19 Great Jobs Without A College Degree – And How To Get Them Fast
By Neal Frankle
You can get a great job without a college degree.
That’s right. Great jobs without a degree are not impossible to find. And if you’re willing to settle for “just” good jobs without college, you won’t find it hard to find one.
If you (or someone you know) is interested in finding a job, bypassing college could be a really smart move right now.Finding top jobs without a college degree is a very individual mission. What’s right for Janice down the street may not be the best move for you.
Going to a trade school instead might be a brilliant move for you.
I read recently that only 1 in 4 college graduates find jobs. On top of that, according to the U.S. Burea of Labor Statistics, 8 of the 10 fastest growing jobs don’t require college degrees.
As you might expect, these are service jobs and they’re difficult to outsource. Booyah! Even better. That’s why the opportunities are there.
The question is, how do you decide which trade to get trained in and how do you get the training at the least cost?
Flikr, Isafmedia
Here are the steps I suggest you take:
1. Flex Your Brain
Make a list of all the jobs you find interesting. Even if you ultimately want to be a business owner rather than an employee, be open-minded. If you want to own a fleet of plumbing trucks one day, start off as a plumber. In fact, you should look at it in reverse. Just because you might start off as a plumber doesn’t mean you can’t own a fleet of plumbing trucks one day. Good jobs without a college degree might lead to great business ownership!
Also, you can always learn a trade and go to college down the road if you so choose- just make sure that you don’t spend moneyyou don’t have to when you get your degree. The point is, nothing you do now is irrevocable.
2. Investigate
There are tons of high-paying no degree jobs.
According to CNN, here are 19 top careers without a college degree:
1· Air traffic controller
Annual income: $102,030
2· Storage and distribution manager
Annual income: $66,600
3· Transportation manager
Annual income: $66,600
4· Police and detectives supervisor
Annual income: $64,430
·
5.Non-retail sales manager
Annual income: $59,300
6· Forest fire fighting and prevention supervisor
Annual income: $58,920
7· Municipal fire fighting and prevention supervisor
Annual income: $58,902
8· Real estate broker
Annual income: $58,720
9· Elevator installers and repairer
Annual income: $58,710
10· Sales representative
Annual income: $58,580
11· Dental hygienist
Annual income: $58,350
12· Radiation therapist
Annual income: $57,700
13· Nuclear medicine technologist
Annual income: $56,450
14· Child support, missing persons and unemployment insurance fraud investigator
Annual income: $53,900
15·Criminal investigators and special agent
Annual income: $53,990
16· Immigration and Customs inspector
Annual income: $53,990
17· Police detective
Annual Income: $53,990
18· Police identification and records officer
Annual income: $53,990
19· Commercial pilot
Annual income: $53,870
Accordingb to the the U.S. Department of Labor, 2 out of every 3 jobs only require on-the-job training. You want great jobs with no college degree? There you are.
If you’re competing for one of these jobs, going to college could actually hurt you.
Why? Because the other people competing for that job will have had 4 years of experience while you were hanging out at Starbucks with your laptop and iPhone.
3. Connect
Now that you know what you want to do, make sure there is going to be a job waiting for you once you get trained. Just because there are jobs that don’t require a degree doesn’t mean you’ll get one. Investigate!
Talk to people in the industry. Ask them about job prospects. Ask what they like and dislike about their jobs. Ask what they think about the future of the industry.
I guarantee that if you call 10 people in the industry, 7 will be more than happy to meet with you for a cup of coffee to give you a clear picture.
Ask them how they got into the profession, where they got trained and what schools (if any) they’d recommend for you. Most important, ask who else you should meet to learn more.
Meet with at least 10 people in the industry to make sure you’re view is accurate.
If you don’t know how to get in touch with people working in the field, no problemo – see step 4 below.
4. Schools
Interview the various trade schools that offer training. Ask to speak with alumni currently working in the industry. Ask if they started their careers without college. Then, when you meet with these folks, ask them for a few other references – people who didn’t necessarily go the school they graduated from. Talk to those people too.
