since the "how was your day" thread was kinda all over the place, i thought i'd pick up this discussion in its own thread. and without any redeeming display of modesty i'll quote myself here-- actually it was the last post to deal with this i think... except that t&b wants to be a plumber.
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Originally Posted by Savage Clone
I had some savings and went to a cheap school. I wasn't referring to my personal situation.
I was speaking in the general sense regarding debt, as most college-bound folks seem to incur quite the mountain of debt in the present climate.
Yes, statistically the odds are in your favor with the degree; all I am saying is that there are nuances within that statistical construct and nothing is guaranteed.
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oh oh... wait a second, i thought of this. i assure you i'm not trying to be a total pain in the ass.
but see, after you left college, you had no debt and bought a house.
now, if you had stayed, you would
still have no debt, and you would
still have bought a house, but you'd have a college degree also.
now, i don't know if you would have been able to use that degree, but generally speaking there are more advantageous employment opportunities for people with a degree-- even on a temporary basis.
and to contrast your particular friend with the mfa who works at a coffee shop, i have a friend with an mfa-- in poetry no less-- who is doing great. she used to be my TA in college. she's published a couple of books, enjoys a tenured position in a liberal arts college, has been a state poet laureate, lectures, travels, and makes quite a decent living while pursuing what she likes, with all the perks of a tenured position, including sabbatical years of course.
now there are also people with advanced degrees working as permanent adjuncts-- people who get paid by the course. they will be forever fucked. for various logistical reasons i was set to be one of them, and so i quit & started working on my own. however, the MA has opened quite a few doors, and i can assure you my grad school experience didn't go to waste. even if i don't directly use my studies today, having to teach for several years was quite a formative experience.
anyway, i certainly do not believe that college is for everyone, and a lot of people would be better served by a trade or technical school, but for those who can put it to good use, having some sort of degree is a lot better than having none. statistically, sure. but i do like my chances.