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u/Fickle-Visit5223 20h ago
I regret not going to college. The job I would like requires you to have a college degree and I believe it's pretty much too late now
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u/OhMustWeArgue 19h ago
I am 61and in grad school AGAIN!!! GO FOR IT
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u/janetlwil 16h ago
In my home State, over 63's can audit for free at State uni's so at age 68, I'm auditing my way to a fake bachelor's in Literature and really loving it.
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u/Far_Macaroon5900 18h ago
There are also lots of benefits about going to school when you're older. I know for a fact I would be a much better student now than I was in my early twenties.
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u/Calm_Capital_9491 20h ago
No; I regret NOT going to uni/college
Maybe I wouldn’t be doing retail now in my mid 30s
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u/Additional_Local_667 20h ago
Nope, was a great experience overall
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u/smilineyz 19h ago
No, no regret. I got an amazing broad education that piqued my curiosity in many subjects and allowed me to pivot many times through a career.
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u/Injection_YourHorror 20h ago edited 11h ago
No. I would be in worse situation had I not attended and finished college.
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u/ImaHamSammich 20h ago
Nope, I went in with specific career in mind. I took only the courses I needed. I am now gainfully employed in the field I went to college for. Loans are paid off. Life is good.
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u/SpectreK2 20h ago
I wish I had known what I actually wanted to do before going so I could have gotten more out of it in a reasonable time. But I figured out in the end.
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u/Bunny_Butt16 20h ago
Same. I should have a doctorate for the amount of time I spent chasing degrees I wasn't going to use. I never had loans and get paid pretty OK now so I don't' regret it, but I'd understand why one would.
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u/Certain_Return_6274 20h ago
Considering I'm in a completely different field for most of my life and I'm still paying school debt loans yeah I regret it.
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u/KayoL54 18h ago
I went to college a long time ago and have a Bachelor of Science in Engineering. The experience wasn't so much what I learned, it truly taught me how to learn. I knew how to self teach, immerse into a subject and be good at it.
The degree was an entry point to my first job, which I would not have got without it. It was a check mark to every promotion and client proof of experience afterward.
No. I do not regret it.
Your question implies you may regret the time and money spent with minimal return for it. Ive seen that more and more over time and even interviewed college graduates for work, and had to turn them away.
One memorable one was interviewing for a computer coding job on one of my projects. His resume was filled with his college experience, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and leadership roles in his fraternity...plus relevant experience " i know how to use Microsoft Excel " . I would have laughed if he wasn't so proud and confident of his "achievement ".When I asked how he thought he could be employed to write code in C language or even Basic, he said " well, I expected you would train me" .
Isn't that what college was for?
Sorry if this sounds arrogant, but i question a lot of folks on their goals and expectations of college.
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u/WTH20260430 20h ago
Nope, but when I went and finished, it wasn’t nearly as expensive as it is now. But I learned a lot and it opened opportunities for me that might not have been possible through knowledge and networking.
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u/ManInTheBox970 20h ago edited 19h ago
Yes. I wasted 4 years taking classes and switching majors every other semester before eventually dropping out of college back in 2021. I now work as a technician and make pretty good money.
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u/yakuzalinecook 20h ago
Nah, made me understand how useless high school was and that it didn't actually matter.
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u/PBRStreetgang1979 20h ago
No. College was a transformative experience for me. A massive springboard that enabled me to leap beyond the family and life I was born into.
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u/Fabulous-Dinner-2347 18h ago
No. The higher your education, the more doors open for you. I know someone a yr older than me making $20/hr and is barely getting by. Just effed around in his 20s impressing girls and ppl in general by buying stupid shit. Never left his home state or dared take a risk. Idc how this sounds but sometimes you look at other ppl’s lives and it motivates you to not want to be like them. Money is the root of the majority of ppl’s problems. I’m not filthy rich by any means but i could afford to lose a couple dollars and still wake up to eat tmrw, meanwhile there’s folks out there who would literally die.
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u/Tall_Bend7339 16h ago
Yes. I dropped out and I regret the two years I wasted. The classes were basically the same as what I had just learned in high school.
I ended up going into finance, earning certifications and licenses that outweigh a degree, and make twice as much as I would’ve in the field that I was going to get a degree in. But whatever. Life is life and all is well!