While you’re interviewing the schools, ask about job placement assistance and success rates.
Remember that you only have to spend the money to get trained once but have a lifetime of earnings ahead. If one school costs more but has a far better success rate, it could still be a better bargain.
Oh…and one more thing. If you already have a college degree and can’t find a job (or your retired and want to earn money) you can still follow these same steps to land one of these awesome jobs.
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Hi Neal, I just wanted you to know I added this post to my link round-up at my blog.
Very important topic. Not everyone is suited to college and you underscored some really important careers; It’s important not to get caught up in “shoulds.” Showcased the article in my round up this week!
“Why? Because the other people competing for that job will have had 4 years of experience while you were hanging out at Starbucks with your laptop and iPhone.”
Sorry, just have to say this: Not everyone has mommy and daddy pay for their college. Hence NOT all college students hang at starbucks with an iPhone. I was lucky to even have a cell phone in college.
Jess….that’s fair.
Sometimes I get carried away. Apologies…
Jess please do not be ignorant. As you can see a few were sales, sales manager, and real estate broker. I dont care how much schooling the person next to me has when going for a job in this field because it does not really matter. College does NOT teach you to build relationships have passion for a product or have a gift of gab. These are things you are born with not taught. So please understand that not EVERYONE needs schooling and dont pull a pity party with this mommy daddy crap because you didnt have as much as others and your still upset about it I promise… we dont care. So people reading this article he is correct you do NOT need a college education to make good money. A lot of fields will require it but, not all and these are some of them. Find your dream or find what you love if it happens to be one of them go for it and make yourself the best you can at it!
@Jordan,
Oh shut up. Please. Jess was completely right in her argument: while it may be true that some jobs do not require a college degree, it is not necessary to stereotype and degrade those who did go to college.
Your statement doesn’t apply to anything she said.
You’re the one who’s ignorant and your 2-cents worth of run-on sentences isn’t needed. Apparently college could have taught you something: GRAMMAR.
You are not simply born a good salesman. Now some people may very well be willing to sell their souls to make money, and then, possibly, you may have a lot to talk about. Robert Kyosaki from Rich Dad Poor Dad lets us in on a little secret: Dont be afraid to fail. That is how we learn. While some people can be naturally better adept initially at sales. A good salesperson has empathy, is driven by success, and strives for balance in their life. These are all skills which can be learned. It is by initiating new behaviors in our life is how we achieve this.
Jason, you are right that you aren’t born a good salesman – but there are some excellent resources to help.
I saw this and just had to say something. True, its a stereotype that people in college had it made, but there’s also a lot of us who did struggle and don’t appreciate having our 4 years of hard work and dedication not count as experience. College does count for something. It shows that when you want something, you go for it, and you do it. That degree is proof that you are reliable, responsible, and smarter than your average Joe.
We deserve to get treated with just as much respect and no offense to those of you who did not go to college, but we deserve to score those high paying jobs that are fine-tuned to our specialized training.
However, there are lots of jobs as listed above that any trained monkey can do. By all means. If you can settle for less than $80k a year, do that. Those of us who want to achieve more go to university.
Katie, I read your post and was just astounded at your ignorance. Get off your high horse and take a look at the real world. It is very rare for someone with a bachelor’s degree to make 80K a year. It is uncommon for people even with PhD’s in many fields to make that much. I went to college and know people who have gone to college getting their doctorates in physics. Even they had a difficult time finding a job, let alone making a lot of money in their fields. I went to college and dropped out with a 4.0 GPA, because to me it was simply not worth it. I came from a poor immigrant family and got a scholarship. So, no, mommy and daddy weren’t supporting me and I wasn’t coasting by on life. I went to college because my whole life my mother conditioned me to believe that without a college degree I’ll be a worthless human being who will one day end up in the poor-house if I don’t become a doctor or a scientist.
