Is it still worth going to college?
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Although it’s a very old question, it still needs to be considered. I will present my argument from the perspective of a chemical engineering undergraduate about to graduate. Over the past semester, looking for a job has brought me so many feelings: humiliation, indifference, challenges, excitement, and more. I. The calculations my father made regarding the financial benefits I would receive if I didn’t go to college (only finishing junior high school). The cost of my seven years of education: The direct costs associated with attending school were 60,000 for university plus 25,000 for high school, totaling 85,000. The opportunity cost of attending school was the salary I would have earned during those 7 years; assuming an annual income of 15,000, this amounts to 15,000*7 = 105,000. The total cost is therefore 85,000 + 105,000 = 190,000. II. How many years are needed to recoup the cost of college? Since attending college is a form of investment, how long does it take for this investment to become profitable? This is a very practical issue that we have to take into consideration. I will assume that I do my father’s job, and my annual salary will be 20,000 per year after I graduate. The income function for not going to school is: Y1 = (19 + 2) + 2t, where the annual salary is 20,000 and t represents the number of years. The income function for going to school is: Y2=2.4t+t(t-1)0.5/2. Assume that the salary in the first year is 24,000, and that the salary each subsequent year increases by 0.05*12=0.6 million compared to the previous year. a: I want to get back the actual amount of money I spent on education over these years; with Y2=19, then t=5.4 years. b: How many years will it take before my income from not going to school exceeds that amount? If Y1=Y2, then t=8.87 years. Analysis: The assumption here is that one can have a smooth career after graduating from university and earn a salary of 2000 per month; but how many people actually manage to earn such a salary? And my salary increases by 6,000 every year. Can it be increased by that amount? My salary was 4,800 per month in my 5th year, and it was 7,200 per month in my 9th year. Can this amount be achieved? How many people will have a monthly salary of only 3,000–5,000 in 10 years? So, wouldn’t it take longer to recoup the costs of going to school? It’s not possible to recover the tuition costs within 5 years, and it’s not possible to turn a profit from the act of going to school within 9 years. What’s the point of going to school if, as an investor, you wouldn’t invest in a project with such high risks? In 5 years I will be 27, and in 9 years I will be 31. Life is short! If I didn’t go to school, I would have 190,000 right now (8.5 + 10.5 = 190,000); in 5 years I would have 290,000, and in 9 years I would have 370,000. III. By going to college, have our abilities really improved? Perhaps if I mention a large amount of money, many self-righteous gentlemen will tell me that going to university is about \"cultivating oneself, managing one’s family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world.\" I’d like to ask you a few questions in return: when your teacher asks for bribes from you in order to grant you a scholarship, would you still refuse to bend over backward for such a small amount? When those who go to the library do so only to borrow superficial novels and no one borrows the \"Four Books and Five Classics,\" can there still be a situation where \"there are learned scholars among those who converse, and no ignorants among those who come and go\"? Cultivate the self? When your girlfriend keeps emptying your wallet without even asking if you’re cold, will you still stay together and support each other? Qi Jia Hu? When a teacher teaches more than 200 people, will 20 students be attending the class? How to govern the country? Don’t you find it strange when fraud becomes a discipline? Call for peace in the world? In terms of practical skills, we haven’t improved much either. When we go to university, two skills are very important: one is the major, and the other is English. But do we have the professional skills? Our teachers have never been to a factory, yet they talk at length about Bernoulli’s equation; we’ve studied loads of courses on \"worrying first for the welfare of the world.\" So who will take care of our own worries? I remember once during a job interview, they asked me if I had used a \"gas chromatograph.\" It took me a while to recall that I had used one once during my junior year; the outcome was, as one could expect. Speaking of English, we spend most of our time preparing for exams. Although I have passed the Level 4 exam, my spoken English is not as fluent as it was in high school. IV. Who has taken away our jobs? I ranked in the top 40,000 in the college entrance exams in Hunan; my score was only about 10 points above the cutoff score. Based on that, there are roughly 1.5 million undergraduates across the more than 30 provinces in the country. But by the time of graduation, it will be 6 million. 