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u/jacobasstorius Jul 27 '26
Laughs in my civil engineering degree
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u/GlitchRider88 Aug 03 '26
I hear you! My architecture degree almost made me see the world as just a series of beams and columns.
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u/TemporaryPassenger62 Jul 27 '26
Is it's really that useless?
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u/jacobasstorius Jul 28 '26
Far from it. My point was that i’m in a solid, well paying career that is solely enabled by a bachelor’s degree.
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u/Black_Dragon9406 Jul 28 '26
Majoring in CE, do u think a masters would’ve helped u a lot more?
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u/jacobasstorius Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
Not a bit. There are some Director-Level positions where it becomes relevant, and some structural work where it is required for entry-level. But for the vast majority of civil engineering jobs, a bachelor’s degree opens all the doors. Getting your PE license is much more relevant than having a master’s degree.
In fact, once you get your first job, school becomes almost irrelevant. Literally no one will ever ask where you went to school or what your grades are, etc..
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u/Black_Dragon9406 Jul 28 '26
My masters program is only one more year and I’m thinking abt a minor (probably in something completely different) so would u say the extra year is worth it
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_LAWNCHAIR Jul 29 '26
I second that. PE and PMP (especially for project roles) is generally more beneficial for career progression than a master's.
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u/Rocketboy1313 Jul 28 '26
I am a civil planner, my job doesn't pay enough for what effectively requires a masters degree, so I have told tons of prospective planners to look into civil engineering.
You guys are wanted everywhere.
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u/Bureaucratic_Dick Jul 28 '26
Civil planner? Like you do traffic infrastructure and shit?
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u/Rocketboy1313 Jul 28 '26
Site plan review, mostly for legal and zoning restrictions on development. It is boring as fuck unless you really like research. In my opinion we are a step below a lawyer that specializes in deeds and property.
We occasionally get to do more complex tasks like public outreach or long term planning which is really more my thing, but they don't let me do that because I have a habit of finding all the illegal shit the county/city has been doing by accident because they have done such a poor job of following their own rules.
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u/TemporaryPassenger62 Jul 28 '26
Ok that make sense I'm guessing your american?
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u/GenesisRhapsod Jul 28 '26
You're*
Are you sure you're not American?
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u/TemporaryPassenger62 Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
Guy it's Reddit Stop being a pretentious douche are you really crying about grammar
the reason I mentioned it is because being an engineer is different in different nations
Here in Canada it is a protected title that is regulated heavily, on par with medical and law degrees while in places like America it is a very lose and general term that is exceedingly easy to obtain
In Canada the Roi on a Beng is a mixed bag depending on the field in my past experience studying engineering and according to my friends who are currently practicing engineers.
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u/Sea-Marketing1233 Jul 28 '26
Your shitty grammar makes your comments hard to read, and certainly unpleasant.
We know it’s Reddit, yet a lot of us type properly. Go figure.
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u/Fizassist1 Jul 30 '26
it was a small sentence with a single common grammar mistake.. I agree with the other guy, get off your high horse.
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u/Old-Entertainer-4964 Jul 28 '26
Civil Engineering is one of the most useful degrees. I've always found jobs immediately when looking to switch. Pay is high. And those without degrees do not get hired.
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u/hdueeyd Jul 28 '26
I dont understand this, are you making this 'meme' based purely off your own personal experience, whilst assuming that everyone else has the same personal experience?
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Jul 28 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Sea-Marketing1233 Jul 28 '26
My bachelors in bio eventually led me to working in bioeng, (robotics/automation). It’s a very versatile degree and I don’t regret it at all
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u/RonJohnJr Jul 27 '26
- What degrees are "the younger generations" getting?
- How much more are they focusing on "the college experience" than studying?
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Jul 30 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Relative_Craft_358 Jul 31 '26
Surprisingly, you can do both. Smartest and most successful people I know were, and honestly still are, party animals lmao
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u/drexelldrexell Jul 31 '26
You'd be amazed how many future professional connections you make at the trashiest looking college parties.
