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Does America Need More BA Degrees?

Posted on 07/29/2016 8:05:55 AM PDT by pinochet

If you were to give career advice to a high school student of average intellectual ability (he is not going to medical or engineering school), what kind of advice would it be?

We have a shortage of well-trained car mechanics, plumbers, electricians, painters, roofers, and the like. But we have all these BA graduates walking around jobless.


TOPICS: Education; Society
KEYWORDS: badegrees; jobs; skills
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To: NYAmerican

A lot more Gibmedats are crackers.


81 posted on 07/29/2016 9:33:19 AM PDT by polymuser (Enough is enough)
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To: GOPJ

The BA of today is the high school diploma of yesteryear...

*********

Oftentimes not even that. My wife’s public high school required a lot more reading, and academic work in general, than many colleges do now. I can say that because I’ve taught at the college level and was shocked by the lack of basic skills that the students exhibited.


82 posted on 07/29/2016 9:35:09 AM PDT by Starboard
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To: polymuser

Its no longer about education; its about indoctrination.


83 posted on 07/29/2016 9:36:15 AM PDT by Starboard
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To: Starboard

Are you aware of The Frankfurt School from the mid-1940’s?


84 posted on 07/29/2016 9:40:45 AM PDT by polymuser (Enough is enough)
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To: pinochet

When everybody has a BA, then nobody has a BA.

They should just add grades 13 and 14 to high school and kids would get basically the same education as an AA. Then, go to college for only two years to earn a BA in the sciences, mathematics, engineering, etc.

The current racket is good for colleges and universities, more so than the students.

Parents’ basements everywhere are filled with kids sporting worthless BAs.


85 posted on 07/29/2016 9:42:23 AM PDT by FrankR (You're only enslaved to the extent of the charity that you receive!)
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To: marron

“In a decade, if you are smart and you work hard and they learn to count on you, you’ll be running the place. And then at some point maybe you buck up and open your own shop”

Just curious....During what Decades, and in what industry did you work?


86 posted on 07/29/2016 9:48:12 AM PDT by NYAmerican
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To: varon

A lady that modeled for me years ago (husband present) went into a similar thing and apparently they are doing well.


87 posted on 07/29/2016 9:50:31 AM PDT by wally_bert (I didn't get where I am today by selling ice cream tasting of bookends, pumice stone & West Germany)
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To: Huskrrrr
"Respiratory therapists, dental hygienists, medical technologists, many more with an AA degree."

Pretty much any field in medicine, including Office Assistants are in demand for the aging Boomers, providing Obambicare doesn't entirely destroy our medical system

88 posted on 07/29/2016 9:53:18 AM PDT by A Navy Vet (I'm not Islamophobic...I'm Islamonauseous. Plus LGBTQRSTUV...nauseous.)
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To: sagar
"You can get BA in Physics (which requires a good math background) and be employed as a programmer."

Understood, but there are so many programmers now with low pay or out of work due to competition it's not worth the effort. A Ph.D in computer science pays the best, but there is no guarantee since so many foreigners are using our universities to compete with us and then take their education back to their nations or origin.

89 posted on 07/29/2016 10:01:37 AM PDT by A Navy Vet (I'm not Islamophobic...I'm Islamonauseous. Plus LGBTQRSTUV...nauseous.)
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To: polymuser

No I haven’t heard of it. Did they actually teach students useful skills and knowledge, and promote critical thinking? ;)


90 posted on 07/29/2016 10:13:33 AM PDT by Starboard
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To: righttackle44
In order for young people to find out if they have intellectual capabilities, a bachelor's is where they start

I disagree.

If you don't show it by 8th grade, it ain't happening - or, at least, it ain't happening with enough probability to consume OPM.

91 posted on 07/29/2016 10:21:29 AM PDT by Jim Noble (The polls can have a strong influence on the weak-minded)
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To: Paine in the Neck

I had to reach YOU before I read the magic words, LEARN A TRADE. Good for you.
It is ONLY the people who work the trades that keep this so-called HI-TECH country of ours going. Plumbers, mechanics, electricians, tailors, carpenters, welders, and a thousand others keep our world going and keep it safe to live in
That PROFESSOR will be hitchiking along the road because he can’t keep his car going. Without an elevartor repairman, no building could be more then 3 stories tall.
Elizabeth Warren loves to shout “You didn’t build that” She is correct. I (me) didn’t build it, a tradesman did. Another tradesman is the only one who can keep it working.
She and her ilk are ALLOWED to live, due to the skill of those she and her crowd look down upon.