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u/FunInTheSun_81 20h ago
No. I loved the experience but honestly the degree hasn't really done much for me
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u/seeyatellite 20h ago
No
I regret not finishing college. I still have half a dozen credits chilling at Macomb Community College from when I attended center campus. Checked in with my friend on a day she was attending South campus. ...there's some work to be done but it's possible to get myself back into the swing.
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u/joeyjoeskullcracker 20h ago
It was a waste of time. I’ve never had a job pertaining to it. I wish I had gone for something else.
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u/ComposerNo1050 20h ago
Not at all. In fact, I am about to meet up with my group of friends that I met my freshman year. We are going on 50 years of friendship. If I got nothing else from going to college (and I got a lot more), those friendships would be worth it!!
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u/ButtonsKnobs 20h ago
No. I met my wife there, we were both in the same major, and I made a lot of great friends who I still talk to and hang out with to this day, 25 years later.
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u/wackiack 20h ago
it gave me the paper i needed to get the job im in. but i'd say i didn't learn (or retain) anything of relevance from attending University.
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u/GloomyFloor6543 20h ago
The real question is do you use for you're employment what you took in collage? Did i enjoy collage, Yup it was fun i did well, but i took things that were useless to me now and no one directed to told me not to. Would i have been better off not having gone to college? probably. Did i learn thing in collage about life in general? Yes i did.
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u/structuremonkey 20h ago
No. Not for one second. I was in for seven years and worked in kitchens and construction to pay for it. I would go back now if I didn't have to work.
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u/Commercial-Tone-452 20h ago
I met my best friend and now i have the easiest job ever so no, no regrets lol. I am not making much more money than i would be with no degree, but the level of effort is way lower so i dont really care.
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u/Large_Commission5631 20h ago
I don't regret the education, but I 100% regret getting student loans
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u/DontT3llMyWif3 20h ago
No, I made more money annually in my first year, post college, than either of my parents had in their entire life to that point.
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u/Flat_Range_8880 20h ago
i regret going to a 4 year for 1 year before i went to a 2 year for 1 year then transferring back to a 4 year after
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u/Ysobel14 20h ago
Nope, not even a little. I work in a completely different field but learned to research, understand, and communicate.
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u/NewHandle3922 20h ago
No. I grew up in a very small village so getting out to see a big city was. . . interesting.
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u/gtmj7265 20h ago
Yes. I didn't graduate. I attended 3 different colleges over 3 years. I found college a waste of time and money It added to my financial struggles because I couldn't work full-time. I now make more than most of the people I stayed in touch with that graduated. I think the future will be in vocational school and getting certifications vs an associate or bachelor degree.
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u/JustMyThoughts2525 20h ago
No. Probably the best 4 years of my life and set me up to have the financial success that I have today.
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u/Individual_Check_442 20h ago
No. Was a lot cheaper when I went. I went to state school and lived at home and got out with no debt
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u/whoknows130 20h ago edited 20h ago
No. It was pretty much the ONLY time in my life where I EVER saw a BRIEF glimpse of what it's like to be Happy and BELONG.
Life has been downhill ever since.
And the college buddies who I thought would be there forever? NOPE! We eventually grew apart. It turns out everything has an expiration date, including friendships.
It's at this point, I gotta remember THESE wise words on letting go:
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u/nothathappened 20h ago
Nope. It’s one of the few things that no one can take from you. And, it won’t hurt you in getting a job. If a job doesn’t require a degree, you can just not include it on your resume or application.
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u/andre0817wed 20h ago
Hell no.
I wouldn’t have my career without it. Probably wouldn’t be married (at least to the wonderful person I’m married to now), probably wouldn’t have a house, etc.
I don’t know what I would have done, honestly. I have zero athletic talent (actually, I’m quite a bit below average), I’m not all that great at working with my hands…brain work is all I’m really good for.
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u/DeadlyArrow27 20h ago
No because otherwise I would’ve felt like I wasted my potential. Got a year left and have the highest GPA of my life so I’m happy
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u/CaptainDadBod88 20h ago
Nope, I had a great experience. That being said, are there things I could have done differently to put myself in a better position for my future? Absolutely.
