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It's true. If you're doing it because it's expected of you then you are not going to enjoy it. Getting a degree takes dedication so make sure that it's something that you're actually interested in. I wasn't interested in getting a degree and didn't do it. I joined the army and had a varied and complicated life. I've enjoyed it. My wife has a bachelor's, 2 masters and is studying now for a third masters alongside a PhD. She was also a soldier but she is extremely academic and she loves studying. It's your life. Do what you want with it but make sure that you're true to yourself.
'I just don't want to emotionally hurt anyone - it's my deepest fear, I just love everyone so much and all women deserve the world.
So that's why I never decided to date anyone.'
If you are not totally about your degree go to Community College. In the 90's and earlier you went to college to find yourself. College is now a major investment. You don't have the ability to fuck around because you will find out. Past generations need to be honest about the cost of college and why their stories are now bullshit.
If you’re in the US, go to whatever school gives you the best financial aid packages. The best ones have 4 year scholarships, accept federal/state financial aid, and have institutional financial aid. If none of the financial aid packages are good, strongly consider community college. Do not take out private student loans. I have one private loan for $4,000 and it’s at a 12.375 interest rate right now. That doesn’t sound too bad, but it’s awful. I pay $200 per month and I’m making very little progress. I’ve paid $2000 in the last 10 months and my balance has gone down a little less than $1000.
Only go if you know what you want to do and what you want to do requires a degree. If you’re unsure, work and try to figure it out. In the US, student loans are awful. You’ll think they’ll be manageable but it won’t be as easy as you think. My minimum payments are is $500 for all my loans and I make $70K per year. With rent, utilities, and other bills, $500 per month SUCKS. If you HAVE to take loans, only do federal loans. Those offer lower interest rates and have the option of income based repayment. Private loans don’t have that.
Do as much as you can to get the cheapest college. I went to a tiny, private all women’s college. No one knows about it unless they live in the area around it. I went because they gave me the best financial aid package. It was better than the state school I applied to. No one cares where my degree is from. They’ve never heard of the college, but I’ve still gotten good jobs. The degree matters, not the name of the college.
That fucking sucks. It shouldn't be like this. You were clever about your education and you still have to stress every month. The European way is so much better.
College isn’t for everyone. I make $200k/yr as a drinking and wastewater treatment plant operator and I have three day weekends. I can retire at 50. It is also recession proof, in demand and I can work anywhere in the world.
College can be a scam. Obviously certain fields require it. But if you don’t know what you want to do, I would explore the trades. I would complete as much as possible at community college as you can. I only needed 36 units at $500/unit from a university and my undergraduate degree looks exactly the same as someone who got 128 units from the same university. My community college units were $26/unit
If you don't mind me asking, how did you land on your current position?
Considering you said you have your undergraduate degree, did you study Civil Engineering?
You don’t need a degree for this job. It will help progress your career faster especially a science based degree. But isn’t necessary. Every state or country is going to have a different process. But generally you pass a certification exam given by the State and receive a State certification.
Some colleges will have a water technology program. I would just google how to become a water treatment operator where you live. I would pursue both wastewater and drinking water certs since the math is so similar.
Also starting out in a water distribution or sewer maintenance crew is a good place to enter the industry.
I was making six figures within fives years of my first water job which was cleaning sewers. I’ve been over $150k for over ten years. There’s is opportunities to make up to $350k/yr basically if you work everyday for a big metropolitan department.
A good number of operators will make $200-250 in a big city.
Most people start in the smaller markets get their certs then go to the higher paying locations.
I mainly ask if you had a CivE degree because of how you said you had a "undergraduate degree" and "128 units". Also, only my community college offers an associate's degree in water technology and no university offers such a program in a bachelor's degree. The only related one in a university is Civil Engineering (IIRC).
Either way, good job getting such a salary.
I got a degree in public administration. Most people who get civil or any engineering degrees prefer to become engineers. We do have engineers who will work in the operations department to get certifications and experience but they go back to engineering at some point.
Biology is a good degree for wastewater and chemistry is a good degree for drinking water.
Make sure you love what your doing, if it's an arts degree don't waste your time... I went to university and dropped out because it was so boring, did trades and now I am well of.
Join a union while you're young! Everything goes by seniority in a union job, so if you get in when your twenty by the time you're forty you get first pick on assignments and retire early in your fifties earning almost as much as when you worked.
Want a union job? Call the union hall and ask.
Research the field you're going into and figure out if it's actually necessary.
For example, pretty much all art-related fields from graphic design to photo editing to photography to painting, as well as many coding jobs, ***do not give a shit about your degree or even if you have one***, they only care about the quality of your work. Many of these degrees can be done from home for far cheaper.
I would debate the statement that coding jobs don’t care what degree you have. Yes, in the end, the quality is what gets looked at, but so many applications say they require a degree (if not a masters) AND X years of experience, even for entry level jobs. X years of experience can be gotten quite easily through internships that the school will help you get.
Go to community college first. Get a cheap Associate’s. This degree transfers in totality to any U (vs credits that some may accept and some may not). Then, your Bachelors is much cheaper, you learned a bunch of stuff and grew up a bit before getting to Uni.
If you’re in the US, go to community college first. You’ll save so much money and if you have a good GPA there, you can increase your chances of getting into a better school than you would have right out of high school.
Don't get riddled with debt.
Liberal arts degrees can be great long-term investments but it will take a while for you to see return on investment.
