September 10, 2010
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Dating a College Degree
I think I saw this on Facebook but recently I noticed a woman mention that she would only date a guy who had a college degree.
She went on to say in the comment section that she really felt the guy needed a graduate degree. At least one other woman jumped into the thread and agreed. She mentioned that she needed to know her guy was going somewhere in life.
Do you require a degree (or the person is pursuing a degree) in order to date a person?
Comments (128)
No. It’d be pretty hypocritical of me anyway, but I’d like to think that I would not require it even if the situation were different.
You can have a college degree and be a complete dumbshit and not have a degree and be an outstanding person. It would never be a requirement for me. I would like that they pursued or were pursuing higher ed though.
I would like for the guy to be doing something ‘productive’ with his life, but that doesn’t require a college degree,.
If she didn’t have either a UG or master’s then yeah hypocritical as all hell.
Is there a degree in “awesome tits”?
Few things in the world strike me as overtly vain, but this is one of them. There are many successful people, some billionaires, without college degrees. (Mark Zuckerburg anyone?)
@Drakonskyr - Win.
nope
I’d like if they were pursuing some kind of higher education.
A degree is not nearly as important as ambition and a plan. A degree without a plan is worthless.
i just want to see and know that my husband will be able to financially support the family. whether he has a college degree or not.
I’m already married and he’s successful, but besides that, I’ve dumped people who were going nowhere in life. They didn’t need to have a degree, but sitting around doing nothing doesn’t cut it for me. I am a very work-oriented, life-loving person who is always pushing forward. A partner who refuses to do anything with his life and just sits around is dead weight. You can be a sweet man, but don’t hold me back. Laziness and the lack of desire to do something with your life is unattractive. Prove to me that you’re worth being in this overpopulated world.
No, but it helps. I want to date someone who will provide for me.. so they don’t necassarily need a degree. Just a steady career or something
A degree is nothing more than a piece of paper. He has to be passionate and driven to do the things he love. So. No. I don’t agree…
You don’t have to have a college degree to be successful, or “going somewhere in life.” Likewise, not all people with college degrees are successful. In fact, many aren’t. Depends on the degree. That is not something that choosing a relationship should be based on at all.
I have always felt that my man needed to be smarter than me in order to lead our relationship. Since I had plans to pursue at least an undergraduate degree, to an extent I would say that yes I do.
There’s a difference between going somewhere in life, and having a degree.
@thegirlwiththecamera - I totally agree with you!
Nope.
He needs to be going places. A college degree would be nice but it isn’t necessary.
that’s odd, I’ll only date a woman if she doesn’t care about that kind of stuff. Until I know if she loves me or not she might as well think that I am an unemployed high school drop out. gold digging stuck up bitches.
My boyfriend’s aunt was like this. She only dated men with degrees. She’s a lawyer and her husband is a chiropractor. They’ve got a 7 year old daughter together and she’s only allowed to play with children if their parents have degrees.
i wouldn’t want to be the only one taking care of our family…
@tgwiy - wow..that’s weird..>.>
Not really as long as there is a plan in the long run. I don’t care if they have a degree or not.
they dont need a degree, but they need to be going somewhere. they have to do great things- and use their gifts they were meant to share
A college degree doesn’t guarantee anything. Plenty of people without degrees are successful in life. Plenty of college graduates are living in their parents’ basement.
Yes. I’m almost finished w/ my MA… and my guy already has his MA. We might go on for more education… I don’t know. But I love that I can “talk shop” with him and never have to dumb it down.
They wouldn’t have dated Bill Gates. Thank goodness because of course we all know he was never successful. (Now where do I find out the damn OS on this computer/)
no, i’m married and i never did that. but it’s good for people to know what they want in a partner and set criteria in dating instead of getting involved with someone who may not work out for them.
Get with the 21st Century. Having a college degree and going somewhere in life are almost two completely unrelated things.
I look for intelligence rather than a piece of paper. I met plenty of idiots in college and some of them actually managed to graduate. However, I would be more impressed with an intelligent person who had never been to college than someone who failed out of college.
Obviously.
Younger people that don’t go to college or intend to nowadays are usually the type of people you -really- don’t want to date. They are the high school dropouts, those whose lives have been consumed by addiction, etc. Granted, there are some who have legit reasons for not getting educated. But how well is someone with the extra experience and knowledge that college provides going to relate to them?