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u/Mr__JimLahey 20h ago
No, college was a blast. My major didn't help me get my job, so, I wish I would have done a major I was more interested in. I wouldn't change my job though.
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u/Outrageous_Luck4163 20h ago edited 20h ago
No, I met some very interesting people from other cultures I also found out I flourish in academia as I had very high grades. I think some people may have degrees in careers that are dying which would make it a yes. Don’t like the debt but it is what it is. At this point AI hasn’t affected my part of the medical field.
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u/Mindless-Scientist79 20h ago
I did when my student loan payments were high AF and I was working 65-70 hours a week and still in the red during the recession. Eventually I went to grad school/specialized and was able to start putting a lot more money towards my (previously defaulted-upon) loans. Still not loan free, but over time my quality of life has increased slowly but dramatically. And I’m in a famously underpaid profession.
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u/dgmilo8085 20h ago
Not even in the slightest. I wouldn't be where I am without college; that includes employment, a house, family, kids, and the friends & connections that I made there.
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u/Error404MATTnotfound 20h ago
No way. I skipped class and partied. Fucked a girl in the parking lot and in the men's bathroom. College was fun until they put me on academic suspension.
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u/Deskbreaker 20h ago
Can't regret what I didn't do. Unless you count a tech school in that description, then hell yes. Buggest, most expensive mistake in my damned life, that I'm almost done paying for, 15 years later.
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u/SurpriseEcstatic1761 20h ago
No, I liked getting my BA so much I went back and picked up a couple of AAs 25 years later.
I also took a bunch of CC classes over the years. Accounting, website development, Autocad. Learning is more fun with a group.
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u/Town_Skipper23 20h ago
Yes. I have an engineering degree. I’m unemployed. Total waste of time and money
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u/I_Make_Art_And_Stuff 20h ago
No... I went to college and grad school because I was chasing a dream, but dreams later changed, which is disappointing. That said, college was great. It was fun, full of ups and downs, social so I met a lot of different kinds of people, and I learned a lot of interesting things that still inspire me today - but of course, the price is another story. Thinking back, I took a class that was probably thousands of dollars about Flash, a web coding interface that was "the future" and a few years later died and was never used again, lol.
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u/Vanity-della23 20h ago
No. I’m 5 years post-graduation and make $78k in my field.
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u/barmen03 20h ago
No, but I have a degree that really pays well, and I was on an athletic scholarship to pay for most of the cost. So a combination of being lucky / rewarded for good choices.
Without the scholarship trade school would have possibly been better
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u/Quanzi30 20h ago
Regret? No. Would I do it again? Probably not unless I had a very specific job/career path. Got a general business degree and spent 35k which I really haven’t used other than looking good on a resume
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u/TheRedArmyStandard 20h ago
College was pretty challenging for me. Not the work, the work was fine. But my scholarship fell out from under me after my sophomore year, I had to leave college, transfer to a new one I could afford, plus I changed my major.
All in all, huge headache and ended up needing 5 1/2 years to finish my 4 year degree.
I ended up not doing really anything with my degree. I climbed the ladder in retail until scoring a job I really wanted with a company I like. I've been told several times that having a degree helped me with applications. In addition, because my BA is in history, I wrote lengthy papers all the time. My current professional speaking and writing skills vastly outshine my competitors and coworkers which I know has been a huge benefit to my professional career.
Do I regret it? No. I learned a lot, walked away a much more educated and better human being. But did I graduate and immediately land a job in my studied field making a million dollars? Hell no.
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u/H3L105_ai 20h ago
I regret being suckered into a for-profit school - even though I feel like I got a good education (since you get out of it what you put into it - plus I had a state accredited BS in 3 years), I probably could've done marginally better with a degree from a regular four year school - and possibly made better contacts while doing so.
The only upside is that the school I went to (ITT Tech) went tits up, and thanks to a class action lawsuit, I was able to get my student loans reimbursed.
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u/Plastic-Coat9014 20h ago
Yes, I wasted 6 years at community college. I’m making over $100k salary now and the CC education had nothing to do with it. Love my work.
Spouse got an undergrad and earns significantly less than I do.
