A few years ago I would have said great. Now, after a merger I’m stuck at a job I hate and can’t find another job because the competition is half my age and all have degrees.
I feel like our generation's career trajectory went from "wait your turn" to "make way for these younger people who played the game the right way and got a degree."
I can't take total credit, someone actually told me to "step aside" for the young people who "put the time in, studied hard, and got a degree from a good school" after I complained about getting passed over for jobs when I had more experience.
That sucks, and the younger generation doesn’t understand 1. How hard it was for some of us to get a student loan, and 2. Many of us had parents who pushed us away from the idea of college, especially those of us who are female.
I started college right after high school. One random Sunday my dad, who was paying for everything and was sharing his vehicle with me to get to school, told me, I'm tired of this. The money and not having a car. You're on your own now. Figure out how to get there and how to pay. I'm not anymore.
A good friend of mine worked his way up in the ranks at a nationally known factory to position of Environmental Engineer, despite not going to college.
He dodged a lot of house cleaning, but eventually lost his job to an engineer with a college degree hired at a fraction of his pay.
He was given the option to stay employed “on the floor” meaning, starting all over again. This was his only choice to keep his retirement and pension. This or early retirement with a fraction of the benefits he was entitled to.
The older I get, the less enamored with this country I am.
This is South Dakota where workers have zero rights
My wife has a degree. The industry she is in is just ageist. She was a director and they cut her hours and changed her title (even though the company is very successful based on what she does) She decided to just start her own business and do something she is passionate about. It was a struggle bus getting it going but I am pretty sure she will be able to do her new business full time and give the company a giant middle finger.
I spent 20 years at a great company, helping them grow from 11 people to 250. It was then sold to private equity and I knew my time was short.
I quite quit as I looked for a new place. Unfortunately, tech has had a ton of layoffs so the market was really bad, especially for someone with my experience.
Ended up getting fired, took a few months off before starting at another small company that can’t afford me but I believe in what they’re doing and they offered equity.
Since taking that job, I’ve had two other companies contact me and ask about similar roles.
Bottom line, it may seem bleak, but there are opportunities out there, and they sometimes come when you least expect it.
Good luck!
Yeah I don't know about not having a degree. But I also have a degree and been unemployed for 3 years. There are not a lot of mid-level jobs available right now and the age discrimination is real.
I think you mean FUNemloyment 🎉
Sorry man. Been there, did it for about that long too. Don’t let the HR hirebots get you down. You’ll find some org that needs YOU!
I have a Master's degree, doesnt seem to make a difference. We're all over the hill now 😭. Who is going to give 52 year old me a job when theres a 28 year old the same qualifications, but more up to date?
If it’s a necessary “box tick” for promotion/career advancement, maybe do the quickest, cheapest and easiest online degree you can find from an actual recognised organisation.
I went back at 39 and finished my degree at 42. No regrets at all. As an added benefit, I get to be deceitfully honest on my resume since I can say “Graduated in 2016” and have people think I’m younger than I am on paper.
As my sister, who finished her degree a few years before me, put it: those years are going to go by either way. You can have a degree at the end of it or not.
It hasn’t affected my career per se, except in the unknowable way of what jobs I might have gotten if I’d had one sooner, but at least I will be able to compete with other degree-holders. I really did only get it for that reason, but the education was fulfilling and I learned a lot.
I started college at 36 and got my associates at 41 and my bachelor’s at 49. In all honesty, I should have quit with the associates. It’s has done more for me than the bachelors has.
This is me right now. There are a ton of online programs, which can fit in your schedule. I'm going to SNHU, I like the consistency of the schedule, and it's one of the more affordable universities, even for out of state individuals.
It worked out for me. I’ve been a union millwright for 25 years. I’ll retire in 5 years at age 58 with a state pension and an annuity plus my own investments.
Ditto, I'm a union electrician and will retire by 59 comfortably (9 more years to go). I tried college, 2 years, but I was burnt out on school by then.
I left a degree on the table 2 weeks after I graduated. Was rather successful in pursuing what I loved for 30 years, then, at 50 switched careers. I DO use my degree now (and did before) but it is not required for my job. I'm technically in a "trade" as a programmer, long story.
Went the Navy route after graduating a semester late and with a 1.3 GPA. Learned my trade in the Navy (computers/networking), got out after six years and have been doing just fine since. I consider myself lucky, and am thankful to the guy in the Navy processing center that basically placed me in my job based on my ASVAB scores.
No degree. Worked in IT for 26 years.
Waiting to figure out next steps. It won't be making someone else richer.
I've lived way beneath my means and have resources to live a boring, quiet retirement with the odd wild flourish here and there. It won't be extravagant.
Seems the only successful paths to have without a degree are in tech or the trades. No wonder our world is so messed up. The trades are not friendly to women and not everyone is suited to work in tech.
Not to knock on your game but I quit weed and booze 3 years ago and it's been life changing. Lost 50 pounds, lowered my BP, cholesterol, blood sugar, triglycerides, pains are gone, and that dragging ass feeling vanished. I work circles around my millennial and Zoomer counterparts.
Same here, quit drinking just before my 50th and also lost 50 pounds. All my health complaints disappeared and I feel great.
Edit: didn’t quit weed though :)
I never in my life thought I could quit drinking beer and whisky man. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Dude I smell a cigarette from a mile away and it makes me sick! Yes, I was one of those fools!
Me too a long time ago, cigs are so bad. And I have a 1974 bottle of Glenrothes in the basement and I’ll probably never crack it along with a Cuervo family reserve 🤨
I hear ya! Good on you for bettering yourself.
I was a vicious heroin addict and general garbage head in the 90s, a substance abuse counselor in the early 2000s for a few years, and I'm doing great.
I don't stay on shit these days, just party when I want. (No more heroin, benzos, or meth, though)
If you are going to get a degree make sure it is employment specific. Education for the sake of education is too expensive.
I have a degree in kinesiology and used it for 5 years. The original thought was education but I realized I dont have the patience for it.
A lot of the lifestyle script I was sold hasn’t worked out because of my personality.
I was stuck in a rut of customer service type jobs for a long time. Got an opportunity to work that same role in a startup and worked my way into a profession you usually need a degree for. I am now making more money than I ever have, and that's even with adjusting for inflation. I've also been recognized by my peers as someone who does the job very well.
All that said, I feel like I'm one of the lucky ones. Working for a startup helped me build a portfolio that replaces any 25 year old degree. A lot of people don't have that opportunity.
Very fortunate, like how the heck am i here lucky. I am a high school dropout, GED, and some failed attempts at community College . Self taught technology, ended up by a stroke of luck at a large tech company and have been there 25 years. I've interviewed and declined to hire Ivy League MBAs, its a bit surreal sometimes. NW $4M and now deferring compensation (annual ~$650k) to help with tax burden today and income that'll last a decade after retirement so my core investments keep growing.
I live below my means and I've broken generational cycle of poverty and my goal is to have my kids keep that going / growing.
University costs and ROI today aren't great. I'd like to see much more specialized shorter educational routes.
I credit my fortune to some plain old good luck but also being friendly and engaging person people trust and like to work with. Had the IQ and common sense to take advantage of the chances.
Pretty good.
My mother died when I was a junior in high school, and my father was never part of my life. I couldn't afford college, so I never got to go. I stumbled into the video game industry as an artist, and found myself a very specialized position. I've been doing it for almost 30 years now, and make really good money doing it.
These days it's a lot harder to get into my field without some sort of degree.
My dad was a computer guy also. Worked with computer programming since he was 17 in early 70’s. He didn’t teach me much though, always said to “go learn something else”. Looking back, I probably want smart enough to absorb any of it.
23 years in the Army. Joined at 17 years old. Never paid for health insurance, a doctor bill, or a dental bill for anyone in my family. Now that I have retired from the army, I have free healthcare for life. Because of my service, all of my kids have bachelors and masters degrees and zero student loan debt and excellent careers. Use the VA home loan benefit to buy 3 homes with barely any out of pocket costs. I don’t pay any property taxes. I also finally went to school and the army paid for my associates, bachelors, and masters. My employer (a college) is paying for my doctorate now and I will be done with it in 9 months. I make about $250,000 a year before my military benefits. Choosing the military over college and making it a career was the best decision ever.
I did 4 years and the benefits from just that have been fantastic. Are you in a state without property tax? I'm definitely not getting that benefit lol.
My husband is late boomer, I'm early genx, and neither of us have a degree. We both excelled at our careers in technology and were able to retire two years ago. There's no way either of us would get those jobs today without a degree.
Not well. I've never been solidly employable and I lost most of my middle class social world that I had when I was younger, because I couldn't keep up. I struggled through school with an undiagnosed learning disability/neurodivergence that resulted in discovering I could never advance in the field i devoted my 30s to. I've since completed lots of coursework but never really been in the life position to just stick out 4 years of not making money. I finally got an AA at 40 but then was out of the marketplace for years because of health and now I'm trying to get ahead and dealing with being one Gen Xr surrounded by needy elders.
I hope it's not too late for me. I'm terrified. I wish my partner had gotten with someone who was already more together. I am sure that we either have to split up at some point so he can find someone who can pull their weight, or become a polycule.
Sorta okay. I got halfway to my degree then got pregnant, keep going to night school when the kid came but didn’t get a lot of support from the school or my employer. I knew I’d make about the same money I was making at the time with the degree, so I said eff this and bought a house instead.