A college degree is not proof of someone’s intelligence, hard work, and responsibility. I’ve known plenty of people who were dumber than a rock and completely unreliable and still somehow graduated college. Take it from someone’s whose been there and done that: college isn’t that great. It won’t guarantee you a high paying job or make you better than anyone else. Although for most people, it does create that illusion. If you want to go to college, do it because you’re really passionate about your subject, not because you want to make money, look good, or are just pressured to do so.
Sultaria, while I think you are attacking Katie and I’d prefer nobody gets attacked here at Pilgrim, I have to admit you made some great points. When I went to college it was out of fear. I thought it was the only way to go and since I was collecting SSI in order to go, the risks were low. I was actually afraid NOT to go to college. Now, people understand that there are many alternatives.
I’m glad I got my BS and the process helped me. But I am not convinced it was only option looking back.
Sultaria,
What is your occupation? And how much do you make a year? You’re the one that’s ignorant by saying,”a college degree is not proof of someone’s intelligence, hard work, and responsiblity.” I’m a college student. College prepares you for the real world which is hard work and responsiblity. No a person doesn’t have to attended college, its their life and they make or break it. But college does help give a person the training for these high paying jobs and also the resources to find them. Maybe your ignorant ass should go back to college it would do you some good hun. Trust me.
Okay i am sorry I normally do not comment on anything but this little argument made me laugh. I have an advance college degree and the firm I work for has many employees who have their JDH, and I would say many of them are irresponsible and frankly dumb. In my opinion college does not prepare you for the real world, i think people who dont go to college and make it had a better prep period. I spent almost 8 years and UofO and more money on beer then tuition and I found away to graduate honors. Not sure how but please dont make college sound like something that builds a better person, or can help identify them, because it does not. All it does is show you are willing to put up with a lot of bull shit to get a piece of paper that some people think is cool. Doctors, Attorneys, and a few other are the only things that require a degree. I know many people who are executives who did not finish school. A name everyone knows Bill Gates he was just recently awarded his DR but never finished.
Which argument is that Johathan?
@ katie. You are absolutely right katie. College graduates may not make 80k a year, however it is easier to find a job. Depending on your course of study and if your field is in high demand. Today, a individual will have to have an trade or some type of educational training to get a great paying job. Because its few jobs that will want to hire an average joe. End of story.
In response to your dumbass comment, “there are lots of jobs that any trained monkey can do..” college is practically a zoo. Anyone with a college degree is just as much a trained monkey as someone who choose not to waste their time and money.
Katie,
I for one don’t see the post as denigrating a college degree. I have one and worked hard to get it like you.
It’s just that it’s not always worth it for everyone. I know plenty plenty plenty of people who earn much more and do much more with no or little college than people with a Ph D.
A college degree isn’t a stand alone product as many students and parents think. It’s a tool to help you do something down the line. It’s also not an extension of high school.
That being said, for the right person, a 4 degree at Yale or Harvard might be worth it. For most of us, it’s not.
I am training to be an engineer at college. This means I have to take a variety of calculus and physics. It also means I have to take a lot of programming courses, since I am going to be a software engineer. Let me tell you, if you want to be a manager or want to work on something really cool- such as working for IBM or working for a
private defense company designing missile systems and such, you need a degree. Sure, you could be a technician maybe without a degree, but if you want the big bucks making awesome technology, you need a degree in engineering or computer science or even a degree in Information Technology.
Did Steve Jobs get a degree to start Apple? No. Not only that, but from what I understand he doesn’y hitre based on college experience. I know it’s a one-off example, however, there are plenty Jobs-like people in the world.
I think, if you want to go to college, go! if you’re unsure, don’t!
It is usually (and I emphasis usually) the non-college goers who do the creating and the college goers do the sustaining.
Just my humble opinion and please understand it is just that.
I myself didn’t feel the need to go into college and am doing fine. I am also grateful to not have heavy debts.
Time will tell if it was good for me, as I see it now, it was and believe it will be.