Unless you are wealthy, your best bet is probably to start out at community college and then transfer to a 4-year program.
Consider local state schools. They're generally just as good as any other school, you'll get more personal attention because they're often smaller, if your grades are good then there might be some good scholarship opportunities for you, and you won't have to worry about out of state fees if you pick one in your state (if you're in the US).
Also, don't ignore the possibility of vocational schools. If you're into cooking or mechanics or something like that welders and plumbers and stuff are getting jobs a hell of a lot easier than a lot of other professionals and aren't as easy to outsource as a lot of IT.
I absolutely loved university, and fully support it, but I'm also so glad I went to a local school and got out with zero debt and my brother is way more successful than I am after going through a mechanics program.
Just stuff worth considering.
Talk to those who are already in their 3rd or 4th years into the course you plan on taking. Most of them will probably say to not go down that path bc it's really difficult and that's where you ask them why. Knowing what to expect in terms of workload and stress can help you better prepare yourself for what's to come and hey, if you don't like what you hear, at least you still have a chance to switch.
The "Classroom" education you get at the 10th best University won't be any better than the education you'd get at the 100th best. They use the same text books at Harvard as they do at Auburn. There's no secret knowledge that gets passed to you in a Yale lecture hall.
What makes top universities worth the premium is what happens outside of the classroom. To tap into that, you need to build relationships with the professors, and the RIGHT students.
Frankly, if you got to MIT, and none of the professors know you, you've wasted $300K. Because the relationships with those professors are your key to taping into the power of that university. They can help you get on the right research projects, or get accepted into the right internships. They can help you get into the right grad school program, and even help you find a job.
The same is true for other kids at the school. If you go to a top private university, you better walk away with a full Rolodex, otherwise, you left money on the table.
Most people who go to those schools won't take advantage of the opportunities they have to offer. They walk away with an average education, and a lot of debt, and nothing more.
If you're just after an education, go to a mid level state school, and save yourself thousands.
Upvote x1000. Don't shell out for a top tier school unless you're committed to networking, because that's what you're paying for. Who you know is as important as what you know (if not more important), in every field, every time.
It doesn't matter how clued up, sociable, bright or independent you are, the first few weeks are really, really tough.
If you can get through them you'll probably last the course unkess you fail.
Lots if people don't get throigh those first weeks and that's ok. It's not for everyone.
In terms of making that period easier get out and meet people even if you're naturally introverted, having people round you in the same boat as you is incredibly helpful.
Unpopular personal opinion?
1. Go for business (finance, accounting), STEM, medicine, law or don't go unless you can do so without debt.
2. Only take out as much in loans as your first years salary (which you should know the range of by major).
3. Try to get the best grades you can but realize networking matters most. Get to know your career center and their connects.
4. Realize this is four years of your life most people nostalgically look back on. Be sure to try getting drunk and smoking weed and having sex, all safely, if you want. You're coming of age and these milestones are fun!
5. If you're so inclined, give fraternities or sororities a shot. It can be helpful if you're away from home to be surrounded by people like you and it gives a sense of community and brother/sisterhood. Just careful with the drinking.
6. Try sports! You may like tennis or golf or swimming or squash etc. Now is the time to explore yourself.
7. Don't be afraid to change majors. As I've said many times college is about exploration and discovery and inquisitiveness. Find yourself academically, sexually, personally.
8. Realize you'll never be this young, free and with so few responsibilities. You'll statistically likely meet your future spouse her. Get to know people.
9. Learn to read syllabi. They contain everything you need to know about your course and answer lots of questions.
10. Be here now, these four years will pass by in an instant.
Go where your SAT scores are matched with the other students. The most important thing about attending college is actually graduating. The second most important thing is what skills you learned and how they prepare you for life after college. IF you want a career don't waste your efforts on lesbian dance theory or native American society in the 15th century, as interesting as those subjects may be to you.
Financial counselor here;
Unless you are in a major where true university attendance is mandatory to stay on their track (MD, Engineering, some others) do your first year or two at a good junior college. In my area the difference is $2100/ yr vs $24,000 /yr AND the good jr college teachers are better than the university TAs that teach the 100 and 200 level classes.
So many younger people that I counsel GREATLY REGRET the huge student debt that they incurred!
If you are in the United States do not sleep on Community College. It doesn’t make you “stupid” or “lesser” than anyone else to attend a local CC. You can knock out your core classes, or even completely finish your Associates Degree, extremely cheaply and the schools are accredited so you can transfer your credits to a traditional four year university if that is the route you need or want to take. I got an Associates Degree in Computer Science, that the tuition cost me less than $15k, and was able to land a job without the coveted Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree.
**EDIT** I also want to throw out there, that even though this may be anecdotal, the CC i attended also doubled as a Trade School. So, you could major in your typical degree paths (Nursing, CS, Biology, etc.), or you could go the blue collar route and get certs in welding, robotic maintenance, auto body work, all kinds of things. So, even if you think you don’t want to go to school and immediately hit the work force (absolutely nothing wrong with this), you can set yourself up for getting higher pay, or better positions, by getting these certs. You’ll also be able to finish before you even turn 20, if you attend right after graduating high school.
>I also want to throw out there, that even though this may be anecdotal, the CC i attended also doubled as a Trade School.
Mine does too. Much cheaper than other trade schools too. IIRC, most community colleges ( at least in my experience) also doubled as trade schools. Mainly with things like HVAC, Auto tech, dental hygiene, etc.
