Is a degree the answer to reducing poverty?

I never had the opportunity for degree - well I missed that opportunity if it ever was there. I joined a company straight from school and was trained up. I took professional exams to move up etc. and achieved chartered status. So in many ways I proved you didn't need a degree. However I pushed both my kids to get one as it gives you distinct advantage.

However - the problem with poverty isn't linked to education it is linked to how people are exploited. all the time we accept very low "living wages", continue to not tackle the black cash-in-hand economy etc. etc. we'll not tackle poverty.

One side note is that poverty is measured as [quote]Households are considered to be below the UK poverty line if their income is 60% below the median household income after housing costs for that year.

Poverty definitions and thresholds | Trust for Londonhttps://www.trustforlondon.org.uk[/quote]

So poverty can never be eradicated by that definition as there will always be people 60% below the median line, that's simply a mathematical reality.

college doesn't teach success, it teaches conformity

The problem is that there are too many people getting useless degrees for fields with limited vacancies and incurring debt that takes them several years to pay off...

especially when they do it straight out of high school with no other technical/ojt skills to fall back on.

I’ve got three degrees but if I had it to do over, I’d have gone to technical high school and apprenticed myself as an electrician, HVAC tech or a plumber. Everybody needs such services, one can leave the work on the job, move anywhere and retire to part time work on any schedule.

Almost everything I learned in college and grad school one can get with a library card.

Colleges are rife with as much corruption as landlords, there's such thing as predatory loans and other things colleges do to make access to them even harder than they are now. The answer to reducing poverty is more of an economic question, education should be publicly available but most people fight against any change therefore making any proposal of change irrelevant because people don't want it.

Of course not. The key to reducing poverty is a willingness by society as a whole to pay people enough to live a decent life instead of using market forces to keep wages for the least skilled down at poverty levels.

A relevant degree and the knowledge and capabilities that go with it are valuable in jobs that need those capabilities and the piece of paper itself makes it easier for employers and employees to find each other without having to do extensive tests or probationary periods.

But the proportion of such jobs is relatively small. More people are needed who can safely operate dangerous machinery, safely install electrical equipment, clean lavatories, deliver goods, etc.; tasks for which a degree is pointless.

A degree isn't at all necessary *unless* you're going to study medicine, nursing, engineering, teaching, or law. The reality is that most students don't study any of the above, and just get really useless degrees in the arts and other subjects. It's a total waste, but is actively encouraged by naive parents and stupid teachers who think that going to college just for the sake of going to college is a good thing. It's abundantly apparent now that a university education doesn't make you more intelligent or rich, yet people still put so much emphasis on it.

À degree no. a skilled trade might be more useful. Education is the key to reducing poverty

It depends on the degree. For some jobs, especially in the technology, financial, and medical fields, a degree is required. It's not a formality, you need that kind of education to be able to do the job.

If you want to flip burgers, or fix HVAC units, then no.

Fairer wages and a higher minimum wage could do the job too.

Degrees can get one in higher paying jobs for sure or just for having a job one is passionate about.

A degree don't mean crap for today's workforce.... no "degreed" people are making 6 figures, no problem and only with technical skills.....

It’s definitely not a requirement but necessary in many fields. I don’t think one size fits all. More important are work ethic, determination to learn, finding a career one can be reasonably happy doing, etc. Advanced education can help that goal but no guarantees.

No. That's naive.

Worked for me.

I think a lot of people go to college and find the hob they're learning to do is not for them. But it took college to find that answer.

NO, standing up to the rich and elite is!😏It has to end sometime....

Trade schools or a degree for most decent jobs. The number of jobs that pay a living wage with just a diploma are way down. But there are other routes for certifications that also help