I decided college wasnt for me and have made over 5 million dollars over the last 10 years. At this juncture in my life, I want to go back to school. Its not always about money, but about living, and being able to communicate yourself more clearly. Its about the personal satisfaction in learning about anything that may interest you. Yes you can learn on your own, but structure can give you a base. Making money is a scam. If you can scam, you can make money. In a period where everyone is pressured to buy, is convinced that they need all of these things, making money is directly related in your willingness to offer false hopes, wether it be to customers, bankers, employees, etc. Nobody who wants to make money sells the whole complete truth.
how did you make your money if you dont mind me asking. i am dropping out of school because i can’t afford it anymore and i would like someone who can guide me in a new direction. so, if anyone would tell me other alternatives i would appreciate it.
This conversation is rediculous! Not one of you mentioned the part of life that really matters, the impact you have on the lives of your loved ones and family. It’s people like you that have sentenced us to a society of progressively dumber children that expect Elmo, Thomas the Train and Bob the Builder to not only teach them the basic principals of morality, but comfort them and be substitute parents while we are on the hunt for more money!!!!!!!!!! Few degrees teach us that we really need to back up.
There is no guarantee that going to college will land you a great job. That has been a myth for many years. However, college can expose you to a world of interests and ideas. There’s philosophy, anthropology, literature, geology, history, languages, endless subjects to study. College teaches you discipline, creativity, and how to research and explore areas of interest.
If you can work while going to school, that may help to get a job once you graduate. There are also internships available in a variety of fields.
You may still struggle to find a job or your career path. You may find that your job or career path loses its luster. But you’ll never regret your college education, because the love of learning will stay with you all your life.
Neal, thanks for this post. I appreciate your advice.
I think the author just wanted to point out, that college is not the only way to get a high paying job. I think the stereotype these days is having a good education or going to school, I think that its only one way to get things done, some people do well on the job rather than in school. I guess what I’m trying to say is that its not to put people who went to college down, rather its to encourage people who can’t go to college or have hard time in school get high paying jobs, or a job without getting depressed or disheartened because they did not get the education
I agree with John.
I’ve been to college, never finished my degree, got dangerously close, but then got pregnant, and lost my precious daughter during labor and well, just haven’t gone back yet to finish.
But what I’ve seen is that almost 100% of my friends with degrees (mostly women) do not have jobs relating to that degree, they have thousands upon thousands in college loan debt and are frustrated that they aren’t using their degree.
Now.. that being said, I don’t think they regret the college experience at all… but life changed. One of my friends with a nursing degree ended up starting her own business and its very successful, another started a family and isn’t using her education, others haven’t been able to get the job relating to the degree.. others still yet have lost interest in their degree areas.
I’m not knocking degrees, i think they’re great if you can get them, but its great if you can’t get them either. I know very wealthy men and women that don’t have degrees and are very successful. If you work hard and have integrity and determination you can really do anything and make a great living.
thankfully i don’t have any college debt, however i didn’t attend a yale or harvard either
good luck to you all…
bek, So sorry to hear about your daughter. I appreciate you sharing though it must be difficult to discuss.
I agree that most people don’t work in the career they study in college. A degree can certainly be useful in many but not all circumstances. But I think where you get the degree is rarely important.
I think it is an amazing think that there are SO many jobs available for those of us unable to afford college; as well as those whom it just doesn’t work out for. And really when it comes to competition for a job. Just because you have college experience does NOT mean you are more qualified… Real life experience isn’t something learned from a book. May the better qualified person win!
Hey Guys, you all have important key points,you don’t have to have a degree to pursue your dreams.But as for me my story may seem a little different, however am thinking about going to college this winter to pursue my education in the field of Health Administration ( but to be honest that’s not what i really want,my dream is to become an actress,model and even a writer.But, at least when i leave college i know that i’ll have something to fall back on, if none of those work(but with my will and determination it WILL work….xxx KC.
So, you’re in the middle of a major city sitting at a four-way red light. Look around you at all the cars and people. Who’s traveling in the wrong direction??