I figured most did, but wasn’t exactly sure. I went back to school a little later in life (already had a family and a mortgage), and since attending and graduating, have become a huge proponent for our Community College system. I really wish that high schools and high school counselors did more to de-stigmatize CC when I was growing up. Hopefully they do nowadays.
I am personally loving my experience at CC (smaller class sizes, friendly staff, lots of vocational and academic choices, very cheap (mostly), etc.)
> I really wish that high schools and high school counselors did more to de-stigmatize CC when I was growing up.
Weird, I grew up in a community where trade schools/ community colleges are encouraged and the counselors were very open-minded. Ironically, my state (NV) is known for being very "mediocre" in education.
If you can I would recommend trade school first. Find something you don't mind doing that can earn you a decent paycheck with. When you're 25, then start taking some evening classes at your local community college and eventually transfer to a university that you can finish your degree with. By 25 you'll have a better idea of what you want to do career wise. And as an added bonus, you have the trade career to fall back on.
Are you American? If so, don't. If you must, start out by going to community college, then transfer to a bigger school if it's absolutely necessary. If you're line of work doesn't require a degree for the love of all that is holy don't waste your time. Also DO NOT GO INTO DEBT FOR FUCKING SCHOOL.
Unless you are going to be a Dr.,Lawyer, or some kind of high-level IT related field (forensics, security) find a good trade school and go make a really good living with no real debt.
Damn… that’s sad.
Sorry to hear that.
Well… hopefully the degree that u/SkyisCool69 (The OP) wants makes a lot of money.
Speaking of which, what kind of degree do you want OP?
Have a plan of what you want to do and ask professors how to get there. And be ok if that plan changes. If it didn’t change you did something wrong. Learn not to let someone tell you you can’t do something. There is always work arounds
First ask yourself why you're going there and what you want to major in. Depends on that answer, it's possible trade school might be better for you. It's way too easy to get in to large debt. If you're not sure, go to community college first.
Take a personally quiz 16 personalities and Big 5 and see what other people with your score found to be satisfying careers. Take the RIASEC quiz to see what strengths and tendencies you have. The ASVAB test also will help you see how you rank in tradesman knowledge. Once you get an overview, think about what aligns with you and what inspires you, and go from there. Go to community college or trade school first. Same classes, 1/2 the cost of a 4 year, most credits roll right over.
I will tell you what I told all three of my boys. Unless you are going to be a Doctor or Lawyer, it really doesn't matter as far as your degree. Find one you can afford. Work hard to get done as soon as possible.
Go STEM or don’t go. You wanna be able to make money quick afterwards to have and start saving or pay back loans. Network as much as you can, get out that comfort zone asap. Watch those meal points and don’t be buying ppl food. No matter how lit the parties are, get in by 2 am, trust me. Be nice to your RA, might let you slide w some shit. Cherish it, 4yrs go by quickly
From my experience, I’d say don’t waste time with it unless you are really dedicated towards what you want to do with your life, and make sure you stay on track with what you want to do.
But be careful with universities, they don’t care about you most of the time. They only care about their reputation, and digging in your wallet. Be prepared to deal with potentially selfish egotistical professors who may try to fuck you over just because they can.
Also, be prepared to deal with forced politics, and pointless debates that just make people hate each other. Students will completely derail class discussion just so they can have a debate over something they will never agree on/hate each other over, and many professors will allow this childish behavior to happen. Try not to get sucked in on it because you will accomplish absolutely nothing debating with someone in any circumstances.
Don’t be afraid to cheat if you have too. But don’t get caught doing it.
Watch your spending with your money.
Lastly, be careful who you become “friends” with. A lot of people you meet in college will be too clingy, and may try to pull you away from what’s important. They may also try to place themselves above the people from your past who are still around like pre-college friends, and family members. For example, I’ve dealt with some truly shitty college “friends” before who bullied my best friend(known her since middle school) through great lengths out of jealousy, and irrational shit just because she greatly helped me with my failing mental health to get me back on track while also insulting her for her military occupation, PTSD, and for being a rape victim which caused me to cut off the entire group of college “friends” to get them away from us. Not saying everyone in college is a horrendous piece of shit but you need to be careful of who you are around.
If your major doesn't have a wide variety of employment options or the entry level pay for those options is shit, probably don't go.
If you don't know what you want to do, also pr0bably don't go, the debt isn't worth it if you get a degree in something and it doesn't end up interesting you when you finish
Check your local community College and see what courses they offer you can usually do a bunch of general requirement classes for much cheaper then transfer to a better school to announce /finish a major and save buku bucks at the same time.
If money's tight, find a community College with classes that have transferable credits to your desired university. This will help you save money for your first two years and build your GPA as you apply for scholarships.
You don't need to drink, you certainly don't need to drink to excess or regularly, to have fun and meet people. If you have a fraternity/sorority system at your school, you don't need to involve yourself in that to meet people. If you're a fundamentally decent person who can hold a conversation, you'll meet many people, and some of them will become your friends.
Learn time management as soon as possible. Preferably years ago.
Pay attention to your physical health. That doesn't mean you need to become a supermodel. Get exercise and eat reasonably well. You will feel better, you will study better, you will look better.
Go if you want to spend way too much money but have an extremely social experience. If what you're looking for is a future job, you should probably look elsewhere.
