There are many responses, beliefs, and opinions when it comes to this question. Some vehemently argue that a college degree is an absolute in order to provide for a family. Others easily disagree that a degree is not needed, and go even farther by saying that it doesn't really mean much at all. There are also many in between the two extremes and this is where I find myself. One of the best Christmas presents I received was this on my student account. Check it out and see if you can tell what has just happened...
After looking at my online account at least 300 times and always seeing it say "incomplete." It now reads "complete" and though it feels great, overall it is quite anti climatic. After hours and hours of lectures, homework, papers, and group work this simple change--incomplete to complete--is what I am left with.
Yeah a paper declaring the same thing will come in the mail in a couple of weeks but I doubt it will do much to change my present attitude. For a long time I wondered what it would feel like to be a college graduate and as I cleaned the floors of a retail store I thought...is this really what it means to be a college grad. Though my current job is far from permanent ( tomorrow is my last day) it was still an eerie thought: How much is my degree really worth?
My retail store manager has a master's degree in graphic design, another one a degree in electrical engineering, and even another in biology. All these college educated people working the day after Christmas in a retail store is a bit bewildering to me. How bout you?
Yet I know that a college degree really does mean so much more than cleaning floors, a piece of paper, and the proud feelings I will have every time I mention, "Yeah, I have my degree." To me a college degree primarily means a lot of intangible skills and qualities that only a formal education can give. It also means more money. Though there are numerous exceptions, the numbers just do not lie. Take a look at this: 
The bottom line is that on average a degree means a lot of things including more money in the bank, at least if you are intelligent enough to save some of it. Consequently, I am proud of this accomplishment and I know it is just the beginning of much more to come. Around the corner is law school, the professional degree which I will pursue, along with all the future professional opportunities that await me. There are numerous ways to make a living, and for me a formal education is a superb avenue to take.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
A Bachelor's Degree...What is it Worth?
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6 comments:
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A college degree, like most everything else in life, is what you make of it. The point of a degree or a diploma or anything is not the paper (though the paper and the title DO act as an admission ticket to certain jobs and other things that require one as a prerequisite), but the LEARNING and the PROCESS of obtaining it.
Stop learning and applying everything the day after graduation, and the degree will have meant very litle.
Continue to learn and use the processes and procedures and focus required to obtin the degree in the first place, and there's little that will stop you in life!
Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley, BS, MBA
http://www.environmentastic.com
@ Hartley--I definitely agree with everything you said in regards to earning a degree. Like I mentioned in my post the "intangible skills" are invaluable, and by applying them daily they will continue to be of the utmost important in our lives. Congrats on the MBA, by the way.
The value of a degree depends on the area of study. Try to get a job at a big five accounting firm without a degree, maybe washing windows. A long time ago a Bank president told me life is 10% of what you know and 90% B.S.
I started a response to this post and it just grew and grew so I decided to make it a post on my blog instead of monopolizing your comment space. Hope that is ok. Here is a link A Bachelor’s Degree…My Thoughts. Thanks for the excellent post and kicking off this comment to a post thing. Congrats on getting done, I know exactly how you feel. Seeing that "Complete" on my first degree requirement was a bit of a let down as well. Good luck on law school!
That whole dead end job thing really scares me as a college student. I wanna get a foothold in the working world, but my studies hold me back.
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