Quote:
Originally Posted by TNS1991
Yes I am and none of my friends who graduated have full time work, And just to clarify, I don't really see a part time job with no benefits as a career, unless you live with somebody who has a full time job and can give you benefits with that job. They have never gone up the latter with their job either. Now they may be fine with the work they have, and all the more power to them if they are. I just don't understand how you could be, but maybe that's just me. The people that have graduated either from community or a four year college all have full time jobs, mostly in management. Just because they have a degree they were "better prepared" in the employer's eyes for a management position. I don't agree with this one bit but it's the reality in the area I live in. Granted, I live in the mid-west which I think is different from where most people live from what I gathered reading posts on SDN for a few months. So maybe it's different in the north east or other areas in the US.
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This is more of a general point, so I'm not at all saying you were implying this in your post--but re: the bolded portion above, not everyone can (and should) be involved in management, which is fine. It's definitely possible to have a career in a non-managing/non-supervisory position. Beyond that, as you've mentioned noticing above, some/many people are ok with not moving terribly far up the corporate/professional ladder; as with eating, some people work to live while others live to work.
Speaking just from my own experiences, looking back on my high school classmates, the majority either never attended college or left before graduating. The majority are also employed full-time, and have been essentially since high school. With people I've actually remained friends with since high school, it's right around a 50/50 split; most did at least attend college, but approximately half actually graduated and half did not. All of these people are currently employed full-time.
I would say that the
idea that a college education is necessary in order to "succeed" is certainly thoroughly enmeshed in U.S. culture, perhaps to our own detriment (at least as I would argue). Whether or not that actually accurately reflects reality for the majority of Americans isn't quite as clear. I would support the statement, though, that a college degree is hardly ever going to hurt your chances of finding a job, and that companies often prefer candidates with college degrees to those without. And if management is a goal, then yes, obtaining a degree is generally the shortest/most efficient route to get there.