Worthless?

We’ve already used this space before in order to question the validity of a college degree, and whether it’s worth the money in order to get a piece of paper that says you are qualified to enter the workforce. Or if all it will do is give you an unnecessary debt as you try to get your life in order and are generally at the worse off you’re ever going to be, without experience and without a high-paying job. There are plenty of sides to this debate and, both because we don’t have the space or expertise, we’re not going to use this as a platform to offer our opinion or settle it once and for all. Instead, we’re just going to give you some extra information. This, comes courtesy of the folks over at AskMen.com who have listed 9 jobs that do not require a degree in order to get them.

And there’s some good ones on there. For instance:

Web designer
Starting salary: $43,591 – $57,167

Half computer hacker, half unappreciated artist, the web design field is an interesting blend of left and right brain skills that doesn’t really translate into a relevant degree. If you have these seemingly opposite skills, you’re in demand. With commerce, networking and research all being done on the web in large scales, the design of a website is absolutely crucial to success.

Not bad. Head over to the link above to read about the other 8.

Any excuse to post this photo is a good one

Seems like it’s a new fad recently for “big idea” writers to ask whether or not college is actually, you know, worth going to? As education costs keep on climbing and climbing, and the economy continues being in the tank meaning fewer and fewer jobs available for those coming out of college, people want to know what the breakpoint is between the two events.

AskMen.com has an excerpt from “The Basement of the Ivory King” by the anonymous author Professor X over at their site. He (or she), for one, is not a big fan of the current system. And he (or she) actually spends time teaching in it:

In this simple opening-night meet-and-greet session we come smack against the crux of college life in what I think of as the basement of the ivory tower. College enrollment has expanded wildly over the last 30 years, and more than ever before includes many students who are unprepared for the rigorous demands of higher education. Many of my students have no business being there, and a great many will not graduate. As they freely admit, they are not in my classes because they want to be. The colleges require that all students, no matter what their majors or career objectives, pass English 101 (Introduction to College Writing) and English 102 (Introduction to College Literature). Some of my students don’t even want to be in college in the first place, but what choice do they have? For a licensed practical nurse to become a registered nurse requires an associate’s degree (awarded after approximately two years in college) in applied science — 68 college credits divided equally between nursing and general education. To become a state trooper requires two years of college, and please note that in some states military and/or law enforcement experience does not substitute for the required degree.

The whole thing is a pretty fascinating read. But it does open the question? Is college worth it?

I can only speak from my own experience, but education-wise there was very little that college did for me. I’m sure certain bits of education trickled into my brain here and there, but as far as studying in a major that I have since spent using and making money off of, it wasn’t worth it. That said, I wouldn’t trade the four years of college experience for the world. My personal advice, then, would be holding off from choosing a major as long as possible. For me, I chose right off the bat and it kind of forced me to follow a curriculum that, really, by the second year, I was already bored with. Just taking general studies for my first few years would have probably been wiser as I would have found out what I wanted to learn rather than waiting until I graduated and finding out there, in the “real world.”

Any comments? Suggestions? Opinions?

Anyone who is new to college life should try to get into a cool fraternity that’ll be a lot of fun while you are studying and working hard in classes. Fraternities can be a great way to meet a lot of people who you can party with while you’re at college. They are also good opportunities for making friends and connections that can come in handy once you have graduated and need a job that will pay good money. Make sure to pick a frat that you think you will fit in with.

If you like to party it up a lot, then make sure to choose one that likes to let loose on weekends. You will also want to think about what kind of pledging is required to get into certain fraternities, because they are all different. No matter which one you choose, you will want to make sure that you have an awesome time in it. You will want to think about the people in the fraternity as well, because while you might party with them, you will also have to be around them sober. Make sure you can get along with everyone in it, because once you are in you should stay in for the long haul.

A lot of college students decide which frat they want to go out for based on the network connections they have. One of the best reasons to join a fraternity is because they can help you with getting a job when you finish college. If the frat you are interested in doesn’t seem like they can help you out with that, then you might want to just move on. Make sure to meet everyone in the frat you are interested in, just so you can see that they are all cool guys that you will get along with. Choose carefully because the last thing you want is to end up in one that is boring or makes you miserable.