@Drakonskyr - well said my friend
I’d date someone without a college degree but I’d prefer if they did. A high school diploma doesn’t go as far as you think anymore. Personally though, I have lofty goals and I aim to be highly educated and a successful career woman, so if someone can keep up with that kind of ambition and intelligence without a degree, it wouldn’t necessarily matter. But they better have some long term plans too.
no…preferable, but not necessary. There are more important things to making a good person or a great husband.
My brother went into a trade, he doesn’t have no degree, and he’s going forward and doing well for himself and his family. I don’t see why you ‘Need’ a degree to be accepted. As long as you know what you want in your life and you are happy and you can hold onto a steady job and not jump around, then I don’t see why its a necessity.
BS!
Bill Gates dropped out of college and became the wealthiest person in the world.
There are countless other examples a well. Book learning is only one component to professional success.
i just want big tits.
At my age, no. Like someone else said, id be a hypocrite if i did. I mean im not in school right now, i have no idea what ‘career’ i would want out of life other than being someone’s wife, someone’s mother. Aslong as the person is either working or in school, && doesnt do drugs, im good.
Nope…I know plenty of college educated idiots and smart high school graduates…it all depends on what life handed them. And as far as going somewhere in life is concerned…we are all going to the same place…the cemetery.
Twenty years of schooling and they put you on the day shift. Bob Dylan.
As long as your doing something with your life, I could care less. But sitting on the sofa all the time is
NOT
an option.
@align___t - I sort of agree with you, but the qualities I look for are a bit different.
Have a job, have a license, have a car, have dreams. I’m not the gold digger type, but more than likely I will end up paying for someone who is not in possession of at least two of the things I listed.
I have a college degree so I’d prefer someone who also has a college degree, but its not a dealbreaker.
Is that a picture from the Ohio State University campus?
Wow, that’s the most absurd closed minded thing I’ve ever heard. My man didn’t finish college because he wanted to be a fire fighter his whole life and his parents made him go to college anyway. He’s now following his dreams and doing what he’s always wanted to do. School isn’t for everyone anyway. I think it’s more important to have dreams and reach for them with everything you’ve got.
@snowandstarstone - That’s ridiculous. I’m pursuing a law degree & my fiance is about to start training to be a fire fighter. He dropped out of school, and isn’t a drug addict or a moron. My best friend is highly intelligent and never went to college either because she found a job doing what she wanted to out of high school, and while everyone was in school, she was moving up in the ranks. Neither of them think anyone is better than them just because they earned some piece of paper either.
I’d date a woman who didn’t have a degree, but since I do require a certain amount of intelligence in the women that I date (because how can we go anywhere if we can’t hold a decent conversation!)…typically most women I’m interested in either have degrees or are pursuing them.
@Passionflwr86 - That only really works if you’re pursuing the same and/or similar field(s). For example, my ex-fiancée was a Psych major (whereas I’m Accounting…formerly Philosophy…and CS before that [took some time to find what I wanted]) and I could understand nearly anything school-related that she’d mention (probably due to philosophy in my education/interests, given that psychology and philosophy are somewhat similar)…but she got that “I’m lost” look in her eyes every time I’d mention anything related to my own studies (since my focus was completely unrelated to hers).
@randomneuralfirings - This is very true, especially when the degree in question is in a major such as psychology (at the undergraduate level, at least).
Nope.
You don’t need a college degree in order to go somewhere in life. So no, for me it is not a requirement.
@suggestivetongue - You speak the truth. I know at least a couple people with degrees that somehow still fail to use proper grammar. (Yes, I’m serious.)
@suggestivetongue - I agree.
College isnt for everyone & there are smart people out there without needing a school’s paper to say so. I hate how people morphed into the mentality of “You’re nothing/you wont get anywhere without a degree”. I DO agree more jobs require a higher education & you may need one to have employment but that doesnt automatically mean someone is better because they have a degree. My dad tried to drum that into my head but he wanted me to go to school for what HE wanted, not what made me happy. I am in school doing what I want to do & I couldnt be happier.
Some people can be very successful without a degree. Technically my boyfriend didn’t need his degree since he already had some sick job opportunities in film. He got it anyway, but if he hadn’t I wouldn’t have cared because he is working and works an awesome and good job.
