Is it really necessary to have a college degree to make good money??

[JonTest]

Ok heres the deal........Long story short my parents are broke and they want me to pay for my college....I have about three years left and it is close to 3000 a semester here at University of Oklahoma....I am really debating on even going because i am already fuckd on alot of bills(motorcycle, truck, all this other shit)...Im wondering, Is it even worth it to have a college degree.....How many of you bro's out there don't have a degree and are successful financially and everything....I wan't to start my own business.....I don't know in what yet but for now i have a lawn company that is really starting to kick off(since it is only April) and work at restaraunt.......Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated..

thanks

 

[thick]

my lil tidbit of advice would be not to go to college unless you know exactly what you want to do. Than get as many classes as possible through a junior college. Than go to a good but cheaper 4 year college. A degree is normally a degree unless it is harvard or something like that. Most of the state univ. arent worth the extra tuition. THis is my 2 1/2 cents worth

Ok heres the deal........Long story short my parents are broke and they want me to pay for my college....I have about three years left and it is close to 3000 a semester here at University of Oklahoma....I am really debating on even going because i am already fuckd on alot of bills(motorcycle, truck, all this other shit)...Im wondering, Is it even worth it to have a college degree.....How many of you bro's out there don't have a degree and are successful financially and everything....I wan't to start my own business.....I don't know in what yet but for now i have a lawn company that is really starting to kick off(since it is only April) and work at restaraunt.......Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated..

thanks

 

[ramboj70]

Ok heres the deal........Long story short my parents are broke and they want me to pay for my college....I have about three years left and it is close to 3000 a semester here at University of Oklahoma....I am really debating on even going because i am already fuckd on alot of bills(motorcycle, truck, all this other shit)...Im wondering, Is it even worth it to have a college degree.....How many of you bro's out there don't have a degree and are successful financially and everything....I wan't to start my own business.....I don't know in what yet but for now i have a lawn company that is really starting to kick off(since it is only April) and work at restaraunt.......Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated..

thanks

bro as you read some of my post you can clearly see I make no fuckng sense and I cant spell worth a shit, I have high school diploma, thats it. I am not book smart but put me on the job I know more then alot of peope do. I own my own business and its pays the bills and then some. I gather you said you want a lawn business, there you go thats a good business to do, I have lots of friends who own lawn care and make it rich. just go at it full speed ahead and dont give up. I started my carpet cleaning business with little money and that was to incorporate it. hire a sales person (only one) pay him lots of money if sales happen build your repeat customers , my business paid for itself I do no advertisement, not yet then I will, take out a loan for 10K build the business up, be very compeative with your competators

 

[Patuba]

I went to college at a Univeristy for 3.5 years and racked up close to 15k in debt but I got a lot of good job skills while there. I wish I would of finished my degree and do plan on going back. I make good money now but I could make so much more if I had my degree.

Just my $.02.

 

[eleven11]

If I had a chance to go back and do it again I wouldn't stop till I was a plactic surgeon. I would go as far as I could as long as you know what you want. I have some college and I own my own business but it took me along time to get here...........11

 

[ramboj70]

If I had a chance to go back and do it again I wouldn't stop till I was a plactic surgeon. I would go as far as I could as long as you know what you want. I have some college and I own my own business but it took me along time to get here...........11

11 what kind of business you own bro?

 

[eleven11]

11 what kind of business you own bro?

I build and design Custom Homes.......11

 

[Bob Smith]

You can certainly make a lot of money without a degree, but IMO, you start off 3 steps behind someone with a degree. The degree may be useless in reality, but reality also says that some (most?) companies wont even look at a resume from someone who doesnt have a 4-yr degree. It is so common place nowdays, that not having a degree is outside the norm and presents a problem for getting a job.

Now, that doesnt mean you cant be successful with a high school diploma or some college.

My advice would be...first, if youre making payments on your bike and truck, sell them both. Take the loss and buy some shitbox car for $2500 that will last you 3-5 years. That will free up a lot of money right there.

Second, hopefully you have a good community college in/near your area. Use it to its fullest! I finished my first 2 years of college at a CC and it saved me and my parents about $40k. Every one of my credits tranferred. Take the basic classes. Finish your 2 year degree. For me, CC ran about $2k/yr. Then you can look at transferring back to a state school to finish out your degree.

Even if you dont want or use a 4 year degree, it will open doors that would otherwise remain closed, whether it be for jobs, loans, whatever.

 

[Hogg]

I echo Bob's sentiments on cutting expenses.

I also believe that you should stay in school for as long as you can and get as much education under your belt as possible. I also believe that you should select a field that you are interested in. If you cannot think of a specific field, at least knock out a business or accounting degree; they are pliable and will get you in the door for a wide realm of positions.

 

[JonTest]

You can certainly make a lot of money without a degree, but IMO, you start off 3 steps behind someone with a degree. The degree may be useless in reality, but reality also says that some (most?) companies wont even look at a resume from someone who doesnt have a 4-yr degree. It is so common place nowdays, that not having a degree is outside the norm and presents a problem for getting a job.

Now, that doesnt mean you cant be successful with a high school diploma or some college.

