Just a degree won't get you happiness but financial freedom will. For many a *useful* degree can really jumpstart a career in a high paying field and the sky can be the limit.

From an immigrant perspective to make your parents happy it's a must

My wife and I are both engineers and its lifted us both out of generational poverty. We recently got out of some debts and our happiness level has gone way up. Now its all going to savings and the mortgage. Couldn't be more content and happy right now.

"I never let formal schooling get in the way of my education". Mark Twain.

Absolutely Not. But when jobs paying $11 an hour require a college degree it tells you 1 of 2 things: Either kids are less prepared out of high school and now college is needed as a "filter" or college has become worthless

Five words: correlation does not equal causation

If we are talking about happiness then the answer is 100% no. If the question is about likelihood of financial success, the answer is the odds are far greater with a college degree.

I think anyone who doesn’t come from financially privileged families should start at a community college, and then transfer.

Kids need to research what professions are in demand and valuable in the market place. Too many people go to school for potato decorating and jump rope, then complain that theyre in debt and underpaid.

The only piece of paper that ever made me extremely happy, was the 5th grade love note I got from my crush! Having to check the box that said I liked her too was pretty thrilling, much more than swiping right

"Lebron James didn't go to College" Yeah sure... just go be Lebron James then and be rich. The question itself is inherently flawed. You don't need a college degree to be: smarter, richer, happier. The "need" in the question itself creates a biased absolute where all you need is one example in a million to reach the verdict you don't need. The more interesting (and relevant) question is if it helps, or if the average person benefits more from it. You hear of Bill Gates as a drop out sure, but you probably don't hear of the thousands of John Doe's who just end with minimum wage jobs instead. Where are all the unemployed people with criminal records that dropped out in this interview? That is right, you don't hear of them. Nobody cares about them, the reporters themselves also prove that point by just going after those that are successful instead of bothering to show those that failed. Rather ask if people with college degrees in average benefit more from it. Also consider studying abroad, that is what many people abroad already do. Americans should consider that especially since they are the most expensive in the world.

Near the end of 2019, at the age of 27, I was only making a few dollars above minimum wage in Southern California. I finally decided to do some research on what careers were in demand and paid well. I picked Computer Science since that was the one that interested me the most. I debated returning to college, but I worked during the day full time and didn't have the money to quit or take less hours. Then I just taught myself web development with UKposts and Udemy. Studied and coded 4-6 hours a day, 7 days a week. After a little over a year, I landed a web development job making $75K. Zero loans to pay for.

My degree didn’t make me happier but making 80k at 22 does

I never went to college and am considered lower middle class when it comes to financial standing. And I’ve never been happier! Money is a tool but not everything. I live a simple life and am happy this way, debt free yet far from rich.

Most people need a college degree to feel safe lol

As a drop-out student, I'm ok but not happy. I struggle finding a good salary job. I'm disappointed for myself. Im not happy because I'm poor.

If these people believe this, they should take their children out of college. The reality, they wouldn't.

ah yes I got my comp sci degree from a good college and I am working as a data scientist under a dropout.

Combine your degree with real world experience (part time jobs, projects outside of class) and then it is worth it. Go to a tech school for the first 2 years, figure out what you want to actually do, have an interest in...then pursue the 4 year.

Ok so my mom is a medical physicist and she said she could most definitely do her job without the 10 years of college needed to get a PhD (I think it's 10 yrs?) BUT the thing is she wouldn't have gotten the job she has now without the degree.... They hired her because she has the PhD. The company wanted her instead of someone with, say, a masters degree. So to have the financial freedom she does (she makes 6 figures) you normally need a pretty good degree or else get really really fortunate (like youtubers, actors, singers, etc) "money doesn't buy happiness" is total BS. I won't be happy in life being forced to spend my life drowning in debt, with little to no vacation time and a not so nice apartment. Having financial freedom to do all these things in life I want to experience will make me happier and more fulfilled, and it would probably make the majority of the population happy as well. I'm not saying you need 6 figures to be happy: I'm saying being comfortable enough to have a fulfilling life is. So if a fulfilling life for you is working a low paying job, drowning in debt, and staying at home most of the time, then "money doesn't buy happiness" is true for you. For the rest of us, that phrase is utter BS

I wouldn't say college is for everyone, but if executed correctly it could be the best decision that you could ever make! Atleast that's how it was for me.

The "Good job" thing is so out of wack. I make quite a bit more than those numbers and still want more. Living is not cheap.

