Do You Feel It's Important to Go to College to Secure a Good, Well-Paying Job?

by SodaHead Living Posted 2012/07/27 21:16:41

Related Topics: College, Jobs, Unemployment, School, Back To School, Teachers, students

2,196 votes
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	Yes	1,472 votes	67%
	No	724 votes	33%

Is it just us or did summer swing by faster than usual this time around? With August just around the corner, "Back to School" is the thing on everyone's mind. Well, if you're a student, parent or teacher at least.

It's almost time to swap bathing suits for books. And while you don't have to complete any tests or do any homework quite yet, we think now's the optimal time to get your mind juices flowing with our quick, 8-Question "Back to School" Survey. Don't worry: No matter the answer, we'll give you an "A+" anyway.

+25

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Marcus Clark 2012/07/27 23:49:04

No

+25
Unfortunately too many people think way too highly of a generic college degree. A college degree is needed for some specialized fields (such as engineering.)

Too many kids jump out of high school and right into college, and don't even know what they are going to college for. Going to college just to be going to college is a waste of time and a waste of money.
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More polls by SodaHead Living

kahtan grery 2012/07/30 20:55:18

Yes

College is the way to job most time

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Dan 2012/07/30 20:54:00

Yes

If only a person chooses a field where jobs are in demand. If you want to become zoologist...good luck with that!

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ebitnet 2012/07/30 20:49:23

Yes

+2
A college degree dramatically increases your lifetime earning potential. Also, to paraphrase Ezekiel Cullen, a education population is the surest guarantee of democracy.

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WhereIsAmerica? ~PWCM~JLA 2012/07/30 20:41:12 (edited)

Yes

+1
But only if it is a degree that will actually help you get a job, not basket-weaving 101. It is also not essential, a good vocational or tech school is good too.

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Steamtrain 2012/07/30 20:39:05

No

I don't know many electricians, plumbers, machinists, tool & diemakers, or auto mechanics with college degrees, but their pay is good and not many layoffs. But you do have to work for your pay.

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alun.pa... to Steamtrain 2012/07/31 03:10:12

I agree, but if you are bright enough to get a college degree, at least you won't spend your life unblocking other people's toilets or working jammed into confined spaces, skinning your knuckles and getting covered in grease and worse!

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Steamtrain to alun.pa... 2012/08/02 11:40:35

If you are that bright, why not invent toilets that don't clog, cars that don't break, locks that don't jam, wood that don't rot, etc. Seems we all need the old reliable repairman occasionally.

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me 2012/07/30 20:32:51

No

+2
We need college educated $100,000.00 a year hubcap installers or $60,000.00 floor sweepers. There must be some college class that cover those occupations... Maybe the $25.00 an hour toll takers have a special college course too........

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Tasinahri 2012/07/30 20:16:59

Yes

Always has been, imo.

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silentart 2012/07/30 20:01:18

No

Vocational school or armed service will be fine, anyone can gain skill or experience from that while college only give crammed words into brain, not hands.

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brian 2012/07/30 19:57:08

No

In this economy it would not be recommended for the Lower or Middle class if they can't afford to go into debt. They still have to compete for a good job to pay back the loans. Those that can compete for a job out of High school, have just as good of a chance without the debt in most cases. It depends on 3 things. How serious they are, would they work in a field not of their choosing, and what kind of a life do they require to be happy.

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alun.pa... to brian 2012/07/31 03:16:01

I don't agree. I don't think the class you are born into affects your ability to pay back the debt. That said, you have to be smart enough to get into college (let's face it, not everyone is a genius), and you can't afford to choose a major that doesn't pay well if you come from a modest background.

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brian to alun.pa... 2012/08/02 19:33:54

Hence being serious about college, and competing for a good job when you get out to pay back debt. I agree. It isn't the class your born into, but the money has to come from some where, so one must pick a field that may not be their dream. One that makes a living, like the medical, or tech fields, not english or the arts. You have to be very good, and persistent not to suffer for your craft. But to pay back a loan you just need a job.

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✞Knight of Honor 2012/07/30 19:45:32

No

No, I'm afraid that it's a scam. You give them huge amounts of money in exchange for a worthless certificate that doesn't prepare you for your job, unless it's teaching.

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GamerAnthonyM 2012/07/30 19:43:21

No

+1
My Mother and Father Didn't Go To College
and My Mother Works At The City Hall
and My Dad Works For The City Waters and A Fireman
I See College To Help For A Specific Job, and It Could Help
But It's Not Really Necessary

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Boo 2012/07/30 19:38:51 (edited)

Yes

+1
Unfortunately, in today's world, this is increasingly true. It wasn't always that way, and should not be today. Educational level is not a measure of one's intelligence or ability, but it's a necessity to get your foot in the door for most good paying jobs today.

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Tennessee3501 2012/07/30 19:36:24

Yes

+1
Unless you are a great athlete or a movie strar, go to college!

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dzzshadz 2012/07/30 19:16:40

Yes

I think it really helps.

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murphywasanoptimist 2012/07/30 18:59:01

No

+2
My actual answer is sometimes. If you want to work in the following professional fields (law, engineering, medicine) then college is necessary. An even in those instances, the process is too drawn out. The U.S. should adopt the European system of doing things and subsidize college for say the top 25% of high school seniors. Too many people are going to college just to say they went (and usually at the behest of parents who are behind the times to say the least) and wind up with a VERY expensive and worthless piece of paper (degree).

