College is not for everyone, but we don’t have many other choices in careers.

Only 1 in 4 Americans actually have a college degree. Studies find on average that people who graduate with an undergraduate college degree on average make more about $10,000 more per year than HS graduates alone. For every plumber making $60K+, there are dozens of people working minimum wage service jobs at Wal-mart, etc. so these explain the numbers.

College graduates also live on average 4 years longer probably because they are better educated to understand medical care and make more. Graduates also are more likely to work in a job where they have health insurance benefits.

Most Americans have some college, but most won’t finish a degree. Only about half of people who graduate with an undergraduate degree actually will work in the field they study.

So, here is my advice to people who are looking to attend college or whose children may:

a. Read the Sunday paper’s job ads. It is all fine and dandy to nurture your child’s potential or want to be a novelist, but what is going to pay your bills until you sell that first bestseller? Ask yourself which of the jobs listed would you actually want to apply for.

b. If a job says “College degree required” -many do but don’t specify the degree- then major in something you enjoy, will do well in, and will finish.

c. If the jobs you want to seek require a specific degree and training such as nursing or accounting, then pursue a major in these areas.

d. If the job you want doesn’t have a specific major -such a meteorology- then major in something similar such as physical geography and seek out summer internships or jobs to give you training specifically in meteorology.

e. In my experience with freshmen, most want to be physicians, lawyers, business people, or psychologists. I believe I read where 1 in 6 college students get degrees in Biology and most don’t go on into medical school. Instead, consider alternate paths such a degrees in nutrition, food science, plant pathology, etc. that still require the chemistry and biology needed to apply to medical school but which open up more specialty jobs if you don’t pursue medical school. Similar, the bulk of counseling is done by LCSWs, licensed clinical social workers.

f. Realize that what a college degree amounted to 30-40 years ago equates now to a Masters degree. Average earnings jump considerably from HS diploma to undergraduate degree. They jump even higher though not as much for a Masters. Ironically, average incomes drop slightly if earning a PhD.

I find many undergraduate students graduate and are often clueless about their hiring potential. They may have excelled in college but really have few or no skills UNLESS they studied a specialized, applied major. Many lack experience in the areas they want to work. If you start with the job ads and realize you want to prepare to win one of these jobs, you can structure your college career to best be prepared through the right major, possibly graduate school, and internships/part-time jobs in your intended career.

Yes, some people with HS degrees will make more, but the statistics show a college degree on average will open up higher pay, a longer healthier life, and often personal growth.

Today, while getting my haircut, my barber – a former student of mine – told me that her son, a recent graduate of a community college, got his first job as a truck mechanic in Gillette, Wyoming. He will receive $52,000 a year plus benefits for his services. This was a young man who hated high school because so many courses seemed like a waste of time to him. The Community College allowed him to focus on the courses that were most meaningful and practical to him. This young man, to me, is more the rule than the exception. His Dad is also a mechanic and he – the young man – has learned more from him than anyone else.

All that glitters is not gold. Wherever kids go to school, it is important that they choose a route that fits them best. A sound education is much more than a feather in one’s cap. It is a step that hopefully will lead to gainful empoloyment and a life that really matters.

I support this post, and think that probably the most important thing is for a young person to take themselves seriously and find a direction for themselves. I also suspect that while some schooling has value, actually, spending 12 years in what is essentially mandatory schooling (the student never gets to make a choice to attend, it is just assumed) and learning to follow what the guy/gal at the front of the class is doing has a lot to do with stunting a person’s self-direction before it even gets started.

Gates is an example of not only someone with incredibly strong determination, but extraordinary intellect. He left Harvard because he saw an opportunity to start a business.

I recently read a book by a man who taught a mathematics course that Bill Gates took when he was attending Harvard (Before he left to work full time on Microsoft).
In the book, this man describes assigning as homework an unsolved problem in mathematics. He expected to get some interesting work from his students that would be fodder for class discussion, and to stretch their abilities.

However, Bill Gates the undergrad came in to his office the next day with the proof (solution).

