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| Yes | 88% | 23 votes | Total: 26 votes | |
| No | 12% | 3 votes |
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Add to FavoritesWhen the economy was good, a rumour was started stating that young people would make more money dropping out of school and learning a trade. Builders were in high demand and were guaranteed a job, even if they rushed through their training. Less than two years later, everyone who listened to that advice is now out of work with few prospects.
School is never a bad idea. It is an investment in yourself that will never change with the stock markets. Tuition is indeed rising, but without government subsidies and reimbursements, which will take years to put in place, the cost of school will never be this cheap again since it is always rising.
If a person loses their job due to lay-offs and cut-backs, what better time to hit the books? Being a little more educated would make anyone look more attractive to a new employer. Even having a rudimentary knowledge of a second language would look good on a resume. Most universities can teach a student basic communication in a foreign language in about eight months. The key is not getting down about the lost job and embracing the available time to do something constructive. It is certainly much easier than trying to take classes while keeping the job you have, or putting your career on hold for upgrades. It just makes more sense to take a class while you have time.
One of the things you pay for in university or college are the connections. If you are upgrading a course for your current job, there is a good chance you will meet other people with similar careers, or similar interests. Maybe they can help you find the perfect jumping off point.
If you are a student or high-school grad wondering if it would be best to get a job to help out mom and dad instead of going to school, the options are a little different. The important thing to do is talk to your parents about the situation. Maybe they have an education fund for you. Depending on who these were opened with, the bond may expire if the student does not enter post-secondary out of high school. The parents will get the money they originally put into the fund, but will lose all the interest that accumulated. If your parents have taken out such an investment, it's definitely best to get into school right away, no matter what the economy is doing.
If your parents are able and willing to help you while you get educated, do it. There are many children who simply cannot and will never be able to, many of which are bright and would love the chance to get a better education. Your parents would want what is best for you, and if it is possible they will help you get your post-secondary, even if it means tightening their belts a little.
Also, if you are tempted to get a job right out of high school until the economy gets better, it puts you in a bad position later on down the line. When is the economy good enough for you to get back to school? There will always be bills to pay, so how will you know when to cut off your income? Many people have taken a Joe-job with the intention of going back to school, but got so comfortable with the nine to five that they never did go back to school. It can be a slippery slope.
In short, it is a good idea to go to school if you want the education; it does not matter what the economy is doing.
Learn more about this author, Erika Livingstone.
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No
What do we learn in school? Ace the test. Get a full ride scholarship. Everyone around you is competition, so beat their grades. Don't rock the boat or make mistakes. Colleges want to see good ACT and SAT scores. Do hours and hours of community service so they think you give back to the community. Become specialized in your field. Get a good secure job and work there until you retire. Pay the government first. Save the rest of your money and balance your checkbook. After all of this you will successfully be able to have a large mortgage, a nice car loan, and keep your credit card debt in control. Until you retire and cash in your 401(k) and pension plan.
My parents are both teachers and taught me that teaching is the most stable career. No matter what the government will always make sure that children are being taught. They said that my entire life until, Arizona ran out of money. Then the pink slips started getting handed out. Luckily their tenure kept them in their jobs. But there wasn't much hope for the educators with less than three years of experience. They fell into the trap of a good stable career with no other source of income
It is said that the best investment is a good education. I cannot contest that. But, does a good education necessarily mean someone has to earn an Associate's, Bachelor's, or Master's degree? We all know where we can really make money. We have seen it every day as we have grown up; we played it on a board game, we hear the success stories. When we ask about how it works we are told. Real estate, stocks, bonds, tax lien investments, franchise chains are too risky, and to stay away from them. Didn't Calvin Coolidge say, That the business of America is business? So why do we spend millions of dollars to teach our children to settle for being employees their entire lives. We make them learn types and styles of math that they will never use, but we want them to be ready to become engineers. We'll pound multiple fields of science in their heads expecting them to cure cancer. There are a select few that have the talents and desires to study these fields. The rest of them need to learn accounting, sales, marketing, management, reading market trends, and teamwork. These vital skills are definitely not taught in school. That is, they aren't taught until after you have paid thousands of dollars to take classes that don't have anything to do with what really brings stability and financial freedom, business.
It isn't investing or business that caused the great depression or even the current recession. It was risky, uneducated investors that started the dominoes falling. Investing and business is risky to those that haven't been truly educated. For those that have, there is wealth that, those of us who are employees, can only dream about.
Learn more about this author, Tyson Abaroa.
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