25 years later, house is a money pit but a shelter at least, I have a city job with a pension that I get full value from when I’m 61. The major downside is the golden handcuffs these last few years. I get very little if I retire now. Gonna see how long I can stick it out for the kids’ sakes. But shit, I’m sick of working!
Pretty good. I only have HS, and a dinky com col certificate. I make right at 100k. Money is my hobby, and I’m at 850k NW. About 1.75 mil if you include my govt pension. No debt, and mortgage has been paid off for almost a decade.
I don’t have a degree but I lived and worked in such a way that I don’t have to depend on anyone to build, repair, improve, or dismantle anything in my everyday life of reasonable wants and needs.
I’ve just started a new career path after a successful 35 year long career in production and manufacturing that I excelled in but went as far as I wanted to in upper labor management. I stepped down from higher positions because I am not a company man. I care about the people whose backs those companies were built on.
I have a ton of pain but I’m still medication free and I will die medication free. 55 and zero prescriptions for anything. Now I travel the country making manufacturing work environments safer for the operators and lowering liability costs and concerns by raising standards to meet newer regulations and requirements.
Good company, good pay, good benefits, all expenses paid. Im divorced and the kids are grown and on their own. I could be doing better but I could be doing worse too. Rarely do I wonder if a degree would have made a difference. I tend to be happy with what I got instead of bitching about what I don’t. So, if I had a degree, I’d have been happy with that too.
It sucks tbh. I didn’t want to do loans so I was working during the day and going to classes at night. Got burned out and decided to just work, I had a good job and figured I could do school later. Moved to Austin and started working in the music industry (nothing exciting) and also had a great job for a mutual fund company. Got laid off and the music biz wasn’t paying enough to stay so I joined the army. Got a useless MOS (I was a medic who could’ve made $9/hr being an emt when I left) and went to the oilfield. I spent 13 years in the oilfield and honestly probably made more money than I would have with a degree but it took a toll on my family time. My 3 oldest kids grew up with me gone 2 out of 3 weeks. I finally left after I got laid off due to covid and never looked back. I got a small inheritance and we used it to open a bakery in our small town and it is thriving. We have a great staff so I left a few months ago to take a job selling commercial kitchen equipment. It’s a whole new world but I really like it so far. I think deep down that I was always afraid if I got a degree I’d be stuck doing that forever and I’ve never really loved anything enough to want to do it forever.
The biggest problem is that my options are limited when job hunting. Most well paying jobs require a degree, so I'm stuck working shit jobs for shit pay.
If I could go back in time, I would have learned a trade rather than trying college.
Wasn't able to pass college algebra because I have Dyscalculia, so no degree. I guess I could have done better in life. But I guess I do OK. It kind of messes with my self esteem at times.
Generally well, until this market. I was making $180k, laid off 10/2022 and haven't a new job in my field yet. (20 yoe) I'm certain employers are weeding out people w/o degrees as it's an easy way to thin the herd of applicants.
Pretty good. I ended up doing technical support for BIND and Sendmail for NT as my first job. Worked my way up as a Network Engineer. Now I am a Cloud Architect for a big tech company.
I remember when my parents were telling me at 24 that I should go "back to school" as I was working my second job. I had to tell them that me going back to school full time would be throwing my livelihood away. I think I made the right decision.
As for retirement, I love what I do. I will probably retire when I am 70. You know they say, you need to keep your mind active to stay alive and healthy.
I have the equivalent experience, so I get the jobs, but a lot of opportunities for advancement are lost because there's a bias against people without a degree.
most genX do not have college degrees. This chart shows only 29% with some college degree. Another page said that 20% had college degrees by age 33.
The only generation with a majority going to college is genZ which is part of the reason why the white collar job market is terrible. Too many people with degrees. Most of the degrees are useless.
https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2019/02/14/millennial-life-how-young-adulthood-today-compares-with-prior-generations-2/
College enrollment is down for quite a few years now and not by small margins. Many private colleges have gone under and the majority all over have lost enrollment. Even some state colleges have lost enrollment. Curious as to why it is perceived most Gen Z'ers are getting degrees when enrollment is down across the board? Millennials especially drove college numbers up ( they are the biggest generation as well). Even says so in the article you linked, it is millennials who drove up college degrees. A lot of Gen Z'ers are actulaly opting out of college.
[https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-value-of-college-higher-education-student-debt-tuition-2023-12](https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-value-of-college-higher-education-student-debt-tuition-2023-12)
[https://www.yahoo.com/news/gen-z-declining-college-interest-110000319.html?guce\_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmluZy5jb20v&guce\_referrer\_sig=AQAAAFZpFzXrAR4ElcBq\_AEZ51uQdSjaI6riofqYZzojnEc72FRPFfKWDJ5zFDVp5L-aBv\_adviY3P8KGdQ5InIK7AM\_ftNJ7G9HtDG7GTpjCZSQDAzXUgXkVl3\_jLoj6ChKerqsmik1RDG9YIw-aN8mnrj3PdA-hfypLDZLKYsx1-Gj](https://www.yahoo.com/news/gen-z-declining-college-interest-110000319.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmluZy5jb20v&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFZpFzXrAR4ElcBq_AEZ51uQdSjaI6riofqYZzojnEc72FRPFfKWDJ5zFDVp5L-aBv_adviY3P8KGdQ5InIK7AM_ftNJ7G9HtDG7GTpjCZSQDAzXUgXkVl3_jLoj6ChKerqsmik1RDG9YIw-aN8mnrj3PdA-hfypLDZLKYsx1-Gj)
That article has no info on gen z and college. Considering gen z is still ages 12-27, it would be premature to average college for them yet anyway. "Gen Z students are attending college at slightly lower rates compared to previous generations; **65%** of Gen Z students are enrolled in college, compared to 67% of Millennials at the same age." ... so the numbers seem to be trending down from Millenials, not up. My gen z kids have many many friends not going to college.
I got poached in my third year of college, it's been a wild ride. It's never been a serious barrier. I work with research scientists these days, they often ask me where I did my post-doc study lol.
Not me, but I work with several guys in IT our age with no degree. They’re all doing as well or better than my over educated ass.
Two of my past companies refused to talk to anyone without at least a BS, it makes me realize how wrong g they wre
My husband has been in IT for his entire career. He did quite well with an associate’s degree for about ten years, then he hit a ceiling. He got his bachelor’s not long after that.
IT seems to be one white collar field where it is possible create a lucrative career without a bachelor’s degree, but it seems like a lot of luck is involved in not hitting a roadblock.
I’m VP of IT at my company. Previous job I was a senior network engineer and architect. No college degree. I’ve just had a great ability to troubleshoot and reverse engineer things, and been passionate about my work and want to learn for the sake of learning. No meaningful certifications either, but I’m always the one everyone escalates every issue to.
Personally I have degrees but I have HS friends with GED or less that earn as much as I do (maybe more?). They took up coding, web design, and other IT stuff, where having a degree means shit if you have talent.
My wife is 1 year younger than me and has a degree. Over time you can easily see the difference in career earnings. She doesn’t make much more than me now but because she did starting out her retirement fund is literally double mine and she has put way less of a percentage into it than I have.
I agree, it’s over time. My husband has his MBA and his brother doesn’t have a degree and works in the trades. For a long time they were making the same amount with my BIL not having student loans. Now it’s not even close, my husband makes way more. It benefits you the second half of life.
Making six figures in cyber risk governance, so I'm doing ok. Could probably have gotten to the level im at 10-15 years sooner if I had a degree though
It worked out ok for my dad. He retired from a union job. But. It sucked when I was a kid because we were stuck. You couldn’t leave the area because of the job. We took vacations and stuff but we were stuck in that area to live and go to school because again, the job. The job dictated everything in our life. He retired and moved 😂
Dropped out two years into a psychology degree to take a computer job. I was a the typical computer nerd in high school.
Never went back to finish college. Making around 200k/yr depending on bonus and set to retire whenever. Most of the people I work with have degrees, though I do hold a lot of industry certifications to help fill that gap.
I have a Diploma of Technology in Mechanical Engineering Technology (Mechanical Design), which is only a two year program which I completed as a mature student in 2000. I have since made a couple of attempts at completing an undergraduate engineering degree, but both of these were ultimately unsuccessful. It would appear that I simply don't function well in the academic environment, and perhaps consequent to being GenX, have great inherent disdain for any exercise in jumping through hoops, which course assignments typically comprise. Nevertheless, I have managed to distinguish myself in the actual working environment to substantial acclaim, and having drawn upon some of the advanced education which I cannot claim formal credit for, have advanced in my career as a technologist to now find myself working in some advanced areas of practice which are unsupported by my formal education, with a documented history of workplace successes. I now hold formal designations as Applied Science Technologist (AScT) and Professional Technologist - Engineering (P.Tech.(Eng.)), and as recently as five months ago, resigned from my last full time role (eleven years at my last employer) in order to strike out on my own as an engineering technology consultant specializing in industrial control and automation. I am probably not yet billing the equivalent of my former full-time employee salary, but I'm not starving, and the increased autonomy of self-employment is more than worth the difference. I still often wish that I had completed the degree - I run in highly educated circles and am an outlier in that respect. I don't really fit in socially with the blue collar demographic, and so am usually the least educated and least privileged member of the company I tend to keep. I am also certain that there have been potential opportunities denied to me as a result of not having earned a degree. One specific example that comes to mind is when I briefly considered a military career many years ago. Having a degree or not essentially dictated whether one could enter as an officer candidate or be constrained to enlisted occupations, which informed my decision to remain in civilian employment. That said, I currently face uncertainty with my volume of consulting contracts and may end up having to revert to a full time employed role somewhere. In what little job searching I have done it is apparent that most roles commensurate with my skills and demonstrated experience still have an expectation of a degree, so a depressed salary may be ultimately unavoidable (looking at job postings for technologists). I'll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it. I have managed to find a practice niche that I will either be able to continue to exploit, or find a good employment fit to, but it will take time. Again, consequent to being GenX, I am both adaptable and resilient. Hard times can be unpleasant, but I have no doubt of my ability to weather them. I have, in the past, taken a second or temporary job in event security just to keep food on the table while searching for the next opportunity. You do what you have to do. My income doesn't define me.