The professor says that Gates was perhaps the smartest person he has EVER met and had the opportunity to teach.

Look at my Blog site that gives a lot of success characteristics. Most of them are easier said than done, but being an immigrant parent, I know only one thing and that is ‘Design Success and You Shall Have Success’. I am proving this point to my kids and they are showing early signs of good (small) successes through their middle school and high school. This should pave the way for a good future (lawyer, doctor, pharmacy, scientist, bio-technologist etc).

My kids put in 40-50 hours a week of extra reading/education/tutoring through the summer, enjoying the rest of the time sleeping, watching movie, playing video games, doing soccer/bicycling type of outside activities etc.

I have planned for their college with my savings, and will continue to be an ‘enabler’ of their future.

This is what my Dad did for me, while I DID my part.

Of course, it all depends on kids, cooperation from God and the way they climb over the road-blocks in their lives.

So, hope for the best, AFTER, doing your best.

Kenny – A small Blogger at MySite

My roommate is a neuroscientist. He worked dutifully unpaid for two years to get the job he has now, and nets a meager $500 a week. He barely affords his rent and food since we live in NYC.

I don’t tell him how much I make — I don’t have the heart. He excitedly tells me that, with perseverance, he may one day see $750 a week, if he gets his PhD…

…at least he loves what he is doing.

I think when my son gets older I will somewhat follow Trent’s path. And where is it written that you have to start college right away? Why not take a year and work some different jobs. See what you like. Grow up a little and then start college. Thanks again Trent.

For us, the fact of getting, or not getting, a degree has had little bearing on the “successfulness” of our financial lives.

So, I say, kudos to Trent for speaking up for the idea that college isn’t vital.

For us, the fact of getting, or not getting, a degree has had little bearing on the “successfulness” of our financial lives.

I am currently between my 3rd and 4th year of college. The first 3 years of my college education cost about $60,000 (pretty inexpensive in comparison to my peers). This summer I took an internship and without question I have learned more valuable information and gained more real world experience in 1 month than I have in my 3 years at college.

Unfortunately, it has become a social norm to pursue higher education after graduating from high school and I have simply conformed to the norm.

However, I commend your decision to not force a college education upon your children. My parents took the same approach to an extent, and it just so happened that college was in the deck regardless.

In addition to the above, I must ask: Why do so many parents feel obligated to put their children through college? My parents didn’t have the money for me to go, so I had to figure out how to do it myself. We live within our means and have very few extras; we can barely save for retirement let alone our daughter’s possible future education. It is not that I won’t support her in her endeavors; I will. I will provide her a home, food, etc. But as I see it right now she will have to pay her own way through college. Personally, I feel this is best. If she has to work for it, she’ll appreciate it more. College does not have to be an experience living a few hundred or more miles from home. An adult child can study where he/she chooses while living at home. Only for the truly unique areas of study would a student need to travel so far. For something more commonplace (teacher, accountant, business management) most people could study much closer to home making college a more easily obtainable pay-as-go situation.

At the school I went to, I only know of a couple people that had their education paid for by their parents. I didn’t get a dime from mine, and I never expected anything either. Most of my friends are in the same boat. I worked my tail off and paid my own way.

There are so many opportunities in the world now for expanding one’s education, developing skills and establishing businesses that I think it is very short-sighted for our society to keep placing such importance on college as the primary (or only) path to success.

I do know a thing or two about one form of education:: art training – anyone wishing to become a fine arist can waste four years and 100,000 at PRatt, Yale, etc have a ‘degree’ and know NOTHING (i am not exaggerating here, I really mean nothing) about painting the human figure. On the other hand, one can go to a non degree atelier (like all the old masters did) pay about $300.00 a month full time – and become a master level painter.

In fact many artists who get ’serious’ about art after college go on to Atelier programs and look back at their BFA’s as wastes of time.

I can’t agree more with the concept that allowing your children to develop their own interests and passions is much more important than teaching them that the right college is the only right choice. Had I gotten the tiniest amount of encouragement from the beginning, maybe I wouldn’t have been so afraid of pursuing my passions.