Biography Revisions - Is University Worth it?

[TheLurper]

For those who went to university, would you do it again?
For those who didn't, would you go?



I'm not sure what I'd do. I was a shitty undergrad and I didn't take advantage of all the knowledge being offered to me or the opportunities that come along with being in university. I was too busy riding my skateboard around and working at some local shop. It wasn't until I went back for a second piece of paper that I took advantage of university and actually did my homework, studied abroad, did some crazy internship, and all that shit. It was a cool experience and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to do it.

However, looking back I haven't made much money over my entire career. I finally have a job that pays a real income, but if I would have just kept working at Arby's when I was 18 and pursued a career in fast-food, I would have made more money and I'd possibly have more material wealth. Investing 50K in a home in 2004, rather than an undergraduate degree might have been a financial choice.

[Frank and Fred]

3 years to read books, skate, surf and write the occasional essay and I didn't pay a penny. Was it worth it? Yes. I was done by 21. Has it helped my 'career?' Not really. Would I do it now with the cost of tuition? Very unlikely.

[manysnakes]

If you live in a developed country where education is valued and offered for free or at a deep discount, yeah probably.

If you live in the US where colleges are mostly degree factories where you start down the endless path of accumulating lifelong, insurmountable debt, probably not.

[Mr. Pickles]

I went late, started at 30. The career I’ve managed to move in to and the money I make now, work/life balance… it was well worth it.

[Big Skatefase]

I went to college straight out of high school when I wasn't really mentally ready for it, and dropped out after a semester. I was lazy. I constantly procrastinated, and eventually just stopped showing up. Took some bullshit jobs here and there that paid like shit and realized the only real way towards upwards mobility for me in this country without joining the military and getting my legs blown off was through college.

By that time I was in a different mindset mentally and more mature. I saw how limited the opportunities are for if you don't have a degree, and was ready to apply myself. Eventually those 4 years flew by, and now financially I'm in a much more comfortable position than I was in before.

Student loans fucking suck and it's gonna take forever to pay them off (Fuck you Ronald Reagan), but I honestly just didn't see any other way at getting in this position I'm at now without going to college.

[Síota]

I went late, started at 30. The career I’ve managed to move in to and the money I make now, work/life balance… it was well worth it.

I went back at 30 also. Was great. Was paid to go under some government scheme. No more burger flipping for this lad. In hind sight I wish I was single then but sure still was great.
I got a B.Eng Honors (or Masters 1) before the funding stopped.
I'd wait till you actually know what you wanna do for a career before going.

[EdLawndale]

I am really glad I went but, with folks as demanding as mine were, not going to college was never really an option.

Definitely felt out of place sometimes seeing as though I went from a high school of 1k students in a surf town where skateboarders were basically the top of the food chain to being one of only a handful of skaters on a higher learning campus of over 40k students in a metropolis.

Being pretty anti-social, I wasn't looking forward to staying in the dorms. I remember the first night, all the other students gathered to do welcome activities to get to know one another and I just peaced out to go explore my new city and discover all the skate spots. That said, I am so glad that I did do the dorms because I met a lot of ppl from varied backgrounds and forged friendships that I keep to this day. It basically forced me to interact with kids I wouldn't usually kick it with. So, definitely consider staying in the dorms, at least your first year, if you can.

Not to mention that just being in an academic environment can force you to challenge the concepts that you previously held and open you up to considering different opinions or making mental connections that you might not have been pushed to try before.

I was undeclared on my major until my junior year and it was fun to take on a bunch of different courses that interested me. I would advise that you be mindful of which courses will provide you with the base credits you need to -- you don't want to take courses that will definitely not help you meet the standard requirements for whatever major you foresee yourself ending up in. Like, I took some wild, out there shit that isn't really related to what I ended up studying, but those classes gave me the necessary science or math credits so it was still forward momentum.

One thing to remember is that college is all about planning: classes that mesh into your weekly schedule, courses that mesh into meeting your major reqs, etc. I was really careful to really take things into consideration while picking classes so that there were no conflicts or unnecesary redundancies.

I may be a unique case in that I have known what I wanted to do with my life since I was 17, but I have a degree in that field of my passion and thankfully have been able to hold a decent career in that field post-college.

I do think that a degree from a notable institution (and the experiences you have, the ppl you meet, connections you make, etc. along the way, if you are open to them) are generally well worth it.

[IUTSM]

My university career has been long and varied. Started outta high school, failed out after 1 semester. Went to community college on and off for a few years and cobbled together an AA out of a bunch of writing and arts classes while working full time. I liked it. Worked for a few yeara and ended up getting hurt and workmans compensation for a year, which propelled me into a bachelors program at 24. It was an english major at a local school. Figured out how to get grants and ended up doing all sorts of cool shit including research abroad that i was paid to do. Incredible experience. I used that period in time to learn about the world and people, how to do things differently than they were done in the post industrial working class cess pool i grew up in.
I didn’t go to school with the purpose of getting a “job,” but i started teaching foe a while and that got tired so i packed up and moved west. Started traveling again and learning how to live well while being very, very broke.

Mid 30s, after learning many skills thru manual work my body was thrashed and i went back to get a masters on the state dime. It was an incredible opportunity to learn and better myself as a human. Period.

And thats what school was and has always been about, bettering myself as a thinker and human being. Working a trade with a certificate or union backing would get me a fatter salary and things, but im very, very satisfied with my life, what i have learned, and what i have done.

Would it have been cool to have gotten into the trades at a young age? In some ways, but i am glad i went about things the way i do. Also glad i didnt accrue much debt and paid my way while working for the most part. My life has had many ups and downs, but mostly ups and thats what matters to me.

Coming from where i came from, especially as a first generation, first in the entire extended family to go to college, it all opened my eyes and mind and heart to a newness that wasn't present and a potential was actualized. All my homies who didn’t go to college, the ones from that same place, are dead cuz they got caught up in the same shit going on for generations.

Kids or people going to school to grt a degree but not to learn are wasting their time and money, especially taking out loans.

[Sincerity]

A decent professor could design an interesting interdisciplinary class named "What Does 'Worth It' Mean?" The class probably wouldn't come to any definitive conclusions, but the process of engaging with source materials, ideas, and each other might be considered time, money, and energy well spent. Perhaps not. One size does not fit all when it comes to determining "worth."

One of the reasons I liked the liberal arts school I went to was the apparent lack of a 1:1 correspondence between a class and whatever its eventual "worth" might be. That's a naive and privileged way to think about the exchange of money for an education, but I was both naive and privileged at 17. Had I felt more desperate to change my circumstances, I probably would've felt differently and wanted more confidence that there would be a quantifiable return on the investment.

[pica]

Yes…. Uni was well worth it.

[rawr1922]

University highly recommend . Just don’t take out an abundance of student loans for a degree that’s not guaranteed a job.

My first degree , pretty antisocial & non involved with my professors\classmates… just left right after class every time . Currently, working on my second degree. Pretty much doing everything opposite I did for the first time . Like sitting in the front of the class, asking many questions , meeting with Professors during office hours, &  really putting in effort to bond with classmates . I have study groups outside class 2-3 a week. I never did that the first time around . Makes all the difference. The challenging path of school easier + more enjoyable when you have good people by your side vs doing it alone. Your educational experience , make the most out of it. Seize Every Day! Cliche with everything… you get out what you put in