why do some people stay in school forever?

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I know some people who plan to go to college for like six years so they can get their masters degree or even doctorate. I suppose you definitely have a better chance of landing a good job but I think either way you still have to put in your time to move up to where you want to be in the first place. Maybe I'm completely off base here but that's just my thoughts. Personally I'd rather get in the workforce and get started with life instead of wasting a million years in school and then you end up starting at the bottom anyways. Any thoughts on this?
 
Education is an investment.

Spending a few more years in school to make that yearly salary a bit larger seems pretty practical IMO.
 
I'm finishing my doctorate. I've had a few years of "real life" work experience in my professional area as well, and hated every minute of it. It had more to do with the place, but still.

I love being at a university, and want to be a professor (I'm currently faculty while in the final few months of my degree, but not tenure track in this position). There is nothing in the world like a college campus. Nothing. While there are politics in academia, there are more in the "real world." I want to be judged on my abilities not on whether or not my boss "likes" me, or is threatened by me, or be at risk of losing my job due to downsizing, etc. You can make more money in the private sector with a Ph.D., but I want security and less B.S.

Anyway, those are my thoughts.
 
Most higher paying salary jobs require a higher degree. I know some of my friends that make 6 figures with a bachelors and some good connections. My cousin has a bachelors and makes 7 figures after tax. He made the right connections through school and in his job. I know some people I graduated with that are making 60k with a masters because the field is saturated. It's definately a balance of the time put in at school and what field you go into.
 
Originally Posted By: dlundblad
Education is an investment.

Spending a few more years in school to make that yearly salary a bit larger seems pretty practical IMO.


Exactly. Even with paying off loans for that additional schooling, the opportunities open are many more than with no college or just 2 years.

That being said, today's college-age person needs to balance what they want to do with what can pay them a decent salary. And, what's likely to be around in 5-10 years. If it can be outsourced to China/India, it will be.
 
I'm having issues with somebody like that right now. Long story short this person has done multiple masters degrees and still incapable of performing work.

The reality is that while a doctorate generally requires a pretty rigorous set of efforts, masters degrees can often just be bought. In my opinion there's a fundamental difference between a Masters degree that has a thesis associated with it and one that is just coursework. On paper there's no way to discriminate which is part of the problem.

So what happens is that especially if there's easy money available through work or through loans or through scholarships, people have a hard time doing real work and being self-motivated and able to execute will often stay within the comforts of academia.

I got a thesis based masters degree shortly out of undergrad, and only finished my doctorate a very short while ago. But I also work full-time while getting my doctorate.

When I got my Masters degree, I had conversations with some folks were going for MBAs. It appeared that the better schools wanted to make sure the applicant had a number of years of real-world experience while some of the other schools allowed people to come right out of college and sign up or even just add a few years onto their undergrad and come out with an MBA. It struck me that the experience going into the program is valuable. For me I was able to create real-world experience becoming an expert in a certain area because I had the value of doing the thesis. But had I gone just taking more classes and not having real practical experience, certainly seems to me that I would've just ended up with a few more credits and a little bit better math and analysis skills but without the know how to apply it.

There's a reason why undergraduate internships are so valuable, ditto for masters degrees and actually have no work the results of the thesis and not just time in a classroom. Unfortunately masters degrees especially are more of a money maker for universities than anything else, which is why you seen them advertised all over billboards. Also unfortunately, Laura more internships in any career field seem to be more more just slave labor, pushing menial tasks to willing workers for no pay.

But like anything is all what you make of it for yourself!
 
My Wife spent 12 years in school, while working at the same time.

She makes six figures easy and has a lot of choices as a freelancer Interim Executive.

Without Education that would have never happened.
 
For some positions, an MBA or MA would qualify you for better paying jobs out of school. If you want to teach in a post-secondary setting (college/Uni), you NEED a PhD; mainly because of the accrediting agencies (which are populated by.... wait for it...PhD's!).
Of course, there are is a percentage which are just delaying adulthood.
I am just completing my Bachelor of Science (the software edits Bravo Sierra) in Business Administration the day before I turn 60, so I'm a poor source of current undergrad thought. I intend to return for my MBA, just because. Nobody will give me an honest shot in corporate America because I'm "old", but I will not look for a big outfit. Age discrimination is the last acceptable prejudice in the workplace, and it's alive and well. If I leave my present job, I know I'll have to seek out companies that don't know what an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) is. It'll be the only way I'll get someone to talk to me and discover all of the good stuff I have to offer.
 
We know someone that has over $80,000 in student loans and is an assistant manager in a clothing store in the mall to pay off the loans and according to others i have talked to there are many like that. There are very few good jobs out there Period!

