I would add that probably 50% of the "areas of study" are just as useless. I don't see a whole lot of openings for experts in the areas of feminine studies, or most of the "art" degrees out there.
I would suggest that seventy percent of all students in a four-year university....really don’t need to be there. Forty percent ought to be at a community college, ten-percent ought to be in a one-year occupational certification program. The rest (20 percent) can just go and work as shift managers of Wal-Mart, car-rental establishments, or IHOP.
I’d even go as far to say that half of all school teachers could get by with just a community college degree. I could see a reason for science or math teachers having a four-year degree....but grammar or history teachers? Oh please, that’s silly. A two-year degree is more than enough....same for music or art teachers, and I won’t even say what gym teachers ought to have....but it’s nowhere near an associates degree.
Well that’s a matter of debate, yes, from the practical, I can get a job out of studying this, there are degrees that are virtually worthless. However, it doesn’t mean they are not things that are worth study for someone who has a passion about it.
I have a relative who has a doctorate in literature, a very very specific subset of literature.. a subset that maybe 100 people in the globe if that study. Now, is it my passion? Not at all, but it is hers, and she does get paid to research information in that subset, so while not my cup of tea, or really a high demand field, it was her passion, so she pursued it.
I do not feel that education should be limited to things that most folks find practical, if that’s what someone wants to study so be it. Whether it is a wise FISCAL move for them, well that’s their perogative.
Reality is, most folks are not intellectuals, they don’t go to college for the pursuit of learning, they do it to get a degree because its what you do, and many jobs require a degree for consideration, regardless of what the major is. Second reality is most folks don’t ever wind up working in a field remotely related to their degree EVER, and even more are not working in a field related to their degree within 5-10 years of graduation. Next time you meet a salesperson, ask them what their degree was in if they went to college.
There basically are 2 very distinct folks in college (well more, but 2 primary groups) Those that truly are passionate about an area of study, and those that are just killing time. The first group is far far smaller than the second.
Frankly in my opinion, far too many people go to college, I meet people daily with degrees that honestly I think their intellect if turned to electricity couldn’t toast bread, but somehow they got into a university and graduated, when clearly they should never have been. I think honestly public schools have dumbed down the average person so far, that probably 50% of college graduates if not more know far less than a Public School High School gradate from 1950 knew.