Sucess is not always found with a degree.

[Auggie56]

On Dan Bonjino's show, he played a clip from a speech to a college graduating class, by a billionaire. In paraphrasing, he said you all have high expectations of when you leave here. But when you fail it will be the worst day of your life. You must experience it to learn from it. He closed by saying I hope you all fail.

 

[Hey-O]

If there's one thing I regret, there are more, it's never allowing my kids to fall or fail. You can't learn to get up, if you've never fallen. He's right, it's the struggles in life that make us strong, not the good times.

 

[68BabyBlue]

My mentor when I was climbing the corporate ladder was a Yale Law School graduate. I was surprised when he told me that the "successful" guys in his class, who graduated with high class rank, and got high paying jobs with big firms right after graduation, were outrun by folks who graduated at the bottom, and couldn't get good legal jobs. Explanation was that the guys at the bottom were forced to take chances the others wouldn't, and picked up more valuable life experience in the process. Top earning guy in his class was a bottom 10% class rank, who went to work for a small Chicago pinball machine manufacturer that later made a killing in digital technology. He ended up earning four times what the partners were making at the white shoe Chicago firms.

I was a bottom 20% guy, from a school ranked way below Yale, ended up driving a truck for the second time after I failed at private practice. When the company I was working for became the largest dry bulk carrier in North America, my general counsel job put me in the top 10% of my class. When things imploded a few years later, my ability to drive kept me afloat, and took me to a comfortable end to my career last year. I've followed the careers of my graduating class, and seeing the results, I'm grateful I crashed and burned right after graduation.

 

[Rebelrouser]

I would agree that some adversity in life makes you stronger as long as it doesn't destroy you. And not just in getting a good job, but relationships, and just life in general. One of the things many people fail to do is separate what they need from what they want. And are always unhappy because they can't seem to get everything they want. I never made a lot of money, but I always had enough to give me what I needed with a little left over for some fun and I am good with that.

 

[5.7 hemi]

I must be a f**k’n genius!

 

[Hey-O]

My family was at the bottom of the pile when we got here. With that in mind, there's only one way to look and that's up. Throw it all in and let it ride. There's a big difference between failing at something and just failing, point taken and no one should be allowed to just fail. Needs have always come first, money for savings and then wants, in that order. Wants being last have the tendency to make you pull the load harder to get to them. You have to have fun allow the way sometimes or what good is it, but I never lost sight of the ant and the grasshopper.

 

[SlingLow]

Success requires a plan and when the circumstances change, the plan must change.

My father told me when I was a boy that I would never have to worry about money, bills, or food on the table. That was his job and he'd get it done. As the retail advertising manager for the local paper, he said that if he lost that job, he would deliver the paper. He said if it took 3 jobs to feed his family, he would have 3 jobs. My step-father-in-law told me as a young man that a man needs to know how to do more than one thing in life to get by. Both of these things stuck with me and are the basis of my initial statement in this post.

 

[padam]

When I needed a hole or a ditch dug, I would give my sons the tools and tell them it was to build character.

I just didn’t want to dig myself.

 

[#41]

On Dan Bonjino's show, he played a clip from a speech to a college graduating class, by a billionaire. In paraphrasing, he said you all have high expectations of when you leave here. But when you fail it will be the worst day of your life. You must experience it to learn from it. He closed by saying I hope you all fail.

But if one was a pessimist and had high expectations of failure, if they failed would it actually be a success? Would that then be a good day or a bad day, and would one learn from it?

 

[Auggie56]

But if one was a pessimist and had high expectations of failure, if they failed would it actually be a success? Would that then be a good day or a bad day, and would one learn from it?

That was the point. Don't be high on that education that when that failure comes you easily won't accept it. I worked with several college types who thought the world was theirs to run.

 

[1967coronet]

When I got married college was not at the top of my list.
We worked our way through life and saved what we could.
My grandpa gave me a simple piece of advice that I have hopefully passed on to my kids.
He said to allways remember it is impossible to barrow yourself out of debt.
That stuck with me.

 

[cr8crshr]

I am college-educated partially...5 years non-degreed but there is an endorsement/degree I have that trumps all others...DD Form 214!!! Those not having one will never understand and those that do will have the abilities to get back up when failure does happen and learn from it. I have always in a way felt and believed that a College Degree is nothing but an endorsement of completetion but never prepares one for the pits and falls of LIFE!!! cr8crshr/Bill

 

[toolmanmike]

Playing off the OP's title, My oldest is self taught post high school, worked his way up through a few employers in the computer/software/security industry, and landed a nice 6 figure position from a company that provides internet security. We are very proud of him making it happen on his own. He has also worked hard to get certifications that many of the college grads cant pass the first time through.

 

[BSB67]

I must be a f**k’n genius!

That made me laugh.

 

[Rick@Laysons]

I know people who couldn't find success even if they used a flashlight, a road map, or a seeing eye dog........makes me wonder how they've lived this long.....

....and that's all I has to say 'bout that!!!!!

 

[68BabyBlue]

That was the point. Don't be high on that education that when that failure comes you easily won't accept it. I worked with several college types who thought the world was theirs to run.

I've seen this play out - college graduates who had a good run, thought they had the world by the tail, then boom - job goes away at midlife, and they have no back up plan. I worked with a few, many stories about how well they did in days past...

 

[Ron H]

worked with a few, many stories about how well they did in days past

Worked at a machine shop for a few years starting when I was a junior in HS and couple years after graduation until some ironic circumstances prodded me to obtain a degree at a tech-school. Had no issues getting a job when the position typically required a 4-year degree, until it did nearly 20 years later and with a company that I had contracted with for a few years.

Was fortunate the co-owner of the machine shop took me under his wing teaching me all sorts about running the shop handing me all kinds of assignments. About name it, he had me get my hands doing jobs from dirty to office work, machine setup, repair, operating, supervisor, material/tooling ordering, job planning, inventory control, QC, etc. Well, I wasn’t too serious about that job I applied for; but sounded like an interesting opportunity to at least check out.

The wrench was oh, we require a 4-year degree. Really? For a guy who has two-decades of related experience IN the job I applied for, plus a couple of professional designations taking a few years to acquire after several exams to earn those?

Lol, I wrote back with a bit of sarcasm describing my early job experience at the typical age when I might be a freshman/sophomore in college, if going from HS right to college. It was about what I ‘learned’ during that span. They contacted me wanting to interview me again. I was pissed about this idiocy and got some gratification declining their offer. Seems to me that more companies are not as focused on a 4-year degree as they once were. Could it be, as some have posted, something to do with some people having a 4-year degree still being stupid?

 

[Sam69sat]

 

[Sam69sat]

 

[68gtxman]

I got a BSME and a masters. Worked for the USAF and GE for a lot of my career. I found out after I retired from the Air Force that working for someone else most likely will never get you the rewards that you can get working for yourself. I tripled my highest full time pay working part time for myself now. I faked it until I made it as a forensic engineer. Now I have over 20 years in my second career and could have retired 20 years ago.

My advice to young people is this: find a niche that interests you and create your own business opportunities. Get the degrees (if necessary), licenses and certifications that will help you excel. Set your own parameters after you get the qualifications.