Higher Education or Educators for Hire

The film below should act as an eye opener. I challenge you to watch it. Sitcoms and sports can wait for a change. This is reality.



I have a 4 year degree in photography and digital imaging.
Was it worth it? NO.
Did I learn stuff? Yes.
Did I learn how to be a photographer? NO. Nothing against my professors. Even they told me it's a "hands on" career.
Did any of the apprentices I tutored during my photography career have the slightest clue what to do, even after graduation? NO.

So why spend all that time and money on a degree? ???

On the other hand, my wife has a Masters Degree in Social Work focusing on children and youth. Was it worth it, to her? NO.
Was it worth it for society? YES!
But, with her fancy shmancy degree and very good (earned) grades, she still made less than me, and still makes less than I did before I left the photography world. And consider this... In a national magazine (like Time, I think) they listed the top 10 jobs with the lowest pay and the most unhappiness. PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER was in that list. This means that I had one of the worst jobs and I still made more money than my wife who is serving society in a meaningful way.

Another thing that is worth consideration.
In high school I learned critical thinking, chemistry, physics, geometry, algebra, (could have learned calculus and pre-trig if I had applied myself), biology, A&P, government, US history, proper use of the English language to formulate words and sentences into paragraphs (when I choose), and how to present subject matter in a compelling way via written word (reports, stories, etc).

What about in college? Here it is easier to summarize what I didn't learn. I did not learn the value of completing projects on time and as required. I didn't learn to prioritize my time. I didn't learn how to learn. I was not taught how to study the subjects presented to me, nor was I taught how to present what I had studied. This is not to blame my college or university of choice. I attended four different institutions in four different states. This isn't to say that you can't or that people don't learn valuable things, but it is to say that the very place lauded as an institution of 'higher learning' was actually a breeding ground for laziness and corrupt 'begging' for a passing grade (lobbying).

So education does benefit society in some ways but as the film pointed out it is not nearly as great as they would have us believe. My high school education is of much more value to me now than my more recent college education ever can prove to be. Nobody cares that I have a degree. No one has ever asked to see it, and probably never will. What people do ask to see is my skills and abilities. Can I do tasks? Am I able to communicate? The majority of the work that made this country a great and powerful wealthy (in the world) nation was done by people with no college education, and likely very little education at all up until the past 30 - 50 years. School does not make you successful. Drive, initiative, work ethics, and plain simple work makes you successful.

I should be a farmer. Rain or shine, I would always have a job.

Would you work for $3.05 per hour?

The following information was gleaned from a huge money diagram from this link: http://xkcd.com/980/
It's interesting that companies continue to have to lay people off, yet the pay of the CEO's continues to rise. In fact, the average pay for the worker has dramatically decreased over time when inflation is taken into account. Even with inflation, the CEO pay has continued to rise. What is the justification for this increased pay? Companies continue to send the work to other countries, take away benefits and sometimes even embezzle the money they 'earned' for their companies. It comes as no surprise that the average CEO pay has skyrocketed, since they are paid millions of dollars a year to do a job that really isn't all that spectacular. What shocked me was how little the average worker's increase has been, and how inflation has actually made it a decrease rather than an increase. Take a look at the diagram (linked above and below) for a lot more information about how money was and is distributed.

Worker / CEO Comparison 1965 vs 2007

Worker:
1965: Avg Hourly Income $19.61
2007: Avg Hourly Income $19.71
Change of:
Not adjusted for inflation: 8.4%
Adjusted for inflation: -84.4%

CEO Typical Pay:
1695: Avg Pay for same period: $490.31
2007: Avg Pay for same period: $5,419.97
Change of:
Not adjusted for inflation: 1,105%
Adjusted for inflation: 171%

Actual comparative buying power:
$19.61 in 1965 had the same buying power as $126.84 in 2007.
$19.71 in 2007 had the same buying power as $3.05 in 1965.
$490.31 in 1965 had the same buying power as $3,171.30 in 2007.
$5,419.97 in 2007 had the same buying power as $837.97 in 1965.

sources:
http://xkcd.com/980/
http://www.dollartimes.com/calculators/inflation.htm