The end of the U.S. university: “degree optional”

[Anonymous]

DH has a degree but has no advanced degree and has lawyers working for him (the horror!) He learned on the job and could easily practice law in that one specialized area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In pursuit of equity, most top corporations intend to implement a “college/university degree optional” clause for all employee hiring within the next 5 years.

With the elimination of degree requirements, why bother with the expense and time to earn a college degree?

I don't see degree as a need but college education builds foundation for personal and professional development.

No, more than anything else, college builds student loan debt, poor credit scores, and bad judgement

College leads to a degree which is still the preference of the vast majority of employers for jobs that you would actually want you kid to do

Again with the turning up the nose at the trades.

My welder daughter is 26 and debt free save for her house. She has a brand new truck, a home of her own bought with no co signer two years ago.

She works to live and not the opposite.

Oh yes, she paid for her schooling herself which was reimbursed by her employer. She is now working on an MBA for the skills and knowledge to be able to own and run her own business.

The world needs more welders and plumbers and hvac workers, etc.

I want that more for children than a paper degree.

So, just to be clear: Your 26 yo welder daughter has a bachelor's degree? Because last I checked, a bachelor's degree was still a requirement for entry into graduate school.

Also, my kid graduated from a 4-year university at 21 and owns a house and a car without co-signers, too. He's debt-free as well, earns $125,000 and has savings. Not sure what your point is?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH said that not all kids should go to college. I said, "yes, that's true. Will you be telling our kids to not go to college? " He said, "no".

Who on here is going to be the first to tell their kids to not bother with college?

I was adamant our older son go into skilled trades - in his case, plumbing. At least one of them needs to be successful. His younger brother is pissing away our home equity 11 semesters into a never ending quest for a BA in ……. something

? you were adamant ?

Yes. Adamant.

It means “insistent or refusing to be swayed”.

So, if your DC wanted to go to college, you'd be adamant that they go to trade school instead? That's sad. I don't think there's anything wrong with trade school, btw, but I wouldn't be adamant that my kid go to one if they instead wanted college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In pursuit of equity, most top corporations intend to implement a “college/university degree optional” clause for all employee hiring within the next 5 years.

With the elimination of degree requirements, why bother with the expense and time to earn a college degree?

I don't see degree as a need but college education builds foundation for personal and professional development.

No, more than anything else, college builds student loan debt, poor credit scores, and bad judgement

College leads to a degree which is still the preference of the vast majority of employers for jobs that you would actually want you kid to do

Again with the turning up the nose at the trades.

My welder daughter is 26 and debt free save for her house. She has a brand new truck, a home of her own bought with no co signer two years ago.

She works to live and not the opposite.

Oh yes, she paid for her schooling herself which was reimbursed by her employer. She is now working on an MBA for the skills and knowledge to be able to own and run her own business.

The world needs more welders and plumbers and hvac workers, etc.

I want that more for children than a paper degree.

So, just to be clear: Your 26 yo welder daughter has a bachelor's degree? Because last I checked, a bachelor's degree was still a requirement for entry into graduate school.

Also, my kid graduated from a 4-year university at 21 and owns a house and a car without co-signers, too. He's debt-free as well, earns $125,000 and has savings. Not sure what your point is?

+1 does OP and ^PP think everyone in college is spending $80K/year studying pottery making, and then going to grad school with tons of loans?

Irrespective of this thread, statistically, you will make more over your lifetime with a degree than not, but it does depend on the major. I don't think this is going to change in 20 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH has a degree but has no advanced degree and has lawyers working for him (the horror!) He learned on the job and could easily practice law in that one specialized area.

Well no. And nor can nurses do the job of the doctor - there is special training involved that teaches how to think like a lawyer or like a doctor that others don't have or pick up. But yes, he could do most of the job of the lawyer. Just not the most important part.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Big change is coming. Surprisingly “big education” is behind the curve on technology and clinging to lazy, expensive, inefficient models. So much entrepreneurial opportunity in big education.

Technology is not how one learns and becomes educated. Colleges and universities need to remember what they are for and do that. Not become tech hubs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In pursuit of equity, most top corporations intend to implement a “college/university degree optional” clause for all employee hiring within the next 5 years.

With the elimination of degree requirements, why bother with the expense and time to earn a college degree?

I don't see degree as a need but college education builds foundation for personal and professional development.

No, more than anything else, college builds student loan debt, poor credit scores, and bad judgement

College leads to a degree which is still the preference of the vast majority of employers for jobs that you would actually want you kid to do

Again with the turning up the nose at the trades.

My welder daughter is 26 and debt free save for her house. She has a brand new truck, a home of her own bought with no co signer two years ago.

She works to live and not the opposite.

Oh yes, she paid for her schooling herself which was reimbursed by her employer. She is now working on an MBA for the skills and knowledge to be able to own and run her own business.

The world needs more welders and plumbers and hvac workers, etc.

I want that more for children than a paper degree.

So, just to be clear: Your 26 yo welder daughter has a bachelor's degree? Because last I checked, a bachelor's degree was still a requirement for entry into graduate school.

Also, my kid graduated from a 4-year university at 21 and owns a house and a car without co-signers, too. He's debt-free as well, earns $125,000 and has savings. Not sure what your point is?

There are many part-time MBA programs that don't require an undergraduate degree, especially if a company sponsors you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In pursuit of equity, most top corporations intend to implement a “college/university degree optional” clause for all employee hiring within the next 5 years.

With the elimination of degree requirements, why bother with the expense and time to earn a college degree?

I don't see degree as a need but college education builds foundation for personal and professional development.

