Did you graduate?? Did it matter??

[mperry]

High School. I went to work in automotive parts assemblies. Brakes mostly and some transmission parts. High school didn't really help. Not having a degree did stop me from getting promoted. It wasn't something I wanted. I was a supervisor for about 20 years. Stepped down to PM maintenance. Wound up making more money since hourly and overtime. I was also trained in the actual job. I wound up training engineers on the machines because I knew how they worked and how to fix. Engineers, at least at my work, were pretty useless. Not knocking engineers but they didn't seem interested in learning. To me a degree was worthless unless I wanted to be promoted.

[Phoenix Jim]

Another thread got me thinking about this question. One of my biggest regrets in life is not graduating high school. I could have taken a few corespondents courses and got my diploma but never did.
I spent 20 years working for a utility and now vested in a retirement plan that will pay me for the rest of my life starting in a few years. I didn't need a diploma or even a college education to do the trade. So that brings me to the question.
My brother went to college and now sells used cars. I went to work.

Did you graduate? Did it matter?

I got my bachelor’s by going to school at night while in the Air Force and one of the best moves ever. When I retired from the Air Force I got a manager job and then a job with the railroad. I got hired by them for my degree, not the fact that I was retired military so yes definitely mattered

[geodebasser]

I graduated high school. Never had the desire to go to college.

Four of the most fun times in my life was four years at Auburn. I got to see Sullivan and Beasely nearly every Saturday play and made some of my best friends till this day. Auburn was small at the time and I loved riding my motorcycle around the country there. Then a microbiology professor who was on of the earliest members of BASS took me bass fishing on Eufaula in 1973.
Because of my degree I got to go on Auburn alumni trips to Europe and we met a lot of interesting people and made connections that helped me in my business.

[Rangerdeepv]

Graduated HS and dithered around JC's for a few years here and there. Changed careers in early 30's and went back for the degree..........it mattered quite a bit for me.

[geodebasser]

High School. I went to work in automotive parts assemblies. Brakes mostly and some transmission parts. High school didn't really help. Not having a degree did stop me from getting promoted. It wasn't something I wanted. I was a supervisor for about 20 years. Stepped down to PM maintenance. Wound up making more money since hourly and overtime. I was also trained in the actual job. I wound up training engineers on the machines because I knew how they worked and how to fix. Engineers, at least at my work, were pretty useless. Not knocking engineers but they didn't seem interested in learning. To me a degree was worthless unless I wanted to be promoted.

Seems to me the engineers were being misused at your plant. They are educated in design work more than maintenance work.

[MadYakker]

Four of the most fun times in my life was four years at Auburn. I got to see Sullivan and Beasely nearly every Saturday play and made some of my best friends till this day. Auburn was small at the time and I loved riding my motorcycle around the country there. Then a microbiology professor who was on of the earliest members of BASS took me bass fishing on Eufaula in 1973.

I spent 3 years there myself getting my M.S. I didn't do a whole lot of fishing except in some ponds on Wire Road by my trailer park, but I had a group of buddies that did a lot of canoeing/camping around AL and GA. That was the only wasy I kept my sanity working with the major prof that I had. I missed being able to watch Bo Jackson play by one year.

[yatesville88fan]

Graduated high school and went one semester in college. Hated college went to work. Got hired at largest gas utility in WV and spent 40 years there. Now retired.

[ECobb91]

Graduated high school, have an associates, bachelors degree, 2 certifications and a professional license. In my field, the minimum requirement is a bachelors degree for an entry level position. You don’t need a professional license, but it’ll take you 20 years to make the same amount that someone with a license will make in 7.

honestly engineering wasn’t my first choice. I wanted to go into natural resource management and work for logging companies. I got into one of the best forestry schools in the country after I graduated with my associates but backed out last minute because there were no jobs in NY. So I applied to engineering school the last day they were accepting applications on a whim because my friends were going there.

if I had to do it over again, I would’ve went into forestry.

[northstar]

You can certainly make a good living without a College Degree, without a High School degree it gets a lot tougher.

[limitlong]

I graduated high school and college. My career choice in law enforcement required a 4 year degree.

[Bueller]

I’m in the c-suite for a multi billion dollar company, and there’s zero chance I would be there without my bachelor’s degree. A college degree is a requirement.

[Lcp3557]

Yes. I dropped out if college after high-school because I was immature and didn't have the discipline needed at the time. I made one good decision and joined the Air Force. I was from a small town in Kentucky. Being in the Air Force matured me. I enjoyed all 24 years of it. Being enlisted didn't get you rich but It paid the bills. I raised two young men. My oldest has a college degree and is WAY better off at 27 than I was. He's a Captain in the Space Force. My youngest is a Junior in college and 1 year away from Commissioning into the Air Force. Money isn't everything but don't bs about it you need it to survive. If you didn't graduate high-school and you are doing well enough, you are an exception to the rule.

[fr8dog]

Worked for me. Needed a degree to become an officer and then into USAF pilot training. No degree=no wings. It was worth the effort.

[Missedone]

HS graduate. BS in accounting. I have been using that degree for 42 years and it has served me well. It mattered. I can't be a part of an organization or club for long before someone nominates me as Treasurer or asks me a tax question :).

[kailor]

High School: Yes
College: Yes (Two BS Degrees, Computer Science, Mathematics)
Secondary College: Yes (MBA)
Did it matter? YES

[Jfish]

I am pretty sure if you looked at the statistics in relation to opportunities, earnings, job satisfaction, etc., the answer would be yes, in most instances it matters.

[Mechanic Bob]

Yes, Mechanical Engineering. Yes it mattered. Opened up a lot of doors and provided many job options. Mechanical Supervisor in a Steel Mill to Designing Kitchen Ranges to Project Manager, and a few others.

[Bill2e]

Yes - High School, College and an MBA.

Did it matter?

Yes & No

I do not work in the trade that my degrees are in, but my MBA helped me get the position that sent my career path in a great direction.

College is not for everyone and there is nothing wrong with learning a trade that gives you a marketable skill. It is the best option for most people.

[basshammerwannabe]

They are labeling engineers loosely now days.. should talk to some of the ones we talk to from Ford

[59tomitriton]

Did you graduate? Yes to both HS and college
Did it matter? Yes it mattered to me.
Glad they didn’t have fishing in schools back then or I might have went down a different path