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Emily Barrington 2012/07/30 18:56:52

No

My step-dad finished high school at 16 and never went to college and he has a high paying job.

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B.O.Plenty to Emily B... 2012/07/30 19:14:34

I never even graduated high school and i had a job making more than the engineers. I was a tool and die maker and it paid very well.

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Joshua Mathews 2012/07/30 18:43:25

Yes

Call me crazy, but totally aside from the vocational benefits, I think higher education is valuable in and of itself. Admittedly university might not be the only or even best way to go about this depending on the individual but if you don't already know a better option, tertiary education is better than nothing.

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You Know IT 2012/07/30 18:25:51

Yes

College is necessary to get a good job, but it doesn't mean you will, of course I'm excluding the case that your some genius super entrepreneur .

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McSchraden 2012/07/30 18:11:21

No

Depends on what you get a degree in, what level of degree it is, and at what grade point you graduated with. It's a proven fact a bachelor's degree in engineering, a hard science like chemistry of physics, or a MBA will payoff handsomely, while spending $100,000 for a liberal arts degree is a waste of money in terms obtaining a high paying job. For example, I knew a young couple back in the roaring 90s, who both graduated at the same time; she with a liberal arts degree, he with a degree in physics. Despite the fact she graduated with a perfect 4.0 gpa on a 4.0 system, and he with a 2.4, he was immediately hired by a computer company at a starting salary of $60,000, while she looked for six months, and finally had to settle for a job with the state at a paltry $24,000.

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ART 2012/07/30 18:10:37

No

PLENTY OF OCCUPATIONS WHERE GOOD MONEY CAN BE EARNED

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Cheryl Hunter 2012/07/30 18:10:29

Yes

+1
Twenty years ago maybe but nowadays it seems like it doesn't matter what you know how to do, you have to have a piece of paper that says you know how to do it. Check the paper sometime almost every ad says "certified", registered, or degree required". If you don't want to struggle you're whole life, that piece of paper can make a big difference.

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OneLastWord 2012/07/30 17:58:03 (edited)

Yes

+1
Yes, but not always, as all things are not cut and dry.

Make sure you go for the right reasons, and the right degree, because just going for the sake of a degree is not so much a waste of time as far as getting better educated, but a waste of time for the right direction you need to be going.

Also remember just getting more, or higher education is good because being more educated makes for better citizens of our planet whether you hit a lick or not with that degree, or just complete some of the needed requirements.

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ExaltedGod 2012/07/30 17:53:47

Yes

+1
Anyone without one knows its true.

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OneLast... to ExaltedGod 2012/07/30 18:04:37

Mostly yes, but remember, not always, as some of our most iconic successful people either never went or dropped out to pursue their successes. But in general, the answer is yes.

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ExaltedGod to OneLast... 2012/07/31 09:44:46

I took the question as referring to me and my generation and later, not the generations before me in which all they needed to do was know someone.

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Teo 2012/07/30 17:40:32

Yes

A few people do well in life without a good education. However, for most people, a good education Is the best route to higher pay.

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☆FritzW☆ 2012/07/30 17:40:05

Yes

+1
20-30 years ago and I might have said no. But today's world is fast and technologically based. The money jobs are going to be for those who understand how to react faster and can create the newer technologies and, for the most part, you need a great education to get there. You might have the marbles and the skill set, but without the paper to go with it.. well, you might not get noticed. Remember, the question was to get a good, well paying job. That definitely makes me think Masters degree level eduction.

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brian.s... to ☆FritzW☆ 2012/07/30 21:43:59

I agree, a four year education will only get you entry level position now a days. In fact colleges teach in such a way that our students have a working knowledge to enter the field and then get the rest of the training on the job. A masters degree or doctorate will really get you the higher earning jobs. It is getting to the point that if you don't have some kind of degree that you will become relocated to the lower earning wage jobs. So parents, start saving that money, cuz if you don't you are dooming your children to a low income job.

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Elizabeth Plank 2012/07/30 17:35:03

No

My dad never went to college and he went straight to the navy after high school. If you get good grades in high school then you don't need to go to college. My dad is now an electrician and gets paid good bucks. He did have to go to school for training and stuff but he never went to college.

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ExaltedGod to Elizabe... 2012/07/30 17:56:48

Trade schools and college are roughly in the same field. Secondly, your dad's days didn't need a degree in X. Going into the military is not the same as college or trade school.

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fooley177 2012/07/30 17:21:52

No

I have a graduate degree in psychology. What am I doing now? Rock and roll.

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critter171 2012/07/30 17:18:42

Yes

its hard enough to find jobs so yes having college background will help its not guaranteeing but it help you compare to other people yes.

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scbluesman13 2012/07/30 17:14:10

Yes

+1
The department of labor statistics' stats on unemployment for college-educated citizens vs. non-college-educated citizens in our country bear this out, at least with regards to job quality and security. When our national unemployment peaked at close to 10% as Dubya was leaving office, the unemployment for college-educated citizens never dipped below 4.6%.

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Patent1 2012/07/30 17:10:53

Yes

Having an education is not necessary to do well. Carpenters can start their own businesses. Mechanics can start their own shops. However, going to college and getting a degree in almost anything causes a person to become smarter, and thus more employable.

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Bob 2012/07/30 17:06:09

No

Most collage degrees are only good for wiping your ass with.

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