dude:

How could a lowly non-college graduate be of any good to these vastly superior human beings? 

Sounds to me, (in my "simpleton" opinion) like you've got a fairly good grasp on things. You show up every day - you work - you make money.

Guys like my cousins couldn't carry your lunch box across the street. Because while they learned a whole lot in college, they still didn't learn the "business end of a hammer" (my favorite new saying).

 

[quote=Devoted SA]Babs....if there were a way to combine a course of study in mesoamerican archeology & underwater basketweaving, which would then require a semester or six abroad -- you wouldn't find a more dedicated pupil than I. [/quote]

Me too.  I majored in Mesoamerican Archeology with a minor in Ceramics. How are those for useful degrees.   It was a lot of fun, but make a living.  NOT.  I have yet to have any relevant application of my studies in my 16+ years as a financial advisor/bank lendinng officer. 

If the question is "Are people without college degrees uniformly too stupid to make it in this business" the answer is an emphatic “no”.<?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 If the question is “Are there people around today in this business that lack a college degree but bring much to the table on behalf of their clients?” my answer would be a solid “yes”.

If the question is “A decade or more ago was a college degree considered much more than the mere threshold of education that it’s widely viewed as today?”, again, I’d answer “yes”.

 

However, if  the question is “Is this a profession, and as such, today, should there be a bare minimum requirement of a college education in order to be hired at a tier one firm”, I’d have to say “yes”.

 

I have no intention f insulting anyone, and I don’t care to swap stories about the industrious non-college graduates I’ve known or the abject failures with college degrees that I’ve come across. Those weren’t questions on my above list, and obviously I agree that examples of both exist.

 

A final question, “Does being on the same side of a heated issue as Put bother you, especially given the fact that some of the people that you respect here are on the other side” my answer is “Yes, yes, and yes again”.

[quote=NASD Newbie][quote=tjc45]

I proceeded to go on to make several million dollars in my early and mid twenties only to lose all of it by my late twenties.

[/quote]

Don't you hate it when that happens.  That's my story too.

[/quote]

I sure hated it then. Thought my life was over. Went from driving a Porsche to a used Rabbit. Worse still, the Rabbit burned oil big time. Very impressive! Took me a couple of years to regain traction. Best part of that time was I met my wife. I was so broke on our first date that as we sat at the table at the Ground Round I prayed she wouldn't order a second drink. She did and there went my gas money for the rest of the week. At least I know she didn't marry me for my money.

However, if  the question is “Is this a profession, and as such, today, should there be a bare minimum requirement of a college education in order to be hired at a tier one firm”, I’d have to say “yes”.

But don't you also think that if there is such a bare minimum (and I don't disagree that there should be some educational competence or equivilancy testing done)the college degree should have some sort of relevance to the profession?  This is why a Dr. of Psycology isn't doing open heart transplants.  A degree in Art, with the ability to throw some nice pots and create glazes from scratch, is nice: but how does that make a person more qualified to be a financial advisor than perhaps someone who has passed the Series 7, 65, ChLU, CFA etc without a college degree as a Dietician or Creative Writer?

[quote=babbling looney]

However, if the question is “Is this a profession, and as such, today, should there be a bare minimum requirement of a college education in order to be hired at a tier one firm”, I’d have to say “yes”.

But don't you also think that if there is such a bare minimum (and I don't disagree that there should be some educational competence or equivilancy testing done)the college degree should have some sort of relevance to the profession?

No, the college degree minimum is to ensure some sort of broad-based liberal arts education and a proven ability to complete a degree, not advisor specific skills, and I say this as an econ major. The time for profession specific education, say a CFP or equivalent, is after the hiring.

"... but how does that make a person more qualified to be a financial advisor than perhaps someone who has passed the Series 7, 65, ChLU, CFA etc without a college degree as a Dietician or Creative Writer?"

I'm talking about new hires being required to have a degree, not people already in the profession that have advanced their skills specific to being an advisor.

[quote=mikebutler222]

If the question is "Are people without college degrees uniformly too stupid to make it in this business" the answer is an emphatic “no”.<?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 If the question is “Are there people around today in this business that lack a college degree but bring much to the table on behalf of their clients?” my answer would be a solid “yes”.

If the question is “A decade or more ago was a college degree considered much more than the mere threshold of education that it’s widely viewed as today?”, again, I’d answer “yes”.

However, if  the question is “Is this a profession, and as such, today, should there be a bare minimum requirement of a college education in order to be hired at a tier one firm”, I’d have to say “yes”.

