A look back at College. Advice I would pass around.

[Kevin]

After going through college, I told my brother this and I've always told people this but when you are in school you don't know what to expect so you don't listen to reason. Unless your in some technical field like physics, chemistry and etc where it might apply alittle more but still this applies to even them and is the absolute truth. The Time for awesome grades is in high school, not in college.

Quote:
By Jon Morrow - I nearly killed myself in college to get straight A’s. Well, almost straight A’s. I graduated with 37 A’s and 3 B’s for a GPA of 3.921. At the time, I thought I was hot stuff. Now I wonder if it wasn’t a waste of time. Let me explain:

1. No one has ever asked about my GPA.
I was told that having a high GPA would open all kinds of doors for me. But you know what? I interviewed with lots of companies, received a total of 14 job offers after graduation, and none of the companies asked about it. They were much more impressed with stuff like serving as Chief of Staff for the student government and starting a radio station run by 200 volunteers.

I suppose a college recruiter from a Fortune 500 company might ask, but honestly, I can’t see any employer hiring a straight-A student over someone with five years of relevant work experience. It might tip the scale in a competitive situation, but in most cases, I haven’t seen that grades are really that important to employers.

2. I didn’t sleep.
Unless you’re a super genius, getting 37 A’s is hard work. For me, it was an obsession. Anything less than an A+ on any assignment was unacceptable. I’d study for 60-80 hours a week, and if I didn’t get the highest grade in class, I’d put in 100 hours the next week.

Translation: I didn’t sleep much. From my freshman to junior year, I averaged about six hours a night. By my senior year though, I was only getting 3-5 per night, even on weekends. I was drinking a 2 liter bottle of Mountain Dew and 2-3 energy drinks per day just to stay awake. Not only is that unhealthy, but it’s not particularly fun either.

3. I’ve forgotten 95% of it.
I majored in English Literature and minored in Communication Theory. The main reason I chose those subjects was I thought they would teach me how to write and speak, two skills that would serve me well for the rest of my life.

Boy, was I stupid. Instead, I spent all my time reading classic literature and memorizing vague, pseudoscientific communication theories. Neither are useful at all, and I’ve forgotten at least 95% of it.

I’d guess the same is true for most college graduates. Tell me, what’s the point of spending 60-80 hours a week learning things that you immediately forget?

4. I didn’t have time for people.
Being in the student government and running a radio station, I had lots of opportunities to build a huge network. But I didn’t have time. Between studying and doing my job, I had to prioritize the people I wanted to develop relationships with and narrow it down to the handful who could help me the most.

That’s no way to go through school. College isn’t so much a training ground for entering the work place as a sandbox for figuring out who you are and how you relate to other people. You develop your social skills and forge relationships with people that might be colleagues for the rest of your life.

If I could do it all over again, I would spend less time in the library and more time at parties. I would have 50 friends, not 3. I would be known for “the guy that knows everyone,” not “the smartest guy in class.” Not only because it would’ve been more fun, but because I would still be friends with most of those people now and would have access to the networks they’ve developed over the last four years.

5. Work experience is more valuable.
In retrospect, I could’ve probably spent 20-30 hours a week on my studies and gotten B’s. That would’ve freed up 30-70 hours a week, depending on the course load. When I think of all of the things that I could’ve done with those hours, I just shake my head.

If there’s one thing graduates lack, it’s relevant work experience. If you want to be a freelance writer, you’re much better off writing articles for magazines and interning with a publishing company than working your tail off to get straight A’s. The experience makes you more valuable to future employers and usually results in a paycheck with a few more digits on it.

What about Graduate School?
If you’re getting your masters, going to law school, or becoming a doctor, then you’ll need all 37 of those A’s to get into the best school possible, and you can safely disregard this entire post. Just be sure that you follow through. I thought I would go to law school, and then I found out what a miserable career it is and how little it actually pays. All of those good grades are now going to waste.

It also comes down to the question, “What’s the most effective use of your time?” If you can’t imagine living without an advanced degree from an Ivy League school, then reading until your eyes fall out and sleeping on a table in the library is a perfectly defensible lifestyle.