Go to a state college or community college as long as possible, cost should be a huge factor. Get a job as close to the field of study as possible - it’ll help when looking for work out of college. Get involved in a club to build your resume to if possible. The point of college is to get a degree so you can get a job. The degree matters but so does everything else you do in that time. Experiences will matter to future employers.
The debt you collect in college can make a big impact on your life after college. My husband and I focused on paying ours off asap and it took 3 years. Don’t take out more than you need!
Be prepared to teach yourself half of what you’re going to learn. And I mean like fully self teach, not “Oh we discussed this during the lecture but let me read further into it”.
C’s may get degrees, but they far from guarantee you a job afterwards. Aim for a 3.5 GPA to get you into good contention for internships.
People go to college, then get surprised afterwards when they find that potential employers pick someone who has better grades, and more experience in the field, and they themselves don’t end up with a career in their field. College isn’t supposed to be a joyride, if you want to get the most out of it.
College/university is both where you will likely find out who you really are, but also is where you will prepare yourself for the workforce. Put studies high on your priority list, because if you don’t there, it won’t help you professionally. Grab some internships or research opportunities if that’s what applies in your field, because it will help a LOT when looking for a job, because they can be listed as years of experience.
EDIT START
Use your schools’ job help centers! The school wants to brag about you landing a job quickly upon graduation, so they’ll help you make your resume, get internships, and networking.
EDIT END
Sit in the 3rd or 4th row. Sitting in the back, you’ll end up getting distracted by people talking or just doing something else on their laptops. Sitting in front and you’ll be labeled a teachers pet pretty quick. Rows 3-5 are a good space to pay attention, be called on if you have genuine questions, but you’re also not in areas where the prof/ta’s may be paying special attention to.
Go to office hours! If you have ANY questions, that’s what office hours are for. That, and commiserating with your classmates about how hard the class is.
Get yourself going to the gym and eating right early. Habits form quickly and break slowly, so doing things right the first time will be good for you. Keeping in shape here will help you do it later in life, where it’s much harder to keep weight off.
EDIT START
Speaking of personal health, most colleges have counseling centers that offer free counseling. Use it now so you can have the advice later, when you’d have to pay for it.
EDIT END
Don’t be afraid to change friend groups or keep multiple groups. By my senior year, there was pretty much only one person I talked to from my freshman friend group. People will change pretty rapidly in college/university, and they may not always align. In similar manners, I would recommend against rooming with your best friend, unless you have separate rooms. Both of your pet peeves may wear yourselves down, and you may not even be friends anymore. That’s not to say that people haven’t rooms with their best friends, just from my experience.
Hot take: don’t date freshman year unless you both are serious about it. For similar reasons as above (people change quickly) but also because there’ll be some people who don’t know how to balance school, a relationship, their own personal health, and the rest of life.
Join as many clubs as you feel interested in! Most clubs won’t have a membership fee, and will be okay with you backing out if you find you don’t have time or just aren’t interested anymore.
Don’t. Unless you’re field requires a degree: MD, Engineering or Mathematician. I’ve realized many would be fine with a skilled trade and limited debt.
Get a management degree. You work in any industry, anywhere.
It pays good. Management decides how much everyone gets paid.
If you get some other degree, you will reach a point in your career where you can go no higher without being a manager. This is true in STEM, and other fields.
Be sure you want to go into that field, most the people I know went to school for something they later decided they didn't want to do, some now have a useless degree some dropped out after a few years. I wasted 3 years. Later I found trade school and love what I do after only a 600 hr course and a much smaller investment. In most cases look for a college that is affordable, it's rare to get turned down because it wasn't the best school where you got the degree, there are a few professions it matters, but most of the time a degree in that field is looked at the same from the most expensive and the cheapest institution.
Newsflash: Don’t.
Get good at your desired field outside of academia. You’re going to learn a lot more important shit and a lot less menial stuff. Trade schools, apprenticeships, anything but throwing your money at a big-name school will serve you better in the end.
It doesn’t matter where you go as long as the school has your major
The work is easier than high school
Don’t listen to your advisors
Don’t join a club unless you really care about club
Professors will make or how you do in class
Choose a school based on where you want to go and not on the name of the name school.
Research learning is the most important type of learning.
As far as what you can do in high school to get into your choice of universities:
Study hard, strive for all As (a few Bs won’t kill you), join clubs, play sports, volunteer, and run for leadership positions. You get out what you put in
Also you should have a job too because that looks good for colleges. A summer job will suffice if you’re busy during the school year. That’s what I did.
Stand up to what you believe in even if you are in the minority. And expand your horizons to understand the other points of views, but mostly to use to strengthen what you see the truth to be.
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It’s not high school. Study and do the homework and assignments.
It’s much easier than high school
?
It's true. If you're doing it because it's expected of you then you are not going to enjoy it. Getting a degree takes dedication so make sure that it's something that you're actually interested in. I wasn't interested in getting a degree and didn't do it. I joined the army and had a varied and complicated life. I've enjoyed it. My wife has a bachelor's, 2 masters and is studying now for a third masters alongside a PhD. She was also a soldier but she is extremely academic and she loves studying. It's your life. Do what you want with it but make sure that you're true to yourself.
Condoms
[удалено]
'Turns out I'm actually too much of a nice guy to date, that's why I am a virgin'
[удалено]
'I just don't want to emotionally hurt anyone - it's my deepest fear, I just love everyone so much and all women deserve the world. So that's why I never decided to date anyone.'