Reasons to Stay in College

There are many different reasons to stay in school, and it’s important that you know what they are if you are thinking about dropping out. One of the main reasons to stay in school, even when you are at your most frustrated and confused, is that those who do decide to drop out do not make nearly as much as those who finish school. Short of becoming a famous actor or musician, you will find yourself with a yearly income significantly less than your friends who decide to stick it through and get their degrees.

Reason number two is that if you do stay in school, you won’t have to spend that much if you start off at a community college. Everyone is worried about going deep into debt, but that doesn’t have to be the case if you take this route. The third reason to stay in college is that you will get lots of experience, both socially and academically. You’ll meet people who will shape the rest of your life, whether they are professors or fellow classmates you go to school with.

The fourth reason to stay in college is that by getting a degree of some sort, you make yourself more attractive to employers. Whether you plan on just getting an Associates degree or Bachelors, it’s important to have credentials to show at interviews. You won’t get your dream job without getting some kind of paper stating that you have received proper training and education for whatever it is you want to do. Finally, the fifth and perhaps most important reason is that you will get a variety of connections. Fraternities and sororities are great for networking and getting yourself involved in things which will put you ahead of everyone else once you graduate. All in all staying in college is a smart decision, and one that you will not regret.

Summertime is around the corner. The worst feeling is hitting up a beach or pool party and seeing everybody in great shape and realizing that you are a few steps behind. Get a head start this year and do these basic workouts that you can do pretty much anywhere to make yourself more chiseled and solid, while also increasing your strength altogether.

For this article, we chose three very basic workouts that you can do anywhere and outlines them in simplest form. There are several variations to intensify these workouts, so please do note that these are basic variations.

Our goal is for your to harden your upper-body, while also getting some man-curves to both attract the ladies and tell the guys not to mess with you. The most important requirement of these workouts is will. You need to have the will to exercise and push yourself to do these at least every other day.

THE PUSH-UP

Among the most basic workouts and also one of the most beneficial. Doing push-ups strengthens and tones your triceps, chest, back, deltoids, and even your core. Push yourself to do at least ten push-ups every single day. If you can handle more, then push yourself to do a few sets. If not, you should still be trying and filling out your upper-body. Doing push-ups will give you that full look when wearing a t-shirt or tank-top where the sleeve constricts your arms and wrap around your shoulders, rather than just hanging there.

Lie face down on the floor, than with your palms facing down and keeping them shoulder width apart, push your body upward. Make sure that your feet are lined up next to each-other and your lower body is resting on your toes. It is critical to make sure that you push-up until your arms are about to straighten and before they do straighten or your elbow locks, lower yourself again. Be sure to control your breathing and exhale whenever you are doing the actual pushing and inhale when lowering your body.

If push-ups start to get too easy for you, there are a ton of variations that you can google. We suggest putting your feet on a higher plateau like your bed or a nightstand, which would slant your body entirely. This motion will require more strength from your upper body and also yield better results. Another variation is to do the push-ups with your hands closer together or even wider apart. Depending on your hand placement, different muscles will be isolated.

LEG LIFTS

Ask any girl what her favorite physical features are when it comes to guys and every single one will mention “the V.” The V cut is where your abdominal region meets your legs. Brad Pitt displayed this in Fight Club and Cam Gigandet also did a great job flauning it in Never Back Down. A simple modification that will take dedication is to do generic leg lifts.

To do a basic leg-lift, you just lie flat on your back, put your hands right under your butt, and then lift both legs simultaneously, as though you are trying to make your body look like a capital L. From there, lower your legs back to where they were without touching the floor. That is one rep. Try to do as many as you can and force yourself to do these at least every other day. In no time, you will see your oblique muscles starting to sculpt themselves and your entire abdomen region will look more defined.

The easier these get, the more you need to push yourself to do them. You can start off my trying to do ten reps and evolve into doing three or four sets of 25 reps. One variation to make this more challenging and boost results is to rotate your legs as you lift them. Lifting your legs over the right of your body, then the left, then the center will enable you to work more muscles in different angles.

