WAG College question for coaches or parents/athletes who have been there done that

[wnl256]

-- Do not encourage your child to select a major based on some expected career or the latest thing shared on the internet about hot/not hot majors. Your child will do much better and therefore have many more options if s/he majors in something s/he enjoys.

I have to at least partly disagree with this. Our oldest daughter recently finished 4 years at a well known and respected public university in a science-related field that she very much enjoyed and continues to enjoy. She also minored in English. She has not been able to find any full-time work, and precious little part-time work in her chosen field. She despairs of ever finding any meaningful work in her area. So, she has applied to a local graduate school program in an engineering discipline: one that we know has high demand in the area and across the country, and (fortunately) one that she has at least a passing interest in.

Pursing what you love is important, but so is employability. You have to balance the two when choosing a major. Daughter opted for what she enjoyed regardless of her potential job prospects. Now she is paying the price. Well ... actually WE are paying the price (which of course we are happy to do).

 

[profmom]

Down the road, she'll be glad she took this path if she does well in her graduate program, WNL.

 

[wnl256]

Down the road, she'll be glad she took this path if she does well in her graduate program, WNL.

Well, but it might have been better if she had started off in the engineering field as an undergrad. Or she might have gotten aggravated and quit. You just never know, do you?

 

[Natalia]

After years of looking at the data, Google has found that things like college GPAs and transcripts are almost worthless in hiring. Following these revelations, the company is hiring more and more people who never even went to college.


In an interview



Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/google-hiring-non-graduates-2013-6#ixzz2wLHAPBWC

I think we are speaking past each other.A degree does not equate knowledge.
Also the trend is shifting,college education is loosing its importance,it is not useless, yet.It is declining

 

[skschlag]

You are banking on being in the 14% that google hires without college degrees. Your odds of being hired are greater with a college degree.

From your article above:

"Of course, most of Google's hires are still college graduates.

After all, college is still the surest way of learning advanced engineering and other stuff that gets you a job at Google. A college degree still provides some guarantee of intelligence and commitment. And at the end of the day, people with a college degree are far more highly employed and make more money than those who don't graduate. "

 

[Natalia]

You are banking on being in the 14% that google hires without college degrees. Your odds of being hired are greater with a college degree.

From your article above:

"Of course, most of Google's hires are still college graduates.

After all, college is still the surest way of learning advanced engineering and other stuff that gets you a job at Google. A college degree still provides some guarantee of intelligence and commitment. And at the end of the day, people with a college degree are far more highly employed and make more money than those who don't graduate. "

Indeed,this is true,for now.the paradigm is shifting
"When enough significant anomalies have accrued against a current paradigm, the scientific discipline is thrown into a state of crisis,according to Kuhn. During this crisis, new ideas, perhaps ones previously discarded, are tried. Eventually a new paradigm is formed, which gains its own new followers, and an intellectual "battle" takes place between the followers of the new paradigm and the hold-outs of the old paradigm"Thomas khun

We are in the midst of the battle.

 

[LizzieLac]

Much the way the market responds to shifts in demand and developing trends, so might higher education. Oh wait, it already has - as seen by the numerous online and non-traditional ways to continue education.

I doubt I can be convinced that education is a useless thing. There is so much to be gained from that experience that is not likley replaced by other experiences. It is not a one size fits all world. Higher education is the BEST bet or option for many people, but not all people. I agree with the post that talked about alternative training and trade schools. They are best for some.

 

[kecks]

in europe we would at this point stress that you do not go to college to get a good job but to get an education! sure, the hiring thing is always in the back of your mind here, too, but it usually works out well when you do well in college (!). my friends mostly did major in liberal arts and humanities of all kinds, and we all have good jobs - not in the sens of lots of money but enough to pay the bills and have a good life while still enjoying what you do - now (from teacher to coach to it-guy to manager of big audio book thing to journalists and movie directors and pr-guys for museum and tenure professor at big college...). but here college is completely free... which is a fundamental difference and changes your perspective a lot?!

 

[Natalia]

Collectively paid for by taxes is not free.
Education is free and vital.
Degrees cost money,paid for by taxes or privately.

Education is not synonymous with a degree.

What is different today about college than in years past?

First of all, a lot more people are going. But, oddly, a lot more of the public has questions about whether it's worthwhile to go. In 2008, 81 percent of adults thought college was a worthwhile investment. This year, 57 percent think so. The second thing, of course, is loan shock.

Why is college so expensive?

There are three main reasons. One is a lot of families, out of the goodness of their hearts and love of their children, will pay anything to send their kids to college. Two, many colleges will try to get as much money as they can. Three, the federal government endlessly subsidizes the increases in college and higher education. And so the price keeps getting higher. There's an academic arms race
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2013/05/09/why-a-college-degree-no-longer-guarantees-success

Peace.
Natalia

 

[Natalia]

 

[Deleted member D3987]

hahahahahahahahaha ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[Midwestmommy]

It's like skydiving?? If at first you don't succeed it wasn't the sport for you..

 

[Deleted member D3987]

OMG hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[Muddlethru]

[QUOTE="

Why is college so expensive?

There are three main reasons. One is a lot of families, out of the goodness of their hearts and love of their children, will pay anything to send their kids to college. Two, many colleges will try to get as much money as they can. Three, the federal government endlessly subsidizes the increases in college and higher education. And so the price keeps getting higher. There's an academic arms race
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2013/05/09/why-a-college-degree-no-longer-guarantees-success

Peace.
Natalia[/QUOTE]

And because we have to cover the cost of education for the "unfortunate".