Lost in Kollel » degrees

Every Girl Needs a Good Degree

aaron — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 03:35:58 +0000

In addition to providing support for their kollel son-in-laws, parents must also give their daughters a degree so they can have the ability to bring in parnossa for the family. This is the opposite of what chazal instruct us to teach one’s son a trade – instead we are teaching the daughters and not teaching the sons.

In the desparate search of people looking for ways to boost their daughters’ income ability, it has become the norm to require a degree of some sort. When a girl is considered for shidduchim, her degree is one of the most important qualities taken into consideration, much more than her middos or even her intellect! If a girl chas v’shalom doesn’t have a degree, its often a strike against her, leading to an outright rejection.

This custom has not been copied from the secular world, as many tend to think. This emphasis on college degrees for girls is only because of kollel support. If the woman is to provide parnossa for the family, she must have the means of which to earn a decent salary – which a regular teaching job or office position cannot provide.

What is the result of all this? Due to time constraints and the hectic lifestyle of most frum girls, there are not many options for degrees available. That has led to the creation of programs such as Sara Schneirer and Raizel Reit, which are designed to get the girls a degree with the most minimum of standards. These programs graduate hundreds of girls a year, all of them with similar degrees who are looking for jobs in the cash strapped state of New Jersey, in the vicinity of Lakewood. Because of the enormous supply of qualified candidates, salaries for these positions are lower than they should be for the qualifications needed.

The negative consequences of this situation are both numerous and destructive. First of all, it puts another barrier in the way of shidduchim. It also puts a delay in their earning money, requiring them to spend up to 2 years of college studies to earn their degrees. It puts an additional financial burden on parents who are already cash strapped. It causes great harm to the life of a newly married couple, who have to deal with the new wife studying and traveling into class during the first crucial months of their marriage, often while being pregnant and holding down a “temporary” job. In short, the custom of earning a degree has come at a great expense, physically, emotionally, and financially.

Is this really what kollel is all about? When we talk about mesirus nefesh for Torah, does it mean earning a degree too? Perhaps the true reason boys demand the degress has less to do with mesirus nefesh for Torah and more to do with their wishing to be “taken care of”. If that is the case, we are certainly headed in the wrong direction with this, for all of the reasons mentioned.

Yes, the world does things without thinking. Requiring a girl to earn a degree so her husband can learn in kollel fits into this category.

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Successful at Business Without Degrees?

aaron — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 04:19:25 +0000

The parshiyos of the building of the miskan are very inspiring to those seeking to leave the confines of the beis medrash and enter the working world. To build the mishkan, the Yidden were entrusted with highly skilled work work of which they had no prior experience, yet they were able to produce a finished product that was perfect and exact. The Ramban points out that this was a gift from Above – those who dedicated themselves to the work, would be rewarded by being granted the skills needed to carry out the work as expert crafstmen.

It’s amazing to see how yeshiva eductated men who have no professional training of any kind enter the work force and become super stars. It doesn’t matter what industry or field they find themselves, they are soon making a name for themselves as serious contenders to be dealt with.

What is amazing to see is how adapatable we are. I remember back to the late 90s when the stock market was booming. Yeshiva guys with no finance background at all were sitting around computer screens analyzing a stock’s technical performance. In those days, more than just a few of them were making serious money by trading securities, and doing amazingly well. When the stock market petered out in the 2000 crash, real estate came in. Soon many people – with no formal training or background – were making very good money in both residential and commercial real estate. Since 2008, when the bubble burst, it may seem as if all is quiet, but the next phase of money making enterprising fellows are out there – hard at work buidling successful businesses.

Making a living is a holy task, much like building the mishkan was. Hashem promised those who dedicated themselves to the work of the mishkan – even those without the knowledge and expertise that was needed – would be successful.

Is it any surprise that earning a parnossa is no different?

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Its Not Only Real Estate Anymore

aaron — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 04:09:28 +0000

It was only a few years ago that the dominant business in Lakewood was all real estate related. Prices all over the country, and especially in Lakewood, were appreciating 25%+ a year, and everyone wanted a piece of the pie. Rich people, poor people, wanna-bees, and hopefuls, were all jumping in head first to the money that was seemingly there for the taking.

