Is going to a university a complete waste of time and money?

anywho.. back on topic, most of those i went to school with went on to uni..not me i was too smart for more learning, at that age i new everything, but i did learn, alot, about how bloody stupid i was back then, these days i have a few bits of paper hanging on the wall, to prove to the bastards that i am not just a dumb ferk who dropped out and did nothing with his life, i go back to my home town and well most of them that went to uni, are still there pretty well doing much of the same only a few really did something with there education,
my life education taught me all about hard work and the need to eat..and as i sit here with what i have achieved..no regrets err cept i did,nt get to screw as many uni chicks and smoke as much pot :)

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Originally Posted by nedwalk

these days i have a few bits of paper hanging on the wall

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VB posters don't count Nedster. :p

In my field, the only way is to get the credentials, the higher you study, the more folks listen to you. It's rather difficult being an expert witness in court with a GCSE or 2. You can also command big amounts of money (relatively speaking) if you've got the pieces of paper.

However, having said that, I've met many highly qualified, published Psychiatrists/Psychologists/Psychotherapists who were as dumb as dirt and shouldn't have been allowed anywhere near other people.

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Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

However, having said that, I've met many highly qualified, published Psychiatrists/Psychologists/Psychotherapists who were as dumb as dirt and shouldn't have been allowed anywhere near other people.

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There's no argument that a degree isn't an indicator of intelligence or proficiency.

In the end, if you've got the means and the time (fortunately for me my dad was able to foot the bill, even though I still occasionally hear about it 20 years later...:mid:) furthering your education certainly won't hurt you in any career you might choose.

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Originally Posted by JoeMoer

The thick blokes in my final year class made the bucks. The idiots that studied live ok, but not at the top of the pile.

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Obviously, English composition not having been one of your strong points.

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Originally Posted by AntRobertson

VB posters don't count Nedster

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ferkinkiwi bastard...got me, i wuz trying to be clever n stuff, anyway they ain,t just VB! some have tits on em and days an months an stuff

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Originally Posted by Bobcock

I don't have time to read the whole thread.....but....

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Is going to a university a complete waste of time and money?

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I guess it can't be, I've ended up with an expat job in the oil and gas industry in Thailand and a salary that I am comfortable with.....

....but then again, I didn't go to university......

works for some, doesn't work for others.

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Exactly the same for me, but how many 20 or 30 something people you see starting out in our business without a degree these days?
I don't see any. I don't think you can get a foot in the door now without a degree.
TH

I was in California back in '94 listening to a radio programme about Mexicans coming over the border and taking American jobs.
This one quote by the radio host always stuck in my mind, ---
"We dont need all those Mexicans coming here and taking all the menial, low paid jobs. Hell, -- we got our own university educated citizens to do that!"

The point being that there are so many people out there with degrees these days that they dont have the same value as they once did.
I have met a lot of educated idiots in my time. Though their failings have not necessarily been due to their education, but rather to negative personality traits. Just that they got into positions where they could do more damage through their education. It didnt make them any smarter, it just made them more dangerous.

At the end of the day human happiness and contentment can not be gauged by income levels or education alone. Once a person has enough money to maintain financial security and establish their lives in a comfortable fashion, more money doesn't necessarily make life more enjoyable. I see success and happiness as a hill with a plateau at the top. Once you have reached your level of financial security to make you comfortable, its pointless to push yourself to go further.

I have some friends who are quite wealthy. One particular very good friend is a millionaire a couple or few times over. If I had to give him a happiness rating out of ten, I would say he lags at least couple of points behind me. The thing with him is that he is driven to be an achiever and can never be happy with what he has got.

If higher education can help you get to where you want to be then thats a good thing. But if it becomes part of that cycle of endlessly yearning for more then it becomes part of the problem.