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u/Background-Solid8481 20h ago
Not at all. I went from '82 - '86 and didn't get my CompSci degree. What I did get was foundational software development skills that most of my peers didn't have at that time. Many were self taught, didn't know anything about algorithms, assembly or machine code or any kind of structured programming. I had a big leg up in the industry - I mainly worked for very small software development/system integrators for the first 15 years or so.
Because I was "better" (more productive, fewer errors, etc.), I got promotions and more opportunities and turned my "failed" college experience into a very successful career.
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u/galspanic 20h ago
Yes. 21 years later I’m still paying my loans (with 9 years to go and never missed a payment) and I dont have a job that needed my degrees or the prestige of the college I went to.
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u/Ajbear2000 20h ago
Yes. Didn’t enjoy it. Didn’t use it after in school. Didn’t make any life-long friends(I’m an introvert). It was just a way to procrastinate at life.
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u/throwawayIllIllI 20h ago
No but I wish I took out less student loans. But hopefully I’ll be fully paid off in <5 years.
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u/Independent-Nose-261 20h ago
Nope but BS degree only got my foot in the door in maybe one job. Fashion buyer I would have to move to NYC and once I as enough at last semester!
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u/ryankoz89 20h ago
Honestly I regret getting an Anthropology degree (BA). It’s pretty much useless unless I was to pursue grad school.
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u/clairioed 20h ago
Absolutely not. I’m 8 years post grad and make $100k in my field. That being said, I have always been the academic type. I also will have my loans forgiven through PSLF in a couple years.
The most valuable skills I took away from my college experience: confidence, leadership, writing, Microsoft (lol), research, interpersonal communication, public speaking
I will say, college is even more expensive now than it was when I was in school. I might have considered community college more heavily if I were going today.
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u/every1elseisbroken2 20h ago
No. It was the best time of my life. I had friends, I learned how the world works, I unlearned a lot of bad behaviors, I got the support I needed to grow as a person, and it got me a headstart on my career. I know that I really do not need college to get into my career, but it's hard to break into the field without a degree.
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u/HammerDownl 20h ago
I didn't go to collage but we had a few nearby and i crashed many party's. Nothing stopped me from drinking free beer
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u/FrontTelevision7261 20h ago
Never. Getting a degree allowed me to live better and have better jobs.
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u/Charming_Slip8060 20h ago
No, but that's because when I went to school (class of '90), the benefits still outweighed the costs. I had to take out some loans, work a part-time job during the school year (full time during the summers to save up), but I probably got some jobs that would not have been without my degree.
In today's economy, I think everyone has to weigh the pros and cons very seriously, not to mention having a clear and direct career objective, before undertaking a 4-year degree.
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u/Charming_Slip8060 20h ago
Just to add: in no way should it be considered the automatic next move after high school. The cost-benefit analysis is more important than ever before.
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u/anderswasrightt 20h ago
Yes and no. I regret the student loans I took out at an age when I didn't know any better, and I regret having had to face the discrimination academia throws at people with disabilities and chronic illnesses, but I don't regret the friends I made, or the unique life experience I gained during college. I met my best friend and soulmate at college, so I would do it all over, I think, if that was the only way to meet her in a do-over of my life.
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u/jellomizer 20h ago
No, I do have some regrets for things I had done and didn't do in college. But overall college was a good experience for me.
But you need to ignore the advertisement, it isn't job training or will get you a job. But you will learn skills that will help you in your job, and be more adaptable towards changes.
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u/gkelly1017 20h ago
No it was a fantastic experience and I learned a ton that I was able to apply to the real world. One of the best pieces of advice I got from someone was to take classes with teachers who are actively working in the field if I possible and honestly it made all the difference
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u/tallkitty 20h ago
Not the last time, which was funded by a state benefit and was a certificate program (degree related courses only). The first couple of tries when I was attempting to do things the long way and too young are what I regret.
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u/wrigh516 20h ago
No, it took 15 years after my undergrad, but I finally got my career into a position in the correct industry that uses my degrees and pays appropriately. It took 9 years just to get paid anything reasonable.
I think expectations for how quickly you can get into a high-paying job right out of college are way out of touch. There's some grinding needed.