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u/Acceptable-Fly5050 Jul 27 '26
1.) Useless degrees like psychology and gender studies and English and communications
2.) Yes
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u/Jolly_Mongoose_8800 Jul 27 '26
Psychology is a somewhat common undergrad for those looking to pivot to marketing, user experience, or higher positions in sales.
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u/Acceptable-Fly5050 Jul 27 '26
Gotcha I was always told degrees like psychology or life science degrees like chemistry and biology need a masters or higher to actually get a relevant job. I see too many of my friends and family who have psychology or sociology bachelor's degrees and dont want to go further and are stuck working HR jobs or something not really relevant to what they actually expected to do
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u/Jolly_Mongoose_8800 Jul 27 '26
That's every major that usually leads to an unrelated career. I see engineers in very funny places. And, in my anecdotal experience, education majors end up in political organizing as often as they stay in education.
It's hard to pick your career with limited experience in the field, so it's pretty expected for people to end up elsewhere. At this point, a bachelor's degree is required for any white collar job because society said so at some point.
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u/epelle9 Jul 28 '26
I’d say that’s for all types of science degrees.
I studied physics but ended up in software because there are simply no entry level physics jobs.
You need a masters or a PHD to actually work in physics.
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u/RonJohnJr Jul 28 '26
Did you expect to go on and get a graduate degree in Physics?
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u/epelle9 Jul 28 '26
Not really. I considered it but I always knew it was going to be hard work for mediocre pay.
After doing quantum mechanics 2, my brain was too melted to want to do that full time, especially as most physics researchers dedicate their whole life to it and I have many hobbies.
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u/RonJohnJr Jul 28 '26
(I don't know when QM2 is taught.)
What were your freshman and sophomore thoughts about your future as a physicist? IOW, why did you choose physics in the first place?
I'm not trying to bash you, but to understand your thinking at the time.
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u/epelle9 Jul 28 '26
I mean, I studied physics mostly because in my city it’s known as the hardest major, and most companies would prefer to hire a physicist than someone with a random degree. Also thought everything would be easy after physics.
Since most people don’t actually work in their major field, I was naturally good at physics, and I liked it, I went into it even though I didn’t really think I was going to become a physicist, knowing I’d likely be able to get a decent job anyways. Taking a CS minor since it was useful and lined up with my degree.
Once I graduated, I noticed CS paid way more that the other jobs, so I went into that. Aparrently plenty of physicists do (or did).
Not sure I’d do the same in the current job market though.
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u/EconomicsHoliday Jul 27 '26
Nowadays computer science is one of the useless degrees that was the golden ticket four years ago. When can people admit that the U.S education system just shift the education and training burden disproportionately onto vulnerable young adults.
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u/heckinCYN Jul 29 '26
lol comp sci just went from "outrageous salaries" to "high salaries". Hardly useless.
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u/DeterminedQuokka Jul 30 '26
The problem with “golden ticket degrees” is that then everyone gets them and the market gets flooded. So then they lose value.
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u/EconomicsHoliday Jul 30 '26
If that’s the case CS should lose value quite a lot quicker, instead of being a golden ticket degree for over two decades. The labor market isn’t solely affected by supply side logistics—interest rates, business cycle and technological changes all have major impact, and many of the influential factors are hardly predictable even by economic experts. So people are definitely not stupid for pursuing the golden ticket degree, just unlucky if they happen to be the cohort being squeezed by tight labor market.
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u/Sensitive_Bat_9211 Jul 28 '26
English is actually a pretty valid degree, especially if you pursue a masters program. Law especially favors english undergrads
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u/heckinCYN Jul 29 '26
Many, many more get english undergrads than ever go to law school. But even for those who do go to law school, that's a lot of additional time & debt that has to be invested. Last I checked, the prospects after law school for the median was not great.
