If you're not academic, are you f***ed?

whirlpool · 27-08-2014 01:44AM #1

If you're not academic, and therefore feel unable to partake in or to complete or do well in a degree or a masters (and so on), are you essentially screwed? Are you destined to live out your days simply existing, cheque to cheque, on an average wage?

Thoughts?

daveohdave · 27-08-2014 01:45AM

whirlpool wrote: »

Thoughts?

Mini cheddars are nice. Also Yawn.

WilyCoyote · 27-08-2014 01:50AM

Academia is one way of spending your life. But unless you are otherwise well rounded, you'll finish up alone after your wife runs off with the local gravedigger ........ unless she is brought up, and agreed with being, a good girl.

The Purveyor of Truth · 27-08-2014 01:54AM

Depends.

Timmyctc · 27-08-2014 01:58AM

Not at all. As a matter of fact. Back up where I'm from in Donegal its very much the opposite. The richer are generally those who started out on the site at a young age and simply had a good work ethic. Even now they're all loaded. The richest man in my hometown is by no means an intelligent man. Shrewd man he is but he made his money with some great business investments. No academia required.

Lyaiera · 27-08-2014 02:00AM

I hope not.

MultiUmm · 27-08-2014 02:02AM

I don't think so. Academia is not suited to everyone and not everyone needs to do a degree to have a good standard of living. Hell talk to a lot of graduates and they'll tell you how much they struggle to find employment with a degree and various post grads.

I do think there's an expectation on school leavers to go to 3rd level and do a degree these days. I think there should be more options and pathways open to people after they do their leaving, I know there's plc courses and all that but they're often just a stepping stone for getting into a level 8 degree in a university or IT.

Some people are practical and excel at 'doing', our education system at present is very much so geared towards those who are academically minded and it is a bit unfair.

Back to the original point though, I definitely wouldn't say you're screwed if you're not academic. I know a guy I went to school with went straight into work (he's doing something in construction) and while I'm in college and loving it he is by far earning a lot more money than I am and is much less broke in general.

The Purveyor of Truth · 27-08-2014 02:03AM

Yes and conversely, if you are academic, you're not fcuked.

Poor rich virgins.

Dont be at yourself · 27-08-2014 02:05AM

Nope. I have a degree (just about), but wouldn't say I'm academic. To be honest, you don't need to be academic these days to get a degree (if you choose the right one), and once you have that under your belt, you can rely on what skills you do have to forge a career.

I've got a pretty decent professional job, loosely in the field of my degree, but I've progressed not because of what I learnt in school or university, but because of whatever natural aptitude I do happen happen to have.

Having worked abroad and within international companies, one thing I can say about Irish people is that we have generally have really strong inter-personal and communication skills, and they can really help you progress in whatever job you end up in.

Lapin · 27-08-2014 02:06AM

The world will always need ditch diggers.

WilyCoyote · 27-08-2014 02:34AM

Lapin wrote: »

The world will always need ditch diggers.

And people to work out the cubic feet of worked earth

xLisaBx · 27-08-2014 02:37AM

You're forgetting the big difference that exists between intelligence and education.
Some of the smartest and most successful people in the world left school at 12 or 13 years old.
Some masters graduates are unemployed living off benefits.

WILL NEVER LOG OFF · 27-08-2014 03:07AM

whirlpool wrote: »

If you're not academic, and therefore feel unable to partake in or to complete or do well in a degree or a masters (and so on), are you essentially screwed? Are you destined to live out your days simply existing, cheque to cheque, on an average wage?

Thoughts?

Most people live out their days simply existing, cheque to cheque, rich or poor, academic or not.

I think a very small number of people feel liberated. Almost everyone makes a misery of life, regardless of circumstances.

cue "i'm happy" responses.

Denial is the strongest lock on the cage of human squalor.

lol.

endacl · 27-08-2014 03:18AM

If you're not not f**ked, then you're f**ked. It's got nothing to do with academics. Not. Not not.

Pawn · 27-08-2014 07:58AM

Degree doesn't give you wealth, a good job or respect. These things you get when you're smart, hard-working and willing to progress. I don't have a degree and screw it, I couldn't be happier.

Celly Smunt · 27-08-2014 08:01AM

Ireland is a cest pit of educated idiots.

kneemos · 27-08-2014 08:05AM

If you look around your area you'll find that probably none if the business owners have a great education.

kingtiger · 27-08-2014 08:11AM

Shamelessly ripped from wiki

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_college_dropout_billionaires

The average net worth of billionaires who dropped out of college, $9.4 billion, is approximately triple that of billionaires with Ph.D.s, $3.2 billion. Even if one removes Bill Gates, who left Harvard University and is now worth $66.0 billion, college dropouts are worth $5.3 billion on average, compared to those who finished only bachelor's degrees, who are worth $2.9 billion. According to a recent report from Cambridge-based Forrester Research, 20% of America's millionaires never attended college

27-08-2014 08:25AM

Its acutely more subtle than that, I do think some sort of qualification is important whether its a trade or something else.

