I have a LA degree (History). I’ve been out of school for 3.5 years. I make more than many of my friends with a BS degree.
I wonder if people in India say that we speak “American”…
If someone had told me in college to major in business instead of Poly Sci and History, I wouldn’t be stuck in a Call Center my whole life. :))
[quote=“stonecoldken, post:23, topic:27429”]If someone had told me in college to major in business instead of Poly Sci and History, I wouldn’t be stuck in a Call Center my whole life. :))[/quote]McCrory majored in Political Science.
THIS says the man with a BS.
Yeah I was going to say this. Obviously degrees like engineering and other science jobs have a career path laid out, but that doesn’t mean that a LA degree is a waste. The majority of people in business have LA degrees. For roles like medical or engineering you HAVE to have the knowledge obtained through getting the degree. In other fields, like fields tied to business, then the fact that you have a degree - that you have critical thinking, reasoning, high thinking skills is what is needed.
While some degrees are prob a waste of tax payer dollars - I would think a second or two before you say that about all LA degrees.
Being successful in life and a career has much more to do with how hard you are willing to work, how you can sell yourself, how you separate yourself from the masses and how you present yourself than what your diploma says.
Hell… I have two LA degrees, BA History/MA Liberal Studies…I’m a Air Force officer and have had a successful career with Duke Energy. It’s all about what you make of it.
[quote=“Charlotte2002, post:10, topic:27429”]I have to say that McCrory is off base here.
There have been studies that have shown some of the highest earning undergraduate majors are in fact liberal arts programs.
The liberal arts degrees are usually the precursor to a more technical or professional advanced degree, which coupled with the liberal arts degree mold a more well-rounded professional.
That being said the type of student earning a liberal arts degree at an Ivy League school may be in a position to earn more than a student with a liberal arts degree from a public school. Then the argument is academically is unc-ch more academically like an Ivy or the one of many public universities in the state of NC…[/quote]
Link?
I bet McCrory wishes he could take his comments back. I think he was trying to say that the people of NC (most of whom do not have a college degree) are paying for a big chunk of the cost for a student in a state university to get their degree, and there should be some ROI to the citizens of NC. On average, holders of some degrees make more than others. Those that do pay more in taxes and help attract companies that bring better jobs for everyone. When I was a kid Durham was the Tobacco Capital of the US and many jobs in town were in the cigarette plants. Now Durham is the City of Medicine and people are working in hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, etc. Even for those people with only a high school diploma life is better because companies move into the Triangle to take advantage of the educated workforce.
Perhaps what we should do is tier the state subsidy to encourage students to study those areas that boost our economy. In the same way that people know that becoming a teacher will not reward you monetarily like other options, allow students to chose among majors that give them the mix of education, fulfillment, and subsidy that best meets their goals.
[quote=“zerogeneticsdc, post:17, topic:27429”]As someone furthering my education in a tech degree and I completely disagree with Pat’s claim here.
You go to college to learn how to think. Sure, I didn’t appreciate my Global Studies class when I took it, but I definitely appreciate it now. It taught me how to have a wider perspective. That sociology class I took? I now know that I need to consider the impact of my designs on society, and more often than not it’s on a very small subset of society – they called it social sustainability. I wish more folks in my field were forced to take that course.
Nonetheless, student and quite frankly many of the adults who are pushing them have developed a “degree = jobs” complex. In order to do a majority of the jobs out there you don’t have to have a specific degree. How many psychology majors or theater majors do you know that have jobs working in some form of business? I know a number of them. Heck, most of my friends in business don’t have a business degree. The point is the 4-year degree – it’s a symbol of knowing how to critically think.
Not everyone is cut out to be an engineer or a scientist. I just so happened to be. But I greatly appreciate the English majors out there who love to read and write. They contribute to everyday conversations and keep me in touch with things outside of my STEM field mindset. I couldn’t do what they do or study what they did. And I enjoy talking to them over a meal as they take a break from their office managerial position. We keep each other balanced.
You cut lib-arts. You cut gender studies. You cut a lot of the culture that makes this country great. And no, degree type doesn’t = job.
There are a lot of answers to the flaws in the higher ed and societal system and problems that many of us are blind to. This isn’t the answer.[/quote]
this.
No need to apologize to me, although it may be a first on this board. If you read what I said, its not based on absolutes. You can make a fortune with no degree and be unemployed with an engineering degree, although the probabilities favor the opposite.
I also don’t consider Charlotte to be an expensive LA degree. Although not cheap, its not $25K to $50K per year you might pay at other schools. If you are pursuing your law degree, I have no doubt that will be earned. Good for you and we need more like you. The cronyism is a direct reference to these more expensive schools, like Davidson for example. You could also throw in the Tarhole cronyism rampant in this state. I hope you find that generality to be false and you are hired because of your abilities.
