Is a college education worth the cost?

[JohnH]

I see the need for vo-tech skills to be promoted. I think apprenticeships should be pushed too. As a society we’d function much better if we valued construction skills, electricians, HVAC skills and plumbing over jobs that focus just on theories. The scholars need to treat tech skilled people as equals. Not sure I’m making myself clear so I’m going to get more coffee.

I would guess if this type of job paid more than lawyers and investment bankers, there would be no need to push or promote them.

An IBEW master electrician makes more than a lawyer (about $100,000 in my state) at this point.

[JohnL]

I see the need for vo-tech skills to be promoted. I think apprenticeships should be pushed too. As a society we’d function much better if we valued construction skills, electricians, HVAC skills and plumbing over jobs that focus just on theories. The scholars need to treat tech skilled people as equals. Not sure I’m making myself clear so I’m going to get more coffee.

I would guess if this type of job paid more than lawyers and investment bankers, there would be no need to push or promote them.

Very often they do pay more; there's some lawyers and investment bankers who aren't doing well in the paycheck yet that collision repair tech making in excess of $100k/year is doing fine. There's been a lot of glamor attached to the degreed jobs especially in the movies. Hollywood is rarely realistic.

[Judas Maccabeus]

I see the need for vo-tech skills to be promoted. I think apprenticeships should be pushed too. As a society we’d function much better if we valued construction skills, electricians, HVAC skills and plumbing over jobs that focus just on theories. The scholars need to treat tech skilled people as equals. Not sure I’m making myself clear so I’m going to get more coffee.

I would guess if this type of job paid more than lawyers and investment bankers, there would be no need to push or promote them.

An IBEW master electrician makes more than a lawyer (about $100,000 in my state) at this point.

I don’t want to tell you what a board certified nuclear medicine technologist or physical therapist is making now. The internet answers are 15?years out of date.

[JohnH]

I would guess if this type of job paid more than lawyers and investment bankers, there would be no need to push or promote them.

An IBEW master electrician makes more than a lawyer (about $100,000 in my state) at this point.

I don’t want to tell you what a board certified nuclear medicine technologist or physical therapist is making now. The internet answers are 15?years out of date.

PTAs make terrible money, at least here. Around $25-$30 an hour although lots of opportunity for overtime.

DPT is one of the poorest paid professions for a medical profession with a D in the title. Around $90,000 here. A primary care provider makes almost double that.

[Thomas_muntzer]

What if a person has a hearts desire to work in a field that requires the degree though? Like a doctor or teacher where they have a desire to help people in various ways. Or line my sister who wanted to be an ESL teacher to use that in the missionary work in Africa?

If someone wants to work in a field that legally requires a university degree, such as medicine, veterinary medicine, or accounting, there's no other option but to take the course

In your sister's case, it would be very arrogant and inappropriate for me to comment on the life of someone I don't know and whose circumstances I'm unaware of

[JohnH]

I know lots of plain people who do accounting who have no college degree.

[Thomas_muntzer]

I see the need for vo-tech skills to be promoted. I think apprenticeships should be pushed too. As a society we’d function much better if we valued construction skills, electricians, HVAC skills and plumbing over jobs that focus just on theories. The scholars need to treat tech skilled people as equals. Not sure I’m making myself clear so I’m going to get more coffee.

I would guess if this type of job paid more than lawyers and investment bankers, there would be no need to push or promote them.

In monetary matters, the reproduction of capital also plays a role; if you have money, it's easier to make more money.

[Thomas_muntzer]

I know lots of plain people who do accounting who have no college degree.

I'm not entirely sure how the CPA certification works, whether it varies from state to state or is a federal regulation, but I understand that signing certain legal documents for companies and conducting audits requires a CPA, whose main requirement is having a degree.

[JohnH]

I know lots of plain people who do accounting who have no college degree.

I'm not entirely sure how the CPA certification works, whether it varies from state to state or is a federal regulation, but I understand that signing certain legal documents for companies and conducting audits requires a CPA, whose main requirement is having a degree.

A CPA isn’t legally required for much at all. However, using a CPA transfers lots of liability to the CPA, so businesses like them.

[Judas Maccabeus]

An IBEW master electrician makes more than a lawyer (about $100,000 in my state) at this point.

I don’t want to tell you what a board certified nuclear medicine technologist or physical therapist is making now. The internet answers are 15?years out of date.

PTAs make terrible money, at least here. Around $25-$30 an hour although lots of opportunity for overtime.

DPT is one of the poorest paid professions for a medical profession with a D in the title. Around $90,000 here. A primary care provider makes almost double that.

More like 125,000 here. Far more if you avoid the “chains.”