What's a Degree Really Worth?

[Richard]

opsimathy - 1656, from Gk. opsimathia "learning late in life," from opse "late" (related to opiso "backward" + opisthen "behind") + manthanein "to learn."

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?l=o&p=9

Originally Posted by Dozer523

That is a good new word, (been guilty for a looooong time), Thanks!
opsimathy.
1. a late education.
2. the process of acquiring education late in life.

I can't imagine the day when I don't wake excited up to learn something new. Until that day...

[Mitch]

Originally Posted by HowardCohodas

Just a thought...

The richest man in the world left college without getting his degree to start his business. Two extra points if you know who it is without using a search engine.

He actually left college after a year so he could play video games over at Atari and make a pilgrimage to India to find the meaning of life - he found it apparently - three years later, he started Apple.

[ZonieDiver]

Originally Posted by Mitch

He actually left college after a year so he could play video games over at Atari and make a pilgrimage to India to find the meaning of life - he found it apparently - three years later, he started Apple.

If the answer is "Jobs" - WTF happened to "Wozniak"????

[Mitch]

Originally Posted by Pete

Anyone had a plumber or electrician stop by the house lately?

How about a Heating and A/C guy?

Car worked on?

Had one over today in fact - but I have outsmarted him. I pay American Home Shield $350 a year just so I can pay this guy &60 to replace my Heat Pump Compressor - got to fight fire with fire.

So you laugh and say - you really paid $410 - so what I say. If the guy had come out and charged me $410 - I would have to ask myself if he was screwing me or not - should I get a second estimate?

No - I just don't care - I just say "Here's your $60, now go fix it."

[Mitch]

Originally Posted by ZonieDiver

If the answer is "Jobs" - WTF happened to "Wozniak"????

Didn't fit the question - he had two years of college before he dropped out

[ZonieDiver]

Originally Posted by Mitch

Didn't fit the question - he had two years of college before he dropped out

And now, he is the "forgotten man"! I hope he is counting his money!

[Mitch]

In answer to the first question – what is a College Degree worth? Seems like the answer, per the responses thus far, are whatever you want it to be.

But, actually it is worth quite a bit – to prove that just limit your question to an industry that we all know and understand. The US Army:

Consider the entire population of the US Army – who makes the most money – HS Grads or College Grads?

Originally Posted by Mitch

In answer to the first question – what is a College Degree worth? Seems like the answer, per the responses thus far, are whatever you want it to be.

But, actually it is worth quite a bit – to prove that just limit your question to an industry that we all know and understand. The US Army:

Consider the entire population of the US Army – who makes the most money – HS Grads or College Grads?

Provided money is your sole metric of worth. I think that is the primary theme of this thread. You?

Originally Posted by ZonieDiver

And now, he is the "forgotten man"! I hope he is counting his money!

Met Woz once. He came to talk to the Cleveland Apple Computer Club in the early 1980s. (My Apple II+ days )

Unlike his portrayal is the news lately because of his comments on one of the Toyota problems being software and not hardware, he was primarily a hardware guy.

His design of the disk drive controller was conceptually innovative in how data was recorded on floppies and extremely inexpensive to manufacture with the components available in those days.

I'm not saying this is the case, but my a priori expectation would be that he views all system problems as being software. As a software engineer I always blamed the hardware when things went wrong. Once I began managing multi-discipline engineering teams I realized it was all my fault.

Originally Posted by HowardCohodas

I'm not saying this is the case, but my a priori expectation would be that he views all system problems as being software. As a software engineer I always blamed the hardware when things went wrong. Once I began managing multi-discipline engineering teams I realized it was all my fault.

According to news reports, sometimes it really is the software. Toyota Admits Design Flaw in Prius Brakes

[Dozer523]

Originally Posted by ZonieDiver

If the answer is "Jobs" - WTF happened to "Wozniak"????

I think he drinks beer with Art Garfunkel. They tell mean stories about "their former partner, 'the bastard".

[afchic]

Originally Posted by Mitch

In answer to the first question – what is a College Degree worth? Seems like the answer, per the responses thus far, are whatever you want it to be.

But, actually it is worth quite a bit – to prove that just limit your question to an industry that we all know and understand. The US Army:

Consider the entire population of the US Army – who makes the most money – HS Grads or College Grads?

I am not sure how it is in the USA, but in the USAF, you are not going to make MSgt without a CCAF (Community College of the Air Force) degree in your chosen profession.

[Mitch]

Originally Posted by HowardCohodas

Provided money is your sole metric of worth. I think that is the primary theme of this thread. You?

Of course it is about the money. The 1% who actually don't want the money either already have too much - or they are Hells Angles.

One more twist. The sooner you earn the Colllege Degree, the more it is worth.

On average, the typical Kid who graduates High School, goes on to College, gets a degree - will typically get put into an entry level professional program. In other words, at a young age, he has his foot in the door. Wait until you are 40 and do that - you miss out on that early career development phase of your career - expectations are higher - you will never catch up with the 40 year old who has 17 years job experiance to your zero. You will be working for him - as I said, on average.

Originally Posted by Mitch

Of course it is about the money. The 1% who actually don't want the money either already have too much - or they are Hells Angles.

I believe you to be completely wrong here. I know quite a few people who have made many life decisions where maximizing the money they would earn was nowhere near the top of their decision making criteria. I include myself in this list.

Quality of life and living my values far outrank money in my life choices. I don't have a lot of money and I'm not a Hell's Angel. Go figure.