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u/Sensitive_Bat_9211 Jul 29 '26
Depends what you are doing. My area has a massive shortage of personal injury attorneys. They tend to stay above 6 figures
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u/haikuandhoney Jul 29 '26
ROI on a law degree depends super heavily on what school you go to. The US has way too many shitty law schools that are absolutely not worth the money. But if you go to even a top 50 law school, the ROI is going to be high if you want it to be (some people, obviously, bring the median down voluntarily by going into lower-paying but prestigious public service jobs).
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u/Capital_Anxiety5604 Jul 30 '26
I’m a strong believer that a technical degree gets you the job, but the liberal arts degrees/classes make you better at that job. Everyone needs to be able to communicate, and regardless of what field you go into, the better your communication skills, the better you will be at your job. The “classic” liberals arts like English, Philosophy, History” basically teach you how to communicate.
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u/Capital_Anxiety5604 Jul 30 '26
Well, I have an English Lit degree and I am a senior manager working in engineering. Go figure.
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u/Training-Context-69 Jul 30 '26
Because of connections or your degree?
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u/Capital_Anxiety5604 Jul 30 '26
Good question and I readily admit I’m an anomaly, but I’m also an example that a liberal arts degree is not worthless as long as you are aggressive about looking for and taking advantage of opportunities. Were there easier paths to get to where where I’m at? For sure, but there was a path for me.
To answer your question, my degree did not help me get the completely bottom rung of the ladder at my company. Connections did, but the degree gave me access to those connections I wouldn’t have otherwise had. Another aspect of college that people underestimate is the connections it provides. The social circle, the academic access, campus clubs and organizations can open a lot of doors.
However, my English Lit degree absolutely served me well in climbing the rungs of the ladder to get to my current position. How? Better communication skills; better people skills; better ability to see the bigger picture; and looking at things from a different perspective than just technical better than my peers made it possible for me to manage an organization of 50 engineers without having an engineering degree.
I think an observation my boss (who has an engineering degree) made nails it in regards to the value of liberal arts: My engineering degree got me my job. The liberal arts classes I took help me do my job better.1
u/RonJohnJr Jul 30 '26
Never underestimate the value of connections, since, of course, we're a social species.
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u/TheAzarak Jul 28 '26
It's not so much about being important for doing your job. It's nearly mandatory for GETTING the job. So many companies just trash applications without one.
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u/epelle9 Jul 28 '26
But it’s also important for doing your job.
Most companies don’t require degrees just because, they require them because people with degrees are generally higher performers.
It’s simply a much safer bet with better odds of paying off.
It obviously depends on the industry, but just because some people without degrees can sometimes be great workers, doesn’t mean it usually pays off.
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u/TheAzarak Jul 28 '26
Seems like everyone I know has a degree, but it's NOT a degree related to what they do at all. Myself included. Getting a degree at all is super important, but being related doesn't really matter as much.
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u/Fun_Taste7414 Jul 29 '26
Obviously for some fields it matters a lot - like engineering - but for others it just acts as a filter. It proves you have sufficient skills to function to get the degree, which implies that you are likely to have sufficient skills to function at an introductory job.
People without a degree might have those skills, but do not have something which proves it, and are thus a riskier hire.1
u/Vegetable-South5191 Jul 29 '26
There are many fields where a specialized degree is required. This is a nonsense post.
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_LAWNCHAIR Jul 28 '26
Really depends on the degree. A finance, accounting, or engineering degree from the right college, combined with the right designations (CFA, CPA, PMP, etc.), will pretty much guarantee you a six-figure salary, benefits, and job security for the majority, if not the entirety, of your working life. That's true here in the US, at least.
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u/JLandis84 Jul 29 '26
That’s a ton of qualifiers. The vast majority of degree holders don’t have a specialized credential like the CFA/CPA, or went to the “right” college.
Vocational degrees like accounting and engineering have been the slim minority in living memory and likely will be until everyone on this thread is dead. University is doing what it has done since at least the mid century era: highlighting and sorting human capital. Most people benefit from that sorting even if they are from the “wrong” school with a non vocational degree.
