Did you attend a college or university?

[ChiTownScion]

My parents began early on stating that I would go to college. However, they also strongly mistrust college educated people. They are very critical about how college graduates do not do "honest" work, do not work hard, or work a full week. Since I work in education, I've seen this happen (to a lesser extent) to several first-generation college students who's parents both value on the surface but also deeply mistrust college educations.

Even after I had graduated law school and passed my bar, my dad was haranguing me to take the fire department exam because it would provide a "secure income." Of course, he still loved trotting me out to his more white collar friends and neighbors as, "my son, the attorney."

The thing that galls me still is that he really wanted me to become an engineer and harassed me about it for years- in spite of the fact that my math and hard science skills are pretty mediocre. He came home from World War II and could have pursued any educational option that he wanted: he had good high school grades, he was bright, and he had the GI Bill at his disposal. Instead, he just wanted to get married and take any job that he could. I would have preferred that he just fulfill his own dreams and not impose them vicariously on me.

 

[ChiTownScion]

Interesting fact: only 30 percent of the adult American population has a bachelor's degree in anything.

I'm actually surprised it's that high. 20-25% would have been my guess.

 

[LizzieMaine]

That's as of the 2010 census. As of 2000, the figure was less than 20 percent, and in 1960 it was less than 10 percent -- so you can see the increase has really only gotten sharp quite recently.

When I graduated from high school, college was by no means the default, even for "smart kids." Of my group of close friends thru high school, only three of six went on to college -- and that was after four years on the "college preparatory" track. Of our overall class, I'd say the figure was substantially less than half -- it just wasn't the ingrained part of the culture that it is now, and you weren't pressured by counselors and teachers to go unless you came from a "college family." Which most of us didn't.

 

[ChiTownScion]

That's as of the 2010 census. As of 2000, the figure was less than 20 percent, and in 1960 it was less than 10 percent -- so you can see the increase has really only gotten sharp quite recently.

When I graduated from high school, college was by no means the default, even for "smart kids." Of my group of close friends thru high school, only three of six went on to college -- and that was after four years on the "college preparatory" track. Of our overall class, I'd say the figure was substantially less than half -- it just wasn't the ingrained part of the culture that it is now, and you weren't pressured by counselors and teachers to go unless you came from a "college family." Which most of us didn't.

I think that the only kid in my class (It was "a Jesuit preparatory school," not a high school.) who didn't get at least a baccalaureate was a kid whose dad passed away in his senior year and left him a heating & air conditioning business. One of those "had to work to keep the family together" situations, but I'm sure that he's done very well over the last 43 years at it.

Myself, I went the community college route for the first 2 years. My classmates from prep school would have guffawed at that I'm sure, but I never regretted it.

 

[sheeplady]

Even after I had graduated law school and passed my bar, my dad was haranguing me to take the fire department exam because it would provide a "secure income." Of course, he still loved trotting me out to his more white collar friends and neighbors as, "my son, the attorney."

The thing that galls me still is that he really wanted me to become an engineer and harassed me about it for years- in spite of the fact that my math and hard science skills are pretty mediocre. He came home from World War II and could have pursued any educational option that he wanted: he had good high school grades, he was bright, and he had the GI Bill at his disposal. Instead, he just wanted to get married and take any job that he could. I would have preferred that he just fulfill his own dreams and not impose them vicariously on me.

You could be my long lost brother. My parents do a similar thing in public, but behind doors it is all about how horrible my life is because I went to school: I lost all those years of income, I don't have a public pension, etc.

My parent's chosen career for me was an M.D. I even went as far as to take the MCATs to prove to them that I wasn't MD material, but that resulted in a stiff lecture about how I was spending my time. (I made it very clear when I was in high school that I would not be a doctor, ever.)

I would like my daughter to go to college, for *something* even if she chooses a trade. An A.S. degree in business would help almost everyone in a trade. Her future school lets high schoolers take courses at the local community college for free; she could get a degree for near free as she works on her high school degree. We plan to provide her with a decent car when she is old enough to transport herself there and we will pay for any additional/ summer classes she wants to take. We can't pay for her entire college education (we can provide half thanks to my husband's benefits), but the whole thing is out of our reach. But she is welcome to stay at home rent free as long as she is in school and we'll do our best to provide her with a safe car if she needs one.

 

[Stearmen]

It happens the other way, too with comments. Although I doubt with anywhere as much condescending. I've had people who have been completely awestruck at the fact that I am "highly educated" or went to an "ivy league" school because I am personable, friendly, down to earth, and so much unlike their vision of a college professor (which tends to be a stereotype of a wine sipping arrogant know-it-all idiot who can't find their way out of a paper bag). Most of the time they are shocked, completely and utterly shocked, to find out that am as educated as I am.