If the guy doesn’t have a degree and isn’t planning on doing much in life except work at WalMart forever, then there is a bit of a problem.
A degree doesn’t make the person. I fell in love, married him for the person he is and then we encouraged each other through college and graduate and post-graduate work. Some people never get the love idea at all.
Maybe a little bit. I do need someone intellectual who can challenge my mind. I don’t know if that necessarily means a degree. But intellect- that is necessary. I don’t do hot and stupid. That and well, I’m going to be a teacher. It’s not exactly a money making career. Eh.
I want her to be smart but I don’t care if she has a piece of paper to show for it.
It’s stupid for a woman with a graduate degree to marry someone who didn’t go to college.
Uh, I don’t generally ask. I look more for his ability to engage in critical thinking. The way a guy approaches problems is tremendously interesting to me. And yes, generally a logical, critical, reasoned approach to problem-solving and planning usually comes only after a journey through college, but hell — if he’s got it, he’s got it. I don’t care about a degree.
In my experience, men with degrees are less likely to play me. They are more professional with others in general and more respectful to me. This is just in my experience.
lame
Not exactly. But now that I’m getting closer to getting my BA I’ve noticed that the guys who aren’t in college aren’t catching my attention anymore. I like smarter boys now.
Well, I would like that my SO be intelligent; but a college degree and intelligence can exist apart.
When I and my husband married not only did he not have a college degree….he didn’t even have a job. We have been married now 29 years and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
It’s not necessary but being educationally oriented myself means if he did have a degree or was in college we’d have more in common. I’m more concerned with the person- you don’t have to have a degree to be smart and witty. As far as the “Going somewhere” part, i really don’t care- we can be broke together
Financial stability is so passé.
Bitches.
They never make any sense.
It is not one of my requirements whether the person has a degree (I dont have one)
The guy needs to have a goal in his life or at least something he’s shooting for. He doesn’t HAVE to have a degree. My last bf used to be a really decent guy, but after we split, he started that whole “fuck life” attitude and is currently a druggie dead beat. I wouldn’t date someone like that. Like I said, the guy has to have goals instead of coasting through life and not doing jack shit.
I hope liking them first would be a major portion of the dating equation…
As long as they’re going somewhere in life a degree isn’t entirely necessary. It has become a little bit more of a necessity in today’s world though.
Yeah… part of a successful relationship is being with someone who has similar wants and goals as you. A college degree is important to me; however, I realize that people can become financially stable without one, as my parents have. Understandably, police officers don’t need a degree in order to have successful careers… so I guess it’s more about having someone with goals as opposed to having someone who will likely leech off you.
Definitely not! You don’t need a college degree to “go somewhere” in life. As long as they have ambition and are working towards something, that’s fine with me.
How do you measure success???
Nope, my husband doesn’t have a degree and it doesn’t mean a thing to me. Without a degree he is still highly intellegent, very dedicated and an extremely hardworker.
@Drakonskyr - HAHAHHAAH “awesome tits” ROFL
Yeah, I am going somewhere in life, home.
Absolutely not.
No.
I had to have a graduate degree before dating myself. And I never even had sex with myself until I became a professor.
@Teufels_Hofnarr - I agree.
No. Just as long as he can hold a steady job and can put food on the table. Btw, I know a lot of people with their bachelor degrees who are jobless… nor never found a job in their major and end up doing something entirely different that pays just a little bit above minimum wage!
No, since I find it idiotic to shell out tens of thousands of dollars of debt to get a liberal arts degree.
I required a degree, full time job, and house mortgage in my qualifications. It’s what I want for myself so I want him to want the same values. It was never hard for me to find several guys to date with these requirements I had. Plus, I tended to date much older men than myself when I was 18-19. I am financially stable and proud of my boyfriend’s accomplishments in his life that he provides for us.
That is code for he has money
@Drakonskyr - nicely done.
Yes, not even because it supposedly means you’ll have a high paying job (sometimes you won’t), but because it means he has an education and the willpower to go through all those years of school. That shows commitment. There should be some kind of psychological correlation between that and relationships…lol.
But the thing with me is I take it one more (shallow) step and say that he has to have a degree in science or medicine.