Point is, there are plenty of right directions. Everyone can choose their own, for the most part, here in the U.S. Only each person would know if they are traveling in the wrong direction.
Just figure out where you want to end up, then back track the steps that would lead you there. Now…. Do you want or need a college degree? Then go get it. Or don’t.
Assume everyone at the four-way is traveling in the right direction. Now just make sure you are.
I’m still working on it myself! As are most people.
No need to come down on either party, right?
College was always my frustrated dream, but now that I’m 26 years old I started realizing that college it’s another option, but it doesn’t make you better. I always have been an addicted reader, I educate my self constanly in many subjects, I’m not an ignorant because I don’t have a degree. Many people in college only study and know their subjects, but that’s all, they aren’t universal like Leonardo da Vinci. The experience of life is unique, now I learned from my mistakes and I’m being successful i’n my business. I want to go back to college, because I want to be a politician, not for a better income.
I’m just wondering if anyone posting here actually see’s the “real world” for what it is and how it truly affects each one of you. I hear a lot of talk about money, jobs, education, ego and I wonder why all of you think any of these things are actually relevant to happiness, sustainability, intelligence and prosperity?
I make a little over $90,000 a year as a driver within the television and film industry. I work very hard, I work very long hours (which determines my higher than average pay) and I do not have a college degree. However, my career does not define who I am, what my intellectual capacity is, nor does it determine my worth as a human being.
It is what I do outside of work that paints a larger than life picture of who I am and what I’m all about. I am the change I wish to see in the world…in who we are collectively, seeing our planetary society begin to make sense, seeing peoples minds open up and flourish with the possibilities and potential that the countless generations before us have provided, the technical and scientific discoveries and solutions we constantly ignore in favor of an outdated and pointless social system.
Let me help you see the world as it really is, and then let me show you a clear path towards what it could be. Change starts from within! Wishing all of you well.
)
“Be the change you wish to see in this world”- Ghandi (and i didnt have to go to college to know that). Great point, you are a very WISE man, and in my opinion, wisdom is the greatest of all intelligence. Wisdom does not come from a college degree, it comes from real life experience. Keep working hard, it will pay off.
Hi, I think you can still earn online doing things that do not require any formal education at all. For example, you can become a freelance writer for a company. Of course, it would be great to know some rules in essay writing but you can learn that online as well, and skip college.
I remember meeting an English woman who had moved to America and she was so puzzled over why Americans put so much emphasis on their kids going to college as some sort of ‘ultimate solution to all lifes potential problems’. It’s not.
People often forget that colleges are a business. They are in it to make money and tend to align their programs with local employers. That’s only one influencing variable though. Others are trying to get more of the budget money that states get from the Dept.Of Ed., so paint themselves in much higher calibers and golden troughs than they actually are.
There is a snobbery, sometimes overt, about the college education. The person who graduated from Harvard is almost always going to feel somewhat superior to the person who graduated from Lesser Known University. So, even amongst ‘the educated’ there is bigotry.
And that attitude spreads, like a virus, throughout various industries. Are there fields that actually demand a degree? Absolutely. No doubt about that. But not everyone knows from the age of six that they want to be a doctor or lawyer or financial analyst. Somehow people forget that 1) Life is fragile and 2) there is no law that says you MUST be one thing and one thing only until you die. In fact, the more well rounded individuals I’ve met have a couple of things in common: travel and curiosity. They are exceedingly intelligent, vibrant people. I have met people with PhD’s who have all the social skills and interesting personalities of asbestos. But that’s okay, they have their place too and it’s usually very, very specific.
The problem is, investors usually want to see a certain number of degree X and degree Y ( read: PhD’s and Masters with a bunch of Bach’s beneath them in the organization ).
What this has done, the relationship between business and education, is flatten the value of degrees and higher education. There was a time that having a Bachelor’s was a really big deal. Not anymore kids. Sorry. Bachelor’s now are a dime a dozen and there are more PhD’s now than ever in human history.