My advice would be...first, if youre making payments on your bike and truck, sell them both. Take the loss and buy some shitbox car for $2500 that will last you 3-5 years. That will free up a lot of money right there.

Second, hopefully you have a good community college in/near your area. Use it to its fullest! I finished my first 2 years of college at a CC and it saved me and my parents about $40k. Every one of my credits tranferred. Take the basic classes. Finish your 2 year degree. For me, CC ran about $2k/yr. Then you can look at transferring back to a state school to finish out your degree.

Even if you dont want or use a 4 year degree, it will open doors that would otherwise remain closed, whether it be for jobs, loans, whatever.

Yeah i definitely agree with you on cuttin expenses....Truck will be paid off in three more months....and the bike...Well shit i owe alot more than the piece of shit is worth...But i want to sell it and take the loss and then hopefully pay it off over the summer...

 

[Bob Smith]

What kinda truck you have? How much is it worth?

 

[thick]

those r good points. I made it through school w/o having car payments. always drove 2k dollar cars. That adds up big time over the years.

 

[JonTest]

What kinda truck you have? How much is it worth?

It is a 1994 GMC 1500 Sierra 4x4....Only has 95000 miles on it and is probably worth somewhere around 6k or so...Just a guess.....I bought it for 7850 with 79k miles on it....Real nice truck

 

[Mark Kerr]

In short, get the degree. Statistically, college graduates make more money than those with only a HS diploma, even with the debt difference. Besides, a college degree isnt about more money, it is about more opportunity. With a HS degree you are very limited. The only ways to make a really good living with a HS diploma are to start your own business (and it is difficult to get a bank to give you a substantial loan with limited income and low education) or work your way from the very bottom of a company to a respectable position. Those are really your only options.

However, with a college degree, the sky is the limit. Lets say 5 years from now, you decide that you want to pursue another career. Guess what? You are going to have to start from the bottom and work your way up again if you only have a HS diploma. And you wont be able to pursue an advanced degree of any kind. Like I said, your opportunities in your life are very limited.

BS had a great suggestion with doing your first 2 years at a CC or even a JC, then transfering to a major university. Make sure, however, you make great grades in the CC or JC, or else you wont be able to transfer to the university you want.

To quote Hogg, "slug it out as an undergraduate." You dont want to be 40 years old and working as a pizza delivery guy (unless the porn-cliche is actually true, then there could be an upside!)

P.S. What income is considered "good money?"

 

[Ian Smith]

....

Personally, I wish i would have finished my degree..... But I know just as many people that are succesfull without one as I do people that arent with one..... I think it depends on the individual and how much drive and focus he or she has...... I think its important to have a good game plan, and then go after it no matter what it is.... It all comes down to knowing what the hell it is you want to do... Anythig is possible as long as you give it an honest effort.... IMO

 

[Bob Smith]

My take on it is this....sure, there are the college dropouts like Bill Gates and Michael Dell that make hundreds of millions/billions of dollars and own half the world. They are in the vast minority. Then look at how many college grads are millionaires or higher. The percentages lean strongly towards the graduates.

 

[Mark Kerr]

Plus, it should be noted that both Gates and Dell were VOLUNTARY college dropouts and went to great colleges (Harvard and UT). Also, if I am wrong then please correct me, but both were making great money before they dropped out. They werent people who just didnt want to go to college and had no future plans. They were people who knew that they were going to make so much money that wasting time as an undergrad would have HURT their income.

 

[Bob Smith]

Yes, both dropped out because of their growing businesses. IIRC, Dell was making $1MM+/yr while still in school. He left to what you could almost call a sure thing. Gates, I think he had a few accounts using his OS so he had a small base already. It was more of a risk for Gates than it was for Dell.

And as you pointed out Mark, both were at top level schools and were very very bright guys already. Hell, Gates basically retires as chief at about 42 years old and Dell is looking to retire by 40. Both billionaires.

 

[TheTruth]

My answer is this: it depends on who you are and what you want to do. If you want to do a lawnscaping company or something like that, an education is not as important as long as you know your shit regarding the industry. The good ones in that industry know about all the plants and shit. If you want to work in a niche market like that you can make it. if you want to be a business man in corporate america and work for someone else, then you need to get a degree because for the most part (and there are exceptions) you will need the degree to open doors and get you in. If you want to make good money that is. You can make 30-50K without a degree in my opinion, but most of the time you will need a degree or job tenure to make more than that.

I have no degree, started my own Dental Benefit Company 4 years ago and i am pretty much set. i am however the exception to the rule.

No matter what you need to work your ass off at whatever you do to really make it big. just my .02.

 

[Ian Smith]

,,,,,

Maybe it simply depends on ones own personal idea of success,,, whats important to you, what do you want out of life, were do you see yourself standing when you achieve your goals,,,,, behind a mower, or a desk, at the stock exchange, where ever..... How do you measure success.... Im not saying a person shouldnt go to school,, personally, if Im going to be where I see myelf in 5 years; then I need to return to college,, but thats what I need to do to achieve my goals; it may not be what others need to do to achieve their goals.