the lifetime expected earnings for someone with a Bachelor's degree is WAY higher than someone with just a high school diploma, depending on your field it can easily double your overall earnings (science and engineering especially).

and as was pointed out, if you want to work as an engineer and you don't have a Bachelor's degree, you're going to get laughed out of the office when you go to interview. Same with about a billion other fields that you can't even get into without a degree (or some serious and potentially illegal nepotism). And in part, what you actually want to be doing every day when you go to work factors into the decision. Of course I could find a job that would pay me enough to live a middle-class life and raise a family without the engineering degree I'm working on. But I don't want to sit at a desk and review cell phone billing statements or be a tech support guy, and in order to pursue my actual interests I have to have a Bachelors, if not Masters, in engineering.

I'm not saying that education is everything, but there is NO rational way to criticize getting a Bachelor's degree.

quote:

Originally posted by progressiveMOJO I'm not saying that education is everything, but there is NO rational way to criticize getting a Bachelor's degree.

you're leaving Harvard to found Microsoft.

Aside from that...

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quote:

Originally posted by progressiveMOJO I'm not saying that education is everything, but there is NO rational way to criticize getting a Bachelor's degree.

saying that me, an enrolled full time international student (who pays double for any American education) is criticizing the pursuit of a B.A is utter crap and misunderstanding. What I'm trying to tell Carlos is to think about what he really wants, if he's planning on moving to California he has to consider many things.

On the other hand, all of you have pointed out valid responses and I couldn't agree more with you. However, my point is to approach education in a more gratifying way and explore different areas you might have been of interest in the past and perphaps you haven't had time to deal with, because the career you've chosen is limited, in some aspects of course.

Believe me, where i come from there is a very poor educational system and If I were president (god forbid) I'd def. invest in education, as a primary concern.

Now just answer one small simple question, if education is so important in america, why are there so many dumb people roaming around the strees?

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Originally posted by inconspicuous you're leaving Harvard to found Microsoft. Aside from that...

What did Steve Jobs do during his first years of College? He got into Spiritual and Theology studies, I believe he was a liberal arts major.
Anyways, being the hippie that he was, he decides to drop out of Reed.

To pursuit the hardware business, he didn't find fulfillment in College but he was a creative genius. I know what you're thinking, there is only one Steve Jobs, but trust me there are other people who you'll probably see drop out of college and when you least expect them they'll be on top of a money train.

Education will help as long as you use it to your advantage, it'll help you and lead you to the right way. But, it will only take you so far, from thereon it's really what you're mad of that counts.

quote:

Originally posted by diggerz Now just answer one small simple question, if education is so important in america, why are there so many dumb people roaming around the strees?

you're taking it as a given that

A: they're dumb
B: they're no better than the average people in other countries


aside from that, most of the people you know are probably of above-average intelligence. 'Average' is a relative term, and it probably doesn't apply to many people who you spend time with.

Also, common sense & knowledge are the two main factors on which people generally make assumptions regarding intelligence, when neither is necessarily representative, especially from an individual perspective. It's easy for me to shake my head in disbelief when someone can't answer a question about something I'm familiar with ("omg, how can you not know that?!?!"), but no one is well-versed in everything, and there are questions to which the ignorance of my responses would elicit the same reaction from someone else.

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quote:

Originally posted by diggerz What did Steve Jobs do during his first years of College? He got into Spiritual and Theology studies, I believe he was a liberal arts major. Anyways, being the hippie that he was, he decides to drop out of Reed. To pursuit the hardware business, he didn't find fulfillment in College but he was a creative genius. I know what you're thinking, there is only one Steve Jobs, but trust me there are other people who you'll probably see drop out of college and when you least expect them they'll be on top of a money train. Education will help as long as you use it to your advantage, it'll help you and lead you to the right way. But, it will only take you so far, from thereon it's really what you're mad of that counts.

yes, there are always exceptions, and no, you can't just swipe your degree @ the grocery store to pay for food, but all else being equal, the vast majority of people benefit immensely from having a college degree.

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quote:

Originally posted by inconspicuous you're taking it as a given that A: they're dumb B: they're no better than the average people in other countries aside from that, most of the people you know are probably of above-average intelligence. 'Average' is a relative term, and it probably doesn't apply to many people who you spend time with. Also, common sense & knowledge are the two main factors on which people generally make assumptions regarding intelligence, when neither is necessarily representative, especially from an individual perspective. It's easy for me to shake my head in disbelief when someone can't answer a question about something I'm familiar with ("omg, how can you not know that?!?!"), but no one is well-versed in everything, and there are questions to which the ignorance of my responses would elicit the same reaction from someone else.

Yeah, concerning maps and the U.S

quote:

Originally posted by diggerz Yeah, maps and the U.S

In her defense, the question was absurd, the 'poll' was total BS, and there's a ton of pressure associated with standing on a stage, trying to make everyone happy with a 30-second answer to any question that requires an opinionated answer.

That said, I can still laugh at how miserably she failed.

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Put Britney Spears in Harvard and I would pay to see her results compared to mine, but guess what, she's on the Television and on newspapers, earning tons of money for cheap thrills and BJs.

'There is nothing more predictable than Hollywood is there?'

she and the competition are both fucking retarded. Well, especially the competition. She's just not very sharp... but what so you expect. Why don't they put talent shows on the radio instead. Either that, or admit that by 'talent', they're talking about the same thing I am when I walk into a bar and say "there's a lot of talent in here"

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"I played 12.30 til close at 3am at the club (Antro), following on from an Australian dj,
which seemed unusual in deepest Texas." - Judge Jules

quote:

Originally posted by Rememberence_ she and the competition are both fucking retarded

I wonder if all the money invested in beauty pageantry and the care of beautiful women could be put to better use. Like, financing education in the Third World or ... Curing Global Warming.

quote:

Originally posted by Rememberence_ admit that by 'talent', they're talking about the same thing I am when I walk into a bar and say "there's a lot of talent in here"

SPOT ON AGAIN SIR, you are on a Roll.