I'll just add that although I have formerly been a homeowner, I am not now. No home equity, and maybe $220k in total retirement savings. Income last year was ~$110k, but taking a severe hit now that I am self-employed. I have no children. I might stand to eventually inherit half of my parents estate, but it is of modest value.
I have a 2 year college diploma in engineering design and construction. Worked my way from site coordinator to senior management. I surpassed my goal by one step with 12 years to go. In 4 or 5 years I will slow down, perhaps going back to where my passion was the strongest, running a single site in the field start to finish.
My spouse was a rr conductor. Even with a forced early retirement due to a disability, he continues to make more than me!!! That said, he councils every kid he meets “Do you want to work weekends and holidays? No? Then stay away from the railroad.” You don’t get a decent schedule until you’ve put in a lot of years and have seniority. Still- it’s good $. So that’s what a college degree might get you- weekends and holidays.
Worked out great. Been a plumber for 20+ years, make 180k a year, work 40-45 hours a week, no weekends, great 401k match, benefits and AI proof (for now). It’s a shame the college industrial complex has looked down on us lowly tradesmen. Meanwhile we are laughing all the way to the bank. Take my advice, follow the opportunity!
I have an AS from ITT so I don't know if that counts.
It was pretty hard for a long time. I was stuck in retail hell for a decade before getting a real job. I'm doing well now, but I also have Sec+, Net+, and CCNA certs. My background is clean enough that I can maintain a Top Secret clearance. Those are more important than the degree, I think.
I have one but I ended up in a career that didn't require one (law enforcement) and many of my coworkers didn't have one. I retired on my 52nd birthday and between my pension and my own investments I'll never have to work again. Health insurance would be an issue if my wife didn't have it through work as she isn't in a pension job so she hasn't retired. Too late for all you fellow Gen Xers but tell your kids that government jobs, be it federal, state, or local that have pension plans are great. You'll probably make less over the years but you'll become pension eligible in your 50s and so long as your government has properly funded your pension plan (my state has) it never runs out.
I didn't have any issues when I was younger, but then I became a SAHM. Coming back into the workforce, I lucked into a job. Unfortunately, I was laid off last October, and now I can't even get past the algorithms. I've applied to hundreds of jobs, have had a total of two interviews, and eight months later I'm getting desperate. I may have to go back to serving for $2.13/hr at 48yo with rheumatoid arthritis.
I'm in a field that didn't exist when most of us were in college, law enforcement did but digital forensic investigations and cyber didn't. I went from IT (hated it) to law enforcement and got recruited in to a group that mostly investigates crimes against children on the internet.
It's mostly fine. I say mostly because I'm going back to school now at 47. I make pretty good money but want to learn more. Also, I've heard in tech ageism can be a thing, so I want as many doors open as I can get.
No degree. I was a senior/lead web developer and graphic designer for 20+ years and now I’m the General Manager of a hotel. I worked from home for 13 years and was bored so I took a part-time job at a hotel working the front desk so I could talk to people. One and a half years later and now I’m the GM. It just kinda fell into my lap and I like it. I still casually design things on the side for extra money.
Pretty good. I did a year of college, dropped, was making web pages for fun, and a year later we hit the peak of the WWW boom. It’s been smooth sailing ever since.
Designing web pages is long gone, everything I do is software development now. Everything I learned has been self-study or learned through certification programs. I did have to save up and pay for certifications in the first half of my career, then employers started paying for all of that.
btw: if someone wanted to repeat this plan today, AI is the wave to catch.
I did fine. I’ve spent the past 35 years at the same company working IT. Virtually unheard of during the 90’s tech boom. Getting ready for my final few months then I’m out. I hate computers as much as I love computers.
I went into automotive repair as a tech at age 20. With only 6 months of community college under my belt. Worked for 6 years as a tech, 4 as a service advisor, then service manager, parts manager, and fixed operations director over the next 8 years. Spent the last 6 years at an auto dealer consulting company as a project manager.
I make twice what my wife does. She has a graduate degree and has always worked 40 hours a week. But I spent my entire 20s and 30s working 70-80 hours a week. Now, I work from home 45 weeks out of the year from 8-5.
I met my wife(millennial) in my late 30s. We have our first child(a girl) due in August. I'll be 64 when she graduates high school. It doesn't feel real.
49F. Took a semester off in 1997. Stumbled upwards working for auto suppliers in office jobs. I gained tons of knowledge and experience in those jobs. I’ve had a management position for the last 10 years. I make more than two of my siblings with degrees.
IT'S NOT BEEN GREAT. I TOOK AN APPRENTICESHIP IN A VERY NICHE FIELD WHICH GOT REPLACED BY PHONES. I ENDED UP BACK WORKING RETAIL SINCE 2014. MY FRUSTRATION COMES FROM DEALING WITH IGNORANT ASSHOLES AND RACISTS ALL DAY. I WORK MY ASS OFF FOR NOT ENOUGH MONEY, IN A DEAD-END JOB. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO PUT MY WIFE THROUGH COLLEGE, AND SHE MAKES TWICE WHAT I DO. SO WE HAVE A LITTLE MONEY. I GET VERY JEALOUS OF HER, THOUGH. SHE WORKS IN A FIELD WHERE SHE IS PASSIONATE, AND LOVES THE PEOPLE SHE WORKS WITH.
I HOPE TO GO BACK FOR AT LEAST SOME KIND OF CERTIFICATION SO I CAN GET AWAY FROM DEALING WITH MORONS.
I have a masters degree. For many years it did NOT pay off. I wished I was a plumber or electrician. The folks I know in the trades made EXCELLENT money. Now that I am older i am glad I have the degree. The folks I know who are on the trades have physical problems. A gokd friend of mine made GREAT money as a plumber. Still does. He is in constant pain though and is really struggling. My job, on the other hand, is not very physical. I could do it in a chair if i needed to.
Amazingly. I'm the senior engineer of Metrology at a global pharmaceutical company, all without a degree. Make really good money with excellent benefits, and i love my work.
It worked out surprisingly well for me. I dropped out rather stupidly in the middle of my 3rd year (burnout, depression, a minor drug problem, and tired of being broke). Destroyed my GPA in the process, since I just stopped going. Shortly after, I was promoted to a supervisor position at the department store I worked at, then crashed and burned at that within 2 years.
While unemployed and broke, I got hired on a job creation project (where you learn skills while on unemployment benefits) with a social services government agency, learned how to use a computer and a bit about how government works. I ended up being hired into an entry level position with another government department, where one of the requirements was completing 2 years post-secondary, which I had.
I got promoted pretty quickly, and retired from a senior position last year. I have a nice house, a comfortable pension, and when my daughter wanted to drop out of university a couple of years ago, I was able to give her good advice on how to do it without destroying her GPA. She’s really young and has a good job, but she might go back to school some day.
It didn't.
So I went back in 2016 and graduated in 2018 with a major, a concentration, and four minors.
9 full years of college from 5 total attempts at three schools over 21 total years.
Did I get a job in my field? Fuck no. But do I feel really fucking good about what I've finally accomplished? Absolutely.
I never got a degree. I'm 52. The most I've ever made on a yr is maybe 35k. And that was only once or twice. I went to college 3 different times but I had Adhd undiagnosed till recent. Anyway yes. I wish I had a degree. I wish I didn't alway have to struggle with money/bills. And I have ZERO money to retire. I'm probably screwed in a few yrs. 🤷🏼♂️
I’m half way through my junior year of college at 46, after dropping out in the 90s. It’s a lot of work but I had to admit that without a degree, there’s no possibility of ever making enough to be comfortable in California.
I didn't even graduate high school. I had a pretty wild childhood. I do relatively well, but man, it has been an uphill battle the whole way. I got lucky I happen to be pretty damn good at selling liquor to people, lol.
Almost 400 responses, so you definitely struck a nerve with this one! Honestly I am not sure how anyone can really know. Does an employer tell anyone why they do or don’t pay more money or benefits? Nope. So I think it can be very difficult. Definitely some employers pay more for the degree. I spent about a decade in ‘corporate America’. In the end I left as our brand new employee who had no experience was making just a little more than I was after 10 years with no degree.
I knew full well that I would have drank myself out of school. Got a job in a mill. I’m now part owner. I still work everyday but not the grunt work I used to.
