What is the Most Worthless Degree? I don’t know what a Doctorate of Letters is, but I think in my head of a 3 year old with a cap & gown because she just recited her ABC’s. 
What does everyone else think is the MWD?
Talking about something other than hoops? I’m in!
Dance. Why would anyone, why would any parent, spend money on a degree in dance?
As if this board doesn’t already have plenty to be angry about, now we’re starting a whole thread with the sole purpose of insulting other people’s degrees? Good call, man!
In my opinion, a degree is worth what you make of it. If you’re doing something you love that you don’t believe you could be doing without the degree you got, isn’t it worth it? It’s not my place to say what it’s worth to someone else. My degree in engineering has been worth it. But for someone else who got a degree in engineering yet does not currently work as an engineer, it probably wasn’t worth it.
clt says this is too easy
African American studies degree from UNC CHeat.
[quote=“cltniners, post:4, topic:28565”]clt says this is too easy
African American studies degree from UNC CHeat.[/quote]
clt with the /threadwin
[quote=“cltniners, post:4, topic:28565”]clt says this is too easy
African American studies degree from UNC CHeat.[/quote] A few professional athletes might disagree. 
I once heard that Creative Writing is statically the degree with the worst return on investment, but I am not sure if it’s true. Most bachelor’s degrees in the humanities (history, psychology, philosophy, the arts, etc.) have no practical use unless you plan on being an educator or seeking an advanced degree. I majored in history, but it was for the purpose of teaching high school. I remember being in classes with people who were majoring in history, but had no plans to teach or seek an advanced degree. Needless to say, their degrees really didn’t help when it came to finding a job. Most employers don’t care how much you know about ancient civilizations or if you understand Greek philosophy.
I always encourage my students to get into a STEM field. You never want to be stuck with a ton of debt and a worthless degree. I know someone with $90,000 art history degree from a small Christian college who is now an insurance salesman. He makes a stable living, but claims that getting that degree was the biggest financial mistake of his life.
Not sure if I agree totally mike… I have a history degree, work for a bank and do just fine…unless you are in a degree specific field, medical, law, engineering etc… The degree itself is a sign of the ability to learn. Getting the foot in the door is as important as the degree… I’ve hired lots of people and we look for a degree, but honestly I can’t say that I pay attention to what discipline it’s in… Assuming a 19 year old kid is going to make the correct, final choice on a career path is unrealistic. The real key is the college choice… Private school that’s going to cost 100k plus is going to be a tough recovery regardless of the degree.
The aptitude to learn new things and be able to communicate are more important than anything in my field. I can teach you the job, but I can’t teach you to communicate.
[quote=“s9er, post:8, topic:28565”]Not sure if I agree totally mike… I have a history degree, work for a bank and do just fine…unless you are in a degree specific field, medical, law, engineering etc… The degree itself is a sign of the ability to learn. Getting the foot in the door is as important as the degree… I’ve hired lots of people and we look for a degree, but honestly I can’t say that I pay attention to what discipline it’s in… Assuming a 19 year old kid is going to make the correct, final choice on a career path is unrealistic. The real key is the college choice… Private school that’s going to cost 100k plus is going to be a tough recovery regardless of the degree.
The aptitude to learn new things and be able to communicate are more important than anything in my field. I can teach you the job, but I can’t teach you to communicate.[/quote]
And ability to finish…not quit
[quote=“s9er, post:8, topic:28565”]Not sure if I agree totally mike… I have a history degree, work for a bank and do just fine…unless you are in a degree specific field, medical engineering etc… The degree itself is a sign of the ability to learn. Getting the foot in the door is as important as the degree… I’ve hired lots of people and we look for a degree, but honestly I can’t say that I pay attention to what discipline it’s in… Assuming a 19 year old kid is going to make the correct, final choice on a career path is unrealistic.
The aptitude to learn new things and be able to communicate are more important than anything in my field. I can teach you the job, but I can’t teach you to communicate.[/quote]
Very fair point. Having a degree does open up a lot of possibilities, no matter the subject.