I know someone that got an out of state LA degree from Boston College and then decided she wanted to be a veterinarian. If she were loaded with cash and/or future inheritance, I would say good for her, but she wasn’t. What a freaking waste of time and money in my opinion, but then again, the first reason I chose engineering is that I did not want to be poor. I hope what Pat is trying to say is, if you are going to go in debt to get a degree, you should be able to pay that debt off; OR if you are willing to pay for a degree that has little promise of producing good revenue for the state (his intended goal I believe), the state should reconsider subsidizing that form of education (example given for Chapel Hole Basketball) so that more funds can be provided for more lucrative prospects.
[quote=“NewNiner, post:16, topic:27429”][quote=“MeanJoeGreen, post:15, topic:27429”]For every Lib Arts grad that goes onto private graduate school, how many are asking right now, “You want fries with that?”…or equivalent cash-flow job. Pat is all about increasing tax dollars by growing the value of the tax base. He is less likely to raise tax rates on general public. However, he is known to go nuts from time to time (arena and light rail).
If you deducted all the liberal arts graduates that did not go to ultra expensive private schools that are not subsidized, then how much salary does the average graduate make? Chances are, if you are going to an expensive private school for liberal arts, you don’t need to be subsidized. Chances are, if you are paying for an expensive lib arts education, you are heading toward a law degree, masters or doctorate. In my opinion, much of the higher incomes from liberal education comes from cronyism.[/quote]
I was liberal arts at Charlotte (political science) and I’m in law school now. I’m not sure you’re implying this, but if you are: don’t tell me I’m not working my *** off to try to put food on my table and that somebody else is handing it to me. If you’re not, then I apologize for that little outburst.[/quote]
I haven’t seen data in recent years but I know that not long ago a Charlotte undergrad degree was worth more than a Chapel Hill degree. Our graduates earned higher salaries than any other state school with the exception of NCSU.
[quote=“ninermike, post:32, topic:27429”]I haven’t seen data in recent years but I know that not long ago a Charlotte undergrad degree was worth more than a Chapel Hill degree. Our graduates earned higher salaries than any other state school with the exception of NCSU.[/quote]Starting salaries, this is correct, but Chapel Hill is quite a bit higher for average middle career salaries.
This is likely because they have several professional schools that pump out doctors and lawyers while we have 0 professional schools (unless architecture is considered a professional school?)
The problem with pushing too many people to get accounting, engineering, or nursing degrees is that if you push too many people to pursue the same thing, you’ll just have the same problem with those that you have with LA degrees now. I read a few days ago that 43% of new nursing graduates can’t find a job and I bet most of those chose that degree in part because they heard there would always be jobs available in healthcare. I’m sure MJG or some others on here will blame this on the ACA, and it may very well play a contributing role, but this was expected anyway as hospitals have been trying to cut costs.
There needs to be a push to send people to vocational programs to fill the well paying blue collar jobs that we as a country currently lack the skills to fill.
2011 numbers show we were #3 in starting salary for state supported schools (behind NCSU and NC A&T) and #3 in mid career salary (behind NCSU and Chapel Hill). Wake, Davidson and Duke were also higher.
Some of my nieces and nephews are facing these type of decisions because of cost. Can not afford $20K a year for Intro. to Psych. and the college experience.
[quote=“TheShowDawg, post:35, topic:27429”]Some of my nieces and nephews are facing these type of decisions because of cost. Can not afford $20K a year for Intro. to Psych. and the college experience.
http://blogmaverick.acom/[/quote]
That’s going to be a reality for many families in the upcoming years, even for folks that make decent incomes. I’m putting the max into a 529 for my two kids, and unless it exceeds 7% earning between now and when they start, I’ll STILL have to take out a loan to finish paying for their educations. If you have two kids, you’re basically paying for 8 cars in 8 years. That’s absolutely ridiculous.
Business, Health and Human Services, and Architecture are all considered professional schools, especially at the graduate level.
Some lady wrote a Letter to the Editor bitching about how higher ed is it’s own purpose. Yeah, that doesn’t pay the bills, bitch.
[quote=“X-49er, post:36, topic:27429”][quote=“TheShowDawg, post:35, topic:27429”]Some of my nieces and nephews are facing these type of decisions because of cost. Can not afford $20K a year for Intro. to Psych. and the college experience.
http://blogmaverick.acom/[/quote]
That’s going to be a reality for many families in the upcoming years, even for folks that make decent incomes. I’m putting the max into a 529 for my two kids, and unless it exceeds 7% earning between now and when they start, I’ll STILL have to take out a loan to finish paying for their educations. If you have two kids, you’re basically paying for 8 cars in 8 years. That’s absolutely ridiculous.[/quote]
If my daughter doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life after she graduates HS she is going to a community college. Tuition is too high to do what I did, which was fuck around for 2 years. If she says I want to be an engineer - then go for it. If she says I have no idea what I want to do, here is a course schedule from CPCC. In addition with my wife as a teacher I will also not allow her to go into that field with 4 yrs of university bills, that will also get her 2 years at a community college.
Whether you agree or disagree with McCrory, his comments regarding market forces shaping higher education are dead on. Private schools have already begun to slash tuition. Students are already spending less time on college campuses and more time in front of their computer remotely.