Started out as a Biology major in '78, with plans to go to Medical School. Though I love the sciences (still do), I figured out that it was probably too long a haul for my level of discipline in my early 20's. In a quandary, I took an aptitude test which showed that Management Information Systems would be a good fit, and it was cutting edge stuff at the time (pre-public Internet days). After 21 hours of math, three computer languages, and a bunch of crazy hard classes, I decided that writing code was really not my thing. I finished college with a B.S. in Human Resource Management (FSU), with 40+ hours of inapplicable classes (nowadays the public university system would not tolerate what I did). If I had not been so indecisive, and dedicated energies towards a specific field, that many hours would have easily earned me a double major. Now, almost 30 years later, no one gives a rip what I did or did not do in college.
I would say that any and all education and experience can be valuable to you, but in most cases a college degree only demonstrates your willingness to stick it out (except, of course for fields in the sciences, accounting, engineering, law, and such). Virtually every employer will train you to do what they want you to do. The problem for those without a college degree is that they cannot get their foot in the door for the jobs that "require" a college degree. I'd work out some sort of cost/benefit analysis, considering what you can expect to earn, balanced with your ability to service the student loan debt, before investing too much in a college education. Definitely DO NOT invest a bunch of money in an expensive private school (be it college or a technical school), unless you are going to come out with serious prospects to earn close to a six-figure income
I've never worked a single day of my career in the H.R. field, but the skills that I learned along the way in each of those fields of study have been valuable to me. I take advantage of every education opportunity that comes my way (earned two healthcare-related and two association management-related "certifications"), and it has been very good for my career. For the past decade, I've been the CEO of a statewide healthcare association.
I would say that any and all education and experience can be valuable to you, but in most cases a college degree only demonstrates your willingness to stick it out (except, of course for fields in the sciences, accounting, engineering, law, and such). Virtually every employer will train you to do what they want you to do. The problem for those without a college degree is that they cannot get their foot in the door for the jobs that "require" a college degree. I'd work out some sort of cost/benefit analysis, considering what you can expect to earn, balanced with your ability to service the student loan debt, before investing too much in a college education. Definitely DO NOT invest a bunch of money in an expensive private school (be it college or a technical school), unless you are going to come out with serious prospects to earn close to a six-figure income
I've never worked a single day of my career in the H.R. field, but the skills that I learned along the way in each of those fields of study have been valuable to me. I take advantage of every education opportunity that comes my way (earned two healthcare-related and two association management-related "certifications"), and it has been very good for my career. For the past decade, I've been the CEO of a statewide healthcare association.
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