It is all about ROI and that depends upon the person. If you have a degree and get the same job that you could have gotten without it then it is not a great investment. If you were a worthless kid whose college experience made you want to get a job then that has merit as well. My BS degree has paid for itself. Now I have to work on getting the ROI out of the MBA.
I am fortunate that I haven’t had student debt in 5 years. I paid it all off within 4 years of graduation. But, degrees are getting getting more expensive and less valuable every year.
I believe any degree is better than none. It let’s employers know that you have the aptitude to take on and complete something, you learn a lot during the process and it will pay off down the road.
The big thing is how much does it cost you. If your parents are paying it all then it’s obviously a no brainer. If your paying for it yourself then it depends on what path you take in life.
I have heard a lot of people say they shouldn’t have bothered getting a degree because the field they work in doesn’t require one but you have no idea when your young if your path will go that way. Plus maybe you are succeeding in that filed because of the skills you picked up getting the degree and you just don’t realize it.
But yes the student debt crisis raises real concerns. Our society needs to find a way to lower the cost of college.
What do you think about the stance that a knowledge economy society should make college free, the way our society made high school free during the previous industrial economy?
We could have made college education free with the education lottery if we had written the original legislation correctly… Instead greedy interest groups are the real benefactor of the NC “education” lottery.
[quote=“Gassman, post:13, topic:28565”]I believe any degree is better than none. It let’s employers know that you have the aptitude to take on and complete something, you learn a lot during the process and it will pay off down the road.
The big thing is how much does it cost you. If your parents are paying it all then it’s obviously a no brainer. If your paying for it yourself then it depends on what path you take in life.
I have heard a lot of people say they shouldn’t have bothered getting a degree because the field they work in doesn’t require one but you have no idea when your young if your path will go that way. Plus maybe you are succeeding in that filed because of the skills you picked up getting the degree and you just don’t realize it.
But yes the student debt crisis raises real concerns. Our society needs to find a way to lower the cost of college.
What do you think about the stance that a knowledge economy society should make college free, the way our society made high school free during the previous industrial economy?[/quote]
This is a fun topic because there are several valid positions people on this board take. You mention not knowing when you are young where your path will take you and that rings a bell with me. In my 32 years of post-college work I am in my 3rd different profession. I could never have foreseen this path.
I started to read through the thread but decided this was easier:
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-10-most-useless-graduate-degrees-2013-9?op=1
I heard of a company that went to a dept. of over 30 people most of whom had been there for 20yrs and knew their jobs inside and out and told them if they didn’t have their degree they had to sign up and give them their plan of getting one or lose their job. Most of these people were in there late 40’s and 50’s.
Having a degree is the important thing, doesn’t really matter that much what it’s in. ANd I totally agree with the cost issue. One of my good friends who is poor had his daughter go to a Private School in VA to get her away from her boyfriend. 4 yeats later she has graduated, moved back and moved into and apt with said boyfriend and he had a $750 a month student loan payment he will be paying until he dies.
[quote=“Jimmyhat49er, post:17, topic:28565”]I heard of a company that went to a dept. of over 30 people most of whom had been there for 20yrs and knew their jobs inside and out and told them if they didn’t have their degree they had to sign up and give them their plan of getting one or lose their job. Most of these people were in there late 40’s and 50’s.
Having a degree is the important thing, doesn’t really matter that much what it’s in. ANd I totally agree with the cost issue. One of my good friends who is poor had his daughter go to a Private School in VA to get her away from her boyfriend. 4 yeats later she has graduated, moved back and moved into and apt with said boyfriend and he had a $750 a month student loan payment he will be paying until he dies.[/quote]
I would kill for $750/month SLP- mine is 3x that and both of my degrees are from public schools.
I think a lot of the issue stems from the arms race of making universities more like spas than like schools. Of course, I want Charlotte to keep up in the arms race, but I wish that there was some way to reel it in without getting left behind. That’s the real crux of the issue- any school that does stop will suffer greatly, and no school will stop until everyone else has- thus you have escalating costs, etc.
I’m not sure I would send my kid to a private school. My parents didn’t make more than me, so what was the point of them going private? Might as well go cheap, public if you’re not going to get paid extra for going private.
The hell do you guys do to get a $750 SLP? Mine’s $180, and I was out of state.