Why can’t I find a job...I went to college!

ecofarm said:

I recommend diverse and wide experience to include living in other and developing countries.

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I do too. I grew up in a career military family, and lived in a number of foreign countries. Then I did my own military service. And I later traveled for work. Now we just vacation, sometimes abroad, for pleasure. Living in a foreign country can be enlightening.

When I was about ten years old my father was stationed at Subic Bay in the Philippines. We lived in a walled off, gated community off base, and even had a Filipino maid. I can remember standing on the seat of my bicycle, it leaning against the wall, and me then looking over that wall. Across the road that ran by the wall was a dump; and I saw kids my age picking through the dump for food or anything of value. I knew even then that I had it good compared to those kids.

As a retired college professor, maybe I can shed some light on this subject. College isn't about the student. Not very often. It's about keeping jobs. The faculty jobs. To that end we (collectively) took students who were obviously not prepared for college. Kids that couldn't write a cogent sentence or hadn't mastered basic math. But their money was green. We steered kids into programs that we knew didn't have much to offer in employment opportunities nor financial rewards. But we protected those velnerable faculty departments and those faculty jobs. We knew not to drop students until the government checks had cleared. We knew when the government raised borrowing limits and raised tuition accordingly. We knew that many students would have a difficult time even if they made it to graduation. Our rationale was that we were doing it for the "good" kids.

One course I took over from another professor required nine different books. I asked if I couldn't buy a classroom set and just check out the books as needed over the course, like they did in high school. Those books are generally paid for by students with the federal grant money and student loans. Many kids also had to make that money stretch to live on while in school, so I thought it would be a chance to save them some money. The "committee", which I also served on, assured me that it wasn't going to happen, as the bookstore was a major money maker because each student had to buy books, and professors often required the books they had published (by the university) and/or the books of faculty friends.

What I learned over the years is students need to know how the system works, their place in it, and take responsibility for their own educations. And the ONLY reason to go to college is if what you dream of doing requires a college degree. If you are unsure, then go to a trade school. You can always go to college later, when you have more focus and determination. And trade school won't set you back a fortune.

BTW; thousands, maybe millions, of kids go through college without making even one close friend. The idea that college is about socialization and "growth" is very over rated. Some have that experience, but for many nobody even knows your name.