DIPS

Like push-ups, dips work a variation of muscles. Your shoulders, triceps, and back will be amongst the biggest beneficiaries of this workout and you should actually see results after doing these for a few days. If you are having a hard time lowering your body and lifting it up, just lower yourself a few inches and spring yourself back up. Soon enough, you will garner the strength to lower your body lower and lower and be able to execute a full dip.

To do a basic dip, sit on the edge of your bed or desk. You can also just sit in a chair, but make sure to have one extra empty chair right next to the one that you are sitting in. With your fingers all pointing to the floor, grasp the edge of your bed, desk, or chair. From there, you want to stick your feet straight out and rest your lower body on your heels. Then slowly shift your body so that you are no longer sitting on anything, but you are now in the air and resting all of your weight on your arms. If you are on a chair, it would be best for you to have one arm on each chair and your body in between the two of them. Lower your body to the floor while keeping your back as straight as possible and then using the strength in your arms, shoulders, and back, lift your body up. That is one rep.

Arizona State University has one of the strongest reputations for partying hard. Aside from the endless funnels, pong tournaments and party stories, who can forget their insanely hot co-eds. We were in town for Playboy’s celebration that awarded Arizona State University as a lifetime honoree party school and we can honestly say that we did not see one unattractive girl. It was unreal. The clip is from the celebration and what went down. As far as images from the party, you can catch those here.

Playboy showed up with a smoking hot  handful of models, led by Playmate Crystal McCahill. Crystal is seriously on fire (see below).

CLICK IMAGE TO CHECK OUT HER GALLERY

Written by ExplictGamer.com

When you open your game out of that shiny new plastic wrap it decreases in value much like a car. It is one of the few things that you can buy that can’t be brought back if it isn’t what you expected. What are your options, though? We all know about trading games in at Gamestop, Game Crazy, EB Games, etc. Have you ever stopped to think about what kind of deal you’re actually getting when you trade in your games? In this article I am going to talk about a few of the well known, and not so well known methods to get the most for your games without feeling ripped off.

Gamestop/EB Games:

The gaming juggernaut! Most of us have visited there a few times or so and know what they are about. They have over 4,500 stores worldwide and they want our used games! Sounds like a good idea, right? You trade in old stuff that you don’t play anymore towards the purchase of a new game. Have you ever really thought about how much you are losing in these tradeoffs? Just the other day my brother bought Mass Effect 2 ($60) beat it in 4 days, turned around and traded it (He got $35 in store credit, also used my “Edge” card) and bought M.A.G. ($60). In breaking it down mathematically he spent over $95 dollars to walk away with one game. That’s not to mention that if you brought in 3 games that at one time cost you $60 dollars apiece and traded them in at $20 dollars in trade-in-credit for 1 game…that would be as if you spent $120 for the new one. Just unbelievable! Another thing to note is how much you get back if you are trading in games for cash. I understand times are hard and even I have had to go this route before to pay a bill. Let’s take that new copy of Mass Effect for example.  Store Credit will get you $35, however if you are trading in the game for cash they shave an extra 20% off, making the game only worth $28, a game at that point was less than a week old.

The Upsides:

Yes, this is not the best route to go, but there are some things that Gamestop/EB does right. They offer an “Edge” card for around 14.99 that gets you a modest 10% off of used games and accessories while netting you an extra 10% in STORE CREDIT towards your next purchase. You also get a year’s subscription, to what in my opinion is one of the best gaming publications out there, Game Informer. There is also the convenience of one of those places being within 20 minutes of your house. They have a policy on their used products, so if they don’t work you can always bring them back in and swap them out for one that does. Gamestop and EB also let you pre-order games. A lot of places do that now, so it isn’t that new of a concept, but they are getting a lot of the game companies to throw in extra incentives for pre-ordering it there. Gamestop may offer to give exclusive in game content, a shirt or a figurine to pull you in.

