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What the hell happened the US DOLLAR?

#65
I think there are too many bloody capitalists on this board who think university is just about getting a better job (said with a certain amount of humour)! University education is also about the opportunity to grow up, mature, think about things and become a better rounded (and occasionally read) person.

And btw as of today I just got paid £1500 due specifically for having a degree in philosophy!!
 
#66
amos said:
1 US dollar is about the same as 1 CDN dollar right now. I have a feeling the Art Tube EQ I was just looking at with prices of $249 US or $399 Canada, are not up to date with price tags.

Since I have started teaching myself about all kinds of audio gear over the last three months I have seen all US $ prices going up. Both gear made in the USA (Moog) and abroad (RME).

If that wasn't bad enough the vintage Roland analog thing is getting ridiculous. Juno 106 priced @ $1100 at my local shop.

I'm now kicking myself for not buying some of the gear I'm planning on purchasing sooner. A new RME Fireface 400 is now completely out of the question,as they are now up to $1299 new. My buddy bought one new for $900 a few years ago.

At this rate, if you live in the US, you better get whatever gear you are planning to as soon as possible, before things get even worse.

Of course this isn't limited to gear, I've seen food and gas prices go up substantially in the last few months where I live.. all I know is that minimum wage certainly hasn't gone up. But right about now I'd take a minimum wage job at guitar center. Lord knows, I'm qualified. Alas I was recently turned down after my fantastic interview. But I digress.

I don't know anything about economics, anyone care to chime in on this?
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In a nutshell, US is borrowing far too much from China & needs to sell more products & services. God help US farmers.
 
#70
MatticusMania said:
All of which require absolutely no schooling and are just as easily obtained with life experience. ;)
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Yep!

Actually, my friend and I were just talking yesterday about how much more narrow-minded people seem in college. It seemed like in high school people often had to associate with people outside their comfort realm on a more frequent basis, and because of that they seemed much more well-rounded. People in college, on the other hand, find groups of people who are like-minded and who make them feel comfortable to be around and they only hang out with that crowd (Greek life, at least at my school, represents this idea VERY well).
 
#71
chuck norriss said:
In a nutshell, US is borrowing far too much from China & needs to sell more products & services. God help US farmers.
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The US doesn't borrow any money from China. China does own about 8% of all outstanding US Treasury securities, but those securities were issued and the income booked on the Treasury's balance before it was sold to anyone, foreign or domestic. if China didn't buy them, some other buyer would have.

Most of the US national debt (68%) is owned by Americans.
 
#72
MatticusMania said:
Going to school guarantees one nothing other than debt. Some people end up with great careers in their field of choice making a good wage, others end up managing a KMart for just a little more than minimum wage.
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I agree.... I quit high school in the 10th grade, never attended college and make more money than 60 % of my classmates who graduated high school and then went on to college....
 
#73
jmattbassplaya said:
Actually, my friend and I were just talking yesterday about how much more narrow-minded people seem in college. It seemed like in high school people often had to associate with people outside their comfort realm on a more frequent basis, and because of that they seemed much more well-rounded. People in college, on the other hand, find groups of people who are like-minded and who make them feel comfortable to be around and they only hang out with that crowd (Greek life, at least at my school, represents this idea VERY well).
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That sounds like something that might apply more to those who live on campus or spend practically all of their time studying.
Surely, during college there is plenty of time to focus on bettering oneself. In fact, there is never a bad time to better oneself.
In my two years of college I was rapidly acquiring life experience through holding down a job, and a social life all the while.
I dropped out in favor of working full time to support myself and bettering my existence, as going to school with no direction was making me miserable.
 
#75
jmattbassplaya said:
Yep!

Actually, my friend and I were just talking yesterday about how much more narrow-minded people seem in college. It seemed like in high school people often had to associate with people outside their comfort realm on a more frequent basis, and because of that they seemed much more well-rounded. People in college, on the other hand, find groups of people who are like-minded and who make them feel comfortable to be around and they only hang out with that crowd (Greek life, at least at my school, represents this idea VERY well).
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Really? I could very easily see that happening in a frat or sorority; I despised many of their chapters for just that reason. But my college experience (non-Greek) wasn't like that at all, I got exposed to many different kinds of people and different viewpoints between classes, on-campus jobs and the music scene.
 
#76
jmattbassplaya said:
I've known a few, with the best example being my ex. She used to brag about how she'd be making 86k out of college as a Georgia Tech graduate, but she's yet to have anyone take her on board. Right now she's holding an engineering degree and is spending her days handing out towels at a rec center... and she thought she would be a shoe-in for any job because she was a girl.
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Sounds like she chose her major for the wrong reasons. Ironically, the people who are a shoo-in for high paying engineering jobs are typically the ones who didn't go into it for the money.

Was she interested in aerospace? As a kid, did she play with model rockets and dream of becoming an astronaut?

I won't deny that some degrees are better than others, but the whole 'having an engineering degree guarantees you a job' thing bugs the crap out of me because it's not true. Sure, there's a huge need for those kinds of students, but it's not so skewed that an employer will pick up just any engineering student who comes to his or her door. You still have to have something valuable to provide, and just having a piece of paper saying you've taken a few classes won't often cut it.
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Agreed.

Of course there are no absolute guarantees, but a better statement might be along the lines of: Having an aptitude and passion for math, science, or engineering, and a solid education, and good personal traits, guarantee you a job.
 
#77
I thought about going to school to pursue my interests, and realized I wouldn't get a job out of that, so now I'm going into Computer Engineering, with the hope of getting a job at Intel or some place like it.

Once I have a career going, then I can pursue my personal interests.
 
#78
I completely agree about the engineering thing. The only friends I have who didn't move away from Portland because they couldn't get a job in their desired field are CS/CE/EE degrees. Engineering is the only the only thing that would keep my attention long enough and guarantee my ass a job. However life has not given me that kind of opportunity. So now I'm learning as much as I can, building a recording studio myself, and learning the facets of audio engineering in hopes one day I can use my skills to eventually make _more gross income in one year than the total cost of living for one year_
 

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