To have the discussion on college and happiness is unproductive, especially when we are literally talking in the context of a happiness formula (aka, does x lead to happiness) (1) College is linked with career mobility/options (2) Happiness is linked to the self-evaluation of your situation (e.g., are you content with where you are?) So the question shouldn't be "does college makes you happy," but rather do you personally value having a wider career options and/or advancement. If yes, college will definitely make you happy.

Working for myself has provided more happiness than finishing a degree to work for a company that only values my results. I'm happy I attended college for a while and now that I'm comfortable enough financially I could consider going back for a couple semesters to finish my degree. Maybe I will, maybe I won't.

People should start college at 20 instead of 18. They should spend two years working full-time or doing something like military service, Peace Corps, or an apprenticeship in a trade skill before going to college. This would lead a lot of people to a more fulfilled life and less drop out rates. Also, the govt should force colleges to eliminate degrees which have little financial promise such as liberal arts. They should also limit admissions to humanities related degrees. These degrees are not highly in demand and result in a lot of people being unable to repay their student loans afterwards.

Just graduated college but regret it so much. Now I have to wait for my trade school application to go through so I can actually start a real career. Should've started that immediately after high school. Better late than never, I suppose

That’s literally the worst clickbait title ever😂

Absolutely the answer is NO!!, We don’t need college degree or papers to have a value as people. Knowledge is free. “You can find people(young and old) on internet teaching better than a paid teacher(parasite).

My job position requires a college degree (specifically engineering) which got me a financial freedom. I live below my means and don’t ever have to worry about not being able to eat and therefore I am happy

I only feel "happy" about my degrees when I talk to friends who don't have them and see how dissatisfied they are w/ their lives & how relatively satisfied w/mine. I then realize it's not really the degrees that make me happy---it's just my circumstances that are actually pretty great, and that's what really makes me happy. When I rejected a job for $45/hr because I knew I deserved at least $65, I realized how valuable my degrees are.

_College isn’t correlated to happiness_ 😤

Theres a dropout and then a billionaire Nobody knows what happened in the middle

Going to college is my biggest regret. I'm a server now because I love it and I earn more money than I would with my degree most days. I have less freedom because I'm working on paying my student loans off versus if I never went to college. Plus, I hated the act of college with the tests, projects, and homework. I spend most of me free time these days educating myself which I should have done in the first place.

It saddens me that more and more jobs require a college degree, while college teaches you extremely little that's actually valuable for the job. In this sense, it's useless, so I wish jobs didn't require a college degree, but they do regardless. I didn't enjoy college at all and wish there was a better way of investing years of your life into something more valuable

I'm thinking about dropping out in my last semester. I am getting a business degree and am waking up to how much time and money I've wasted. If I could do it again I would have done community college.

"need" a degree is relative to how hard someone wants to work. my boyfriend and father both make over well 100k a year with no degree. my boyfriend started as a painter and is now sandblasting foreman. he worked and continues to work hard so we can have a good life. if you want to sit in a cubicle then yes spend 50k on a degree and make 35 a year and be miserable. thats your choice its not the only option

Better question is: do you need college to be financially stable/independent? Is it worth it/advantageous having at least a Bachelor’s degree in order to eventually pay off student debt? Whether you need it for happiness, you absolutely don’t need a college degree to be happy

Happiness from a college degree depends on the college you attend, the resources that are provided, the major / study you pursue, the community / network, and the cost. Do a cost-to-performance evaluation and see whether you choice (school, major, etc.) leads to both a passion / dream job of yours AND pays well. Look at the job market and demand for the major. Majors in S.T.E.M. and Business are typically worth it. Great public state schools (Rutgers, UC, Mich, Penn State, etc.) are worth it. This is a sure way to guarantee happiness from a college degree.

i think skill education is important like learning how to do a marketable skill but that doesn't always mean you need to go to a traditional 4 year college in order to gain these skills. in fact lots of college degrees don't actually prepare you for a real job after you graduate and you're left with little options outside of the cycle of going back to school again and again to gain marketable skills

Having a degree/certification/license will give you confidence and an ability to hold your own in different scenarios/situations! No doubt about it

I went to college pursuing a b.a. but the stress of college was way too much for me. I just could not cope. I couldn't make friends no matter how many school events I went to, or clubs I signed up for. I went to a big state school and I just couldn't find my place. I was also totally overwhelmed by the schoolwork, commuting, holding a part-time job, renting an apartment and being responsible for all my own bills for the first time in my life, and I got engaged that year and started thinking about wedding planning which yes was a happy event but honestly the proposal came as quite a shock and I wanted to slow down the engagement but anybody who has ever gotten engaged knows that is not always so easy to do once the engagement becomes public knowledge. It got to the point where I was having panic attacks daily and was crying in class all the time because I was so stressed. I left my junior year. I feel so depressed about giving up but I really don't know what else I could have done. My mental health was really, really poor. After leaving college things really didn't improve though. I am still totally depressed about the whole experience. It feels like it was a huge waste of money. College only pays off if you FINISH- that's what they don't tell you!