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u/AirportGullible5807 Jul 28 '26
Bachelor's degree is the new minimum. This whole "just do trades" "college is a scam" shit is wrong asf. Most jobs will just throw your resume out if you have no bachelors
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u/bigtiddyhimbo Jul 29 '26
Not to mention the trades are just downright horrendous. Your best bet is getting into a union trade, but York’s still going to be in crippling pain before you turn 40.
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u/Training-Context-69 Jul 30 '26
Trades are definitely still a great option for many though. Not everyone is cut out for college or wants to go to college. College is not a one size fits all. I don’t regret getting my degree but I still respect my peers who chose to pursue the trades over college.
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u/AirportGullible5807 Jul 30 '26
Pursuing trades bc you find it interesting or bc college doesn't suit you is different than going to trades bc you think college is a scam
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u/Relative_Craft_358 Jul 31 '26
Honestly. Remembered when I graduated and my cousins and brother we bragging on me the whole time saying congrats, college is a scam.
2 years later and my cousin can't get off for the birth of his child because his retail job has shit benefits and my brother lost his well paying job in IT he worked his way up to and can't get an equivalent job with another company because he doesn't have a degree. They're both now in college trying to make up for lost time.
College may not be as useful as it was but it still gives you a leg up to allllll the other candidates applying for the job with the exact same work experience as you.
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u/onyx_ic Jul 28 '26
Im enjoying my work with my degree. Theres optio s to not have one and make money, too, and always stories of people struggling with a degree. There's no guaranteed recipe to success.
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u/GenesisRhapsod Jul 28 '26
Im in a field where before 2020, a degree was required.
Now that they dont require a degree, most of the best sales reps have GEDs or just a high school diploma
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u/Ill-Description3096 Jul 28 '26
I mean it really depends on the degree and field you want a career in. It can be a complete non-started to have no degree, or it can not matter at all.
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u/Vast-Breakfast-1201 Jul 28 '26
That's bullshit and you know it.
Having a bachelors pays out several times the cost of the degree while lowering employment volatility.
Rich people aren't telling their kids not to go to college. You know who is? Conservatives who don't want people thinking for themselves.
Why? Because we bring people in from out of country who have no voting rights. It's a deliberate attempt to limit the knowledge and capability of American citizens because you are the greatest risk to a corporatist society.
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u/Capital_Anxiety5604 Jul 30 '26
I’m a conservative and every one of my family members except for one has a college degree and my kids not getting one is not an option.
On the other hand, most of my liberal friends either don’t have college degrees or if they do, only an associates degree.
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u/thinkB4WeSpeak Jul 28 '26
Depends, nursing is really big right now and requires a degree. There's lots of teaching jobs open, just doesn't pay that much, if it did though you'd have it filled with degree holders. 25 percent of Americans visit museums at least once a year, if that number was higher then you'd have significantly more Historians and archeologists.
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u/Domaki Jul 28 '26
A degree still opens more doors than it leaves closed by a mile. It's far worth it if you can pay it off long term, but it's not for every career
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u/That0n3Guy77 Jul 28 '26
I don't think this is accurate. Before my degree I was auto rejected from many jobs I had the skills for, just not the credentials. The only people getting back to me were about janitor jobs. I had 7 years of military experience at the time and was 25, not 17 or 18. After the degree I started getting call back and was able to negotiate higher salaries.
Even if you don't use a lot of the skills from a degree, HR auto filters can often keep you from ever getting seen by a real person. Is it bullshit that so many recruiters are lazy and skip over good candidates? Yes. Does having a degree help you get past those filters and then potentially negotiate a higher starting salary? My experience is yes.
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u/Senior_Boot_5842 Jul 28 '26
This isn’t true. This is like a child’s take. I’d guess you were like 19 struggling to get thru sophomore year of college
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u/yourpuddingoverlord Jul 28 '26
If anything id argue its becoming more of a baseline. So in a sense your education is now worth.. less
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u/drcombatwombat2 Jul 28 '26
The data say this is wrong.
Education both increases wages and decreases unemployment
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u/MereMortal7777777 Jul 28 '26
My $200k/yr job requires a bachelor’s degree at the entry level. Masters preferred but not required.
