What's the weirdest thing you've heard someone say about college?

[quigongene]

Random Facebook "Friend": "Your job requires a degree for you to get promoted?! I'd quit!!".
Me: "You have a job you like, with teammates you like and an awesome boss (oh, and tuition reimbursement)...and you'd QUIT?!! You're an idiot."

[dfrecore]

My BFF's daughter is considering graduating with her BS and then going and working IN HER FIELD OF STUDY for a couple of years to see if she even needs a MS, and if she does, what some of the other options are; AND she may find a job that will pay for her masters (it's a specialized field of study); AND she has a standing job offer due to an internship she did, that she absolutely loved. The advisor at school told her that "a gap year is ok," but that she REALLY needed to go straight into a master's program if she wanted to be successful. ISN'T THE ENTIRE POINT OF GETTING YOUR BACHELOR'S DEGREE TO GET A JOB??? I hardly this think getting a job in your field would be considered "a gap year!"

She literally gets the WORST advice from advisors at school, regularly.

[alab21]

My high school guidance counselor talked me out of going to college for a programming degree (circa 1985-1986). She told me there were too many people going to school for programming and there wouldn’t be any jobs available. You know, because computers are a fad.

Worst advice I’ve ever been given.


Sent from my iPhone using DegreeForum.net

[cookderosa]

I had a culinary student tell me she was transferring to a school with better school colors. True.

[burbuja0512]

I had a culinary student tell me she was transferring to a school with better school colors.  True.

And Cookderosa wins the thread!    Ha ha ha ha

[ChilliDawg]

"The federal government won't hire you if you have an online degree unless you have veterans' preference. "

"Ivy League schools will never offer online degrees."

"For-profit colleges don't have regional accreditation."

"For-profit colleges never have specialized (programmatic) accreditation."

"All online degrees are offered by online schools, and all online schools are diploma mills." 

"You'll never get a job with an online degree."

These kinds of statements get me riled up.

I had this argument with a friend of mine the other day, who made the comment "I would rather have no degree, than an online degree".  As you can imagine, he has NO degree.  And, no job.  I find it odd that he picked the very week that I received my TESU diploma, to make such a statement.

I read a great article the other day on the epidemic of small colleges closing their doors for good.  A survey of the school administrators discovered that one of the top issues that they wish they had addressed sooner was to implement an online program. 

My wife works for a rather famous Liberal Arts 4-year.  They are in a full-on scramble to add an online program and a Computer Science program, and do it rather quickly.  Enrollment is way down and a focus group of students that turned down their acceptance to the school have indicated that they would not attend a school without at least partial online presence.

I will be as bold to say that not only are the comments AGAINST online schooling inaccurate and ignorant, but if a college wants to survive today, they MUST have an online course delivery offering.  My son is in the Engineering program at the University of Northern Florida.  So far, as a B&M student, his course delivery has been 30% online, and not by his selection.  The counselors are putting him in these courses. 

It is the way of the future, and traditional students from decades ago are going to be salty about it.

[burbuja0512]

These kinds of statements get me riled up.

I had this argument with a friend of mine the other day, who made the comment "I would rather have no degree, than an online degree".  As you can imagine, he has NO degree.  And, no job.  I find it odd that he picked the very week that I received my TESU diploma, to make such a statement.

I read a great article the other day on the epidemic of small colleges closing their doors for good.  A survey of the school administrators discovered that one of the top issues that they wish they had addressed sooner was to implement an online program. 

My wife works for a rather famous Liberal Arts 4-year.  They are in a full-on scramble to add an online program and a Computer Science program, and do it rather quickly.  Enrollment is way down and a focus group of students that turned down their acceptance to the school have indicated that they would not attend a school without at least partial online presence.

I will be as bold to say that not only are the comments AGAINST online schooling inaccurate and ignorant, but if a college wants to survive today, they MUST have an online course delivery offering.  My son is in the Engineering program at the University of Northern Florida.  So far, as a B&M student, his course delivery has been 30% online, and not by his selection.  The counselors are putting him in these courses. 

It is the way of the future, and traditional students from decades ago are going to be salty about it.

I think it's funny that people have strange perceptions of what employers think about their degree.    Did you go to Harvard?  Yale?  the top school for people in your field? or even the local State U that has the locally famous sports team?   If so, congratulations.  Your employer might care about your degree.

If not, your employer could care less and is just looking for a checkbox.  I wouldn't criticize anyone with a UoP degree, but maybe there could be an issue there....  Otherwise, who the heck even recognizes school names?

I have used this example here before, but a friend of mine went to the locally prestigious Colorado College.  As of 2019, it's about $55k per year.   Right now my friend is a high school teacher.  Good for her.  I'm glad that she has an emotionally satisfying job that she has wanted her whole life.   BUT I guarantee that no one has heard of her school or realizes that she is now in her 40's and still paying off loans.     It also took me EVERYTHING I had not to tell her what I make yearly when she criticized my education path and online schools in general.  

Not to mention that most major schools have some form of online school and this just keeps growing.   Online school is not going away anytime soon.    I do recognize that there are some people out there that have biases, and for that reason, I don't actively announce "online college" on my resume, but I'm 99% that no one has heard of COSC just like most people haven't heard of Colorado College.   I just paid a LOT LESS for my degree. 

[sanantone]

One of our moderators (rebel100), who is now inactive, said that he would throw away any resume with University of Phoenix on it because anyone who would spend all that money on such a terrible school is an idiot.

I think the perceived utility of an online degree comes from two misconceptions. A lot of people think that online degrees are only offered by online, for-profit colleges, but this is slowly changing as people discover online programs at state schools. The other misconception is that "online" will be indicated on a transcript and/or diploma.

[burbuja0512]

One of our moderators (rebel100), who is now inactive, said that he would throw away any resume with University of Phoenix on it because anyone who would spend all that money on such a terrible school is an idiot.

  Ha ha ha ha yes and Rebel100 is probably inactive because he's too busy with his crazy awesome upward career trajectory!!!!!  Just saw yet another cool thing on LinkedIn yesterday.   He is kicking butt and taking names!!!


I would have to agree with him though I didn't want to say it in my earlier post.   The only caveat I would say is that since UoP does prey on the disadvantged, I do take that into account. I interviewed a really good candidate once for an entry level position who was a single mom that had worked her way through college while going through a divorce.   I didn't hold the UoP degree against her, but that would be one of just a few cases where I would overlook it.    (Plus the position needed a motivated self-starter more than a degree)

[Jonathan Whatley]

I'd also keep in mind that many UOP students were at employers with ongoing relationships with UOP, and tuition reimbursement.