Essentially, it mainly boils down to a quote I got from one person that will forever stick in my mind:
"I would never believe you had a Ph.D. You actually know the difference between your head and your ***."

This is why I never lead with anything about my education- most of my neighbors don't know anything beyond where I work. I find that unless you have an established relationship with someone, knowing how much education someone has leads to a lot of stereotypes that get in the way of your interactions.

It also helps that my "native accent" (i.e. my natural accent that I only use in informal settings) as well as my life experience lends me a lot of credibility in these circles.

I get that a lot also! Probably, because of the work I have done on motorcycles through the years. Odd, a large number in my motorcycle club have degrees, we have quite a number of retired military officers.

 

[Stearmen]

Sounds as if you did. I think that to be educated requires determination and unrelenting perseverance- and that comes into play whether one is an EE undergrad at MIT or thrown into the adult world without ceremony and has to rely upon self education. What we really hope to acquire at the end are learning skills and thought processes: only a jackass would ever presume that we acquire all of the answers, but perhaps we at least begin to learn to ask the right questions. All said, it's how we've played the cards that we were dealt that really determine the education we receive.

Well said! I have noticed here, and in life, many think that those who went to collage were nothing but a bunch of over privileged spoiled brats. I have gone to two collages and one University, (side note, the difference between the two is, University sounds a heap more important.) The average age in all three was early 30s, they were working persons institutions. It was great, you had WWII veterans, through Vietnam, and all kinds of other people. Some were on the GI Bill, others worked two or more jobs to make it through. I would not trade the experience, wort's and all for all the money in the world!

 

[ChiTownScion]

It happens the other way, too with comments. Although I doubt with anywhere as much condescending. I've had people who have been completely awestruck at the fact that I am "highly educated" or went to an "ivy league" school because I am personable, friendly, down to earth, and so much unlike their vision of a college professor (which tends to be a stereotype of a wine sipping arrogant know-it-all idiot who can't find their way out of a paper bag). Most of the time they are shocked, completely and utterly shocked, to find out that am as educated as I am.

My wife and I have both had to deal with that from members of my family. Accusing us of being "book smart:" the implication of having no practical knowledge base being pretty obvious. But when they're seriously ill, or have a legal problem... guess who they call?

 

[MisterCairo]

BA in Labour Studies, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario 1994 and LLB from the University of Western Ontario (now known as Western University), London, Ontario 1997.

Currently working towards a Masters in Public Administration, Royal Military College, Kingston, Ontario.

 

[Thundercolt]

That's as of the 2010 census. As of 2000, the figure was less than 20 percent, and in 1960 it was less than 10 percent -- so you can see the increase has really only gotten sharp quite recently.

When I graduated from high school, college was by no means the default, even for "smart kids." Of my group of close friends thru high school, only three of six went on to college -- and that was after four years on the "college preparatory" track. Of our overall class, I'd say the figure was substantially less than half -- it just wasn't the ingrained part of the culture that it is now, and you weren't pressured by counselors and teachers to go unless you came from a "college family." Which most of us didn't.

That's the same era that I grew up in, so my answers are "No" and "No".
:^)

 

[Stearmen]

My wife and I have both had to deal with that from members of my family. Accusing us of being "book smart:" the implication of having no practical knowledge base being pretty obvious. But when they're seriously ill, or have a legal problem... guess who they call?

That's something I don't hear much, though people that just meant me, think the most exciting thing I have ever done is play a video game, which is funny, since I don't play! Some are astounded by all my trophies for building motorcycles. You can be book smart and good with your hands. Show me a good mechanic, and I will show you some one that reads a lot!

 

[Fading Fast]

That's as of the 2010 census. As of 2000, the figure was less than 20 percent, and in 1960 it was less than 10 percent -- so you can see the increase has really only gotten sharp quite recently.

When I graduated from high school, college was by no means the default, even for "smart kids." Of my group of close friends thru high school, only three of six went on to college -- and that was after four years on the "college preparatory" track. Of our overall class, I'd say the figure was substantially less than half -- it just wasn't the ingrained part of the culture that it is now, and you weren't pressured by counselors and teachers to go unless you came from a "college family." Which most of us didn't.

I just noticed this thread yesterday and have not gone back and read all the posts - so it this is a repeat thought - please eliminate or ignore it.

