How many of you went to college and how many did not?

[Kain]

Just wondering if you successfully completed college or if you found a job and worked your way up or started your own company? Basically, I'm a college student and I am finding that college is not working for me. What's your story?

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[silk32]

i dropped out. started my own IT company. not saying you should drop out.education never hurts your resume.

[4npower]

Originally Posted by silk32

education never hurts your resume.

exactly. if you have the means to go and complete college....do it.
i couldn't afford to go because at 18 i had to pay rent, car payment, utility bills, etc. in other words, work my a55 off just to live. but i continued to work my a55 off and am living pretty comfortable now. still have to work hard though

[Ted Baldwin]

.......Education is the key. Even those that are financially successful who never went to college wish they did. However you must separate college education from making a living. Go to college, but please don't be like every other college graduate that simply graduates from college and walks like zombie to an employement office and gets a job and sits down for the rest of his/her life. THINK OUT SIDE THE FREAKING BOX!!! Someone once said that every lecture in college has in it at least 10 different ways to make to become a millionaire. Your job is to look between the lines and find it.

Ted

[stevebez]

Hard work x passion = real world results...... if its at college, in your own business or for someone.

Hard work without passion does not go far - passion on its own does not go far either.

Beware though some education is pure BS ... Some work need college as mandatory. Find courses that are materially pratical to your interests and passions - then just go nuts , work your a$$ off and run with it ... also dont go overboard timewise - if a bachelors will do for what you need then stop. Get the masters & glory etc later when u are already setup if u really want to.

Chances are, at that stage, you will probably be giving the lecture rather than taking it.

Follow your passions not the money. You will be happier and the money will come over time.

[ElDiabloJoe]

Undergraduate degrees are well worth the money/time/effort.
Master's degrees are usually well worth the money/time/effort.
Professional degrees are usually well worth the money/time/effort.
Ph.D.'s are rarely worth the money, IMHO.

EDJ

[tuscanraider]

R.U. baby!!! #19....wooooohoooooo!!!

[RunInColorado]

I have a BS in Business Admin and Int business. I think college opens many doors to you and new opportunities. But its up to you to make the best out of it and take advantage of them. Many people I know expected college to be an end all. they got out and cant find jobs, just sit around, and what not. Others have taken advantage of opportunities and worked their way up. I think its easier to move up without college if you start your own business than if you try to move up in already established businesses.

I am currently applying for a Masters in Accountancy and later and MBA. The jury is stil out whether I want a PhD or not. Part of being successful in life is life long learning no matter what you do.

[Nola]

It also depends on what you want to do, as it is not just about being successful, but about being successful doing whatever it is you love to do. For instance, you cannot be a self-made surgeon... or a self-made lawyer, and its pretty tough to be a self-made aerospace engineer, architect or even football coach.

Even in business school, you learn so many basic management techniques that not going to college puts you at the disadvantage of having to reinvent the wheel just to get by on your own business. So let's say that your passion is tuning Benzes... you start your own business and there's interest in your work. If you have a college education, then you can spend 80% of your time figuring out how to make the business grow, and only 20% of the time figuring out how to simply run it. Without an education, its probably more like 50/50. Just look at how many businesses literally take off when the college educated founder's son takes over. I'm sure you know a few in your town.

Bottom line is that there is such a wealth of knowledge out there in ALL sectors of industry, business, science and art, that pretending to acquire all that knowledge through our own experience or self-discovery puts one at a disadvantage. To put it into a widely used cliche, why reinvent the wheel?

College is not overrated.

[Energy34108]

I normally avoid subjects such as this because they can turn into a heated debate rather quickly, but I will put my two cents worth in this once.

Growing up all I ever heard was if you dont go to college you will be a looser, so of course defient by nature I didnt go...
I went to work at every dead end job I could find and there were many until I got tired of it all and started my own company from scratch with no money or skills just a lot of determination and became a millionaire by the age of 30 and 3 years later I am still at it.

I see many friends Doctors, Dentist, lawers, Bankers, and they all have many things in common, they all spent many years in school and now work very long hours in the real world to pay back all the loans and new toys they buy and still make less money than I do, but they have a title which comes in really handy during a game of Golf that they cant really afford to be playing but whats one more charge on that gold card going to hurt.

If I had to do it all over again I would not go to college, but thats just me.
Good luck

[Nola]

Originally Posted by Energy34108

If I had to do it all over again I would not go to college, but thats just me.
Good luck

What will you recommend your kids do? (honest question, not sarcastic!)

