Can you be successful without a college degree?

I'm curious to know whether you think today's 18 year old's graduating from high school have a chance at providing for themselves without continuing their education and getting some sort of degree?

Yes 56
No 6
Rarely / Maybe 46
Not a chance! 12
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Comments ( 16 )
  • Rufus

    Define "successful".

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  • thecheese

    If you wanna be successful you gotta act successful!

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  • FireVixen

    Just marry someone rich

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  • littlelulu1999

    You need to define what success means to you, as Rufus wisely pointed out....first define it and then realize what it will take to achieve it (noting the obvious and not so obvious boundaries and limitations of success)....since the "illusions of success" we are sold on TV/Movies/commercial are not realistic (we need to learn to define success by making it realistically attainable within our resources and abilities)....additionally, yes you can be successful without college....there are a shitload of people opening their eyes to the so called promise of success that college made...the US educational system has fucked over millions of people and saddled them with nothing but debt...I think college and grad school have become money making corporations (I am talking about BOTH for-profit and non-profit/state/public universities)....sucking the life, creativity, imgagination, and $$$ out of people....all the while spending money to import educated talent (Dr. Michio Kaku recently made some excellent comments about how the H-IB Visa is killing America's science and mathematics educational fields)....define your own success and pursue it by alternative, more cost-efficient means....

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  • Only if you do a business or a performing career.

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  • drumandpickchick

    Yeah, but trust me. Go to college. I waited until I was 21 and I regret it. It wasn't as awful as I thought and I'm already seeing my life change.

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  • karmasAbich

    Absolutely. They are pressuring high school kids to run off to college, automatically put yourself in debt before you even start your life and pay somebody to teach you something you could learn at the bottom of chain from a more experienced worker and eventually work your way up to his spot and take his job :) not necessarily taking his job, but you get my drift

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  • mateo

    there is literally nothing you cant learn on this inter-web your on right now....except hands on things like how a clogged artery feels when performing pentuple by-pass surgery,thats onee thing that takes a little hands on x-p

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  • Yeah in some jobs you can work your way up... but a degree looks good for any job you apply for and you have more chance of getting a decent job then someone without a degree, i'm 17 (18 in exactly one week) and i'm currently doing my a-levels at sixth form and i've just applied to go to university to get a degree why?.. because i wanna be a somebody and make it... i don't wanna chance it... it's the risk youu take... and the choices youu make sweet xx

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  • pao

    my friend make tons of money he work in construction, gabage men earn lot of money.. you don't need degree for that.

    a degree only prove that you can do it . patience, solve problems, methodology , organization.. is very good !!!
    . I got my degree i couldn't get a job on it .

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  • joybird

    Of course. You just have to find your own particular field that you are interested in and then excel. You may have a lot of obstacles to overcome and prejudices too, but if you prefer practical work you will very likely succeed.

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  • dom180

    Of course. There are countless examples of incrediably successful people who were incrediably poor at school and never went on to higher education. Richard Branson is the first example I can think of. Conversely, if you do go to collage you are much more likely to be successful.

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    • moonstruck

      I'm talking about this generation just graduating high school and not interested in celebrity stories, just the average person.

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      • dom180

        I know, but I don't see why it has to be different. I can't give non-famous examples that would be of any worth, because obviously nobody else would recognise them because it would be personal to me. That's why I gave a famous example.

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  • LOUi_CUDi

    yes look at kobe bryant lebron james n many others like snooki lol jk... But ya u could

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  • Ihadtomakeyetanotheraccountffs

    One word; Hendrix.

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