E-Bay/Craig’s List:

By far the best alternative when it comes to naming your price. You are able to scroll through hundreds of listings hoping to find the best price. In the case of E-bay however you have to be willing to bid against other people around the clock. There is no resting easy, even to the very last minute someone can overtake you by pennies. The nice thing though is that there are customer reviews, so you know if you are dealing with a reputable seller, or if you have someone who is sketchy at best. You also have the protection of “Pay Pal” that will help track down your money if you don’t receive the product. In Craig’s Lists case, you can really negotiate. Most people put games up there because they are in dire need of the money and don’t want to deal with all the paper work and shipping costs that come along with E-bay. Now, I have been rather lucky with the Craig’s List option, but I have heard horror stories, and dealing with expensive electronics you never know who you are actually going to be meeting. You are putting a lot of trust in a person you know little about.

The Upside:

I talked about all the types of protection there is with E-bay, but Craig’s List has its upsides too. Make sure to meet at a neutral meeting area.  Like I said, you don’t know these people, and they aren’t the type of user reviews that there is on E-bay. However, like I said earlier, I have had nothing but great things happen through Craig’s List. I have made double what places like Gamestop would have netted me, and it was instant cash. People want to meet up and make the transaction as soon as possible. It is the same type of instant gratification you get with Gamestop, but you have the ability to double your profit.

Video Game Trading Sites:

The nice thing is that you can trade a game for a game. Say you hate Modern Warfare 2 now and want to get a copy of Assassin’s Creed 2, if there is a game out there offering to accept that trade the cost is minimal. In reading a few of the sites FAQ’s, I saw that it would cost you shipping and a few bucks to the site. If these sites work as well as advertised, then this might be the best route to go. You get the game you wanted for a game you didn’t want. 1 for 1, a “fair trade”, and it only could cost you a few dollars.

After looking through these options every one of them still have their perks. What it all comes down to is patience. If you are impatient, then Gamestop might be the only way to go. You can get in your car on a whim and trade in all your games for whatever you would like, but you are going to take a hit in value. The best option in my opinion is Goozex.com. You are trading a single game that you no longer want for a game that you do want.  All it costs is $1. I personally signed up to dive a bit deeper into the site and was impressed with the fact that they have podcasts and an active community on the forums. Also their suppot was great at explaining all the things I was not grasping. Yes, you have to put the work in and actively roam for the game that you want, but that time will save you money in the long run. With all of our wallets getting a little tighter, it is never a better time to make sure that you are getting the most out of your games.

So you think you have a groundbreaking idea? Something that’s going to make you a millionaire without ever cracking a book ever again? The one that’s got you ready to call dad to cancel next semester’s tuition check?

Bad news boys and girls, the bong you just constructed from your shoelaces, a twinkie, and some miscellaneous tree bark isn’t it.

But wait, there’s hope for you yet. Before you decide that now might be a good time to actually study or (gasp!) take notes, check out a few people who are living on easy street without a college diploma gracing their mansion walls.

CARMELO ANTHONY

Unless he was on a secret one-year program or he earned a degree in running and jumping, ‘Melo left Syracuse University with an NCAA basketball championship, but without even coming close to graduating. He left after his freshman year, and went on to become the 3rd overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, 2 picks behind that Lebron guy who didn’t even sniff college.

Anthony did however move on to the greener pastures of the NBA, way greener. As in $19,410,581.00, the amount of money he made JUST THIS YEAR, according to Sports Illustrated’s annual “Fortune 50” list, chronicling the 50 athletes who earned the most money over the past year, a list on which Anthony finished 25th, oh and he was on gold medal winning United States basketball team this year at the Olympics, no big deal. Think he regrets not walking the stage in his cap and gown?

MARK ZUCKERBERG

This unmistakable 3rd person running update on ones life can only bring to mind college’s most addicting new drug: Facebook.

Yes, now you know the who, what, when, where, and why about your thousand or so best friends 24/7/365, and you have Mark Zuckerberg to thank for the privilege. Zuckerberg created the social networking website out of his Harvard dorm, which quickly spread to other schools all over the country, and eventually beyond, on it’s way to being the juggernaut it is today. He has parlayed the success of facebook, into unprecedented financial success at such a young age, becoming the youngest person ever to rank in the esteemed “Forbes 400” list of the 400 richest people in the United States in 2008, with a net worth of 1.5 billion dollars. Maybe he can have someone construct him a replica Harvard degree out of hundred dollar bills.

