Posted on 05/30/2016 9:19:41 AM PDT by Lorianne
We don’t send our young into the wilderness for a vision quest as a rite of passage. There are few things in modern society that signify a transition into adulthood. Going to college is one of them. And in debt addicted America, it is no surprise that for many, college debt is the first debt they will take on. Getting a college education is supposed to give someone a well rounded view of the world and a potential skill set. Some argue that college is not about vocational training. That to some degree is true but when students are going into $50,000 or $100,000 of student debt, then what is this modern day life quest really teaching and why is the price tag so incredibly high? As college graduation season comes into full bloom, many are left with the prospect of having no job lined up. It is also startling to see how many recent college graduates are working in jobs that really don’t require a college degree (so clearly the vocational piece doesn’t matter here).
The chronically underemployed college graduate
There are over 5,300 colleges and universities across this country from Harvard to beauty schools. The market is enormous and students now carry $1.3 trillion in debt, the biggest debt sector only behind mortgage debt.
Many recent college graduates are severely underemployed and this is for the lucky group that actually finds work:
Nearly 50 percent of recent college graduates are working in jobs where a college education isn’t typically required. So that life quest was indeed an expensive one, more so than taking drugs and roaming around in the forest. And the bills are coming due since student loans normally start being sent to graduates six months after graduation.
The underemployment rate is troubling because as the cost of a college education soars beyond the typical inflation rate, the yield in the marketplace isn’t very observable. College tuition is up 145% since 2000:
[snip]
Just maybe, this means that there are few well paying jobs available and that colleg grads are forced to settle for service sector jobs, as that is mostly what there is.
For instance, every summer there are paid internships at certain banks for the college bound that want to work in the banking industry.
For every internship, there are as many as thousands of applicants of which dozens are ‘invited’ to interview. After as many as 4 interviews, only one applicant is selected.
It is hardly surprising that college grads cannot find work in their chosen fields.
The kid next door to me. 22 years old, degree in "math" and comes from a family of teachers. This kid has been sitting at home for about 18 months now. And when I say sitting at home, I mean, sitting at home. Literally. He doesn't even appear to socialize. The fat bastard rarely leaves the house. I am seriously beginning to just enjoy watching how long this can go on. It's unbelievable.
The prime of life, when you should be learning valuable skills--learning how to talk to people, negotiate, communicate, get along with difficult people, etc. Wasted as he sits inside on the internet and playing video games.
It's unbelievable that parents would enable this. But he probably feeds them a line of crap about not being able to find a job. BS--my daughter is 18 and in college. She has two jobs. One she just got for the summer. She probably applied to ten places and got 8 call backs. Granted these are low level jobs but you do something until you can do something better, IMO.
About a year ago, the parents bought him a new car. They are never there, they both work 50+ hours a week to afford his lifestyle. So, he sits home, mostly alone, in a new 4000 square foot house with a pool--doing his thing.
That's not a new phenomenon. Fifty years ago holding a college degree was considered evidence of at least some initiative, follow through and persistence. Applicants who had earned a meaningful portion of their college expenses through summer jobs and work on campus were preferred.
I worked with a number of very successful people who were hired into low level clerical jobs out of college and worked their way up.
Applicants who took 5 years to complete college while Daddy paid the bills were looked down on.
Skilled blue collar people seem to be the happiest people in America - as long as they stay off drugs.
Of course, unskilled blue collar people have a hard life with illegals willing to work for less, etc.
What degrees do they have? Art history?
I work in healthcare as a medical technologist. Gasp, I had to take somewhat advanced chemistry and microbiology.
There are openings everywhere, people begging for those in my career.
These college grads are just lazy, imo.
I have an engineering degree and have never been out of work as an engineer since graduation in 70’s. Most of my undergraduate course work had little applicability to anything that I ever did on any job, almost everything was OJT. A motivated English major could probably have done almost as well, if he or she were willing to learn on the job. After a few years it makes no difference. But I never would have gotten that first job without an engineering degree.
An Eagle Scout will go far on your resume in much the same way.
Both of my sons are Eagle.
If you are a college graduate who cannot pass the 1957 eighth grade public school final for History, English, Civics, Geography or Literature maybe you have wasted a lot of time and money. Worse yet, maybe you have been conned into thinking you have an education when you actually don’t.
Companies used to use aptitude tests to screen applicants. That was ruled discriminatory and banned. So companies switched to using a degree as some sort of evidence of competence and persistence. Sort of unreliable evidence but (maybe) better than nothing.
Screw college, enter the trades, good money and great barter.
“That was ruled discriminatory and banned.
Of course it was,that’s why this country’s education system is so inferior compared to other countries.
They just keep lowering the bar.
.
“Wouldn’t the real fantasy be someone walking out of college and immediately going into a position of responsibility?”
Way back in 1971 I tried working in an employment agency. I clearly recall placing one 27 year old graduate who had a Bachelor degree in Banking, Finance and Real Estate. He started at $9000. a year at a time when that would buy two very nice new cars or three low end cars. In addition he was furnished a company car, a generous expense account, nearly free health insurance which covered him one hundred percent after meeting a tiny deductible and a fantastic package of other benefits. The equivalent today would be well into six figures annually if you consider how expensive medical benefits are now. I don’t know of anyone getting that kind of starting salary now.
I wonder how many jobs that they’re qualified for are filed by cheaper H1B and other non-citizen workers.
You mean that all of those high-paying jobs in lesbian and transgender African-American studies didn’t materialize?
Come visit Houston and see how many engineers are looking for work after the oil crash
About 5 years ago, when my son graduated from high school, I suggested that he try community college, first. He enrolled in liberal arts. I told him that I would put him through college as soon as he told me what the marketable skills he would have upon graduation. He immediately transferred into engineering technology, but he struggled.
He got a part-time job, throwing feed at the local Tractor Supply. He parlied that into full-time, team lead. He is now 23 1/2 and a store manager, targeted as a rising management star. Eagle Scout helped him. Too bad the BSA has gone homo.
He’ll get a begree, some day, when he sees the need. His company will pay for it, I’ll bet.
In other news, nearly 50% of recent college graduates graduated with a degree in Underwater Basket Weaving.
All in debt to the rotten Fed govt. What a horrible govt in Washington. Cut the govt and send the crooks home.
The administration and liberals keep pushing the idea that everyone NEEDS TO GET AN A COLLEGE EDUCATION...
No they don't...
How much money will the taxpayers spend on trying to educate people who have no right to a free education because of their low IQ, undisciplined lifestyle, poor behavioral decisions...
They will blow though a couple of semesters and drop out...
Personally, the idea of a free education is not a bad idea for the top 10 % of students going into STEM and medical fields studies...
Reward those who potentially have the greatest ability to improve this country...
Good description of how and why things changed. I finished Navy active duty term in ‘62, so was in the labor force during the times you mentioned and observed the changes.
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