College often not worth time, money

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ^ | Thursday, February 24, 2005 | Mike Seate

[Willie Green]

A waitress at one of my favorite Strip District restaurants last week used one of the industry's oldest cliches. She delivered a meal and reminded me that she "really didn't do this" for a living.

Waiting tables, she explained, was simply something she was doing until a well-paying job opened up in the field she studied during six years in college.

While this is rote conversation for wait staff in places like New York and Los Angeles, where everyone with a tray of linguini in their hands is waiting for a slot on NBC's "Fear Factor," it's unusual for Pittsburgh.

Or is it?

The waitress, it turns out, spent all that time and nearly $150,000 of her family's money studying social sciences, but after graduating she became disappointed with the entry-level salary of her chosen field.

"I can make, like, twice what I'd make as a social worker waiting tables," she confided, "so I'm probably going to just stay here."

[American Vet Repairman]

Was her name Misty by chance? Me and some buddies paid for a semester in 2000.

[Protagoras]

Darn food service jobs. If we didn't allow all that freedom this girl could be sewing T shirts together for $6 bucks and hour like the isolations want her to do!

[laxcoach]

25,000 for top schools? you are 10 years behind. don't forget to add room and board, and of course alcohol.

[tfecw]

Ask her if she ever wants to teach ballet?

Then if/when she says yes suggest that she also gets a degree in management or teaching to go along with her dance major so it will help her manage/own her own studio

[roaddog727]

"Are you doing yoga while posting? Sounds like it."

AIKIDO.

Gotta keep my Karma and Ki-aye balanced.

[socal_parrot]

My wife started as a customer service clerk in electronic component distribution 25 years ago and is now the COO of a company with 150 million in annual sales. She has no college degree.

That being said, we are extremists when it comes to our daughters getting their college diplomas.

[oprahstheantichrist]

"If you want your children to be rich, get them into a trade school for air condition/heating, diesel repair, plumbing, electrical work or auto repair."

Puleeeese elaborate! My sixteen year old high school sophmore is one of those who's otherwise bright, but hates the acedemics. The only class he loves is auto mechanics. I'm mortified, not because of classism, but I was in auto sales till I was six months pregnant with him, and I remember the mechanics (oops "technicians," sorry) as not doing all that well.

[Modernman]

150,000 dollars for a Social "science" degree. Where did she go? Even the most elite colleges are only around 25,000 a year.

Not anymore. Some of the top-tier private schools are pushing $40K in tuition per year. $150K for an undergrad education at a private school is within the realm of reason if you consider $25K in tuition per year plus books, living expenses etc.

[Sloth]

What type of work were you looking into?

I was hoping for something connected to chemical process safety / industrial hygiene / etc., but would have taken anything. I was poorly prepared to look for a job, though.

[StoneColdGOP]

Amen. Two BA's and I can't do a thing with 'em.

A masters degree MIGHT be worth the time and trouble now for me, except I can't afford to pay for it and have no time to earn it.

[DM1]

If one wants to make a decent salary either take business, accounting or programming. everything else is either extremely low paying or the field is saturated ie lawyers

[dawn53]

My kid is about to finish up his AA at a community college and transfer to an engineering program at our local State University. We've been told that a MBA or a Masters in his chosen engineering field will probably give him the best chance of a good job (he's starting young, so he should have plenty of time to fit it in).

However, my niece graduated with a degree in Structural Engineering (no Masters) and landed a $55,000 job one month after she graduated.

Guess a lot depends on the area, and the economic situation at the time...our area is in a building boom, so I think that made her degree more marketable

[pabianice]

Let us not overlook these shining majors of future unemployability:

Women's Studies

Victims' Studies

Black Studies

"All evil white European straight males must die!"

[bvw]

What does a college education have to do with an M&A deal? A Some of those deals are motivated by the fact that the the CEO of one biggie financial institution is shagging the CIO of the other. Or somebody was shut out a swank club, and so is motivated to show the bastards by buying out their freaking company. And many by the "grass is greener" effect. Few want to stick to their knitting, or basket weaving. The "moxie" of the high position breeds a sense of delusional grandeurs outside and crap inside.

We NEED more education in basket weaving and less in how to auction your hard assets to China for paper to trade to other papered-over shell companies.

[TankerKC]

What's your field?

[XRdsRev]

Actually I worked in the Archaeology/History field for over a decade. Good people who apply themselves are always employed and they can make decent money too.

[FreedomCalls]

Part of her problem is that after 6 years of "hooking up" she failed to get what she really went after -- a "MRS" degree.

[linn37]

I know some that work Friday,Saturday,Sunday and get paid for 40 hours.

[keats5]

"My roomate and best man is a cop. Seems that the factors that would have helped him obtain a job sooner were (a) being a minority and (b) having military service bonus points. The college degree was a necessity as well."

My son's asian. Does that count? He's also spoken of getting into the military. I'm wondering if that would be better to do before or after college?