Y'all ever wish you would have gone to college instead?

Brownnblue

Well-Known Member
I have been a package car driver for thirty-four years and did earn a BA. Looking back, I made some horrible decisions when choosing a major. It was something that I was not overly enthusiastic about and did not lead to a smooth path into the job market. I wouldn't call my time at college a waste, but I came out of it with no real job opportunities or even a clear insight into what might be a good vocational plan to pursue.

The UPS thing fell into my lap, and I am still at it four decades later. Working at UPS has plenty of drawbacks; however, wages, benefits, vacation time, and union support are not among them.

I have never gotten the "I have a white-collar job, and therefore I am superior to you" vibe from anyone in the general public to any notable degree. I think most people have respect for what we do and how hard we work. The only place that I have encountered this type of thing is from UPS management. This is where having a college education comes in handy; the look on their face when I respond to their snide comments with something relating to Danish psychologist Erik Erikson's eight stages of psychosocial development is priceless.

With any luck, I will be retiring by the end of the year. I have found something somewhat personal: a nice little niche, something that I find interesting, rewarding, and possibly helpful. We'll see how it goes.
 

rod

Retired 23 years
I have been a package car driver for thirty-four years and did earn a BA. Looking back, I made some horrible decisions when choosing a major. It was something that I was not overly enthusiastic about and did not lead to a smooth path into the job market. I wouldn't call my time at college a waste, but I came out of it with no real job opportunities or even a clear insight into what might be a good vocational plan to pursue.

The UPS thing fell into my lap, and I am still at it four decades later. Working at UPS has plenty of drawbacks; however, wages, benefits, vacation time, and union support are not among them.

I have never gotten the "I have a white-collar job, and therefore I am superior to you" vibe from anyone in the general public to any notable degree. I think most people have respect for what we do and how hard we work. The only place that I have encountered this type of thing is from UPS management. This is where having a college education comes in handy; the look on their face when I respond to their snide comments with something relating to Danish psychologist Erik Erikson's eight stages of psychosocial development is priceless.

With any luck, I will be retiring by the end of the year. I have found something somewhat personal: a nice little niche, something that I find interesting, rewarding, and possibly helpful. We'll see how it goes.
Have fun in retirement---you will enjoy the hell out of it.
 

MassWineGuy

Well-Known Member
Ok, folks. Letā€™s get accurate. I have a BA and a masterā€™s degree. Tuition in the late 70s was low, especially after I got in-state rates after the first year. Yes, I had loan debt for grad school, but it wasnā€™t anything like horror stories prevalent now. I worked in my field, paid off the loan and lived life.

Like someone said, no one wakes up one day as a young kid thinking they want to move boxes for a living. Donā€™t get me wrong. If you can do it and tolerate the crap, itā€™s a fine and respectable job

Many excellent reasons to attend college. It depends on your interests and how strongly something calls to you. Knowledge and learning are good just by themselves. But you also better have a way to make a living. Do you want to be a doctor or scientist who helps improve the world? Or even an English major. Well worth it as long as you anticipate the level and length of what it will cost.

Thereā€™s more to life than competing with others about how many things you can buy.
 

Non sequitur

Well-Known Member
I have been a package car driver for thirty-four years and did earn a BA. Looking back, I made some horrible decisions when choosing a major. It was something that I was not overly enthusiastic about and did not lead to a smooth path into the job market. I wouldn't call my time at college a waste, but I came out of it with no real job opportunities or even a clear insight into what might be a good vocational plan to pursue.

The UPS thing fell into my lap, and I am still at it four decades later. Working at UPS has plenty of drawbacks; however, wages, benefits, vacation time, and union support are not among them.

I have never gotten the "I have a white-collar job, and therefore I am superior to you" vibe from anyone in the general public to any notable degree. I think most people have respect for what we do and how hard we work. The only place that I have encountered this type of thing is from UPS management. This is where having a college education comes in handy; the look on their face when I respond to their snide comments with something relating to Danish psychologist Erik Erikson's eight stages of psychosocial development is priceless.

With any luck, I will be retiring by the end of the year. I have found something somewhat personal: a nice little niche, something that I find interesting, rewarding, and possibly helpful. We'll see how it goes.
Hope and change, God speed.
 
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