Hated school.....getting thru high school was enough for me.
I just read a census figure
- Thread starter I have WHAT in my yard?
- Start date
I have WHAT in my yard? :
Of course in the end garbage collectors and farmers are WAY more valuable to society than college professors. You just need to look for those who know that!!
Too bad we farmers aren't paid accordingly.
Of course in the end garbage collectors and farmers are WAY more valuable to society than college professors. You just need to look for those who know that!!
Too bad we farmers aren't paid accordingly.
I have WHAT in my yard? :
Average Annual Earnings for College Graduates and Non-Graduates
Average Annual Earnings
Professional Degree $109,600
Doctoral Degree $89,400
Master's Degree $62,300
Bachelor's Degree $52,200
Associate's Degree $38,200
Some College $36,800
High School Graduate $30,400
Some High School $23,400
Average Annual EarningsDifferent Levels of Education.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Surveys, March 1998, 1999, and 2000.
Making a Lifetime of Difference.
By the time you comfortably retire, youll look back and see that your earnings increase, as figured by your level of education, has compounded over your lifetime.
A person with a Bachelor's degree will earn, on average, almost twice as much as workers with a high school diploma over a lifetime ($2.1 million compared to $1.2 million). This is a result of not only higher starting salaries for people with higher education levels, but also the sharper earnings growth over the course their careers.
Work-Life Earnings for Full-Time Employees, Including College Graduates and Non-Grads
Work-Life Earnings Estimates for Full-Time Employees (In $ Millions)
Professional Degree $4.4
Doctoral Degree $3.4
Master's Degree $2.5
Bachelor's Degree $2.1
Associate's Degree $1.6
Some College $1.5
High School Graduate $1.2
Some High School $1.0
Average Lifetime EarningsDifferent Levels of Education.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Surveys, March 1998, 1999, and 2000.
Everyone I know knows exceptions to these numbers. My non-degreed husband makes much more than I do, but the difference is that his job is very physically demanding and dangerous.
I also know PhDs who are still in school because they don't know what they want to do and are postponing adulthood. I also know PhDs who work construction.
But, on average college pays off not just in money but in lifetime opportunities. It also teaches a broader world view. I teach Sociology - one of those "BS requirements that have nothing to do with my degree'
the very first day I have everyone tell me their majors and I tell them how this course will help them do their future job better. Usually, I win them over.
I can spot students whose high schools do not teach critical thinking right away. Critical and abstract thinking skills are necessary in today's job market.
Unless of course the economy totally deteriorates and we are left to subsistence farming!
Well - neither my husband nor myself have college degrees - family's couldnt afford them. He went to work straight out of HS and so did I. He busted his butt to get where he is today in his field and I must say, something has to be said for experience over a degree; a piece of paper does not make you KNOW anything. My father also was not college educated but he was making 6 figures working for the gov't in a job that degree educated individuals could not qualify for. Why? No experience and that degree didnt say anything because who had to train said "degree'd person"? Those that are in the job to begin with.
And if these statistics are true - then call my hubby Professor with a PH.D because no degree and 20+ years in his field working his way from the bottom to the top.....yeah...I'll take it
One smart cookie in my book ...its taken years to learn what he does and he did it all on his own - but he also followed in his fathers' footsteps, same field. Big shoes to fill....but he did it and took it even farther than his dad did. When I quit working for the gov't in 1997 - (again I went straight out of HS, graduated on a Friday and went to work on that Monday) I began as a secretary making 13K a year in 1988 - in a little over 10 years I went from a secretary to working in the Intelligence field as an analyst - all with no degree, and virtually unheard of switching like that from an admin position to an Intell position, you just didnt do it without college. But I did - and when I stopped working my salary was just about up to that of a Master's per the chart....and that was back in 1997 - all with no degree! Something to be said for experience in my book....