On the other hand, if you want to get a job and make as much money as possible, then good grades aren’t going to help you as your teachers and parents might have you believe. You’re better making powerful friends, building a killer résumé, and generally having the time of your life on your parent’s dime.

[Busguy]

From the opposite end of the spectrum (I never went to college) I have to say that I agree with you.

I went into the Army at 17, right out of high school. The day after I got out of active duty I began working as a material handler (fork lift driver) and managed to work my way up from there. About 2 years later, I took a $2/hr cut and took a job in purchasing as an expediter (basically spent 90% of my time on the phone calling suppliers chasing orders) and slowly working my way up the ladder in Purchasing.

As you mentioned, networking is very important and I took that very seriously as well... having so many contacts in the industry was, and continues to be, very important and tends to open doors that a degree certainly will not. About 4 years after I switched to my current employer, I was offered an opportunity to move from Purchasing Management into Sales and I have never looked back. It took a lot of time but I am still in the same industry and have only switched companies once but I now make as much or more than many with degrees. Certainly 22+ years of experience within the industry including 12+ years at my current company is a large part of that but my point is that simply having a degree (much less a high GPA) does not automatically mean you will outearn someone without one.

Granted I have been extremely fortunate in that the companies I have worked for remained reasonably stable and I had very good bosses who were not afraid to allow me to learn, even areas that were outside of my "scope".

I have been approached several times with unsolicited job offers but I have never been asked whether I had a degree.

If I ever find myself out of work I expect that to change but I believe that in my industry and field, experience and "hands-on" knowledge is much more coveted than having a degree on the wall. Obviously, fields in science, engineering, finance, medical, etc are a different story altogether.

My brother has a PHD (not to mention multiple other degrees) and I can say that when he found himself looking for employment (due to huge corporate downsizing), having a graduate degree seemed to work against him.

He was out of work for over 2 years and I truly believe that was due largely because a lot of employers felt he was over qualified and were afraid to hire him figuring he would keep looking for someting better.

(I am happy to say that he did finally find a great job that he he loves)

You’re better making powerful friends

I have to say that this statement alone is worth it's weight in gold. And that goes well beyond school years - having a goood personality and getting along with, and being well liked by, as many people as possible pays lots of dividends down the road in many many ways.

Times do change though and it seems to me that "kids" starting out today are probably more likely to need a degree than when I started working.

[jenseits]

OMG, Kevin, that sounds like it could've been written by me! (Right down to getting exactly 3 B's.) I can't believe what a fool I was, working so hard at all the wrong things!

[ROYJOY]

uh, whats college?

[kathleen]

See how much you learned and were smart enough to be able to sum it up in one post. So grades in college are important, unless as you say, you are going to law or medical school. But, then, in law or medical school the same rules apply. When you go for your job no one asks the grades. I am a Physician Assistant and PA school was tough but our attitude was P (Pass) = PA. Doesn't matter if you get an A+ or a C we will all be getting the same jobs. However, grades aren't important, going to college is because college and work experience will lead to better opportunities.

As a side note, you may think you have forgotten it all but you haven't. When you see it again, at least you recognize it.

[varapetra]

The trampling all over to get the "best" colleges is getting out of hand. More often than not colleges are best to teach discipline and help you find your center of interest, rather than to structure your life. In my experience most people know this, but are too afraid that the rest of the world doesn't, and thus still continue the cycle. It's not where you got it, it's what you do with it that matters.

[cody123]

Anybody go to a avian vet college any suggestions?

[DarwinTheSun]

I think many universities that offer vet programs have an exotics ward. There is one here, and the head of the exotics ward is an avian vet. But to be avian certified requires a post-vet residency and it is a long process too.

[habs71]

Originally Posted by ROYJOY

uh, whats college?

It's where you take a bunch of different pictures and paste them on a board. You know, a picture college!

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[ROYJOY]

OH YEAH! i made one of those once, in crazy veteran therapy.