I think we teach each other the wrong employment values and it’s a subtle process of pressure and persuasion ( usually ), over time. If you think about it: How many college courses did Da Vinci take? Zero. He learned his artistic craft, which he didn’t really value all that much as his other skills, through discipleship. Unforunatley, the mentoring process, sans a degree, is virtually non-existant except in the rapidly dwindling population of skilled trades. Not everyone can be a manager and not everyoen wants to push keyboard buttons all day long or write reports that have deadlines, but no one reads.
A great example of inflated degree value is in the area of computer science. Sorry, but you don’t need to go to college to learn programming or how to be a good one. To be a great programmer takes years and comes not just with experience, but having fantastic mentors. Now, it’s all about the degree or certifications ( vendor specific and hmm…that’s another racket in itself ). And what do we have as a result? A ton of buggy, creaky, and user unfriendly software.
The point is, I think business could save a lot of money if they stopped with the degree filtering process and instead did internal programs and worried about MAKING THINGS THAT WORK. lol The success (profits) of the business would draw investors like supermagnets instead of having to beg them on your knees to invest.
Most people, wether they’re career switching or kids, are looking at upwards of a 100G’s in college debt to pay off because, again, the market is saturated with college degrees now more than ever. If a college degree were so relevant, then everyone unemployed with a college degree wouldn’t be, well, unemployed. So, the four year degree just isn’t worth the investment made.
As for college ’rounding people out’. Again, I’m sorry, but travel can do the same thing, if not better. Saying that the aspect of college, such as living away from home, being one of its valuable aspects is like saying going to summer camp makes you worldly. It doesn’t. It just mixes you with your own peers only in a different state ( maybe! ).
America needs to export something more than military armaments ( missiles, fighter jets, tanks, mercenaries, and drones ). The Chinese are at least two or three decades ahead of us in computer espionage ability. So there’s this big emphasis on computer security personnel. Guess what? That’s right, degrees and certifications are now required defintions of these jobs. Which is just totally absurd. The skills for doing that kind of work CAN be learned OJT. Most jobs can be learned OJT. But colleges are businesses and no way are they going to stand for THAT!
The way I see it, not that it really matters..college degrees mean nothing except that somebody sat through some classes, memorized a few things for some tests, passed them, or they are good at looking things up on the internet, or both. You can have the common sense of a rock and get through college, but if you have a decent short term memory, or are good at looking things up on the internet, you can get by and even do well. It doesn’t make you smarter, or necessarily more educated, and it sure as hell won’t prepare you very well for a career or how to be successful. How things are done in the workplace may be completely different from the way you learned to do things in college. All a degree means in my eyes is you committed some worthless information to your short term memory that you will probably forget later on, and most likely won’t help you be a good employee in the work force. Also, the quality of a college education is a joke from what I have observed. I became so depressed with it all the last year and completely lost interest in getting my degree even though I was not far away. I barely put fourth a speck of effort, procrastinated and put every thing off to the last second, did ZERO studying, and had hardly a clue of what was going on in my classes. Guess what? I not only was able to pass, but do “well” from what I heard..however I was so depressed with it all I never even bothered to find out what my grades were myself. That goes to show you that the quality of education college gives you these days is garbage. Any idiot can get through college if that is what they want to do. The extensive use of the internet involved practically makes it a cakewalk. I don’t think college makes people any better than the people who don’t have a degree. I still have no idea what I want to do with my life, but as for college I just gave it up, got so depressed that reading the syllabus for my courses gave me a headache. The material was tedious and frustrating, as well as amazingly uninteresting. Half the people in my classes couldn’t even spell or write a correct sentence and still got by. College education is a joke, not to mention public school, which also did nothing to prepare me for the real world which along with my severe depression and anxiety problems is why I have gotten nowhere in life. However, I wish I never bothered attending 1 day of college. I wish I just started working full time right out of high school, saved as much money as I could of, learned to be smart with my money and make some good investments with those savings. You sure as hell won’t learn how to do any of that in college.
