Do you really need a college degree?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Bruce, Feb 16, 2012.

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  1. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    Bruce, Feb 16, 2012
    #1
  2. PilgrimPastor

    PilgrimPastor New Member

    It's an interesting (troubling) dynamic. How can an American economy thrive if only college graduates can find sustaining careers? The gaps between poor, working poor, and rich will nessesarily grow if that trend continues... Where are the MBA's and Economists to confirm or correct my thinking?
     
    PilgrimPastor, Feb 16, 2012
    #2
  3. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    I guess the saying is true that a Bachelor's degree is the new high school diploma.
     
    Bruce, Feb 16, 2012
    #3
  4. b4cz28

    b4cz28 Active Member

    I think most of its bs.

    I mean "food service managers" are not going anywhere.

    State law in Texas requires every shift to have one at any place that has a Health Department licenses to serve or prepare food.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 16, 2012
    b4cz28, Feb 16, 2012
    #4
  5. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    In the excellent book "The Great Training Robbery," the authors looked at job performance in jobs where college degrees were required by some employers but not others.In a great many cases, from air traffic controllers to lab technicians to operators of cutting machines at clothing factories, the people without degrees performed just as well, often better, hence the clever title of the book.
     
    John Bear, Feb 16, 2012
    #5
  6. TCord1964

    TCord1964 New Member

    This list is BS. I worked as a "reporter and correspondent" for more than 20 years and I don't have a bachelor degree. If you can string together a sentence, write well and have good news judgement you can be a reporter. I earned my reporting chops on the job. Peter Jennings didn't have a college degree.

    Also, according to this list "glazier" is one of the fastest-growing jobs. Really? Most of the other jobs are medical related, and they are expected to grow because baby boomers are aging.
     
    TCord1964, Feb 17, 2012
    #6
  7. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    The problem is, that was at least 20 years ago, before the Internet started crippling print media.

    The only schools that are probably producing more graduates than job positions then law schools are journalism schools.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 17, 2012
    Bruce, Feb 17, 2012
    #7
  8. TCord1964

    TCord1964 New Member

    Well, true...but I was trying to get away with not revealing how old and crusty I really am. :dead1:
     
    TCord1964, Feb 17, 2012
    #8
  9. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    Hahaha! :lmao:
     
    Bruce, Feb 17, 2012
    #9
  10. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    lol @ the "Pile-driver Operators" having a picture of a professional wrestling match. It seems to be the only joke picture... so I wonder if it really is a joke.
     
    Maniac Craniac, Feb 17, 2012
    #10
  11. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Secondly, as I was going through the fastest growing jobs list, I was wondering if interpreting/translating would make an appearance. YEP, it did. What they never tell you is that while the field is growing currently, there should be an asterix next to it. There is always a need for interpreters, and there probably always will be. The problem is that the depth of the need itself is skewed by the reality of the profession. We don't need 20 new interpreters to work 9-5 on Monday-Friday, we need 80 new interpreters to work from 5-6 on Wednesday evening. Sure, the profession can absorb a seemingly limitless number of practitioners, but not all of those practitioners can make a living off of just interpreting. This is one reason why I am motivated to learn more languages, to be able to mix up my sources of work and keep a full schedule. It is also one of the main reasons why I am considering relegating interpreting to a side job. It is basically the dream side job, really! Very high per-hour wage with flexible scheduling and no commitment involved with any particular site. Just go in, do your thing, collect your check and get back to your regular job.

    When it comes to translating, most of the growth will be in Spanish, Sign Language and Arabic. Since immigrant families typically gain fluency in English with the second generation, the future of Spanish depends on the in-migration rate vs out-migration rate (or, really, the deportation rate). Then there is the increasingly vocal English-Only movement which may threaten the future of that job. So, the future of Spanish is in the hands of politics.

    As for Sign Language, so long as disability services, the ADA and state-funded education are available for Deaf people, they should be fine. However, a larger amount of people born deaf are getting surgical implants at a young age which will greatly alter any projections that don't include this fact. Also, the need for interpreters will be unpredictably affected by trends in Deaf education- whether states favor establishing or maintaining schools for the Deaf or they favor having students mainstreamed into regular high schools to be staffed with interpreters. Then there is Video Relay Interpreting and Video Remote Interpreting, which, depending on whom you ask, will either increase or decrease the amount of available interpreting work.

    As for Arabic, many of the jobs will be military and intelligence jobs for Arabic speakers. Some find that incredibly exciting, others would justifiably shy away from it.
     
    Maniac Craniac, Feb 17, 2012
    #11

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