Clarification from Newsletter

[Non Sequitur]

....snip....Appraising is an experience based issue. You either lean through life experiences or come out of RE sales, assessor work, accountants, banking, or some engineering background in valuation.

I agree 100%. And will point out that experience is also being attacked by TAF via PAREA, Practicum, and the Harmonization task force. I don't think it's a stretch that the end game is setting up licensing qualifications to allow churn and burn turnover like real estate sales.

 

[J Grant]

There are a lot of people in Walmart warehouses making more than the lower echelons in Hdq. And Tyson's hires degreed field men with agri degrees who make less than the truck drivers delivering feed to those same chicken houses. And many fieldmen are on call 24/7 from their growers.

Field Technician at Tyson Foods is approximately $44,000 to $63,000 per year, with an average base salary of around $53,000

(truck drivers via dedicated hauling) averaging around $27/hour, but can reach $80k+ with experience or bonuses, paying hourly ($20-$30+) or weekly ($1,500-$2,000+),and they get to be home every night plus get 401k and health insurance.

Long haul over the road trucks bump $100k in most areas. But if you aren't claustrophobic, an underwater welder on a drill rig can earn $200k. I knew a scuba diver who worked with the Corp of Engineers on contract. $700 a day plus they paid for his air. He had to quit when he failed the physical over a heart arrhythmia.

?
some jobs and professions pay low, others pay high. College prepares one well for academically related, critical thinking-based fields, such as appraisal. For non-college grads, there are clearly other pursuits that either pay better or are more rewarding than appraisals.

Not all jobs requiring a college degree pay well - teaching public school and social work come to mind, but typically they have good benefits and a steady pay and career path, and are rewarding for those that want to make a difference. A job and salary is not the only goal and purpose of higher education.

 

[George Hatch]

I reject the idea that the choice comes down to all or nothing.

I always thought the 2008 academic requirements were sufficient to ensure a certain amount of literacy and critical thinking for what we do:

These were the academic requirements in 2008:

 

[chad hampton]

We can have the debate all day on if a college education is worth it or not. I agree in a lot of cases it is not. But I’ll tell you who is sending their kids to college- the wealthiest people in this country are. They still value it for some reason or another.

 

[J Grant]

We can have the debate all day on if a college education is worth it or not. I agree in a lot of cases it is not. But I’ll tell you who is sending their kids to college- the wealthiest people in this country are. They still value it for some reason or another.

The middle class, the working class, and the wealthy all go to college; fewer among the poor, although they can attend and often graduate with a bright future ahead.

The military pays for college, there are community colleges, and there are reasonably priced state colleges, online classes, scholarships, and financial aid. It is pathetic that there is a trend now from top down disparaging college as "worthless.The difference is that a higher education offers an intrinsic worth to the person, and often to society, as they are hubs of research and progress and debate, whereas a trade school is focused on a skill set and attaining a job.

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

typically they have good benefits and a steady pay and career path,

I don't know anyone that Walmart employs who gets to work over 15-20 years. They don't want to deal with you and pay you more. You get laid off and a newbie replaces you. Same with Tyson's. A friend worked as a fieldman for 3 companies. About 10 years in, he got replaced and had to take entry level pay for another company only to see that company sell to yet a third. He worked 30 years and never got to draw a real pension. I know an accountant for Walmart who was laid off before his 20th year. Same problem. He's running a donut shop with his wife now, and working for a tax prep firm.

 

[J Grant]

I don't know anyone that Walmart employs who gets to work over 15-20 years. They don't want to deal with you and pay you more. You get laid off and a newbie replaces you. Same with Tyson's. A friend worked as a fieldman for 3 companies. About 10 years in, he got replaced and had to take entry level pay for another company only to see that company sell to yet a third. He worked 30 years and never got to draw a real pension. I know an accountant for Walmart who was laid off before his 20th year. Same problem. He's running a donut shop with his wife now, and working for a tax prep firm.?

? Walmart requires college?

 

[Sadie]

Did an appraisal years ago on a lovely house, owned by a young couple. He was a local firefigher, she was a stay at home mom.

She followed me around during the inspection asking if I liked what I did, and how one becomes an appraiser.

At the time (that couple year mess with CR) you needed a 4 year degree for a CR, so I explained the classes, experience and 4 year degree prerequisite.

I said, "You can have a degree in basket weaving or pottery making, it really doesn't matter", and her EYES LIT UP.

We went out to the two car detached garage, opened the door with the wireless opener to reveal shelves FULL of bowls, plates and nick knacks and a KILN the size of a small truck, thanks to her university degree in fine arts, specializing in ceramics.

I'm on the side of the fence where the degree is WORTHLESS, and REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE is true knowledge in our industry.

A degree in any discipline has general ed that needs to be met. Math (if you didn't go far enough in high school), science, social sciences such as history, English. etc. You don't just sit around and weave baskets to get the degree. Did you get a degree? Were your only courses in your major?

 

[shrubberyvaluation]

We can have the debate all day on if a college education is worth it or not. I agree in a lot of cases it is not. But I’ll tell you who is sending their kids to college- the wealthiest people in this country are. They still value it for some reason or another.

Maybe for connections, maybe because many do still give it legitimacy.

There is still a demographic that gets cable and have landline phones. Some companies are slow to adjust, like a block buster.

I always love the drug commercials where they put someone in a white lab coat to appeal to people. I recall one where she says she is harvard educated, which could just mean she took one class there. There is still a contingent of people that give it legitimacy, the older generations. You see some shift in tech companies that try to be on the cutting edge.

Purely for education you can get information free or cheap for most things you would learn in college.

 

[J Grant]

AI Overview



College graduates consistently earn significantly more than non-graduates
, with bachelor's degree holders seeing median annual earnings over $80,000 compared to around $42,000-$48,000 for high school graduates, though high-paying jobs exist without degrees in skilled trades, tech, and other fields, especially in certain cities. This earnings gap, known as the "wage premium," widens with advanced degrees, but non-graduates can still achieve six-figure incomes through specialized skills and certifications.