1.5 million, is that much? Surely not many. It was more or less this number even before the expansion of enrollment (I don’t want to look up those figures), and moreover, our country’s economy is now many times larger than it was 10 years ago. Can’t a GDP of over 20 trillion still provide employment for these 1.5 million people? So what is it that makes it so difficult for us to find a job? I think it’s still those extra 4.5 million people. Of these 4.5 million, there are those so-called third-tier colleges and junior colleges that one can attend by simply paying the fees. I think it’s these people who have taken away the jobs of some of our 1.5 million people. This is especially true for the third-tier universities; families who can send their children to these schools are either wealthy or hold official positions, giving them greater family advantages than us students from poor backgrounds. Those who go to junior colleges, although they have fewer advantages than us, also come from many wealthy families. There is a man in our village who holds an official position in the county town; his two sons got stable jobs right after graduating from college. I don’t want to use myself as an example; I’d like to analyze it on a broader scale. Upon graduation, our graduates can be roughly divided into three categories. One category includes students from excellent programs at prestigious universities (such as those in mechanical engineering, automation, etc.), as well as those with influential family backgrounds (regardless of whether their schools are classified as first-tier, second-tier, or third-tier). For example, I know a student from our school who belongs to a third-tier institution; after graduating, he simply chose to work at any local company, whether it was a state-owned enterprise or another type of organization. The second category includes students from less competitive majors at prestigious universities, and students from competitive majors at second-tier universities. When I was looking for a job in Changsha, I met someone from Central South University. She had graduated a year earlier, but since she had studied administration, it was even harder for her to find a job than it was for us; she could only work as a clerk or in sales, and the salaries weren’t good either. The third category consists of students from lower-tier universities who are in less competitive majors; these people face the biggest difficulties when it comes to finding employment. V. How to change one’s fate: Knowledge changes fate; this has been the belief of us scholars for thousands of years. It’s too difficult for the poor to change their fate! The path followed by scholars in ancient times was: study--take the imperial examinations--become an official--become wealthy. Most families accumulate wealth over three generations, relying on the efforts of the entire family; once they fail, what was once a prosperous family becomes very poor, and from then on it declines. This path is too difficult. The risk is too high! And there are countless such examples; take the commonly eaten \"Guoqiao Rice Noodles\" – do you know their origin? Isn’t this just such an example? In my father’s generation, my family could be considered middle-class farmers; we could earn around 30,000 to 40,000 per year. If I hadn’t gone to school, our family would have earned around 50,000 as well. After ten years, wouldn’t that amount to several hundred thousand? I’m definitely not exaggerating on purpose. Twenty years ago, the men of my village went to Guangdong in search of better opportunities. Although none of them became like Qiao Zhigong, doesn’t every family there have hundreds of thousands in savings? Many people have bought several houses in our county town, and there are quite a few who have built small villas at home. If I didn’t go to school and followed in their footsteps, it’s likely I wouldn’t achieve much in life. Over several generations, the pattern of \"poor peasants–middle peasants–rich peasants–landowners–officials/wealthy people\" would repeat itself, and my family would change in the same way, wouldn’t it? Moreover, this path involves very little risk; as long as one isn’t a spendthrift, it can be achieved. When I returned home for the New Year, the locals warmly asked me where I had gone to work I’m speechless. “\"Unable to face the people of Jiangdong again\" can be said to reflect the feelings of us all. We used to be the \"golden phoenixes\" of this or that place, held in high esteem by them, but now we’re not even worthy of being called \"paper phoenixes\". In summary: going to college is not cost-effective nor beneficial in terms of personal development. Especially since we are at a second-tier university – a school of that level that doesn’t have any distinguished professors; it’s actually inferior even to vocational schools. I no longer have any \"ifs\". If I had to come up with one, it would be that if universities remain like this, I won’t let my next generation attend them. “Poor peasants – middle peasants – wealthy peasants – landlords – officials/wealthy people: my family has already reached the second stage on this path; in another two or three generations, we will be able to become landlords. It’s not that I want to complain about anything; rather, I would like to conduct a rational analysis of this university. Don’t we think anything of it when the job we find pays less than that of an ordinary worker? After paying such a high price with no corresponding reward, are we living up to our parents who sent us to school? When this society judges a person by money, can we still follow our own path and let others speak? Seniors, do you think it’s easy for us? The road ahead is so long; I don’t know how to move forward, nor what kind of outcome I can expect Thank you all. This post was last edited by Xiangnan Shusheng on 2009-3-7 21:12.]