92 posted on 07/29/2016 10:23:44 AM PDT by CaptainAmiigaf (New York Times: "We print the news as it fits our views.")
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To: NYAmerican

I’m not the best example, since I’m not a college grad.

I worked in engineering, started on the drafting table, spent time overseas, taught myself to program, and worked myself into a more-or-less senior position.

The neat thing about it is that in my world, there were no arbitrary ceilings.

I did what I did with very little formal education, but I saw others with miscellaneous degrees do the same. Obviously if you don’t have an engineering degree you have a harder row to hoe, but I saw plenty of people do what I did. The key is that if you are willing to go get mud on your boots, you can make a pretty good living and learn as you go. And over time, again and again, you find that you are the go-to-guy people are looking for.

I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I said it would take you a decade to learn your craft. I began to emerge from the pack at around a decade, when I started taking assignments others didn’t want. I had ups and downs, but I had an interesting ride.


93 posted on 07/29/2016 10:36:40 AM PDT by marron
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To: nightmarewhileawake

Jees. I just had to call a plumber. The going rate was $180 an hour.


94 posted on 07/29/2016 10:45:50 AM PDT by riri (Obama's Amerika--Not a fun place.)
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To: riri

“The going rate was $180 an hour.”


Ssshhh ! The libs will want to make that the minimum wage.

.


95 posted on 07/29/2016 10:47:29 AM PDT by Mears
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To: pinochet

This depends on the individual student. I know you hear all these horror stories about college, but on average college graduates make more money and have less unemployment than non college graduates. The trick is to figure out what you want to do and then get the skills to do it. If you hate plumbing your not likely to do well at it. If you hate writing don’t shoot for a PhD in Psychology.

My daughter and son in law each have degrees many freepers would disown their kids for. He BA political science she BS Psycology, BS Biology. They both have advanced degrees as well. Making just under 6 figures EACH, early 30s, love their jobs, no debt. They work very hard and are very entrepreneurial.

It really depends on the circumstances, what are they good at, what will they get enthused about? No matter what they choose they need a great work ethic.


96 posted on 07/29/2016 10:55:39 AM PDT by MNMom
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To: A Navy Vet

60-80% of STEM grads and post-grads in universities are foreigners. Asking for locals to go do plumbing or roofing instead of college is only going to make things worse.


97 posted on 07/29/2016 10:59:25 AM PDT by sagar
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To: Starboard
Lots of money to be made off the yearnings of young people wanting to 'make it' in life...

The Education Industrial Complex is milking that desire for all it's worth... (and it's worth a lot of cash). They'll take kids in who can't read or write but who qualify for student loans... lots of big fat studen6t loans. Then they stick the kids in remedial classes knowing 90% of them will be unable to keep a (real) college level job if they ever do graduate.

You've taught at the college level - you understand what's going on...

98 posted on 07/29/2016 11:02:30 AM PDT by GOPJ ("Diversity" was never THE goal. Diversity was a byproduct of people coming 'yearning to be free'.)
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To: righttackle44
But higher learning starts with beginning a bachelor's degree.

BUT...I think a major number of college students are having their "bachelor's" education bastardized with propaganda.

99 posted on 07/29/2016 11:07:00 AM PDT by goodnesswins (Alinsky.....it's what's for dinner: with Cloward Piven for Dessert)
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To: DeFault User
When I got the responsibility of hiring, I based the decision on how well they could think, reason and communicate.

I'll bet you're doing a much better job of hiring...

In the old days you could look at a person's resume and see if they had all the right 'tickets punched'... Today that can't be done. Colleges are keeping kids in school based on 'student loan graft'. Someday it'll be exposed for what it is... until then you have to continue counting on your instinct and experience.

100 posted on 07/29/2016 11:11:33 AM PDT by GOPJ ("Diversity" was never THE goal. Diversity was a byproduct of people coming 'yearning to be free'.)
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