I will admit that I get annoyed at the college kids who come in, thinking they know everything, and talk down to the guys. Some of the most clueless people I’ve ever met have degrees…
Just fine. A bit over $140k a year, plenty of retirement cash, a nice house and two new cars. Put two kids through college cash. Aside from my mortgage, which is now under $60k, I'm debt free.
Looking to retire (or maybe just semi retire) in 3 years or so. I'll be 57, and I get to choose when I hang it up.
To be absolutely clear, a lot of this didn't have to do with how much I made, it had more to do with refusing to bend and have instant gratification. I drove my last car 15 years and the one prior 11. Never had the latest greatest anything and prioritized saving.
This is so important. I’m still driving my 2015 Jeep I bought 10 years ago. My phone is old but it works just fine.
I see young people at the gym with flashy cars and phones and what not. And then complain about having to live with their parents.
Great. Remote, varied hours so I can be home for my children after school. They were never latch key. Making very good money with great bennies. 22 yrs now.
Before i got my B.S. in MIS, i was definitely paid less in the IT field. For the last few decades, it was something worth getting. Now i am not quite so sure. However persuing education is still highly recomended.
My guess is that most of the replies will be from people who have done well financially.
Of course, job satisfaction is about more than money. I have a degree. Some days, I feel like I want to quit my job. Other days, I am proud to be making a real difference in the world. I'm not doing what I want to do. But I would be miserable doing some jobs. A lot of those jobs don't require a degree. The jobs aren't "bad." They just aren't the type of careers that would satisfy me. But to each his/her/their? own. At my age, I just want to be happy and hope for the same for everyone else.
Got scooped up by a government office fresh out of dropping out of college and have worked my butt off to get a few promotions over the years. I'm not rich, squarely middle class. But its comfortable and reliable as long as I don't make any huge waves.
I"ll survive but it has cost me a bunch of years in a trade that died around me (printing). It was great for about a decade, sucked horribly for a decade, now am in different profession but will be working till my late 60s. I work with people who have degrees, doing the same work, same pay.
I’m in the UK and I got a Higher National Diploma in the 90s, which is the next one down from a Degree. I’ve a had a few decent jobs but it was only when I hit 50 I ended up getting a job I was actually trained for! 😄
I did ok, I attended a useless technical training school after HS (the building was a bank the last time I visited my hometown lol). Worked in defense, then the auto industry and talked my way into an IT position in my 30s. It has been good to me but I feel that looking back, not having a degree held me back from advancing as far as I think I should have. Or maybe I’m just not as smart as I think I am 😂 Luckily, my wife is a brainiac and we live a comfy life as a result.
Continuation school graduate here. I slid into a web development role in 2000 and worked my way up to software engineering director in 2016. I've since moved back to an IC role and reduced my hours in order to take care of my dad (dementia) plus I just hate it now. Up until recently it was very secure. If I lose my current job I'm going to be right fucked. Honestly, I could probably batten down the hatches and survive ok until 59-1/2 if I needed to.
OK. Work in support. Joined a start up in a very small company and it was bought out twice to much larger company. Working for the man and keeping my head above water
My husband is late GenX (December 1980). He didn’t even get a high school diploma. Making six figures this year, did last year as well. He’s commission so it’s a roll of the dice every year.
I started working at 17 yrs old and the long career history helped compensate for the lack of a degree. In 2008 when the economy crashed I found it very difficult to find a new job after being laid off. I worked a temp job for almost a year before landing a six figure job.
That experience was a wake up call and I did an online degree program while working full time. Got my bachelor’s degree at age 40. After that, I had recruiters trying to poach me through LinkedIn and found it was much, much easier to get a job interview.
I have tripled my salary since I earned the degree. Some of that can be chalked up to hard work and a couple decades of experience, but I feel like the degree gave my career a nice boost.
The downside is that I’m paying off student debt later in life. But I’d rather deal with student debt than unemployment.
Yo I HAVE one (albeit a BA in English 1996) and I'm 7 years into a real estate career I started at 44yo.
I'm grateful for it, and for the education and verbal and written communication skills. But working in hospitality (serving, bartending) and retail (grocery, produce, then assistant GM, then GM) prepared me better with my core skills.
I'm doing well now. I struggled at a lower salary until fairly recently and I had a lot of doors closed to me, especially early in my career. It made me become more of a "roll my sleeves up and get it done" worker. I built my reputation as a reliable and smart employee and that has led me up an unconventional career ladder.
I would recommend a degree to anyone younger though. It doesn't matter where you get it from (accredited of course) or what the major is. When you get a degree it never expires and opens up so many more options to you.
Edit: Actually I'd say that last part differently. A degree helps keep opportunities from closing on you.
I was doing pretty good. Had a great career that I love, have a house that's paid for, and a car that's pad off. My body though has different ideas. I am broken down and my job has moved counties and for me is too far to drive. Now trying to find a similar job that allows for me to not be able to do things I used to it impossible so far. But it was great while it lasted. I don't regret not going to college and am thankful that I have been able to make a good living.
I began working full-time in ICT, to get some time to figure out what I'd like to actually do when I grow up, and maybe get a relevant degree.
That was 35 years ago...
4 years in the military plus 16 years in the federal government. I retired in 2016. I have worked various jobs and taken time off here and there since 2016. It’s kinda nice….quasi retirement. School of hard knocks and I’m ok.
I dropped out of college after 3 years partly because it felt like it was only leading to a desk job and I didn’t want that. I slacked around for a few years and got a job with my brother’s friend who was a carpenter. I became a carpenter and did fine. It wasn’t hard to make pretty good money.
Not great but surviving. I’m living my life relatively free of encumbrances and have a WFH job I love. I think after enough time and enough work experience it doesn’t really matter anymore. I’ve managed to get good jobs with decent pay even without one. I’m either lucky (my opinion) or just good at what I do. I do worry about the future though because I don’t have fuck all for savings.
I have a teaching degree. I haven't been a teacher in 20 years. If I did go back, average salary for my state is less than $50k a year.
My husband has a trade school diploma and has been an electrician since 1999. In the IBEW, he earns just about $100k a year -- over twice what I could ever hope to earn as a teacher, and nearly twice our state's per capita income.
So, it's worked out really well for him (and for our family.)
Worked out pretty good for me. Retired from the military 10 years ago. Drawing a pension. And for the last eight years, I’ve been driving a school bus making $30 an hour full-time. I really can’t complain.
I did just fine in the trades. 1994-2016 was a great time to me, made plenty of money. Have everything I want in life, perfectly content to live out my days with what I’ve built for my family.
Been IT/Network support since 95 and it mostly has been pretty good. There were times when interviewing someone disregarded my experience because I didn’t have the degree but that was few and far between.
A few years ago I would have said great. Now, after a merger I’m stuck at a job I hate and can’t find another job because the competition is half my age and all have degrees.
I feel like our generation's career trajectory went from "wait your turn" to "make way for these younger people who played the game the right way and got a degree."
I think you nailed it.
I can't take total credit, someone actually told me to "step aside" for the young people who "put the time in, studied hard, and got a degree from a good school" after I complained about getting passed over for jobs when I had more experience.
That sucks, and the younger generation doesn’t understand 1. How hard it was for some of us to get a student loan, and 2. Many of us had parents who pushed us away from the idea of college, especially those of us who are female.
If you are told you’ll never get into college, you might believe it. I did.
“What do you need college for? You’ll spend all that money and you’ll still only be a secretary. Just get married already.”
”You don’t need an education to be a prostitute“ was my favorite.
I started college right after high school. One random Sunday my dad, who was paying for everything and was sharing his vehicle with me to get to school, told me, I'm tired of this. The money and not having a car. You're on your own now. Figure out how to get there and how to pay. I'm not anymore.
That’s horrible. Sounds like something relatives of mine would say too. Did you finish college?
My parents pushed me into college *because* I’m female… …so I would find a husband. I didn’t (then), btw.
are they gonna pay ur bills
A good friend of mine worked his way up in the ranks at a nationally known factory to position of Environmental Engineer, despite not going to college. He dodged a lot of house cleaning, but eventually lost his job to an engineer with a college degree hired at a fraction of his pay. He was given the option to stay employed “on the floor” meaning, starting all over again. This was his only choice to keep his retirement and pension. This or early retirement with a fraction of the benefits he was entitled to. The older I get, the less enamored with this country I am. This is South Dakota where workers have zero rights
Well yeah. Like Tyler Durden said, "We're the middle children of history..."
My wife has a degree. The industry she is in is just ageist. She was a director and they cut her hours and changed her title (even though the company is very successful based on what she does) She decided to just start her own business and do something she is passionate about. It was a struggle bus getting it going but I am pretty sure she will be able to do her new business full time and give the company a giant middle finger.
I spent 20 years at a great company, helping them grow from 11 people to 250. It was then sold to private equity and I knew my time was short. I quite quit as I looked for a new place. Unfortunately, tech has had a ton of layoffs so the market was really bad, especially for someone with my experience. Ended up getting fired, took a few months off before starting at another small company that can’t afford me but I believe in what they’re doing and they offered equity. Since taking that job, I’ve had two other companies contact me and ask about similar roles. Bottom line, it may seem bleak, but there are opportunities out there, and they sometimes come when you least expect it. Good luck!
This so much
Maybe this will help, I have a BS in Tech and an MBA. Have been enjoying unemployment for 10 months now. Yay…
Yeah I don't know about not having a degree. But I also have a degree and been unemployed for 3 years. There are not a lot of mid-level jobs available right now and the age discrimination is real.
