Is college worth it?

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CBeasy

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I'm more than halfway through college, but I was forced to drop out a few years ago because I simply could manage school and the hours I was forced to work in order to pay my bills (I get very little help from my parents). Now, I'm 24, and I feel if I don't go back soon, it could be to late. My mother has offered to let me move in with her, so I can cut down my hours and focus on school again. I really want my journalism degree, but at the same time I don't want to lose my apartment, my autonomy, or lose progress I have made at my work. I do want to be a professional writer, but I think that it may be possible without the degree. What do you guys think? How much does the degree help ensure being published? Can I do it without it? Is it worth losing my apartment and being broke for a year to get my degree? Is college in general worth it anymore in modern America?
 

BottomlessCup

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I think it depends on what kind of writing you want to do.

I don't know much about the worlds of nonfiction and journalism, so I can't speak to those fields.

In fiction, screenwriting, etc, it's not worth it, IMO. You can learn the nuts and bolts of writing on your own, and the creative aspects are better learned outside the academic world.

Of course, the trick with this question is that it's virtually impossible to determine the better course by practical experience. How does one go to college and not go to college?

I do know that there's a wealth of evidence that you can be a very successful writer without a degree.
 

sammyig

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The only thing that helped me by getting college degrees is demanding higher pay to make ends meet, and having taken classes in many disciplines- which has helped me when I needed to know something for a project.

With that said, of course you can teach yourself from scholarly books, etc. But it all depends on how you learn best. Some people can learn all they need to know from a book- others, the classroom setting works best.

I would suggest weighing how well you did in college beforehand and see if it is something that you really want to do versus something you think you should do.
 

DTNg

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I graduated high school in 1982 and opted not to go to college, it was my biggest regret. I'm doing well as a freelance writer, I always wonder if I'd be doing even better if I had a degree.
 

alleycat

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Yes, in general, it is. And I suspect you will regret it some day if you don't (you could go back later . . . but that's even harder than the choice you're facing now). On one hand you have two more years in a situation that might not be so great; on the other hand . . . is the rest of your working life, some forty years.

Just some thoughts. You're the one who will have to live with your decision.
 

TrainofThought

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If college is important to you, do it now. You can achieve the other things, such as apartment later on. I went to college and busted my butt for 16 years on and off working full-time, going to school part-time and bartending part-time. I wanted that degree and it meant a lot. If you feel this way, then go back soon and make it work. If you don’t, then work on what you have going for you. My two cents.
 

aadams73

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Finish college, a good education is important. You're never too old to pursue an education.
 

Soccer Mom

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I stayed in college (plus got a graduate degree) and make a lot more money than I would without the degrees. BUT I don't make my primary living as a writer. Getting a degree in something useful gives you options. Not to mention that college can expose you to things you might not find on your own. I think it's a worthwhile endeavor.
 

jbal

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Beasy-This was exactly my situation a ... um...a few years ago. Finish, for the love of God! It's incredibly hard to go back if you let it go too long. And tuition is going up quick.
 

Shadow_Ferret

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Will a college degree make you a better writer and get you published? Probably not.

Will a college degree help you in the job market and get a better paying job? Yes.

I regret every day as I get harrassing phone calls from creditors that I didn't finish my college education, get a degree, so I can move up the corporate ladder and make better money.
 

ORION

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I cannot emphasize this enough - IF AT ALL POSSIBLE FINISH YOUR COLLEGE NOW!!!! As a writer all my degrees help me enormously I ended up waiting and going back in my late 20's / then again in my 40's and now 50's.
It gives you more skill, more credibility AND as you get older should you choose to change fields it gives you a leg up.
The short time (a few years) of deprivation of privacy etc. is FAR FAR worth it. I have a friend who was in your position and is now 45 and trying to finish her degree. It is MUCH harder to wait. Bite the bullet and finish now.
JMHO
by the way - I don't know ANYBODY that says "Gee I wish I didn't have my college degree..."
 

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I see degrees a bit like unfinished novels. It's better to finish and learn from them no matter how valuable, objectively, the final product proves to be. There are a lot of options now for after hours and distance learning so you might look at transferring your credits to another institution with more flexible classes.
 

SeanDSchaffer

I'd say finish it. A college education most likely would benefit your career, either in writing or any day job you might have down the road. So yeah, if you've already started it out, I see no reason whatsoever not to finish it and get the degree you're looking for.
 

icerose

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Now more than ever you need that degree in modern day America. Not so many years ago a person with a highschool degree could make a fair amount of money. Now you're looking at about 20k average. If you want that for your yearly, then sure, quit now.

The pay scale climbs the higher the degree. Proof is in the pudding, decide where you want to be. Also those with a higher degree are less likely to be unemployed. The highest unemployment rate is in the lower degree sections. I have never met anyone who has regretted getting their degree.

