[atsonicpark]

I have been lead to believe that I "need" to go to college, I need to spend tons of money to do tons of work on nothing that particularly interests me... and I need to do it RIGHT NOW. Or in the near future.

I'm 20, I've been working at walmart for a year, making $8.80 an hour soon ($8.25 right now). I'm very skilled at computers, and I can actually type 149 words per minute. I was thinking of becoming a secretary... doing some kind of clerical work, something that wouldn't require college. So, I must ask of fellow sonic youth board members.. is it really okay to not go to college?

My girlfriend is going and she keeps pressuring me to go, because she thinks she's going to be a millionaire because she's studying chemistry. I constantly have to deflate her ego and explain to her that she may be going for chemistry but so are about a million other people and they're going to be competing for the same job as her.

I dunno.. I'm just at a crossroads of what I want to do, I work with some dudes who went to college and ended up working at walmart cuz they got paid more..

and even a guy I know who is serious about college has said that you're not going to be rich off of it, but you'll just probably end up doing a job you like a lot more than stocking, making about the same wage.. and if that's all it is, I don't think it's worth it.

What are your guys's views on college?

[Alex's Trip]

Animal Collective tells us that we don't have to go to college. But, it does give you many more oppurtunities in life. I want to go. I have no idea where but I want to go.

[golden child]

you can go to college anytime, id start out on your own and then rexamine your life when you are 25 or 30. if you still arent happy with whats going on, maybe you should go to college. if you are content then by no means should you.

[luxinterior]

Maybe take online courses or something.

[schizophrenicroom]

You can do two years at a community college and then apply to transfer to a big college or university as a junior. A lot of times, schools will accept more transfers/non-freshmen because there's less of them applying.

If you feel you need to go to college, go out for it. It's one of those things where you can't really listen to anyone else.

[m^a(t)h]

Originally Posted by atsonicpark

and even a guy I know who is serious about college has said that you're not going to be rich off of it, but you'll just probably end up doing a job you like a lot more than stocking, making about the same wage.. and if that's all it is, I don't think it's worth it.

What are your guys's views on college?

do not believe that guy for a second. Look at the statistics. There is a very thick, bold line between college graduate's salaries and highschool graduate's salaries.

But dont go if your just going to try to get it over with to move on, you must retain it to better yourself.

All men by nature desire knowledge. - Aristotle

College is not only a way to get "richer" but you can also continue to learn at fast rate and more knowledge is never a bad thing. Check out this if you have the time:
http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-3/value.htm

this is that guys conclusion:

"While it is clear that investment in a college degree, especially for those students in the lowest income brackets, is a financial burden, the long-term benefits to individuals as well as to society at large, appear to far outweigh the costs. "

[terminal pharmacy]

Originally Posted by atsonicpark

I have been lead to believe that I "need" to go to college, I need to spend tons of money to do tons of work on nothing that particularly interests me... and I need to do it RIGHT NOW. Or in the near future.

I'm 20, I've been working at walmart for a year, making $8.80 an hour soon ($8.25 right now). I'm very skilled at computers, and I can actually type 149 words per minute. I was thinking of becoming a secretary... doing some kind of clerical work, something that wouldn't require college. So, I must ask of fellow sonic youth board members.. is it really okay to not go to college?

My girlfriend is going and she keeps pressuring me to go, because she thinks she's going to be a millionaire because she's studying chemistry. I constantly have to deflate her ego and explain to her that she may be going for chemistry but so are about a million other people and they're going to be competing for the same job as her.

I dunno.. I'm just at a crossroads of what I want to do, I work with some dudes who went to college and ended up working at walmart cuz they got paid more..

and even a guy I know who is serious about college has said that you're not going to be rich off of it, but you'll just probably end up doing a job you like a lot more than stocking, making about the same wage.. and if that's all it is, I don't think it's worth it.

What are your guys's views on college?

depends if you want to educate yourself or make alot of money, college doesn't garuntee the latter but you will get educated, i didn't go to university until i was 25, you are only young you can go later but don't get stuck becoming a walmart lifer.

[jon boy]

i supppose that some people do look for college degree's when looking at your cv or application for a job. but you have plenty of time to make a decision so dont let anyone pressure you into it or you just wont enjoy yourself. take as long as you need.

