile picture of the author Virtualghost
    Well don't know about you but worked with a lot of book smart people but when it comes down to real life working world their lost,like people skills,spelling and a little hard labour.
    I do believe that some private as mention business colleges make use of teachers from the working world.You get better teaching rather then a community college with someone who is teaching you something they have learned but never actually done outside classroom.
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  • Profile picture of the author thunderbird
    In some fields, experience trumps formal education. If I needed brain surgery, I wouldn't want someone who was self-educated to do it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
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    Originally Posted by YesIloveCars View Post

    you can make more money as an internet marketer than a top surgeon would.
    You can, but very few do, and the median income in surgery is of course WAY higher. Which many people might regard as a far more telling and significant statistic.

    Originally Posted by YesIloveCars View Post

    That would make school really not worth the time and money if you look at it that way.
    That's kind of a self-fulfilling statement, though, at least to some extent, because school is actually where you learn not to look at it that way.

    Originally Posted by YesIloveCars View Post

    The whole point of school is to further yourself with training that will get you a career in a respective field and will allow you to earn money for the rest of your life.
    And yet, interestingly, so many graduates of so many famous universities don't think that's what school's really about at all. Some people even think that education is what remains when all the stuff you learned has been forgotten.
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  • Profile picture of the author CloudTap
    I feel that college can be an important experience in a persons life.

    The other option is the school of hard knocks.

    Both can lead us down very different paths.
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  • Profile picture of the author YesIloveCars
    Well, I am going to attend UTI because as you can see by my name, that's what I love and I'll see where that takes me in life. I suppose I did get caught up in the hype that being an internet marketer would make anyone like me top surgeon money. The hype can be so misleading!
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    • Profile picture of the author ThomM
      Originally Posted by YesIloveCars View Post

      Well, I am going to attend UTI because as you can see by my name, that's what I love and I'll see where that takes me in life. I suppose I did get caught up in the hype that being an internet marketer would make anyone like me top surgeon money. The hype can be so misleading!
      If you go to college for what you love and are passionate about, the knowledge you gain is priceless. Even if you only use it in your personal life.
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  • Profile picture of the author shanshan
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    • Profile picture of the author soependi
      o0 c mon buddy college is the place to find chicks
      am i wrong? lol
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  • Profile picture of the author healthconverter
    I went to college. Four years. Studied abroad. Great experience, sure. It's not for everyone though. Especially if your goal is to get as wasted as possible and skip as many classes as you can, then it's a waste. There's so many fields out there that require a bachelor's degree, but if you find one that doesn't require it and you like that field, run with it (wo)man!
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  • Profile picture of the author jgand
    It depends on the job and your goals. A college degree may open a few more doors for you. You'll gain valuable understanding of your major field.
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    • Profile picture of the author medi50cus
      Education is a must.
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  • Profile picture of the author Roaddog
    If you have the opportunity to go to college, you should.

    If you think it's all about just ending up in cubicle for 30 years, then they give you a gold watch and boot ya out the door, then your thinking too small.

    And another misconception is that most college people end up working at McDonalds anyway.

    What college can do, is broaden the horizons of the choices and opportunities you can make.

    Just the contacts that you can make should help you out, let alone the education and greasing of the brain.

    You want to work on computers and the net?

    Take up programming, software engineering... I guarantee you have a better chance of making a good living on the net, building and selling software. A much better chance than selling a 47 dollar ebook....etc..

    Writing, a minor in electronics etc.. how to build computers from the ground up...pro style. Never sweat not having a computer...
    and on and on.

    If you have the opportunity, take it. I would have loved the choice.
    Now I am older and can see the difference, I should have done anything to go.
    Granted some of the dumbest people I ever met were in college, but if you have common sense or street sense on top of an education, your unstoppable.


    I swear only people with the opportunity can even think like that.

    The humanityyyyyyy
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