No, more than anything else, college builds student loan debt, poor credit scores, and bad judgement

College leads to a degree which is still the preference of the vast majority of employers for jobs that you would actually want you kid to do

Again with the turning up the nose at the trades.

My welder daughter is 26 and debt free save for her house. She has a brand new truck, a home of her own bought with no co signer two years ago.

She works to live and not the opposite.

Oh yes, she paid for her schooling herself which was reimbursed by her employer. She is now working on an MBA for the skills and knowledge to be able to own and run her own business.

The world needs more welders and plumbers and hvac workers, etc.

I want that more for children than a paper degree.

I am looking into the trades for my 15 YO son. He is smart, but school is just so stressful for him and I don't think an office job will be a good fit for him. Hoping he finds a trade that he really likes and is good at so he can earn a living. And if he wants to go to school at some point, it will be with a specific purpose. I'm so glad to hear that your daughter is doing well.

Same here. My son is bright but really dislikes traditional school and classes. I’m hoping he goes into one of the trades.

My masters degree was useless. My bachelors was useful and I learned and grew a lot but my graduate program was a waste of time and money. Yes, I picked wrong. Even with undergrad, there were so many gen ed and elective classes that weren’t needed.

[Anonymous]

Well. For a lot of jobs-you really learn on the job. Even CS-a lot of it is more about certifications vs the degree. I think the reason this is scary is because a population who is not well educated is easier to control. Pretty soon colleges with do away with liberal arts requirements which is a damn shame bc we need them more than ever given the current state of affairs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In pursuit of equity, most top corporations intend to implement a “college/university degree optional” clause for all employee hiring within the next 5 years.

With the elimination of degree requirements, why bother with the expense and time to earn a college degree?

Your introductory clause, of course, is demonstrably false, rendering your post inflammatory bullshit. Troll better next time.

The eternally-offended, diversity, inclusion, and equity officer has entered the discussion, I see.

You have confused my annoyance with taking offense. Which is typical of such a feeble-brained moron.

This has zero to do with DEI initiatives and everything to do with the talent shortage at American businesses.

The stupid with these MAGA knuckle-draggers. It hurts.

Wow - triggered much?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH said that not all kids should go to college. I said, "yes, that's true. Will you be telling our kids to not go to college? " He said, "no".

Who on here is going to be the first to tell their kids to not bother with college?

We would, if our kids wanted to do the trades, or really were not academically inclined/interested in pursuing more education.

But one kid was 83% for SAT and is out of college and doing well (with no plans for more education---not their strongpoint, they like working better). The other was 99% for SAT and 3.95UW gpa---wants to be an engineer, so that requires college. Neither would have done well in the trades.
But If I had a kid that struggled to get B/Cs in HS in regular classes and hated school, I would help them find a trade/something that might interest them and encourage them to try that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In pursuit of equity, most top corporations intend to implement a “college/university degree optional” clause for all employee hiring within the next 5 years.

With the elimination of degree requirements, why bother with the expense and time to earn a college degree?

No that is not happening. Indeed things are going in the other direction. Also -- equity is dead. Why do you think it will continue until 2024?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In pursuit of equity, most top corporations intend to implement a “college/university degree optional” clause for all employee hiring within the next 5 years.

With the elimination of degree requirements, why bother with the expense and time to earn a college degree?

JP Morgan now hires people with criminal records it is necessary in a tight job market to lower requirements

No they do not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I doubt you need an MBA to run a welding business.

If you want to be more than a 1-3 employee successful company, you need some business degree/courses. Someone with drive to get an MBA will likely be on track to own a business with 50-100+ employees in the future. And that's a great plan, because welding/HVAC/Plubming/many trades take a hit on your physical health as you age---most welders/plumbers don't want to be working 10+ hour days when they are 50+ because your body cannot handle it. This way, when she wants, she will be managing a growing business and making way more money. She can even make a bit less and be more hands off as the business grows if desired (yet still be making a great living). Kudos to her for wanting and finding a way to do this. She has career goals and is driven to get them done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In pursuit of equity, most top corporations intend to implement a “college/university degree optional” clause for all employee hiring within the next 5 years.

With the elimination of degree requirements, why bother with the expense and time to earn a college degree?

I don't see degree as a need but college education builds foundation for personal and professional development.

No, more than anything else, college builds student loan debt, poor credit scores, and bad judgement

College leads to a degree which is still the preference of the vast majority of employers for jobs that you would actually want you kid to do

Again with the turning up the nose at the trades.

My welder daughter is 26 and debt free save for her house. She has a brand new truck, a home of her own bought with no co signer two years ago.

She works to live and not the opposite.

Oh yes, she paid for her schooling herself which was reimbursed by her employer. She is now working on an MBA for the skills and knowledge to be able to own and run her own business.

The world needs more welders and plumbers and hvac workers, etc.

I want that more for children than a paper degree.

So, just to be clear: Your 26 yo welder daughter has a bachelor's degree? Because last I checked, a bachelor's degree was still a requirement for entry into graduate school.

Also, my kid graduated from a 4-year university at 21 and owns a house and a car without co-signers, too. He's debt-free as well, earns $125,000 and has savings. Not sure what your point is?

+1 does OP and ^PP think everyone in college is spending $80K/year studying pottery making, and then going to grad school with tons of loans?

Irrespective of this thread, statistically, you will make more over your lifetime with a degree than not, but it does depend on the major. I don't think this is going to change in 20 years.

+1

So if your kid is not interested in academics, then encourage them to find a path that works for them. But if they are a decent student and want a white collar/gold collar career, then encourage them to get a college degree. You can get your degree for minimal costs and statistically you will make significantly more over your lifetime, with many degrees.