The Breakfast Club - Is It Worth Going To College?

Episode Date: April 13, 2023

Is It Worth Going To College?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Had enough of this country? Ever dreamt about starting your own? I planted the flag. This is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Or maybe not. No country willingly gives up their territory. Oh my God.

What is that? Bullets. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. We need help! That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay.

Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best. And you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts

that arise once we've hit the pavement together. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey y'all, Nimany here. I'm the host of a brand new history podcast for kids and families called Historical Records. Executive produced by Questlove, The Story Pirates, and John Glickman, Historical Records brings history to life through hip-hop. Flash, slam, another one gone.

Bash, bam, another one gone. The crack of the bat and another one gone. The tip of the cap, there's another one gone. Each episode is about a different, inspiring figure from history. Like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it. And it began with me.

Did you know, did you know? I wouldn't give up my seat. Nine months before Rosa, it was called a woman. Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records. Because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. running errands or at the end of a busy day. From thought-provoking novels to powerful poetry, we'll explore the stories that shape our culture. Listen to Black Lit on the Black Effect Podcast Network,

iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Charlamagne Tha Guy. We are The Breakfast Club. Our co-host B. Scott is here. Yep. And we're opening up the phone lines, 800-585-1051. We were talking about something we've seen in Business Insider where they're saying the majority of Americans now

think a college degree isn't worth it. And they said 56% of Americans now say a four-year college degree isn't worth the cost. And I was saying that I got my degree of course from Hampton University, HBCU. Shout out to everybody, all the Hampton alums. I was saying I think got my degree, of course, from Hampton University, HBCU. Shout out to everybody, all the Hampton alums. I was saying I think that students should take some time off before they go to college,

and I'm going to tell you why. When I went to college, and as most students go to college, a lot of them go to pass. They just want to get their degree and get out. And that's what I did. I got my degree and got out. But now realizing there are so many classes and courses that I should have really listened to because it would have helped me in, you know, in life, in life, you know what I mean? And I wish I could

go back to those courses. And I tell my daughter who's in NYU now that, you know, take those classes serious. Just don't study to pass, study to actually learn whether it was accounting, whether it's business, whether it's marketing and management. Now, I didn't get my degree in communications. I got my degree in marketing and management, which I use in my career because I always said I was going to have money going into high school. But I just needed to know how to keep it, how to invest it. And that's what college taught me. Why tell kids to take time off when I tell kids what courses they should take? Because I think they got to figure out and learn what they want to do.

You know, I think if you take that time off, maybe jump into the workforce a little bit, then you can really understand what you want to do. Because most people don't know what they want to do. They go to college and just try to figure it out. That's interesting. Because I tell my daughter, my daughter's 14 now. She's a freshman. I tell her now that even if she doesn't know what she wants to do, even though she does, I think going to college is a good thing to do until you figure it out.

To explore. Yeah, because you're not wasting time. At least you'll have a degree after those four years. I didn't go to college, even though I am a doctor, an honorary doctor from South Carolina State. You bought that, but then? I didn't go to college, but I'm just saying, I feel like that four years, it's a good way to deal with your time.

But you take classes and courses that you don't know. My daughter went from real estate to she wanted to be an attorney, then she went back to real estate. So she doesn't necessarily know. What do you think? I mean, I can to be an attorney. Then she went back to real estate. So she doesn't necessarily know. What do you think? I mean, I can only speak from experience. So, you know, I went to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. And for me, it was something that was definitely needed because it gave me a basic working

knowledge of the world. And I feel like a lot of people could benefit from that. I do believe that just knowing just fundamentals of just like photosynthesis or just like certain things just allows you to appreciate things in a whole new way. Right. And I do believe that you should use college, as you were saying, Charlemagne, to kind of explore because that's what the general requirements are. So the general requirements are all over the place. And as you explore different little tastes of things, you can then say, OK, I want to go deeper in that. And that becomes becomes your major and my fear is that if they were to take time off and they go and work then they're going to start getting real life responsibilities

which means you're buying stuff with the money that you're making in this job and so that means you've got to keep that job to keep these things and it prevents you from ever going back the only thing about exploring is you're exploring by paying a bill. Like you look at certain colleges, $40,000, $50,000 a year, and you're exploring spending money and you might be taking the wrong classes that you don't like. Like there's a lot of people that are six-year, seven-year college students because they started thinking they want to be something

and then they wind up figuring out that's not what I want to do. And then by the time they graduate, they have $300,000, $400,000 worth of debt that they got to pay off and now it takes them 12 years to pay off. I like what B. Scott said though. You know, if you don't go to school, you probably get in the habit of just working. Yeah. You know?

