I don’t think college should be for learning a trade. I agree that trade schools are for that. I value liberal arts, just not enough to want to pay for them for my kid or someone else’s kid, when the liberals make student loans all magically go away and I end up footing the bill.
There were a lot of subjects I really liked. History, classics, literature, writing. I enjoyed my out of major classes in those subjects. They tended to be easy As next to my math and computer science courses. I chose to major in a field that had a reasonable chance of a high paying job. Other people make different choices but it’s telling that most Occupy idiots are studying “Something Studies” at a local college.
Colleges need to be cleaned up - in the sense of Jesus cleaning the temple. They aren’t unredeemable like the government schools are, but probably 60% of majors and 70% of professors should be out in the garbage next week.
Like many things in life, there's good and bad in colleges.
“I value liberal arts, just not enough to want to pay for them for my kid or someone else’s kid, when the liberals make student loans all magically go away and I end up footing the bill.”
From my perspective, liberal arts are integral to a college education. College really isn't worthwhile without liberal arts, without those core subjects that comprise the traditional “classics.”
There are a lot of problems globally with higher education. Many students make bad choices. Many schools allow students to make bad choices without ever encouraging them to think about the consequences. Taking out tens of thousands of dollars in loans to get a degree in a field with poor job prospects probably isn't the brightest thing to do. Lots of schools offer degree programs in fields that are entirely lacking in academic rigor. Many professors allow their liberal politics to seep into the classroom.
And the biggie:
Probably half or more of the kids in college don't belong there. That's the single biggest problem with higher education - the whole idea of “every student should go to college.” Not every student is capable of earning a high school diploma from a school with decent standards!
All that being said, a bright student with a decent secondary education, with parents who care, who get involved, and who add their wisdom to the mix of information available, can make out a path for college that is sensible, as you did.
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