An education does not equal a job?

[Infofreak411]

I had posted a while back on a site, it might have even been on here stating that I feel bad going back to school to get another degree to switch careers because I feel like my previous degree would be a waste if I went into something different.

A couple of people then responded saying that a degree is never a waste. What you decide to do with a degree is your choice and its something valuable that you can take with you regardless of what career you take on, and that the skills you learn can never be taken away.

They then said that an education doesn't not equal a job, having a degree can be personally enriching despite whatever job you get after the degree.

Do you agree with this?

[roser13, ASN, RN]

Of course I agree! Education is never a waste. It's the process that's valuable: the skills, knowledge, friendships and revelations that naturally occur during learning.

My dad always told me that it wasn't the degree that matters to employers, it's the fact that you stuck it out and accomplished the degree. Now, while that really doesn't apply to nurses, doctors, etc., I do get that concept.

[Whispera, MSN, RN]

I agree with it too. Anything you do makes you into the person you are. Enrichment does just that...it enriches!

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I think it is important to insert a reminder about the original mission of a college education before I proceed. Essentially, the point of a college education is not job training, although many people perceive it in that manner.

College, especially the four-year-colleges and universities, are certainly not in sole existence to train people for the workforce. Rather, higher education is about broadening the student's worldview and accumulating experiences that undereducated people otherwise would have forgone. It is about developing higher-level cognitive skills and evolving into a well-rounded individual.

If one wants job training without the so-called 'fluff,' there are trade schools out there that will deliver a good final product.

[Altra, BSN, RN]

Positive experiences, educational or otherwise, are never inherently wasteful; however, life/time/money are not infinite, and so there is certainly the possibility that one choice of experience delivers more value over the long haul than does another.

[Jules A, MSN]

No I don't.

[Jules A, MSN]

I think it is important to insert a reminder about the original mission of a college education before I proceed. Essentially, the point of a college education is not job training, although many people perceive it in that manner.

College, especially the four-year-colleges and universities, are certainly not in sole existence to train people for the workforce. Rather, higher education is about broadening the student's worldview and accumulating experiences that undereducated people otherwise would have forgone. It is about developing higher-level cognitive skills and evolving into a well-rounded individual.

If one wants job training without the so-called 'fluff,' there are trade schools out there that will deliver a good final product.

I hadn't ever really thought about it like this but you are correct. In some respects my life has been enriched by some of the items you mention as the result of all the annoying fluff I was forced to endure in college. I do still wish however that as you mentioned there had been a trade school that would have allowed me to get to the meat and potatoes of being a prescriber without all the extras.

[klone, MSN, RN]

https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/associates-after-bachelors-979211.html

A lot of people answered your question in this thread

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

My dad always told me that it wasn't the degree that matters to employers, it's the fact that you stuck it out and accomplished the degree.

Three hidden concepts revolve around acquisition of a college degree: deferred gratification, perseverance, and signaling. Our future employers must figure out a great deal of information without really getting to know us, so the degree is a sorting tool.

The person who earns a degree has proven that (s)he can defer gratification and complete a project that took several years. In the time it takes to earn a degree, the recipient presumably met multiple deadlines regarding testing and assignment submissions.

On the other end of the spectrum, dropping out of high school is not rewarded monetarily because it represents (in the eyes of employers) immediate gratification and potential issues with getting a long-term project accomplished.