Make sure if you are mastering in journalism, you have a minor in something more mainstream. It will open up your job possibilities like you wouldn't believe.
 

Haggis

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You will never regret having the degree, but you well may regret never getting it. You're too close to stop now. Go for it. You really have nothing to lose.
 

Bubastes

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Count me in the "finish it" camp. No, it will not ensure publication or anything like that, but it will give you a much better chance to keep the lights on and the stomach fed as you build your writing career.
 

Del

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Knowledge is power. Where you attain it isn't so important as attaining it.

I was thrown out of junior high TWICE! Not for doing anything, more for doing nothing. My ninth grade guidance councilor told me I should quit school. So I did.

And then, I started becoming interested in things. I found I needed knowledge to accomplish these things and "I" sought it. My self-attained education is different from anyone else's. Is that good or bad? Who knows? It's been hard and long coming and I make mistakes, but now, if I need information I can find it, this much I'll swear. This is more than most of the college grads I know can do. They stopped learning once handed the sheepskin.

I think it depends on who you are, where you want to go, and if you are smart enough not to go to collage (meaning if you can't get it on your own you better go where you can). You are getting recommendations to both possibilities. What good is that? We don't know what will work for you, only what worked for us.

So, the definitive answer is...!!!

It depends.
 
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scottVee

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Structured classes never did anything but slow me down. I'd finish the textbook on week two and have to sit through 11 more weeks of dragging it out.

I don't think you can learn creativity or inspiration in a sterile classroom. You can learn art techniques in a school, but that alone won't get you anywhere.

If it's flat-out job training, then maybe that'll work. There are strong suggestions that degrees lead to higher wages, but not as directly as they used to. And there are plenty of college grads doing crud work. I don't feel that a degree is as useful if your only goal is to get published -- but if you want to get published in most scientific fields, you're expected to be at the postgrad level or better.

NEVER stop learning. That's one thing that drives me nuts with college grads, they seem to think that once they have that piece of paper, they're done learning, and then they stagnate and start falling behind. I never could figure that out.

For me, the answer to college was NO. Your mileage may vary.
 

Raiyah

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I'm in college right now, but not to become a writer. Writing is something I do on my own, and the writing courses I'm taking helps in the sense that you get to meet others like you. Before taking my writing courses, I thought I was the only struggling writer at my school, but I've met a lot of wonderful people through it, and you get to workshop a lot of your work. Those are the two advantages I can think of.
 

Haggis

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scottVee said:
NEVER stop learning. That's one thing that drives me nuts with college grads, they seem to think that once they have that piece of paper, they're done learning, and then they stagnate and start falling behind. I never could figure that out.

Any college graduate (or non-college graduate) who thinks he or she can go through life without continuing to learn is an idiot. I have seen plenty of both. But to label all college grads as not interested in further learning is, in my opinion, quite inaccurate.
 

Zisel

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I’m mostly in the “finish” camp.

Personally, though, I can’t see going to college to become writer. Like the others have said, going to expand your horizons by taking a wide variety of classes makes sense. Going to get a degree that will help you get a steady job in case the writing career gets wobbly makes sense.

I don’t regret getting a degree, but I do regret having wasted the opportunity to get a useful degree. I just saw uni scholarships as a ticket out of rural poverty. Unfortunately, tunnel-vision fear of poverty coupled with the fact that I just didn’t know myself so well back then lead to me to choose a major I wouldn’t choose again. So, are you sure journalism is what you want to do?

As for braving poverty, since I didn't get a full-ride scholarship, for a while during my first year, while a full time student, I held three part-time jobs (on campus, night and early morning. It really is possible.) and because the tuition, room, and board were so expensive, I still couldn’t afford to eat enough to stave off hunger (barefoot in the snow uphill both ways! ;) ). I was miserable most of those four years, but if I didn’t have that degree, I wouldn’t be able to do my fall-back job and would still be broke and miserable.

All I'm saying is that if you're going to make serious sacrifices for a degree, IMHO it should be a degree that will reward you. From what I've heard, a journalism degree may not do that, at least not financially. Is there a way you can get the journalism degree/training without becoming a full time student and losing so much of your current life? Part time classes? Correspondence courses? Internships? Or is there another writing-related profession that you're interested in that pays better that could be your fall-back job?

Anyway, whatever you decide, good luck!

Z
 

Ol' Fashioned Girl

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Suck it up for two years and do it. You may, in the long run, forget everything you learn. You may see (as I have) a lot of what you learn debunked, proved wrong, discarded or replaced. But you will take at least one class you never intended that will make all the difference in the long run. You won't regret it.
 

veinglory

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The papers today say that on average in the US a bachelors is worth $23,000 per annum. In which case I am being short changed!
 
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