How are you Monetizing using your Degree or Certificates

[andrewtn]

Dude - I'm not sure who you are preaching you message to. If it is just a rant then I think we get it. This forum is filled with people that AREN'T spending tens of thousands on a degree. Most of the people here are using the options available to get their degrees for the least time and effort possible. As a newcomer to the forum you'll be told that you can get a degree in ~1 year and ~$5,000. I think it would be difficult to argue that the RIO isn't there in this case. Statistically it is fact that those with degrees will make far more in their lifetimes for having the degree than the few thousand dollars it costs. If your point has to do with those private school degrees that cost $100k plus and strap young people with tremendous debt then I don't think you'll find anyone to argue with you here.

I don't have a degree and I've been making + 6 figures since I was 27. I'm almost 32 now. Hell, when I was 21 I was making ~40k and I bought my first house. Thats in the midwest where the cost of living is pretty low so its good money. You don't have to tell me a degree isn't necessary because I know, I've lived it. I guess that makes me good at life but that doesn't mean a degree doesn't matter at all.

I guess I just really don't get the point of your message. Sure, a degree isn't for everyone. Sure, simply having any degree isn't going to cause a drastic change in most cases. Regardless of our personal success stories it doesn't change the fact that a degree is a basic requirement in many (not all) professional positions and if one can be had for a few thousand dollars it is probably worth it. In my case I'm knocking out my degree to ensure that the lack of a degree doesn't limit me in the future. I'm also completing my degree for the personal achievement of having done it, setting an example for my children, and because my parents believe in the value of it and really want it for me.

There is an aspect to your original post that I support. I see too many coming out of college with general degrees that end up working retail jobs. Degrees in marketing or communications seem common to those I know in this situation. What I would like young people trying to decide on a degree to know is that simply having a degree doesn't cut it anymore. There was a time that with any degree you could find work and a decent wage. Not now. If you aren't established in a career I would recommend an engineering or science degree in a specialized field where the degree will provide you with a definable, marketable, in-demand skill. Computer programing is a great example. At my job we hire computer programmers fresh out of school (no experience) in at 40-50k a year and we have to fight out competition to get them. The guys and gals coming out of school knowing how to program Java or C have a skillset that is very marketable and highly demanded in the workplace. On the other hand I know people like my brother in law that have bachelors degrees in business admin from good schools but can't land a decent job.