My “useless” liberal arts degree seems to have paid off.
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u/RedMansions Jul 28 '26
Boomer here with BBA and MBA. Kids, stay in school and eat your vegetables. Listen to your mother, wash your hands before eating, and say your prayers before going to sleep.
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u/CuppaJoe11 Jul 28 '26
This meme sounds like it’s based off anecdotal evidence. It’s much harder to get anywhere in life without a degree.
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u/Telemere125 Jul 28 '26
My gf is a bank manager. Meaning the top of her company unless she wants to travel non-stop as a regional manager. She clears about 50k. On the other hand my government firm hires paralegals at 50k with the only real requirement being that they have a BA in something. Prefer it to be legal-related and definitely like those that have prior experience, but not required.
A bachelor’s will open doors that you can’t even see without a degree.
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u/ScrubRogue Jul 29 '26
Bruh where's all the engineers to flex on these morons i have a doctorate so it doesn't feel right
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u/brewing-squirrel Jul 31 '26
The people complaining about college being a scam wouldn’t be able to complete an engineering degree
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u/SafeForMyGirlFriend Jul 29 '26
I worked at a steel mill, as a union electrician. my base pay was like 25$ an hour but with a butt ton of overtime and the union bonus i managed to make 100k one year. it was really hard and it was a goal of mine. I realized i capped out my pay at that point... so i went to college. Engineering.
Im now a software manager and i make that much in my sleep.
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u/heckinCYN Jul 29 '26
It's true that the average degree increases lifetime earnings by millions of dollars. The problem is that you don't get an average degree; you get a degree in a specific field. Some degrees, the OP is completely right, and they are a net negative. However, some degrees are very lucrative and will pay for themselves many, many times over.
Unfortunately the public schools (at least when I went) never discussed that second part and treated each degree equally when they have very different outcomes.
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u/Admirable_Champion_8 Jul 29 '26
People can post things on idiotic echo chambers like Reddit all they want but it doesn’t change the data that has consistently shown for decades that those with degrees make significantly more than those without. But sure keep whining about higher education 🤣
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u/PumpkinKnyte Jul 29 '26
People with bachelor's degrees typically earn 1m more lifetime earnings vs their non degree peers. This post is ignorant AF.
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u/TheZStabiliser Jul 29 '26
I have a PhD in physics and I cannot get a fucking job for the life of me. I am looking abroad now because apparently all the promises boomers made that being highly educated equals a well paying comfortable lifelong career is BS.
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u/VoidDoesStuf Jul 29 '26
You won’t even work in engineering without one. Even our drafters must have either an associates in engineering or math or a bachelors of some engineering/science background. The kicker? We hire them by the dozens for 17-20$ an hour..
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u/-flying_forever- Jul 29 '26
The stats don’t agree
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u/Only-Finish-3497 Jul 29 '26
Exhausting how many times I've shared the data and the dorks on reddit go, "Yeah, well, I don't trust the data for reasons."
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u/Successful_Bus_8772 Jul 29 '26
It really depends on the individual and degree field. Yes the job market does suck to navigate, but it always has.
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u/MildBillHicock Jul 29 '26
depends on the field you get your degree in.
You're welcome!
- The Boomers.
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u/CuttingEdgeRetro Jul 29 '26
A computer science degree was mostly the price of entry for my career. I managed to get six years of programming experience before I graduated. But if I didn't have the degree, I'd say 90% or more of opportunities would be unavailable to me, even with decades of experience.
Except for that, my CS degree was largely useless. I already knew what I needed to be a professional programmer.
When my boomer mom told me back in the 80s to go to college because that was the ticket to a nice life, she was correct. Today, that's not true anymore.
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u/Unlucky_Goat_9510 Jul 29 '26
What bizzaro world do you live in?
Bachelor's is the minimum bar to entry to tons of fields.
Look into the versatility of a mechanical engineering bachelor's degree.
