Sunday, October 24, 2010

College degree, not really worth it


So I've been doing some work at a prop trading firm here in Auckland, dealing with mostly Asian index futures. There's some pretty cool folks at the firm, and the IT equipment is "hardcore" enough to pull off some of my strategies where optimal return comes from low-latency execution.

But what's really bothering me is the fact that 100% of what I do to make $$ these days requires skills that I could've gotten off a few books at the local bookshop and maybe a year or two of practical experience, all for $500~ tops! Yet, I've already paid over $100k in tuition for this Bachelor of Honours degree.

Sure, some people would say that "well it's a good piece of paper, it gets you a job interview (if your personal ventures fail miserably)". Still, there're plenty of people like me sitting on the employer side who KNOW that a university degree simply means one can show up on time and maybe type up a neat little report every half year or so, without any practical experience or ability to think critically.

So yeah, is it really worth it? I'd say not.

0 Reflections: