A College Degree is Worth Less and Less
November 28th, 2007When I was young, I had hopes of having a job that gave me $50,000 a year. In the seventh grade, to me, that was enough to live happily and do almost whatever I wanted. My big goal was to be an Engineer because it looked fun and paid over $50,000 a year. So the following years, I worked very hard and graduated with a Bachelors of Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington. I had fulfilled my big dream and was ready to be happy forever. What happened?
I was making about $43,000 a year at the time and struggling to pay all my bills. This was not what I thought was going to be like. How did I work so hard to get here and still I struggle? It was a very frustrating and confusing time for me. I had finally made it and it was nothing like I thought. Here’s why I think I was confused:
1) I thought having a job was a social and economic achievement, it isn’t
2) I thought I could stop learning and rely on what I already knew to flourish
3) I thought $43,000 a year was more than enough to live comfortably in the city
First of all, you can live comfortably on $43,000 a year, but I didn’t know how to. I spent money on expensive food and having fun. Secondly, having a job itself is not an achievement. It is a temporary way to make money, its not a ticket to freedom. Its much more important what you do with your money than how much you make. I also thought, and this was common, that being an engineer meant I didn’t have to worry about making money ever again. I was set. That was the old way of thinking and there are a lot of unemployed professionals who think that way.
Lastly, I found out quickly that if you stop learning, you stop gaining. You stop gaining new ideas, new opportunities, new ways to enjoy what is around you. I stopped learning and was miserable. So I started learning how to use my money better, what little I had left. I started learning how to start a business, how to make money playing poker online, how to trade stocks and equities. I also learned how to buy and manage rental houses. I started to see more and understand more. What I finally learned was shocking:
I didn’t need my expense University Education any longer.
I spent years and years and many thousands of dollars to get it, but it was worthless to me now. I realized the trap that so many fall into. Having a college education only gets you a job interview, you have to be willing to continue to learn and grow to become more valuable.
So many people get a university degree and it helps them start their careers, but they still need to continue learning to compete. This is why I think college degrees are worth less and less. You still have to learn, you still have to keep studying beyond college, whether it’s in your field of expertise or not. You still have to keep investing time and money to grow. It doesn’t stop.
In the past, a degree meant some social and financial security, now it means something different. Big business doesn’t hold on to employees when it’s unprofitable, you get dumped just like the janitor. You are no longer special. I think this is a turning point for the career-person. I think it means you need to change the way you approach your career. Turn it into something that constantly grows and evolves. Times get uncertain, security goes away, we need to be willing to attempt new ventures to succeed, beyond our college degrees.
Here is where you can search for new careers and learn more about Employment in the Za7 Directory.
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