Kids are being sold a lie. You will be no better off at being employed with most college degrees than without one. If you go to college make sure that degree says you are something like an accountant, pharmacist, nurse or an engineer. On a side note that lawyer route is filled with lawyers who are working their ass off making less than a 100K.
It seems to me the most well off guys I know are in the trades owning a store or business. I know a granite top guy that lives in an insane house with brand new cars. Another has his electrical license and lives like a king. One handy man with really impressive carpentry skills has to turn away work because he is buried. I know a pizza small shop owner who told me he makes 200K plus for himself alone. My barber who is 30 said he never went to college but almost everyone who graduated high school with him that went to college is unemployed or has a crap job. The barber isn't rich but he owns his business, house and a decent car.
If I had to do it all again I would have listened to my parents and paid more attentions to my studies especially math and would have tried to become a petroleum engineer. One told me that many right out of college are making $170K.
I've done alright for myself in my field. I'm retired in my 50's but I'm certainly not well off.
Funny I notice is some countries, particularly the US surprisingly, people are more concerned about what you do than how much money you make. In others, what you do is irrelevant , its strictly the bank statement that matters.
And if you're academically inclined or a real keener sure, further yourself and attain a degree but if its money you are after why waste time competing with 50 000 other people aiming for that same small niche you are with no guarantee of monetary success. This must be about pride and honour and not common sense , OR an old outdated mentality
Most of my relatives have degrees and a couple even attained MDs and are doing OK but still living MODESTLY, the entrepreneurs in the family with charisma wit intuition and no known form of education spend their winters in Bahamas and are living more than comfortable making 150-250k/year easily. When the 'security contractors' I know aren't overseas shooting arabs they are spending 20k on vacations to the French Polynesia, hitting casinos in Montenegro and rocking rolexes and $8000 cuff links.. So what are people really after in life?? Money>degree , this is 2013 not 1950.