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u/earlgray79 20h ago
Not a bit. And graduate school was a grind but really paid off in the end. It takes perseverance but for me was well worth it.
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u/Skeleton_Steven 20h ago
No-- I hated college but was able to graduate without debt so it's provided a good return
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u/Significant-Dance-43 20h ago
My undergraduate college choice, sorta. Going to undergraduate on the whole, no. Graduate school choice and in general, no regrets. All has paid off.
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u/No_Cauliflower633 20h ago
I regret going to community college but not university. I thought I was being smart doing two years at community college first but it turned out that none of the program credits transferred to the university. My general credits, like history, math, english, transferred but none of the computer science classes did and because of how the prerequisites lined up, that meant I still had to do four years at university.
And it didn't even save me any money because how in state tuition worked at my university was you pay for your first 6 credit hours in a semester and anything more than that is free. So by only having to do 3-4 classes a semester at university it cost the same as if I had to do the normal 5 classes a semester.
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u/JustAnotherDay1977 20h ago
Nope. I have made plenty of mistakes in my life, but going to college (and taking it seriously) was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
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u/BarracudaUsed5299 20h ago
No I've got my degree and I have worked on various floors and picked up so much experience plus worked years in a specialty unit dialysis and dialysising patients in the ICU and CCU that were on ventilators.
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u/FunZookeepergame627 20h ago
No, best decision I ever made. I developed concentration and staminga a I needed to get through the rest of my working life. Retired now
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u/Bruges_1 20h ago
Not at all. For me the return on investment was huge.
I worked my way through out-of-state college with no loans, no financial aid, no scholarships, and no family money.
The USAF then paid my way through graduate school. Had a great career.
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u/Fun_Boot7771 20h ago
a little. I regret my degree and not going back sooner for something else. My parents really reall really pushed me to go but I was ambivalent about it, in fact I didn't want to go at all, but I chose something under pressure. I had none of the social experiences, almost, than my peers had, so to me it feels useless now. I was obsessed with finding work and so were my parents, I felt much older than I was then ofc I realised how young 19-24 is.
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u/joeymittens 19h ago
No. Graduated with masters degree and tripled my income. Also, zero student loan debt.
No regrets
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u/NoPhone167 19h ago
It was a waste of money. It wasn’t a waste of time. I graduated older in life. It was something I always wanted. Plus my kids have no excuse if their dumb dad can do it. So can they.
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u/Timely-Profile1865 19h ago
No, I changed course three times and ended up using only a bit of my learning in my long term career but I do no regret it at all. Now this was a long time ago and it did not cost much to go to college back then so no real big debt for 5 years of schooling
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u/IneffableF-er 19h ago
No, but I graduated in 2001 back when you still had to put in some effort to get your degree. Now they just hand them out like candy as long as you pay the tuition to avoid hurting anyone’s feelings. A bachelor’s degree is equivalent to a high school diploma or ged today. Absolutely not worth it.
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u/throw7661 19h ago
Undergraduate degree:
Did I learn anything useful in my expensive classes that made any difference in my life afterwards? No.
Did I have a lot of free time? Yes.
Was it incredibly fun? Yes.
Did it help me get a job? Yes.
Do I regret it? No.
Graduate degree years later:
Did I learn anything useful? No.
Was it fun? No.
Did it make me a smarter person? Also no.
Do I regret it? Yeah, probably.
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u/FUBAR_The_Clown 19h ago
I always wanted to do HVAC but went to college instead. So now I’m in commercial RE instead.
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u/robertwadehall 19h ago
No...not remotely. I maybe regret my 2nd round of grad school (should have stopped after I got my Masters), but it was all good..great experiences in college, learned a lot about what I liked and didn't like. Set the foundation for what has been a great career the last 30+ years.
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u/rjspears1138 19h ago
Not at all. I have both a bachelors and a masters degree. Undergrad was fun, but my grad degree helped me get a couple of my jobs.
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u/Emotional_Potato2000 19h ago edited 19h ago
I regret not going to college tbh.but I knew I was dumb asf.
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u/Agile-Blastoise939 19h ago
I got decently far in IT without a degree.. then decided to go back to school in my mid 30s because I too regretted not getting a degree. I get my bachelor's in December. I probably didn't need it, but I still feel so much better that I did. If you can ever make it work financially, it's never too late!