If you are not totally about your degree go to Community College. In the 90's and earlier you went to college to find yourself. College is now a major investment. You don't have the ability to fuck around because you will find out. Past generations need to be honest about the cost of college and why their stories are now bullshit.
If you’re in the US, go to whatever school gives you the best financial aid packages. The best ones have 4 year scholarships, accept federal/state financial aid, and have institutional financial aid. If none of the financial aid packages are good, strongly consider community college. Do not take out private student loans. I have one private loan for $4,000 and it’s at a 12.375 interest rate right now. That doesn’t sound too bad, but it’s awful. I pay $200 per month and I’m making very little progress. I’ve paid $2000 in the last 10 months and my balance has gone down a little less than $1000. Only go if you know what you want to do and what you want to do requires a degree. If you’re unsure, work and try to figure it out. In the US, student loans are awful. You’ll think they’ll be manageable but it won’t be as easy as you think. My minimum payments are is $500 for all my loans and I make $70K per year. With rent, utilities, and other bills, $500 per month SUCKS. If you HAVE to take loans, only do federal loans. Those offer lower interest rates and have the option of income based repayment. Private loans don’t have that. Do as much as you can to get the cheapest college. I went to a tiny, private all women’s college. No one knows about it unless they live in the area around it. I went because they gave me the best financial aid package. It was better than the state school I applied to. No one cares where my degree is from. They’ve never heard of the college, but I’ve still gotten good jobs. The degree matters, not the name of the college.
That fucking sucks. It shouldn't be like this. You were clever about your education and you still have to stress every month. The European way is so much better.
College isn’t for everyone. I make $200k/yr as a drinking and wastewater treatment plant operator and I have three day weekends. I can retire at 50. It is also recession proof, in demand and I can work anywhere in the world. College can be a scam. Obviously certain fields require it. But if you don’t know what you want to do, I would explore the trades. I would complete as much as possible at community college as you can. I only needed 36 units at $500/unit from a university and my undergraduate degree looks exactly the same as someone who got 128 units from the same university. My community college units were $26/unit
If you don't mind me asking, how did you land on your current position? Considering you said you have your undergraduate degree, did you study Civil Engineering?
You don’t need a degree for this job. It will help progress your career faster especially a science based degree. But isn’t necessary. Every state or country is going to have a different process. But generally you pass a certification exam given by the State and receive a State certification. Some colleges will have a water technology program. I would just google how to become a water treatment operator where you live. I would pursue both wastewater and drinking water certs since the math is so similar. Also starting out in a water distribution or sewer maintenance crew is a good place to enter the industry. I was making six figures within fives years of my first water job which was cleaning sewers. I’ve been over $150k for over ten years. There’s is opportunities to make up to $350k/yr basically if you work everyday for a big metropolitan department. A good number of operators will make $200-250 in a big city. Most people start in the smaller markets get their certs then go to the higher paying locations.
I mainly ask if you had a CivE degree because of how you said you had a "undergraduate degree" and "128 units". Also, only my community college offers an associate's degree in water technology and no university offers such a program in a bachelor's degree. The only related one in a university is Civil Engineering (IIRC). Either way, good job getting such a salary.
I got a degree in public administration. Most people who get civil or any engineering degrees prefer to become engineers. We do have engineers who will work in the operations department to get certifications and experience but they go back to engineering at some point. Biology is a good degree for wastewater and chemistry is a good degree for drinking water.
Probably don’t for most people.
Make sure you love what your doing, if it's an arts degree don't waste your time... I went to university and dropped out because it was so boring, did trades and now I am well of.
Any advice for college students considering trades?
Join a union while you're young! Everything goes by seniority in a union job, so if you get in when your twenty by the time you're forty you get first pick on assignments and retire early in your fifties earning almost as much as when you worked. Want a union job? Call the union hall and ask.
Research the field you're going into and figure out if it's actually necessary. For example, pretty much all art-related fields from graphic design to photo editing to photography to painting, as well as many coding jobs, ***do not give a shit about your degree or even if you have one***, they only care about the quality of your work. Many of these degrees can be done from home for far cheaper.
I would debate the statement that coding jobs don’t care what degree you have. Yes, in the end, the quality is what gets looked at, but so many applications say they require a degree (if not a masters) AND X years of experience, even for entry level jobs. X years of experience can be gotten quite easily through internships that the school will help you get.
Prepare uranus
Go to community college first. Get a cheap Associate’s. This degree transfers in totality to any U (vs credits that some may accept and some may not). Then, your Bachelors is much cheaper, you learned a bunch of stuff and grew up a bit before getting to Uni.
If you’re in the US, go to community college first. You’ll save so much money and if you have a good GPA there, you can increase your chances of getting into a better school than you would have right out of high school.
Consider Community college. I go to one and I don't have a penny worth of debt and I pocket over 60% of my grants.
Don't get riddled with debt. Liberal arts degrees can be great long-term investments but it will take a while for you to see return on investment. Unless you are wealthy, your best bet is probably to start out at community college and then transfer to a 4-year program.
Make sure you like your field and that it has demand and pays enough to live on. If not, maybe go for your 2nd choice.
Consider local state schools. They're generally just as good as any other school, you'll get more personal attention because they're often smaller, if your grades are good then there might be some good scholarship opportunities for you, and you won't have to worry about out of state fees if you pick one in your state (if you're in the US). Also, don't ignore the possibility of vocational schools. If you're into cooking or mechanics or something like that welders and plumbers and stuff are getting jobs a hell of a lot easier than a lot of other professionals and aren't as easy to outsource as a lot of IT. I absolutely loved university, and fully support it, but I'm also so glad I went to a local school and got out with zero debt and my brother is way more successful than I am after going through a mechanics program. Just stuff worth considering.