Not to say that college isnt worth something - it absolutely is and will my kids go - YEP...however, how many college educated kids are out there now...saying "Would you like fries with that?".... the jobs just are not out there or that money was wasted because a college degree is just not what it used to be years ago. A BS degree used to be the big thing, now you must have your Masters to succeed and I dont know about ya'll but my 18 yo daughter is looking at colleges now and I'll throw VA Tech out there for giggles - $17,000 a year without anything outside, we're talking just room, board and tuition - by the time she gets done paying that loan off (68-85K depending on where she houses herself in those 4 years), you're talking coming out the gate making a minimum of at least 40K a year just to pay off her student loans that will be about $950.00 a month!
I dont know..its pretty depressing from an adult standpoint, I can only imagine what it is from a kids...
And we wonder why we are a society in debt...its just sad...
Average Annual Earnings for College Graduates and Non-Graduates
Average Annual Earnings
Professional Degree $109,600
Doctoral Degree $89,400
Master's Degree $62,300
Bachelor's Degree $52,200
Associate's Degree $38,200
Some College $36,800
High School Graduate $30,400
Some High School $23,400
Average Annual EarningsDifferent Levels of Education.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Surveys, March 1998, 1999, and 2000.
Making a Lifetime of Difference.
By the time you comfortably retire, youll look back and see that your earnings increase, as figured by your level of education, has compounded over your lifetime.
A person with a Bachelor's degree will earn, on average, almost twice as much as workers with a high school diploma over a lifetime ($2.1 million compared to $1.2 million). This is a result of not only higher starting salaries for people with higher education levels, but also the sharper earnings growth over the course their careers.
Work-Life Earnings for Full-Time Employees, Including College Graduates and Non-Grads
Work-Life Earnings Estimates for Full-Time Employees (In $ Millions)
Professional Degree $4.4
Doctoral Degree $3.4
Master's Degree $2.5
Bachelor's Degree $2.1
Associate's Degree $1.6
Some College $1.5
High School Graduate $1.2
Some High School $1.0
Average Lifetime EarningsDifferent Levels of Education.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Surveys, March 1998, 1999, and 2000.
Everyone I know knows exceptions to these numbers. My non-degreed husband makes much more than I do, but the difference is that his job is very physically demanding and dangerous.
I also know PhDs who are still in school because they don't know what they want to do and are postponing adulthood. I also know PhDs who work construction.
But, on average college pays off not just in money but in lifetime opportunities. It also teaches a broader world view. I teach Sociology - one of those "BS requirements that have nothing to do with my degree'
the very first day I have everyone tell me their majors and I tell them how this course will help them do their future job better. Usually, I win them over.
I can spot students whose high schools do not teach critical thinking right away. Critical and abstract thinking skills are necessary in today's job market.
Unless of course the economy totally deteriorates and we are left to subsistence farming!
Well - neither my husband nor myself have college degrees - family's couldnt afford them. He went to work straight out of HS and so did I. He busted his butt to get where he is today in his field and I must say, something has to be said for experience over a degree; a piece of paper does not make you KNOW anything. My father also was not college educated but he was making 6 figures working for the gov't in a job that degree educated individuals could not qualify for. Why? No experience and that degree didnt say anything because who had to train said "degree'd person"? Those that are in the job to begin with.
And if these statistics are true - then call my hubby Professor with a PH.D because no degree and 20+ years in his field working his way from the bottom to the top.....yeah...I'll take it
Not to say that college isnt worth something - it absolutely is and will my kids go - YEP...however, how many college educated kids are out there now...saying "Would you like fries with that?".... the jobs just are not out there or that money was wasted because a college degree is just not what it used to be years ago. A BS degree used to be the big thing, now you must have your Masters to succeed and I dont know about ya'll but my 18 yo daughter is looking at colleges now and I'll throw VA Tech out there for giggles - $17,000 a year without anything outside, we're talking just room, board and tuition - by the time she gets done paying that loan off (68-85K depending on where she houses herself in those 4 years), you're talking coming out the gate making a minimum of at least 40K a year just to pay off her student loans that will be about $950.00 a month!
And we wonder why we are a society in debt...its just sad...
Last edited:
I woud no more assume that those formally educated are worth less than I'd assume they are worth more. I don't think the OP was exhibiting any snobbery, but I honestly think some other people here are exhibiting some kinda nasty reverse snobbery.
