ThaumaturgicTheorist
New member
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2016
- Messages
- 246
- MBTI Type
- ISFP
- Enneagram
- 9?
- Instinctual Variant
- sp
I see this sentiment everywhere: that formal education is unnecessary now because anything you want to learn, you can learn online. Why get a degree when
I'm too stupid for college (failed out, twice), I'm also too stupid to self-teach. I'm not creative or social. I'm definitely not smart enough to do something like start a business. I'm not really qualified to do anything but incredibly menial temp jobs. In fact, I've moved in back home and all my mother talks about is forcing me to go back to school. I sort of want to, until I remember that I should be able to learn it all online. Oh, the conversations we have about that - everything on the internet is a lie, MOOCs are unaccredited, everyone hates autodidacts because they don't actually know anything, no one has an respect for "The University of Oh-I-Taught-Myself", all those successful people have degrees, no one will even consider you for a professional position without proof you know anything. I've been hearing this all my life and, well, it's a little hard not to believe it. I mean, where's a high-schooler supposed to learn anything marketable? Online sure, but when? Unless you're a genius and everything comes naturally to you, I don't see how many people have much choice between the traditional college route, and scraping by on menial work.
Then again, my mom also still believes in the narrative of "go to college, have a job waiting for you when you graduate, be totally independent by 23 and work your way up professionally". No matter how much data I show her that that just isn't the case anymore, she has anecdotes of a few who did experience it, or worse, her experience from the 80s which "proves" that it's the norm. I have no faith in my ability to find steady work.
I was reading something a few minutes ago that the sooner you start working, the better, that one should absolutely forgo college for hands-on work experience. So far, that seems to me like a good way to spend the rest of your life broke and bored unless you're a genius entrepreneur. The only jobs a high school grad is qualified for is menial service work: how is that supposed to make you more money? People don't move up in companies anymore. So surely certification is still necessary...if you're smart enough to do anything of use. Which is a problem for me, because I can't do math, which kind of knocks out every respectable, marketable degree available. But that's something else altogether.
tl;dr: Is college truly useless in the wake of online classes? Is some magical acquisition of "experience" really more valuable?
Also, are there any marketable certifications for someone who can't do math or science (or tech, for that matter?)
I'm too stupid for college (failed out, twice), I'm also too stupid to self-teach. I'm not creative or social. I'm definitely not smart enough to do something like start a business. I'm not really qualified to do anything but incredibly menial temp jobs. In fact, I've moved in back home and all my mother talks about is forcing me to go back to school. I sort of want to, until I remember that I should be able to learn it all online. Oh, the conversations we have about that - everything on the internet is a lie, MOOCs are unaccredited, everyone hates autodidacts because they don't actually know anything, no one has an respect for "The University of Oh-I-Taught-Myself", all those successful people have degrees, no one will even consider you for a professional position without proof you know anything. I've been hearing this all my life and, well, it's a little hard not to believe it. I mean, where's a high-schooler supposed to learn anything marketable? Online sure, but when? Unless you're a genius and everything comes naturally to you, I don't see how many people have much choice between the traditional college route, and scraping by on menial work.
Then again, my mom also still believes in the narrative of "go to college, have a job waiting for you when you graduate, be totally independent by 23 and work your way up professionally". No matter how much data I show her that that just isn't the case anymore, she has anecdotes of a few who did experience it, or worse, her experience from the 80s which "proves" that it's the norm. I have no faith in my ability to find steady work.
I was reading something a few minutes ago that the sooner you start working, the better, that one should absolutely forgo college for hands-on work experience. So far, that seems to me like a good way to spend the rest of your life broke and bored unless you're a genius entrepreneur. The only jobs a high school grad is qualified for is menial service work: how is that supposed to make you more money? People don't move up in companies anymore. So surely certification is still necessary...if you're smart enough to do anything of use. Which is a problem for me, because I can't do math, which kind of knocks out every respectable, marketable degree available. But that's something else altogether.
tl;dr: Is college truly useless in the wake of online classes? Is some magical acquisition of "experience" really more valuable?
Also, are there any marketable certifications for someone who can't do math or science (or tech, for that matter?)