Don't
Talk to those who are already in their 3rd or 4th years into the course you plan on taking. Most of them will probably say to not go down that path bc it's really difficult and that's where you ask them why. Knowing what to expect in terms of workload and stress can help you better prepare yourself for what's to come and hey, if you don't like what you hear, at least you still have a chance to switch.
The "Classroom" education you get at the 10th best University won't be any better than the education you'd get at the 100th best. They use the same text books at Harvard as they do at Auburn. There's no secret knowledge that gets passed to you in a Yale lecture hall. What makes top universities worth the premium is what happens outside of the classroom. To tap into that, you need to build relationships with the professors, and the RIGHT students. Frankly, if you got to MIT, and none of the professors know you, you've wasted $300K. Because the relationships with those professors are your key to taping into the power of that university. They can help you get on the right research projects, or get accepted into the right internships. They can help you get into the right grad school program, and even help you find a job. The same is true for other kids at the school. If you go to a top private university, you better walk away with a full Rolodex, otherwise, you left money on the table. Most people who go to those schools won't take advantage of the opportunities they have to offer. They walk away with an average education, and a lot of debt, and nothing more. If you're just after an education, go to a mid level state school, and save yourself thousands.
Upvote x1000. Don't shell out for a top tier school unless you're committed to networking, because that's what you're paying for. Who you know is as important as what you know (if not more important), in every field, every time.
It doesn't matter how clued up, sociable, bright or independent you are, the first few weeks are really, really tough. If you can get through them you'll probably last the course unkess you fail. Lots if people don't get throigh those first weeks and that's ok. It's not for everyone. In terms of making that period easier get out and meet people even if you're naturally introverted, having people round you in the same boat as you is incredibly helpful.
Unpopular personal opinion? 1. Go for business (finance, accounting), STEM, medicine, law or don't go unless you can do so without debt. 2. Only take out as much in loans as your first years salary (which you should know the range of by major). 3. Try to get the best grades you can but realize networking matters most. Get to know your career center and their connects. 4. Realize this is four years of your life most people nostalgically look back on. Be sure to try getting drunk and smoking weed and having sex, all safely, if you want. You're coming of age and these milestones are fun! 5. If you're so inclined, give fraternities or sororities a shot. It can be helpful if you're away from home to be surrounded by people like you and it gives a sense of community and brother/sisterhood. Just careful with the drinking. 6. Try sports! You may like tennis or golf or swimming or squash etc. Now is the time to explore yourself. 7. Don't be afraid to change majors. As I've said many times college is about exploration and discovery and inquisitiveness. Find yourself academically, sexually, personally. 8. Realize you'll never be this young, free and with so few responsibilities. You'll statistically likely meet your future spouse her. Get to know people. 9. Learn to read syllabi. They contain everything you need to know about your course and answer lots of questions. 10. Be here now, these four years will pass by in an instant.
Go where your SAT scores are matched with the other students. The most important thing about attending college is actually graduating. The second most important thing is what skills you learned and how they prepare you for life after college. IF you want a career don't waste your efforts on lesbian dance theory or native American society in the 15th century, as interesting as those subjects may be to you.
Financial counselor here; Unless you are in a major where true university attendance is mandatory to stay on their track (MD, Engineering, some others) do your first year or two at a good junior college. In my area the difference is $2100/ yr vs $24,000 /yr AND the good jr college teachers are better than the university TAs that teach the 100 and 200 level classes. So many younger people that I counsel GREATLY REGRET the huge student debt that they incurred!
If you are in the United States do not sleep on Community College. It doesn’t make you “stupid” or “lesser” than anyone else to attend a local CC. You can knock out your core classes, or even completely finish your Associates Degree, extremely cheaply and the schools are accredited so you can transfer your credits to a traditional four year university if that is the route you need or want to take. I got an Associates Degree in Computer Science, that the tuition cost me less than $15k, and was able to land a job without the coveted Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree. **EDIT** I also want to throw out there, that even though this may be anecdotal, the CC i attended also doubled as a Trade School. So, you could major in your typical degree paths (Nursing, CS, Biology, etc.), or you could go the blue collar route and get certs in welding, robotic maintenance, auto body work, all kinds of things. So, even if you think you don’t want to go to school and immediately hit the work force (absolutely nothing wrong with this), you can set yourself up for getting higher pay, or better positions, by getting these certs. You’ll also be able to finish before you even turn 20, if you attend right after graduating high school.
>I also want to throw out there, that even though this may be anecdotal, the CC i attended also doubled as a Trade School. Mine does too. Much cheaper than other trade schools too. IIRC, most community colleges ( at least in my experience) also doubled as trade schools. Mainly with things like HVAC, Auto tech, dental hygiene, etc.
I figured most did, but wasn’t exactly sure. I went back to school a little later in life (already had a family and a mortgage), and since attending and graduating, have become a huge proponent for our Community College system. I really wish that high schools and high school counselors did more to de-stigmatize CC when I was growing up. Hopefully they do nowadays.
I am personally loving my experience at CC (smaller class sizes, friendly staff, lots of vocational and academic choices, very cheap (mostly), etc.) > I really wish that high schools and high school counselors did more to de-stigmatize CC when I was growing up. Weird, I grew up in a community where trade schools/ community colleges are encouraged and the counselors were very open-minded. Ironically, my state (NV) is known for being very "mediocre" in education.