And then came the crash. It started slowly, with all the stakeholders realizing that things were slowing down but at the same time were saying things like Lakewood is different, it won’t be so bad, things will bounce back quickly, get a bargain while you can, etc. etc.

Nowadays, saying “I do real estate” is less popular than saying “I’m learning in kollel.” Granted, there are a few people making money in real estate today, but it is nowhere near the levels of just a few short years ago.

So, what is everyone doing? If real estate is out, and yeshiva guys don’t have medical or law degrees, so how are they making money?

Believe it or not, the economy of Lakewood is changing into a “normal” economy, where the businesses are diverse and widespread. There are mortgage brokers, of course, but there are also medical equipment suppliers. There are construction firms, but also solar powered energy consultants. There are branding experts, high tech web development firms, and retailers of all kinds of products from handbags to business office supplies.

The real estate crash may have been devastating to the Lakewood economy, but it won’t be for long. It forced everyone to broaden their horizons away from just real estate, and there is plenty of opportunity elsewhere. Even without academic training, these savvy former kollel guys won’t let a real estate crash get in their way of success.

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Kevin Mitnick: Jail as a College Alternative

aaron — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:48:02 +0000

College is not the fastest way to great income. Sometimes, the fastest way to a great paying job is through jail.

Kevin Mitnick knows this well. Since he was 12 years old, he has been working on hacking different systems. He gained access to the LA bus punch tool so he could ride the bus for free, and then moved on from there to hacking Pac Bell’s voicemail system. Eventually, he hacked secure computer networks and gained access to user information and passwords. Eventually, he was arrested in 1995 and served 5 years in jail. He wrote a book about his experiences called The Art of Deception.

Today, he runs his own computer security consulting business, and probably makes lots of money from it.What is the significance of this? Kevin never attended college, yet Fortune 500 businesses all across the world pay his company high fees to consult them on their security. Obviously, a person who was able to break into so many networks will know how to prevent those break ins.

They don’t pay him because of his fancy degrees. They don’t pay him because he was certified by some ho hum organization. He is paid simply on the basis of his experience.

How much did his experience cost? Well, he did spend 5 years in jail. But while he was “training for his career”, he was having the time of his life.

And now he makes more money than most college trained security professionals.

Making money doesn’t need years of boring college. You can get to where you have to just learning from hands on experience. It can be done while having fun. And you can probably figure out a way to do so without having to pass through jail.

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Yes, You Can Make Money Without College

aaron — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:26:29 +0000

Billions of dollars are spent each year on college. Young people and old people, some with jobs and some looking for jobs, all stream towards the doors of these institutions with dreams in their hearts. What does college do for them? Their goal – a certificate stating that they have the precious “degree” – which is their key to a great income.

Higher education is such an ingrained part of our culture that its hard to imagine life without it. But in truth, all the degree represents is one thing – legitimacy. Why should a prospective employer take the rather minimal risk of hiring an inexperienced young adult without knowing if they are any good at the task they are being entrusted. With the degree, there is the sense of legitimacy for the position. After all, if this person wasn’t any good, how do they have their degree?

Ultimately, its not the degree that gets you the good salary, its the legitimacy that comes along with it. So why bother with the college? Get the legitimacy for the position without the tens of thousands of dollars in tuition and hours of studying. Here’s a few college alternatives that can get you a great degree of legitimacy towards your great job:

Open a service oriented business. If you open a roofing business, people assume you must know how to do roofing – after all, if you didn’t know anything you wouldn’t be in business!
Apprentice yourself to a professional. There are many service people looking for help. Even if they can’t pay a lot, the training you can get from it is far more valuable than sitting in a classroom while paying for the privilege.
Make it your next hobby. Instead of going to cooking school, get some hands on practice by cooking for shul functions, school teas, tzedaka organizations, and simchos. If you are any good, you’ll get lots of buzz, which certainly provides great legitimacy.

The last thing a kollel yungerman going to work needs is to have to sit through years of college until they can get a job. If you realize that all it provides is legitimacy, you can greatly shorten the process by reaching for that legitimacy in easier, more productive ways.

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