[Energy34108]

Originally Posted by Nola

If you have a college education, then you can spend 80% of your time figuring out how to make the business grow, and only 20% of the time figuring out how to simply run it.

I agree with this statement, but at what age will you do this because it doesnt happen over night even with a college degree.
Some of us just dont want to wait for success at the age of 50 or 60.

[slk320]

For every new businessman that succeeds to this degree (become a millionaire), there are countless others that fail and end up bankrupt, on assistance or back to the regular, remedial job market. A degree is a life preserve - it allows you to start a business, but also gives you greater protection and a safety cord in the unlikely case you do fail. Finding a better job with a college degree is much easier then without - that is the reality.

[Energy34108]

Originally Posted by Nola

What will you recommend your kids do? (honest question, not sarcastic!)

My step Daughter who is 20 and has lived with me since I was 21 is in college now as a full time student 2 yrs in FSU and the next 5yrs in GCU, and I am extremly proud of her and support her every step of the way and she is one of the lucky ones in that we pay for all of it and she doesnt need to work to get thru school.
My son is only 16 and plans to go as well, but I while I support them for doing this I often wonder how boring there lives will turn out after and or if they will have any regrets.

Dont get me wrong I am not telling him not to go to college, I am only expressing how I feel about it.

[RunInColorado]

Originally Posted by Energy34108

My step Daughter who is 20 and has lived with me since I was 21 is in college now as a full time student 2 yrs in FSU and the next 5yrs in GCU, and I am extremly proud of her and support her every step of the way and she is one of the lucky ones in that we pay for all of it and she doesnt need to work to get thru school.
My son is only 16 and plans to go as well, but I while I support them for doing this I often wonder how boring there lives will turn out after and or if they will have any regrets.

Dont get me wrong I am not telling him not to go to college, I am only expressing how I feel about it.

Thanks for sharing a very interesting perspective. Sounds very balanced.

[Energy34108]

Originally Posted by slk320

Finding a better job with a college degree is much easier then without - that is the reality.

I think that is what I am trying to say, if you want job security go to college and if you want independance and wealth do you own thing.
is that better?

[AndrewEclipse]

Originally Posted by Energy34108

I see many friends Doctors, Dentist, lawers, Bankers, and they all have many things in common, they all spent many years in school and now work very long hours in the real world to pay back all the loans and new toys they buy and still make less money than I do, but they have a title which comes in really handy during a game of Golf that they cant really afford to be playing but whats one more charge on that gold card going to hurt.

If I had to do it all over again I would not go to college, but thats just me.
Good luck

I graduated from UCI with a degree in biology. Masters in Health Administration from Loma Linda. M.D. from AUC.

Education has some degree of direct correlation with how successful you will become, however taking your education and utilizing it wisely (i.e. using it as a foundation with your own creativity) can yield excellent success.

The bottom line is that a professional degree provides permanent INSURANCE for life. If any of my business ventures fail miserably, all I have to do is put on a white coat and I have a job waiting for me. Stay in school , but always keep in mind that its a foundation for better and unique paths in life.

[vraa]

I'm in college right now.

Why I'm doing it?
I know I'm not going to work for an engineering firm or anything. I'm doing it to gain the technical background and learn problem solving skills.

Otherwise I'd just do business or not even go to college.

[session]

Originally Posted by ElDiabloJoe

Undergraduate degrees are well worth the money/time/effort.
Master's degrees are usually well worth the money/time/effort.
Professional degrees are usually well worth the money/time/effort.
Ph.D.'s are rarely worth the money, IMHO.

EDJ

Doesn't the university pay you to get your Ph.D., not the other way around?

[M1M2M3]

I stopped going when I only had two semisters left. It probably seems pretty dumb but the business I started began to grow to an extent that it was overbearing to do both. I even consulted my professors with the issue and surprisingly they suggested I quit school.

On school- I never bash edu. I feel that the system in place is outdated though.

On not going- If this is what you choose to do your going to make it very difficult for your self it your're looking to work for someone else. I know I don't hire anyone without at least a B.A.

But whether you go or not there is no other way to get richer or have more free time than to own a business.

[Chi500]

Originally Posted by Energy34108

I normally avoid subjects such as this because they can turn into a heated debate rather quickly, but I will put my two cents worth in this once.

Growing up all I ever heard was if you dont go to college you will be a looser, so of course defient by nature I didnt go...
I went to work at every dead end job I could find and there were many until I got tired of it all and started my own company from scratch with no money or skills just a lot of determination and became a millionaire by the age of 30 and 3 years later I am still at it.