@jman I agree with you 10000% on everything you said. I’m in college now and I’m just too lazy to do anything because the teachers are stupid as hell but I love working I work full time and it’s so much fun working with people and becoming social (which by the way public school “is against”). The reason people are unemployed after graduating college is because everyone coming out are anti-social people who instead of talking were shoulder deep in books
Funny you mention that the professors are stupid as hell..that about sums it up. True story (this has happened more than once during my experience with “higher” education). I have been handed instructions for assignments and projects by college professors with spelling errors and other typographical errors in them. I have sat in classrooms surrounded by students with laptops open as they surf facebook. The professors are quite ignorant if they believe these students are taking notes. These facebook surfing losers are rewarded with inflated grades and pass, despite not doing shit in class, get by, and in the eyes of some idiotic employers are more qualified for a job than somebody with more work experience. Not that paying attention to what the professors have to say matters, it won’t really do much for you as far as making you a success in life. What colleges want you to know to pass a few tests, and what people need to know to be successful are two totally different things. You won’t obtain the latter by wasting your time and money in college. The only thing that college guarantees these days is debt, not a job. Plenty of college grads working the overnight shift at wally world stocking shelves at 4am for $7.50 an hour.
@Jess. When the author said you’ll beat starbucks with your iPhone ad laptop you have to understand it’s the sterotypical college student. He means instead of wasting time on a degree your not gonna use why not get ready for a career
Would you go to a Doctor that never went to school and only did “on the job training”?
I didn’t think so.
People who went to school(and those that paid out of their own pocket) wish schooling actually meant something.
Going to school meant I cared enough to be the best I could be at my job,I have been at Poverty level all my life,raised a child as a single Dad(with no child support) when the odds were against me back then.
If schooling means nothing then maybe we need to close them all.
There are some jobs where college is helpful, even necessary. But not all of us are called to be doctors. I went to school for one semester and was instantly disillusioned. I am in the process of deciding if i want to to return for college or just move on. It’s different for everyone. I want my lawyer to graduate college, but at the same time a degree doesn’t help the firefighter cut away the car and pull me to safety if I have a bad crash. Everyone’s situation is different, some people might be better going to college, some not. Find something you love and put yourself in the best position to achieve it. If that something requires advanced education, go for it. If it requires on job experience, then maybe a degree isn’t the best option. But that’s just my two cents.
BTW Mom and Dad never paid for my Schooling,never paid my car insurance or even bought me my first car,I did all that myself.
Parents shouldn’t pay for their children when they go to school,they are adults by then and shouldn’t need their hand held.
I would just like to say that I am a current University student, and I am so frustrated with it all I could scream. I am only a sophomore, but already I can see the futility in finishing my degree. What I really want is to get going with a couple of jobs and build a little nest egg, then invest a bit and use the rest to buy a small farm.
The problem with all this is my parents both got college degrees, their parents got degrees, and in most cases their grandparents as well. To make the pressure just a little more intense, my father is a very successful PhD at the university I attend. I have been raised to believe that if I do not finish with at LEAST a Master’s degree, I will be a worthless human and a burden to society.
I already have a job, and i LOVE it. In fact, my boss doesn’t have a college degree, and is highly successful and prosperous. I can’t wait to get out of school and into the workforce full-time. The highlight of my summer aside from family time is working all day.
I guess my problem is that what I want to do in life doesn’t require a college degree, but my family situation nearly does. I don’t really care about riches and fame, I just want to be happy and have a little cash left over for fun.
I am so afraid of what my family would say and do if I were to actually drop out and go straight to work that I can’t bring myself to do so. Even now, as I write this, I should be working on a pointless paper about sow bug behavior in response to stimuli in their environment. Oh well.
Please, if anyone has been in a similar situation or has any advice, I am all ears.
