College educations creating plenty of debt but not much skill

Coach is Right ^ | 2/24/13 | Jerry Todd

[Oldpuppymax]

Our children’s opportunities to learn based on technological advances has been more than offset by the loss of appreciation of literature and the humanities – including history, theology, philosophy and even economics. Our old friend Jon T. Barton, a classical violinist wrote an 800 page 2 volume work called “The Bible in Western Literature.” He co-authored with attorney John Whitehead a 1981 book, “Schools on Fire” – a prophetic work warning of the now deplorable and unnecessarily expensive condition of American education.

I met a young man recently with a degree in “Environmental Studies” from screwball UCal/Santa Cruz, home of the Banana Slugs. His student loan is $90,000 and he still can’t get a job. His girlfriend has a degree in Psychology and is...

[OldPossum]

Note that I was not arguing any case for the current situation in which students foolishly over-borrow and major in subjects that will not get them a job (since higher education has turned into a job-training program). I was merely pointing out that there are those who do benefit from being able to go to college with borrowed funds.

I was one of those who borrowed a modest amount, studied hard, and worked my tail off in my spare time to attain the degree that got me interviews which led to a fine career.

And I paid back the government every penny (plus interest) that I borrowed.

[rarestia]

Most university math and science departments are run by foreigners. American students cannot compete with the better-educated Indians, east Asian, and middle Eastern students who excel in those courses.

Even when I was taking upper level math courses for my engineering studies, most of my math and electrical engineering courses were taught by asian men, mostly Chinese. I didn’t understand a word they said in lectures, and their handwriting and English usage was abhorrent. I scraped by in the class, but I was an idiot compared to the rest of the foreign exchange students.

The problem, as I see it, is an abysmal public education system here in the US and a lack of drive on the part of high school graduates. If Uncle Bama can keep them fed and clothed and all they have to do is attend marches and rallies for his cause, why not just do that? Mom and dad’s basement is always available, right?

[DungeonMaster]

How does one put that degree to work?

[vladimir998]

Well, a lot of lawyers get Philosophy degrees first (or Political Science or Pre-Law or History). Some Philosophy grads go on to get PhDs in Philosophy and teach it. I suspect that’s what this Canadian kid will do.

[1010RD]

How about just ending summer’s off and you’d gain 3 years of schooling.

[GeronL]

The last thing we need is to leave the kids in the hands of these leftist educrats for more time

[1010RD]

I never agreed to leave children with government educators, ever.

[NVDave]

But you’d still have to pay for it. Colleges charge by the “credit hour,” not by the calendar year.

There’s simply no escaping the hard facts: There’s lots of people paying a lot of money they don’t have to become schooled in nonsensical twaddle that has no future economic value.

[1010RD]

The credit hour is symbolic of why education doesn’t work. It’s designed around teachers and bureaucrats not learners.

Why should I wait for the next class or even the end of the semester? If I get it now, let me advance. There’s no reason college needs to take so long.

I was talking, though, about grade school and high school. There’s no good reason it should take 12 years+ to graduate HS. Well, there is a reason - teacher’s unions.

If you skip twelve summers off you capture 3 years and you’d be able to graduate at 14-15 years old instead of 18+. You could spend the next three years learning and practicing a variety of trades. There isn’t a trade you cannot master in a dozen weeks of doing it.