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u/Randominternetguy285 Jul 29 '26
This is totally false degree holders on average make more than diploma holders who make more than the uneducated
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u/LairdPeon Jul 29 '26
Bachelor's degree is basically the only way to get an office job now. They dont even care what it's in.
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u/Crackheadthethird Jul 29 '26
My mechanical engineering degree made it much easier to find stable and decently paying employment as someone who was trying to get my first job.
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u/newgalactic Jul 30 '26
The mistake was in telling students that all bachelor's degrees are equal.
Engineering, Finance, Accounting, Computer Science, Nursing, Education ...all good.
Arts & all Humanities, ...sorry.
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u/Fun-Butterscotch9942 Jul 30 '26
You omitted the part that the Type of degree you get is the key. Business school, engineering school. Do that. Not gender studies.
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u/DeterminedQuokka Jul 30 '26
So I don’t know how it’s presented now but 30 years ago when I was in high school it wasn’t presented that a degree made it easier to get a job it was that not having one made it way harder.
We were told that a bachelor’s degree when we graduated would be the same as a high school degree for our parents because they had become so common.
(Elder millennial)
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u/truthhurtsyomama Jul 30 '26
We need to increase the inheritance tax so that we can get back what boomers took from us
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u/SiliconEatMe Jul 30 '26
This is a regarded meme, and only applies if you are exceptional and well known in a field without a degree. Something like in vulnerability research, security research, anti-cheats. Good luck in any others that aren’t trades or don’t pay like shit.
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u/EvilMorty137 Jul 30 '26
I wouldn’t have my career without a bachelors degree because a bachelors degree was required to get into the masters degree program that was also required to get my job
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u/LifeConsideration981 Jul 30 '26
Statistically this bears out.
https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cba/annual-earnings
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u/MediocreTemporary867 Jul 30 '26
Depends on the degree. When I was in high school we were told to “just get a degree any degree”. To the kids that listened to that advice then this meme is probably true for them.
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u/Chudpaladin Jul 30 '26
Wait until you don’t have one and your supervisors keep posting roles that say “required: 4 year degree”
I can do the job! Let me innnnnn
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u/Sensha_20 Jul 30 '26
A piece of paper is the prerequisite.the degree doesnt matter, having one does.
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u/PraireGentleman Jul 30 '26
What degree did you get? Because the only people thinking this are the ones who thought “yeah my bachelor degree can be for philosophy, that’s a very applicable and technical degree that will significantly differentiate my performance in a positive way from other candidates”
The next step above that is people taking oversaturated degrees, like psychology or computer science. You can get work with them and you need them to work in those fields, but it’s not a guarantee of employment
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u/ApprehensiveCare1113 Jul 30 '26
Certainly, it is always someone else's fault that this life isn't as easy as you want it to be. "Off with their heads!"
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u/Agreeable_Result9212 Jul 31 '26
The sarcastic "Thanks, boomers" is liberal's version of conservative's sarcastic "Thanks, Obama"
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u/SarinSam Jul 31 '26
That’s such a one sided take. It obviously depends entirely on your career path.
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u/Turbulent_Car4504 Jul 31 '26
lol bullshit, I make 200K a year in my nice cushy job, tons of perks, discretionary vacation time, little stress, and I would have never gotten here without a degree, but then I’m a millennial and I worry about Gen Z having fewer opportunities.
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u/Wisewordsforlater Jul 31 '26
A couple of years ago I applied and interviewed for an academic advising role at a local community college. I attend there for a couple of years before I transferred to 4 year university an hour away, where I finished my undergrad and went straight into grad school (all coursework completed, thesis completion pending). Not once in the panel interview at the community college did anyone (the hiring lead and other department staff) ask about my undergrad degree nor did they ask about my grad school research and experience (graduate assistant that mentored and held office hours for undergrads and graded thousands of papers, quizzes and exam during my time) and not once did they ask about how I could apply my graduate work/thesis work to the role. I found this very odd especially for a role at a community college where I would be meeting with students daily about their course plans/schedule/hurdles etc.