Maintain a normal attitude; there’s no such thing as a carp leaping over the dragon gate. Learning something is about enriching one’s own capabilities – learn what you need. If you don’t need it, that’s fine; no need to do it
Look at things from a long-term perspective, and don’t just focus on the immediate present； In the future, you will regret not having pursued a graduate degree.
Think in the long term, not just at the present moment. Also, there’s a big difference in job prospects between those who go to college and those who don’t. When young, one can earn money through physical labor, but what about when one gets old? What do you rely on? If possible, it’s still better to go to school.
I would like to go back to school to study*, but unfortunately I don’t have the opportunity. You think it’s hard; those without a diploma also have a tough time living. After all, only a minority have backgrounds. As one of the working people, complain less, keep your eyes on the ground, and walk your own path.
I think it’s worth it. With another 10 years of hard work experience, you’ll be able to earn 190,000 in just half a year~~~~~~~ Especially in chemical engineering design~~~~~~~~
You're wrong. If you attend a very good university, the return on investment will definitely be excellent. A classmate of mine, from Peking University, earns 5K per month; in the first year she gets a bonus of 10K. She’s female
You can’t calculate things that way; keep a calm mindset and complain less. Going to college has different effects on different people. No one takes anyone else’s job; individuals rely on their own abilities and opportunities
The math doesn’t add up, but I think going to college is well worth it~~~
Thank you all. It’s not that I’m complaining; everyone has their own fate. I just want to objectively analyze the feasibility of going to college. It seems that feasibility analysis is required for any project that has been undertaken. I think college is an investment, and it should also have a feasibility analysis.
Some things cannot be measured by money: (
College is an investment, and it should also have a feasibility analysis. 1. There is a huge difference in job prospects between those who go to college and those who don’t, as well as in the opportunities available. 2. When young, one can earn money through physical labor, but what about when one gets old? What do you rely on? 3. Around us, there are many people without diplomas who lead difficult lives; the percentage is likely to be much higher. 4. No one takes someone else’s job; individuals rely on their own abilities and opportunities. 5. As ordinary citizens, maintain a calm mindset and complain less. 6. “The opportunity cost of going to school (the salary from 7 years of work): Assuming an annual income of 15,000, then 15,000*7 = 105,000. The total cost is: 85,000 + 105,000 = 190,000.” ”I think that many years after you graduate from college, you’ll realize that the cost is actually very low – it might be just over 200,000 yuan per year. Finally, going to college has different effects on different people; if you have the opportunity, it’s still worth attending school.
It’s not worth it at all. Since kindergarten, we’ve been busy enrolling in various interest classes and talent courses in order to get into good primary schools (otherwise the tuition fees for primary schools in the city amount to 30,000). In primary school, we’re busy attending extra classes and special training programs to prepare for entry into good middle schools (otherwise the tuition fees for middle schools are another 60,000). It’s all for the sake of going to university, but in this case the investment simply isn’t worth it. Fortunately, it was our parents who made these investments, so we don’t have to repay them.