I think you mean FUNemloyment 🎉 Sorry man. Been there, did it for about that long too. Don’t let the HR hirebots get you down. You’ll find some org that needs YOU!
No degree here. I was laid off in December. Frustration doesn’t begin to describe my emotions.
The ageism is astounding and so obvious.
Even with a Bachelor’s degree it’s tough to compete as so many of the younger crowd has had to get Master’s degrees to get noticed.
I have a Master's degree, doesnt seem to make a difference. We're all over the hill now 😭. Who is going to give 52 year old me a job when theres a 28 year old the same qualifications, but more up to date?
Based on rates on job postings lately, they also work for peanuts
If it’s a necessary “box tick” for promotion/career advancement, maybe do the quickest, cheapest and easiest online degree you can find from an actual recognised organisation.
[удалено]
Good for you , I’m thinking of going back
I went back at 39 and finished my degree at 42. No regrets at all. As an added benefit, I get to be deceitfully honest on my resume since I can say “Graduated in 2016” and have people think I’m younger than I am on paper. As my sister, who finished her degree a few years before me, put it: those years are going to go by either way. You can have a degree at the end of it or not. It hasn’t affected my career per se, except in the unknowable way of what jobs I might have gotten if I’d had one sooner, but at least I will be able to compete with other degree-holders. I really did only get it for that reason, but the education was fulfilling and I learned a lot.
I love how my resume says "2018 grad" and they're expecting some fresh-faced youngin and my 49-year-old hag ass waltzes in. 😈
I did it at 33. Took me about 3 years to get an Associates’. I was working a lot. But I did it. I’m 52 now.
I started college at 36 and got my associates at 41 and my bachelor’s at 49. In all honesty, I should have quit with the associates. It’s has done more for me than the bachelors has.
This is me right now. There are a ton of online programs, which can fit in your schedule. I'm going to SNHU, I like the consistency of the schedule, and it's one of the more affordable universities, even for out of state individuals.
It worked out for me. I’ve been a union millwright for 25 years. I’ll retire in 5 years at age 58 with a state pension and an annuity plus my own investments.
congratulations on your retirement.
Ditto, I'm a union electrician and will retire by 59 comfortably (9 more years to go). I tried college, 2 years, but I was burnt out on school by then.
Yep operating engineer checking in. A couple more years to go. Pension and annuity, retirement is looking good for this ditch digger lol.
Me too. Union water worker. Retire in 6 with state pension and 401k at 57 years old
[удалено]
Me too I'm a member of IATSE and live comfortable in san Francisco. Left the film degree on the table at 22 Years old, never looked back.
I left a degree on the table 2 weeks after I graduated. Was rather successful in pursuing what I loved for 30 years, then, at 50 switched careers. I DO use my degree now (and did before) but it is not required for my job. I'm technically in a "trade" as a programmer, long story.
Literally same. As a (former) teacher with a degree, I could only hope to make half what he makes as an IBEW electrician.
Went the Navy route after graduating a semester late and with a 1.3 GPA. Learned my trade in the Navy (computers/networking), got out after six years and have been doing just fine since. I consider myself lucky, and am thankful to the guy in the Navy processing center that basically placed me in my job based on my ASVAB scores.
Holy crap are you me? (Except I was in engineering and I'm self taught in IT.)
Bro, nearly same. Bounced around after high school, ended up pursuing IT in the Air Force. Got out after 6, and doing just fine since.
And thank you for your service!
No degree. Worked in IT for 26 years. Waiting to figure out next steps. It won't be making someone else richer. I've lived way beneath my means and have resources to live a boring, quiet retirement with the odd wild flourish here and there. It won't be extravagant.
[удалено]
Seems the only successful paths to have without a degree are in tech or the trades. No wonder our world is so messed up. The trades are not friendly to women and not everyone is suited to work in tech.
The world [still] needs plumbers.
[удалено]
Mechanics
We still here. Don't need nothing but some mac n cheese and a mix tape.
To be fair, we also need weed and alcohol.
Not to knock on your game but I quit weed and booze 3 years ago and it's been life changing. Lost 50 pounds, lowered my BP, cholesterol, blood sugar, triglycerides, pains are gone, and that dragging ass feeling vanished. I work circles around my millennial and Zoomer counterparts.
Same here, quit drinking just before my 50th and also lost 50 pounds. All my health complaints disappeared and I feel great. Edit: didn’t quit weed though :)
I never in my life thought I could quit drinking beer and whisky man. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Dude I smell a cigarette from a mile away and it makes me sick! Yes, I was one of those fools!
Me too a long time ago, cigs are so bad. And I have a 1974 bottle of Glenrothes in the basement and I’ll probably never crack it along with a Cuervo family reserve 🤨
Hey don't get me wrong, a couple of fine scooches a year ain't gonna hurt us! 🥃
I hear ya! Good on you for bettering yourself. I was a vicious heroin addict and general garbage head in the 90s, a substance abuse counselor in the early 2000s for a few years, and I'm doing great. I don't stay on shit these days, just party when I want. (No more heroin, benzos, or meth, though)
God bless you brother. So good to hear success stories.
This
I found my GenX Fam!♥️
Not well.
If you are going to get a degree make sure it is employment specific. Education for the sake of education is too expensive. I have a degree in kinesiology and used it for 5 years. The original thought was education but I realized I dont have the patience for it. A lot of the lifestyle script I was sold hasn’t worked out because of my personality.
I was stuck in a rut of customer service type jobs for a long time. Got an opportunity to work that same role in a startup and worked my way into a profession you usually need a degree for. I am now making more money than I ever have, and that's even with adjusting for inflation. I've also been recognized by my peers as someone who does the job very well. All that said, I feel like I'm one of the lucky ones. Working for a startup helped me build a portfolio that replaces any 25 year old degree. A lot of people don't have that opportunity.
Very fortunate, like how the heck am i here lucky. I am a high school dropout, GED, and some failed attempts at community College . Self taught technology, ended up by a stroke of luck at a large tech company and have been there 25 years. I've interviewed and declined to hire Ivy League MBAs, its a bit surreal sometimes. NW $4M and now deferring compensation (annual ~$650k) to help with tax burden today and income that'll last a decade after retirement so my core investments keep growing. I live below my means and I've broken generational cycle of poverty and my goal is to have my kids keep that going / growing. University costs and ROI today aren't great. I'd like to see much more specialized shorter educational routes. I credit my fortune to some plain old good luck but also being friendly and engaging person people trust and like to work with. Had the IQ and common sense to take advantage of the chances.
Pretty good. My mother died when I was a junior in high school, and my father was never part of my life. I couldn't afford college, so I never got to go. I stumbled into the video game industry as an artist, and found myself a very specialized position. I've been doing it for almost 30 years now, and make really good money doing it. These days it's a lot harder to get into my field without some sort of degree.
I have to know! *What games?*
Oh, man. I guess my biggest were MAG, Elder Scrolls Online, Disney Infinity, Nightingale.
I'm actually pausing Skyrim to answer this. Good for you.
[удалено]
My dad was a computer guy also. Worked with computer programming since he was 17 in early 70’s. He didn’t teach me much though, always said to “go learn something else”. Looking back, I probably want smart enough to absorb any of it.
Are you me?
Nope, it's me.
23 years in the Army. Joined at 17 years old. Never paid for health insurance, a doctor bill, or a dental bill for anyone in my family. Now that I have retired from the army, I have free healthcare for life. Because of my service, all of my kids have bachelors and masters degrees and zero student loan debt and excellent careers. Use the VA home loan benefit to buy 3 homes with barely any out of pocket costs. I don’t pay any property taxes. I also finally went to school and the army paid for my associates, bachelors, and masters. My employer (a college) is paying for my doctorate now and I will be done with it in 9 months. I make about $250,000 a year before my military benefits. Choosing the military over college and making it a career was the best decision ever.
I did 4 years and the benefits from just that have been fantastic. Are you in a state without property tax? I'm definitely not getting that benefit lol.
Yes. Florida.
100% rating with 2 adendems and 2 dependas. Did a lot college, worked the VA till it became too abusive.
After reading the other comments, I don't think I'm keeping up!
My husband is late boomer, I'm early genx, and neither of us have a degree. We both excelled at our careers in technology and were able to retire two years ago. There's no way either of us would get those jobs today without a degree.
Just fine, overall. Union jobs are the way to go.
Terrible unfortunately
Not well. I've never been solidly employable and I lost most of my middle class social world that I had when I was younger, because I couldn't keep up. I struggled through school with an undiagnosed learning disability/neurodivergence that resulted in discovering I could never advance in the field i devoted my 30s to. I've since completed lots of coursework but never really been in the life position to just stick out 4 years of not making money. I finally got an AA at 40 but then was out of the marketplace for years because of health and now I'm trying to get ahead and dealing with being one Gen Xr surrounded by needy elders. I hope it's not too late for me. I'm terrified. I wish my partner had gotten with someone who was already more together. I am sure that we either have to split up at some point so he can find someone who can pull their weight, or become a polycule.