As long as they guy is seriously working towards a goal in life (besides being a rock star or pro surfer or something else silly), a degree isn’t what matters, it’s his drive to succeed. Plenty of people get a degree just because they think they’re supposed to, then still end up in dead-end jobs.
I need my guy to have more education than high school. More for my parents sake than mine. My parents both have doctorate degrees so to them, and the rest of my family, education is of the utmost importance. Also, if someone cares about themselves and their future they will be motivated to take the steps to get a decent career going…which in almost all cases includes some sort of post-secondary education. None of the guys I’ve been seriously involved with (all 3 of them) have been college boys. They all went to/are going to some sort of trade school. That’s enough for me. Additionally, I’m going to have a graduate degree (I’m going to school to be a veterinarian) so it would be weird to be with someone who hasn’t also put some time into a post-secondary education, considering that by the time I’m done with mine I will have spent 7 years in college/grad school, if not more.
I think it’s kind of silly. Someone can have lots of ambition in life without a degree, there’s a million ways to lead a life. Not to mention when you date people perhaps different from yourself (aka not in college) you might learn more from them then someone like yourself. That said if you are in college dating someone who is in the same boat is sometimes helpful because you have something to relate to. I do like people who are driven in life and not just ‘floating’ for lack of a better world, but driven people come from all walks of life. Bottom line, no i would not a require a degree.
@FalconsDrummer - agreed 100%. women who shallowly judge someone’s dating potential solely based on a college degree should probably be the ones trying to get one. if you’ve had enough life experience, you’ll meet people who don’t need a college degree to lead a successful business.
I think most people want someone who is at least on a similar intelligence level as they are, who can hold a conversation, etc. Yes, a college degree may indicate a certain kind of ambition or intelligence, but does not guarantee it. Personally, I would prefer someone with a plan, with a passion to do something in the world. Now, I would also prefer that they have at least a college degree because I value education, but it’s not enough just to have that degree.
You don’t need a degree to be going somewhere in life. I know that. My own dad is a college dropout and he owns his own company and several restaurants. But it is also true that people with degrees are the ones who tend to be going somewhere in life. So, yes, I wouldn’t date someone who does not have a degree or is not pursuing a degree. I don’t think I even KNOW anyone my age who did not at least pursue an associate’s degree. Not that it matters, since I’ve already chosen my man (who is getting a PhD… but that’s not why I’m dating him!).
It’s nice if he does have an education, but a degree doesn’t mean you’re going somewhere in my life. My brother is much more well-read than I am, and I’m the one with the degree….
I fell for my current love interest before I found out that he was studying for his bachelor’s degree. He had a lot of good qualities, and I didn’t feel that asking about a piece of paper would change whether or not he was intelligent, fun, easy-going, and generally cool.
A college degree does not necessarily equal success or a great person. My hubby doesn’t have a college degree but runs his own business and is very ingenious. He has figured out a way to make money and do what he loves. He never was one for school. School and education is great but is not the only way to be a success.
Yes, only because I have a degree and wouldn’t expect anything less. I’m not saying a degree is the magic ticket to a perfect life but coming from a background where my parents finished only high school, a degree will open doors that would’ve never been possible. I also strongly believe that it changes the course of your entire future and that of your own children.
A lot of my friends, both guys and girls are the same way. Maybe we are shallow, but I would only want someone equal to the standards that I set for myself.
@Drakonskyr - Likes this.
I always felt that way, too. But then I realized that other career fields require just as much work as a college degree. I think requiring a college degree is the lazy way of making sure your SO isn’t a loser, but you can have a degree and be an idiot.
it really doesnt matter, but if you think about it, most people who make money nowadays HAVE a college degree, and I mean MOST people. can’t blame this woman for wanting someone who has a stable career ahead of him.
well, to tell you the truth, a person without a college degree nowadays is well….
i would be hypocritical to not say that is the truth…
i would like to think that he is going to go somewhere….
I don’t care whether a woman has ever gone to college. I don’t care whether she has ambitions or money or anything, really. I just want someone who will love me. The externals don’t matter much.
I cheated through school and a majority of people I know cheated through college. My income has nothing to do with what I learned in school.. nor anyone I know that graduated college.
@Ms_Fat_Pinkie - Actually, nowadays a person with a college degree is more likely to be unemployed than someone who went into a trade or job straight out of high school. The economy is terrible, and unless you’re pursuing a graduate degree, there isn’t any point in getting an undergraduate degree.
