Do you need a degree to succeed in life?

[Oz]

Discuss.

[zebrathree]

Depends on what your definition of successfull is.

My thoughts? No it doesn't.

[slave]

I don't have a degree. I am very happy and am positive about my future.

[taranaki]

Does Michael Schumaker have a degree?

Or Shania Twain?

Or Sir Edmund Hillary?

Or even George W Bush?

It depends on what you want to be successful at.If you really want a dull job, with a suit and tie and a company car, that pays absurd amounts of money for actually making nothing,a degree would be helpful.If you want to get ahead without one,choose a company that values the man ahead of his bits of paper.A rolled-up certificate tied with a silk ribbon and a desktop photo of yourself posing in a rented gown and cap are not,in my view,a measure of someone's worth.

[DayDreaM BelieveR]

As far as I'm concerned, success in life does not require a degree. But, it really helps in making heaps of cash in an easy way with minimal manual labour, so I'm aiming for at least one. I know, I know, you don't need money to be happy/content but honestly I'd like to own some nice stuff which just happen to be expensive. If you can handle wearing a suit every day and lying for your money or looking down a microscope trying to make something happen for 8 hours straight, by all means, go for it because it'll make your life a whole lot easier. Just remember that you have to like what you do to excell at it or sometimes to even stay at it. My cousin was forced into a lot of studying and a Medicine degree but now she hates it. You live with your choices.

Not to say you can't make big bucks without a degree...

[DGB454]

I'm not trying to sound supremely arrogant or anything but I think it helps.

[EnzoHonda]

Depends on your definition of success. Poor and happy. Rich and sad. What's success? A degree (and career) in something you love is great, but don't get so worked up about trying to be better than everyone else that you forget to stop and smell the flowers.

[DGB454]

Don't forget the other 2 choices. Poor and sad , rich and happy.

[TexasF355F1]

Originally Posted by taranaki

George W Bush?

Bush does have a degree. Graduated from Yale in '68.

But no you do not need a degree to be successful in life. You just have to have the trait of being a go getter and able to sell yourself and present what you are selling with the utmost confidence. I don't look at becoming a celebrity as succeeding, more of luck. A lot of large corporations were developed by college dropouts or those who didn't go at all. Michael Dell started his business out of his dorm room at the University of Texas. And he was soon making such a decent amount of money he decided to start up his now multi-billion dollar company.

[YogsVR4]

I was confused as too who started this thread Oz or Kicker.

If you mean a successful career - you don't need a degree, but it does help convince potential employers that you are trainable and know something about the subject matter.

If you mean in general then ones scholastic achievements have little to do with it (unless they are what you judge to be a success).

[Diesel2NR]

Depends on what you're looking for in life. I'm not looking to own a bunch of really nice cars or anything. I'm not looking for a lot money-wise out of life. I wouldn't have chosen to be a Firefighter/EMT if I was after money. We don't get paid crap, but I'll get a lot of job satisfaction out of the deal.

[mycivic]

My is that...

You dont need a degree to succeed in life. A degree can help you get to succeed faster though. And it all depends on what you want and what success is to you.

You may have a degree and graduate top in your class but know nothing of the world...then your screwed.

Sometimes success is not about top academic records or have a degree. Most of the time its about being "street smart" that gets you there.

[Highlyaspir8ed]

great topic OZ. I think it depends on what you do in life. for example if you want to become a MD I would say it usually helps to have a degree... however if you're going after a computer based industry such as programming or web design I think it hinders you. various industries move faster then large organizations such as universities can adjust. Of course there are exceptions to every rule like say MIT. but for the most part universities are still teaching languages that could be considered a relic.
so to recap No to be successful I think you don't need a degree. However in certain areas of the workforce it can help.

[Dynwolf]

Originally Posted by taranaki

It depends on what you want to be successful at.If you really want a dull job, with a suit and tie and a company car, that pays absurd amounts of money for actually making nothing,a degree would be helpful.If you want to get ahead without one,choose a company that values the man ahead of his bits of paper.A rolled-up certificate tied with a silk ribbon and a desktop photo of yourself posing in a rented gown and cap are not,in my view,a measure of someone's worth.

I love your posts, my friend - I do wonder where you come up with this stuff sometimes, but I LOVE reading it.

I have a degree in a field related NOTHING to the job I started in at the company I'm with. However, my employer would never have considered me for the position if I hadn't shown the discipline and tenacity to attend and complete University (in four years). Obviously, since my degree didn't relate to the job at hand, it didn't "do" much as to making my job easier or make me more successful - rather it showed (as Yogs mentioned) that I had the intelligence to be trainable. (At least in theory - I know some morons with college degrees.)

Yes, I wear a tie to work (suit usually). Yes, I have a company car. No I do not make anything personally - though our company is a manufacturer. Currently, I oversee both the Production and Business Development departments at our company. I have people working for me who are twice my age - did I get here because of my degree? No. I got here though hard work. (It also helps to be young with a lot of ideas in a company that desires growth.) I can, however, temper ideas with facts and figures. I know where to get my facts and which formulas to use because of my college education. Could I still have gotten this information? Probably, but from experience, I feel it would have taken a hell of a lot longer.

Is my job boring because I wear a suit and tie? If I thought so, I wouldn't be here. Because of my job, I travel all over the US and Europe, meeting new people, finding new products and looking for companies to buy - may not be for everyone, but it fascinates the hell out of me.

Do you need a degree - NO! Does it help? Yes. I think a degree is often the difference between getting hired and getting passed over. I know from our hiring practices, if we have two applicants with equal experience, the guy with the degree will ALWAYS get hired first.

Happiness is an entirely different topic altogether, and has nothing to do (in my opinion) with education, profession or financial station in life. I know wealthy people who ALWAYS seem depressed and people who are "just getting by" who always seem happy and upbeat. The way I look at it - if you're happy at your job, regardless of what you make, it's a good thing - after all, you'll spend between 1/3 and 1/2 of your waking hours there for the rest of your life.

Then again, what the hell do I know?

JM

[BLU CIVIC]

IMO no b/c so many people have found a way to become successful w/o it.....but i like school and having a good education is something noone should be deprived of...no matter ur social status....