[atari 2600]

you have computer skills & you have an employment history now. if you type 149 wpm you stand a chance at getting a trancriptionist job with the clerk of courts as a court reporter.

my advice though is to apply for an accounts receivable (a/r) job with a company or barring that, a collection agency.

tell them you have phone experience with a survey company and/or telemarketing company to hedge your bets.

basically an a/r job entails collecting on past due invoices owed to the company. it pays better than wal-mart & you work in an office. usually there are openings for these types of jobs as it's the bottom rung of the white-collar world much like a dishwasher would be to a restaurant.

& since the a/r job isn't all that physically taxing, you'll still have energy to go to technical college at night at some point. a tech degree in respiratory or physical therapy can turn into a nice career as a highly paid, highly in-demand medical professional & with that expertise you can get a job anywhere you want.

[screamingskull]

i started thread similar to this one a few months a go check it out, it has alot of great information on it. my dilema was whether to go to university or go traveling?

http://www.sonicyouth.com/gossip/showthread.php?t=1451

[Richard Pryor on Fire]

I started going to college right out of high school and it was too soon for me, I had to move out of my house right at 18 and my mom moved to Atlatna so I was in Detroit all by my self and I just got drunk for around 4 years..... so I'm going back to school now and feel really good about it, you have to want to go, no one can make you.

[Phlegmscope]

I'm going to study visual communications/design this fall and I already know it'll be a suicide "career -wise". The whole design thing is a no good field of work and as a worthless graphic designer I will never get a job that's somehow in accordance with my education. There's just not enough work for each media/whatever student and at the same time e.g. healthcare and social work is suffering from the lack of labour. The same goes for many blue-collar fields.

[atari 2600]

with a name like phlegmscope you might've been born to shove tubes down people's throats & get them breathing again, i.e., be a respiratory therapist.

[Alex's Trip]

My dad is a respiratory therapist. He gets paid pretty well. He works nights too so he gets paid even more.

[Phlegmscope]

Well then, I guess shoving tubes down to people's respiratory system combined to drug smuggling will make a good plan b if my graphic design career wont take off.

[atsonicpark]

Thank you everyone, but I think you helped me the most atari.

I guess I was mainly saying.. I don't want to go to college, so what decent options do you think are there for me..

I kinda want to be a mailman actually.

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

Originally Posted by atsonicpark

I have been lead to believe that I "need" to go to college, I need to spend tons of money to do tons of work on nothing that particularly interests me... and I need to do it RIGHT NOW. Or in the near future.

I'm 20, I've been working at walmart for a year, making $8.80 an hour soon ($8.25 right now). I'm very skilled at computers, and I can actually type 149 words per minute. I was thinking of becoming a secretary... doing some kind of clerical work, something that wouldn't require college. So, I must ask of fellow sonic youth board members.. is it really okay to not go to college?

My girlfriend is going and she keeps pressuring me to go, because she thinks she's going to be a millionaire because she's studying chemistry. I constantly have to deflate her ego and explain to her that she may be going for chemistry but so are about a million other people and they're going to be competing for the same job as her.

I dunno.. I'm just at a crossroads of what I want to do, I work with some dudes who went to college and ended up working at walmart cuz they got paid more..

and even a guy I know who is serious about college has said that you're not going to be rich off of it, but you'll just probably end up doing a job you like a lot more than stocking, making about the same wage.. and if that's all it is, I don't think it's worth it.

What are your guys's views on college?

dude you need to go to college. the reason everyone tells you to go sooner then later is because college requires you to take two years of bullshit, and it is good to get it over with. but first, you must figure out what it is you would like to do with your life. fuck walmart, fuck clerical, that is job, that is work. what is is that you REALLY want to do with your life? when you answer the question you can work college into the equation, but for whatever you could want to do, there is a college to attend. it is the only ticket out of poverty aside from basketball, rapping, and stealing.

[Inhuman]

Alex's Trip pretty much said it. It opens lots of oppertunities and lets you have a career which you can enjoy more than one in which you don't go to College. I'm in my second year of New Media & Publication Design because I love to do graphics, and hopefully I can use those skills to also fix my half-assed myspace.

[Savage Clone]

I know several people with Master's degrees who are no better off than I am.
My bandmate is a freaking ART PROFESSOR at a major university and still works at a coffeeshop on weekends to make ends meet.
A degree is only a semi-guarantee of income if it is in certain fields.
I would be no better off with my English degree than I am now with senior-level college experience.
I will never go back.

[!@#$%!]

took me a while to find this picture but

if you look at all like this guy you could turn your secretarial work into a tv career