I don’t think education or money can buy happiness. But I think it helps. College is also a time to grow up from a child to young adult. Fly the coop. Mature a little. I learned so much in college not only educationally but about myself. Plus now I have a degree that I can put on my resume for a lifetime. When choosing between candidates a lot of times the college diploma holder will advance before a high school diploma.

My girl work needed her degree from her last week and I was worried about her loosing her job 😴 but everything good now only because of deelscafe good work 👍.

It’s either you get a college degree or you become an entrepreneur. This video shows the value of a college degree outside of an education and it explains if you don’t get a college degree you better have a business idea or your life will be trash. I completely agree!

I think we can all agree that a college degree is not the one variable for happiness. Higher educational attainment does offer different types of opportunities though. I think the most important point here is that the decision to go to college or not should be one that an individual makes, not one that is made for them because they are not adequately prepared by their high school education.

I just graduated from college and I feel extra broke lol

Unfortunately most jobs nowadays don’t require degrees they require experience.

I was looking for a college degree and then I got one and heaven knows I'm miserable now! Why do I give valuable time....

Having a college degree may not necessarily make graduates happy . . . but not having one seems to make a few/some people facing economic and social hardship more prone to "deaths of despair", due to alcoholism, comfort junk food, drugs, suicide. University educated people are more likely to seek professional counseling, meeting with friends, exercise, walk in the woods, spas, yoga, meditation, persistence, self-help books, seminars.

Not as many interviewers on here who wished they would have gone to college. Lets look at their lives. People with a college degree make much money over the course of their lives. Money doesn't equal happiness, but its important "tool" that you need. Remember nothing is free, and financial freedom is happiness in a sense to do whatever/whenever you want.

At the same time, international students are willing to pay triple in a 4-year institution without concerning happiness

Depends on the career. If you gonna be a civil engineer or a RN then yes. If you wanna be a web developer or digital marketing then probably not. Same with trades. Depends on your field. Do your research on the field you trying to go into.

You should make a video on why dropouts tend to be more successful in real life than most graduates

I have a lot of options about this topic. I’m an education advocate. Nevertheless, college is not one size fits all. Unless a person is very smart and has an entrepreneurial spirit, the average person should earn a degree. However, it depends on what you study and what you plan to do with the degree. A degree will not make you “happy”, “rich” or even “smart”. But I think most people should pursue a degree, especially BIPOC. Cost is definitely a factor to consider. I think it’s better to earn a degree while you’re young. But a lot of people go the non-traditional route, and go back to school when they’re older.

Let me tell you something. The education are undergoing inflation just like economy. As time passes more and more education are required, nonetheless the jobs are becoming more worthless. Might as well drop out and start something small and get a job that technically can do well with your personality. You would he surprised how alot of jobs are available in America without a degree. Better to start early than starting later with a worthless degree.

Never went to college. Have a GED, but at 19 I started investing 75 bucks a week 300 a month like clock work. At 24 I stepped it up to 500 per month in mutual funds. I'm 41 now and have never missed a month of investing since I was 19. Even in downturns 500 per month automatically invested. I have no financial worries

you also have to be talented, it's nothing to do with not going to college all those successful college drop outs you see as the icons for "you don't need college" got accepted to schools with 1-8% acceptance rates so they were already smart to begin with you don't need to go to college to be successful, yes, but it's a great stepping stone if you have no idea what to do or need peers to push you for a career path. you're never going to be a doctor or an architect without college.

The lack of one limited my career goals. The higher educated you are then the longer you can work. You can only do a physical job for so long before you have to move it to the mental. Which means if you have a master's then you can teach or do more of a managerial job.

In Africa a degree is equivalent to be baptized with gold dust, so yes college is important here.

That's why you don't go to a private college. There are plenty of public schools that will give you just as much opportunity.