I was stunned that 95% of Fedora Lounge's population has a college or higher degree (based on the poll results) but only +/- 30% of the population does?

Why the disparity? It doesn't strike me as obvious that those with an interest in the Golden Era would predominately have a college degree.

 

[Nobert]

I just noticed this thread yesterday and have not gone back and read all the posts - so it this is a repeat thought - please eliminate or ignore it.

I was stunned that 95% of Fedora Lounge's population has a college or higher degree (based on the poll results) but only +/- 30% of the population does?

Why the disparity? It doesn't strike me as obvious that those with an interest in the Golden Era would predominately have a college degree.

I thought the same thing, but I realized, a large part of this online community is devoted to collecting vintage clothes, antiques and such. That takes the kind of scratch that might be harder to come by on the kind of jobs available to a high-school grad.

 

[Edward]

My wife and I have both had to deal with that from members of my family. Accusing us of being "book smart:" the implication of having no practical knowledge base being pretty obvious. But when they're seriously ill, or have a legal problem... guess who they call?

Incertain corners of society in the UK, it has become very popular to sneer at tertiary level education, and anyone who tries to talk up the value of going to university for any other reason than a guaranteed higher wage is shouted down. It's not exactly a mainstream view, but it is rather common among the sort of people who read the Daily Mail, consider themsleves to be up-and-comers, and genuinely believe they know all about universities, much more so than those who work there, despite never having attended one themselves. They're especially fond of castigating academics as all belonging to a particular political club that they perceive as "evil", "wrong" and wholly opposite to them. A totally typical line of argument is "Universities are full of pointless courses, like a degree in golf club management". This myth - which many choose to believe because they want to - originates in the fact that one further education institution, elevated to university status in 1992, was based near one of the major golf courses in the UK, and responded to demand from a specialist, local market by offering a low-level (far beneath university degree equivalent) course on management of a golf club business.

It's easy to get frustrated with people like that, though I try to remember that most of them are subconciously trying to make themselves feel better for not having had the opportunity to experience higher education by belittling its value. I'm far more offended by those who did have the opportunity and either don't appreciate it, or waste their time sniping on facebook about universities being a waste of time because they didn't get the grades to which they felt entitled. [huh]

 

[LizzieMaine]

I suspect, too, that the whole idea of participating in internet forums is largely a college-graduate thing. Keep in mind that forums are descended from Usenet discussion groups and, even older than that, email lists, and both of those phenomena grew out of academia. The first internet thing I ever did, in the late '90s, was an email list for collectors of early recordings run, at the time, out of Cornell University, and I was put onto it by a friend who was a professor of broadcasting.

I know a lot of people who never went to college, from all walks of life, and some of them do pretty well on pay day. But as far as I know, I'm the only one of them that participates in an internet forum.

 

[Edward]

Oh..... and, fwiw, (not sure if I mentioned earlier).... 2:1 Honours Law, Queen's, Belfast; LLM in Computers & Law, with distinction, Queen's Belfast. Never got around to doing the PhD in the end.... too busy working full time as an academic since early '99. I'm currently the Senior Lecturer in Media Law at one of the most internationally recognised London law departments. Most of the time I love my job, except when beareaucracy and irrelevant, education-as-business nonsense gets in the way of teaching.

 

[ChiTownScion]

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/0...e-free-for-more-than-80-of-american-students/

Better late than never: Lizzie, you can now attend Stanford without cost.

 

[ChrisB]

You don't have to go to school to learn. Where I work, some of our best engineers had no college degree, while some with Phd.s have proven to be less useful. Smart people never stop learning, in or out of school.

As to the original question, I got my BSEE at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

 

[LizzieMaine]

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/0...e-free-for-more-than-80-of-american-students/

Better late than never: Lizzie, you can now attend Stanford without cost.

Boy, that would be a long commute to work and back. Our late night shows would kill me.

Seriously, though, good for them. There needs to be more of this kind of thing. It might put the parasitical "for profit colleges" out of business, and that would be a very worthwhile outcome all around.

 

[ChiTownScion]

Seriously, though, good for them. There needs to be more of this kind of thing. It might put the parasitical "for profit colleges" out of business, and that would be a very worthwhile outcome all around.

If ever there were an area where the Boys from Marketing deserve to be drawn and quartered, it's in regard to these for- profit unaccredited schools. They're notorious for their high percentage of student loan defaults, and for pressuring their students to incur even deeper debt through loans through the schools themselves rather than guaranteed government loans. Many of their programs can be had a lot cheaper at a community college.