Thank you
I am so frustrated with the situation that
I was in a similar situation myself…but not quite to your extent, the opposite really. My parents have good jobs but no college degree. So they wanted me to get a degree really bad. They put a good deal of pressure on me to pursue Pharmacy and I just wasn’t getting it. I failed all mt Chem classes and just wasn’t happy. I sat them down and said “Listen, Pharmacy isn’t for me. In fact, I have no idea what I want to do with my life. I want to change my major”…
And they listened. The best way to approach this is sit them down and let them know how you feel. You are your own person with your own dreams. Too often I see parents pushing higher education on their children, and many of those kids don’t want to do what their parents want them to do. Tell them that success is not defined by a piece of paper. To prove that point, rip up your father’s PhD. (You don’t really have to, that’s big move lol) It’s a piece of paper. It does not define him, and if it does, then I’m sorry to say he has lost himself. You define your own success. If working the job you love so dearly is your idea of success, then go for it. Who is to tell you otherwise? Your family? No. They don’t get a say in the choices you make for yourself. If the family reputation is more important than their own child, then consider where your parents’ priorities really are. I can’t say this discussion will end well. I don’t know your parents and from your description it seems they will be less understanding than my parents were in my situation, but that’s a risk you have to take. If you can get by on what you do now, and you enjoy it as much as you say you do, then talk to them. If they want you to finish college, then maybe finish with a Bachelor’s, stick with your current job and call it a day. Sure, you’ll have a degree that you probably won’t use, but that’s your parents’ problem now. And if they get upset saying “We spent all this money to get you into college”, just say “Remember that talk we had where I said I didn’t want to continue college anymore? You implored me to finish, and I did. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to change my mind about what i want to do.”
You also have to consider the more “creative” people out there. Many artists and people in music/performance art don’t have college degrees. Now some of you could say, “art generally doesn’t pay well” and you’d be right. But there are people making serious money from their own creativity. And guess what. Those people are happier than ever with their careers. I’ve noticed that people that take creative careers less seriously often lack creative talent of their own, so they become a lawyer or a financial manager, something that takes little creative thought to do. I went to college completely unprepared. I had no clear vision of what kind of field I wanted to work in. I ended up changing my major three times, wasting a good amount of money in the process. Then I realized not a single thing my college offered interested me. My heart wasn’t in it so I had no choice but to leave. College is right more some people. But if you are the free-spirited type and aren’t sure of your future, college will only confuse you more. But I won’t knock it completely. I did learn a lot cool and useful stuff in the classes that did grab my interest. Oddly enough, many of my friends that graduated have a job, but most of them are not happy with what they do.
If you can’t afford school, and have no clue what you want to do with your life after highschool, join the military…discipline, respect, work ethic, and motivation alone opens more doors than any degree ever will.
First off, I am a 21 year old man who makes 75,000 dollars a year as a sales consultant. I highly disagree with the ignorance shown here. College or no college, you will be whatever it is you decide to be. I didnt go to college and I can bet that I make more money then most of you do. Money isnt everything. College should be a place you go to grow and develop as a person. And to whoever said that college prepares you for the real world is as far from reality as possible. The real world prepares you for the real world. College cannot teach you what to do when your stuck choosing between paying the light bill or the gas bill. College or no college, Success is determined and based on how motivated you are. So everyone get off this blog and go get a job. or a degree. Either way, make something of yourself.
College sucks. It was the most depression time of my life. I got piss poor grades and I still got an entry level job making 50K in the state of Missouri. While I’m happy to have a job, I wonder that point was if they weren’t going to check my grades or evaulate any other part of my education. I will say this though, I hate my job with a passion, and I hate having to kiss the butts of of all these “white cowboys” to keep my job. I have to “play the game” as they say. I’m rambling a bit, but the point is if you can get by without a degree, do it.
Going to college is a good thing if you know what you want to do. The only people that truly look at a degree are employers, and they are looking for specific experiences to fit the description of their job opening. So make sure you know what you want to do before jumping in what experiences you need to acquire the job you want.
Catch 22 – no experience, no job. No job, no experience.
If you don’t know why you are going to school or what you are going to do with your degree, then I don’t either. And neither will anyone else for that matter.