It is more important to me that the person is happy with their chosen field & finds contentment in what they are doing/pursuing.
No, I would not “require” either. I know more successful people that have made/done good things with their life without a degree in anything. If they have one, lovely. If they don’t, I just make sure they’re not a loser at their parents house with no job or car. Lol.
If they don’t have degree, they still have to be going somewhere in life. Some successful professionals don’t have degrees. Other successful professionals go back to school to get their degrees. If I weren’t dating anyone, I would say that “yes” they do have to have a degree. I have to respect the person I’m dating and if I can get a degree, the least a guy can do to impress me is to do the same. After all, we’re supposed to equals.
Intelligence is an attractive quality to me, but a college degree only shows what other people have already acknowledged. As many others have pointed out, people can be successful and ambitious without a college degree. It’s just that the typical thought of a man without a college degree is that he isn’t one of these entrepreneurs making it big. I can see their viewpoint if what I’m assuming is correct. I don’t think it’s wrong for a person to want to marry someone with direction in their life, but if the person who wants to marry that someone is strictly after money, then priorities should be straightened.
Also, it shows that this woman’s never dated in middle school or high school, since they won’t have college degrees. (which is good that she’s leaving the young kids alone even at her age!)
I just need to know that he/she is going somewhere with their life and that I’m not going to be the one paying all the bills. I like having someone who depends on me, just not fully. Whether that requires college or not doesn’t matter.
no, but if not i want them to be well traveled and/or well read…
No, being productive, reliable and the works are more important. However, if she meant it as a “smart/intelligence” type of thing, then yes, having the option to have intelligent conversations with your partner is also required. For me, at least.
Yes, I like a man with a Ph.D. My first husband was earning his when we married. We were married for 20 years. Interestingly, when I began to think about dating again I made a list that clearly stated, NO Ph.D, NO Boat, NO Harley, NO engineering background. I met man, fell in love and we married. He has a Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering, he has a boat, and he has a Harley. God, I love a Ph.D!!
A college degree means what in this economy again?
A degree does not a life plan make
I have a computing-related degree and had a fling with the insurance brokerage industry where a degree for most employers is a nice-to-have. And apparently what works for one doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best course for another.
yes, i do. even though you dont need it to be financially successful, theres a huge difference in someone who went to college and is educated someone who didnt. hard to explain, but it affects the way the walk, talk, all of that. And plus, I wouldnt marry someone who was less educated than i was, and im planning on getting a phd.
No, but they do need to have a decent job and enough money to support a family.
A degree doesn’t mean shit… especially now-a-days. My father always provided for my family tenfold and he has no degree. There ARE other careers out there that don’t require a pompous piece of paper stating you had the money and time to fall into a stupid American stereotype. Unfortunately, higher education here in America has become a business and because of that the program itself is suffering greatly.
i would love to see this girl go out on a date with a multimillionaire that has no degree(if im not mistaken the guy that invented hillbilly teeth has a GED yet he’s a multi millionaire) then be promptly dumped and told. “oh, i must not be going anywhere in life… i don’t have a college degree.”
@Drakonskyr - Epic Win.
@EarthsAzureLight - I thought Mark Zuckerburg went to Harvard?
@getdefraged - I totally agree that higher education has become a business. I earned my degree from one of the top universities in America and I’m working at a company with some people who don’t even have degrees!
Of course having a college degree guarantees that you will get a job, make lots of money and live a comfortable lifestyle…right? It just ensure happiness. The woman who wrote that was just naive. It’s just a piece of paper and these days not even that piece of paper can guarantee you will even be hired in the first place….
I suppose Bill Gates, Albert Einstein, and many others wouldn’t be worth their time then, considering they went no where in life.
@ThePersianBelle - He never got his degree
I have a friend who became a journeyman electrician. He has owned his own business, and now works for a company that has sent him to China. He does not have a BA or MA, yet he is going more places and done more things with his life than many men and women with graduate degrees working in flower shops and as tour bus guides.
i dont think its only women have this kind of thinking… but the same thing also applies to men..
Even a college grad can be headed nowhere. I want someone who is actively curious about life. If she never had the chance to go to college, that’s OK.