Like I mentioned earlier, at our Thanksgiving, by coincidence, a child who was doing "survey questions" on the adults present asked where adults had gone to college. Sme had gone to private colleges or universities, other to state colleges, others to community college and some not to college at all.
Present and acounted for were: a computer programmer, a filmmaker, an engineer, a luthier (violin and guitar maker) a professional foster mom who takes in multiple teens, a farmer, a maker of biodiesel fuels, a house carpenter, a tax preparer, a sysadmin for a high school, two nurses, a secretary to a college dept, a young model, a magazine writer, a college student whose fiance is currently serving in Iraq, a high school teacher, an artisanal cheese maker, a repair tech at a computer store, and lots of teens and kids.
All of these are happy, successful people in their own ways, and I would challenge anyone here to guess who had- or didn't- which degrees. That is not to say these degrees were worthless, but that people follow different paths to different things, at different times in their lives.
Being anti-intellectual is just as nasty as being a classist snob.
Like I mentioned earlier, at our Thanksgiving, by coincidence, a child who was doing "survey questions" on the adults present asked where adults had gone to college. Sme had gone to private colleges or universities, other to state colleges, others to community college and some not to college at all.
Present and acounted for were: a computer programmer, a filmmaker, an engineer, a luthier (violin and guitar maker) a professional foster mom who takes in multiple teens, a farmer, a maker of biodiesel fuels, a house carpenter, a tax preparer, a sysadmin for a high school, two nurses, a secretary to a college dept, a young model, a magazine writer, a college student whose fiance is currently serving in Iraq, a high school teacher, an artisanal cheese maker, a repair tech at a computer store, and lots of teens and kids.
All of these are happy, successful people in their own ways, and I would challenge anyone here to guess who had- or didn't- which degrees. That is not to say these degrees were worthless, but that people follow different paths to different things, at different times in their lives.
Being anti-intellectual is just as nasty as being a classist snob.
I have WHAT in my yard? :
Of course in the end garbage collectors and farmers are WAY more valuable to society than college professors.
The Albert Einsteins and Stephen Hawkings of the world do need to eat and dispose of their trash, but I don't think that moves them to the bottom of society's hierarchy.
Of course in the end garbage collectors and farmers are WAY more valuable to society than college professors.
The Albert Einsteins and Stephen Hawkings of the world do need to eat and dispose of their trash, but I don't think that moves them to the bottom of society's hierarchy.
Chickbaby - I so agree.... and I am soooo not a snob in either way. Its sort of like having friends with money and friends without money. We have both and you know, you wouldn't be able to tell who has it and who doesnt. The ones that have it are multimillionares several times over but... if you didnt know that upfront, you'd never know it about them. Their houses are just like everyone elses, they sit down and watch NASCAR, Football, UFC, and BBQ with all the gang, they drink beer from the bottle, use paper plates, wear jeans and Tshirts, can their veggies, just good ol' boys n girls and I love them very much! They dont look down on anyone (as it should be) for what they dont have or even for what they do have - you just wouldnt know they had money. Same can be said for those that dont in our circle - they'd give you the shirt off their back if you needed it and the last dollar in their pocket if you asked them for it because you were in dire straights more than they were.
I love my circle of friends - and hardly any are college educated either. I am so not a snob to either side (college degree vs. no college degree) - they both have their benefits, I guess it depends on the person, the situation, and the circumstance. We cannot afford to send out kids to college - they will have to pay their own way, we will assist with what we can, however..its just too expensive for most people to pay entirely for their kids education at the costs today. I cant afford a mortgage and 2nd mortgage (college costs) on top of everything else while trying to live and support ourselves. Its sad but true. Everyone has their "ideals" in life as to what "makes a happy home/life/environment" - as to what exactly IS "enough".
Enough for me is my family together, their health, a roof over our head, food in our tummy and, while I'd love to have my own health better than it is, I know that it could be much worse - there are others that are much worse off than we are. But I also know that at any given time it can all go away in the blink of an eye....it has before..and I take nothing for granted, ever.
Good thread though - interesting to see the way others think.