And I also think that sometimes you can tell it like when people just don't have a basic knowledge of stuff. You'd be like, oh, okay, I get it. You just, you skip some courses. Well, let's go to the phone lines. A lot of people are on the lines. Hello, who's this? Hey, good morning.

This is Bernard. Hey, Bernard. Good morning. Talk to us. All right. So I just wanted to touch on this. I worked at a college for about 11 years. And so when it comes to affordability, colleges are very expensive, but it's also public schools

that are much more affordable. And in some cases, if you qualify for, like, telegrams, you can actually do an entire bachelor's degree for free without paying anything out of pocket. It's usually when we get to those master's degrees and graduate programs or those private schools that folks are paying a ton of money and not really seeing that return on investment. Okay. I will say that, too.

You know, the bad thing, and this is why we always talk about, you know, free education. My mom worked extra hard and my dad worked extra hard so that I wouldn't have huge college bills when I graduated, right? I think they paid like 70% of my college tuition. I had to pay 30% when I graduate. So, for me, the biggest thing for my kids, I have six, is to make sure that— You have six? Six kids. Oh, wow. I have 21, 18, kids, I have six, is to make sure that- You have six? Six kids. Oh, wow.

I have 21, 18, nine, eight, six, and a one-year-old. That's impressive. But for me, I want to make sure my kids don't have any college bills. So I work extra hard to make sure when they graduate, they start from zero. You do have to work extra hard with six kids. Yeah, six kids. I can only imagine. You're almost like a Nick Cannon.

No. You guys need six more I got one wife and all my kids are from one woman that is true you know what else with college though

that I don't hear y'all talk about enough don't you learn other things outside of just getting a degree like meeting people networking

social skills that was another thing you know me coming from New York all I was about was New York but when I went to college I had a roommate

from Mississippi I had a roommate from Ohio I had a roommate from New Orleans I had a roommate from Ohio. I had a roommate from New Orleans. I had a roommate from Jersey. So it opened me up, me doing music, to all those different areas of music and things like that. And in most cases, it's a safer environment to explore different things and learn how to interact with people than the real world.

So it's like a buffer. It's like a step right before you on your own. And that's why I'm not knocking these people who said it wasn't worth it to get a degree, but are you just equating worth to monetization? Because I'm sure you probably got lifelong friends. My wife has, her two best friends are from college. You know what I mean? They've been friends

for 20 plus years. And I also think that you touched on something that was powerful. You said in terms of a lot of people go to college just to pass. Correct. It's about why you are there. But if you're there to learn and actually get something from the experience, you're going to have a different result than someone that's there just to pass. That's true. Like, I didn't want to go to college, right?

I was a DJ. I wanted to do music. But in my family, I was the first person to go to college in my family. Wow. So my parents were like, no, you're going. Like, they wanted me to go to Morehouse. And I was like, Morehouse is too far. They wanted me to go.

So for me, I was doing it more for them than for myself. I'll be honest with you, you're not a Morehouse man. Hampton is good for you. I'm a Hampton man, sir. Yeah, that's...

Yeah, there's nothing wrong with being a Hampton man, sir. I can call some of my Morehouse people. Do you think Envy's a Morehouse man? You can call him if you want. No, but I thought that Howard was the real issue. No, Howard...

Oh, my God. I'm about to fight you in here. I'm about to fight you in here. My money on B. Scott. I've been fighting my whole life now. 585-1051. We're talking about colleges this morning. Now, we were saying a majority of Americans now think getting a college degree isn't worth it.

What are your thoughts? And they're saying 56% of Americans now say a four-year college degree isn't worth the cost. Let's talk about it. It's The Breakfast Club. Good morning. Had enough of this country? Ever dreamt about starting your own? I planted the flag.

This is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Or maybe not. No country willingly gives up their territory. Oh my God. What is that?

Bullets. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast, Post Run High, is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together.

Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay. Have grace for yourself. You're trying your best, and you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty

on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, y'all. Niminy here. I'm the host of a brand new history podcast for kids and families called Historical Records. Executive produced by Questlove, The Story Pirates, and John Glickman, Historical Records brings

history to life through hip-hop. Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history. Like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it.

And it began with me. Did you know, did you know? I wouldn't give up my seat. Nine months before Rosa, it was called a four-month. Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records. Because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to historical records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Jacqueline Thomas, the host of a brand new Black Effect original series,

Black Lit, the podcast for diving deep into the rich world of Black literature. Black Lit is for the page turners, for those who listen to audiobooks while running errands or at the end of a busy day. From thought-provoking novels to powerful poetry, we'll explore the stories that shape our culture. Listen to Black Lit on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.