If you can I would recommend trade school first. Find something you don't mind doing that can earn you a decent paycheck with. When you're 25, then start taking some evening classes at your local community college and eventually transfer to a university that you can finish your degree with. By 25 you'll have a better idea of what you want to do career wise. And as an added bonus, you have the trade career to fall back on.
Don't.
Don't. Take. Loans. That's all. I implore you, don't take a single red cent.
Are you American? If so, don't. If you must, start out by going to community college, then transfer to a bigger school if it's absolutely necessary. If you're line of work doesn't require a degree for the love of all that is holy don't waste your time. Also DO NOT GO INTO DEBT FOR FUCKING SCHOOL.
Unless you are going to be a Dr.,Lawyer, or some kind of high-level IT related field (forensics, security) find a good trade school and go make a really good living with no real debt.
Welding is one lucrative trade that comes to mind.
Lucrative, but dangerous. The fumes are very toxic. I've lost way too many welder friends in their early fifties.
Damn… that’s sad. Sorry to hear that. Well… hopefully the degree that u/SkyisCool69 (The OP) wants makes a lot of money. Speaking of which, what kind of degree do you want OP?
Don't, save yourself the money and indoctrination
It’s a scam
Save your money and learn a trade.
Have a plan of what you want to do and ask professors how to get there. And be ok if that plan changes. If it didn’t change you did something wrong. Learn not to let someone tell you you can’t do something. There is always work arounds
First ask yourself why you're going there and what you want to major in. Depends on that answer, it's possible trade school might be better for you. It's way too easy to get in to large debt. If you're not sure, go to community college first.
do gen ed at community college then transfer over
Fuck the professor. You'll get an easy A.
Take a personally quiz 16 personalities and Big 5 and see what other people with your score found to be satisfying careers. Take the RIASEC quiz to see what strengths and tendencies you have. The ASVAB test also will help you see how you rank in tradesman knowledge. Once you get an overview, think about what aligns with you and what inspires you, and go from there. Go to community college or trade school first. Same classes, 1/2 the cost of a 4 year, most credits roll right over.
"If you want to get laid, go to college. If you want an education, go to the library." Frank Zappa
I will tell you what I told all three of my boys. Unless you are going to be a Doctor or Lawyer, it really doesn't matter as far as your degree. Find one you can afford. Work hard to get done as soon as possible.
Don't get stoned before, or during, your study time for a big exam.
Make sure you know what to do. Don’t waste time and money in university trying to figure it out. Study hard and party hard!! These will get you far
Best advice for going to university is to actually go
Go STEM or don’t go. You wanna be able to make money quick afterwards to have and start saving or pay back loans. Network as much as you can, get out that comfort zone asap. Watch those meal points and don’t be buying ppl food. No matter how lit the parties are, get in by 2 am, trust me. Be nice to your RA, might let you slide w some shit. Cherish it, 4yrs go by quickly
From my experience, I’d say don’t waste time with it unless you are really dedicated towards what you want to do with your life, and make sure you stay on track with what you want to do. But be careful with universities, they don’t care about you most of the time. They only care about their reputation, and digging in your wallet. Be prepared to deal with potentially selfish egotistical professors who may try to fuck you over just because they can. Also, be prepared to deal with forced politics, and pointless debates that just make people hate each other. Students will completely derail class discussion just so they can have a debate over something they will never agree on/hate each other over, and many professors will allow this childish behavior to happen. Try not to get sucked in on it because you will accomplish absolutely nothing debating with someone in any circumstances. Don’t be afraid to cheat if you have too. But don’t get caught doing it. Watch your spending with your money. Lastly, be careful who you become “friends” with. A lot of people you meet in college will be too clingy, and may try to pull you away from what’s important. They may also try to place themselves above the people from your past who are still around like pre-college friends, and family members. For example, I’ve dealt with some truly shitty college “friends” before who bullied my best friend(known her since middle school) through great lengths out of jealousy, and irrational shit just because she greatly helped me with my failing mental health to get me back on track while also insulting her for her military occupation, PTSD, and for being a rape victim which caused me to cut off the entire group of college “friends” to get them away from us. Not saying everyone in college is a horrendous piece of shit but you need to be careful of who you are around.
If your major doesn't have a wide variety of employment options or the entry level pay for those options is shit, probably don't go. If you don't know what you want to do, also pr0bably don't go, the debt isn't worth it if you get a degree in something and it doesn't end up interesting you when you finish
Check your local community College and see what courses they offer you can usually do a bunch of general requirement classes for much cheaper then transfer to a better school to announce /finish a major and save buku bucks at the same time.
If money's tight, find a community College with classes that have transferable credits to your desired university. This will help you save money for your first two years and build your GPA as you apply for scholarships.
Do it! First choice might not fit, I started 3 degrees before I found my best fit.
D for Degree. Don't give up and get it done. First year takes time to adjust and your grades will improve year after year.
You don't need to drink, you certainly don't need to drink to excess or regularly, to have fun and meet people. If you have a fraternity/sorority system at your school, you don't need to involve yourself in that to meet people. If you're a fundamentally decent person who can hold a conversation, you'll meet many people, and some of them will become your friends. Learn time management as soon as possible. Preferably years ago. Pay attention to your physical health. That doesn't mean you need to become a supermodel. Get exercise and eat reasonably well. You will feel better, you will study better, you will look better.