Some feelings are the same; some students spend four years in college just surfing the Internet without learning anything. Not only does their emotional intelligence not improve, but their intellectual intelligence also declines significantly. I encourage such students to drop out. For most students, attending university is a process of growth, not just an increase in professional knowledge. Social interaction skills have also improved significantly, which lays a foundation for taking on higher-level jobs in the future. The job market is tough this year, and the nature of the chemical engineering field means that one’s work will likely only be enough to make ends meet. But never lose confidence; keep striving to find opportunities and working purposefully to improve oneself. As some have said, remember that opportunities are only given to those who are prepared
Stay calm. The school environment has taught us a lot; there are many things that money cannot buy, and they certainly cannot be measured in terms of money
I fully understand how you feel. But please also don’t give up hope. Whether to go to college really makes a big difference. Here, you are the senior member, and in the future you will have the chance to become a factory assistant. With an annual salary of 80,000, over 3 years your cost will be recovered. There is a big difference in salaries among people who graduate from different universities. However, this is because they received different education at school and possess different abilities. So, as long as you have real skills at school, don’t be afraid of investing with no return. Opportunities belong only to those who are prepared – that’s what I’ve learned, truly. If your abilities are better than those of a Tsinghua graduate, do you think the company would still prefer someone from Tsinghua? People from Tsinghua University indeed receive extremely rigorous training. Moreover, the university is just a crucible; to what extent you become there depends largely on yourself. When you’re recognized by everyone at work as being truly excellent, believe me, it’s easy to earn an annual salary of 100,000 anywhere. When a teacher teaches more than 200 people, will 20 students be attending the class? If you’re that 1/20, that’s fine. When your girlfriend keeps emptying your wallet time and again without even asking if you’re cold, will you still stay together and support each other? Break up, Luo – such people are suitable for ONS. When your teacher asks for bribes from you in order to award a scholarship, would you still refuse to bend over for such a small amount? Read the book and the red envelope will be given. Finally, please redouble your efforts. If your foundation is not strong enough, you need to work even harder. If you expect a happy life without putting in effort, then just consider my words as meaningless.
What are the alternatives for ordinary people who don’t read? ! Although there are problems in areas such as education and the employment system, studying remains our first choice. “Go to university, preferably a prestigious one; otherwise, start working right away! ”These are the true feelings of our child. The elderly still hope that their children study, as they have experienced the difficulties of having no education; meanwhile, they are not very familiar with issues such as current employment. Various problems hinder people's spirit of learning. In fact, what we lack in actual work is knowledge! University-educated leadership prefers those who can solve practical problems for the company and offer strategies for its development. How many more people regret not having a diploma, and how many leave their families behind to improve themselves? A few years ago, our company gave priority to diplomas and the level of education obtained as a criterion for hiring employees; college graduates in their 30s or 40s could immediately reach leadership positions at the department level. I think this was the result of focusing too much on academic qualifications. View the things around us correctly; when reading, one should read good books. ““One regrets not having read enough books when the need arises.” Don’t let your own problems affect your studies, and certainly don’t make a foolish decision that will cause regret for life. Personal opinion, for reference only.
One day, while watching TV, my girlfriend kept pointing out that certain people had never gone to school yet now had power or money and led very wealthy lives. As for me, I had gone to school but was just a low-ranking employee. I replied that I admired their achievements, but I would admire those parents who didn’t want their children to go to school even more
I completely agree with the view from floor 12: one must believe in oneself and not limit oneself to earning only twenty or thirty thousand per year. Everything takes time; if you can stay patient in a particular industry and put in the effort to understand and study it, over time you’ll realize that the cost of reading isn’t high at all – reading is an investment for life. The key is to keep preparing for a certain goal. You can be a boss, you can be a senior manager, or you can be an excellent technician. With a positive attitude and perseverance, things will definitely get better. Because for most people, reading remains the only chance to change their fate.
This illustrates the eagerness for quick success among young people these days. A person’s life is not just ten years long, but several decades. I suggest taking a close look at what the president of Renmin University said some time ago regarding college students’ employment – why can’t college students work as pig butchers? Those who calculate the returns before doing anything are not well-received in society, especially when they only consider things from their own perspective. There is something wrong with such an attitude; if you continue like this, even if you get a good job, you won’t be able to hold it for long. Is working at the grassroots level some kind of miracle solution? You really think too highly of yourself. Without experience working at the grassroots level, one is like a tree without roots and cannot grow into something useful. Even if given such a position, one will only end up doing things that earn criticism from the public. [This post was last edited by CHEN333 on 2009-3-7 09:56]
The purpose of higher education is to cultivate well-rounded individuals who are beneficial to society, rather than those who only know how to complain and cannot do anything.