I have friends that their kids are in medical school but they are guaranteed a job through dad which owns the practise.
 
Originally Posted By: wallyuwl
I'm finishing my doctorate. I've had a few years of "real life" work experience in my professional area as well, and hated every minute of it. It had more to do with the place, but still.

I love being at a university, and want to be a professor (I'm currently faculty while in the final few months of my degree, but not tenure track in this position). There is nothing in the world like a college campus. Nothing. While there are politics in academia, there are more in the "real world." I want to be judged on my abilities not on whether or not my boss "likes" me, or is threatened by me, or be at risk of losing my job due to downsizing, etc. You can make more money in the private sector with a Ph.D., but I want security and less B.S.

Anyway, those are my thoughts.


There are many tells in this. It sounds like you had a job once, but just couldn't hack it in the 'real world.' So you seek shelter in a university. When i went to school I always approeciated when my professors had 'real world' experience and the majority of them did. You just like going to college and don't want to leave.
 
Originally Posted By: bvance554

There are many tells in this. It sounds like you had a job once, but just couldn't hack it in the 'real world.' So you seek shelter in a university. When i went to school I always approeciated when my professors had 'real world' experience and the majority of them did. You just like going to college and don't want to leave.


You know nothing about me or my life or my "real world" experiences. Until you do, stop making judgments and conclusions. My comments were in response to the OP as he asked for the thoughts of others. I did not ask for your (invalid) thoughts about what I wrote, so keep them to yourself.
 
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
I know some people who plan to go to college for like six years so they can get their masters degree or even doctorate. I suppose you definitely have a better chance of landing a good job but I think either way you still have to put in your time to move up to where you want to be in the first place. Maybe I'm completely off base here but that's just my thoughts. Personally I'd rather get in the workforce and get started with life instead of wasting a million years in school and then you end up starting at the bottom anyways. Any thoughts on this?


Thank You so much for your thoughts, I hope you spread the word because in order for the well off individuals to exist there have to be hard workers who keep the work force going and have the seat ready and warm for professional college graduates to come in and start making a decent salary, with wise financial decisions the graduates will be able to pay off any loans they may have in 2-5 years max then from then on live a comfortable life.

Education is a great investment depending on field of study. Example:Doctors/Pharmacists/Lawyers with business.

But average college students with degrees like social work for the most part will struggle to pay off their college tuition loans and will be far behind according to the logic you used.
 
Originally Posted By: Garak
Some people like to learn, I guess. The most educated person I know, in terms of degrees, has his PhD in physics, a law degree, and an MD.


Wow that is impressive if they make a good living.

After I finish college, I intend to send my wife to Medical College, she loves academia. She is currently in Pharmacy College.
 
I know a person that has been in college for about 12 years now. Multiple degrees, multiple certifications. Graduates, does the job she got a degree for, hates it, then decides to go back to school and get a degree in a different field. I say it's time to grow up, step out into the real world, start a career and begin paying off those student loans.
 
I have my PhD and yes, it took a long time to get. It is required to do what I do. It is not helpful in terms of increased income or job security from my degree vs a lot of other careers. In the life sciences you need a degree to do anything and 20 years work experience will not compensate for the lack of a graduate degree. Work experience counts for a lot, but is not sufficient on its own.

For the record, however, I love what I do but tell everyone not to enter the field. Long long hours, poor pay, no job security. Too many graduates plus we bring in a lot of people from overseas.
 
There is a movie, great movie that I stumbled upon years ago, that is about this very topic.

The Librarian: Quest for the Spear (2004) with Noah Wyle that has multiple masters and his professor Bob Newhart says get a job/get world experience.
 
I jumped into the workforce and eventually worked into a supervisor position with 13 years of experience in maintenance engineering. During that time I attended college and eventually achieved a B.S. degree in an engineering related field. My first job out of college almost doubled my income. It was worth the investment and I knew it was because I had work experience and knew where I wanted to go.

The types of jobs I was looking for (defense industry) required at least a B.S. degree. Many of them payed more for an masters. To move up in the ranks they encourage and require advanced degrees. V.P. level often have a PhD.

The industry I work in now doesn't require a degree beyond a bachelors and it would not be worth it unless I went to work for a large company or went into research.
 
Nothing wrong w/ going to school for 6 years for a masters or 8 years for a doctorate, provided you're studying hard and it's in a marketable field.

But I know some people who are in college, paid for by their parents, to screw around because they don't want enter the real world. One person I know needed 3 years for an AA, and is in their 3th year for a bachelor's. And is still at least 1 year away from graduation. That person's weekend consists of partying; their summer consists of traveling. Again, all paid for by the parents. A total of 7 years just for a bachelor's
 
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