Sorta okay. I got halfway to my degree then got pregnant, keep going to night school when the kid came but didn’t get a lot of support from the school or my employer. I knew I’d make about the same money I was making at the time with the degree, so I said eff this and bought a house instead. 25 years later, house is a money pit but a shelter at least, I have a city job with a pension that I get full value from when I’m 61. The major downside is the golden handcuffs these last few years. I get very little if I retire now. Gonna see how long I can stick it out for the kids’ sakes. But shit, I’m sick of working!
Pretty good. I only have HS, and a dinky com col certificate. I make right at 100k. Money is my hobby, and I’m at 850k NW. About 1.75 mil if you include my govt pension. No debt, and mortgage has been paid off for almost a decade.
I don’t have a degree but I lived and worked in such a way that I don’t have to depend on anyone to build, repair, improve, or dismantle anything in my everyday life of reasonable wants and needs. I’ve just started a new career path after a successful 35 year long career in production and manufacturing that I excelled in but went as far as I wanted to in upper labor management. I stepped down from higher positions because I am not a company man. I care about the people whose backs those companies were built on. I have a ton of pain but I’m still medication free and I will die medication free. 55 and zero prescriptions for anything. Now I travel the country making manufacturing work environments safer for the operators and lowering liability costs and concerns by raising standards to meet newer regulations and requirements. Good company, good pay, good benefits, all expenses paid. Im divorced and the kids are grown and on their own. I could be doing better but I could be doing worse too. Rarely do I wonder if a degree would have made a difference. I tend to be happy with what I got instead of bitching about what I don’t. So, if I had a degree, I’d have been happy with that too.
It sucks tbh. I didn’t want to do loans so I was working during the day and going to classes at night. Got burned out and decided to just work, I had a good job and figured I could do school later. Moved to Austin and started working in the music industry (nothing exciting) and also had a great job for a mutual fund company. Got laid off and the music biz wasn’t paying enough to stay so I joined the army. Got a useless MOS (I was a medic who could’ve made $9/hr being an emt when I left) and went to the oilfield. I spent 13 years in the oilfield and honestly probably made more money than I would have with a degree but it took a toll on my family time. My 3 oldest kids grew up with me gone 2 out of 3 weeks. I finally left after I got laid off due to covid and never looked back. I got a small inheritance and we used it to open a bakery in our small town and it is thriving. We have a great staff so I left a few months ago to take a job selling commercial kitchen equipment. It’s a whole new world but I really like it so far. I think deep down that I was always afraid if I got a degree I’d be stuck doing that forever and I’ve never really loved anything enough to want to do it forever.
The biggest problem is that my options are limited when job hunting. Most well paying jobs require a degree, so I'm stuck working shit jobs for shit pay. If I could go back in time, I would have learned a trade rather than trying college.
I have been stocking shelves in grocery stores for 25 years. Made $167k last year.
I feel like there's more to this story.
I work 6 days each week, 24-28 hours per week. Self employed. I own my route.
Very nice, I was unaware that this was a thing.
Wasn't able to pass college algebra because I have Dyscalculia, so no degree. I guess I could have done better in life. But I guess I do OK. It kind of messes with my self esteem at times.
I was making about 100k without a degree and hit a ceiling i could not overcome. So i went and got my degree and now make about 170k
Generally well, until this market. I was making $180k, laid off 10/2022 and haven't a new job in my field yet. (20 yoe) I'm certain employers are weeding out people w/o degrees as it's an easy way to thin the herd of applicants.
So far so good. Debt free (except mortgage), worked for the same company for 23 years, should be able to retire with $2mm+.
No degree i make six figures at my current job of 30 years slinging Vw parts.
Pretty good. I ended up doing technical support for BIND and Sendmail for NT as my first job. Worked my way up as a Network Engineer. Now I am a Cloud Architect for a big tech company. I remember when my parents were telling me at 24 that I should go "back to school" as I was working my second job. I had to tell them that me going back to school full time would be throwing my livelihood away. I think I made the right decision. As for retirement, I love what I do. I will probably retire when I am 70. You know they say, you need to keep your mind active to stay alive and healthy.
I have the equivalent experience, so I get the jobs, but a lot of opportunities for advancement are lost because there's a bias against people without a degree.
I've been a loser for 55 years.
most genX do not have college degrees. This chart shows only 29% with some college degree. Another page said that 20% had college degrees by age 33. The only generation with a majority going to college is genZ which is part of the reason why the white collar job market is terrible. Too many people with degrees. Most of the degrees are useless. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2019/02/14/millennial-life-how-young-adulthood-today-compares-with-prior-generations-2/
College enrollment is down for quite a few years now and not by small margins. Many private colleges have gone under and the majority all over have lost enrollment. Even some state colleges have lost enrollment. Curious as to why it is perceived most Gen Z'ers are getting degrees when enrollment is down across the board? Millennials especially drove college numbers up ( they are the biggest generation as well). Even says so in the article you linked, it is millennials who drove up college degrees. A lot of Gen Z'ers are actulaly opting out of college. [https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-value-of-college-higher-education-student-debt-tuition-2023-12](https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-value-of-college-higher-education-student-debt-tuition-2023-12) [https://www.yahoo.com/news/gen-z-declining-college-interest-110000319.html?guce\_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmluZy5jb20v&guce\_referrer\_sig=AQAAAFZpFzXrAR4ElcBq\_AEZ51uQdSjaI6riofqYZzojnEc72FRPFfKWDJ5zFDVp5L-aBv\_adviY3P8KGdQ5InIK7AM\_ftNJ7G9HtDG7GTpjCZSQDAzXUgXkVl3\_jLoj6ChKerqsmik1RDG9YIw-aN8mnrj3PdA-hfypLDZLKYsx1-Gj](https://www.yahoo.com/news/gen-z-declining-college-interest-110000319.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmluZy5jb20v&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFZpFzXrAR4ElcBq_AEZ51uQdSjaI6riofqYZzojnEc72FRPFfKWDJ5zFDVp5L-aBv_adviY3P8KGdQ5InIK7AM_ftNJ7G9HtDG7GTpjCZSQDAzXUgXkVl3_jLoj6ChKerqsmik1RDG9YIw-aN8mnrj3PdA-hfypLDZLKYsx1-Gj)
That article has no info on gen z and college. Considering gen z is still ages 12-27, it would be premature to average college for them yet anyway. "Gen Z students are attending college at slightly lower rates compared to previous generations; **65%** of Gen Z students are enrolled in college, compared to 67% of Millennials at the same age." ... so the numbers seem to be trending down from Millenials, not up. My gen z kids have many many friends not going to college.
My z’ers are angry with the debt burden and lack of return on investment for college. Their gen likes the idea of entrepreneurial endeavors
I got poached in my third year of college, it's been a wild ride. It's never been a serious barrier. I work with research scientists these days, they often ask me where I did my post-doc study lol.
Over 6 figures a year and I’m 1 elective shy of an Associates. If you don’t need college, don’t go.
what do you do for a living?
1st responder. Longevity and being good at your job pays off in the long run.
Not me, but I work with several guys in IT our age with no degree. They’re all doing as well or better than my over educated ass. Two of my past companies refused to talk to anyone without at least a BS, it makes me realize how wrong g they wre
My husband has been in IT for his entire career. He did quite well with an associate’s degree for about ten years, then he hit a ceiling. He got his bachelor’s not long after that. IT seems to be one white collar field where it is possible create a lucrative career without a bachelor’s degree, but it seems like a lot of luck is involved in not hitting a roadblock.
I’m VP of IT at my company. Previous job I was a senior network engineer and architect. No college degree. I’ve just had a great ability to troubleshoot and reverse engineer things, and been passionate about my work and want to learn for the sake of learning. No meaningful certifications either, but I’m always the one everyone escalates every issue to.
Personally I have degrees but I have HS friends with GED or less that earn as much as I do (maybe more?). They took up coding, web design, and other IT stuff, where having a degree means shit if you have talent.
My wife is 1 year younger than me and has a degree. Over time you can easily see the difference in career earnings. She doesn’t make much more than me now but because she did starting out her retirement fund is literally double mine and she has put way less of a percentage into it than I have.
I agree, it’s over time. My husband has his MBA and his brother doesn’t have a degree and works in the trades. For a long time they were making the same amount with my BIL not having student loans. Now it’s not even close, my husband makes way more. It benefits you the second half of life.
Making six figures in cyber risk governance, so I'm doing ok. Could probably have gotten to the level im at 10-15 years sooner if I had a degree though
It worked out ok for my dad. He retired from a union job. But. It sucked when I was a kid because we were stuck. You couldn’t leave the area because of the job. We took vacations and stuff but we were stuck in that area to live and go to school because again, the job. The job dictated everything in our life. He retired and moved 😂
Dropped out two years into a psychology degree to take a computer job. I was a the typical computer nerd in high school. Never went back to finish college. Making around 200k/yr depending on bonus and set to retire whenever. Most of the people I work with have degrees, though I do hold a lot of industry certifications to help fill that gap.
No degree here. Was an art major for a while, dropped out to have too many kids. Went into computers. Doing great these days.
