Wall Street Vs. Law School Vs. Graduate School

[Paluka]

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What happens is that many students, after paying out almost 100k or more, realize that their life's calling has nothing to do with the education they just spent all that money purchasing.

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This is just not true. Being able to tell people you went to Harvard will always help no matter what you studied there. Just the fact tht you will meet so many people who are so likely to be successful down the line is a huge win.

[Misfire]

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I hope you went on a free ride. Otherwise, why would you spend the money required by a top-ten school without knowing why you're even there??

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True. Go to NorthwestSouth State Community Technical College of Design Online and get their degree. Its identical to a Harvard degree!

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First of all, when you have to put words in my mouth to avoid debating what I actually said, it just makes you look like a dumbass.

Second, some people are capable enough that they don't NEED a Harvard degree to be successful. Perhaps you're not.

Some people are built to do things that Harvard, in all their wonderous glory and splendor, can't help them with. Perhaps this kid should be an entertainer. Maybe he wants to be an entrepreneur. Nobody gives a rat's ass what ripoff degree you have when they're considering whether buy widgets in your store.

You don't invest in stocks and bonds without considering what you want to get in return. Why would do treat an investment in education any different?

[Paluka]

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Some people are built to do things that Harvard, in all their wonderous glory and splendor, can't help them with. Perhaps this kid should be an entertainer. Maybe he wants to be an entrepreneur. Nobody gives a rat's ass what ripoff degree you have when they're considering whether buy widgets in your store.

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I think it is a mistake to think going to Harvard won't help you be a better entrepreneur. You will most likely have good connections from people you meet at Harvard. People are more likely to trust your judgement and be willing to do business with you if you went to Harvard.


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You don't invest in stocks and bonds without considering what you want to get in return. Why would do treat an investment in education any different?

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There is more to life than money. I think the experience of going to Harvard would be worth $100k to a lot of people even if they would never make that money back. You seem to think the only reason to go to college is to make more money down the line. This simply isn't true.

[Misfire]

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I think it is a mistake to think going to Harvard won't help you be a better entrepreneur. You will most likely have good connections from people you meet at Harvard. People are more likely to trust your judgement and be willing to do business with you if you went to Harvard.

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It could help. It could hurt. I know a guy who is a mechanic. Very smart, capable, educated guy. But he likes working on cars. That's his calling. As great as Harvard might be (and it better be for the $$), I don't think Harvard would be a good plan for this guy. If anything a it would be unnecessary. Just because everyone else on the planet swoons at the thought of a Harvard education, it's not for everybody. But how does one know that without an inkling of an idea about who they are and what they want out of life? If I was 18 again, I'd be more than happy to take a couple years off to try out some things, meet some people, and figure out where I want to be in 10 years. THEN I could decide if Harvard or Stanford or West Kentucky Auto-Diesel College is right for me. Harvard ain't going anywhere. Why rush?

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There is more to life than money. I think the experience of going to Harvard would be worth $100k to a lot of people even if they would never make that money back. You seem to think the only reason to go to college is to make more money down the line. This simply isn't true.

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No, doing what you're called to do is what's important, not money or prestige or fancy degrees or any of that. My friend would be making a hell of a lot more money if he were still in real estate, or if he'd become a lawyer or whatever. But he wouldn't be enjoying life like he is. Money isn't the issue. Everyone thinks Harvard (or college in general) is this magical place where EVERYONE who goes will benefit. That's bunk. There are so many different types of people in this world, and many aren't made to go that route. It's foolish to go to some big expensive school and drop $100k or more without knowing if it's in line with what you want out of life.

[RunDownHouse]

Careful, your lack of education is showing. I think we can assume that this kid doesn't want to be Paula Abdul, ok? I think if he wanted to be a stand-up, or had a passion for sketching, or thought he could start up a bustling lemonade stand, or whatever, he wouldn't be here asking these questions.

The point is that those with college degrees are more valuable than those without, regardless of field. Those with "better" degrees are more valuable than those with "lesser" degrees, regardless of field. This value is greater than the amount spent on the degree, especially considering the unbelievably favorable terms student loans get. In fact, I think its likely that you have no idea of what relevance that plays in the discussion, given this comment from another thread.

[RunDownHouse]

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Everyone thinks Harvard (or college in general) is this magical place where EVERYONE who goes will benefit. That's bunk.

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I agree. But the fault lies with that individual, not the education.

Listen, you're making ridiculous arguments based on thin air that, as a result, are nearly impossible to refute. Of course someone who loves fixing cars would likely the most enjoyment in that profession as opposed to, say, astrophysics. But there's also a good chance that that person would gain more enjoyment from making $150k at age 24 than being at $50k at 30. Its entirely individual, entirely specific, and no one can respond to your post about your mechanic friend with, "Clearly he was wrong!" But to advocate treating higher education as vocational training is pure folly.

[Misfire]

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Careful, your lack of education is showing.

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Sir, you have absolutely no clue what kind of education I have, nor where I got it. You also do not know my financial position, what I do for a living, or how successful I am at it.

Edit: I'll give you a hint. It's in finance.

[Misfire]

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But to advocate treating higher education as vocational training is pure folly.

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You're right, I shouldn't be doing that. Oh wait, I didn't.

[RunDownHouse]

No. Based on your replies to this thread and others, I can conclude that you likely have little to no education on labor markets, and probably a flawed understanding of economics and the function of markets.

I could be wrong, though.

[eastbay]

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This is just not true. Being able to tell people you went to Harvard will always help no matter what you studied there. Just the fact tht you will meet so many people who are so likely to be successful down the line is a huge win.

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Agree. The networking is probably worth 5x the actual education in terms of dollar value (unless you studied something particularly lucrative.)

eastbay