[Alberta's Child]

U.S. manufacturing lost another 24,000 jobs in June. A country that doesn’t manufacture doesn’t need many engineers.

Anyone who assumes that a loss of manufacturing jobs is automatically an indicator of a decline in manufacturing has a serious credibility problem.

How much longer will parents shell out $100,000 for a college education for a son or daughter who ends up employed as a bartender, waitress or temp?

This is an excellent point. I've said for a long time now that a substantial portion of today's college students are not really cut out for the rigors of higher education.

[lucysmom]

Anyone who assumes that a loss of manufacturing jobs is automatically an indicator of a decline in manufacturing has a serious credibility problem.

Then it should be easy to find products made in the USA on the shelves of local stores, right?

[A Ruckus of Dogs]

I've said for a long time now that a substantial portion of today's college students are not really cut out for the rigors of higher education.

Unfortunately, there's enormous pressure on young people based on the maxim that EVERYONE has to go to college. The only acceptable reason not to go is because you don't have the money.

[ninenot]

I've said for a long time now that a substantial portion of today's college students are not really cut out for the rigors of higher education

...and you have been correct.

But that (potentially) makes the problem even worse, for if we were to bounce all the "don't belong here" students from TinkerToy College(s), THEN what jobs would they hold?

The next excuse for hiring CFL (cheap foreign labor) will be that "Americans don't have degrees..."

Furthermore, it is entirely reasonable to postulate that the vast majority of US jobs do NOT require a college degree. Most of them are "do-able" with training and practice, including a great percentage of "white-collar" jobs.

But then, the ex-faculty at TinkerToy State College(s) may have to find real work, too.