I love my circle of friends - and hardly any are college educated either. I am so not a snob to either side (college degree vs. no college degree) - they both have their benefits, I guess it depends on the person, the situation, and the circumstance. We cannot afford to send out kids to college - they will have to pay their own way, we will assist with what we can, however..its just too expensive for most people to pay entirely for their kids education at the costs today. I cant afford a mortgage and 2nd mortgage (college costs) on top of everything else while trying to live and support ourselves. Its sad but true. Everyone has their "ideals" in life as to what "makes a happy home/life/environment" - as to what exactly IS "enough".
Enough for me is my family together, their health, a roof over our head, food in our tummy and, while I'd love to have my own health better than it is, I know that it could be much worse - there are others that are much worse off than we are. But I also know that at any given time it can all go away in the blink of an eye....it has before..and I take nothing for granted, ever.
Good thread though - interesting to see the way others think.
Last edited:
Quote:
Very well said Miss Prissy!!! Paper means nothing if you don't have a job. Some of those plumbers and car mechanics get a chance to look down their noses too!
Very well said Miss Prissy!!! Paper means nothing if you don't have a job. Some of those plumbers and car mechanics get a chance to look down their noses too!
- Sep 24, 2008
- 523
- 9
- 141
I almost have a AAS, hubby has a BS in chemistry and works for the insurance industry. What get's me are the PARENTS that are education snobs.........I used to hate going to functions sometimes....one of our girls went to college one didn't. Both have done well. Around here, (near the University of Virginia) it's bad. If you dare say my kids are going to _--_____ what ever and it's not some IVY school you are looked down upon. That's when I go into my" the smarted man I ever knew had a thrid grade education (my grandfather) and made a good living on the railroad."
Now all the kids are coming back to live at home b/c they can't find a job in their field and working in bakeries and such. Which is fine but not when mom and dad paid about $50,000 for your degree.
Now all the kids are coming back to live at home b/c they can't find a job in their field and working in bakeries and such. Which is fine but not when mom and dad paid about $50,000 for your degree.
Junebug, that gets back to my point about higher education for everybody. If everybody has a bachelors degree doesn't that decrease the value of it?
While the figure of $1 million dollars more in a lifetime for a college graduate has been thrown around for years, I have seen revised estimates that say it is a lot lower. Perhaps as low as $350,000. The skilled trades make a lot of money, raising the potential income of a high school or tech school graduate. With the high number of college graduates, job placement for those graduates is nowhere near guaranteed, it can take years to settle into a stable career. Plus the high cost of education to begin with cuts into those lifetime earnings.
While the figure of $1 million dollars more in a lifetime for a college graduate has been thrown around for years, I have seen revised estimates that say it is a lot lower. Perhaps as low as $350,000. The skilled trades make a lot of money, raising the potential income of a high school or tech school graduate. With the high number of college graduates, job placement for those graduates is nowhere near guaranteed, it can take years to settle into a stable career. Plus the high cost of education to begin with cuts into those lifetime earnings.
i agree, as always, with miss prissy.
I dont have a degree of any kind and make 130k a year.I work with mostly milionaires and a few (2) billionaires, out of which ony one has a degree of any kind. I have seen teh proof that a dgree is not the golden key. However it should also be said that i was raised to belive and do believe that an education is vital. So just my opinion and experience
Quote:
I dont have a degree of any kind and make 130k a year.I work with mostly milionaires and a few (2) billionaires, out of which ony one has a degree of any kind. I have seen teh proof that a dgree is not the golden key. However it should also be said that i was raised to belive and do believe that an education is vital. So just my opinion and experience
Quote:
Similar threads
New posts New threads Active threads
-
Latest threads
-
-
-
-
15 weeks now and I very much know two of these cokerels are crowing.- Started by JoeKing
- Replies: 10
-
-
-
Threads with more replies in the last 15 days
-
Open Contest Outdoor Garden Show—2025 BYC Summer Fair- Started by Debbie292d
- Replies: 166
-
Question of the Day - Saturday, July 12th, 2025- Started by casportpony
- Replies: 164
-
-
-
-
