tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5900428249402459681.post1815456839635656544..comments2023-08-07T01:42:51.596-07:00Comments on Nagle5 News: Monday Musing - What does it all mean?Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10624220090240391921noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5900428249402459681.post-41421672001409425462010-05-18T17:06:00.260-07:002010-05-18T17:06:00.260-07:00Not all of us get degrees either. I am not colleg...Not all of us get degrees either. I am not college educated, and yet it has never stopped me from learning, or doing anything I set my mind to. Does it close off jobs for me? Sometimes, yes. Sometimes the ability to do the job counts for more then you would imagine and I work in a field where 95% of us have degrees (the rest of us are so damn good that they overlook it). <br /><br />I probably will go get my fashion degree in the next 5 years or so (and it's an AAS, which is practically NOT a degree now) for no other reason then I want to go, not that I want to work in the industry. It is not to better my life inasmuch as just something I want to do and I am at the point with it that it would be easier, and faster, to take the classes then it would be to continue to learn it on my own.<br /><br />I didn't get a degree for a number of reasons, one being finances, two being a single mom and supporting my kid when I could qualify for money and not wanting to go on welfare while I did it. To be honest I didn't know what I wanted to do until a few years ago. Do I struggle with those choices? Sometimes, sure, but I'm in the place where money's tight, but not too bad. I'll never be able to afford a shopping trip in Paris, but I can save for it.<br /><br />My son is told he can do whatever he wants to do, and college is important because it is a different world where you have to have one. But I grew up with a dad that supported the family very comfortably as a truck driver, hard work and a lot of his own sweat and he doesn't have a college degree. I have also seen this same man argue with notable scientists and win the argument because he knew the science better. College wouldn't have made my dad any smarter, and it certainly would have made him unhappier. He liked his job and he found his niche. My mother, on the other hand, is a retired RN and is highly educated. It is something she wanted to do.<br /><br />Just another perspective.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5900428249402459681.post-31432970033134984622010-05-18T11:42:23.102-07:002010-05-18T11:42:23.102-07:00Great thought-provoking post! I have a degree even...Great thought-provoking post! I have a degree even though I am not employed at this time (staying home with the kiddos for now). I think it's important to have one but don't necessarily feel seniors need to head off right away. For me, college was the next step but it may not be the right step at that time for others. I want my kids to get their degree & want them to have that experience & responsibility. You're right though, a degree doesn't guarantee success or a job but it is a good launching point and combined with experience, values, work ethic can only help one get to where he/she wants to be.jen@odbthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17669577977587833584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5900428249402459681.post-4377016759436861992010-05-18T06:44:09.085-07:002010-05-18T06:44:09.085-07:00I agree with everything you've said. I didn...I agree with everything you've said. I didn't get my degree. Quit to get married, then had kids, never regretted it. But that visa does open doors. Now that I am looking for work to help my own kids pay for college, I could get a higher paying job with that visa. Same job, same experience, but they'd pay me more if I had the degree. That is why it's important to me that they pursue it. If they decide that they don't want it and would rather work by the sweat of their brow, then I will be fine with them doing so. But my children do know how to do those other things as well. We've taught them along the way. Well, not smoldering iron, I do have my limits. LOL I think there's a whole generation of parents that just want someone else to do the job for them. (Not saying Erin is here, because I know she's not and that wasn't the point she was making, but I see it in our schools.) They want the schools to babysit, teach their kids to go potty, walk, talk, run, not run, everything. There's no way I'd take a class of 25-30 kids now and try and teach shop because they haven't learned how to mind at home. <br />Will the degree our children are getting do them any good in the market place, maybe, maybe not. But I think it will do them far more good than not trying at all. If they have the intelligence and the desire to learn more after high school and the family can afford it, I think pursuing higher education certainly opens a lot of doors. Better to be overqualified for a job, than under-qualified for one any day. I'd rather work at McDonalds with a PHD than not be able to get any job, because even fry cooks at McDonalds have PHDs and I don't have a BS.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5900428249402459681.post-50023544131195990672010-05-17T22:55:12.546-07:002010-05-17T22:55:12.546-07:00Wow, Erin! This was a fantastic post!!! I don'...Wow, Erin! This was a fantastic post!!! I don't even know how to add to it! <br /><br />But first, congratulations to your son! You and your husband must be so proud!!!!! <br /><br />As my eldest enters high school, I'm a little more stressed out because this is when the grades "count." If he chooses to go to college, I want him to be well prepared for it. It's crazy though because there are so many people with degrees out there that are unemployed. It's almost about not what you know, but who you know.More Than Wordshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11159856133879672250noreply@blogger.com