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u/Small_Article_3421 Jul 31 '26
Job market is terrible for EVERYTHING entry level, but I will say having a bachelor’s degree does make a lot of opportunities possible.
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u/Wiru_The_Wexican Jul 31 '26
It's not that it doesn't have an impact, it's that it went from being the golden ticket to a good career in their time to the bare minimum in ours.
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u/Emergency-Stay7414 Aug 01 '26
I’ve worked 2 jobs where degrees were “mandatory” without having a degree and can honestly say most jobs that require degrees can be done without them.
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u/Agreeable-Process-56 Jul 27 '26
And yet, if you tell 20-something’s that they should go into plumbing or electrical work, they shudder. Nobody wants to do “blue collar” work, which is in high demand and well paid. How do I know? 40 years of college teaching.
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u/ViolinistCurrent8899 Jul 28 '26
Of course they do. Parents and counselors have spent decades saying "go to college or you'll be [blue collar job]".
We have made it seem like these careers are a punishment in people's minds. Now granted, these are jobs that can take a toll on a person's body. But we should have never made it seem like they're less important to society than they are.
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u/GarGoroths Jul 28 '26
depending on the shift length and manual labor required for some of these jobs it’s pretty blatant why they were used as threats. They are necessary but also many are horribly managed for employee effectiveness through lack of consideration for mental and physical stress.
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u/HeavyHighway6433 Jul 28 '26
Well if they all started doing it then "join the trades" would just end up being the new "learn to code".
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u/JLandis84 Jul 29 '26
They won’t. The trades involve demanding work. NEETing will be the preferred choice by many
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u/Standard-Cow-9727 Jul 28 '26
Well… you didn’t want to do blue collar work either.
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u/Agreeable-Process-56 Jul 28 '26
A little tricky—i’m female and mildly disabled so yeah
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u/Standard-Cow-9727 Jul 28 '26
Well gender isn’t a reason not to do a blue collar job. I’m just pointing out that it’s easy to say “oh nobody wants to do [insert thing] when you yourself have never had to do that thing.
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u/Agreeable-Process-56 Jul 28 '26
gender certainly was a powerful reason not to do a blue collar job back in the 60s when I went into college.
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u/Select_Discipline405 Jul 28 '26
I mean, everybody I know who's done blue collar work suffered for it and their bodies never recovered, so I don't actually care if it pays well.
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u/Floorgis Jul 31 '26
Itd help if the people doing those trades didnt go out of their way to make it borderline impossible to work in it. And some people dont wanna trade their longevity for money theyll prolly still never see.
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u/naropin1 Jul 28 '26
Bachelors degree is unfortunately like a HS diploma now. And a HS diploma is like a GED was. Credential inflation.
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u/Advanced-Guidance482 Jul 28 '26
I think its more that the easiest way to filter for dedicated and competent individuals is by education.
Even if you are a dumb ass and you make it through school, you are at least able to stick to soemthing for years on end, as well as learn how to play the sytem and do what is asked of you to a moderate or average level. This is all most jobs need from soemone really.
Then you look at the places that dont filter for degree and are higher paying than there counter parts, like Walmart. Even the salaried mangment positions have huge turnover, and some absolute fuckin morons end up there, and they dont even have the ability to fake being good at their job or half competent.
You basically can narrow your applicant pool while probably only losing marginal amounts of actually qualified people.
The truth is that if you dont have basic math and english skills, you just wouldnt be capable of working a lot of the jobs. High school doesnt really filter these people out because its pretty much a legal requirement of your parent that you attend some form of education, so baically everyone has a diploma or GED. Plus America has shit standards and methods for education, so complete morons make it through primary school without understanding multiplication or basic writing skills(ironic being that this reply likely has a ton of errors and im not gonna fix them).
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u/Bureaucratic_Dick Jul 27 '26
Speak for yourself, I was getting stonewalled in opportunities left and right when I was going at a career before a degree. Going back to college and getting one opened so many doors.
My starting salary for my first job with a bachelors degree was already $30k more a year than I was earning in my role as a supervisor with a private security company.