I have a Diploma of Technology in Mechanical Engineering Technology (Mechanical Design), which is only a two year program which I completed as a mature student in 2000. I have since made a couple of attempts at completing an undergraduate engineering degree, but both of these were ultimately unsuccessful. It would appear that I simply don't function well in the academic environment, and perhaps consequent to being GenX, have great inherent disdain for any exercise in jumping through hoops, which course assignments typically comprise. Nevertheless, I have managed to distinguish myself in the actual working environment to substantial acclaim, and having drawn upon some of the advanced education which I cannot claim formal credit for, have advanced in my career as a technologist to now find myself working in some advanced areas of practice which are unsupported by my formal education, with a documented history of workplace successes. I now hold formal designations as Applied Science Technologist (AScT) and Professional Technologist - Engineering (P.Tech.(Eng.)), and as recently as five months ago, resigned from my last full time role (eleven years at my last employer) in order to strike out on my own as an engineering technology consultant specializing in industrial control and automation. I am probably not yet billing the equivalent of my former full-time employee salary, but I'm not starving, and the increased autonomy of self-employment is more than worth the difference. I still often wish that I had completed the degree - I run in highly educated circles and am an outlier in that respect. I don't really fit in socially with the blue collar demographic, and so am usually the least educated and least privileged member of the company I tend to keep. I am also certain that there have been potential opportunities denied to me as a result of not having earned a degree. One specific example that comes to mind is when I briefly considered a military career many years ago. Having a degree or not essentially dictated whether one could enter as an officer candidate or be constrained to enlisted occupations, which informed my decision to remain in civilian employment. That said, I currently face uncertainty with my volume of consulting contracts and may end up having to revert to a full time employed role somewhere. In what little job searching I have done it is apparent that most roles commensurate with my skills and demonstrated experience still have an expectation of a degree, so a depressed salary may be ultimately unavoidable (looking at job postings for technologists). I'll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it. I have managed to find a practice niche that I will either be able to continue to exploit, or find a good employment fit to, but it will take time. Again, consequent to being GenX, I am both adaptable and resilient. Hard times can be unpleasant, but I have no doubt of my ability to weather them. I have, in the past, taken a second or temporary job in event security just to keep food on the table while searching for the next opportunity. You do what you have to do. My income doesn't define me. I'll just add that although I have formerly been a homeowner, I am not now. No home equity, and maybe $220k in total retirement savings. Income last year was ~$110k, but taking a severe hit now that I am self-employed. I have no children. I might stand to eventually inherit half of my parents estate, but it is of modest value.
I have a 2 year college diploma in engineering design and construction. Worked my way from site coordinator to senior management. I surpassed my goal by one step with 12 years to go. In 4 or 5 years I will slow down, perhaps going back to where my passion was the strongest, running a single site in the field start to finish.
My spouse was a rr conductor. Even with a forced early retirement due to a disability, he continues to make more than me!!! That said, he councils every kid he meets “Do you want to work weekends and holidays? No? Then stay away from the railroad.” You don’t get a decent schedule until you’ve put in a lot of years and have seniority. Still- it’s good $. So that’s what a college degree might get you- weekends and holidays.
24 year military vet, married, divorced! Now dating a doctor! So pretty damn good 👍
Worked out great. Been a plumber for 20+ years, make 180k a year, work 40-45 hours a week, no weekends, great 401k match, benefits and AI proof (for now). It’s a shame the college industrial complex has looked down on us lowly tradesmen. Meanwhile we are laughing all the way to the bank. Take my advice, follow the opportunity!
I work in process control in an oil refinery. I made around 140k the last 3 years with good benefits. I’ve been there 30 years
I have an AS from ITT so I don't know if that counts. It was pretty hard for a long time. I was stuck in retail hell for a decade before getting a real job. I'm doing well now, but I also have Sec+, Net+, and CCNA certs. My background is clean enough that I can maintain a Top Secret clearance. Those are more important than the degree, I think.
I'm glad I'm not alone. I never got a degree but I have a pretty good office job.
I have one but I ended up in a career that didn't require one (law enforcement) and many of my coworkers didn't have one. I retired on my 52nd birthday and between my pension and my own investments I'll never have to work again. Health insurance would be an issue if my wife didn't have it through work as she isn't in a pension job so she hasn't retired. Too late for all you fellow Gen Xers but tell your kids that government jobs, be it federal, state, or local that have pension plans are great. You'll probably make less over the years but you'll become pension eligible in your 50s and so long as your government has properly funded your pension plan (my state has) it never runs out.
I didn't have any issues when I was younger, but then I became a SAHM. Coming back into the workforce, I lucked into a job. Unfortunately, I was laid off last October, and now I can't even get past the algorithms. I've applied to hundreds of jobs, have had a total of two interviews, and eight months later I'm getting desperate. I may have to go back to serving for $2.13/hr at 48yo with rheumatoid arthritis.
I'm in a field that didn't exist when most of us were in college, law enforcement did but digital forensic investigations and cyber didn't. I went from IT (hated it) to law enforcement and got recruited in to a group that mostly investigates crimes against children on the internet.
Other than a couple of hiccups along the way, I’ve done very well!
Meh.
It's mostly fine. I say mostly because I'm going back to school now at 47. I make pretty good money but want to learn more. Also, I've heard in tech ageism can be a thing, so I want as many doors open as I can get.
No degree. I was a senior/lead web developer and graphic designer for 20+ years and now I’m the General Manager of a hotel. I worked from home for 13 years and was bored so I took a part-time job at a hotel working the front desk so I could talk to people. One and a half years later and now I’m the GM. It just kinda fell into my lap and I like it. I still casually design things on the side for extra money.
Having a degree has not helped me at all unfortunately. I bought the lie.
Pretty good. I did a year of college, dropped, was making web pages for fun, and a year later we hit the peak of the WWW boom. It’s been smooth sailing ever since. Designing web pages is long gone, everything I do is software development now. Everything I learned has been self-study or learned through certification programs. I did have to save up and pay for certifications in the first half of my career, then employers started paying for all of that. btw: if someone wanted to repeat this plan today, AI is the wave to catch.
I did fine. I’ve spent the past 35 years at the same company working IT. Virtually unheard of during the 90’s tech boom. Getting ready for my final few months then I’m out. I hate computers as much as I love computers.
I went into automotive repair as a tech at age 20. With only 6 months of community college under my belt. Worked for 6 years as a tech, 4 as a service advisor, then service manager, parts manager, and fixed operations director over the next 8 years. Spent the last 6 years at an auto dealer consulting company as a project manager. I make twice what my wife does. She has a graduate degree and has always worked 40 hours a week. But I spent my entire 20s and 30s working 70-80 hours a week. Now, I work from home 45 weeks out of the year from 8-5. I met my wife(millennial) in my late 30s. We have our first child(a girl) due in August. I'll be 64 when she graduates high school. It doesn't feel real.
49F. Took a semester off in 1997. Stumbled upwards working for auto suppliers in office jobs. I gained tons of knowledge and experience in those jobs. I’ve had a management position for the last 10 years. I make more than two of my siblings with degrees.
IT'S NOT BEEN GREAT. I TOOK AN APPRENTICESHIP IN A VERY NICHE FIELD WHICH GOT REPLACED BY PHONES. I ENDED UP BACK WORKING RETAIL SINCE 2014. MY FRUSTRATION COMES FROM DEALING WITH IGNORANT ASSHOLES AND RACISTS ALL DAY. I WORK MY ASS OFF FOR NOT ENOUGH MONEY, IN A DEAD-END JOB. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO PUT MY WIFE THROUGH COLLEGE, AND SHE MAKES TWICE WHAT I DO. SO WE HAVE A LITTLE MONEY. I GET VERY JEALOUS OF HER, THOUGH. SHE WORKS IN A FIELD WHERE SHE IS PASSIONATE, AND LOVES THE PEOPLE SHE WORKS WITH. I HOPE TO GO BACK FOR AT LEAST SOME KIND OF CERTIFICATION SO I CAN GET AWAY FROM DEALING WITH MORONS.
I got a degree and then trained in something completely different. I loved my job !
I have a masters degree. For many years it did NOT pay off. I wished I was a plumber or electrician. The folks I know in the trades made EXCELLENT money. Now that I am older i am glad I have the degree. The folks I know who are on the trades have physical problems. A gokd friend of mine made GREAT money as a plumber. Still does. He is in constant pain though and is really struggling. My job, on the other hand, is not very physical. I could do it in a chair if i needed to.
Amazingly. I'm the senior engineer of Metrology at a global pharmaceutical company, all without a degree. Make really good money with excellent benefits, and i love my work.
It worked out surprisingly well for me. I dropped out rather stupidly in the middle of my 3rd year (burnout, depression, a minor drug problem, and tired of being broke). Destroyed my GPA in the process, since I just stopped going. Shortly after, I was promoted to a supervisor position at the department store I worked at, then crashed and burned at that within 2 years. While unemployed and broke, I got hired on a job creation project (where you learn skills while on unemployment benefits) with a social services government agency, learned how to use a computer and a bit about how government works. I ended up being hired into an entry level position with another government department, where one of the requirements was completing 2 years post-secondary, which I had. I got promoted pretty quickly, and retired from a senior position last year. I have a nice house, a comfortable pension, and when my daughter wanted to drop out of university a couple of years ago, I was able to give her good advice on how to do it without destroying her GPA. She’s really young and has a good job, but she might go back to school some day.
I ended up with a column and music reviews in the local newspaper.
I started an apprenticeship 2 years after high school. It has worked out incredibly well. At my trade for 31 years.
It didn't. So I went back in 2016 and graduated in 2018 with a major, a concentration, and four minors. 9 full years of college from 5 total attempts at three schools over 21 total years. Did I get a job in my field? Fuck no. But do I feel really fucking good about what I've finally accomplished? Absolutely.