The important point is attitude to your work and stickability at what you are doing.

Two people could become plumbers qualified at the same time and 10 years later one owns a construction company and is doing very well.. and the other is scrambling around for work and is just getting by, thats what its really about and is not really to do with what qualification's you have.

anncoates · 27-08-2014 08:29AM

whirlpool wrote: »

Are you destined to live out your days simply existing, cheque to cheque, on an average wage??

Of course not.

You can opt to get paid by direct debit.

Timmyctc wrote: »

Not at all. As a matter of fact. Back up where I'm from in Donegal its very much the opposite. The richer are generally those who started out on the site at a young age and simply had a good work ethic. Even now they're all loaded. The richest man in my hometown is by no means an intelligent man. Shrewd man he is but he made his money with some great business investments. No academia required.

Unfortunately the peace process has limited tertiary business opportunities in the republican movement.

IrishSkyBoxer · 27-08-2014 09:14AM

nicolas tesla didn't have any degree.

intelligence is more than some piece of paper

Sugar Free · 27-08-2014 09:16AM

kingtiger wrote: »

Shamelessly ripped from wiki

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_college_dropout_billionaires

The average net worth of billionaires who dropped out of college, $9.4 billion, is approximately triple that of billionaires with Ph.D.s, $3.2 billion. Even if one removes Bill Gates, who left Harvard University and is now worth $66.0 billion, college dropouts are worth $5.3 billion on average, compared to those who finished only bachelor's degrees, who are worth $2.9 billion. According to a recent report from Cambridge-based Forrester Research, 20% of America's millionaires never attended college

A bit of a biased example though. Comparing two sets of incredibly successful people (bilionaires with degrees or higher versus billionaires that dropped out) doesn't make a lot of sense as they're at the extreme end of things.

I doubt figures exist but I would be far more interested in seeing the average net worth of all graduates versus drop-outs.

OP I don't think a lack of academic qualifications means someone is screwed. I do think however that for most people, having a university education will give them more opportunities than those that don't over the course of a 40+ year career.

Santa Cruz · 27-08-2014 09:19AM

Timmyctc wrote: »

Not at all. As a matter of fact. Back up where I'm from in Donegal its very much the opposite. The richer are generally those who started out on the site at a young age and simply had a good work ethic. Even now they're all loaded. The richest man in my hometown is by no means an intelligent man. Shrewd man he is but he made his money with some great business investments. No academia required.

"The richest man in my hometown is by no means an intelligent man"
Balderdash. There is a big difference between intelligence and education.
You won't become rich with education alone.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 27-08-2014 09:20AM

whirlpool wrote: »

If you're not academic, and therefore feel unable to partake in or to complete or do well in a degree or a masters (and so on), are you essentially screwed? Are you destined to live out your days simply existing, cheque to cheque, on an average wage?

Thoughts?

Ask Alan Sugar.

27-08-2014 09:20AM

I shouldn't think so... or would hope not anyway
plenty of trades etc

Ush1 · 27-08-2014 09:22AM

Most of the boom money people were linked to the construction industry and often wouldn't have had college degrees. Made a hell of a lot more money(or seemed to) than their counterparts who stayed in education.

Probably all gonna start happening again now.

Santa Cruz · 27-08-2014 09:24AM

An educated man visited a small village. He saw what he thought was the village idiot siting beside an open manhole with a fishing rod and the line down the manhole. He asked him "What are you fishing for" The other man said "Aaaar I be fishing for ten pound notes" The educated man took sympathy on him and gave him a tenner. Then he asked "Ten pound notes hmm How many have you caught today?" The simpleton said " Aaar you be the sixth"

RoboRat · 27-08-2014 09:25AM

I have a friend who is a painter who is pulling in over €1500 a week
I have another friend who is a taxi driver who is pulling in over €1000 a week.
I have a masters and I am nowhere near that.

So no, you are not screwed. You just need to be excellent at what you do and think outside the box.

wendell borton · 27-08-2014 09:26AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kyWDhB_QeI

osarusan · 27-08-2014 09:27AM

There are some jobs where a lack of an academic qualification will be a hindrance.

There are many where the lack of one won't be a problem. Some of these jobs can still pay very well, and some of the jobs requiring academic qualifications don't pay well at all.

I can't imagine academic qualifications being a bad thing though.

fatknacker · 27-08-2014 09:27AM

I used to live by the idea that I could get by on my smarts and wit alone. Then I went back to get a degree in my late 20's.

If you're not academic, are you f***ed?

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