I just read a census figure

[DuckyBoys]

Quote:
We are in the same field! I agree that ag science people are of a different breed than most other scientists...I've worked with all kinds but right now I work with farmers as a regulator. I love my job too - but you can't even get your foot in the door of my kick back job without a science degree in ag. In fact I didnt even apply fo rthis job - they chose me out of over 200 applicants JUST because my degree was in animal science.

I work from home too.

Not too shabby if I do say so myself.

 

[greyfields]

What I really want to know is why the more educated you are, the fewer children you will have? I sure with is were the other way around.

 

[rufus]

After I came back from the war, I used my GI bill and got my B.A.

I couldn't find a job in my field in this state, so I worked out of state for a year. After a year, I decided no amount of money was worth being away from family and friends.

I came home and worked for thirty years in a difficult and dangerous job.

However, I and my wife saved every penney we could and invested. We lived on beans and tortillas. As a result, we were able to send our sons through the university and on to law school.

It was really worth all the sacrifice.

Rufus

 

[dacjohns]

Quote:
So many of the responses in this thread have dealt with the "average" or in generalities. I am one of the exceptions. (Now this thread is really getting away from the OP.)

I have an AA in Liberal Arts, earned while on active duty in the Army; a BA in Biology, earned courtesy of the GI Bill; and a MS in International Relations, earned courtesy of the US Army. I am retired from the Army.

A 4 year degree was/is required to be an officer in the Army. I made a lot more money than if I had stayed enlisted.

The MS hasn't really done anything for me but then when I retired I went to where I wanted to live instead of where the work was. Otherwise I could be pulling down 6 figures a year.

The crew I work on has 5 people, 2 masters degrees and 2 bachelors degrees. The crew leader has no college. This is the type of work where no education is required but it can be used as a foot in the door, a job for someone just looking for a job, or a job just because you like being outdoors.

At one time my BA put me in the higher earnings category but now it doesn't matter. If I ever get the job I want it will matter because a degree is required.

So back to greyfields question. I am highly educated and I have 4 children. The last 2 were born while I was working on my BA.

 

[PeeperKeeper]

Out of the 6 in our family, only 2 have degrees. And one went back to school to learn something she could make a living at. Otherwise, 3 are in construction and 1 in administrative position at a smalltown business, learned in the "field" experience kind of things.

 

[AllChookUp]

IHWIMY wrote:
Working in academia it is hard for me to imagine that.

This is not meant to be a blanket condemnation of academia at all but (and especially not you, IHWIMY), I've experienced that SOME people working within academia (especially those who are tenured) don't have the best grasp on what is truly going on out in the real world.

That said, more people should have the opportunity to obtain a degree. Cost is a primary reason, but good old-fashoined "gumption" is another problem. My family did not have the money to put me through secondary schooling, but I found a way.

Then again, I've met plenty of people in my career who had a degree but very little common sense. And also the opposite.

.​

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Quote:
Does not having any kids at all make me brilliant? But I have only a year and a half of college and one of secretarial school. I always wished I were one of those people who were singlemindedly brilliant in one thing that they loved doing...

 

[Oblio13]

Quote:
That's me!

Problem is, the things I love doing are illegal and/or immoral...

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Quote:
Don't worry Greyfields, we're working on number 4 and I don't think we're all that un-educated!

Honestly I wonder if it has to with women of the time. They are a very career driven bunch. I know more and more women were/are just starting to have babies in their late 30's and early to even mid 40's because they waited until they were stable in their careers or just lives in general. It does seem like there is a decrease in those women who want to just be good mothers and homemakers.
But anyway what I'm getting at is that if you're just starting your family in your 40's for instance I think you'd be more prone to only want a couple of children. If you had your first child at exactly 40 you'll be 60 when he or she is 20. That's nearly retirement age. I think it's a rare person who can say "Yeah I want to still be raising kids when I'm nearly 70." KWIM? Then you have to think about increased fertility problems with age (just normal decrease in sperm and egg quality even), possible expensive treatments, etc.

I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum here, I started too early. But I already know that I don't want to have any more children after I'm 30. Luckily for me that gives me another 6 years. My husband on the other hand is already 37 and is getting antsy about more children because he's getting "old" (his words)

 

[AngieChick]

While I agree that a degree is not always the right answer for everyone, I for one am glad that there a people out there that feel the need to study 8 years of intense mathematics/history/etc. and lend their expert knowledge to others in the the form of research, papers and lectures. There are some very complex mathematics that go into things as diverse as traffic studies and forestry management, allowing those that work in those fields to improve efficiency and longevity. They may not be hauling the lumber, but behind the scenes what they do matters in a major way, hopefully ensuring jobs in the long term for many by not overlogging based on inaccurate or insufficient data (or no data, as in the 90's). It's a good thing that there are people out there like my neighbor that helped set up one of the only and best Tsunami research centers in the nation, it's extremely important to know how waves impact the coastlines and the lives at stake there. I am glad that there are people that have studied history for many years with a passion, without understanding our past we can't learn from it and help guide our future as a society. Again, I understand that college is not necessary to earn money or lead a successful life, or to contribute to society, but anti-intellectualism is just as bad as any other kind of snobbery.