These next two characters are multi-billionaires who are indelibly linked as innovative minds who were at the forefront computer market from the beginning all the way up to today, they’re both billionaires many times over, and they also took the same road to success, the road less traveled, the road that doesn’t end with a degree.

BILL GATES

Gates is the ultimate achiever among this group. He dropped out of Harvard’s pre-law program after two years to pursue other interests, most specifically, programming, and his desire to start a company of his own. A little company known today as Microsoft. Microsoft is so lucrative today, that Gates can proudly call himself the richest man on the planet, and when in need (which he certainly has been), he is in position to hire the biggest and best in the field he once aspired to be in to protect his fortune.

STEVE JOBS

Jobs didn’t earn his billions with any pomp and circumstance either. Jobs, never really the school type, preferred to find out the answers on his own, in fact considered his experimentation with LSD “one of the two or three most important things he had done in his life.” That said, Jobs spent all of one semester at Reed College and it simply wasn’t for him. What was for him was a seemingly normal, average fruit that he would parlay into a fortune that you couldn’t spend in ten lifetimes. That’s right, Steve Jobs is the CEO of Apple Inc. He created that nifty little macbook that you and all your friends have, the one that you can’t help but notice in mass in every single classroom you enter, ironic isn’t it?

So, what have we learned from all of this? Education is overrated, especially if you can dunk and basketball… or have an appetite for psychedelic drugs. Maybe there is a market for that homemade bong of yours.

– Perhaps the most important aspect of a man’s stylish persona…Hair can make or break you. Therefore, it is important to groom yourself the right way. Not to state the obvious, but make sure your hair is at least CLEAN! For starters, it is important to know that it is OK to have your own style. Don’t be afraid to be bold or unique in your own way rather than just simply shaving your head. Although a buzzed haircut is completely fine and attractive to women, developing your own style shows confidence in yourself that translates into sex appeal and ultimately her attention. In other words, don’t be afraid to be somebody. A little molding gel, some hairspray, or a little parting of the hair only makes you like a desirable individual in a sea of conformity. But make sure you DO NOT over do it. No girl wants to touch hair that’s harder than your eh hem. But seriously…girls like to have something to pull on

The phenomenal thing about athletics, much like pornography, is that some of the surging start begin their rise to the top at such a young age.  We compiled a list of MMA fighters that are still young enough to be a college student; however, are too busy fighting to become a World Champion.

JON JONES

Tale of The Tape

• D.O.B. July 19, 1987
• Record. 9-0-0
• Height. 6’4″
• Weight. 205

Notes: This bad-ass is only 21 and has already beaten seasoned UFC veterans such as Andre Gusmao, and Stephan Bonnar. If you dont know who he is, check out his fight with Bonnar and you will see some never before seen crazy sick moves.

DAN LAUZON

Tale of The Tape

• D.O.B. March 30, 1988
• Record. 12-2-0
• Height. 5’10″
• Weight. 155

Notes: Brother of UFC veteran Joe Lauzon, Dan is the youngest fighter to have ever have competed in the UFC, losing to Spencer Fisher. After the demise of Affliction the UFC has signed him once again to compete in its famed octagon.

CHRIS HORODECKI

Tale of The Tape

• D.O.B. September 24, 1987
• Record. 13-1-0
• Height. 5’9″
• Weight. 155

Notes: Former IFL Lightweight Champion. This hard hitting 21 year old striker has been around the big leagues since he was 18 with most of his victories coming by way of K.O. or TKO

ROGER HUERTA

Tale of The Tape

• D.O.B. May 20, 1983
• Record. 20-2-1
• Height. 5’9″
• Weight. 155

Notes: This Sports Illustrated cover boy may be older than the rest, but he has made it public that he intends to finish his remaining credits so he may graduate with a Bachelors degree from Augsburg college. With a life story that is fit for an Oscar worthy movie this guy is as bad ass as it gets. Check out his fight with Leonard Garcia and Clay Guida.