I have no intention f insulting anyone, and I don’t care to swap stories about the industrious non-college graduates I’ve known or the abject failures with college degrees that I’ve come across. Those weren’t questions on my above list, and obviously I agree that examples of both exist.

A final question, “Does being on the same side of a heated issue as Put bother you, especially given the fact that some of the people that you respect here are on the other side” my answer is “Yes, yes, and yes again”.

[/quote]

MikeyB,  I agree and disagree.  Should there be higher standards...yes.  Does requiring a college degree meet those standards or do anything to 'truly' raise them?  Not much if you have a requirement that entrants to the business have verifyable successes and possess a reasonable skill set.  I have stated before that I think an apprenticeship type approach is a far better way to learn about the reality of this work.  College is pretty meaningless as an indicator of anything it seems these days....for many it's a great way to postpone becoming an adult.  Why is that desirable?

[quote=mikebutler222]

If the question is "Are people without college degrees uniformly too stupid to make it in this business" the answer is an emphatic “no”.<?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 If the question is “Are there people around today in this business that lack a college degree but bring much to the table on behalf of their clients?” my answer would be a solid “yes”.

If the question is “A decade or more ago was a college degree considered much more than the mere threshold of education that it’s widely viewed as today?”, again, I’d answer “yes”.

However, if  the question is “Is this a profession, and as such, today, should there be a bare minimum requirement of a college education in order to be hired at a tier one firm”, I’d have to say “yes”.

I have no intention f insulting anyone, and I don’t care to swap stories about the industrious non-college graduates I’ve known or the abject failures with college degrees that I’ve come across. Those weren’t questions on my above list, and obviously I agree that examples of both exist.

A final question, “Does being on the same side of a heated issue as Put bother you, especially given the fact that some of the people that you respect here are on the other side” my answer is “Yes, yes, and yes again”.

[/quote]

Even I have shared sides with Big Nasty Sleazy Flood , so don't feel too bad.  Even with our sometimes heated differences, you are a respectful human being (and you're damn good at doin' the twist too ).  Peace there Morgan Man.

I have two dogs.

One is a Golden Retriever with a Pedigree a mile long. I paid nearly $2000 for him. He was bred for beauty and intelligence. It has been said he is better behaved than most peoples' children.

The other is a 'rescue' dog. Mother was a sleaze of Lab who had an affair with a Pit Bull. I cannot teach this dog ANYTHING- however, he is quite creative and has taught himself to dive for rocks at the bottom of the pool, among other things. He cannot be trusted for long periods of time in the house, as he will pee on the floor.

The intelligent dog can be taught many things, but lacks creativity. The creative dog cannot be taught anything and sometimes pees on the floor.

I would not pay $2000 for a creative dog whose back ground is unknown. Yet, on the other hand, what value is the dog who has the ability of abstract thinking?

[quote=munytalks]

I have two dogs.

One is a Golden Retriever with a Pedigree a mile long. I paid nearly $2000 for him. He was bred for beauty and intelligence. It has been said he is better behaved than most peoples' children.

The other is a 'rescue' dog. Mother was a sleaze of Lab who had an affair with a Pit Bull. I cannot teach this dog ANYTHING- however, he is quite creative and has taught himself to dive for rocks at the bottom of the pool, among other things. He cannot be trusted for long periods of time in the house, as he will pee on the floor.

The intelligent dog can be taught many things, but lacks creativity. The creative dog cannot be taught anything and sometimes pees on the floor.

I would not pay $2000 for a creative dog whose back ground is unknown. Yet, on the other hand, what value is the dog who has the ability of abstract thinking?

[/quote]

Heavy stuff man!

Personally I've always liked the idea of the apprenticeship.  After all it's worked very well for plumbers and electricians, and even to some extent the legal profession.  Consider the structure of the average medium to large law firm!
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[quote=NASD Newbie][quote=tjc45]

I proceeded to go on to make several million dollars in my early and mid twenties only to lose all of it by my late twenties.

[/quote]

Don't you hate it when that happens.  That's my story too.

[/quote]

bull poopy!
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[quote=NASD Newbie]

The request is not for yet another person who didn’t have what it takes to finish to step up and scream, “Stop talking about me…”

What I'm looking for is somebody who did have what it takes to complete their education to step up and claim that those were wasted years.

[/quote]

I would not claim them to be wasted years, but certainly over-rated.  Having a degree from a good school was nice to open doors initially.

Having said that, once you're a few years away from school almost nobody cares what you studied or what your grades were, at least in my perception.  This would certainly be the case if you survive the first couple of years in our business and continue growing your business.
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