Jambo

... do you mean 'poor and uneducated'?... many people confuse education with intelligence...

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... don't say mother*******, mother******...

vvx

I went to college and earned a Bachelors degree in Economics.

What that means, is I learned that while I might have a a higher wage the no-college guy started 4 years ahead of me, didn't have "negative" profits (paying for school). and may very well have total lifetime earnings higher than I did when you take it all into consideration in present valued dollars.

Economics as a BS degree isn't the best idea. Not really a useful degree at bachelor's level and there are more practical majors that work great at that level. It's good if you're going to go for a masters/PHD in something or lawschool.

Personally, I went to college to postpone life. At age 18 I wouldn't have been ready to take on a full time job in any serious level. It's either live in your parents basement til your 27 and a freak or get out and do the one thing you can do without needing a job -- college.

RightinNYC

This is just my opinion, but I feel like an econ degree is one of those things that impacts your life in many more ways than most degrees. With an econ degree you can go into pretty much any graduate field and have instant credibility.

Law and Econ is huge
Public policy always needs econ majors
Med Schools love econ students
etc.

It's the one subject that I wish I'd taken more of. It wasn't until I got out that I realized how useful it would be.

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Scucca

Degree specification certainly can impact on the extent of the wage mark-up. However, I'd also argue that the majority of any education effect is certification based. That leads to a 'do what thou enjoy shall be the whole of the law'

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rivrrat

I don't know why people go really, except that they're just not really able to learn things on their own, maybe? I think kids just think they're "supposed" to.

I think it's utterly ridiculous to expect an 18 year old to know what they want to do for the rest of their lives and what will make them happy for the rest of their lives. I'm such a different person than I was when I was 18.

I quit college for that very reason: My thirst for knowledge was so great, it was impossible for me to choose a field of study, to choose one area to specialize in. I wanted choices, choices and more choices. I could have stayed in college for 20 years and probably still not taken all the classes I would have wanted to. LOL Much cheaper to just learn on my own. I learn better on my own anyway.

I've not found anything I couldn't do without a degree. Except join the Peace Corps. Everything else I have wanted and tried to do, I have done. But hey, my IQ is higher than average.

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1069

What is it, just out of curiosity?

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Lightdemon: "Is 10 going to outer space or something?"
Jerry: "...yes, 10 is going to outerspace."

rivrrat

Nothing spectacular, I don't think (I've never actually researched it, only known that it's "above average") If my my mom was correct and telling the truth when Mensa tested me in 6th grade, then it's 140. I remember being pulled out of classes and tested quite extensively. (I thought I was in trouble)

My parents told me later in life that the folks who tested me (apparently mensa) wanted to skip me a grade or two and put me in some special program (her words) but that they opted not to allow it because they thought it would hurt me socially.

Honestly though, i don't *know*. I only know what my mother said the results of the testing were and I can't fathom a reason she would make it up. Even if that wasn't the right score, I would assume that wanting to skip me a grade or two would indicate a higher than average score.

jfuh

do you need any better reason?

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The facts and science of the theory of anthropogenic Global warming

Gipper

I used to agree, but fortunately I began to see the light early on. I originally went as a finance/economics double major. However, I found out along the way that economics is much more academic than vocational, and ultimately doesn't have a ton of uses on the outside except to argue with other intellectuals in some stuffy coffee house. I only took it as a minor and found great results, as it's identified as a bolster, but I didn't have the extra money and classes for not much additional benefit.

It's better than a worthless liberal arts degree, no doubt. That's what douchebags major in.

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A government big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take it all away. - Barry Goldwater

RightinNYC

Did you stick with finance or shift to something else?