For me it depends on the college degree. If it's necessary for a career that you want to pursue then go for it. If you are unsure about your career I would start working right out of high school and explore other possibilities. And if you do go to college and it's not for you it's ok. It's not for everyone I know successful and unsuccessful people regardless if they have a college degree or not. I do agree that colleges do need to adapt and change the way they prepare students for a post college future. I'm grateful that my college did prepare me for post college life. That's not the case for everyone unfortunately. The current college system definitely needs to be re-evaluated. As my grandma has told me if the career you have isn't fun anymore don't do it. Having a career that gives you joy will bring you happiness and a sense of fulfillment.

You don't have to get a degree to be happy. As long as you can make it work financially then you should be fine and if you actually like or love your job, you should be happy.

I'm predicting 2U and online learning will stop all of this inflated tuition madness.

I went to college, one of my brothers became a car mechanic and was certified while on the job and working with tests paid for by his employer. Guess who makes more money. He does, he got started in the professional career three years earlier and has more experience. Plus he did not take on many upfront expenses to do so, although he did have to buy his own tools and tool cabinet.

It depends on what happiness is for you. College is mostly a big networking source and if you take that out it definitely leaves a lot to wonder

College certainly wasn't for me. I have a deep hatred for academic environments. I ultimately educated myself and started my own business.

I think personally, you want to aim to your own desire 'success' based on what you want to success, cause 'success' is a subjective, it's different for literally everyone in this world. Go and take the path of what you want to successful, if you want to take big and deep studies go for college and if you have other ways to find your own success, then degree is not necessary, take this on me because i haven't yet gotten my own success in life, and I haven't gone to any university yet. But i plan on going one soon i think

Short answer : no Long answer: depends what you want to do , whether the degree is needed, whether you actually enjoy the thing you wanted to do in the first place and if the thing you want to do is a sustainable way of living. example: if you've always wanted to become a scientist you'll likely need to get your bachelors, masters and PhD and it probably pays okay enough either in academia or in industry that you can live off of this passion of yours ( It pays okay in the Netherlands at least I doubt this is the case in the US though :P ). To the people who think you should just study whatever you feel like and incur debt to do so ... like wtf are you thinking :P ? Like why would you pay 50000 dollars to study archaeology at a university that just uses that money to get expensive facilities like an indoor snowboard area when you could have just spent money on an education that actually leads to a well paying job that you like or are okay doing and then spend your free time and excess money learning about archaeology? I have multiple friends who studied something that realistically had little to no job market and now they are all working ICT support... again its been said before do something that can help you financially first and follow your passion in your own time or use your minor for that. Nowadays so much information is readily and freely available that if you want to learn something you honestly can... its gonna cost you time and effort and you'll likely have a harder time starting out but honestly if you have a passion for learning it it will go by easier. Also, this part surprises me about US students.... given the high college costs... why not just study abroad XD ? I mean its likely way cheaper and more fun being in a different culture and a lot of education is in english so its not like you'd have to learn a language for it :P?

This is an incredibly well-made episode!

My only issue with university is in the way it delivers its education. As a student, I prefer notes and slides rather than expensive textbooks. I would rather study them or even have prerecorded lessons of the topic, and then schedule a time in the day with the professor to clarify when I don't understand something. I would even go as far as saying that exams should be eliminated, in favour of weekly short tests, or just assignments that tally up to your final score over the semester. I just really despise the standadised approach of learning and assessments in university as it forces one into a ball of nerves anytime an exam is coming. I hate the stress! Understand, I am doing freelance work for clients on something that I like and I'm alway overperforming, trying to improve and trying to give my clients the best value they can get, and this is hard and stressful work, but I enjoy it and am always hungry for more! Compare that to me having to "study" the work that I'm already doing, and not having the freedom to innovate as I have to memorise outdated practises by some guy in the 50s, and if I don't and I fail and drop out, I would "statistically earn less than a graduate with a bachelor's degree", and don't forget disappointing your parents that invested so much into your education over the years...talk about a life threatening ultimatum!

The problem is that many young ppl are going to college, just to go to college. Thinking it is the end-all be-all. As a high school teacher, I tell my students to research the job/career they want to pursue, and to go to college for that specific degree if the job requires it. Otherwise I tell them not to go to college.

Uni made me depressed bruh

It really depends on the career path you choose. If you want to become a doctor, you can't do it without a college degree. But you don't really need a college degree to start a business.

Question: Do the countries (European & Mexico) that offer free university to its citizens also fund extremely large competitive university sports teams like the U.S. does for Football, Baseball, Basketball, etc? Because the costs of these sports teams is a big budget expense for the universities. Also, all the European countries that do offer free university are substantial smaller compared to the U.S. •••Reducing the cost of university is definitely worth pursuing if we don’t want the level of poverty to continue its growth pattern.

