The Importance of Higher Education

In another thread there where a few people who seemed to consider University level education as being pointless or overrated.

Personally I am intending on becoming a teacher, which in this country requires a university degree, but even if that weren't my intention I think I would still value my degree and education very highly.

Do you think university is 'worth it'?

Obvious answer here but it all depends on the person.

I'd have to answer your question with a question. Worth what ?

Not everybody's experience is the same. The single mom with two kids in diapers working two part time jobs so she can get an associate's degree in nursing is going to think it's worth it when she's finished and has a better job.

The kid who takes out a huge loan to a university to major in teaching only to graduate and find no teaching jobs (with a huge loan to pay back) is not going to think it's worth it when he has to go flip burgers at McDonald's just to pay his loan back.


Speaking as a person who started a college education and didn't finish, I don't feel unfulfilled because I didn't get a degree.

If I had finished, I'd have an AA in Accounting and I might have a desk job that pays about $10-$12 per hour. Maybe. I'd also be cross-eyed from crunching numbers and I'd hate my job. It would not be worth that .

Depends what day you ask me if im really honest! Ive alwyas been veryacademically minded so it was logical that I would take my education as far as was financially possible for me so on a personal level yes I would say that my qualifications were worth it

For me, the day I graduated with a masters degree at 22 was the proudest day of my life to have my parents watch the ceremony so yeah the achievement side I will alwyas argue was worth it

However, I do find that employers are saying that I am 'over qualified' so refuse to interview me for jobs that I really do need. As I have taken tons of other courses afterwards and am training to be a counsdellor they tend to say that they expect me to leave the company as soon as I qualify so there is little point taking me on.

There was a previous job where the manager disliked my qualifications & caused me a lot of trouble over her jealousy so there are (can be) some negatives that I have found. Strangely I also come across that some guys dont like me to have a higher qualification than them and some have made a really big deal over it. That to me is stupid, I dont care what they have as long as they treat me well

To be totally honest though if I could do it all over again I would in a heart beat. The only reason I didnt go as far as PhD was the fact I was jsut too broke to do it or I woudl have

What thread is that? I haven't seen anyone argue that.



Is it worth what?

Depends on the person. A lot of people - a lot of people - go through university, get a degree, then get a job in a completely unrelated field and apparently forget everything about every class they attended.

The time and money it costs.

I wouldn't say it's unimportant, but it can be overrated and not as crucial as some make it out to be.

Both the university "experience" (not online) and the degrees are worth in my opinion, it's just that people's outlook has shifted from getting the experience, need, and extra stuff that comes with attending a university, to only wanting the need part, and not bothering with the experience or anything extra, if that makes sense. Both are fine, but to me, the whole package is something you really can't get anywhere else.

I'm encountering more and more people that don't think you need a need a degree to be successful which is in part true, especially for the non-hard degrees like English, arts, theater, but I think it's worth it.

Are you suggesting that English degrees aren't hard!?

There's not going to be any cut and dried answer for this any way you slice it. Time and money are valued differently by different people.

Well, yeah, that was sort of the point in the question, whether you value it or not.

NO! I'm going for my MFA in creative writing staring January. But, I spend a lot of time on writing forums and about 90% of people will tell you and argue with you and say that you do not need a degree in English to be successful because an English degree is worthless in the real world as someone without a English degree can be just as successful and get the same types of job as a English major, excluding teaching.

I'm one of the few that argues for pro-education, but it's amazing how many people argue against education for degrees such as English, arts, and theater. They're arguments are valid in someways, but to me there are more pros than cons when it comes to getting a degree. The biggest argument I get is that it costs too much money! that is the biggest argument, that you spend too much money on a degree that is worthless when you graduate. It's true, but many of them also agree that if money wasn't a factor, they would get a degree in it; not all, but most.

Oh I see. I was reading it as, "Do you think higher education (in general) is worth it?". My bad.

Most likely. I'm intending on becoming an English teacher.

I think for a lot of arts degrees there can be an element of them being of little practical use when it comes to employment, such as philosophy. Personally though I think having a degree in philosophy is something I am grateful for. I'm happy that I have studied it for four years, that I have a good knowledge of it and even though it is unlikely to have a huge effect on my job or career, philosophy comes into my life all the time in other ways. To the point that even in English Lit essays I'm currently writing I often include philosophical concepts.

No worries, I think most people did, think the OP was poorly worded. Maybe once I finish with my English degree I'll be able to write more clearly.