I see many friends Doctors, Dentist, lawers, Bankers, and they all have many things in common, they all spent many years in school and now work very long hours in the real world to pay back all the loans and new toys they buy and still make less money than I do, but they have a title which comes in really handy during a game of Golf that they cant really afford to be playing but whats one more charge on that gold card going to hurt.

If I had to do it all over again I would not go to college, but thats just me.
Good luck

Just out of curiousity, what industry are you in?

[Benz-O-Rama]

Originally Posted by Energy34108

I normally avoid subjects such as this because they can turn into a heated debate rather quickly, but I will put my two cents worth in this once.

Growing up all I ever heard was if you dont go to college you will be a looser, so of course defient by nature I didnt go...
I went to work at every dead end job I could find and there were many until I got tired of it all and started my own company from scratch with no money or skills just a lot of determination and became a millionaire by the age of 30 and 3 years later I am still at it.

I see many friends Doctors, Dentist, lawers, Bankers, and they all have many things in common, they all spent many years in school and now work very long hours in the real world to pay back all the loans and new toys they buy and still make less money than I do, but they have a title which comes in really handy during a game of Golf that they cant really afford to be playing but whats one more charge on that gold card going to hurt.

If I had to do it all over again I would not go to college, but thats just me.
Good luck

Hmmmmm,

A millionaire by the age of 30 but can't spell loser or defiant. Maybe you should've gone to school!

Just kidding, I'm no millionaire but I am a hundred thousandaire. But then again, I've been supporting myself since age 17. I'm 34 now.

[bfnnrgn]

I don't have a degree, dropped out of college. The syle of learning in school and college never ever suited me. It was too slow and too deliberatly structured to be useful in the real world in my opinion. I learned better and faster on my own. Besides it seemed dumb to have to pay some astronomical fee to take history class that was no different than the history classes I've been taking for the past 12 years all over again and the same goes for all those other repeat classes they make you take as filler to milk you of your money. So I left and learn my own way and focus on that which I need to know. Experience is worth 100x any degree or education.

[Cylinder Head]

While some of your stories are very inspirational, I think it is our duty to inform Kain that this board is in no way a cross-section of society, and ALL of the people here with nothing more than a high school diploma and a smile are the EXCEPTION to the rule. MBWorld is a representation of 1/10th of 1% of the world's population, polling the people on here who drive $100,000 cars for their "how did you get there" stories might yield some impressive tales, but remember that the odds are more than a little heavily stacked against you. Try about 1 in a million. The vast majority of people who go the college dropout route end up with nothing but regrets, and its our duty to inform Kain of that. Bravo to those of you that rolled the dice and won.

Now from what I can see from his profile, he lives in one of the richest countries in the world and obviously by what he drives his family does well, but as the old maxim goes "It takes one generation to make a fortune, and one to squander it."

My advice would be that, unless you have a plan, and know what you want to do with your life, stay in school and have a cushion to fall back on. A college degree will open doors that you'll otherwise have to pry open with sheer tenacity. If its an aversion to hard work that has you disliking college then I don't know what to tell you, because you'll have to work harder if you go your own way.

[ElDiabloJoe]

Originally Posted by Cylinder Head

While some of your stories are very inspirational, I think it is our duty to inform Kain that this board is in no way a cross-section of society, and ALL of the people here with nothing more than a high school diploma and a smile are the EXCEPTION to the rule. MBWorld is a representation of 1/10th of 1% of the world's population, polling the people on here who drive $100,000 cars for their "how did you get there" stories might yield some impressive tales, but remember that the odds are more than a little heavily stacked against you. Try about 1 in a million. The vast majority of people who go the college dropout route end up with nothing but regrets, and its our duty to inform Kain of that. Bravo to those of you that rolled the dice and won.

Now from what I can see from his profile, he lives in one of the richest countries in the world and obviously by what he drives his family does well, but as the old maxim goes "It takes one generation to make a fortune, and one to squander it."

My advice would be that, unless you have a plan, and know what you want to do with your life, stay in school and have a cushion to fall back on. A college degree will open doors that you'll otherwise have to pry open with sheer tenacity. If its an aversion to hard work that has you disliking college then I don't know what to tell you, because you'll have to work harder if you go your own way.

Agreed 100%

Session, I'm just saying that Ph.D.s are rarely worth getting. Perhaps in some bio and technical fields (aka research), sure, fine you need them. As well as college professing. However, when was the last time you saw a Fortune 500 company pay someone more for having a Ph.D.? They LOVE MBAs but there aren't droves going, "I gotta go back and get my Doctorate" in the Big Business world, but there are tons saying, "I gotta go back and get my MBA."

FWIW,

EDJ