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Why should I go to college if I know I could learn just as much (if not more) from reading textbooks, etc on my own?

I understand that many employers will not even consider hiring someone unless they have a degree, but when it comes down to it, all a degree does in "open the door" for you. It takes your skill and ability to keep it open.

Now, assuming an equally qualified autodidactic person could sneak past the initial bias against them for not having a degree, and could be given the chance to prove themselves, A non-degreed person could be just as "successful" as anyone else. (Assuming they are compensated for their true abilities rather than what a piece of paper says they should be worth.)

Comments?

By Ariesathena (Ariesathena) on Friday, February 13, 2004 - 05:31 pm: Edit

You're missing out on a huge part of what college teaches you.

You learn a lot from your peers and class discussions. You learn a lot from your professors, many of whom are passionate and brilliant. You learn from debating with other people.

Some of the skills that you cannot learn from a textbook are things like better writing (and almost any employer will demand excellent writing skills), presentation skills, researching, etc.

Class puts the knowledge you get from reading into context.

The real purpose of college is to teach you to think. Even exams (when done properly) will challenge you and help you learn more. Essay assignments do likewise. The feedback is essential to learning.

Finally, the best-kept secret of top colleges is that students learn more from each other than from their classes. You cannot get that same education in a vacuum.

By Tsdad (Tsdad) on Friday, February 13, 2004 - 05:45 pm: Edit

It's fun. It's also the last time in yout life you'll have so little responsibility.

By Coureur (Coureur) on Friday, February 13, 2004 - 07:31 pm: Edit

Assuming you succeed in sneaking past the door without a degree and getting a job, your troubles are not over. Despite your admirable self-taught knowledge, it will be very difficult to rise within the company without a degree. Every time there is a promotion opening the edge will go to the candidate with a degree over the one without.

A successful career consists of opening many doors, not just the first one. Any even very talented employees who lack college degrees will find many of those doors locked up tight.

By Thedad (Thedad) on Friday, February 13, 2004 - 08:24 pm: Edit

I think you're defining education too narrowly. I see a lot of posts on this board with premises that suggest that college is a factory where education is inserted into heads by skilled technicians (professors). Wrong wrong wrong wrong.

But this viewpoint suffuses everything from the relentless preoccupation with prestige to some remarkably uninformed posts about affirmative action.

As to autodidacticism, I've tried teaching my cars stuff many times but they never learn.

By Constellation35 (Constellation35) on Friday, February 13, 2004 - 08:37 pm: Edit

The only things college is good for:

1) All that cliché •••••••• (i.e. "socialization")
2) Laboratory courses (they require more than a textbook)
3) Advanced math’s (at least for me it’d be hard to learn multi-variable calculus on my own)
4) Art-related courses (if you’re into that…)

Everything else is just simple memorization.

Also:
5) Getting a good job
6) Appearing smart to the ignorant ••••• (they think "degree from a good school = GENIUS!")

By Thedad (Thedad) on Saturday, February 14, 2004 - 12:32 am: Edit

I think you're wrong. Are you by chance a prospective science/engineering major?

By Jonnieboy905 (Jonnieboy905) on Saturday, February 14, 2004 - 12:43 am: Edit

The most important role of college is transitioning you from high school to the real world at an appropriate speed.

By Blwann45 (Blwann45) on Saturday, February 14, 2004 - 11:18 am: Edit

your most sure bet would be to "major" in entrepeneurism. you wouldn't have bosses to scoff at your self-taught knowledge. But realize, like someone has already mentioned, that your asceticism will result in inept social abilities. perhaps internship will help your communication abilities, it would be difficult to even find an internship, since your would-be employers could potentially see you as a good-for-nothing. Furthermore, it would be of utmost difficulty to find willing investors (other than your "daddy") who trust that your business would succeed, offering them no return on their money. You would be a charity case.

You could bum at your friends' dorms and sit in on classes. If the college is big enough, you should be fine. Plus, you can charge to do essays and revise them. That may help finance your future company. :9