[Oni]

I thought that was SEO spam. If I was recommending something to someone now, it would be to get into a "tangible" trade. Right now, a developer with decent experience has to compete with foreigners/AI. There's a lot of jobs that do not require a degree and have good salary, with less threat from externalities. AI hasn't replaced electricians, welders, or HVAC. All sorts of technicians or certifications that do not require a degree.

If you do go to college, go to an affordable community college for pre-requisites and maintain a high GPA. Transfer to a state school for the last 2 years. Be aware of what your job prospects are and what the likely ROI is. If you can't see yourself with a job that requires the degree within a couple years after graduating, you're just burning money. If you have the foresight, a 5-year plan and a 10-year plan are excellent.

I have a liberal arts bachelors degree in a field that has no application and a masters degree in bizness admin from well known schools in the east coast.


My liberal arts degree made the world more interesting. I think it made me, as a person to have a coffee, a person you’d like to have coffee with. That degree also gave me a frame of reference for and appreciation of the little things that make this world tick, and at what speed.

The MBA, purely transactional - purely relationships. You don’t get an education with an MBA, you got the network. That’s how it was pitched it to me then, and that’s how they are struggling to pitch it now.

Notice I didn’t mention or feel a need to factor in the “degree” into the proposition. It doesn’t. It didn’t. And I don’t seee that changing anytime soon specific to an MBA.

Student debt? Real.

The pedigree? Real. And diminishing.

The commoditization of the skills I acquired to to justify my earnings potential? That’s now a click away and for free. 24/7 availability.

You know what valuable skill that isn’t available to me, that I can’t do and holy hell need badly and will pay out the nose for and do so happily?

A plumber.
An electrician.
The AC Guy.

If my goal in life was simplicity, predictability and to provide something useful and meaningful to others? Then I chose wrong the wrong path and should have gone with the 3 above.

I chose the right degrees and education but just chose the wrong generation to pursue them.

- warez

I had originally gone in for Computer Science and swapped for BBA simply to tick the box for a degree. I was always interested in business and curious about accounting, so it was easy to finish off.

I wouldn't recommend someone do that if their goal was purely financial, though. The degree might teach you basic business principles and make you more interesting "to have coffee with", but if you're in hardship it can also make you broke. It wasn't an issue for me, but I watched other people drop out and have to pay the debt after they realized a degree wouldn't solve their problems.

I agree though, trades will never be replaced. You might have a ceiling, but you will have a much lower entry-point and much less debt. I'd recommend it for anyone that's lost and needs a job, because I've seen people have a really bad time with degrees. Some jobs absolutely require a degree and it can still be valid.

However, when I graduated highschool, there was this fictitious narrative that anyone that didn't move on to university either wasn't successful or wasn't living up to their potential. People spread the idea that these people "missed out"... Even with the degree, I would say that's entirely untrue. Life's what you make of it, degree or not.