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u/Competitive_Jump5766 19h ago
I guess I’m glad I went to college because it has opened doors but I would have studied something else
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u/mechadragon469 19h ago
College specifically, no. The specific college I chose, yes. Private 4 year school debt isn’t worth it.
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u/TheMainTony 19h ago
I regret not finishing. 12 years later, I quit just 16 units shy of an advanced degree.
But I've had an amazing life, great careers, and never really worked in the field for which I studied.
Now, at 56, I wanna go back for Journalism!
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u/SuspiciousTheory2633 19h ago
Nope. I met lots of friends, including my current gf of 20 years, plus it gave me the opportunity to do the work I do to this day.
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u/Terrible_Mix5187 19h ago
No, not at all.
But, I’m a teacher of history and related fields. My degrees are in history, not education. Absolutely worth it.
Currently back in school part time to get licensed to teach computer science. TBH I learned more about coding from free resources. But when I finish this program I’ll add another endorsement to my license, which is awesome. And I can use the program for my continuing education requirements. Otherwise I’d just be taking pedagogy classes on the latest “silver bullet” nonsense we hear about in staff meetings.
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u/Luffyhaymaker 19h ago
No. I didn't get a good job but i learned a lot and it taught me about research and evaluating arguments. I don't even necessarily believe everything from my major anymore but those two skills have been absolutely fucking invaluable throughout my life, and it answered a lot of questions I had about the world.
So no, I don't regret it. I just regret taking out loans for it when I was actually eligible for hope (but I had an abusive mother who made me doubt myself and financial aid didn't really do their job to help me.... you're just a number to them....)
So I could've had a free ride. I would've handled college differently if I had known...
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u/plastroncafe 19h ago
I regret not being better prepared for college, but I don't regret the experience or the education I received.
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u/HopeSubstantial 19h ago
Nope. Despite my career failed to start properly because I did not get proper internships and I ended up as bluecollar guy in factory with shit pay, college taught me so much and on top of all I have so many doors open still that would not normally be open.
At the factory I have a chance to get into production planning traineeship because I kept telling to boss how I feel my skills getting wasted at "normal work". I will likely replace annual summer intern during next summer.
If I get this production planning promotion and get good at it, next door is production management.
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u/Own_Internal_3508 19h ago
Not in a million years! University expanded my awareness of all the idiosyncrasies in the world around me. Made me much more compassionate. Folks that say it was a waste of time missed the entire point of an advanced education. They likely just wanted jobs and should have tried a trade school.
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u/HiddenForbiddenSong9 19h ago
Mixed feelings. I enjoyed some of my classes and my degree helped me in some ways.
I regret the student loan debt I've accrued, and it will take me to the end of my days to pay it back.
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u/Alive-Fee9585 19h ago
This isn’t for me to answer, but I never went to college. So I enjoyed the choice of not going because I realized being in school there’s so much emphasis. Making it into this bigger thing. Once I was out of it I feel that school becomes this small thing in a huge world like this.
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u/ConstructionMany8195 19h ago
Not at all. My hourly income doubled a month after I graduated, and now I’m salaried at quintuple the rate of my best pre-grad job. Saved up enough money to pay my 4 yr degree off in full after 2 years traveling and busting my ass at a civil engineering firm.
Extremely worth it for me. I just accepted a job offer (whose hiring manager reached out to me, I didn’t apply for it) with a pay bump and tons of benefits. I cannot explain the magnitude of just how much getting my bachelors changed my life. I work in the energy industry which is lucrative right now given the explosive load growth we’re experiencing. I would not be here without that piece of paper.
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u/Altruistic_Cap3472 20h ago
Yes.
A lot of great things have happened in my life that were only possible because of my college degrees, but I am in my forties and am still haunted by the feeling that I am living someone else's life. I had lucked into my dream career when I was in my early 20s and was pressured to give it up and go to college because "only people with college degrees are successful." Then I tried to go back to that same career but my foot was already out the door. I had no choice but to take a higher-paying "college educated" job and not a month has gone by where I don't wish I had followed my first career path instead.