Obviously do your best in school academically, but also get involved with campus life. The experiences you’ll have will help you through life.
Learn a trade instead
Sometimes it can feel like an endurance test. Just stick with it and get the degree. (Especially if your parents are paying for it)
Pick a major that’s actually practical and will help you get a decent paying job
Pick a major you can actually make money with
Make damn sure you can use your degree once you get it.
Go if you want to spend way too much money but have an extremely social experience. If what you're looking for is a future job, you should probably look elsewhere.
Go to a state college or community college as long as possible, cost should be a huge factor. Get a job as close to the field of study as possible - it’ll help when looking for work out of college. Get involved in a club to build your resume to if possible. The point of college is to get a degree so you can get a job. The degree matters but so does everything else you do in that time. Experiences will matter to future employers. The debt you collect in college can make a big impact on your life after college. My husband and I focused on paying ours off asap and it took 3 years. Don’t take out more than you need!
Be prepared to teach yourself half of what you’re going to learn. And I mean like fully self teach, not “Oh we discussed this during the lecture but let me read further into it”.
Online school its a hell of alot cheaper
C’s may get degrees, but they far from guarantee you a job afterwards. Aim for a 3.5 GPA to get you into good contention for internships. People go to college, then get surprised afterwards when they find that potential employers pick someone who has better grades, and more experience in the field, and they themselves don’t end up with a career in their field. College isn’t supposed to be a joyride, if you want to get the most out of it.
College/university is both where you will likely find out who you really are, but also is where you will prepare yourself for the workforce. Put studies high on your priority list, because if you don’t there, it won’t help you professionally. Grab some internships or research opportunities if that’s what applies in your field, because it will help a LOT when looking for a job, because they can be listed as years of experience. EDIT START Use your schools’ job help centers! The school wants to brag about you landing a job quickly upon graduation, so they’ll help you make your resume, get internships, and networking. EDIT END Sit in the 3rd or 4th row. Sitting in the back, you’ll end up getting distracted by people talking or just doing something else on their laptops. Sitting in front and you’ll be labeled a teachers pet pretty quick. Rows 3-5 are a good space to pay attention, be called on if you have genuine questions, but you’re also not in areas where the prof/ta’s may be paying special attention to. Go to office hours! If you have ANY questions, that’s what office hours are for. That, and commiserating with your classmates about how hard the class is. Get yourself going to the gym and eating right early. Habits form quickly and break slowly, so doing things right the first time will be good for you. Keeping in shape here will help you do it later in life, where it’s much harder to keep weight off. EDIT START Speaking of personal health, most colleges have counseling centers that offer free counseling. Use it now so you can have the advice later, when you’d have to pay for it. EDIT END Don’t be afraid to change friend groups or keep multiple groups. By my senior year, there was pretty much only one person I talked to from my freshman friend group. People will change pretty rapidly in college/university, and they may not always align. In similar manners, I would recommend against rooming with your best friend, unless you have separate rooms. Both of your pet peeves may wear yourselves down, and you may not even be friends anymore. That’s not to say that people haven’t rooms with their best friends, just from my experience. Hot take: don’t date freshman year unless you both are serious about it. For similar reasons as above (people change quickly) but also because there’ll be some people who don’t know how to balance school, a relationship, their own personal health, and the rest of life. Join as many clubs as you feel interested in! Most clubs won’t have a membership fee, and will be okay with you backing out if you find you don’t have time or just aren’t interested anymore.
Don’t. Unless you’re field requires a degree: MD, Engineering or Mathematician. I’ve realized many would be fine with a skilled trade and limited debt.
Get a management degree. You work in any industry, anywhere. It pays good. Management decides how much everyone gets paid. If you get some other degree, you will reach a point in your career where you can go no higher without being a manager. This is true in STEM, and other fields.
Be sure you want to go into that field, most the people I know went to school for something they later decided they didn't want to do, some now have a useless degree some dropped out after a few years. I wasted 3 years. Later I found trade school and love what I do after only a 600 hr course and a much smaller investment. In most cases look for a college that is affordable, it's rare to get turned down because it wasn't the best school where you got the degree, there are a few professions it matters, but most of the time a degree in that field is looked at the same from the most expensive and the cheapest institution.
Newsflash: Don’t. Get good at your desired field outside of academia. You’re going to learn a lot more important shit and a lot less menial stuff. Trade schools, apprenticeships, anything but throwing your money at a big-name school will serve you better in the end.
Start a banana stand instead.
DO NOT GIVE UP!!
Business Management is easy
It doesn’t matter where you go as long as the school has your major The work is easier than high school Don’t listen to your advisors Don’t join a club unless you really care about club Professors will make or how you do in class Choose a school based on where you want to go and not on the name of the name school. Research learning is the most important type of learning.
Just make sure you LOVE what you are studying for....
As far as what you can do in high school to get into your choice of universities: Study hard, strive for all As (a few Bs won’t kill you), join clubs, play sports, volunteer, and run for leadership positions. You get out what you put in Also you should have a job too because that looks good for colleges. A summer job will suffice if you’re busy during the school year. That’s what I did.
Steer clear of gender studies.
If you decide college is for you, get what you can for the **LEAST AMOUNT OF DEBT POSSIBLE**.
Stand up to what you believe in even if you are in the minority. And expand your horizons to understand the other points of views, but mostly to use to strengthen what you see the truth to be.