Posted on 01/16/2021 9:17:45 PM PST by SeekAndFind
This demonstrates Elon Musk’s thoughts on college. In an interview he basically said that today you can learn just about anything for free online. College is just for having fun, and for proving you can do your chores and work with deadlines, but not for learning.
That’s why at his companies they look for proof of exceptional performance, not degrees.
The majority of high cost college degrees nowadays barely provide the educational equivalent of grade school.
Then you have the brainwashed indoctrinated graduate that’s incapable of any thought process on their own.
The end result is a degreed burger flipper. But they’ll rejoice now be use they’ll be making $15.00 an hour before long. That’s close to 100% pay raise.
There may be a reason many are working extra years.
I recently saw a quip that went something like this:
“I’ve asway been told that two can live as cheaply as one. I have found that it is true, but that it also takes both of us to earn enough to do it.”
I understand. I don’t blame them for working as long as they can. However, there is just a trickle down effect from doing so.
We also had stats showing a LOT of unfilled jobs as the Trump Economy kicked in - wouldn’t but it past a lot of those who don’t wish to work complaining about the job situation.
But it’s also true that good paying jobs are not plentiful - I always thought that taking what was available and then looking to move up or over as opportunities arose was more effective than waiting for “just the right job”.
I remember seeing all of the potters, woodworkers, weavers and other craft-persons in the Pacific Northwest in the 80s and 90s.
Most had advanced, liberal arts degrees earned while hiding from the draft during the Viet Nam War.
Now, we have their children and grandchildren, earning “feel-good” sheepskins without any thought about the marketable skills that come with it.
Excellent article.
I’m a college educated father of four. One has a full degree and is an Astronautical Engineer at NASA.
Two have Associates degrees in English and are slowly working toward their bachelors. However, one is a book editor for a well known Christian publisher and the other plans to be a children’s librarian to the degree choice makes sense.
Number four is a trucker. He works hard and earns good money.
College is not for everyone. It’s really not for most. There is no sense in starting our life $100,000 in debt with few prospects for a serious job.
(My engineer kid worked it right. He had some scholarships. The money he borrowed worked out to about $30,000 which he hunkered down and paid off in a year. He also had a part time school job in his field that paid enough to v=cover his last two years of tuition.)
If you have kids, unless they have a particular talent or a plan, skip the college routine.
hindsight is always 20/20 ..
Well, ok, I can’t resist telling the tale.
About 10 years ago I attended a week long workshop in metals held at a fine arts enclave located several miles from the main campus of a university. I have learned to work in silver.
We were given a tour. The head of the glass studio asked at the first words he uttered...... “What’s the difference between a large Domino’s pepperoni pizza and a glass artist?”
“The pizza can feed a family of four.”
But I digress.
Each evening the various work shop heads made presentations and had extensive presentations of their work
The wood work shop was hosted by the out going resident artist in the wood work studio. She showed the pictures and some showed beautiful work in furniture and boxes I think. Most was devoted to her calling however. Her calling and reason for being was to express the dialogue between lines and dots.
She would make door frames and window facing and all sorts of architectural fenestration from wood that received a wash of tempera paint onto which she took an HB pencil and made a dot from which a line extended. The dots were more or less uniform but the lines mostly at right angles were of various lengths. This meticulously applied pencil work was a dialogue between lines and dots.
She was very upset and complained through the whole presentation. She had to leave the security of the wood studio where she had dwelled for about 8 years. She came as a freshman Fine Arts Major, spent 2 more years getting a Masters of Fine arts and then was granted 2 more years as Artist in Residence, Wood Working Studio. At 26 she was kicked out into the hard cold world. She was wonderfully talented and made beautiful stuff. She was hung up as an artist however.....lines and dots.
It was realized that she had to make a living and the solution proposed was a production item. That is artist code for something you make over and over rather than just one at a time. The buzz is “do you have a production item”.
Well she developed one. Mirror Frames that were about 3 “ wide painted in the yellow milk tempera and containing the wonderful hand applied dialogue with lines and dots. So all was well. She had the production item and sold one.
OOps.....there was a problem. It had to be shipped. She could find no box the right size to ship the frame in. Turns out to get a box or boxes, the frames had to be dimensionally fabricated to a size determined by the box manufacturer. Time for crying...... literally. Her whole artistic world came crashing down.
The box maker destroyed her artistic freedom and thus her integrity and thus her being.
The story had no end. Her final days at the school including the summer workshop gig granted in total pity was at an end. She had no job. She had no prospects. The wonderful production item was distasteful because of the loss of artistic freedom and integrity.
I don’t know what happened but know that she at 26 thought the world was nearing an end
“For the vast majority of kids a trade program in welding/hvac/electrician can be the ticket to a great middle class life.Journeyman can make 150k and spend their earnings buying a house/boat/nice truck ect. and not on paying for an overpriced worthless college degree that won’t help get a job”
People would be amazed by how doing just that (minus the boat) and investing from an early age rather than having debt to pay off can be a good plan.
But what do I know, I’m just a comfortably retired HS graduate.
Because they have worthless degrees.
I got a BSEE, followed by an MBA after 5 years of engineering, then, years later, a MSSE.
After nearly 50-years of employment. I retired and now have my second (Third, actually...also 32-years a soldier) career, I restore old woodworking machines (Old Arn).
Life is full of opportunity, challenge, and rewards....if you can get outside of the box. Your story about that “Fine Artist” tells the story of a child in a box in a tantrum. Thanks for sharing!
I got my MA in Modern European History intending to teach. I decided to enlist in the Army. Spent 20 years there going from private to captain and then used my degree by becoming a civilian historian and archivist for the US Army for the next 22 years.
I’m satisfied with my decision to enlist, especially with what the teacher unions demand of its members. Unfortunately, I now see the country as taken over by fifth column socialist/communists, that I spent the Cold War defending this nation from via the USSR/Warsaw Pact.
Frustration breeds radicalism.
“Mamma don’t let your babies grow to up to get Stupid Studies Degrees”
Do you see how much money a Chief Diversity Officer makes these days?
Outrageous. Diversity and Inclusion are two of the most toxic words in the English language.
@ minnesota_bound
Sorry to hear your plight! Indeed, some sectors have been made very unpleasant by in-sourcing and out-sourcing from India. The whole recruiting industry now is dominated by Indians. Try a medium size company where getting an H-1B is hard.
I at least have enough in stock for a nice retirement.
I have a philosophy degree. Never thought it was a ticket to a job, just had an interest in the subject and since I paid for it I took the risk.
After graduation I had my own business, worked corrections, and spent 25 years doing radiation effects testing and circuit board design. Now semi-retired working on a ranch/ shooting range part time.
Looking back I might have done engineering instead. It’s been a good ride.
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