Blame Ronald Reagan for the high cost of higher education.

Here come the white Boomer/Gen X'ers to tell us all about trades lol

UKposts USA = The world

Depends on where you are. In the third world a degree can make you happy

6:54 how is 789 80% less than 1416?

aah happiness : the thing which every one is after and no one knows what exactly it is, even when they find it. keep looking though

Germany also doesn't charge national students for public higher education. Same goes for most international students...

It is not necessary a college degree to make happy but it could be a bridge for building wealth and avoid difficult in the journey specially if you are thinking about having children in a future but it depends on a marketable degree to build a successful business.

Do you need a college degree to be happy ? That question is wrong. It should be do you need a college degress to be successful in life. Happiness is not form things like a college degree , a girlfriend , money or things. Even your are successful can you be happy ? Not really why think about it look it up. Happiness from you and how you choose to do with your life. It also a mindset and the ability to achieve success of something on your own.

The sports team or fancy campus were never the determining factor when choosing a college, rather it was the value, how well recognized the campus is (ranking), is it the best school for what I'm studying, is the area affordable, am I able to get hands on learning experience and apply the acquired knowledge outside the classroom.

So according to these states if you go to school for 4 years and take out below average debt ie 20k then you’re doing well if 3 years later at 25 you can get a job that pays 35,000. In a field where you most likely will need to go get a master’s to advance?

I feel the exact same way with day trading stocks and options, I don't work a traditional job I love what I do trading and investing but yes I agree you get stressed out sometimes but its a type of stress that is not as stressful as school or a job where you report to a boss or something like that. another words its a type of stress that like you like; you enjoy since its part of a job or hobby you like you; love if you love running a business but it stresses you out sometimes think how am I going to get customers how am I going to convince people chose me over others but the point is in my opinion of course is just if you love what you do from the first day you found out that what I love that's what I need to do then everything else is easy all the obstacles all the drama from people telling you it will never work, that drive you have to love what you doing is the only way that will make you successful

the audio volume sounds a little low :( any chance you can bring it up?

A mechanic or technician job can earn $24/hr. Aviation, more. Electrician and welder make a lot, too. However, the community of colleagues who can affect second-half of life is different.

Actually ireland does pay for uni however, most people apply to this thing called student universal support Ireland.most people will qualify for the full or half of the tuition fee which is a flat rate of 3k in euro for all public schools yp to a level 8 bachelors degree ( honours bachelor degree).

I have my Associate’s of Applied Science in Computer Information Technology from 2014 and I have my Associate’s of Science in General Science from 2016.

for me its a life long goal to get a degree. I can die happy and fullfill once i get me degree.

Honestly, I would go to college, but I just simply can’t stomach fact that the debt is beyond sense. To me, it’s not worth it due to the amount, and that most of the countries have free education, except for us here in USA most of the countries have universal healthcare. Canada has universal healthcare. Not us here in USA.

Short answer, depends on what you want to do for a living. Degrees are not for "feeling good". They aren't for fun. And they aren't for establishing some sense of intellectual dominance over others. They are for qualifying you for a profession you want to do that will give you a sense of accomplishment and/or happiness. I'm a programmer for a bank and i love it. But i had to have a Bachelors degree at minimum. You're crazy If you think a bank would trust someone who only has a programming boot camp certificate or a 9 month programming training program certificate to make programs that handle millions of dollars. Unless that person has 10+ years of related job experience to go along with that certificate.

Tradegy: dropout with student loans; disaster: dropout from medical school with student loans at 30+

We ain't OECD but Botswana public college and varsity schools for nationals are sort of tax funded

I’ll be happily in debt

For every successful entertainer, business person, athlete, there are countless people who tried to be like them and are not financially well off. Lots are in poverty with more working days behind them than ahead of them.

CoVid 19 should be included in this UKposts video, thus the disease has changed the landscape of education & careers. 💉💊💥💔

Look at the number of people that either don't finish their degree, can't find a job with their degree, or are working in a field unrelated to their degree before you decide to listen to the people so willing to take your money, and years of your life. There are some fields that do require a degree, but there are plenty of paths to success that don't involve being in sports or entertainment.

Ok but I don't know if it's useful what studies show because the world has rapidly changed lately. What used to be true for the last decades may not be only a few years later. And since kids who go to university are mostly from families who have no issues with money, they'd be better off whether they went to university or not, and those who suffer with poverty aren't lucky enough to go to college in the first place. Does the study take this into account?