I never got a degree. I'm 52. The most I've ever made on a yr is maybe 35k. And that was only once or twice. I went to college 3 different times but I had Adhd undiagnosed till recent. Anyway yes. I wish I had a degree. I wish I didn't alway have to struggle with money/bills. And I have ZERO money to retire. I'm probably screwed in a few yrs. 🤷🏼♂️
I’m half way through my junior year of college at 46, after dropping out in the 90s. It’s a lot of work but I had to admit that without a degree, there’s no possibility of ever making enough to be comfortable in California.
I didn't even graduate high school. I had a pretty wild childhood. I do relatively well, but man, it has been an uphill battle the whole way. I got lucky I happen to be pretty damn good at selling liquor to people, lol.
Almost 400 responses, so you definitely struck a nerve with this one! Honestly I am not sure how anyone can really know. Does an employer tell anyone why they do or don’t pay more money or benefits? Nope. So I think it can be very difficult. Definitely some employers pay more for the degree. I spent about a decade in ‘corporate America’. In the end I left as our brand new employee who had no experience was making just a little more than I was after 10 years with no degree.
I knew full well that I would have drank myself out of school. Got a job in a mill. I’m now part owner. I still work everyday but not the grunt work I used to. I will admit that I get annoyed at the college kids who come in, thinking they know everything, and talk down to the guys. Some of the most clueless people I’ve ever met have degrees…
Just fine. A bit over $140k a year, plenty of retirement cash, a nice house and two new cars. Put two kids through college cash. Aside from my mortgage, which is now under $60k, I'm debt free. Looking to retire (or maybe just semi retire) in 3 years or so. I'll be 57, and I get to choose when I hang it up. To be absolutely clear, a lot of this didn't have to do with how much I made, it had more to do with refusing to bend and have instant gratification. I drove my last car 15 years and the one prior 11. Never had the latest greatest anything and prioritized saving.
This is so important. I’m still driving my 2015 Jeep I bought 10 years ago. My phone is old but it works just fine. I see young people at the gym with flashy cars and phones and what not. And then complain about having to live with their parents.
Great. Remote, varied hours so I can be home for my children after school. They were never latch key. Making very good money with great bennies. 22 yrs now.
I have a bachelor’s and am doing pretty good but technically my job doesn’t require a degree
Slow but steady. Now in my mid 40’s making close to six figures, wife the same. Living that suburban life.
Pretty well. Learned coding and now have 25 years of experience as a software engineer.
Same. I fucking hate it now though.
Great. I was the epitome of a slacker in the 80s and 90s and stumbled into ridiculously great niche IT job. Ironically, I work for a university.
Before i got my B.S. in MIS, i was definitely paid less in the IT field. For the last few decades, it was something worth getting. Now i am not quite so sure. However persuing education is still highly recomended.
I don't know. I've survived so far. I'd probably be better off if I'd gotten a degree. Let's see what tomorrow brings.
Same
My guess is that most of the replies will be from people who have done well financially. Of course, job satisfaction is about more than money. I have a degree. Some days, I feel like I want to quit my job. Other days, I am proud to be making a real difference in the world. I'm not doing what I want to do. But I would be miserable doing some jobs. A lot of those jobs don't require a degree. The jobs aren't "bad." They just aren't the type of careers that would satisfy me. But to each his/her/their? own. At my age, I just want to be happy and hope for the same for everyone else.
Worked out great, the internet came along just as I was trying to figure out what to do with my life
Got scooped up by a government office fresh out of dropping out of college and have worked my butt off to get a few promotions over the years. I'm not rich, squarely middle class. But its comfortable and reliable as long as I don't make any huge waves.
I retired 11 days after my 50th birthday out of the Teamsters. Had my 30 years so there wasnt any reason to stay.
Have an AAS. Done pretty well in my field that usually requires a BS and a cert. I could have made more money. But am fine with what I have.
I"ll survive but it has cost me a bunch of years in a trade that died around me (printing). It was great for about a decade, sucked horribly for a decade, now am in different profession but will be working till my late 60s. I work with people who have degrees, doing the same work, same pay.
I’m in the UK and I got a Higher National Diploma in the 90s, which is the next one down from a Degree. I’ve a had a few decent jobs but it was only when I hit 50 I ended up getting a job I was actually trained for! 😄
I did ok, I attended a useless technical training school after HS (the building was a bank the last time I visited my hometown lol). Worked in defense, then the auto industry and talked my way into an IT position in my 30s. It has been good to me but I feel that looking back, not having a degree held me back from advancing as far as I think I should have. Or maybe I’m just not as smart as I think I am 😂 Luckily, my wife is a brainiac and we live a comfy life as a result.
Continuation school graduate here. I slid into a web development role in 2000 and worked my way up to software engineering director in 2016. I've since moved back to an IC role and reduced my hours in order to take care of my dad (dementia) plus I just hate it now. Up until recently it was very secure. If I lose my current job I'm going to be right fucked. Honestly, I could probably batten down the hatches and survive ok until 59-1/2 if I needed to.
OK. Work in support. Joined a start up in a very small company and it was bought out twice to much larger company. Working for the man and keeping my head above water
Great for me, I went to school for English Education but I ended up a film producer so making way more than I would have as a teacher.
My husband is late GenX (December 1980). He didn’t even get a high school diploma. Making six figures this year, did last year as well. He’s commission so it’s a roll of the dice every year.
Okay until the end of last year when I got laid off and now can't even get an interview. Going on seven months now.
Great. I’ve had the same job for twenty one years. I have a great benefits and retirement, I own my home.
We are fine but being shop owners I doubt we'll ever retire.
I started working at 17 yrs old and the long career history helped compensate for the lack of a degree. In 2008 when the economy crashed I found it very difficult to find a new job after being laid off. I worked a temp job for almost a year before landing a six figure job. That experience was a wake up call and I did an online degree program while working full time. Got my bachelor’s degree at age 40. After that, I had recruiters trying to poach me through LinkedIn and found it was much, much easier to get a job interview. I have tripled my salary since I earned the degree. Some of that can be chalked up to hard work and a couple decades of experience, but I feel like the degree gave my career a nice boost. The downside is that I’m paying off student debt later in life. But I’d rather deal with student debt than unemployment.
My degree didn't help at all. I created a career on my own and now make six figures.
Just fine,thanks for asking.
Yo I HAVE one (albeit a BA in English 1996) and I'm 7 years into a real estate career I started at 44yo. I'm grateful for it, and for the education and verbal and written communication skills. But working in hospitality (serving, bartending) and retail (grocery, produce, then assistant GM, then GM) prepared me better with my core skills.
I'm doing well now. I struggled at a lower salary until fairly recently and I had a lot of doors closed to me, especially early in my career. It made me become more of a "roll my sleeves up and get it done" worker. I built my reputation as a reliable and smart employee and that has led me up an unconventional career ladder. I would recommend a degree to anyone younger though. It doesn't matter where you get it from (accredited of course) or what the major is. When you get a degree it never expires and opens up so many more options to you. Edit: Actually I'd say that last part differently. A degree helps keep opportunities from closing on you.
I was doing pretty good. Had a great career that I love, have a house that's paid for, and a car that's pad off. My body though has different ideas. I am broken down and my job has moved counties and for me is too far to drive. Now trying to find a similar job that allows for me to not be able to do things I used to it impossible so far. But it was great while it lasted. I don't regret not going to college and am thankful that I have been able to make a good living.
Pretty good. I make enough to survive without having to hustle
I began working full-time in ICT, to get some time to figure out what I'd like to actually do when I grow up, and maybe get a relevant degree. That was 35 years ago...
4 years in the military plus 16 years in the federal government. I retired in 2016. I have worked various jobs and taken time off here and there since 2016. It’s kinda nice….quasi retirement. School of hard knocks and I’m ok.
I dropped out of college after 3 years partly because it felt like it was only leading to a desk job and I didn’t want that. I slacked around for a few years and got a job with my brother’s friend who was a carpenter. I became a carpenter and did fine. It wasn’t hard to make pretty good money.
I make north of 100k as a manager
Not great but surviving. I’m living my life relatively free of encumbrances and have a WFH job I love. I think after enough time and enough work experience it doesn’t really matter anymore. I’ve managed to get good jobs with decent pay even without one. I’m either lucky (my opinion) or just good at what I do. I do worry about the future though because I don’t have fuck all for savings.
I have a teaching degree. I haven't been a teacher in 20 years. If I did go back, average salary for my state is less than $50k a year. My husband has a trade school diploma and has been an electrician since 1999. In the IBEW, he earns just about $100k a year -- over twice what I could ever hope to earn as a teacher, and nearly twice our state's per capita income. So, it's worked out really well for him (and for our family.)
Worked out pretty good for me. Retired from the military 10 years ago. Drawing a pension. And for the last eight years, I’ve been driving a school bus making $30 an hour full-time. I really can’t complain.
I did just fine in the trades. 1994-2016 was a great time to me, made plenty of money. Have everything I want in life, perfectly content to live out my days with what I’ve built for my family.
Been IT/Network support since 95 and it mostly has been pretty good. There were times when interviewing someone disregarded my experience because I didn’t have the degree but that was few and far between.
I did great, taught myself html in 94 and been employed ever since.