college degree

deltamrey wrote: Pine...stats do tell the whole story...fuzzy edge of issue stuff really is not germane IMHO. Thanks for the info. BTW STEM professions are even more startling.......this data also reflects the soft degrees I assume.

Yes, it is hard to argue with the data shown in that graph.

My point was that not every job or salary depends on your degree. In general it does, though.

There are lots of very high income people with no degree. Then again there are even more with degrees.

Suppose you want to hire a ditch digger. At degree doesn't really matter there. But having a high school degree will probably help you get a ditch digging job over someone who dropped out of high school just because the employer might suspect the grad will be more dependable. On there other hand, if you have a PhD in physics, a high school grad might have a better chance of getting the ditch digging job because the employer might think the PhD won't stick around for long (and may not be used to hard labor either).

As we know, sometimes a graph will show an apparent correlation between two items but there is actually no causation between them. However in the case of that jobs vs. education chart, I think there definitely is a causation, though there are lots of exceptions.

http://assets2.bigthink.com/system/tinymce_assets/251/original/fresh-lemons-imported-to-the-USA-from-mexico-correlates-with-a-decrease-in-the-US-highway-fatality-rate.jpg510.jpg?1364314851

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRsJHaHZZa-X4kiDrXcyykrVC-0cexkksseyfCakaFjL93bZb9hwQ

A university or college education must serve one of two purposes; training for a career, or personal growth.
There is an overlapping area where this education may serve both purposes, but generally, the student's emphasis must be on one purpose or the other.
If someone majors in philosophy, what can he expect except unemployment?
If someone majors in sociology, what can he expect except unemployment?
If someone majors in art..............?
Music.............?
Journalism...........?

For the most part, young people make foolish choices. The parent must insist that the child choose an area of study that offers the best chance of employment. If the child wants "personal growth" then he/she can pursue "growth" after his/her post academic career has been launched (This can be accomplished with private study).
If a child insists upon a degree in anthropology, then he/she must not blame the education system, the government, the world, or his/her parents when he/she finds that he/she is qualified to flip hamburgers.

Arlen wrote: A university or college education must serve one of two purposes; training for a career, or personal growth.
There is an overlapping area where this education may serve both purposes, but generally, the student's emphasis must be on one purpose or the other.
If someone majors in philosophy, what can he expect except unemployment?
If someone majors in sociology, what can he expect except unemployment?
If someone majors in art..............?
Music.............?
Journalism...........?

For the most part, young people make foolish choices. The parent must insist that the child choose an area of study that offers the best chance of employment. If the child wants "personal growth" then he/she can pursue "growth" after his/her post academic career has been launched (This can be accomplished with private study).
If a child insists upon a degree in anthropology, then he/she must not blame the education system, the government, the world, or his/her parents when he/she finds that he/she is qualified to flip hamburgers.

UNLESS you take advice from the queen of ignorant statements, San Fran Nan...

“We see it as an entrepreneurial bill,” Pelosi said, “a bill that says to someone, if you want to be creative and be a musician or whatever, you can leave your work, focus on your talent, your skill, your passion, your aspirations because you will have health care.”

So you see, since we have the Unaffordable Care ACT, it doesn't matter much that you get your degree in, you'll be ok and have plenty of time to hone your guitar skills.

IMO college degrees have their place if you plan on being a doctor, lawyer, physical therapist, etc. that requires it. It used to be that you had to have a degree to work in any field to prove that you were capable. These days totally unnecessary for many. In fact a detriment for the many who go to college thinking that it will catapult them into good jobs. It seems that many people change fields several times during their lifetime these days. So better to hone the skills that the current market is looking for or create your own businesses which requires good old fashion hard work.